Hey guys ! I'm from Mauritius, sorry if my english is broken I went to a french school.
So It's been a while since i've decided that I was going to take a year off after highschool to learn mandarin and at first I was hesitating whether I should go to Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) or Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). But after doing some research on the web, i saw a lot of students not recommendating BLCU even though I often see websites saying that it is the go-to university when you want to learn chinese as a foreigner and BFSU looks ok but every reviews on BFSU i've seen seems to be pretty outdated (the most recent ones being like 5 years ago). I've heard pretty nasty thing on BLCU like corruption in the administration, bad hygiene like dirty bathroom/kitchen, and the teaching is apparently not made for people who aren't already fluent in chinese . I am quite conflicted right now, I don't know if the reviews are true, a lot of people are also saying that BLCU is great but usually the harsh criticism i saw were the most well written, so I was thinking more about BFCU but in the end I wonder if it's even worth to go to a chinese University, wouldn't it be better to go to a private school like Mandarin House? But I don't know much about private school, If someone could help me figuring where I should go please, I would be really glad
Most of the foreigners that I've ever met that study in Chinese Universities do so through Tsinghua; a school that does, actually, have a respectable reputation outside China.
With private language schools; you pays your money and you takes your chances (Although which ones can offer you a student visa, I would have no idea)..
Do you have a university near you? They may have affiliations with Chinese universities. By that I mean they may have exchange programs. Even though you wouldn't be an exchange student, you could consider one of these universities.
There's another board, Chinese-Forums, that's probably a better place to post a question like this.
First understand that these schools 'Foreign Studies' and 'Language and Culture' do not refer to Chinese. These schools are primarily FOR Chinese students to learn non Chinese languages and about non Chinese cultures. So your campus mates will be Chinese who are studying English, German, Russian, Japanese etc, not Chinese who are studying economics or engineering.
So It's been a while since i've decided that I was going to take a year off after highschool to learn mandarin and at first I was hesitating whether I should go to Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) or Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).
Depends on what you are looking for. Just out of high school you might want the structure provided by a university. Also it eventually looks good on your resume/CV to have some credentials.
I wouldnt say that the best way to learn chinese though is through these universities. They use outdated texts, have poor teachers, and focus on a rote memorization method to drill in character memory as their teaching style.
But after doing some research on the web, i saw a lot of students not recommendating BLCU even though I often see websites saying that it is the go-to university when you want to learn chinese as a foreigner and BFSU looks ok but every reviews on BFSU i've seen seems to be pretty outdated (the most recent ones being like 5 years ago). I've heard pretty nasty thing on BLCU like corruption in the administration, bad hygiene like dirty bathroom/kitchen, and the teaching is apparently not made for people who aren't already fluent in chinese .
That sounds like any Chinese university to me. The quality of the on campus accommodation is not great. Hygine standards in the dorms and cafeterias is of particularly low quality. The administration is difficult and opaque and can appear corrupt. As I said, these are places are not the best to learn chinese, they are more a place to be in a structured environment and get a credential.
I am quite conflicted right now, I don't know if the reviews are true, a lot of people are also saying that BLCU is great but usually the harsh criticism i saw were the most well written, so I was thinking more about BFCU but in the end I wonder if it's even worth to go to a chinese University, wouldn't it be better to go to a private school like Mandarin House? But I don't know much about private school, If someone could help me figuring where I should go please, I would be really glad
Private schools vary a lot. some are quite good others not so much. Less structure might mean figuring out things on your own like a place to stay and food.
Curious about this comment, why not learn Mandarin in China?
BTW, I know about Taiwan, simplfied & traditional hanzhi, etc. No I have no connection to any school r university in China.
You can take Chinese lessons online, it is free of time and place. Maybe you don't have to worry about that much.
trusted partner
