Shanghai Jiao Tong University or Beijing Language and Culture University?

[tical_84]

I am currently debating whether I should goto Beijing (BLCU)or Shanghai(SJTU) this coming Feb. Any suggestions? I am a little concerned about cost of living, so where should i go to get the best deal?

I've been to Shanghai and i love it there, but I know things could get pretty expensive. I hear Beijing would be the better option but the cold weather is something I don't really want deal with (not that Shanghai isn't cold but it's far better than Beijing i believe)

Is it at all possible to find a decently furnished place in Shanghai for 3000RMB a month? I hear its alot more but i see some ppl posting that they've found great deals as low as 1200 or even 1000 RMB. How did anyone find such as deal? If not i'm thinking about studying in Beijing. Personally, i'm willing to deal with the cold weather as long as the rent and living conditions are better.

I'm not too picky, as long as the place is clean (no bugs), safe, has net and furnished, but so far all my searching has led to a dead end. Any advice?

[anonymoose]

I'm currently studying at Jiaotong University. You may know that the campus where the Chinese language courses are held is in a part of Shanghai called Xujiahui. It is a very busy and commercial area in Shanghai, and also not far from the city centre. As a result, it is also one of the pricier areas. For a reasonable furnished apartment, I think you'll be looking in the region of 3000 yuan per month. I'm fairly sure you could also find something for cheaper, depending on location, size and quality, but I think you'd be lucky to find anything decent for less than 2000.

Nevertheless, I think Xujiahui is quite a good place to be (although it doesn't have much of a traditional Chinese feel to it), and the course at Jiaotong University is run efficiently.