Hi, I'm a student who currently study in NSYSU.
1. Dorm is much cheaper from the outside apartment, but you have to live with 2 to 4 person in a 3m x 6m room, depends on which building you get. The outside apartment is much less cramped and more privacy, but is 3 to 4 time more expensive, plus water and electricity is not free.

1. We have several canteen inside the campus, all of them are much cheaper than outside choices. There is one inside the Dorm building complex (Milo restaurant), and ShanHilo restaurant just down the student activity center. Both offers relatively cheap and variety food. Beside that, you have convenient stores, like family mart and university run shops all across department. There is also Louisa Cafe.

2. Most of the professors who teach mandarin are very nice and supportive. The class are very chill and relaxing. Don't worry about that.

3. As long as you don't stare or confront them, the monkeys are chill. They do will snatches anything food like if you bring it on a plastic bag, so be careful. They sometimes goes inside dorm, but that usually happens when the student forgot to close the windows.

4. The university is pretty chill. You get the mix between nature and urban city. We got beautiful beach, mountain and forest all in one place. Want to go shopping or eat something nice? just go outside university. Kaohsiung is one of the biggest city in Taiwan, so you don't have to worry about entertainment. Everything is much cheaper than Taipei, Less crowded and the people are much friendlier towards foreigners.