Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Happy holidays from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Washington Office! The HNC Washington Office will be closed from Friday, December 23 through Monday, January 2 . Admissions representatives will be still be available to answer admissions questions via email at nanjing@jhu.edu. Please allow 2-3 days for representatives to respond to your request.  As reminder, HNC admissions representatives will be holding virtual information sessions in January. Join one of our upcoming virtual sessions to get tips and advice on the HNC application process. Admissions representatives will be going over each section of the application. To receive email updates about the upcoming virtual sessions, RSVP by clicking the links below. To join the sessions, click here at the scheduled time.     Wednesday, January 4, 8:00-9:00pm EST     Wednesday, January 25, 12:00-1:00pm EST Can’t wait until the virtual session? Check out a blog post on 5 things to remember w...

Didn’t get a chance to attend one of our virtual information sessions this fall? Click on the link below to hear about the unique HNC experience from admissions representative and HNC alum, Lauren Szymanski, and current HNC Certificate/SAIS MA student, Clarise Brown.  Lauren and Clarise share their thoughts on what it’s like being a student at the HNC: coursework, adjusting to the learning curve, taking advantage of career services and living in Nanjing in addition to information about the application process and financial aid. Link to HNC Virtual Information Session Recording If you have additional questions not covered in the virtual session, please contact admissions representative at nanjing@jhu.edu. 

Jacob Clark, HNC Certificate 2012, reflects back on his time at the HNC and his experience as a law student at Michigan State University College of Law.  Read on to hear how his HNC experience helped further his career .   Tell us about your current role.  As a law student, in addition to my studies, I have used my background from HNC and in China law to tailor my summer and part-time work experience during law school to a potential role within the U.S.-China legal relationship.  I have been fortunate to gain work experience at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, NYU School of Law U.S.-Asia Law Institute, and PILnet (Public Interest Lawyers Network) in Beijing. I was also awarded an externship grant to intern in the Appeals Chamber of the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where I worked in the chamber of the Honorable Liu Daqun of China.  Additionally, I served as President of the MSU College of Law American Chi...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center's #HNCGivingWeek is December 4 through December 11. Support the HNC and future students by making your gift here . In honor of Giving Week and the HNC's 30 year history, we are sharing the 30 things that we love about the HNC.  HNC graduates become part of the 2600 HNC alumni network who occupy positions of responsibility in all areas of China’s global relations. The HNC has intellectual freedom to discuss, debate and learn with Chinese peers and faculty. HNC students form a dragon boat team and participate in the Nanjing dragon boat competition, a time honored tradition in China. This year the HNC team placed third in the final competition! 2016 HNC Dragon Boat Team Nanjing is less than a 2 hour train ride away from the international center of Shanghai. HNC Students and faculty have access to the HNC’s open stacks library with over 120,000 volumes in Chinese and English.   Hopkins-Nanjing Center Library Students get one-on-on...

It’s easy to assume that living in China might make celebrating “traditional” American holidays, such as Thanksgiving, somewhat tricky. Admittedly, there are a few logistical issues, such as the difference between appliances found in a Chinese kitchen and in an American one—most Chinese kitchens are not equipped with an oven— and trying to find certain items that are harder to come by at a Chinese supermarket—i.e. condensed milk. But don’t let that discourage you! I recently celebrated my first Chinese Thanksgiving here at the HNC and found that it was surprisingly easy to accomplish and any extra effort I put in was definitely worth it in the end. As I started preparing for Thanksgiving, the first challenge was finding the proper ingredients. One of my favorite shops in the area is Times Grocery, an imported goods store on Shanghai Road just two blocks away from the HNC. The lady who owns the shop is always friendly and will offer to help you find whatever you’re looking for. The...

Resident HNC Professor of American History Joe Renouard shares his perspectives on observing the U.S. presidential election from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in this guest post. The 2016 presidential campaign got plenty of attention at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.  Students, faculty, and staff kept a close eye on events back home via cable TV, the internet, and social media, and the center hosted a slew of lectures and forums that enabled members of the campus community to share their thoughts on what this election means for Americans and for the rest of the world. Chinese newspapers report the U.S. election results The series kicked off on September 12, when Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito visited the campus to deliver a lecture on international and U.S. domestic law.  One month later, United States Ambassador to China Max Baucus addressed the HNC community and reflected on his many experiences as a diplomat and senator.  Both visitors were gracious enough to f...

Our first semester here at the HNC passed at lightning speed, jam-packed with school events, traveling during the National Holiday, and lots of time spent at the library preparing for class. With all that’s been going on, I realized that most  of the time I’ve had with my roommate, Wu Ye, has consisted studying, discussing our course material, and more studying. Luckily, we found some time this past week to get out and have dinner at a nearby restaurant she’d recommended as a must-go for Nanjing new-comers and locals alike. 南京大排档 is perhaps the best known restaurant in Nanjing. Conveniently located a short 15 minute walk from the HNC, this dining establishment serves authentic Nanjing cuisine. If you’re trying to get a good idea of what specialty dishes characterize Nanjing flavor, 南京大排档 is the place to go. Before we even entered the restaurant I was struck by the beautiful exterior and luminescent interior. The outside of the restaurant is structured like a traditional Chin...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center's February 1 application deadline will be here before you know it! We have complied 5 tips to keep in mind as you start working on your applications. You'll find even more application guidance by clicking on the links below. If you have more specific questions, feel free to reach out to the admissions team at nanjing@jhu.edu .    Tip #1: Write a specific personal statement that clearly addresses your individual career goals . It’s not called a “personal” statement for nothing! Admissions officers like to see that you have taken the time to become familiar with the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and can articulate how you see yourself and your career goals fitting in to the specific program. Don’t waste this opportunity to tell admissions officers about your interests and career goals by rehashing your resume. In the past, we have had students write about lessons they learned from playing ping pong with a Chinese classmate. Another student wrote about...

Watching the presidential debates at the HNC Voting season has arrived and the Hopkins Nanjing Center is buzzing with anticipation. Although HNC students are far removed from the atmosphere of election season in the US, it hasn’t stopped us from keeping up to date on presidential candidate debates and discussing the possible outcomes of the 2016 elections. “ Have you mailed in your ballot yet? ” has become a frequently asked question among American nationals. Non-American students have inquired about the differences between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns.  Within the last few weeks, multiple election events have taken place on campus. Two weeks ago a speaker sponsored by the U.S. Consulate office, presented on the American election system and the significance of the rise of Trump supporters. Soon after, the HNC faculty hosted a discussion on globalization’s influence on the American election. Topics ranged from the global free trade’s impact on American economy ...

大家好! Today I'll be doing my first bilingual post for the blog. This past week I had the opportunity to conduct an informal interview with a one of my teachers here at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, Professor Fan-Ke（范可）. During our conversation, I asked him a few questions I’d had about his particular area of research as a published anthropologist, as well as his experience teaching international students at the HNC. Our conversation also touched on the importance of anthropological studies in the context of international relations, and how cultural understanding between countries can influence international government relations. Professor Fan-Ke teaches Anthropology and Chinese Studies at the HNC and is a Department Chair at Nanjing University.  我: 首先请您介绍一下您在南京大学教过的课程。 范: 我教过人类学理论与方法研究所课程， 还有族群性与民族主义。本课程是人类学与文化多样性。刚来的时候也交过一门课叫"社会学原理", 还有，我也教过“政治人类学”。 我：接下来，我也想问，您在中心教书的经验与您在南大教书的经验有什么不同？教国际学生的过程中觉得有没有什么特别的困难？ 范：我觉得因为都是用中文教的，对国际学生来讲，可能有时候在理解上会有问题。但是我觉得一个比较大的问题是写作...

Please allow me the pleasure of introducing our Fall 2016 Banwei Student Committee! Each semester at HNC four students are elected to the 班委 Banwei (student committee), who act as a liaison between the administration and student body, and plan cultural and community events. This fall, Naomi Garcia 澳米, 马艳霞Ma Yanxia (Coco), John Wilhoite, and 金晓于 Jin Xiaoyu (Arthur) were all elected to represent the student body. HNC's Fall 2016 Banwei Student Committee  Despite being busy with classes, homework, interest groups and planning events for students, Naomi and Xiaoyu took the time to talk with me about their time at the HNC so far. -- What are three words you would choose to describe yourself?  Naomi: Easily-amused, child-like, sleep-deprived. Xiaoyu: Independent, persistent, confident. So why did you apply to HNC? Naomi: I graduated from St. Mary’s College in Maryland with three degrees in French, Spanish and Chinese. Chinese is a very challenging language to learn a...

HNC Certificate/Johns Hopkins SAIS MA student, Clarise Brown, shares her experiences now at SAIS in Washington, DC .  Last month, I began my studies at the SAIS D.C. campus, penning the last lines of my chapter in China, and starting anew in Dupont Circle. After living for 4 years in China and studying a year at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, it was delightfully strange to be in D.C. again. It was foreign, familiar and frighteningly exciting all at once. I have to say, over the last month, that feeling has only intensified in the best possible way. Although I loved living in Nanjing, adjusting to the fast-paced life in D.C. has been an incredibly strange and wonderful feeling. A typical day starts with me working in the HNC admissions office in D.C., where I often have first dibs on the tasty Chinese catering for luncheons and events. Speaking of events, during any given week, there are at least a dozen talks on campus by the most renowned in their field. Yesterday, for example,...

HNC students often use their holiday breaks to travel to other parts of China and Asia. One of the HNC student bloggers, Amanda Bogan, spent the National Day holiday exploring Shanxi Province. One of my favorite parts of life in China has always been traveling to different parts of the country, easily and affordably, by train. This past week we had our first major holiday, a total of seven days to celebrate National Day (国庆节). I took advantage of this opportunity to journey north, up to Shanxi Province. Although travel during the National Holiday can be notorious for large crowds and sold out tickets, I was lucky enough to book round trip tickets only a few days in advance, thanks to my wonderful and patient roommate, Wu-Ye (吴叶), who helped me purchase the tickets online. By standard train, Shanxi is roughly 16 hours from Nanjing. This may sound like a long trip at first, but we got on our train in the evening and had tickets for a sleeper car, so at least half the time was spent...