Tsinghua SEM held its first orientation day for incoming exchange students on Friday 18 February. The aim was to provide a practical and friendly introduction to life at Tsinghua. There were a series of short talks throughout the day by current international and Chinese students, covering relevant topics such as

- getting by if you can't speak Chinese;

- fun things to do in Beijing; and

- how international students can best come to understand modern China and Chinese students.

The new students were divided into small groups in the middle of the day and taken on guided tours of the Tsinghua campus and the surrounding area, and provided help in buying key Beijing essentials, such as bicycles, SIM cards and subway cards. The day concluded with an excellent dinner and drinks at a local restaurant.

 

 

Henry Bell, an organizer of the day and current IMBA student as well as program student ambassador, said "most of us arrived at Tsinghua only 6 months ago. We remember what the priorities are for new international arrivals and wanted to ensure that the new exchange students could settle into this fantastic place as soon as possible."

 

Eric Aforsman, on exchange from Sweden, said "Orientation was helpful in many ways: I got to meet many new friends; it was extremely helpful to get some key insights, e.g. into how the local housing market works. The most interesting part of the day was to listen to the Chinese students share their perspectives on western way of studying and living, and their own view of China"

 

Frederic Albrecht, on exchange from Switzerland, said "Orientation was the first warm Welcome at Tsinghua. It was great to get to know other students, both from exchange and on the full time programmes, and it really helped smoothen our start in Beijing".