How to go to study in Taiwan: personal experience

Thus, I studied at the Chinese culture university for a year, but the training there was, to put it mildly, not very good. The groups are huge - 25–30 people, despite the fact that in Moscow there were only six in my group (specifically in language classes). With such a large number of people in the group, it is simply impossible to learn the language: there is no way to speak.

Why Taiwan

If you do not take into account that both times I had no choice at all, then I can say this: I was in mainland China (Beijing), and Taiwan differs for the better in a number of parameters. For the most part, this concerns people: here they are more open, friendly and cultured. If in Taiwan someone climbs into a subway car without a queue, you can immediately see that the person came from the mainland.

However, as far as mainland China is concerned, there are, of course, more opportunities for tourism - this is the main plus. And, of course, for those who study Chinese, it is no secret that traditional hieroglyphs are still used in Taiwan (and not simplified ones, as in China), which causes unpleasant sensations for many. But it's not that bad. You quickly get used to them, and then some "Chinese" characters seem illogical (for example, when the "heart" element is thrown out of the word "love", but the key "friend" is left).

How to get a scholarship

How I got there the second time is an extremely funny story. As they say, nothing foreshadowed trouble.:) It was August in the yard, and I was vacationing with my parents in Germany, on the lakes near Berlin. I was awakened by a phone call from the dean, who told me the good news.

The fact is that in the spring I passed the TOCFL exam - Test of Chinese as foreign language, which is conducted by the Taipei-Moscow Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation (this is the cleverly called organization that, in fact, performs the functions of an embassy). For those studying Chinese, this is the same as HSK in PRC.

However, a person who has passed this exam at level 3 and above (there are five in total) is eligible to apply for the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship. As a rule, for this you need to submit an application and collect all the necessary documents. Why they themselves chose people remains a mystery. The most logical explanation for this: no one simply knows about these scholarships and does not apply. They probably have certain quotas on how many scholarships they can give out to students from Russia per year, but if there are extra ones left, they choose from those who passed the exam with a good score. I described this in more detail.

The scholarship is NT $ 25,000, which is approximately RUB 29,000. It is enough to pay for tuition, housing, and there are still 5–10 thousand a month.

There are also scholarships for five years for those who have just graduated from high school and have not yet received higher education (1 year of studying Chinese and 4 years of bachelor's degree), however, as far as I know, it is necessary to finish school with a gold medal.

And the third type of scholarships is for master's studies.

Details about scholarships and more -.

Government scholarships apply only to programs in Chinese, however, many universities provide their scholarships for English-language programs.

Features of education in Taiwan

Taiwan universities are divided into private and public. Education is paid everywhere, even for Taiwanese. The system here is Bologna: 4 years - bachelor's degree, 2 years - master's degree. However, there is also a system of credits, so that master's degree studies can be extended to 3–4 years, just pay money.

Universities, on the other hand, take good places in world rankings. National Taiwan University (NTU) is included in the top 100 universities in the world (in 2009 - 55th place) and is also consistently in the top three universities in Asia (1–3 places in different years).

How to choose a university

Choose a university based on intentions and capabilities. The most prestigious, of course, is NTU, but it should be borne in mind that studying here will be more like studying at Harvard than at Moscow State University. Universities such as pedagogical (Taiwan Normal University), political (National Chengchi University), Tamkang university, Chenggong University are also held in high esteem.

By the way, it happens that the universities themselves also provide some scholarship programs, for example, there are definitely such ones at Chenggong University (Tainan). This should be clarified directly on the university website.

For those who only go to Taiwan to study Chinese, the Pedagogical University is the best choice. He publishes 99% of Chinese language textbooks and is where the best teachers work. National Taiwan University and Political are also on the level.

Typically, the admission process takes up to six months.

Language of instruction

There are specialties that are read only in Chinese, some - only in English. There are also specialties where you can attend both Chinese and English lectures, but English will be enough for successful mastering. More precisely, on the university website.

Basic requirements for applicants

If you plan to study in Chinese, you must pass the TOCFL, for English - TOEFL or TOEIC. The levels and points are set by the university. Naturally, certificates, diplomas and other available documents are also needed. Moreover, with an official translation, which, among other things, must be certified by the stamp of the Commission.

Work while studying

The scholarship rules prohibit any work or part-time job. Otherwise, scholarships, visas and deportation will be canceled. Regular students tend to work. The most common part-time job for foreigners is teaching English (for Russians, this is difficult, but if you wish, you can). Girls (and guys) of European appearance often earn money as models for advertising or at exhibitions for very good money.

the cost of living

You can live in different ways, on average it takes me about 25,000 a month for food / entertainment and all that. Obviously, without traveling around the island. You can safely spend more or less.

On average, eating out on the street costs from 50 to 150 Taiwanese dollars. Taiwanese very rarely cook at home, catering is very well developed here.

Advantages and disadvantages

The first thing that catches the eye of any foreigner who comes to the island is the benevolence and responsiveness of local residents, as well as the culture of their behavior. At public transport stops, everyone lined up, did not occupy the seats reserved for the elderly and the disabled, did not litter, etc. Several times, when I was looking at the map near the metro, they came up to me and asked if I needed help. The population speaks English tolerably.
Food. It's just a food cult. Taiwanese Instagram and Facebook are filled with nothing but food. Various types of Chinese cuisine are closely intertwined here with Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian cuisines.
I like that there are never any traffic jams in the city and public transport is extremely convenient.
Taiwan is also considered to be one of the safest places in the world.
And, of course, service and convenience. This is literally everything, starting from 7-eleven shops (Taiwan has the largest density of convinience stores in the world), where you can come, eat, go to the toilet, print a document and receive / send a parcel 24/7 (there are several dozens of times more than post offices). In addition, most of the products in stores are sold ready-to-eat / further processed. That is, you do not need to peel and cut fruits / vegetables and so on. Because of this, however, the Taiwanese have forgotten how to do anything on their own, so if you know how, for example, to cook, they will consider you almost a god.

The main disadvantage is the weather. Because of the humidity, it is cold in winter (there is no central heating in the apartments, the walls are usually "cardboard"). Therefore, when it is 15 ° C outside in winter, there are almost the same number of houses. It rains often. Tropical showers may not stop for a whole week, as happened on my only vacation in six months.

In summer, temperatures can reach 40 ° C, which, combined with humidity, turns the entire island into a sauna. Only the air conditioner saves - it is very difficult to breathe outside even at night. On the other hand, you can swim in the ocean almost all year round. Even in winter, the south of the island is very warm.

Very expensive dairy products - imports from Australia / Zealand. 100 grams of the most common cheese cost from 200 rubles. But there are coconuts, lychees and mangoes.:)

I also don’t like the fact that all cities are the same, very gloomy and gray. There are practically no historical buildings.

Circle of friends

I communicate with everyone. These are Taiwanese, and other Asians, Europeans, and, of course, Russians. There are not very many compatriots here, but there is a tendency to increase their number. There is a Russian community. An Orthodox church was opened last year.

Job prospects

Most foreigners in Taiwan work for companies such as ASUS, GIGABYTE and other IT giants. As for me, first you need to graduate from a university in Moscow.:) In general, I am thinking about entering a magistracy here. Now I am deciding on a specialty.

What to do besides studying

The most popular activity here is, perhaps, ecotourism. Taiwan is a paradise for hikers and hikers in parks or mountain slopes. For this, all conditions have been created here: tracks have been laid, there are hotels and campsites.