Tsinghua University Fall/Autumn 2010

[ScarlettWan]

@Nazreal

I have no idea...our tutor was like we will tell you what you need to do when the time is right...we didn't get any information regarding our year abroad until march either...its our exam period at the moment so once its over i'm going to hunt him down to get some answers. Has everyone received the confirmation email now?...

[bunny87]

I like nazreal's approach to the dorms: once I get my packet I'll think about what's next as far as accommodation. However, I lived in my dorm for 3 months and didn't want to leave. It's not quite the place to call home, but it didn't have bugs and had someone change my sheets/clean the bathroom/mop the floors for me. most importantly, i'm scared to death of bugs. i did have some flies come in at night i killed with bug spray, but was too frightened to look at them (dead or alive), never the less pick them up. the cleaning ladies quickly figured this out and made sure to take care of it. They were sweet to me. That service, combined with feeling secure on campus and having a vending machine with the best bowl-noodles ever on the bottom floor for 5 kuai makes me know i'll be staying in dorms there if/when i go back.

@scarlettwan: thank's for the info on the checkup. I'm not sure if I saw it right, but it wanted flipping x-rays done? my vision checked? blood tests? anyone already went through all of this to know how much it costs? anyone know if they'll know the difference if i scribble my vision in the box and sign it so i don't need to go back? blood tests = needles = oh dear god please use anesthesia. maybe that was xiamen's doctor form though. I got a good giggle reading the "physical examnation for forergners" though.

[nazreal]

I like nazreal's approach to the dorms: once I get my packet I'll think about what's next as far as accommodation. However, I lived in my dorm for 3 months and didn't want to leave. It's not quite the place to call home, but it didn't have bugs and had someone change my sheets/clean the bathroom/mop the floors for me. most importantly, i'm scared to death of bugs. i did have some flies come in at night i killed with bug spray, but was too frightened to look at them (dead or alive), never the less pick them up. the cleaning ladies quickly figured this out and made sure to take care of it. They were sweet to me. That service, combined with feeling secure on campus and having a vending machine with the best bowl-noodles ever on the bottom floor for 5 kuai makes me know i'll be staying in dorms there if/when i go back.

yeh, I just figure it will be a lot easier than thinking about it now. Also I sort of like the idea of staying on campus because of the security and also since I've never been to China before I don't fancy the hassle - at least for the first semester. I'm not too fussed about bugs unless they're the humongous flying cockroach variety, in which case I just turn into a proper fruit loop. or big spiders. or anything that bites like mozzies. I HATE mozzies so let me know if they exist in beijing so I can buy some Jungle Formula cream

@scarlettwan: thank's for the info on the checkup. I'm not sure if I saw it right, but it wanted flipping x-rays done? my vision checked? blood tests? anyone already went through all of this to know how much it costs? anyone know if they'll know the difference if i scribble my vision in the box and sign it so i don't need to go back? blood tests = needles = oh dear god please use anesthesia. maybe that was xiamen's doctor form though. I got a good giggle reading the "physical examnation for forergners" though.

Am I missing something? I've not found any info on body checks other than that we need to get them done...I couldn't find anything on the website either...

[MGMT]

I think physical exams are mandatory to get a residence permit, which we'll have to file for once we get there (as ScarlettWan's tutor said, maybe only for those staying more than 6 months/1 year? Not sure about that). And for those of us who applied for a Chinese Government Scholarship and had to get a check-up done, I think we have to do it again in China with one of their "affiliated" doctor. I really hope not, though, because it includes a bunch of blood tests (including but not limited to all types of STDs possible), chest x-rays, an ECG, and many other things.

But if you haven't yet for the scholarship, I'm not sure I would advise doing it before you get there, because as I said it seems they don't consider it "official" if it's not done by one of their own doctors. It may work, but if it doesn't you may just end up paying a lot of unecessary exams in your home country.

Edit: I found this link on another thread; it's for BNU, but I guess the information about the Physical Examination holds true for Tsinghua as well. Go down to pages 9 and 10 to read.

- Students who study only for one semester generally need not take the physical examination. You can consult with the Chinese embassy in your country whether you need it

- The students who study for one academic year or more must take the physical examination.

- Students who have taken the physical examination overseas should verify the results (the original one) in Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center with RMB 60 yuan of verification fee.

It also says you'll need the record to be signed by your doctor and sealed by the hospital, and "original blood reports for AIDS, Syphilis, ECG report and X-chest ray report should be attached to the record".

[love_china]

Hey all!

My status is now "admitted"! B) Still deciding between Tsinghua and BFSU though! eek, but I'm leaning more towards Tsinghua as of now!! The campus looks soo beautiful.

Bunny87, were the international students at Tsinghua studying Chinese mostly American, European (speak english) or Korean, Japanese students when you studied there?

[bunny87]

were the international students at Tsinghua studying Chinese mostly American, European (speak english) or Korean, Japanese students when you studied there?

I encountered few Americans, actually. They only came in groups as part of a study abroad program from their own university. I found more English speakers (UK) than Americans, and I could still probably count them all on my fingers. There were several Russian (which, you know, i saw blonde & blue eyed in the elevator and almost said hello until i would hear them speak to each other and then decide not to say hi quite often) and Korean (the majority) international students. Japanese were quite a few too. Of course, I couldn't communicate with any of them. I heard like 3 people speak Spanish, 2 speak Portuguese, at least 7 German speakers, and a large majority was Indian/Pakistani/'middle eastern' students. I'd say that group was second only to the Koreans. Ah, and at least 1 French speaker/student, but maaaany French tourists.

and congratulations to love_china on being admitted!

...I'm going to ponder for a while whether I'm getting this whole doctor thing done here or there. I like that it would be much cheaper in Beijing, as well as not be doubted. I love that I can trust the US doctors, hate the prices. Overall, I can't stand needles nor doctors. I'll see once my admission stuff get's in.

Did everyone get told that documentation would be out June 30th? Did anyone understand whether that means it will arrive at our mailbox by then, or be mailed out by then?

[calif90071]

Hello, I will be studying at Tsinghua University for Fall 2010/Spring 2011.

I asked my correspondent at Tsinghua when I would be receiving my acceptance package in the mail, she said it would be prepared around the end of June, and I should expect to receive it at the beginning of July...

...hopefully that's enough time to get a visa. I assume it will be, but I've heard it's a lengthy process (I've never had to get one before, so it'll be my first time)

[nazreal]

Ahh! Congrats to love_china and calif90017

Hum. I personally think that's cutting things a little bit TOO fine if things get sent out in July. I just really want to know what's going on in terms of term dates, accommodation, medicals etc etc. Plus does anyone else just want to get their plane ticket bought? I don't know about everyone else but the longer the wait, the more I'll be shelling out for the travel (a one way ticket is already looking like nigh on £400!!)

Am VERY tempted to just go ahead and buy a ticket for late August or something...

@calif90017: regarding visas, I'm not sure whereabouts you are in the world but certainly in the UK, the visa should only take about 3 days to actually process so I'm sure it won't be too bad. The pesky thing is, if you're within a 250 mile radius of London you have to go to the embassy in person - luckily I'm only 45 minutes away by train but imagine the hassle of a 4 hour train journey....

[calif90071]

No I'm actually in the United States--I live too far away from a consulate so I am going to have a third party get the visa for me. I think it takes about the same amount of time, but I want to make sure I get the actual visa well before I need it

[ScarlettWan]

I've only jsut had time to check the forum...about te physical examinations..i couldn't get an appointment at the university clinic so just made an appointment back home...apparently it takes up to a month for test results and further appointments...will keep you guys posted on what actually gets done ><

I asked my tutor, and he said as far as he knows, all students studying at tsinghua for more than 6 months must undergo the physical examination, but if you're unsure, best off giving them a call....and he did suggest getting the examination done in the home country for a number of reason...

1) We're probably going to be able to communicate with the doctors and nurses better in own country than china

2) If you undergo the physical examination in China and test results aren't what you want..eg: you have hep B, STI's etc you will be "deported"..and can't re-enter until the "problem" is sorted out. (I think the hep B rule has changed now...its quite a grey area)

3) Needles are thicker in China (and if you're like me and hate needles..the thinner the needle, probably the better)

I don't know how much my examination is going to cost back home, but he university was going to charge £88 for it...and i've heard it can go up to £150 :S

[roddy]

Just to comment on those points

1) There's really no need to communicate with any of the nurses doing the medicals. It's very much a production line, you'll just be pointed from station to station and told to stick out your arm, cough, or whatever. You're not getting counseling.

2) The diseases they check for (not sure exactly what's on the list) are all fairly serious and communicable. I suspect you'd know if you were at risk, and if so it may well make sense to get checked out at home so you don't find out for sure you are HIV+ when the immigration police turn up to take you to the airport. But for the majority of people it's just a formality.

3) First I've heard of it.

Getting the medical here usually works out easier and cheaper. They know exactly what they're doing, and while it's definitely not the most enjoyable experience in the world, it's over in an hour or so. In the overall scheme of how much of your time China will steal via various 手续, it's ignorable.

Always good to see a new crop of folk getting ready to come over . . .

[letsgo]

Hey all,

I sent my application to the language program at Tsinghua from the US postal service earlier this month but haven't heard anything back yet. I'm assuming its still too soon for me to hear back but just out of curiosity how long did it take everyone to actually hear back from when they mailed the documents? Were you notified of the acceptance by email or did you find out just by logging into their website and checking the application status? I'm hoping to be there this fall myself and look forward to meeting everyone!

[bunny87]

congrats @ calif and goodluck to letsgo.

I think it took a solid 14 business days from the time i gave my papers to USPS to have my papers get there. It showed that my documents had been received on the SNAIMS website, letsgo. Continue checking that, though since they've already started the accepting/rejecting process, they might not even mention they got your papers, just say "welcome to 清华" or "too bad"。

the thought of needles being bigger in China is a horrifying thought, but if they get everything from vision to blood to check up done in the same hospital all done in less than an hour, that's pretty tempting. besides, I'll buy my glasses over there. It's a bit cheaper and i found them to have much prettier styles (the colors!). I just wonder if they'd be too small for my face... anyways, That's 3 separate visits for me here in Florida, and thus 3 dates to fear. Roddy, do you know if I can get it done in China, without even bothering here in the states? Or is it something I need to send in to get my visa? I ask because I also got accepted to Xiamen University, and the visa application directly states to send in that completed form along with my doctors check ups to the embassy FOR the visa.

As far as plane tickets, that's now not scaring me so much as the doctors visit. My plan is to try priceline, and put a ridiculously low price for tickets ( $250 each way, lol). I expect it to be about $600 like last time though. See what that negotiator can do for me...

Roddy, are you studying somewhere yourself? thanks for the vocab, Shǒuxù-procedure.

[calif90071]

I'm getting my visa through a third party (mychinavisa.com)...there's no mention of needing the physical/health information being a required document to acquire the visa through them. I'm still not sure where I'm going to get my health paperwork done though. It does sound easier (and cheaper) in China, but it would be nice to have it out of the way already when I get there.

[yarou88]

Hey everyone!

Another one from the UK here I've sent in my app + documents last week, still waiting to hear back from them though. anyone else in the same boat?

I'm so excited about the prospect of moving to Beijing - heard so many great things about Tsinghua U and the Wudaokou area. I haven't been to Beijing in 15 years so I'm looking forward to see all the changes (esp after the 2008 Olympics!). A bit nervous about the placement test though, lol.

If I remember correctly, registration will take place on 6-8 Sep, and classes will commence on 14 Sep.

Nice "meeting" all of you before we set off!

[mrJChan]

Hi everyone,I'm also heading to Tsinghua this Fall for the Language program. If there's still people out there wondering if you're accepted or not, the online application status would change from 'completed' to 'accepted'.

Congratulations to everyone that got it by the way! I'm really glad to have found this thread and this forum...there's so many questions answered here!

Any New Yorkers here? If there are, I'm trying to find a Mandarin tutor in the city to brush up on my putonghua before heading over ;) so if you know of one, let me know!

[bunny87]

yarou88 & MrJChan, welcome aboard!

for those of us considering doing the medical check up in China...

http://minitrueorders.wordpress.com/

in specific, the whole shanxi bad vaccine part. I grabbed this link while reading another post of Roddy's :

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/25865-the-ministry-of-truth/

second thoughts on doing it in China, anyone? at least if they give me a bad vaccine here in the US, after my death, my next 7 generations will live wealthy on the money I'd sue them off of before I kick the bucket...

[Jenmia]

haha bunny87, you do realise that the Chinese Legal System is 'quite' different from America where individual rights are not so enshrined in their charter? Good luck with the litigation - it sounds like hitting your head on a brick wall repeatedly (but then this might make you kick the bucket sooner and you won't get any compensation for self-harm). Honestly, I think Beijing has decent hospitals and the 'rumour' about bigger needles is just a rumour. I, however, likes my GP and will therefore do my blood test here because when I get to BJ the last thing I want to do is get a needle when I've got a gazillion things to settle when you move into a new country.

[MGMT]

Bumping this to tell you guys Tsinghua Grad Office sent me an email today to ask me where I wanted them to send me my "admission letter and visa application form", so I'm guessing they'll start sending them out during the next few days. Did anyone else get this?

[eurasianinjapan]

I've also been admitted for this Autumn 2010. I am British and have been to Beijing before but have nooo idea about Tsinghua. I am trying to choose between Tsinghua and Nanjing University, although leaning heavily towards Tsinghua.

Does anybody know the actual registration dates and when classes start? I am unable to locate them but because I have work matters, the actual class start dates of each university will affect my decision as to which one to go to.