Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Meet our newest student blogger, Nanfei Yan!  Read about her unique background and her impressions of the HNC after the first few months of study: Hi Everyone, My name is Nanfei Yan and I’m currently a HNC Certificate/SAIS MA student spending my first year in Nanjing. The HNC is a fascinating place, so I’m excited to share some of our adventures! I love taking pictures (especially of food), so I’m looking forward to making some delicious posts in the future. For this post, I’d like to make a short self-introduction, and then talk about parts of the Center that I’ve connected with. Nanfei Yan I was actually born in Nanjing, so in a way this is my first return to my birthplace. Shortly afterwards though, I moved to Sichuan (home to the best food in all of China). My family relocated to Alaska when I was 7. After two years with the moose and the northern lights, we settled down in northern Virginia. I think my childhood had a lot to do with developing my interests in US-Asia...

It's fall break at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center so students are spending the week getting to know the city of Nanjing, visiting other parts of China, or traveling within Asia! Our DC-based admissions office is open for business today and here to answer your application questions, but we will be closed for Thanksgiving from Wednesday, November 26 through Friday, November 28. Safe travels to our students and happy Thanksgiving to our American applicants! Thanksgiving 2013 at the HNC

Looking to get ahead on your HNC application over the Thanksgiving break? Join our online admissions chat on Monday, November 24 from 9:00AM to 10:00AM EST. Chatting with us will be admissions representatives Katie Brooks (HNC ’09) and Lauren Szymanski (HNC ’12), as well as current student Nanfei Yan. Join us to hear firsthand experience and valuable advice, and be sure to ask any questions you may have about the application process, academics, or student life. At the scheduled time, click here to join the chat and log in as a guest . We look forward to speaking with you!

The weekend of November 7-9, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center hosted its annual Alumni Weekend.  Chinese and international alumni return to the HNC to reconnect with former classmates, but current students were also able to join in the fun.  Current MAIS students Emily Shea and Tom Holt send a report: Emily: Every November, the HNC invites alumni back and puts on a variety of different events for them during our ‘Alumni Weekend.’ Current students get plenty of opportunities to participate, meet with the alumni, and learn about career development. This year, Professor Webb and Professor Hua Tao held a conference called, “The 21st Century New Silk Road,” in which they discussed the economic, geopolitical, environmental and religious impact of increased globalization and connectedness between China, US, and the Middle East.   On Friday, there were sports related activities to sign up for, like soccer, basketball, and even a Zumba class. Friday night’s happy hour was packed ...

Current HNC student Brandon Yeh and fellow members from the HNC's Energy, Resources, and Environment (ERE) Group recently had the opportunity to attend the First Corporate Social Responsibility Awards and Green & Clean Forum in Nanjing.  Read on for Brandon's reflections on the event: Students from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center's Energy, Resources, and Environment (ERE) Group, and Dr. Roger Raufer - the new Resident Professor of ERE at the HNC - attended the First Corporate Social Responsibility Awards and Green & Clean Forum on October 16th, 2014. The event was held at the Nanjing Hilton Riverside, and hosted by the European Union Chamber of Commerce (EUCC) in China. Brandon (3rd from left) with classmates and Professor Raufer The event was widely attended by representatives of locally operated international and domestic businesses as well as other professionals. Many of the attendees took part in a panel discussion that focused on their current efforts to add...

Last weekend the HNC's very own basketball team played their second game of the season against the Nanjing University Business School team and won! HNC students are an active group outside of the classroom.  In addition to the basketball team, students can join the Dragon Boat team or compete in the annual ping-pong tournament.  Outside of sports, students are able to take extracurricular classes in erhu or calligraphy, volunteer with the Migrant School Learning Initiative, join the Energy, Resources and Environment interest group, participate in the Student Business Exchange, or take advantage of many other extra-curricular and co-curricular activities available at the HNC. Congratulations again to the team!  中美中心加油！ HNC students, faculty, and staff cheer on the team!

It's hard to overstate the importance of essays as part of your application to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.  This is a valuable opportunity to let the Admissions Committee get to know you as more than test scores, transcripts, and a resume.   Applicants to all of our programs (Certificate, MAIS, and the HNC Certificate/SAIS MA) are required to submit a personal statement.  We're excited to announce a new prompt for the personal statement this year!  Please see below:   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? A few tips when writing this essay: 1)  Spell check! 2) Be specific.  Applicants with the best essays give concrete examples about how they became interested in China and what motivated them to conti...