BLCU Spring Semester 2010

[mandapoj]

Hi MikeyNinja91,

Many thanks for the reply- the information has been of great help. Applications made via CHIWEST seems straightforward ( I particularly like payments via paypal)

Will have to look to see whether my Travelex offer the services your mentioned, as that seems the best way in terms of carrying money abroad.

Just out of interest, waht course have you applied for and when are you looking to arrive in China?

I myself will be applying for regular 20hrs.

[crisgee]

Anyone from the dorms looking to transfer outside? My roommate is moving out this month and she needs a replacement. Check out the thread i made a couple of weeks ago in the classifieds.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/335-pain-is-love37

Short-term renters are also welcome (those who will only stay for a month of two).

[love_china]

Thanks for your replies!! Much appreciated

Mikey, is applying through CHIWEST more expensive than applying independently?

[MikeyNinja91]

@ love_china

Yes a little bit more, I mean you have to pay them a small fee for the service they provide, but the good thing is that you only pay that once for the next 3(?) applications. So if you are thinking of applying to multiple universities it works out to be very cheap!

@ mandapoj

I'm doing the same course as you then

[Nathan_F]

Hey everyone this forum is pretty cool. I'm doing the 30/hrs a week program for the Spring 2010 semester, and I'm looking for a place off-campus. I've already been through college and I don't really feel like re-living the whole dormitory experience. Plus i've heard the dorm accommodations are somewhat sub-standard, like no hot water sometimes and a curfew is imposed. I've contacted a few people on The Beijinger that have rooms available, but unfortunately everything has fallen through so far. Is there anyone out there who is going to be there for the spring semester who is interested in renting a place off-campus? I will be arriving on Feb. 12 so if you will also be there around that time and are interested let me know.

[Nathan_F]

One other thing..anybody know of a good bank to use in Beijing? Right now I have Citibank but they charge a 3% currency conversion fee plus $1.50 for every withdrawal overseas. Plus I was told that most banks in China only let you take out $300 at a time, and since tuition alone for me is $2800, thats alot of bank fees. I called the Travelex company that was mentioned earlier on this thread and they told me you can't use their prepaid cards in China, so basically I'm looking for recommendations how I can get money from point A to point B without carrying thousands of dollars in cash on the flight or paying outrageous bank charges to make withdrawals. Thank you in advance for anyone who has any advice for me.

[MikeyNinja91]

Yeah sorry guys, I suggested the TravelEx cash card without actually checking to see if they had it first. A bit stupid of me...

I guess we'll have to find an alternative...

[Brian US]

I also need a new cheap alternative to transfer money to China. I was working at a bank in the US that provided free travelers checks so I loaded up the money and my bank here charges a .0075 transaction fee. Now that I can't get travelers checks I was told by my US bank they charge a flat $75 for international bank transfers, so convenient for my $7k budget. However, I assume my bank here will also add on some moderate fees. I'll check with my bank when I go home for holiday this month for the best method, but let me know if anyone knows a cheap way to transfer under $10k.

For those of you debating the 20/30 hours I would suggest you go with the 20 hour study. The morning classes will provide a good base of study and there are plenty of private schools around here for supplement work. There are 22 people in my class at BLCU and private schools will be cheaper, have 3-5 students, and give you more freedom to focus on your weaknesses. Of course everyone learns their own way, so do your research.

[pokipoki]

Hey everyone!

Man...why didnt i find this website sooner?!

I've got some questions i really hope someone can help

FIRST, I got the visa, acceptance letter,etc etc , and they say the deadline is 20 February

What deadline are they talking about? I thought I got everything done and just need to go there between 26-28 to register? I'm going there for March-July session btw.

Second,what should I do once I get there, and how much money should I bring?

for the girls out there whos going for a semester study, how many luggages do you bring with you?

Third, I want to stay in one of the dorms with a roomate!! how do I go about doing this?

do I reserve a room? I heard there's no guarantee even if you reserve? do I choose my own roomate? and how much is double room for the whole semester?

Fourth....I guess I'm really excited to meet new friends. but going there alone freaks me out since i speak almost zero chinese and have no friends or relatives just yet...so, it'd be great if I can get to know some of you and maybe we can help each other out

I've been travelling around so I didnt spend that much time researching the answers to these questions, I did at first but I got distracted a lot by the amount of travelling that I do. I also applied late and did the application in different countries,

so yeah, I know i'm asking a lot of questions, I'm overwhelmed by it too...any help for me...will be greatly appreciated!PM me...write me back...i dont care.

Thanks a bunch!

[Understudy]

I just got back from Beijing, and enjoyed my little visit to BLCU so much that I decided to apply as soon as I got home. I got an email yesterday saying that they had sent out my acceptance letter, so we will see if I can get all the remaining stuff together fast enough to get over back in time for the start of the semester. Expedited Visa, here I come! I think I will be looking for an apartment, as I don't particularly want to live in the dorms and deal with the curfews that sometimes occur, so once I get over there, perhaps I'll try and get in contact with anyone that may be interested in splitting an arrangement. Hope I get to meet some of you!

Pokipoki- Beijing (and much of China) can be a little overwhelming at first, but fear not! Many, many Chinese, particularly in large cities like Beijing, have at least some knowledge of English, especially at universities. Chinese students are often very interested in speaking with people from abroad, and even with no Mandarin speaking ability, I think you will find that you will have many people to make friends with (both Chinese and not!)

[NathanNRF]

Brian,

You stated above that your bank "here" charges .0075 for transactions. Do you mean your bank in Beijing? Did you open a bank account in Beijing when you first arrived, and if so, which bank did you choose? Also, do you happen to know if it is possible to cash travelers checks at a Chinese bank without having an account with them? Thanks.

[love_china]

Thanks for your help!!

One more question... I don't have any emergency contacts in China Can I just put someone from home (Canada)? What did you guys do? Or did you have contacts in China?

thanks again!

[Brian US]

You stated above that your bank "here" charges .0075 for transactions. Do you mean your bank in Beijing? Did you open a bank account in Beijing when you first arrived, and if so, which bank did you choose? Also, do you happen to know if it is possible to cash travelers checks at a Chinese bank without having an account with them? Thanks.

I did open a checking account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China 中国工商银行 back in 2007 for a two week study at BLCU. My teacher helped me at the school branch just East of the Conference Center. I never bothered closing my checking, so it was open when I returned. Yet, I forgot my PIN after two years...so it cost me 10 kuai to get a new card. There are plenty of banks, but I have no clue on the best one. I did notice there were some other banks that I could not use my ATM card in Qingdao.

The Chinese bank charged me the .0075 fee for travelers checks, but I do not know if you can cash them without having an account with them. You can also open an account in US dollars, so I just threw in $40 for giggles in case I may need it.

[Maureen87]

love_China: Hmm me too I dnt have any contact in china, so I put the contact that I have in my home country. I guess the contact is for if something happens to you.

Wel like many of you am quite petrified of going in that big country knowing no one. But I know it will be a good experience.

Like most of you said here, the admin of BLCU are very time consuming and boring but I guess will have to be patient because that's how things got done in china... And yea u cannot stay on campus unless you have done registration which it on the 26-28 feb (that's quite irritating).

I do have a question guys... for those who are fresh ex-BLCUers or are going for the spring course... Did any of you do a medical test or watever? If yes what do you need to include in it. some people told me that u can get this tests done in your home country and then take the original medical certificates with you in china in order to get processing done more quickly... They told me the tests include a general medical test (general is still too vague for me), Chest X-ray and ECC. so i would like to know if its really true or not?

Hmm for those who are already in china did the immigration office at the airport required you to show medical test certificate?

Btw am coming on the 26th.. Hmmm everything almost ready except packing lolzzz

Oh and yea for though it said to be spring I heard the weather is too cold... so may b will have to bring very warm clothes...

Thx everyone for help... :D

cheers

[Edgar]

Maureen, I never knew it required medical tests... At least it isn't mentioned on the acceptence letter BCLU send us.

[Maureen87]

Well mine too did not say anything... But I heard it from others. So I asked BLCU about the medical certificate and they told me that its not necessary to do it in my home country I can do it in Beijing.

Can smeone else please confirm that plzzzz

Thanks

[MikeyNinja91]

@ Maureen and Edgar, I think you are correct to assume you can get a medical check in China, but I think that when you arrive everything is going to be very rushed and if you can sort something out in your home country it will save a lot of time and confusion in China.

I applied for a scholarship and one of the requirements of the scholarship is to complete a physical exam. They gave me a form which I presented to my GP who simply ran me through all the required tests.

I'm just going to take a copy of the form plus the results of other things (eg blood test, x-ray and ECG) and hopefully that will be enough.

It's also better to do the checkup in your home country because if they do discover something that needs sorting, you can have your usual GP sort it out there and then.

I've never been to BLCU before but I'm just thinking that this sounds a much better option.

[Brian US]

In regards to your medical exam it depends on who you have talked to.

Depending on when you register you will be given a time slip to go get a physical at one of their approved hospital 30+ minutes away. Several buses will load up in the middle of campus to take you. I think everyone paid around 400 kuai no matter how many tests they needed done. I got everything done in the states and was told a few weren't any good so I would need to retake them. A few people were fine with all the tests they had, but I think they still had to pay 400 kuai.

I would suggest just getting all the tests done here in Beijing, especially if a physical is going to cost you more than $60 in your home country. Yet, if you are worried about HIV I wouldn't wait to get tested...I hear it's hard to get rid of.

[bnjmn]

hi guys,

Im looking (actually just submitted and payed ) for the application and deposit fee for the March - July semester. i remember downloading the form few weeks ago, it was slightly different - nothing about choosing acommodation and the fee of US$75.

but i just found the online application at blcu.org and payed US$100 application and US$200 deposit via paypal. is this the same thing? hope i didnt get jibbed.

[Edgar]

bnjmn, after googling for a second: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/20758-applying-via-blcuorg-sinowest-international-education-vs-blcueducn