Program Reviews

Chinese in 4 weeks!
Had a truly awesome time at the CSA Beijing, where I did a 4 week Chinese course.
Despite the fact that 4 weeks really is a short time, I accomplished to reach a level of 5-6 month students with the from the best tutors in the world from CSA and classes that could challenge my level daily.
In the weekends and also during some week days, many social events where up for the taking and many good friends were quickly made.
Overall, an experience I'll never forget!

I went to China primarily to learn Chinese, starting as an absolute beginner, and chose to go with CSA after reading through their website and following a personal recommendation. It turned out to be an excellent decision. CSA Beijing make it very easy to have fun and experience China, so you can concentrate on learning Chinese. In short, the general quality of the service provided was fantastic, with 24/7 availability, a nice office to hang out in, and a team of staff to take care of all the administration issues (accommodation, utilities, schooling, visa, etc.). Regarding learning Chinese, they arranged a great personal tutor which allowed me to improve my language skills very quickly. And finally, they organised a large number of regular social and cultural activities, making my time in Beijing highly enjoyable as well as productive.

The rest of my review goes into detail, and as it turned out to be quite long, I have split it into the following sections:
1. CSA Administration and Accommodation
2. Learning Chinese at Tsinghua
3. Social and Cultural Activities
4. Daily Life (Food, Health and Safety)
5. Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

1. CSA Administration and Accommodation

CSA Beijing administered the program exceptionally well. This began with a welcome pick-up at the airport and orientation week (like Freshers' Week) with the other CSA Beijing students (around 40-50 in total when I was there), allowing me to settle in and feel comfortable in China very quickly. The CSA Beijing office is always open during business hours, where you can stop by for a drink or a chat with other students and the friendly staff (both local and Western). Their team was available by phone 24/7 for any problems (for example, extending my visa and fixing the Internet connection in my apartment), which they dealt with quickly and effectively, allowing me to concentrate on enjoying my time in China and learning the language.

For accommodation, I chose CSA's 'Standard Single Apartment', and it was ready on my arrival. The apartment was of a good size comprising of an open-plan bedroom - living area, and separate kitchen and bathroom. It was fully furnished including a fridge and a washing machine. Most of the essentials were provided, though I did buy some additional cooking equipment because I like to cook my own meals. The location was ideal - a short cycle ride from classes and the local nightlife area. Importantly, CSA dealt with all the utilities (water, gas, electricity, Internet) so I didn't have to worry about topping up cards or meters.

2. Learning Chinese at Tsinghua

The overall educational experience was great - on arriving on China I couldn't speak a word of Mandarin, but by the end of the semester I was having whole conversations with locals who couldn't speak any English. This was due to a combination of the language course at Tsinghua and my excellent tutor (arranged by CSA Beijing and Snap Tutoring) who was a local native Mandarin speaker but was also highly proficient in English.

Regarding the course at Tsinghua University, the workload is really quite heavy, but necessary for making significant progress in learning Chinese. In the first week around 100 Hanzi (Chinese characters) are introduced, and in the following weeks around 50 a week on average. This is backed up by regular dictation tests which are graded. Also, there are specialised classes for speaking and listening as well as the comprehensive (reading and writing) classes, which allows more practical application of the language. Your final grade is comprised mainly of the midterm and final exams.

While the Chinese language course was challenging, especially at first, it was also quite rewarding as you could notice your progress in daily life. The teachers were all of very high quality and were proficient in English so communication was not an issue. With relatively small classes (15 or so in a class), there was a lot of class participation and good group morale as a result. Moreover, Tsinghua University has some quite nice grounds and scenery that varies by the season.

However, I cannot overemphasise the importance of my personal tutoring sessions. As already mentioned, CSA Beijing arranged an excellent tutor who I had lessons with every weekday. She was friendly and reliable, helping me to prepare for and consolidate the material learnt at my Tsinghua classes. After a while, we were having full conversations in Chinese, giving me a great opportunity to practice my speaking and listening, as well as covering some of the more practical day-to-day activities not covered in the textbooks. From knowing no Mandarin at all at the start, by the end of the semester I could handle everyday interactions in Chinese and get the main meaning from most written Chinese I encountered.

3. Social and Cultural Activities

Social and Cultural Activities is where CSA Beijing really shines. If you opt to include CSA Activities (and I would highly recommend you do), your program then includes a comprehensive range of weekly activities on the weekends, both the standard tourist attractions (i.e. Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Silk Market, Wangfujing Night Market, Summer Palace, etc.) and some more special cultural attractions (i.e. tour of traditional Hutong housing, dinner at the house of a real Kung Fu master, Beijing opera, Chinese cooking, etc.). Particularly memorable was the Great Wall camping trip, where we hiked along an unrenovated section of the wall, slept under the stars and watched the sun rise over the beautiful natural landscape. There were also optional trips to places like Xian and Harbin - I chose to go on the Harbin trip over New Year to see the Ice and Snow Festival, which is unlike anything else I have seen anywhere in the world. In terms of the social aspect, you will quickly become friends with your fellow CSA students, starting with a welcome dinner and KTV (Karaoke), followed by weekly meetups on Friday at the CSA office (in addition to the aforementioned weekend trips), and further parties for Halloween, Christmas and a Farewell dinner.

4. Daily Life (Food, Health and Safety)

There is a wide range of food available, from local street food to Western fast food restaurants. There is even a similar range of supermarkets for cooking at home (from the local chains to international supermarkets with many imported goods). In addition, Tsinghua itself has many cafeterias which offer great value for money, which I often went to with my classmates. Personally I found it was possible to live on around 50 RMB a day, though if you like to go to more expensive Western restaurants you might want to budget closer to 100 RMB.

While I have heard claims that China is dangerous, Beijing is actually a very safe city, and I had no issues regarding safety. In actual fact, I found the local community welcoming - even when I couldn't speak much Chinese they tried to be helpful. Similarly, I didn't need any vaccines or medicines to go to China. In terms of healthcare, CSA offers optional insurance if you don't already have travel insurance to cover this, and will accompany you to hospitals if required.

5. Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

As the title of this review suggests, I was very impressed with CSA Beijing and as a result I have signed on for a second semester. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn Chinese and experience China without having to worry about administration issues or language barriers. You'll not only have the opportunity to learn the language and the culture in China, but really enjoy yourself while doing so and also make new friends from all over the world.

I studied at BLCU through China Study Abroad for 2 semesters starting Sep 2009. I was pretty apprehensive about coming to China, as I knew little Mandarin and I had never really studied Chinese properly. Hence, I was looking for a study abroad program that I could trust and rely on.

I do a fair amount of pre-judging, based on website design and functionality, and CSA's was the best by far. Their responses to my inquiries were quick and informative. I didn't really shop around, but I felt that I had chosen a good program.

Those feelings were backed up on arrival, when I was picked up at the airport by a CSA staff member. I was settled into my apartment quickly and given a tour around the area, and I quickly made some friends who were also CSA students.

The CSA staff were really friendly and helpful, always able to answer questions and offer help. They also organized trips and activities around Beijing almost every weekend, which I took full advantage of, especially the Great Wall camping trip... what an experience!

I met some really great friends through CSA, and we still keep in touch though we are far apart. I know I wouldn't have had the same experience without CSA, and I know I couldn't have had the easy introduction to China without their help.

At the end of my 2 semesters, I had learned enough Mandarin to be conversational in it, and I decided to stay longer in China to find work and experience more of this awesome country. I guess you can't say much more about a study abroad program than that!

CSA is really well organised and they understand what makes a good language experience, making my own experience something I will remember forever! I was lucky enough to stay with a wonderful home stay family which was understandably difficult at first but is really benefiting my Chinese and means I have seen the city with the help of locals. Thanks to CSA I have learned so much about Chinese culture and made loads of new friends. The CSA weekend activities have shown me new areas of the city and helped me meet some really cool people, and although I am only a beginner BMA is bringing my Chinese along in leaps and bounds. The school is easily accessible from my place and the area is really fun to hang out in with my classmates. I would really recommend CSA and BMA to anyone wishing to learn Chinese, make new friends and have an awesome time!

I found the accommodation perfect and met expectations. The neighbourhood was fantastic, close to the school, shops, restaurants, the city and parks. Help was never far away by phone call so I felt pretty secure.

I made a lot of friends, locals and foreigners, and I think my first impression of China was just made even more indelible because of staying first at Kunming.

Having stayed in Beijing and Shanghai afterwards I have the luxury to compare my experiences of each city. Each had their own unique characteristics and if there was anything to critique I would say that the teaching style in Kunming was probably a little too relaxed. But I suppose that was a reflection of the laid back vibe of the city.

BLCU provides great quality Chinese instruction and I love the camaraderie my classes developed. The classes were a little big (around 20) and a little too long but the benefit I received by studying with experienced, helpful, and understanding teachers more than compensated for that. There's a very large international student body so it was great to meet and make friends with people from all over the world. The Chinese student population also made it very easy to find a language partner or tutor.

CSA went above and beyond my expectations. Free drinks in the office, organized events every weekend as well as longer, multi-day trips on holidays were great. Everyone was also very approachable if there was a problem that needed help or fixing. I'm personally indebted to one staff member in particular after she stayed with me at the hospital for the entire day after I had an accident on my bike. There's nobody else I would go to if I come back to study in China.

The CSA staff are always willing to help out in the event of any dificulties and even if you just need a friendly word or two. They arrange all sorts of outside events and suggestions for an active social life as well as group activities and trips outside Beijing. They are always available to help with any visa issues etc.as well as advice on places to visit and generally wnyhtng you could possibly wnat to now about life in Beijing!

The BLCU program is hard, partly because it is generally an intensive course and partly because chinese is hard!!! The teachers are generally very helpful and there is a surprising amount of class readjustment, students can try out other classes if they feel they are not in the right one, hopefully everyne manages to end up in one that suits their needs.
BLCU also aranges a number of trips as part of their program: visits to the Great Wall and National Museum etc.

One of the other interesting things about the BLCU program is the amazing number of different nationalities in the different classes as well as ages from 17 to 60. You certianly have a whole new outlook on the world after time spent here.

I would highly recommend this program and CSA.

After I finished university, I planned to move to Beijing on whim - with no Chinese language training and no living abroad experience, it was all a bit daunting (and I was somewhat naive!). However, after contacting CSA two weeks prior to my departure, they helped me create a customized program with Beijing Mandarin Academy, that allowed me to study in the morning for 3 hours per weekday. The program at BMA was great - while the teachers do follow the textbook lessons, I find they do so in a unique and interactive way. My laoshi (teacher) even brought a few dozen dumplings to class once for us to practice ordering and speaking about food (as well as practicing our chopstick skills!). The program at BMA was great and gave me a great foundation for my Chinese language skills. I am grateful that CSA was available to help me set up my language program as I would not have been able to find my way without them! x