Anybody with experience learning Chinese at Tamkang University on LiShui St.? I’m interested in mid-beginner group classes with lots of conversation practice, as well as reading and writing.
Aiting,
While it’s a few years since I was there, I enjoyed studying at Tamkang. It’s cheaper than some of the other language centers (NTNU and esp. Taida), and more laid back. The distance of the Tamkang Uni main campus from the Lishui Street ‘public service center’ means they’re a bit less anal about trying to be academic. When I first started out, having a comfortable learning environment was important to me, and Tamkang’s stress-level suited me just fine. As a beginner, I had a bad experience at NTNU, and I suspect I’m not the only one to have done so. Probably best to avoid it if you don’t have a thick skin. Do a couple of searches on Tamkang and some of the alternatives - I think a lot has been already been written on the main schools. Good luck with your study plans.
Guangtou
Thank you guangtou, this is just the stuff I want to know. I actually searched the forum before posting my question, but nobody seems to have any direct experience at Tamkang, so I’m looking forward to more replies.
I studied at Tamkang for two semesters, although it was five years ago.
The place at Lishui St is their Public Service Centre, not a language school as such, and there also university night classes and extension classes etc.
I don’t know if it was just my classes, but it wasn’t heavily ‘academic’ although there were regular tests. These were easy enough if you had kept up with the homework and classwork.
I had a couple of very good teachers there, the best being the teacher I had for a newspapers class.
Most of the other students were Korean or Japanese, so I really had to speak Chinese with my classmates. The student lounge although quite large, was a basement room full of smoke and smokers. If I wanted to study or prepare, I went upstairs to the study rooms used by the local students taking courses there.
The office staff were generally helpful and pleasant, depending upon their stress levels 
To enrol had the same requirements as all the other university Chinese courses, ie; bank balance, study plan (in Chinese) etc etc.
Anyone know of safe modern apartment building around the area… thinking of studying there next year and will be looking for 1bed apt/ studio apt.