For the University of Siegen in Beijing
Rong Xu heads up the China Office of the University of Siegen and is on hand to answer any questions students have about exchange programme opportunities and studying abroad in China and Siegen.
After a couple of days in Siegen, Rong Xu has come to appreciate two things in particular. “The air's so clear and there’s so much greenery. This is like a health spa for me,” she says, laughing. Rong Xu has been heading up the University of Siegen’s China Office in Beijing since January 2016. This office is operated by the university in cooperation with machine tool manufacturer Waldrich Siegen. Rong Xu recently visited Siegen, getting to know the town and the university, along with many new faces. There are almost 300 students from China currently undertaking degree courses in the town. The University of Siegen has tasked Rong Xu with developing long-term strategic partnerships with universities in China in order to increase this number.
“Our job is to support and advise Chinese students during their stay. We also serve as the point of contact for Germans wishing to study in China. The focus is on exchange between the two countries. Additionally, we assist professors engaged in research projects with Chinese universities,” says Rong Xu in German. She began her studies in Marburg in 2001 and later came to the University of Siegen by way of the China Office of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Chinese Centre in Hanover.
“Language is always the biggest challenge. It is foundational for a successful degree,” says Rong Xu. She provides counsel and advice to Chinese students, who often lack a sense of guidance in Germany. “In China, lots of things are precisely arranged and pre-determined. This means that many students have to learn to handle the freedom they have and to organise themselves. That's a major adjustment,” explains Rong Xu. Consequently, it is all the more important that they have a point of contact.
While there are a large number of Chinese students in Siegen, few Germans have made the trip to China so far. One reason is that there are few Chinese universities that teach subjects in English. Their offering is often limited to language classes. But this needs to and indeed will change. “China intends to attract more international students, aiming to see 500,000 of them completing a degree in the country by 2020. That's a clear goal of internationalisation,” says Rong Xu. To this end, several universities will offer specialist degree courses.