Chinese Gov't Scholarship right after PiB

[aristotle1990]

I'm attending Princeton in Beijing this summer, and am planning on studying Chinese at a Chinese university for the full 2009-2010 academic year on the Chinese Government Scholarship (if you apply though and get the approval of a university with a record of getting these scholarships for its students, you're essentially guaranteed it -- apparently, this may even be the case with individual applications). Unfortunately, neither my school nor the consulate really knows anything more about the scholarship than I do; Beijing is a big black box (input --> ??? --> output), and so the only information that exists about it is published on the CSC website or comes from experience. That said, I have a few questions:

Is it worth it to go home after PiB, which ends on August 14? Would renting an apartment in Beijing for a month or so (less? more?) be cheaper than flying home? My choices were Tsinghua, Beida, and Nanda -- reading the posts on this forum has made me regret those choices somewhat (consolation would be appreciated...), but regardless, when do their dorms open? (Speaking of which, will I be able to room with Chinese students?)

Also, has anyone here successfully obtained American university credit for the Chinese instruction or the elective courses offered to foreigners? My Chinese will probably not be good enough to take computer science courses in Chinese (they do say, however, that Chinese is less necessary for math and science classes than for humanities ones), but is computer science or math offered in English at any of these universities?

[menyawga]

I've also applied for the Chinese Government Scholarship. You've probably already seen it, but I recommend looking at the "Chinese Government Scholarship Support Group" thread.

As for whether you should go home or not, most of the schools start at the end of August or the VERY beginning of September. If it's possible to find a hostel or something that would be cheaper than flying to the States and back. Additionally, a lot of universities have connections with local hotels and can get cheaper rates for students who will be with them but are currently in limbo like you'll be.

Every recipient I've heard from about the living circumstances says they're put in the cheapest international student dorm on campus and can usually pay a little bit to be upgraded. The housing for Chinese students is usually 4-6 people per small room. The administration might let you switch to one (it'll be cheaper for them), but it'll be hard to find Chinese students that'll room with you and not try to practice their English 24/7.

For courses taught in English, there are a few programs at a few universities that offer special "International Masters Programs" to become more cosmopolitan. However, regular majors and courses would definitely be in Chinese.

Hope this helps,

-Menyawga