Xi'an Jiaotong students benefit from study abroad, mini exchanges

Students at Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province have benefited significantly from overseas exchange programs set up by the university and its partners abroad.

Cai Zhao, who is studying clinical medicine at the university, has just completed the Cambridge University academic curriculum development programs.

Cai said these programs have broadened Chinese students' outlook, given them a new way of thinking and widened their knowledge.

Zhu Wenbo, who is studying public administration at the Xi'an university, said he completed a short winter vacation exchange involving a Chinese youth development project at Columbia University in New York City.

"The experience of a short exchange at a foreign university benefited me greatly, as I had the opportunity to have face-to-face exchanges with world-renowned academics. I also gained practical financial knowledge."

To better promote implementation of an international strategy, the Xi'an university has cooperated in recent years on dual degrees, joint training and joint research with 135 world-renowned universities.

These include Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California Berkeley, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Milan.

Liang Li, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department at Xi'an Jiaotong University, said nearly 200 talented students at the institution were selected for short exchanges in the winter vacation in January and February.

The program included Cambridge University, Columbia University, the University of Sydney and Waseda University in Japan.

Liang said the studies significantly improved the depth and breadth of the university's international cooperation in personnel training.

"We started the cooperation and exchange projects in 2010 and to date, more than 6,000 students have been sent to study at more than 150 universities overseas and in Hong Kong," Liang said.

Liang added that the cooperation and personnel training projects include exchange programs for one term or one academic year of study at foreign universities, degree programs, academic credit projects, short-term projects during summer and winter vacations and research projects.

"The cooperation and exchange projects greatly promote students' latent energy and broaden their horizons and ideas. Some students made great progress after they completed their studies at foreign universities," Liang said.

Contact the writers through malie@chinadaily.com.cn