The University’s Go Local Program Open for Chinese International Students to Take Courses in China

This fall, many Chinese international students faced a challenging situation. Many students were either unable or had trouble entering the U.S. and getting to the university to take classes this spring due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. The University partnered with Fudan University in Shanghai and Peking University in Beijing to create a program last semester for Chinese students who, due to COVID-19 and other obstacles, could not make it to Grounds to address this issue. This spring, the program is continuing.

The program Go Local, directed by U.Va. Justin O’Jack, director of the China Office, was made for Chinese international students who could not or did not want to travel to Grounds during this period of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

Since 2001, when the university joined Universitas21, a group of research-intensive universities worldwide, the university has been in partnership with Fudan University. Although the university left Universitas21 in 2014, the university still maintains a partnership with Fudan University. The University signed a student exchange agreement with the University of Peking in 2008, which expanded into an annual student exchange program between the two schools in 2012.

Chinese students can take on university exchange students’ role at Fudan University and Peking University during the fall semester and this spring. Instead of coming to Grounds, students can choose to take classes and have the same, if not more, in-depth college experience at these universities.

Through a direct agreement with the host universities, the university is one of the only American universities to create a program like this. Other schools go through fee-based, third-party services to exchange students. At the same time, the University has a mutual credit exchange where students receive regular, full-class credits, are housed in a hotel and study at both Fudan University and Peking University.

Fudan University accommodated 75 students in the fall, most of whom opted for a real college experience to live on campus. Sixty-seven students were from the College of Arts and Sciences, four were students of Architecture, and four were Engineering students. There were 58 first years, 13 second years, and four third years in the group.

Fudan students are given a chance to live in a U.Va.-arranged on-campus hotel. Office of China. Sixty-one students chose to live at the hotel in the fall, which also turned some of its rooms into student study rooms. In Fudan, the other 14 students lived off-campus.

Students can take up to nine-semester credits at Fudan, with the remainder of their timetable having to be U.Va. Student credits to preserve their status as university students. While the required university classes are taken online through Zoom, all Fudan classes are taken in person on their main campus.

Though the program was open to any student from China, priority was given to the first years. There was no formal process for applying, but students had to fill out a few surveys and complete other registration requirements.

Students had until August to decide whether or not they would study in the fall in Fudan or Beijing but had to make the decision much earlier for the spring semester in October, more than four months before the start of classes on March 1.

Students will be able to receive transfer credits for the classes they have taken in Fudan. However, before these credits can count towards a student’s degree, significant or minor departmental approval still needs to be obtained.

The choice of classes at Fudan is similar to that at the University. Students can choose from courses in history, economics, mathematics, science, and psychology.

A first-year student from China participating in the Go Local program, Hongjia Yang, or Andy Yang, lives just a bike ride away from Fudan University. Yang emphasized that while he was still in high school, he had attended some lectures and met Fudan professors, so he already had a connection with the school.

He also mentioned how he enjoys in-person classes and the ability to participate in extracurricular activities, which he would not have been able to do if he were taking classes over Zoom at the university this semester.

Yang said, “Staying on campus could also give me more opportunities to participate in group activities and clubs, such as cycling teams, literature club, Model UN and urban studies club.”

Yang didn’t have the option of coming to college this year while enjoying staying in China. He said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he could not obtain an F-1 Visa to go to the United States.

Yang emphasized that his Fudan University experience was much better than he had expected. He took challenging, upper-level courses for third- and fourth-year students and initially had a tough time, but students and professors from Fudan were more than willing to help him out. They sent him additional assistance, textbooks, and reference sites to assist him with the material that he appreciated very much.

“Yang attended classes including “Shanghai: Urban Studies” and “U.S. Religion and Society.’ For other students at Fudan, he strongly recommends the former. Born and raised in urban Shanghai, the professor still lives there today.

Yang said, “This course transforms the whole of urban Shanghai into its classroom and field trips play an essential role in the teaching schedule.”

Yang said, “This course transforms the whole of urban Shanghai into its classroom and field trips play an essential role in the teaching schedule.”

Yang said the best part of his Go Local program experience was the learning experience. He has learned a great deal about Sino-U.S. With persistence and a rigorous spirit, his professor, Wu Xinbo, taught relationships. He hopes to take a major in Politics and continue studying international relations, and this semester he will return to Fudan.

Xinbo is also the dean of the Fudan Institute of International Studies and the American Studies Center director.

This fall, Hannah Liu, a third-year Shanghai student with a double major in Economics and Mathematics, also took part in the Go Local program.

Fudan was always one of her dream schools, and her mother is a Fudan alumna. Liu’s decision to participate in the Go Local program was an easy one. Liu thought this was an excellent opportunity for her to spend more time with her parents after moving to the U.S. six years ago. Given its increasing case numbers, she was also very concerned about COVID-19 in the United States.

China has reported around 100,000 total COVID-19 cases and over 4,800 deaths since the start of the pandemic, while the total case count in the U.S. has exceeded 27 million, with over 470,000 deaths. On Jan. 2, over 300,000 cases in a single day were reported by the U.S. The U.S. currently has around 100,000 points per day on a seven-day average.

Liu mentioned how, during the whole experience, she felt supported by the university. During Thanksgiving, students were invited to a U.Va.-coordinated Thanksgiving dinner with university alumni. Office of China and faculty in Fudan.

She also had a meeting with James Heller, the U.S. Consul General. Consulate General in Shanghai, as the university’s student representative. There, along with other U.S. students from various colleges, she shared her thoughts about her situation.

Through the program, Liu enrolled in an environmental science class and “Strategic Management” and enjoyed “Strategic Management.” Because of the class design, through several group projects, Liu got to know many Fudan students, and the content was also of particular interest to her.

“Weekly exchange of thoughts on different companies and their strategic plans resembles my life back at U.Va.,” said Liu.

Liu got a lot closer to her friends at the university who also participated in the program, and she said it was one of the best parts of the experience. They were disappointed that they couldn’t be on the ground, but being able to go to the cafeteria to eat together or study at the library gave them a sense of normalcy and unity.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Go Local program gave university students in China the ability to have an average college experience and stay safe. From U.Va. With Fudan University and Peking University, the China Office has worked incredibly hard to allow Chinese students to learn just as they would be at university.