totgafk Posted February 8, 2011 at 06:14 PM Report Posted February 8, 2011 at 06:14 PM @Helios Thanks for the save! The online application is great!
totgafk Posted February 8, 2011 at 06:52 PM Report Posted February 8, 2011 at 06:52 PM In regard to filling out the online application... "Current Employment" Is it OK to leave this field blank? Or, would it be better to put most recent employment... ;P I'm currently a student/unemployed.
totgafk Posted February 8, 2011 at 07:16 PM Report Posted February 8, 2011 at 07:16 PM Sorry to be a PIA.... Since the online application says "English only," does the guarantor's address need to be translated/typed in English/Pinyin?
bigtops Posted February 8, 2011 at 11:25 PM Report Posted February 8, 2011 at 11:25 PM Sigh, I can't believe I'm back here applying for another one of these things. First things first, hello to everybody, and good luck one and all! 1) I'll start with the info I have right now. In previous years I recall reading that some applicants in the US applied at consulates local to them, ie Chicago, New York, etc, whereas many others settled upon DC because Extrapages had a good, reliable contact there. I obtained the scholarship in 2009 via DC, but I believe others succeeded applying individually to other consulates. That might not be possible this year, if the following information I got from a good friend with a friend at the NY consulate is correct (then again, maybe this is all a produce of 瞎蒙文化... unable to say for sure, I provide this message from my friend for your perusal): My friend just called me back and told me that there is little chance an individual applicant will receive the Chinese government scholarship. Unfortunately, the way they run the scholarship is actually very different from what it may look like by reading the public scholarship information. It is more like that each consulate gets a quota for the number of scholarships they are going to offer each year and then allocate them to schools/universities in its jurisdiction. It is almost always only granted to students recommended by universities instead of independent applicants. He says particularly for this academic year, most scholarship has been already allocated and nothing would really be available for you anyhow. If the above is correct, then it seems advisable that applicants apply as per instructions Kayro posted on page 14. 2) Second tidbit: I currently have a classmate in Shanghai who obtained the CSC Scholarship for undergraduate study when he was already 27. He explains that he was probably granted this favor because the CSC alots 70 scholarships to his home country, Morocco, but few students apply. Thus the possibility for those who are ostensibly too old to apply to obtain scholarships can now be said to exist, but I do not know if this is a common phenomenon, and I would guess that in highly-competitive nations chances of getting lucky like this guy did are low. 3) I note that there are a few posters this year who are set on what city they would like to study in. Such students should be aware that Beijing and Shanghai city governments both offer quite generous scholarships. Other large metropolises or even provinces may have similar opportunities. Information on these scholarships should be obtainable through universities' foreign studies offices. I am currently enjoying the Shanghai government's scholarship, but may lose it this year as it does not automatically renew like the CSC scholarship does. The application process closely resembles the CSC application process except that applicants send all materials to the school directly. Prepare to be informed of the city's decision late in the summer! Finally, my question: I was told that Liu Xian is no longer at the consulate in DC, and have not received emails from him, his supposed replacement, or any of the people I left voicemails with. If anybody has had success getting reliable info from the DC consulate recently, could you please PM me your contact's email address? Thanks!
kayro Posted February 9, 2011 at 12:34 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 12:34 AM @bigtops Just wondering, who is your "friend" that informed you of the info in your post in (1)? Is this someone with the scholarship council?
bigtops Posted February 9, 2011 at 12:44 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 12:44 AM Hi Kayro, the quoted block of text is written by my friend, a Chinese staffer involved in international education exchages between the US and China at Yale University. The information comes from a friend of his, an employee of the Chinese consulate in New York. Kayro, could you let me know how you contacted Liu Xian in DC?
mzpeck Posted February 9, 2011 at 01:02 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 01:02 AM Hi, One more question. In the "Contacts in China" tab on the left side of the application, there are two sections: a "Contact in China" section, and then a "Family Members" section. Are these family members supposed to be my family members or the family members of my the contact in China? Thanks a ton!
totgafk Posted February 9, 2011 at 01:14 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 01:14 AM So, is everything supposed to be on A4 paper or just the application itself? The photocopies of my diploma are huge (actual-size)... @mzpeck You should add the information related to your family members. This information is from the print out application: "申请人亲属情况/Family Members of the Applicants"
Helios Posted February 9, 2011 at 02:15 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 02:15 AM @totgafk: You're welcome. You don't need to list employment. If it allows you to put an end date, go ahead and put a recent employment. I doubt this portion is relevant in the grand scheme of things. If I recall properly, the application has to be in English or Chinese; both are acceptable. Everyone who will see your application will be a Chinese person (from the embassy to the institutions in China). Everything should be on A4, but this isn't always possible when your school, doctor, etcetera produce documents on US Letter. Honestly, I don't think paper size matters that much, but you don't want to inconvenience the people receiving your application. Do your best to get the documents on A4. If not possible, it will not stop you from getting the scholarship. I didn't use A4 last year, and I received it. @bigtops: 1) I'm in serious doubt of this. University recommendations have not been required in the past, and per the contacts I and the rest of the thread have had with the DC contact this year, it still does not seem to be the case. 2) I can see that happening. Behind every regulation are people who choose or choose not to enforce it. 3) Could you explain a little bit more about these City Scholarships. Is there a website we can obtain more information? Also, how did you apply for it? Through your university? This is a great idea for a lot of people, and you could really help some people out who are unable to get the CSC scholarship for whatever reason. @mzpeck: Contact in China is separate from Family Members; the application is asking about your family.
bigtops Posted February 9, 2011 at 04:20 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 04:20 AM 1) I'm in serious doubt of this. University recommendations have not been required in the past, and per the contacts I and the rest of the thread have had with the DC contact this year, it still does not seem to be the case. I share your doubt. To those who haven't lived in China yet, it is a reality that bureaucrats will often present misinformation, wild guesses, expired information, etc as fact. Nevertheless, I think it is fair to let people considering applying through NY see what I was told. 3) Could you explain a little bit more about these City Scholarships. Is there a website we can obtain more information? Also, how did you apply for it? Through your university? This is a great idea for a lot of people, and you could really help some people out who are unable to get the CSC scholarship for whatever reason. Regarding Beijing, I don't know much about it because this scholarship is not administered centrally. Applicants will need to find out how to apply through their schools. Deadlines are not the same as with the nationwide scholarship, and some requirements are different. I can't remember if Beijing provides a living stipend and/or housing allowance. Googling "Beijing government scholarship" yields some information. I had many friends at BNU who were looking for this scholarship for graduate school, and I believe they said it was not as generous as the CSC. Regarding Shanghai, going to http://isoe.usst.edu.cn/s/17/t/69/16/5c/info5724.htm provides a good overview of what's out there. Now, if you look at the Shanghai University of TCM's page (here) you will notice that the maximum age for prospective batchelor's is 5 years older. Then if you look at the same info in Chinese you will see that they say “年龄一般不超过30岁.” In English, "applicants should generally not be older than 30." Moral of the story: those who would like to study with this scholarship will need to communicate with their international education offices directly to find out the specifics, and should not necessarily regard the rules as written in stone.
Helios Posted February 9, 2011 at 05:07 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 05:07 AM @bigtops: Thanks for the information!
jedija Posted February 9, 2011 at 08:45 AM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 08:45 AM @Brian US : Thanks for the information, that's very kind of you. Okay, I'll wait you until you have time to upload the application you sent in. And maybe I am in the same boat with mr.foo... Is there someone on this board willing to serve as a guarantor in China? If you're willing, please inform me. I also promise not to share your personal information to others. Thanks
Brian US Posted February 9, 2011 at 08:18 PM Author Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 08:18 PM Jedija, I'll see about getting your messaging enabled so I can send you guarantor information. For the family section I did just what they ask and listed family occupation. Addresses and names could probably be in Chinese, because that is just more convenient. I can't tell you how annoying it is for American friends giving me directions with them mispronouncing pinyin.
totgafk Posted February 9, 2011 at 10:28 PM Report Posted February 9, 2011 at 10:28 PM Application mailed! B)
kayro Posted February 10, 2011 at 06:44 AM Report Posted February 10, 2011 at 06:44 AM @bigtops It was through email - I got a reply right away, and was sent the updated forms and instructions with the March 15th (for the DC office) and March 30th (for CSC) deadlines.
jedija Posted February 10, 2011 at 07:47 AM Report Posted February 10, 2011 at 07:47 AM Thank you so much for your help, Brian US!
thewamphyri Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:43 AM Report Posted February 10, 2011 at 08:43 AM Hi, Since it seemed I got in early with my application and have heard nothing since, I'm going to try in the new advertised 'window' (Jan-April). So, my question, since they either do not reply or are incredibility unhelpful : Anyone have a confirmed contact and/or address for the Australian applications? Troy
Brian US Posted February 10, 2011 at 10:56 PM Author Report Posted February 10, 2011 at 10:56 PM I thought you got a response in December that the application window for Australia wasn't open yet and to apply online. You haven't heard anything since? Did you try contacting Yuntong Wang again?
thewamphyri Posted February 11, 2011 at 02:00 AM Report Posted February 11, 2011 at 02:00 AM I never got any further replies from either Yuntong Wang or the embassy, so I sent it to the address on their website, because the previous years closing date was approaching - it was not rejected (was not returned to me), but I have not heard a thing since. Considering Yuntong Wang would not even tell me the dates when I could apply, I decided they did not actually know what they were doing. I have since seen - once - talk that the Australian dates maybe the universal dates quoted on the CSC website - but was hoping for a more reliable address to post to. Troy
jedija Posted February 11, 2011 at 04:50 AM Report Posted February 11, 2011 at 04:50 AM @Brian US : I have replied your PM, please check. :rolleyes:
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