Shida Rant

So I get there nice and early to pay and register for my classes. I’m about # 15 in line. Finally, they open the doors (late) and I take my sweaty body into the auditorium where the real fun begins. First, there’s a table where they lose your paperwork and it takes them 15 minutes to find it and to give you a student number, as well as give you more forms to fill out the exact information that you have already filled out when they accepted your application a month ago. While they are doing this they ask a group of philipino students 15 times why they don’t have the paperwork for their scolarships yet. Nobody knows. Then there’s a table where they take your passport and lose it for 15 minutes (I’m not kidding) while laminating your student card and mixing up the rest of your paperwork with the Japanese student behind you. Then you go to another table where the computer crashes (the only computer in the place) and you have to wait for 15 minutes for them to get it going again. Then you pay the money. This takes a matter of seconds. It’s even better because you pay for the Japanese student and you don’t know this yet. Then you wait for 20 minutes for them to give you an oral placement test. When you get to the desk the nice lady asks why you have the paperwork for Tanakehasi Hokkaido. You don’t know this so It takes another 15 minutes to figure this out. Then you can wait for your placement test again. When you get to sit down a nice lady tries to have a nice little conversation in Chinese with you. You don’t want to be put in any class besides a beginners class so you try not to speak too much. After much pleading you don’t have to take the written test because that would be a further waste of your time. Then you are told that you probably won’t get the class time you asked for but you can wait until the 31st to find out. When you ask how she could possibly know that the class is full, she doesn’t know. Wait until the 31st. You really hope that you can get into the 8:10 to 10:00am class. On the 31st I get to see what class I got as well as have a great introduction to Taipei and the campus.

Correct me, but don’t most schools post the classes that are available BEFORE you try to register? My guess is that Shida figures out how many classes they need and then hire the teachers. You would think you could shop around for the best teachers as well…<breathe…yer not in Kanady anymore>

The really great part is that I get to do this in another 3 months time all over again. Another good thing is that I showed up at 8:15. The people lined up when I was leaving didn’t look too happy about spending an hour in line. I hope the actual learning portion of my little experiment goes better than this. You would think that they could streamline this proccess a little bit better for contnuing students.

Arg.

I think it’s just you. :wink:

Hmm…I didn’t experience anything like that. I agree with Mucha Man, it may have just been a bad day.

It took me about 15 minutes to get through that registration line. Yes, you have to fill out redundant forms, but I didn’t have any trouble. I also didn’t have to take the placement test. I sat down with a lady on the stage, pulled out the book I wanted to use, said I already had reviewed it a bit, chatted for 3 minutes about Chinese and Taiwan, and she said I could go ahead on register without taking the test.

And they do post all the classes beforehand for the current students. I picked my class and time and that was it.

Sorry you had so much trouble, though. I always have trouble with the secretaries on the 6th floor…biatches. =)

The classes were posted about a week ago, I am guessing you are a new student right ? You don’t have to do this every term, just once we you start up and yeah it’s always a disaster. I am not sure what will happen on the 31st, but the first week of school you can change your class by going door to door asking teachers if they are willing to let you attend their class. They open up new classes once the semester starts based on student complaint/demand.

What you have to realize is that they are getting more and more students every term. There are well over 1000 students in Shi-Da right now and probably more in Sept. You are not a customer as far as the administration is concerned. They have more students than they know what to do with. When I started the regular classes weren’t supposed to have no more than 6 students and the intensive classes were capped at 4. Now you will have a hard time finding a class that has less than 9 students (some have 10-11) and even the intensive classes have 6-9 students each.

Don’t get too worked up this early, you’ll have plent to get worked up about once the classes start :slight_smile:

Yep, just wait a few weeks then you will really have something to complain about. If you are an evening student and just registering has pissed you off, I suggest you go and buy a case of valium to get you through the next 3 months!
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Yeah, I was busy last night. Didn’t get enough sleepy-time. It’s good to hear that I don’t have to go through all of that completely again. Somebody there told me I did. I imagine there will be a few drop-outs as time goes on as well. I just hope I get a decent teacher. I’ve heard a few horror stories.

I really hope I can get the early morning class. I have a nice thing going with my workouts, my job, my projects, my plans. Everything is going great. I’ve been pushing all summer to be able to work and study in the fall without going crazy or broke. I hate waiting.

Must keep head…must keep head…

if you get he lao shi, run. she’s the strictest teacher at the school, and she loves to add long essay sections to her tests without extending the time limit. She claims that the essay section is mandated by the school, but it’s not.

Also, if you complain about something and your teacher tells you that she’s only following shida policy (zhe shi women de guiding), she’s probably lying, or adhering more closely to policy than is strictly necessary.

Keep trying new teachers until you get one you like.

welcome and good luck :slight_smile:

It’s funny, the first semester i had at shi-da i had wu lao shi, she was the strictest teacher i’ve ever met. for the first month i hated it, but kind of got used to putting in the extra prep to make classes bearable. then after that i’ve had the most sloppy half-assed teachers in taiwan. they don’t even have any real plan of teaching never mind doing any prep. one teacher would give the scholarship students the test to take home the day before we were due to take it so they would be able to score 85 :loco: i look back on wu lao shi’s classes as the golden days now!

How are ahem slightly older students treated at Shi da? I’ve been toying with the idea of attending a course or two, but would hate to suffer the ignominy of being expelled, and I don’t suffer fools or rude people gladly. And some of these teachers sound like both!

I’ve had the OP’s experience, not money mix up, but having to deal with admin’s messiness. And as far as they go for treating older students, I wouldn’t go. They don’t take your age into respect. With you sandman, because you’re a man and married. I didn’t find them hospitable at all.

I wouldn’t require them to be hospitable. Politeness and respect would be quite sufficient. I’m good at politeness and respect and I’m also an expert in the opposite – far more adept than any Chinese teacher, I’m quite sure – should the need arise.

That’s what I meant. I didn’t find them poliet or respectful especially when it came to filing a legit complaint against a teacher. My Chinese teachers most of them were okay, but like I posted, I find that males tend to fair better when having to deal with them. It’s up to you, I’m sure you could do an audit on a class.

Good thing you don’t want them to be hospitable, they won’t be (unless you get lucky, and not in that way :wink: )

I started at Shi Da in my early 30’s and found it unbearable. Very little respect for anything you have to say, unless it conforms to their views. I stayed for 9 months (last teacher was great tho…)

I guess what I hated most was that they treated everyone as if they were 20 year old Taiwanese kids. That just doesn’t work for me.

If you need further dis-incentive, check out the 7 annoying habits of chinese teachers thread in the learning chinese forum (don’t know how to link. :blush: )

Good thing you don’t want them to be hospitable, they won’t be (unless you get lucky, and not in that way :wink: )

I started at Shi-Da in my early 30’s and found it unbearable. Very little respect for anything you have to say, unless it conforms to their views. I stayed for 9 months (last teacher was great tho…)

I guess what I hated most was that they treated everyone as if they were 20 year old Taiwanese kids. That just doesn’t work for me.

If you need further dis-incentive, check out the 7 annoying habits of Chinese teachers thread in the learning Chinese forum (don’t know how to link. :blush: )[/quote]

What she said :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo:

Can we really? A guy should try school at some point I suppose.

See, that’s what I was worried about. I would tolerate that for precisely zero seconds, I’m afraid, and would certainly tear the woman a brand new arsehole in front of her students and in front of her boss. Intolerable! You’re taking my money off me, you WILL be polite.

I had much the same problem as canuckt: hour long lines, having someone elses forms stapled to my own, very little understanding of english (for a school that caters mostly to international students…), and much more. I hope its all worth it though.

Even the people who speak english do not want to use it with you, I have no idea why that is ? are trying to help you by making you use your broken chinese and spending hours running around in circles ? The one helpefull guy in the entire place was the dean but I think he left/quit.

The first week is key, if you don’t like your teacher change, don’t think about it, don’t think the teacher will get better, the hassel of changing classes is worth having a good teacher and there are good teachers. You just have to find them. IMHO 50% of the teachers are great and 50% just suck. If you get a teacher who is still studying at Shi-Da (studying to teach chinese to foreigners) you will have a great time, those teachers use different methods and actually care if you are learning or not.

Lastly you will need to study everyday just to keep up with the Japanese students. Sandman classes start in two weeks and you can always get your money back by making an excuse or another if you want to leave.

See, that’s what I was worried about. I would tolerate that for precisely zero seconds, I’m afraid, and would certainly tear the woman a brand new arsehole in front of her students and in front of her boss. Intolerable! You’re taking my money off me, you WILL be polite.[/quote]

No they won’t. Not even if you demand it.

And the no English thing mentioned by several posters is even used towards pure beginners. As if you somehow need to learn BoPoMoFo but can still negotiate course schedules in Chinese.

IMHO forget about Shi Da and go somewhere like CLD where they understand that they are running a business, and that keeping customers happy is the only way to do so.

See, that’s what I was worried about. I would tolerate that for precisely zero seconds, I’m afraid, and would certainly tear the woman a brand new arsehole in front of her students and in front of her boss. Intolerable! You’re taking my money off me, you WILL be polite.[/quote]

No they won’t. Not even if you demand it.

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How would they react to being taken firmly by the arm and escorted out of the classroom and into their bosses office, I wonder? :laughing:
Thanks for the warning though – I think it would be safer for all concerned if I avoid the place.