Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Name: Pawel Chrzanowski Program: Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate '18 Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania Undergraduate Institution and Major: Pennsylvania State University ’16, Economics, Chinese Fun Fact: I was born in the United States, but my parents are Polish. I moved to Poland when I was two years old, so my first language was actually Polish. I moved back to the U.S. when I was 10 years old; that’s when I first learned English. Tell us about your undergraduate experience. How did you become interested in China Studies? In undergrad, I first chose economics as a major because I was interested in the subject matter. The main reason I started learning Chinese was because first, everyone kept telling me that economics and Chinese go well together and second, I really wanted to learn a third language, and everyone talked about how impossible it was to learn Chinese. I like a challenge, so I thought, if it is impossible then I’m going to learn it. I began taking Ch...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center online application is now open! We are excited to announce a new aspect of the application process – optional interviews. Completing an interview is not required, but it is an opportunity to let the admissions committee learn who you are beyond your test scores, transcript, and resume. The interview will also allow you to demonstrate why the Hopkins-Nanjing Center is a good fit for your academic interests and career goals.   Interviews are conducted in English by an admissions representative or a current student for about 30 minutes. Email nanjing@jhu.edu with your availability for an in-person or Skype interview any time before the November 1 application deadline for early notification and February 1 application deadline for general admission. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center admissions team will be visiting colleges and universities across the United States this fall. Stay tuned to the blog for the full list of schools we will be visiting and be sure t...

For this week’s Wordless Wednesday post, student blogger Emily Rivera, Certificate ’18, showcases how students spend their holiday breaks in China. Students take advantage of their holiday breaks to participate in internships, visit friends and family, explore new destinations within China, and even to participate in moot court competitions.   Photos compiled by Emily Rivera, Certificate ‘18

Emily Rivera (Certificate ‘18) shares thoughts from students, faculty, and administrators on their favorite things about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Hi everyone! During the spring semester,  I went around asking students, faculty, and administrators a simple question: “What is your favorite thing about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center?” Here were some of their answers: “My favorite thing is that while we all have a common love for China and international relations, there is a huge diversity of academic passion and knowledge.” – Taylore Roth (Certificate ‘18/SAIS MA ‘19) “One of my favorite parts of the HNC is our library. It's the perfect place to go to for studying and has a really impressive collection of both English and Chinese books, which has been super helpful during my thesis research.” – Amanda Bogan (MAIS ‘19) “Few people talk about their school the way we talk about the HNC. There is so much pride and unity here, a big sense of shared identity, which has made all of...

 Name: Maria Belen Wu Program: HNC Certificate '18/Johns Hopkins SAIS MA Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina Undergraduate Institution and Major: Johns Hopkins University ’18, International Studies, Economics Fun Fact: I was born in Argentina, but my parents are actually immigrants from Shanghai. They moved to Argentina several years ago. My mom is a Chinese language teacher in Argentina.  Tell us about your undergraduate experience. How did you become interested in China Studies? When I first started college, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to focus on China studies or even do anything related to economics or international studies. I originally applied as a political science major. When I got there, I realized political science was too theoretical for me. I also learned that International Studies is one of the largest majors at Johns Hopkins University, and I thought this could be more relevant to me. I took my first international studies class and I loved it. I als...

Student blogger Alexandra Hansen (Certificate ’18 ) describes her experience on a course-related field research trip  to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province during the spring semester. The trip was part of Professor Christofferson’s course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery. It is an example of new teaching initiatives being promoted by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center administration that are jointly funded by generous donations from both American and Chinese supporters of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Over spring break, students in Professor Christofferson’s course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery were given the opportunity to conduct field research on Sino-Myanmar and Sino-North Korea relations. This course is popular among students at the Center and is attended by Chinese and international students interested in learning more about China’s provincial foreign relations. This research trip was funded by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and allow...

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center offers the U.S.-China Exchange Scholarship to alumni of U.S. government-supported programs for Chinese language study. These programs include, but are not limited to, the Critical Language Scholarship, Boren Award for International Study, Chinese Language Flagship Program, and the National Security Language Initiative for Youth. Meet the second group of U.S.-China Exchange Scholars below. Eric Lacour Chinese Language Flagship Program, Indiana University Bloomington Foreign Language Area Studies Scholarship (FLAS) Master of Arts in International Studies ’20 Eric Lacour began his Chinese studies during his sophomore year at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB). As a double bass student of Professor Lawrence Hurst in the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Eric initially enrolled in Chinese courses out of pure interest in the language and culture of China. What was at first a fascination quickly became a passion when he was asked to join IUB’s Chinese Flags...