Should I go to BLCU?

[Ivegotquestions]

hi this summer planning ive been planning to apply to blcu, but after reading the stories about the dorming situation(not getting a room and having to look for a "temporary" place) im not quite sure if i should still apply since i dont speak an ounce of the language and unfamiliar with the country, so finding a place might be pretty damn hard. Other problems that has me worried are getting to the school and food. The blcu site doesnt say anything about the possibility of someone to pick you up at the airport or any type of mean plan, which deters me a bit farther from going since, again, im unfamiliar with the place. So if any can give me a bit more detail on the place or, even better, a solution. plz and ty

[sunyata]

judging from the tone of post, my guess is you don't have much cash to squander...otherwise, none of the things you mention would be problems for you

anyway, if you're on a tight budget, why don't you think of other universities in China?? you certainly don't have to be in Beijing to learn Chinese.

oh, and if you don't "speak an ounce" of the language yet plan to come here and are worried about taking a taxi from the airport, you might want to start learning NOW

[Ivegotquestions]

No, money isnt a problem at all, its just whether and how i will be able to go from point a to b and finding a place to eat when i have no idea how to speak the language. i mean as of yet the current solution i could think of is having a few sentences in chinese of which id point to as my way of communicating during the first day, but my real concern is will i have a place to live in upon arriving, and if not how am i suppose to find a place to live when, again, i have no knowledge about my surrounding. And as for choosing to go to beijang, i chose to because people say its one of best places to go to learn chinese. However, as for the choice of blcu, i chose it because the name pops up everywhere and sounds like an actual school as oppose to other places ive found, which most didnt seem like a school and more like a rip-off.

[greenarcher]

Getting to BLCU from the airport is fairly easy, you just need the chinese name of BLCU then show it to the taxi driver.

Once you get to BLCU, your chances of getting help will increase ten-fold since most of the students are foreign students and you are bound to meet an english-speaking student.

If money is not a problem and let's say the dorm reservation indeed fails, the international conference center or something like that usually doesn't run out of rooms because it's more expensive. You can stay there for a few days until you get a permanent place to stay. This is what I'm gonna do if the dorm fails me when I get there.

You shouldn't be afraid of not knowing how to speak the local language, let's just say majority of the students have zero knowledge but they eventually made their way.

Your problem is not specific to BLCU, it's pretty much the same dilemmas no matter which school you choose. There will always be a chance that something might go wrong.

[sunyata]

dude, if money is not an issue - you've got nothing to worry about! well, maybe getting a bit ripped off, but you certainly won't be out on the streets homeless and starving...LOL

don't believe all the hyped-up problems you read about on this forum and elsewhere. There is no shortage of housing in China, as long as you are willing to pay for it. Same goes for food and most anything else.

What I would think about twice is whether you really want to be at BLCU. It's just so....cliche:roll:

[Shadowdh]

If you wish to go to BLCU then rooms are not a problem... if you cant find a room on campus then the international dorm not far from the uni is a great place to stay (or at least was a couple of years ago when I stayed there and they were doing it up so it should be better now)... dont worry so much about your lack of knowledge of language if you are there to learn Chinese... as has been mentioned just take a sheet with some useful phrases (in english pinyin and hanzi (characters) and you should be able to get around fine (I did this for some friends and they dont know any Chinese at all and have not even got the desire to learn)...

Taxi from the airport to BLCU or even the international dorms wont be a problem...

Food... get the characters for the different meats or some basic vegetables and then just point and eat...

Most of all use every opportunity as a learning experience... its great fun even if a bit daunting or nerve racking at first... you soon get used to it...

[blink]

I understand your worries, but there are always hostels and hotels to stay in - any half decent guidebook will list them, the price range, and usually even note which ones have English speaking staff. Most universities have cafeterias which are a good low stress way to practice recognizing characters for food and a lot of them will have examples of dishes on display - I sure there's such a place at BLCU (probably in one of the dorms). As for getting to BLCU I bet you can find the bus route from the airport posted somewhere on the forum or just take a taxi (just be sure to get in the official taxi line at the airport to avoid getting ripped off).

You're going to have these worries at any school. So much about studying in a foreign country is about being willing to go with the flow and take it in stride. A lot of the things you're worrying about you can find solutions to posted on the forum or in most guidebooks. If you're still conserned check out an all inclusive study abroad trip like those offered by CET. They're just more expensive than doing it on your own.

Hope you decide to take the chance.... and dont forget to enjoy it.

[Ivegotquestions]

to everyone who posted thx your post were very helpful. Hopefully when i get there itll go smoothly. So thx again

[zerolife]

When you get out of the airport, take MARKED taxis (and not the illegal black taxis) to BLCU. Legitimate taxis are easily recognizable.

Some photos:

http://k41.pbase.com/u26/david_oceandeep/large/43236766.Beijing_New_Taxi.jpg

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2008/08/01/PH2008080103900.jpg

Legitimate taxis also have license plates that starts with a B

See here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Taxi_Beijing_plate.jpg

As others have said, once you get to BLCU, you got nothing to worry about ... that places is crowded with foreigners and English speaking Chinese students eager to make American friends

Also, there is no such things as meal plan in China. You pay as you go ... and it's super cheap in the campus cafeteria. You can get a good meal for 5 yuan.

[jas-abc]

Don't expect too much but i don't think you will be terribly disappoined. It's a lot more international than most Chinese univs. The first day i was there i couldn't find my way by asking directions in Chinese even when i all chose Asian faces. There are more foreign students than Chinese students on campus. I enjoy the whole atmosphere totally. Good luck! I am sure you will make lots of friends and have tons of fun!

[nietzsche]

The worst place I have ever been. Beijing is OK maybe, for only touristic visit. But the school is unfriendly, noone speaks English and they do not even try to understand what you are trying to explain. I decided to throw my scholarship away and I am going back home.

The ones who are thinking to go BLCU, think TWICE OR MORE. The dorms are terrible, dirty and uncomfortable. I wish I never came and wasted my money. Thank god I am on the way home.

[wanderlust]

Re transport from the airport to BLCU, if you don't have a lot of luggage - you could take the subway instead as it will be a lot cheaper. The airport line (Line 1) starts from the airport (naturally), and you'll just need to change to Line 13 and get off at WuDaoKou station, which'll be about 20mins walking distance from BLCU. Navigating the subway is actually easy (stops are written in Chinese and Pinyin). Anyway, just an FYI. If you're entirely new to the country taking a taxi would be the easiest way to get to where you want to be.

[Genova]

Although I haven't visited any university yet, I can tell you right now that transportation will not be a problem. Lot's and lot's of taxi's.

Hotels are plentiful, so even if you cannot get a permanent place to live at first, don't worry about sleeping on the street.

And the pricing is all fairly cheap (compared to western standards)

I've visited Beijing last month for tourism and found this city not to hard to navigate (I speak absolutely zero Chinese)

Although the local population doesn't speak English really, with pointing/hand gestures and some pre written down/learned sentences you'll get around!

Oh, one side note, funny actually. Some taxi's just wouldn't stop for me. Could it be they where scared of the influenza?? (I'm a white male) but, no worries. This happened only twice out of the thousand taxi's I took hehe.