Which one is better for learning Mandarin in Shanghai, Fudan, SJTU, or SISU?

The first year of Chinese language classes at any univ in China is pretty useless. Classes are super easy and basic, for foreigners that mostly wants to have fun. At the end of the year, everybody gets a nice and useless diploma before heading back home where they tell everyone how awesome China is. That is why the Chinese gov is distributing scholarships.

From the 2nd year on, things change as only the most motivated are left. Most students are Korean or Japanese and teacher ‘s expectations raise drastically. At that point, univ can be of some help if you are really committed to learning Chinese.

Truth is, you don ‘t need univ to learn Chinese. Just go where life is cheaper, so you don ‘t have to worry about money. Try Wuhan or Chengdu. These are nice places to live as a student.

This text was originally published in quora.