{"id":15210,"date":"2022-02-28T15:47:37","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T14:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/?p=15210"},"modified":"2022-02-28T19:17:30","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T18:17:30","slug":"how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course\/","title":{"rendered":"How to survive and thrive in a difficult Chinese course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-15206 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280-1024x470.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280-1024x470.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280-768x353.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/shark-3483459_1280.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>In a recent article, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/is-taking-a-chinese-course-thats-too-hard-good-for-your-learning\/\">I talked about the pros and cons of taking a course that\u2019s too difficult for you<\/a>. We saw that if you have the time, motivation and support necessary, doing so can be great for learning, even though there are also potential downsides.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019re going to look at <em>how<\/em> to survive and even thrive in a difficult learning environment in more practical terms. This is relevant regardless if you sought the challenge deliberately or if you were forced into it by circumstance. If you didn&#8217;t seek out the challenge, you still need to make sure you have time, motivation and support, otherwise you\u2019re better off trying to get out of the water rather than trying to learn to swim.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tune in to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/podcast\/\">the Hacking Chinese Podcast<\/a> to listen to the related episode:<\/em><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/hackingchinese\/embed\/episodes\/82---How-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-Chinese-course-e1f19he\" width=\"400px\" height=\"102px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<em>Available on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hacking-chinese-podcast\/id1536284827\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zODhlYjllOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==\">Google Podcast<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1536284827\/hacking-chinese-podcast\">Overcast<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/5iCRv1jg3j3yJZGJlYVYaO\">Spotify<\/a> and many other platforms!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re going to look at four things that can help you survive, and maybe even thrive, in a challenging learning environment. Most of these things are advisable even in easier courses as well, but become absolutely necessary when difficulty increases. Exactly how diligently you should follow this thus depends on how hard the course is!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s how you can survive a language course that&#8217;s too hard for you:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course\/#preview\">Previewing before lessons<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course\/#focus\">Staying focused and positive during lessons<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course\/#review\">Reviewing and consolidating after lessons<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-difficult-chinese-course\/#exams\">Coping with assignments and exams<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a name=\"preview\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Previewing before lessons<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of previewing properly when the course material is beyond your comfort zone. Your classmates are ahead of you and the course is designed for people whose Chinese is better than yours, so if you don\u2019t preview, you won\u2019t benefit much from going to class.<\/p>\n<p>While a few hours of previewing for a lesson won\u2019t enable you to catch up with your classmates in general terms, you can close the gap locally for the specific content in question. Teachers will typically ask students to preview texts, but in most situations, students don\u2019t do this properly, if at all.<\/p>\n<p>This is your chance to put yourself on a more equal footing by going through the content in advance. Make sure you know what each lesson will cover, so ask the teacher for this information if it\u2019s not clearly listed on the timetable. It\u2019s important that you start previewing ahead of time, preferably a few days before the lesson so that you have a chance to absorb new vocabulary.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few previewing tasks that I recommend. I don\u2019t mean that you should pick and choose, but that you should do all of them, which will likely take hours. Naturally, exactly how much time you spend depends on how hard the course is, but three hours per lesson is not unreasonable:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-before-you-read-improve-your-listening-ability\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-7878\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/play-151523_960_720-150x150.png\" alt=\"Listen before you read\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/play-151523_960_720-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/play-151523_960_720-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/play-151523_960_720.png 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Read the text at least once with overall understanding in mind &#8211;<\/b> Normally,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-before-you-read-improve-your-listening-ability\/\"> I recommend listening first<\/a>, but reading is often easier considering that you can take your time and look things up, and there\u2019ll be lots of things you don\u2019t understand! Take this opportunity to look up words you don\u2019t know and make sure you understand them in context. Make plenty of notes in the text itself so you have it available during the lesson later. After reading the text, you will have a general idea of what and how much you need to learn.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-14974\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/srs-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Learn the basic meaning of characters and words <\/b>&#8211; When reading the text, overall understanding is the goal, so learning the meaning of the vocabulary as it\u2019s used in the text is enough. You can use the word list, but note that there will be many characters and words that you don\u2019t know. The key point here is tha<strong>t the words that are not listed in the textbook are more important to learn that those that are<\/strong>, because the authors assume that students on your level already know them. If you don&#8217;t, you should definitely learn them! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software\/\">I strongly suggest that you use spaced repetition software to keep track of, learn and review vocabulary.<\/a> I also suggest you skip or skimp on handwriting as much as possible, as this will otherwise take up most of your time. If the teacher normally requires handwriting, see if you can negotiate your way out of it or maybe reach a compromise where you learn some characters but not all, or maybe you can type your exams.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/time-quality-and-studying-chinese\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/goldwatch-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Listen to the text as many times as you can &#8211;\u00a0 <\/b>Now that you have a basic understanding of the text, put the recording on your phone and listen to it wherever you go, as many times as you can. If there is no audio, ask or hire someone to do it for you (this is well worth the investment). Provided that you started early enough, you should be able to listen to the text dozens of times before the actual lesson. This allows you to use time where you would otherwise not be able to study, such as when eating, exercising, washing dishes, taking a walk and the like. It gives you a chance to preview without being stuck in front of your desk, computer or phone. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/time-quality-and-studying-chinese\/\">Studying the right thing at the right time is important!<\/a><b><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Look at grammar notes when necessary &#8211; <\/b>As with the vocabulary, you don\u2019t need to study the grammar in detail, but if some passage is incomprehensible and there is a grammar note, it\u2019s probably a pattern or usage that you haven\u2019t seen before. Learn enough about it to understand it in context. If there is no such note, use some external grammar resource such as <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.allsetlearning.com\/chinese\/grammar\/\">Chinese Grammar Wiki<\/a>. Again, as was the case for vocabulary, the goal is not to try to be able to use the grammar, just to understand it. You stand little or no chance of being able to learn how to use a grammar pattern that\u2019s already too advanced for you without having the necessary input. The goal here is to understand what\u2019s going on, not to master the content.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/time-quality-and-studying-chinese\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Screenshot-from-2016-10-20-170003-150x150.png\" alt=\"Using Audacity to mimic native speakers\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Read the text again before the lesson &#8211; <\/b>You should now have a much better understanding of what\u2019s going on and should be able to see much you didn\u2019t see the first time. If anything is still unclear, make a note so you can either ask your teacher or someone else about it. The questions you have now are likely to be closer to those your classmates might have, instead of focusing on things only you are having problems with. If you know that you\u2019ll be asked to read the text aloud in class, this is the time to prepare for that as well. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/mimicking-native-speakers-way-learning-chinese\/\">Make sure to mimic the audio you have available.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Like I said, this is not easy and can take anything from an hour up to several hours for every lesson. Hopefully, you don\u2019t have one new text every day, but if you do, you truly have your work cut out for you!<\/p>\n<p>Still, even if you have three hours of lessons per day, spending another three hours previewing, then an extra three horse reviewing only puts you at nine hours per day, not much more than a normal full-time job, even if you don&#8217;t count weekends.<\/p>\n<p>I wrote more about the importance of previewing in general here:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"pYaZNwpXNj\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/preview-every-chinese-lesson\/\">Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson&#8221; &#8212; Hacking Chinese\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/preview-every-chinese-lesson\/embed\/#?secret=j3mgCmwSPD#?secret=pYaZNwpXNj\" data-secret=\"pYaZNwpXNj\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a name=\"focus\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Staying focused and positive during lessons<\/h3>\n<p>Attending lessons above your level can be both demanding and frustrating, but with the right attitude, you can still learn a lot. The most important thing is to stay focused and not let your mind wander. It\u2019s okay to not understand everything, but you still need to focus, otherwise you won&#8217;t learn much. This true for normal lessons too, as well as for conversations with native speakers! Focus on what you <em>do<\/em> understand and try to use that to guess what\u2019s going on, even if you don&#8217;t understand the words.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/forcing-quantum-leaps-in-listening-ability\/\">As I discussed in an article about quantum leaps in listening ability<\/a>, you should expect to understand very little when you start out, maybe just occasional words here and there, especially when the discussion strays from the content you have previewed. That\u2019s okay, just know that your ability to follow what\u2019s going on will improve over time and that perseverance is a virtue in this situation.<\/p>\n<p>Do whatever you can to stay focused, such as taking notes or echoing what your teacher and classmates say in your head as they say it. Also use any support available, such as pictures, written scripts and the like (ask the teacher for this in advance if possible).<\/p>\n<p>Stay focused; keep learning.<\/p>\n<p>Also do whatever you can to stay positive, for example by focusing on what you do understand, feeling that each minute of attentive immersion takes you closer to your goal, and enjoying the company of your classmates. This environment is great for your learning, even if it might not feel like that!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/language-question-triage-general-guidelines\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-7627\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/triage-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>When it comes to questions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/language-question-triage-general-guidelines\/\">you need to practise some kind of language question triage<\/a>, meaning that you need to filter your questions. This is true for most students in most lessons, because if everybody asked every single question they might have, progress would be agonisingly slow, but it\u2019s even more true for you, because you don&#8217;t want to have a negative impact on your classmates&#8217; learning by constantly asking questions they already know the answer to. Stick to the important questions that help you follow the lesson. Questions about how to use words, the difference between two words or how to write characters should definitely be saved for later. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/why-you-really-should-use-a-chinese-notebook\/\">Keep a notebook and look these things up later.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The hardest part of each lesson will be anything related to speaking or writing. While you can close the gap somewhat when it comes to comprehension locally by previewing, you can\u2019t do that when it comes to active usage. Speaking and writing are built on listening and reading, and take considerably longer to develop than you have time for in your preview sessions. Just do your best and try to not feel too bad about the result. You\u2019ll get there eventually!<br \/>\n<a name=\"review\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Reviewing and consolidating after lessons<\/h3>\n<p>Doing all of the above is exhausting, and I usually needed to go home for a nap after class when I took challenging courses. Classes being over for the day doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re done though, because surviving is a long-term project, not a sprint. You\u2019re learning a language where everything is interconnected, so what you learn this week will help you cope with next week, but only if you review and consolidate. You want to win the war, not just individual battles.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few essential things that you should do regularly, preferably every day:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/overcoming-problem-many-chinese-words-learn\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8620\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/too-many-words-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Actively manage your vocabulary &#8211;<\/b> I have already suggested that you use spaced repetition software to review vocabulary, but you should use it in an active manner. If you try to learn every single character and word you encounter, you\u2019ll drown in flashcards. Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/overcoming-problem-many-chinese-words-learn\/\">actively manage your vocabulary by selecting the most important items, deleting those you find unnecessary and updating your flashcards to reflect your current needs<\/a>. Carefully consider what kind of reviewing you\u2019re doing and focus on reception (listening and reading) before production (speaking and writing). And like I said above, skip or skimp on handwriting.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/three-steps-to-more-and-better-listening-practice\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-7917\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/earphones-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Review regularly but in a varied way &#8211; <\/b>Provided that you\u2019re following the above advice about managing your vocabulary, you should commit to tackling the due queue in whatever flashcard app you\u2019re using, every day. Beyond this, you should reread and relisten to the content covered in the lesson whenever you get a chance, not just that day or that week, but throughout the semester. Obviously, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/three-steps-to-more-and-better-listening-practice\/\">relistening is more practical<\/a>, but try to reread occasionally too. You should also try to review by going through related material that uses the same language, but in different ways. Many textbooks have supplementary reading and listening exercises, for example, or you could try to find this on your own or ask a friend to help you.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/diversified-learning-is-smart-learning\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-12142\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/diversified-learning-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Distribute your learning across the day &#8211; <\/b>It\u2019s unrealistic to think that you can spend the time required of you simply by studying in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, you should distribute your learning as much as possible across the day. By having flashcards and listening on your phone, you can make use of small time slots available throughout the day. By putting difficult characters on post-it notes or writing them on your hands, you can review them more often. I wrote more about this in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/diversified-learning-is-smart-learning\/\">Diversify how you study Chinese to learn more<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/practising-sports-to-learn-chinese\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-8257 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/summit-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Socialise, explore and enjoy the journey &#8211; <\/b>Even if you need to spend most of your time previewing, going to class and reviewing, don\u2019t forget that this is a long-term project. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/enjoying-the-journey-while-focusing-on-the-destination\/\">This means that mental health, enjoyment and social factors matter a lot.<\/a> You might be able to power your way through a few weeks of gruelling study sessions, but can you do that for a month? What about a semester? If you live in a Chinese-speaking environment, make sure you find ways of relaxing that bring you into contact with native speakers and their culture. What works here is highly individual, but joining a school club, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/practising-sports-to-learn-chinese\/\">practising sports<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/pros-and-cons-with-travelling-to-learn-a-language\/\">travelling<\/a> are all great options. If it\u2019s hard to find native speakers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-virtues-of-language-exchanges\/\">try a language exchange<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And here are a few important things that you should consider doing, although more rarely, maybe even after the semester is over:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/why-you-really-should-use-a-chinese-notebook\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-14695\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/notebook-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Go through your notes and find answers to questions &#8211; <\/b>If you\u2019re taking notes (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/why-you-really-should-use-a-chinese-notebook\/\">which you should<\/a>), you will have an increasingly long list of things you should look up or questions you need to find answers for, so working your way through that list is good. Just like with vocabulary, though, you shouldn\u2019t feel that you have to learn everything or find the answer to all questions. Putting some time between asking the question and finding the answer is nice, because if you aren\u2019t sure why you asked the question when you finally get around to it, then it probably isn\u2019t very important and can be skipped.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/dont-forget-to-consolidate-the-chinese-you-have-already-learnt\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8389\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/consolidate-your-knowledge-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"consolidate your knowledge\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Solidify your foundation &#8211;<\/b> Like I said in the previous article, a risk of enrolling in a course that\u2019s too hard for you is that you neglect the foundation. This can be true both in terms of language content (words, grammar and so on), leaving gaps you need to fill later, and in terms of language skills (such as pronunciation, grammar and the like). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/dont-forget-to-consolidate-the-chinese-you-have-already-learnt\/\">Consolidating your learning is important!<\/a> While you probably don\u2019t have too much time to work on these things while you are busy staying afloat, it still makes sense to be aware of the problem. For example, if you realise that you have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-hacking-chinese-guide-to-mandarin-tones\/\">a problem with tones<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-1-chinese-characters-and-words-in-a-nutshell\/\">don\u2019t understand how a certain type of character works<\/a>, try to find the time to fix this. Your classmates\u2019 pronunciation and understanding of characters is unlikely to be perfect, but it\u2019s highly unlikely that your teacher will spontaneously help you with these things.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8687\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/screenshot6-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Broaden your horizons and diversify your input &#8211; <\/b>A problem with intensive reading and listening, which is what you\u2019re doing most of the time because the course content is hard, is that it will only expose you to a limited amount of language. I don\u2019t mean a small number of unique characters or words, I mean that the total amount of language you\u2019ll see and hear is low. Compare reading a single difficult text to reading ten easy texts of the same length in the same amount of time; the latter exposes you to ten times as much language. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners\/\">This matters and you should take any opportunity you can to focus on extensive reading and listening.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Still afloat? Good! Now you just have to survive the exam.<br \/>\n<a name=\"exams\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Coping with assignments and exams<\/h3>\n<p>Most formal courses have assignments and exams, but since these vary greatly between institutions, I\u2019ll stick to things that are generally true.<\/p>\n<p>The most important thing is to be clear about rules and regulations that impact your learning. If you\u2019re on a scholarship and need to pass courses, you have to be crystal clear what the requirements are.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many points do you need?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any other requirements?<\/li>\n<li>Who sets your grades?<\/li>\n<li>Can you negotiate with that person?<\/li>\n<li>What will actually be tested on the exam?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019ve discussed this in more detail in the article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/studying-chinese-when-your-grades-matter\/\">How to get good grades when studying Chinese<\/a>, but let\u2019s look at handwriting characters as an example. This is something that takes an awful lot of time to master, so you need to check carefully what is required of you<\/p>\n<p>If it turns out you don\u2019t have to write by hand, you probably shouldn\u2019t do it that much. If you need to write by hand, how is this tested? If it\u2019s several small tests along the road, you can cram your way past these and save yourself a lot of time (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/cramming-vs-spaced-repetition-when-to-use-which-method-to-learn-chinese\/\">yes, cramming can be better than spaced repetition<\/a>), but if it\u2019s one big test at the end, you\u2019re out of luck (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/you-cant-learn-chinese-characters-by-rote\/\">and should therefore rely on spaced repetition to actually learn the characters properly<\/a>).<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7SHk0HE1sJ\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/cramming-vs-spaced-repetition-when-to-use-which-method-to-learn-chinese\/\">Cramming vs. spaced repetition: When to use which method to learn Chinese<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Cramming vs. spaced repetition: When to use which method to learn Chinese&#8221; &#8212; Hacking Chinese\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/cramming-vs-spaced-repetition-when-to-use-which-method-to-learn-chinese\/embed\/#?secret=26icL5ktyb#?secret=7SHk0HE1sJ\" data-secret=\"7SHk0HE1sJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to assignments, such as presentations or essays, most courses don\u2019t have a process-oriented approach, which means that you\u2019re required to deliver a presentation once or hand in a single version of an essay. The key to success here is to either <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/improving-your-spoken-and-written-chinese-by-focusing-on-the-process\/\">start very early so you have time to gradually improve your performance<\/a>, or to rely on help from others, even though the latter could be considered cheating, so you need to take your own morality as well as relevant rules and restrictions into account. I think most students let other people check their homework, but few would say it\u2019s okay to let someone else write the assignment for you.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"169hPvYwM8\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/improving-your-spoken-and-written-chinese-by-focusing-on-the-process\/\">Improving your spoken and written Chinese by focusing on the process<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Improving your spoken and written Chinese by focusing on the process&#8221; &#8212; Hacking Chinese\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/improving-your-spoken-and-written-chinese-by-focusing-on-the-process\/embed\/#?secret=LCOZvwi7bk#?secret=169hPvYwM8\" data-secret=\"169hPvYwM8\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Finally, don\u2019t forget about the practice effect, meaning that your performance on a test is highly dependent on how much you\u2019ve practiced the exact types of questions that will be on the exam. Don&#8217;t think that being &#8220;good at Chinese&#8221; guarantees success on a difficult test! Make sure to get hold of mock exams or old exams, either from the teacher or from old students, then study these until you know them by heart.<\/p>\n<h3>Thriving in a course that\u2019s too hard for you<\/h3>\n<p>Surviving a course that\u2019s too hard can be done; I have done so many times, and I know and have even taught many students who have done the same. It\u2019s not about being talented or smart, it\u2019s about being able to persevere, to maintain high spirits even when the going gets rough, and to keep engaging in activities that take you closer to your goal. At times, it will feel impossible, but it isn\u2019t!<\/p>\n<p>When you come out at the end, your Chinese will be much better than it would otherwise have been. While I don\u2019t like to compare my ability with that of others (preferring to compare with myself), each time I\u2019ve switched classes like this and sought out harder courses, it seems unreal how far behind the students who didn\u2019t switch are at the end of the semester. Again, I don\u2019t mean that I\u2019m more talented or smarter, it\u2019s mostly a matter of having the opportunity to invest more time and energy, but the result has be clear to see each time.<\/p>\n<p>Good luck with your learning and I hope you\u2019ve found this article helpful! If you have additional tips and tricks for how how to survive in courses that are too hard, or if you\u2019ve got a story to share, please leave a comment below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you survive a Chinese course that&#8217;s too hard for you, regardless if you ended up there on purpose or because of circumstances? 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