Friday, January 31, 2014

HNC Certificate and MAIS Application Deadlines are TOMORROW!

This is a reminder that all applications for admission to the HNC Certificate and MAIS programs are due tomorrow, February 1 by 11:59pm EST.  If you wish to be considered for HNC fellowships or federal aid, you must also submit the HNC application for financial assistance found within the downloadable documents section of the application.  This form can be sent by email to nanjing@jhu.edu.  US citizens applying for financial aid are also required to submit the FAFSA.  This can be completed even if you have not yet filed your taxes, and can be updated later.

Please contact nanjing@jhu.edu with any last minute questions and good luck!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Happy Year of the Horse from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center!

Wishing our applicants*, students, and alumni a happy and healthy year of the horse!

*For applicants, don't forget the deadline for the HNC certificate and MAIS programs is Saturday February 1 by 11:59pm EST!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Putting the Finishing Touches on Your HNC Application

With the Certificate and MAIS application deadlines just a little over a week away, be sure that your online application is not only submitted by February 1 at 11:59pm EST, but also that you have requested all supporting documents be sent to our office.  This includes official transcripts, GRE scores (if applicable), recommendation letters, and the financial aid applicationChecking the box on the online application that you would like to be considered for financial aid is not enough.  You must also submit the HNC Application for Financial Assistance found in the downloadable documents section of the online application.  US citizens should also fill in the FAFSA in order to be considered for any fellowships or federal aid.  If you do not complete these two steps, you will not be considered for financial aid.  Please keep in mind that you can submit the FAFSA before completing your taxes and update it later as you have more information available.

To check on the status of your recommendation letters, you can click on the Recommendations tab within your online application to see whether or not the letter has been submitted, and send an automated reminder to your recommender if necessary.  For all other supporting documents, we are unable to confirm the status of individual items by phone or email due to the volume of documents received by our office leading up to the deadline.  If we are missing anything, you will be notified within one to two weeks of the application deadline.

Please email us at nanjing@jhu.edu if you have any questions as you complete your application!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

HNC Admissions Office Closed Today- Online Chat Still Scheduled for Tonight!

Due to inclement weather, the HNC Office of International Admissions is closed today Tuesday, January 21.  However the online admissions chat will still be held tonight as scheduled from 7:30-9:30pm EST.  Admissions staff will also be accessible by email today to answer your application questions.  To all those affected by the storm, stay safe and warm!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Mark Your Calendars: January 21, 2014

This is a reminder that the final deadline to take the STAMP Chinese Proficiency Exam for fall 2014 admission to the HNC is next Tuesday, January 21.  If you have not done so already, request your test today!  Please note that the HNC Office of International Admissions will be closed on Monday, January 20 in observance of MLK Day, so any forms received over the weekend may not be processed until Tuesday morning.  If you foresee difficulty in meeting this deadline, please contact our office to discuss a possible extension.

Also on January 21, we will be holding our last online admissions chat before the February 1 application deadline.  Join admissions staff Katie Brooks (HNC '09) and Sallie You next Tuesday from 7:30-9:30PM EST to ask all of your final application and financial aid questions.  Click here as early as ten minutes prior to the start of the chat and login as a guest.  We look forward to chatting with you!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Reflections on Fall Semester at the HNC

Last week while in Nanjing for the meeting of the Joint Academic Committee (JAC), admissions officer Katie Brooks stopped by the student lounge to speak with students as they took a brief break from final paper-writing.  Read on to learn about HNC students’ favorite aspects of the fall semester, and how they plan to spend their winter break:

Favorite Classes:
  • Ellis Gyongyos: Politics of Rural Development with Professor Adam Webb, which included a field trip to a fishing village near Yangzhou
  • Mallory LeeWong: 中国经济和商业法 (Chinese Economic and Commercial Law) with Professor Zhou Changzheng
  • Amanda Wolf: 国际政治经济学 (International Political Economy) with Professor Shu Jianzhong
  • Ryan Murray: Economics of Strategy with Professor Paul Armstrong-Taylor
Favorite Aspect of the Center Outside of Class:
  • Ellis Gyongyos: The caliber of people you’re surrounded by.  They’re not only smart, but have gone out of their way to make their lives better.
  • Mallory LeeWong: The food
  • Amanda Wolf: The people, especially the range of ages.  There’s always something to talk about.
  • Ryan Murray: The Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund
  • Anthony Miller: The extracurricular activities, like rugby and rock-climbing

Winter Break Plans:
  • Ellis Gyongyos: Asia Trek*, then time in Nanjing
  • Mallory LeeWong: Asia Trek*, Hong Kong, then home
  • Amanda Wolf: Korea, Nanjing, Vietnam
  • Ryan Murray: Asia Trek*, then Beijing
  • Anthony Miller: Hopefully travel to Central Asia


Thomas Mao, HNC's Unofficial Mascot
In other updates, Thomas Mao, the unofficial mascot of the HNC, has obtained permanent lodging since we last checked in with him, as evidenced by the picture to the right.

Winter break has now officially started and goes until the start of the spring semester on February 17.  Safe travels to all HNC students!

*To read about last year's Asia Trek, click here, and look for a future post about this year's Asia Trek in the coming weeks!


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Timeline of HNC

Hopkins-Nanjing Center has been around since 1986... here are some important moments and some snapshots of the HNC in the last 25+ years!
  • 1981 – JHU President Steven Muller and Nanjing University President Kuang Yaming begin talks to create a center in Nanjing and signed an agreement for the establishment of the Hopkins-Nanjing center for Chinese and American Studies
  • 1984 – Construction of the HNC begins 



  • 1986 – HNC opens its doors in September 1986. 24 American students and 40 Chinese students are enrolled in the HNC Certificate program. 
  • 1987 – First graduating class of HNC
  • 1989 – HNC closes early due to the Tiananmen Square protests
  • 1996 – HNC Tenth Anniversary
  • 2003 – SARS epidemic causes HNC to relocate the Center to Hawaii for the fall 2003 semester
  • 2006 – HNC opens second building, new library, classrooms and faculty apartments. HNC also launches two-year Master of Arts in International Studies program



  • 2006 – Then-US consul general, Ken Jarrett, and HNC alum, visits HNC

  • 2006 – Henry Kissinger speaks at the 20th anniversary ceremony
  • 2009 – Jon Huntsman Jr., then-US ambassador to China speaks at HNC
  • 2010 – Johns Hopkins University president, Ron Daniels, visits HNC

  • 2011 – Alan Hassenfeld, former chairman and executive officer of Hasbro Toys and a strong supporter of the Center since 1989, meets with HNC students engaged in the Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund.

  • 2012  – HNC students compete in the international finals of the Jessup Moot Court competition in Washington, DC


  • June 16th, 2012 – HNC celebrates their 25th anniversary and SAIS Dean, Vali Nasr visits the Center. 





Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Five-Semester Option deadline is TODAY!

Greetings from the International Admissions team!  As a reminder, the deadline for Five-Semester Option applications is TODAY, January 7th at 11:59pm EST. You can log on to our online application system here.  Feel free to contact our DC offices with any last-minute questions you may have (nanjing@jhu.edu, or 202-663-5806).  For those of you applying to the certificate or MAIS programs, applications are due February 1st, and completed STAMP Chinese Proficiency Exams for all three programs must be submitted by January 21st. You can find STAMP test request form here.  We’re looking forward to reading your applications!

If you missed our January 3rd online chat, the transcript is now on our blog! Feel free to join our next chat January 21st, 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Joint Venture

JAC 2013
The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is unique among the SAIS locations in that it is a joint venture between Johns Hopkins University SAIS and Nanjing University.  As such, our student body is composed of Chinese and international students who are bilingual in both English and Chinese.  While the admissions offices are separate (citizens of the PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao should apply through Nanjing University rather than through our DC-based office), the two universities work closely together regarding all other aspects of the program.  In light of this, members of the DC office of the HNC will be in Nanjing next week for the 2014 meeting of the Joint Academic Committee (JAC).  Faculty and administrators from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, Nanjing University, and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center itself form the JAC and meet each year to discuss curriculum changes, hiring faculty, and other issues that affect students at the Center.  It’s also an opportunity to hear feedback from current students before they leave for winter break the following week.
Don’t worry though, we still have admissions staff members in DC available to answer your application questions!  The deadline to take the STAMP Chinese Proficiency Test is January 21, so request your STAMP test today!