Listening Summit is a three-day event held in order to facilitate cultural exchange and encourage bonding. Ten Pepperdine students — five boys and five girls — are selected to be paired with 10 English-speaking, Chinese Fudan students. The pairs room together and spend the weekend bonding, hopefully creating a lasting friendship. The weekend includes informational sessions on international higher education, group discussion and social outings. Shanghai hosted the pilot program last year.
I was lucky enough to be chosen to represent Pepperdine this year. I can say firsthand, it was an amazing experience. It was the first time I truly felt immersed in Chinese culture. On Friday afternoon, 10 of us sat eagerly waiting for the Fudan Students to arrive at the Jia. We chatted nervously. No one had seen an itinerary for the weekend, so we were uncertain what the program would entail. Our worries went out the door though when we met our roommates for the weekend. My partner’s name was Jane. She’s a junior at Fudan majoring in tourism management. We spent the weekend comparing our life stories and swapping information about pop culture. She taught me some awesome slang words and was kind about my clumsy Chinese. The first night we went to a nice western restaurant overlooking Tomorrow Square. Conversation was lively. The Fudan students were extremely well-informed on global politics and pop culture. Then we checked in to the Peace Hotel on the Bund. It was the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in. We stayed up half the night chatting about our lives. The Fudan students were noticeably self-driven. Their educational pursuits seem so much more in-depth than ours.
The next morning we dressed in professional attire and headed to a restaurant farther down the Bund for the conference. Speakers from both Pepperdine and Fudan spoke about international higher education. The main difference between U.S. and Chinese college is definitely the admission process.
Chinese students take the Gaokao, which is an aptitude test. Their entire junior high and high school careers are consumed by studying for the Gaokao. Admission to college is entirely decided based on this test, while admission to the American higher education system is holistic, meaning that schools look at grades, extra curriculars, essays and sometimes interviews to get a complete view of the applicant. Our Fudan friends were more in support of the holistic approach. They said the Gaokao was too consuming and stressful. It prevented them from exploring anything outside of the realm of academia.
Meanwhile, we noticed seemingly how much smarter our Chinese peers were. Their strong academic background definitely made them able to speak expertly on a large number of topics.
After the sessions we were released to dinner — Chinese this time. Over the meal, we chatted about the day’s events and played games. I learned so much and made some really fantastic friends. I hope to stay close with my roommate and go visit her at Fudan. She promised to show me some of her favorite restaurants around the city.
Overall the Listening Summit was a wonderful experience. I am so glad to have been a part of it. The mission of Pepperdine’s International Programs is “Crossing Boundaries, Changing Lives”; the listening Summit definitely achieves that mission to the fullest extent. I would encourage all future IP students to apply — it’ll be one of the best things you ever do!
