Tongji University, China

I am currently studying electives in Chinese Languages as part of my exchange program at Tongji University. My electives include Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing which are all taught by different teachers. Tongji University has many different campuses and my campus is located at the Siping (四平路) Campus. Siping Campus has amazing facilities such as sports centres, gyms, libraries, convenience stores and food courts. Their food courts have a range of different cuisines which are all delicious and extremely cheap.

The teaching style in Tongji is quite different from UTS as we follow textbooks rather than course outlines, we also have early classes (8am-11:35am Monday-Friday), which makes me feel like I’m back in high school. As I am in a Non-degree program, there isn’t something called lectures and tutorials, it’s more just like lessons which I guess is very similar to tutorials at UTS. All the teachers in the International School are very helpful and outgoing.

Orientation was quite hectic as I wasn’t given much information on when and where I had to register. I also arrived in China during the Chinese New Year holiday period, so everyone was on break. However, the teachers at the International School office were really helpful and assisted me in completing the registration process.

The first few days in Shanghai honestly weren’t the best as I did not have a phone number and debit card which meant that I could barely do anything. However, life became amazing after I got everything done especially after my Alipay 支付宝 and WeChat Pay 微信支付 started working. I am currently living outside campus alone rather than in student accommodation at TongJi as they didn’t have any left.

Accommodation is much cheaper than in Sydney, however it is still quite expensive in China. There are a lot of limitations for International students living in China in terms of accommodation as not a lot of apartments or places accept International students. Only government-accredited apartments or housing places can accept International students making it hard to look for housing.

TIPS for students who are going on Exchange to China

1. First thing you must do before you even go on exchange is to make sure whether you are living on campus or outside. If you are living outside you should get into contact with agents to ask about accommodation availabilities and arrive 3-4 days before school start so you have time to check out the accommodation. If you are living on campus double check with your coordinator whether you can reserve because most universities don’t do reservations.
2. Once you land in China, remember the first thing you should do is to get a phone number. You can go to 中国电信 ( or any other telecom company) with your passport and tell them that you want to get a phone number. This process takes around 30 minutes.
3. After you get your phone number, you can then get your debit card done. Some banks in China cannot open bank accounts for foreigners, I went to 中国工商银行 to open my account. You should bring your passport and acceptance letter in order to open a bank account.
4. You must have a debit card and phone number to register things such as Alipay and also signing accommodation contracts.

Lauren Chen
Bachelor of Communication (Media Arts and Production) and Bachelor of International Studies
Tongji University
China

New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal