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Studies > China > Beijing > Peking University > Review by Anna
 
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Peking University (PKU)

Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
3.57 / 5 based on 66 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
67% of students recommend
66 reviews
Housing
3.1/5
 All experiences (66)
Student life
3.9/5
 5 stars (0)
Academic
3.4/5
 4 stars (36)
Languages
3.9/5
 3 stars (24)
Expenses
3.8/5
 2 stars (6)
Overall
4.0/5
 1 star (0)
“Good luck.” Read Review
Monkeygirl, United States

Peking University review by Anna

Review by Anna, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
Language, Independent
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? Dormitories were packed like sardines, noisy and had totally insufficient bathroom, bathing, clothes washing, and overall living quarters. And the food was beyond description - in the negative sense. We were also kept strictly separated from native students.
Personal comments:
Accomodations - hah. The front doors were locked at a certain time and no-one could get in or out - can you say 'death-trap'? We were two to a room the size of one bed, there was hot water for one hour each morning and only three showers per sex for several hundred people, the water was TURNED OFF at other times, facilities for washing clothes were a rock and a faucet of cold water, it was unheated in winter, and there were no medical facilities available.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community
Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Well, things have changed so much... Social life was raging, the rest sucked.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       1.5 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
Holy nightmare. No-one spoke English at all, and so I and others with some skills in Mandarin translated for the poor fools who came to Beijing to learn. We mostly all failed our classes because the grading was nightmarish, the library facilities non-existent, and the teaching sucky. But I did learn a lot just by being there...



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
Um... maybe if they developed one?

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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: Chinese
Was learning Chinese a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your Chinese?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Personal comments:
I learned, but only against the stream of hardship directed at us.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
None
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
China is cheap.
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
none
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
Go somewhere else.
In my opinion:
Stay home.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Get your act together - so many other universities in Beijing are so much better at this than BeiDa!



FINAL COMMENTS

Good luck.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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