Zhejiang University

[abcdefg]

I think "sit in" would be just fine in that context instead of "audit," with a bit less chance of confusion actually. Thanks for the Chinese.

Often at the beginning of a new semester at a new language school, I want to "try out" a couple different classes during the first week to see which one is most suitable. That's the context in which I would use the word. Would 旁听 páng​tīng fit that situation?

Sorry for getting this off the subject of Zhejiang University. Only reason for not making it a private message is that others might be wondering the same thing.

[vkim67]

hi all,

Sit-in can be used but it also has various nuances~ like abcdefg said, it can be used to try out a few diff classes and choosing amongst them; it can also be used to mean you'll sit in on a class once or a few times... it can also be for various reasons, for example to evaluate the teacher and not the class topic.

audit (as far as i know it) is more formal and would be taken more seriously~ for ex. a student would be (at least trying to) go to every class and learn the material for the entire quarter/semester. So my university in the US has a policy that does not permit auditing Chinese language courses. But a high school student visiting the college for a day could probably sit in on a class to check out the vibe, what its like, etc. but would not be auditing the course.

The dictionary doesn't really expand on the term audit but that's how I always thought of the term...

Vkim67

[Etwood]

In the international building there are single rooms too, they're rather small though. imo, best choice are the two person rooms in dorm 31.

Just wanting to clarify something here. First of all, by "international building", do you mean 竺可桢国际教育大楼? And why do you recommend dorm 31 rather than the international building?

How far away are both these dorms from where actual class takes place? (I'm going to be a language student). Where exactly do classes take place, anyway?

Sorry for the specific questions, but I'm trying to locate everything on a map to get an idea of where things are located in relation to each other.

Many thanks!

[vkim67]

Has anyone taken classes (non language-focused but the regular classes such as Sociology or Poli sci, etc.) at Zhejiang Daxue? Do a lot of the professors have strong accents or different ways of talking that is not standard mandarin? For example, mixing in words from the local dialect or their syntax mimicking local dialect? Thanks!!

[Jones03]

Just wanting to clarify something here. First of all, by "international building", do you mean 竺可桢国际教育大楼? And why do you recommend dorm 31 rather than the international building?

How far away are both these dorms from where actual class takes place? (I'm going to be a language student). Where exactly do classes take place, anyway?

Yes, the international building and dorm 31 are next to each other. To give you an idea where they are: dorm 31 is right next to the back gate of the campus.

Most classes for language students take place in the back area of dorm 31, so it's very convenient.

I would recommend dorm 31 over the international building because the rooms in dorm 31 are bigger, the beds are bigger, etc. it's all in all more comfortable.

[rintin2x]

Hi, I'll be going there next summer, see u guys there ^_^

[Etwood]

I'm gonna be there in February. Would be keen to make some friends. Cheeky beer, anyone?

[MCwiseguy]

Hi Etwood. I noticed you were applying for the CSC Government Scholarship. May I ask, are you applying as an individual or through your university? I'm a British national and I emailed the Chinese Embassy but they have told me that I cannot apply unless I apply through my university as they cannot just accept applications from the 'public openly.' Did you encounter any such problem? If I may so, this sounds ridiculous. On the official CSC website it specifies nothing of the sort and application form appears to be oriented to just the individual (bar the question regarding who is recommending you -question 9 I think?). If you could shed any light on this that would be great.

Many regards,

MCwiseguy.

[Etwood]

Hi there MCwiseguy. Unfortunately the application process for the CSC scholarship is not really that transparent. I'll let you know what I've done and what I've assumed to be the case in my instance. The process also seems to differ country to country. As far as I know, in New Zealand (where I live) the CSC scholarship is administered by the Confucius Institute here. I think that is the only way to apply for this scholarship in NZ. I heard that you can't apply through the embassy (seems like the same situation for you). As far as I can tell, the Confucius Institute acts as a filter for the CSC. There are 10 scholarships available for NZ and the Confucius Institute picks the 10 best candidates. Once approved by the Confucius Institute, we then have to go through the standard CSC scholarship application process (fill out the infamous form, medical examination, references, transcript etc) but I think it's just a formality as the CSC only receives 10 applications for the 10 available scholarships (because of the filtering process done by the Confucius Institute). As to why you can't apply as an individual without going through the Confucius Institute, I am not sure.

Perhaps the scholarship is also administered by the Confucius Institute in the UK? I would contact them, I have a feeling they would be able to shed some light on the situation.

I hope that I've answered some of your questions. Good luck!

[junichiro]

So, I am going to Zheda in a month's time, and like others on this thread I have a whole bunch of practical problems I need to overcome.

1. Various previous posters have discussed that it is normal to pay one's tuition fees in cash, but how do you procure 9000 RMB in cash? Withdrawing it from an ATM at once would be impossible, and even if you did it over several days you would possibly incur a whole bunch of bank fees and it would be a load of hassle. I also don't want to enter China carrying 9000 RMB in my wallet. Every international student there must have faced this problem, what do people normally do?

2. Some years ago I did some English teaching near Hangzhou and got a bank account at the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in Hangzhou. I still have the card, and assuming the account still exists it should have maybe 300 RMB in it. Would this card be useful for anything?

3. I was told that accommodation is available from 1 week before the registration day (Feb 18th). My plan is to arrive in Hangzhou the evening of Saturday the 12th, go to a youth hostel for the weekend, and then try to get things sorted out on the Monday. Is this a reasonable plan?

4. I got the bus from Shanghai airport to Hangzhou a few years ago and seem to remember it was relatively easy. I wandered around the airport following pictures of a bus icon, and ended up outside somewhere with a small ticket booth and a bunch of buses. I said something like "yi zhang piao dao hangzhou", and things pretty much worked themselves out. Is it reasonable to assume this strategy will work again?

5. Due to reasons I won't go in to I only have a tourist visa, not a student visa. The school have told me it should be no problem to get changed, and I'm kind of hoping some member of admin staff is going to point me in the right direction as to how I get it sorted. Is this reasonable to assume, or am I going to have to work out how to change it myself?

6. I'm going to be bringing my climbing shoes and harness, as I hear there is a semi-reasonable climbing wall there. If anyone wants to go climbing any time, get in touch.

So many questions. I guess one of the main reasons I'm coming to China is that I enjoy the challenge/chaos of trying to get through everyday life (the language barrier being the most obvious issue, but not the only one), and ultimately I just need to just chill out and accept that things will work out somehow. But it's still quite easy to end up worrying!

[Guest]

So what I understood from the website was correct. You should have at least a level 4 HSK prior to begining a degree program? That's actually a good thing. That's what's been confusing for me the most, trying to figure out if certain universities require it or not.

I am actually considering following your example (taking 2 years or so to study Chinese/work) but have one question to ask - I searched this thread and didn't find this question - what's the Visa process for you like?

I mean, I know that Zheda is sponsoring it, but do you actually have to leave everytime it expires? Or do you have the full 1 year student Visa, and just pay to renew it? (or do you have a work Visa? That seems like the most obvious answer, but I just wanted to make sure).

[Matt Mateo]

I will be studying Chinese for one semester in Zheda from September 2012. Anyone else going to Zheda?

[熊威尔士]

I've been at Zheda for a year now, currently doing the summer course, and will be staying another year. If anyone has questions etc feel free to add me on Skype as I tend to forget to check here. Be nice to meet the new students as well now that i live off campus and am considered an 'old student'.

Ryan3789

[AntonioF]

Hi Matt Matteo and Ryan3789, my name is Antonio from Italy and I will also come to Zheda at the end of August in order to start the Autumn/Winter semester language course in September. My 6-months student visa should be ready by tomorrow, then I will purchase the flight ticket. I am planning to arrive in Hangzhou on Sept 1st so that I have some time to look around the University and the city. I have to issues at this moment to think about:

1) Is it worthy to open a (small) bank account at "Bank of China" directly in Hangzhou). A lady working for this bank (in Italy) told me that this is the best solution, since you keep your money in a safe place, you can transfer money from your bank to them easily, and the exchange rate made by the Bank of China for account owners is better than for external customers. My question is: is it possible to handcarry € 3000 in cash, and deposit them in the new bank account directly? Or I need to transfer that money from my italian bank (with commissions)?

2) Dormitory solution. I don't want to have a luxury solution, but I like to have my privacy, especially because I want to study as much as possible (in a quiet place) in order to get the maximum from this chinese language course. Any suggestion how to achieve this target? (would you rent an apartment?)

Thanks.

[Matt Mateo]

Hi Antonio,

Did you apply for the F visa? I think I will also apply for the F visa as I will be in China for 6 months. Did you not have to provide the return flight ticket when you applied? I don't know if I should buy the ticket before I get the visa. Do you think you will stay until the end of February?

I received the Confucius Institute Scholarship which means I will be staying in the student dormitory. I have heard that the dormitory is not bad but maybe not the best for privacy. Maybe if I don't like it I will consider looking for an apartment.

I think I will also arrive in Hangzhou on September 1st. The registration is September 3rd so I think it's a good time to arrive.

[AntonioF]

Hi Mateo, no I didn't purchase any flight ticket yet. I just went to an office in Milan called "Chinese Visa Application Service Center" (http://www.visaforchina.org/MIL_EN/) where I filled in the offical visa form, then they asked me to provide them a paper copy of the "Admission Notice" and of the "JW202 module", both of which I received from Zheda a few days ago. In the section where you have to state how many days you plan to stay in China, I wrote "160 days" so that I have some margin. Based on this data, I suppose that I will receive a "6-months student visa". I will let you know exactly which type of visa I will get ASAP.

I don't know how long I will stay exactly in Hangzhou (or China in general), it will depend by how things will go on once my first semester will be finished. In case I want to stay there longer, I suppose that I have to come back to Italy to make a new Visa since this one will be valid for 1 entry only (this is what the employee at the office told me).

I am coming to Zheda by my own (with no scholarships at all) so I can chose whatever I want once I get in Hangzhou (of course I have to pay everything by myself ). I will buy the flight ticket as soon as the visa will be in my hands. Most likely I will flight from Milan Malpensa on August 31st with Air China to Shanghai, then I'll take the bus or the train to Hangzhou (Alitalia is a so nice airflight company, that it has no direct connection between Milan and Shanghai in 2012).

Another issue that I want to fix before my departure is the medical insurance. Do you already have an insurance? I already asked the price to many companies and I am now waiting for their answer now...

[Matt Mateo]

Thanks for your information Antonio. I think I will try to get a 180 day visa.

I think that maybe I would stay for one year in China too, but of course I would also have to return to Ireland to get a new visa. Like you said, it depends on how things will go in the first semester. I also heard that you can apply for a new visa in Hong Kong but I heard it can be very expensive.

My scholarship includes insurance, but I am not sure if it is very good. I heard that sometimes the university will tell us to buy insurance from the university too. I think it is also good to buy overseas medical insurance before you leave your country.

[skylee]

In case I want to stay there longer, I suppose that I have to come back to Italy to make a new Visa since this one will be valid for 1 entry only (this is what the employee at the office told me).

If you don't particularly want to return to Italy for the visa, I think you can apply for one in nearby places like Hong Kong or Thailand. I am no expert, but people on this website discuss these things. You can search for the info if you like.

[熊威尔士]

Hey guys - a few things to know.

As i said, i've been here a year already. I originally got a Student visa - which I then had changed into a residence permit at the Entry exit bureau here in Hangzhou. The residence permit functions as a multi entry visa for China and lasts one year from the date you get it all sorted.

Getting to Hangzhou is easy enough. You can either fly to Hangzhou Airport - or to Shanghai, and then catch a bus from the Airport right into the center of Hangzhou (just 5 minutes from campus) . It will probably be cheaper to fly to Shanghai, and the bus will cost about 100 kuai (15 Euro-ish ? ). It's all very easy. It ends up at the Huanglong stadium bus station. 黄龙体育馆车站（or something like that) That's how I did it anyway - takes about 3 hours. You could easily walk from there to campus even with your baggage where you register / find your dorms. The dorms themselves are decent enough. Building 31 consists of double rooms - no privacy, but you get a roommate / instant acquaintance - chances are they will be pretty dirty and need a bit of work... The international college dorm has single dorm rooms. The trouble with the single rooms is they are rather small and a little expensive for what you get. Classes are in the same building though - and they are usually spotless when you move in. Apartments in hangzhou are usual around 1500 to 2500 kuai per room. You'll want roommates to get an apartment. Be aware that the closer to campus you are, the more expensive they are, and the more people will try and rip you off. Also the landlords closer to campus tend to be total ****s because of the fact that they can afford to be in such a great location. They know they will find students willing to pay and put up with their crap.

Setting up a bank account with the bank of china is easy enough - if you can get a decent speaker of Chinese to go with you that'll help. You can open an account with as little as 400 kuai, and then get money sent over the internet, although i've not managed to work out how to do that yet...

I live about 2 minutes from Huanglong stadium, so if you guys do get the bus into Hangzhou i'd be happy to meet you there and show you to campus. I've got stuff to do on campus anyway on the registration days. Me and my housemate run the local expat rugby team here see, and we're having a recruitment drive on campus during registration. If either of you are interested in rugby give me a shout.

Ryan.

[Swiffer]

@Ryan: Thanks! Could you probably tell us something about the class placement tests (oral and written exam)? Is there anything we could/should prepare in particular?

@Matt Mateo, Antonio F, ...: I'll also commence my studies at Zheda in August, I'm on a scholarship though and will stay for an entire year. I will arrive on 30th August - have you guys already booked a hostel or know any good ones? Maybe we could meet up and get all sorted / explore the city together before registration starts on 3rd Septemer? : )