Thursday, August 28, 2014

HNC Application Now Available!

It's that time of year again!  The HNC application for fall 2015 entry is now available online by clicking here.  We'll be posting a variety of application tips on this blog over the next few months, but for now here is a preview of our new personal statement prompt:
Discuss one event, whether historical or personal, that influenced your decision to study China. How do you expect Sino-global relations to impact your future, and how do you believe your time at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center will assist you in achieving your long-term career objectives?
Application deadlines for Hopkins-Nanjing Center programs can be found below:
January 7: HNC Certificate/SAIS MA program
February 1: HNC Certificate program
February 1: HNC MAIS program

Those deadlines are all several months away, but don't forget that the first step in the application process is to take the STAMP Chinese proficiency test!  Read more about this online and adaptive test here.

We look forward to communicating with you over the next year.  Please email nanjing@jhu.edu at any time with questions!

Monday, August 18, 2014

HNC Online Admissions Chat- Wednesday, August 20

The next online chat will take place this Wednesday, August 20 from 10:00AM to 11:00AM EDT Chatting with us will be admissions representatives Katie Brooks (HNC '09) and Lauren Szymanski (HNC '12).  Join us to hear firsthand experience and valuable advice, and be sure to bring any questions you may have about the application process, academics, or student life.  At the scheduled time, click here to join the chat and sign in as a guest.  We look forward to speaking with you!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Announcing the Fourth Annual Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund Competition



Incoming students: please see the information below for an exciting opportunity at the HNC this year!

Start planning now, and you could win up to $30,000* to make a lasting, positive impact with your cross-cultural experience and education at the Hopkins–Nanjing Center!



Training



This fall, the Hopkins–Nanjing Center (HNC) is collaborating with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Leadership Education (JHU CLE) to offer mentorship in entrepreneurship and business planning. A CLE entrepreneurship faculty member will offer a biweekly seminar over video-conference for HNC and JHU students interested in participating in the Competition. The seminar is not for credit and will not count toward HNC credit requirements.



Competition



Hassenfeld team members present in 2012
In the spring, the HNC and JHU CLE will offer the fourth annual Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund Competition (Hassenfeld SEF). HNC students will have the opportunity to team up with each other and with students from other JHU divisions to design and implement a business plan for the common good in China. Each competing team must include at least two HNC students, at least one of them Chinese and one of them non-Chinese. Both M.A.I.S. students and Certificate students may participate. Teams will develop project proposals together and present them in several stages to a panel of judges. The winning plan will receive funding from the Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund.



Past winners have built an online bilingual resource for the Chinese and international business community (http://nanjingconnect.com/) and an online platform to connect people interested in volunteering with charities and non-profit organizations in Nanjing (http://nanjingvolunteers.org/). Last year’s winners are developing computer software to train corporate employees in China on corporate responsibility. Your project could focus on something completely different! A social enterprise:



a)       Directly addresses an intractable social need and serves the common good, either through its products and services or through its business and employment outcomes,

b)      Derives strong revenue from its commercial activity, whether within a nonprofit’s mixed revenue portfolio or through a for-profit enterprise, and,

c)       Promotes the common good as its primary purpose.**


You will receive specific guidelines at the beginning of the fall semester but are encouraged to start planning today.




*Initial award will not exceed $10,000, though teams have the ability to win follow-on funding based on project success. Award depends on plan quality and fund availability at the discretion of the Competition’s Selection Committee.
**Definition adapted from the Social Enterprise Alliance (https://www.se-alliance.org/). The Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Competition, the Hopkins–Nanjing Center, and Johns Hopkins University are not directly affiliated with the Social Enterprise Alliance, and reference to it does not imply those institutions’ endorsement of the Social Enterprise Alliance’s views or activities.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

7/29 Online Chat Transcript

Check out the transcript of our first online chat of the academic year! Admissions Coordinator Lauren Szymanski and Sallie Ly answer topics ranging from Application Process to our Chinese language test!

Please join us for our next chat, August 20th 10am-11am EDT. Please contact us if you have any questions!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Xuanwu Lake Park

HNC admissions coordinator and 2012 Certificate alum Lauren Szymanski talks about her visits to Xuanwu Lake Park during her year in Nanjing:

One of the things I loved about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center was its close proximity to Xuanwu Lake Park (玄武).  Nanjing is a large city with a population of over 3.5 million people, so finding a bit of solitude in a visit to the lake and its surrounding park area can be a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city. The City of Nanjing has even identified it as one of the top five parks in the city!


The main entrance to the Xuanwu Lake Park is through Xuanwu Gate, which is part of the Nanjing City Wall. For years, Hopkins-Nanjing Center students, faculty and staff have been participating in an annual Wall Walk, with beautiful views of the lake being a definite highlight of the day.



Entrance to the lake and park is free, and you can definitely spend an entire day there. The park consists of five different islands which are all interconnected by arch bridges. Within the park are pagodas, pavilions, tea houses and restaurants. One of my favorite things about going to the lake and park area was that every visit was always different. There are a variety of trails through the park, so you never seem to walk the same path twice. The scenery also changed depending on the season, with beautiful foliage in the fall, people renting boats or ferries in the spring, and emerald lotus leaves fully open in the summer. 



Whether you want to go for a run through the park, have a picnic, or simply sit by the lake with a good book or your Chinese readings for class, Xuanwu Lake Park appeals to everyone. Being only a 15 minute walk from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, it was one of my favorite places to visit in the city of Nanjing, so if you’re in the area I definitely recommend that you check it out!