Denis (Sem 2, 2022)

My Exchange at Fudan University

The following report would be divided to 2 sections. First, I would talk about my recommendation to non-Chinese speakers. Then, I would give some important advice to Chinese speakers for the life in Fudan.

To those don’t speak fluent Chinese, it would be really hard to catch up with the regular courses taken by local students. Although Fudan does provide courses to Chinese as second language students, it would not be easy for you to find the corresponding UOA courses and those courses are a supplementary system to their regular courses. Thus, it may be hard for you to transfer credits and get a real touch on the University life in China. If you accept all these challenges, going for an exchange in China would be a fantastic experience for you.

Fudan located in Shanghai, the city blended with Chinese and Western Culture. Therefore, you can find coffee stores and bars everywhere and they are probably neighboring with traditional noodle canteen. You may be surprised with how convenient living in the city is as it is a city supported with super strong metro and logistics networks. In addition, the faculty in Fudan would organize various activities during Chinese tradition festivals or Western festivals. They are super kind and supportive and are really willing to help you with your life and study in Fudan.

To those who have taken education in China, you should definitely take the regular curriculum in Fudan. Two possible options are laid out here: 1. Take 5-7 courses like what a regular Fudan student does. 2. Take minimal courses (4) so that you can maximize your experience outside classes. To whom taken the first option, you should know that Fudan is usually regarded as the top 3 universities in China and your peers are the smartest or most hard-working students in the country. Hence, don’t under estimated the difficulties of Fudan’s course. Although your grade in Fudan won’t affect the overall GPA in UOA, it is still possible that you may fail the course and be requested to retake the exam by the start of next semester which cause great inconvenience. For those who take the second option, if you want to take an intern role while studying, it would be really hard to enjoy your school life. You are unlikely to participate in the interesting clubs in Fudan which is quite a loss. However, if you have made up your mind, I would say it is totally possible to squeeze 4 courses into one day and you would then be able to participate in your intern role in the other four working days.

Beside the general advice, what are courses that I would recommend? 1. Don’t take physic / math / computer science etc. 2. Take some philosophy / media marketing / management related courses. Department of science are a camp of nerd and you would feel quite challenging and stressful given the heavy workload. For instance, I took a computer graphic course which require to write three different projects from scratch without any instruction and give a comprehensive analysis presentation about the newest top-level paper. Within every session, we run through about 100 pages of PowerPoint filled with lots of details that would be included in exams. In contrast, the second type of class is more easy going, although a lot of pre-lecture reading is required, there is less workload beside the mid-term and exam. I feel these lectures are more intellectually stimulating. So, I highly recommend you take one or two courses like these.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

New Media Overview is quite an interesting courses to take. Although it requires a lot of pre-lecture reading, you are able to debate your opinion freely with your lecturers, which is quite intellectual stimulating.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Enjoy the expos, shows, and activities in Shanghai. There is a lovely Christmas fair in the center of Shanghai with lots of foods and drinks from different country. There are about 4-10 art exhibitions every month, and various shows are held in these cities.

What are your top tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Try to get the detailed course outline as soon as you make up your mind to go for an exchange. Usually, you can find someone in Taobao or Xianyu who can help you download these documents from Fudan internal database. Having these documents in hand, you would be more likely to get the credit transferred approval from your department.

2. Find proper accommodation. I don’t know whether the exchange student hall is built or not at your time. I personally rent an apartment during the exchange given that the option offered by Fudan is living in the school’s hotel. The hotel is inside the Uni like the other dorms and frankly speaking, it is not so well fit up. So I recommend you finding an apartment outside the school. Personally I rent a house with 10 minutes bike time from school with about 3500 rmb per month where I have my own washing machine and stove etc. There are options such as living in student flat which provide you with all these facilities. However, their price ranges from 5800-7000 per month and it takes double to triple utility price.

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?

Your living cost would range from 5000 rmb (1200 NZD) per month to whatever you want. It really depends on where you live and what you eat. The school canteen provides a variety of food at much cheaper prices (I guess the government subsidised the canteen).

But the minimum accommodation cost is about 3000 RMB and you spend about 60 RMB per day on your food. However, if you want to explore quality Chinese restaurants, they usually range from 150-500 RMB (35-100+ NZD) per person, slightly higher than any other cities in China.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Plan beforehand and enjoy your experience.