Travel reports Chengchi Autumn semester
HT18
At National Chengchi University in Taipei I studied, Bachelor’s courses in:
- Taiwanese culture
- Traditional Chinese
- The history of Sino-American relations
- English elective in Essay writing.
Except for the course in Traditional Chinese the workloads of each course were comparable to Bachelor’s courses at a Swedish university. It is pertinent to note that the Chinese language course is intense and will take a lot of time and dedication. However, it is a very rewarding course which will increased my abilities to communicate in Chinese.
Now, the process of applying for the courses a little convoluted to say the least. Where the English in the two separate course selection systems range from passable to barley legible. However, the staff at the University are very helpful and quick to respond to emails. There are two important dates for you as an exchange student to keep track of. Where the courses for the fall term get listed on the 15th of July and the course selection does not open until August 20th . There is an-add drop period during the first week of class. Though there are no guarantees that the course you will want to read will still have spots open.
The main form of teaching at NCCU is through in class activities and homework. While this may seem a bit reminiscent of high-school for some, it does bring a predictable structure to the classes. The teachers are highly engaging, but English-speaking abilities varies drastically between the different teachers. Examinations are done in a classical mid-term/finals structure which should be familiar to most UU students. I found the level to be a little lower as compared to the one at UU. Where the amount of time required to achieve high grades is lower than it would be for a corresponding UU course. T
he University takes good care of the students for the first two weeks or so in Taiwan. Where it is possible to arrange pick up from the airport and a buddy system to ensure that any queries about day to day life can be satisfied. The international association will also arrange wide variety of activities, trips and parties during your stay.
I lived in the international dorm close to the NCCU campus. I’d recommend it to other exchange students. It is close to campus and has a good community between all the different students living in the dorm. There is also an on-campus dorm. However, I cannot recommend that dorm as the rooms are smaller and requires up to 4 roommates. It is cheap to liv in Taiwan, food is cheap and the rent averaged out to around 300 euros a month for the dorm room I rented.
I’d highly recommend to students who go to Taiwan to fully explore the island. For, there is a rich and deep culture to explore where traveling from the very north of the island to the south takes less than a day. Further, it is also an amazing opportunity to travel to other south Asian countries as flights are plentiful and cheap. All and all my semester in Taiwan was the adventure of a lifetime and an experience I can’t recommend highly enough.