I have been living at Jinan University in China for almost two months now and I am doing my 5th semester as a semester abroad. Jinan University is one of the most prestigious and best universities in the region. For many students from Chinese high schools, admission to Jinan University is the crowning achievement of what is probably one of the most difficult school educations in the world. But what can they expect? And how do I, as a European student, evaluate studying at a Chinese university?
But first I would like to tell you about the two largest campuses of the university and their differences.
Main Campus
Jinan University has a total of four campuses. Three of them are located in Guangzhou and one in Shenzhen. The largest and most important campus is the Main Campus in the Tianhe District in the center of Guangzhou. In addition to 20 student dormitories, apartments for the "normal population", the university hospital, various colleges and classroom buildings, it is also home to one of China's largest university libraries, sports facilities, restaurants and stores, as well as the university's primary and high schools. The campus is cramped and crowded. Small streets and alleyways run like a labyrinth through the entire campus. Until late at night, this maze is filled with students, families and other residents who pass the time with various sports activities, enjoy themselves in one of the many restaurants or simply relax in one of the campus parks. All of this gives the Main Campus a charming flair and provides the opportunity to see a cross-section of Chinese society "living".
I would have liked to live on Main Campus during my time in China. However, this was denied to me due to a restructuring of undergraduate student accommodation and I had to settle for a room on the 12th floor of a dormitory on South Campus.
South Campus
The South Campus is the exact opposite of the Main Campus. It is located in Panyu District, a district in the south of Guangzhou, about 30 minutes by car from the Main Campus, far outside the city center. It was opened in 2012, making it the newest campus of Jinan University. However, the area is significantly larger than the Main Campus; the smallest part is built on. Instead of being crowded together, there is therefore a lot of space. The South Campus, like the Main Campus, has a fairly large library, some student residences, sports facilities, a supermarket and a handful of fast food outlets. There are no real restaurants, apartments for "non-students" or other schools here. Due to its age and the comparatively low population density, most of the buildings and parks still feel very sterile and empty.
Teaching at Jinan
As one of the few universities in China, Jinan University has an international school where classes are taught in English. The English skills of the professors vary drastically from lecturer to lecturer. I had lecturers who gave lectures in perfect English, but there were also the opposite, lecturers who only gave lectures in broken English and often drifted off into Chinese. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and was happy to help with questions and self-interest in further topics. I am taking a range of courses from the 3rd and 4th year, from pure computer science courses to law and project management from the business sector.
Despite the small course sizes, the lectures are very frontal. To my regret, there is hardly any interaction with the very uninterested students during the lectures. Cell phones are tolerated in all lectures and are used permanently by all students. This general lack of interest was frightening and cannot be compared with my experiences at the DHBW. The level of difficulty of the subject matter taught varied from medium to very demanding depending on the lecturer and subject, but is comparable to the content taught in Germany. In contrast to my German university, all lecturers set homework every week. These are very extensive and significantly increase the workload. There are also a number of final projects that I had to work on during the exam phase.
Other things I noticed in class:
Very friendly interaction between lecturers and students
Things are taught from a Chinese perspective (WTO & Law). This led to interesting discussions about various problems of free trade, which China is now also experiencing
Deadlines may(!) be met
Looking back, studying at a Chinese university was a very interesting experience. I was able to check all my preconceptions for accuracy and realized that Jinan University surprised me in a positive way. But there are also many things, such as the demotivating learning environment or the outdated learning methods and equipment, which make me look forward to studying at a German university again soon.
