<p>I would appreciate any feedback on the chinese classes - particularly info on placement into the 2nd semester course.</p>
<p>Same here–any advice for a person who is fluent in Chinese (native language) but is unfortunately illiterate?</p>
<p>It’s an interesting dichotomy. Most of the people in the class are Chinese and can speak it moderately proficiently, but at the same time most cannot read or write above I’d say a 2nd to 3rd grader level (myself included). Of course, there are the native speakers in there for an easy A. Intermediate Chinese is definitely doable if you have some Chinese background. I would stay away from advanced chinese though, esp if you’re going for an Asian studies major because intermediate is easy credits (I.e. You can go intermediate to advanced, but you can’t take advanced, realize you need more credits, and go back to intermediate)</p>
<p>So what should I take if my Chinese literacy is stuck at the first or second grade level? Would intermediate Chinese be a relatively easy A for me? Which professors do you recommend, and which ones should I stay away from? I’d better get an A in Chinese if I’m gonna take it or Ma Ma and Ba Ba will hit me with bamboo sticks…</p>
<p>Oh, and except for the tough stuff (e.g., how do you say “logical fallacy” or “pacifist” or “beaver” in Chinese?), I am 100% fluent and I speak with a charming Taiwanese accent…</p>
<p>My son is in a different situation! 2 years of HS Chinese but not a native speaker. After speaking to his advisor and emailing the Chinese department, he’s enrolled in the 1st level Chinese class.</p>
<p>Well, for chinese classes, the professors are always a mix of Wei, Liu, and Guo, so you don’t get too much of a difference between the way classes are taught. Are you interested in becoming an Asian Studies major? If you are, then CHIN 201 (Beginners) is a really easy 10 credits toward the major. If you aren’t really into Asian Studies and you just want to learn some chinese (bahaha Taiwanese accent 
then take CHIN 214 (intermediate) and you should be fine. Remember, if you feel the class is too hard during the first 2 weeks, you can always drop and add into the lower class (or you can go to a higher level if you think 201 is too easy), as long as you have time in your schedule.</p>
<p>D will test for proficiency at the CHIN 211 intermediate level (CHIN 211 has replaced CHIN 214) on August 23rd at 1:00 pm. She will take a “written and/or an oral test, depending on the individuals’ proficiency level.” It is her understanding others will also take this test at the same date and time. It is the Chinese program’s placement test.</p>
<p>As a Chinese student, I found for foreigners reading and writing chinese characters would be bloody difficult unless they are immeresed in the mandarin environment. In contrast, english is really user-friendly to learn as a second language, at least for me personally.</p>