My Exchange at Tsinghua University
I found out about the 360 International Exchange Programme through one of the language courses I took in my first semester of first year. Then I discovered the information sessions and attended one online. When I first arrived in China, it felt nostalgic because it’s my native country and I hadn’t been back in years.
The accommodation I got at Tsinghua University was pretty good. I managed to book a single room with my own bathroom, single bed, wardrobe, desk and a small kitchen sink. There were other options such as a double room or AB room, but both consisted of having a roommate. In my building, each floor had its own communal washing machine, dryer and kitchen. More specific floors had common rooms where students can go to socialise or study. A pro of the student dorms was that every week the cleaners would come and change your bed sheets and every other day they would clean floors and your bathroom, so it was very convenient that I didn’t have to spend so much time on cleaning and washing. However, they do inspect the rooms every once in a while to check for prohibited items, cleanliness, damage to property etc.
The teaching at the host university felt more rigorous compared to Auckland and lacked smaller group discussion because they don’t have tutorials. Most of my classes consisted of 2-4 hour long lectures every week with 5 minute breaks in between. My classes sometimes also ran from 8am in the morning until 10pm. The academic days are definitely longer there and lectures are not recorded so you pretty much need to attend in person or would have to borrow notes from a friend after class. The teaching itself was similar to UoA, and the professors there are all from well known universities, so there are no issues in the standard of teaching by professors. Another thing is that each semester is 16 weeks long, with no mid-sem breaks which is quite different because at UoA we have 12 week semesters with 2 week long holidays. However, I think the students feel closer to the professors and are more comfortable with talking/seeking for help from professors because each of my classes we had a wechat group and you can directly message your teacher if you have questions/concerns.
Every student can top up their ID cards to purchase food from the canteens. I enjoyed the food on campus a lot because there was so much variety of foods and for such a cheap price too! There are 19 canteens on campus, plus cafes and bubble tea stores so the food options are endless! Not only can we get Asian cuisine, we also have European dishes such as pizza or pasta, as well as lots of Muslim, vegan, vegetarian options. I think on average it was about $4 NZD each meal depending on which canteen you go to. Furthermore, in China the food delivery is so convenient and cheap, I use it almost everyday. With the Meituan app, they can also deliver other items such as medication, groceries, makeup, basically anything you need or want.
There are also many clubs and societies on campus, and I joined the School of Economics and Management dance group as well as the DK5 Hip Hop Crew. We had weekly practices and performance opportunities. I also attended a skating session at the school ice rink as it is free for students to use.
On the days I don’t have classes, I’m using the time to travel around China. Within the semester, from Beijing, I visited Inner Mongolia, Shanghai, Xian, Zhangjiajie, Chongqing, Chengdu, Datong and Zhengzhou. After the semester, I also travelled to other countries such as Japan and Korea before coming back to NZ.
My advice for students wanting to go on exchange to Tsinghua would be to expect a lot of delays and last minute paperwork. But more generally, I would advise students who are wanting to go on exchange to make the most of their time there because you don’t realise how fast time goes by. It is such a good chance to travel around and learn a lot about yourself and meet new people/make connections.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
I really enjoyed a lot of the guest lecturers we had because they are all from well known companies and provided really good insights to emerging roles in the job market related to our degrees. In one of my classes, it was a Human Computer Interaction class where we had a guest speaker who brought in some new technological prototypes such as translation glasses and the Apple VR set which were so cool to play around with.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I’d recommend doing a photoshoot in China. It is offered almost in all cities. You can rent out historical clothing and get your makeup done and photographed by professionals. I did one in Beijing at the Beihai Park with traditional Hanfu. It was a fun experience, especially because we don’t get to dress up everyday in traditional clothing, and the photos we get are a good souvenir of our time in China.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
Definitely know at least a little bit of Mandarin because although cities like Shanghai are more international, most places you would not be able to get around solely using English.
I’d recommend doing the physical examination once you arrive in Beijing because doing it in NZ is more expensive and sometimes they don’t accept your form even if it’s from a valid GP/doctor. (I had to redo my examination when I got to Beijing since they did not accept the one I did in NZ)
Make sure to download a good VPN because China blocks all social media and Western apps. You will not be able to access Google or anything without paying for a VPN.
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I saved around 15k for this exchange and most of the costs were already paid before I left the country (accommodation, course fees, flights, visa, physical examinations etc). I’d recommend saving more than you need because you never know how much you will be travelling. I’d say the cost of living is cheaper to us since we are using NZD to convert to CNY. Especially if you are wanting to travel to other countries in Asia, definitely have an extra couple of thousands for those trips.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I think I learned a lot about myself and the way I tackle challenges and problems. I also became more unafraid to do things by myself such as solo travelling and managing my visas and money matters. I also think I’ve improved my mandarin a little by conversing with locals and reading/writing more characters. I also took master classes from well known dancers that I looked up to, which was very inspiring and I got to learn and improve a lot in my dance journey.