Zhejiang University

[Matt Mateo]

Thanks for all the info Ryan! Do you know if we can only register for the dorms on September 3rd or 4th? Or do you think it would be ok to arrive say on September 1st or 2nd and move into the dorms then?

Hey Swiffer, I haven't booked my flight ticket yet but I hope to arrive on September 1st. We should keep in touch!

[熊威尔士]

Swiffer - Not really much to say about the placement exam. They'll stick you in a room with an exam paper and say 'go' best you can do is learn characters and grammar in preparation for it. Oral exam is easy enough, they'll ask you some basic questions, ask you to talk a bit, make you read out some characters from a sheet of paper. It's pretty relaxed. If you get put into too high a class, they will happily let you move down, and if you suck in the exam (for whatever reason) they will let you take a second 'tiaoban' exam to skip a level, and if you do well enough they'll let you move up a level. Actual classes are split into different subjects depending on what level you get - for example , level 2 and 3 have jingdu, yuedu, kouyu and tingli (comprehensive/ grammar, reading, speaking and listening)- level four drops listening for 'xiezuo' which is a writing class. I start that in september. Classes here are all about attendance. If you don't show up, they will revoke your Visa after too many absences, so watch out for that. Classes usualy run from 8 till 11:30 or 1 till 4:10. Teaching quality differs from class to class - different levels also have a fast and slow level (2.2 is slower then 2.8 for example).

I really don't think you'll need a hostel if you've booked your accommodation at campus. You're supposed to email ahead or something to make sure they are expecting you as they will want you to move into the dorm before you register. They are weird like that. If you have a scholarship, you might end up in the building outside of campus that is for the scholarship students... if that's the case you might not be able to move out.. and you'll be stuck with a roommate. Then again, you might just be in 31 or 23. I'd say 23 (or is it 21? i forget) is the best as you get a kitchen as part of the flat you share with three. one double room and one single room - a shower / toilet room and a kitchen / dining room. You get a fridge there as well. The kitchens in the international dorm are awful see. Shared between like 50 people. One fridge. It will always be filled with strange smelling korean food.

The city itself is kinda quiet, not an awful lot going on, but it's got a nice expat scene, and there are some fantastic places to visit. Walking places takes a LONG time, and in August it's still too hot to do so comfortably. Buses are cheap though 2 or 3 kuai each. Taxis are a bit more expensive, starting at 11 kuai, and are a nightmare to find from about 3 till 6. IMPOSSIBLE.

Any other questions - give me a shout.

[熊威尔士]

Matt - It should be fine to move in before hand - especially if they know you are coming, usually they have your name on a list and a room ready for you...

[Matt Mateo]

Thanks again Ryan, I appreciate all your help!

[Swiffer]

Yeah, many thanks for your help! Somehow the placement exams stress me a lot (especially the oral one), but I guess I'm simply making too big of a deal out of it ... : )

Any idea what it depends on whether your classes will be in the morning or in the afternoon? And do you know anything about the additional classes you can take? What's the difference between elective courses and lecture series, and who is allowed to sign up for them?

And how many classes are you allowed to miss? I am a bit surprised that they seem to be that strict about attendance. I mean, of course I wanted to come to China primarily to study the language there (and I am really looking forward to attending classes at university), but from hearsay I thought that most universities were generally quite lenient towards exchange students' attendance.

And last but not least: do you probably know who I should contact regarding my arrival / moving in prior to the official enrolment days? I've already messaged 2 people but no response so far.

[oneeyedcats]

Hi everyone, I'm also planning to enroll as a Chinese language student in Zhejiang University starting this fall, I already got the documents (JW 202 form and Admission notice), but since I'm already in China (work) I will try my luck and apply in Hong Kong, since it would be far too expensive to go to my country, apply, get everything done and come back to China. Lots of people I know get their visas in Hong Kong, so it doesn't seem to be much of a problem and I've never heard of anyone being rejected. The fee is different for every country, for me (I'm Bulgarian) it's about 200 euro for a one year, multiple entries visa, which, though steep, is much cheaper than any other solution.

You can find more info here: http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/

As for the domitory, I've been communicating with the university a lot (I don't have a scholarship, so I'm paying for and arranging everything on my own - sucks big time) and they said that it shouldn't be a problem to check at the domintory at the end of August with your admission documents and passport, so I guess it would be ok to move in there right away.

What else, wow, looking forward to meet you all, I hope it would be a fun year, although I'm planning to study Chinese in hardcore mode, not sure how actively I'm going to engage in the xpat scene and drinking games, hah :DDD.

[熊威尔士]

No worries guys, I'm not sure if it makes a difference about classes to be honest. I'd think the more advanced classes are more likely to be in the morning. honestly, i'd say the 8am classes are the best - as much as i hate mornings, you get the whole day to yourself afterwards which is great!

As for electives, they're not bad, the kung fu class isn't great though i'll be honest. Elective classes are for everyone, I know that much. I have NO idea about the lecture series though sorry. I think if you miss more than 1/3 of your classes then you can't sit an exam. This happened to me after I got flu. Twice. for three / four weeks each time. It can and does happen. otherwise i think you'll be okay though! I can't imagine you'd miss more than that.

I spoke to Tang Li in the international office - but I do believe their office has closed for the holiday... So i'm not sure there's all that much I can do for you there sorry

[Matt Mateo]

I emailed someone named Cai Dan with a few questions and I received an automatic response e-mail stating that she was on holiday until August 20th. She did reply to me as soon as she could, though. I felt so bad disturbing her on her holiday! But she was very helpful.

Hi oneeyedcats, I was also wondering about getting a visa in Hong Kong. I am considering staying for one extra semester, but I will wait until I have experienced Zheda for a few months before I make the decision! I don't really want to come back to my country just to get a new visa!

[熊威尔士]

I don't get why you guys all want to go to HK for new Visa. I sorted all my Visa stuff in Hangzhou ? There shouldn't be a problem doing that provided you get the right Visa to start with you can change or extend it at the Entry Exit Bureau. In fact I'm off to go pick mine up now! Just had it extended by 7 months and will do so again in February.

[Matt Mateo]

Really?! I didn't know that was possible! Did you go to an agency?

So would it be possible to extend a 6 month F Visa?

[熊威尔士]

Yeah, Thing is, cause I was staying for a year, as soon as i got to hangzhou I went to the Entry Exit visa bureau with the forms given to me by Zheda and got it changed my single entry student visa into a 1 year multiple entry residence permit. Then i just went there again towards the end of the year after paying next semesters fees and got it extended. I did get my Visa done through a service in the UK, but here I just go to the Entry / Exit bureau myself!

[oneeyedcats]

Well, according to the Zhejiang University representative I've been exchanging mails with, you can't get a visa in Hangzhou (or any other place in China for that matter). I asked something like 4-5 universities and they all answered the same thing: nope, you should get your visa from your own country, but if it's too expensive to go there, you can get one from HK, it's ok.

Now, i know that some agencies can get you a visa - I don't how, but they do manage to get a working/student/whatevertypeofvisayouwant - but a buddy of mine said that his one year Z visa costs something like 12 000 yuan, which is much more than going to HK, getting everything done in a day or two and going back to your uni city. Another friend said that she can probably get a 6 months working visa for 6000 yuan. It seems that different agencies charge different fees. Speaking of which, I don't really want to go to HK unless I have to, so I may start asking here and there if an agency can provide me with a visa for a reasonable sum...

Not sure if the same applies if you want to extend your visa though. I got a Z visa but can't extend it, my boss is unhappy I'm leaving, so I never asked about that

P.S. Matt, if I do go to HK to get this visa stuff done and dusted, I will tell you right away what are the procedures and so forth, a friend of mine whom got her visa like two months ago says she knows a cheap (by HK's standarts, that's) hostel very near to the Foreign Ministry which issues the visas.

P.S.S. 熊威尔士, can you please tell me (on average) how much classes you got per day and how much time it takes to do the homework and stuff like that.

[熊威尔士]

Yeah you have to get a Visa first for entry to the country. You can get this in the UK / your respective countries. Then when you get to HZ you can alter or extend the visa so that you can stay longer in the country.

Usually you will have 2 language classes per day - each is 1 1/2 hours , then you get the electives on top of that that are once a week ( I believe you can choose up to three? ) . It's not too strenuous. Homework load varies from teacher to teacher as much as it does level to level, so I honestly can't tell you. I know some students have had as little as half an hour a night, and some as much as 3 hours, but obviously that also depends on how fast these students do the work. A general rule though is a minimum of one test a week doing tingxie (dictations that are just testing your knowledge of the characters and words learnt the lesson before hand )

[oneeyedcats]

Hey thanks man, that's some really useful info, it's appreciated.

Just one more thing that I want to ask - about the dormintory. I will apply for a shared room at the 31 dorms and want to ask what it's like. Now, I've visited a Chinese dorm before and it was something like - two small rooms next to each other, each has two beds, two bureaus and basically nothing else, and there is one big room serving for both kitchen and living room. In the big room you have TV, fridge, microwave, table, chairs and so forth. Of course, you also got a toilet/bathroom that all four people share. Is it something similar, i.e. does every shared "big room" has TV and so forth?

Nah, sorry for the bother and asking about all these little things, but you seem to be "in the know" about daily life in Zhejiang Uni, haha, just can't resist asking ;D.

Thanks.

[Matt Mateo]

Well I will arrive in Hangzhou on the evening of August 31st. Hopefully I can move in immediately!

[AntonioF]

@ Matt Mateo. Sorry I had no internet connection for 1 week (I was on holiday...). I confirm you that I will also arrive in Hangzhou in the evening of August 31st (I will land at Shanghai Pudong airport in the very early morning, then I will catch the bus to "Hangzhou stadium" according to the suggestions I found in this same forum). For the dormitory solution, I asked for "single room" in the subscription document. For sure, I am now asking availability confirmation to Ms. Qian at Zheda so that I can decide whether to book an hotel/hostel for the first nigths or not. Let's stay in touch!

[熊威尔士]

One eyed cats : The single double dorms are literally just one big room with two single beds, a TV , one shower / toilet room, and two desks / shelves. you get a balcony though which is nice. They're not amazing though. Also if your roommate leaves you end up having to pay for the whole room, even though it's not your fault they leave... so yeah. I'd suggest trying for a single room if I were you.

As for you guys arriving on the 31st of August, If you want someone to show you to the campus give me a shout.

[incipit]

Hello Friends,

I was recently accepted to Zhejiang University on the China Scholarship Council scholarship starting in Fall 2012 and will be there for about a year. I'd be interested in meeting others who will be around the area during the same time period.

I had a few questions with regard to the program and seeing the questions of others answered here with such facility, I thought I would submit mine as well. And so:

When is first day I must be at Zhejiang University to register for classes? When is the first day I can move into on campus housing/dorms? Lastly, is it possible to change from a double to a single room and pay the difference between the two? If so what would be the cost of this per month? (Perhaps someone who has had the scholarship before could answer these last two questions).

Any help with regard to these inquires would be appreciated. Otherwise, see you in Hangzhou.

[oneeyedcats]

Well, if my roommate leaves and they make me pay for the whole room, then i would just QUIT, haha . Actually, when i get around Hangzhou I would probably start looking for someone who wants to share an apartment with me, because 40 kuai a day is steep any way you look at it, especially for a dorm room. Chinese friends of mine pay sth like 1200-1500 for a whole apartment and they share it between 4 people if i'm not mistaken. Now, the Chinese concept of personal space is quite different to what we know (well, it doesn't really exist as such) and it's in a far-off location, but still..

Anyway, if i'm pleased with the dormintories i would probably stay there. But renting an apartment is always an option as far as i'm concerned (especially if you can get some Chinese people you trust to haggle for you - that usually works great).

[oneeyedcats]

incipit, according to my admission docs we should register on the 3rd or 4th of September. Regarding the dorms, I asked the very same question and the answer was that it would be ok to move in in late August. Still, I would notify them in advance. Just in case, you know. As for the third question, I honestly don't know ;D.