School (kind of) started this last week!

     
   

    The Flagship Center In Nanjing!

     Flagship classes have already started this week! However, many Nanjing University classes haven't started up yet. Thus far, the Flagship classes I have been taking include a media class, a writing class, and an "optimization" class. All of these classes are meant to prepare students for the tests they are meant to take at the end of the program. Here's a quick overview of the content of the classes I've been taking: In my media class, my classmates and I have been brushing up on Chinese current events and are learning to use more high level vocabulary to express our ideas regarding these current events. As for my writing class, I have been learning how to prepare myself for job interviews in China (how are they different from job interviews in the states?). Lastly, the ominous optimization class is essentially a one on one class in which students learn more vocabulary regarding their major, or pretty much any topic that will improve their Chinese. However, on top of taking classes, there are a great deal of tutoring hours; for every class that I am taking, I have about an hour of individual tutoring. On top of that, I have to do around five hours of tutoring with my roommate every week. Although all this tutoring seems like overkill (which it is), at the end of the month, students such as me (NOT the tutors) receive a small stipend of around $1000 RMB depending on the month.

Nanjing University Classes

     So far this week, I have finally chosen two classes at Nanjing University that I want to take! One is a nutrition class, and the other is a class concerning environmental pollution and affects to people's health. However, picking out my classes wasn't easy. For instance, before browsing Nanjing University classes, I did not realize that I would have the option of taking graduate level courses. Also, course catalogs are not standardized across the school, and this can create quite a bit of confusion. For instance, some classes start the first week of September, whereas others start well into October. In addition, many classes are located at the new campus, 仙林 （xiānlín）, as opposed to the campus where the Flagship center is located (all Flagship students are required to live within a certain radius of the Flagship center). For most people, this means the commute will be about an hour long subway ride away, one way.

Here are some tips for choosing your Nanjing University Classes:

-Although Nanjing University is a renown university in China, the quality of teaching is not super great. 
With that being said, I would gravitate towards classes that friends are also interested in (maybe making you more likely to go?), and classes that are all on the Gulou campus. 
-Try something new! 
This is a great time to learn about something that doesn't concern your major!
-Don't take the Nanjing University classes too seriously
important note: I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT FLAGSHIP CLASSES! Do put a lot of effort into Flagship classes. However, even if you get terrible grades in your university classes, the program does offer a great deal of extra credit to help raise your grade. 
-Find a teacher that has very detailed slides in order to better retain the class material
-Find a teacher that speaks more "standard" Chinese to help with listening comprehension

Roommate!
     As for my roommate, who is also my tutor as mentioned above, has proven to be great. She has been extremely helpful and cleanly, and goes above and beyond to make sure I am getting all of my work done and that I feel comfortable. In addition, she keeps buying me gifts! Giving small gifts in China is a way to show someone that you like them, so be prepared!

My Roommate!



Left: Me!; Middle: My Roommate Zhang Ying; Right: Alison

     However, this is not to say that we haven't had some minor differences. One of them is that my roommate washes her clothes everyday; I have learned that this is not a behavior that is endemic to my roommate, but is actually a common practice throughout China. This can get a little bit tiresome if the drying room for hanging clothes is in your room, or if I need to go to the bathroom/take a shower and the sink is being used. In addition, sense of privacy is a little different in China than it is in the United States. For example, my roommate entered my room (even though the door was closed), and put some of her items in my room temporarily. I did talk to her and ask her not to open my door, especially if I am not home, and she apologized in great detail, but at first it was a little unnerving. But overall, she has been a great person to live with, and a phenomenal tutor! 

     That concludes this week's blog post, feel free to ask any questions or leave a comment below, and thank you for reading!