BLCU Accommodation

[prateeksha]

@Sasha: That is certainly possible. Last year, several friends on scholarship came to dorm 9 and upon finding the reality of the situation (very tiny rooms, shared bathrooms and toilets, usually very noisy, prominence of certain nationalities - whatever was their irk) they moved to other dorms by paying the difference. It happens only in the case of target dorm having vacancy. Sadly, the concept of "reserving" a room in BLCU is not very well-defined. The in-charges at the dorm and housing centre will almost always say that there are no empty rooms.

[Sasha Cesaria Astiadi]

@prateeksha

Thank you for the reply prateeksha... Yes, I tried to make several calls but there was no answer anyway. And I speak zero-mandarin that's why I asked about early reservation...

I have a few more questions to ask if you could answer please...

1. Do you know what the rooms are like? The details; I'm not sure, are we placed on single room or 2 beds room?

2. And do I need to prepare my own bedding; sheets, pillow, etc? How about the laundry? Where can I get them done?

3. I'm going to study a mandarin foundation course for a year, are the classes rather far?

4. So, I think my only option is to talk to the counselor about changing my room once I arrive there, do you know how much is the rate in dorm 4 per semester? So I could know how much I would pay for the difference?

Thank you prateeksha, I don't know where else I could ask these questions since BLCU never return my calls or emails, I'm truly devastated at the moment, because I want to be fully prepared for whatever reality check I will have to face, especially I don't speak mandarin once I get there.

Thankyou very muuuuch!

[prateeksha]

@Sasha: Please don't thank. I was in the same situation last year with almost no information online. I just wish to be of some help with what I know now.

There are 2 scholarship dorms. Dorm 1 has both boys and girls (boys majority) and is far more wrecked than dorm 9. That said, it is closest to teaching building. Dorm 9, like I just described - double occupancy, very tiny rooms. Your room will get you a bed, a study table with chair and desk lamp, a television, a small fridge and a shared closet. The rooms in dorm 4 are the same too, just that they are bigger. One honest observation about dorm 9 - it is very noisy at all times of the day. Also, the 服务员 will close the main door at 12 am so if you are coming late you will have to ring the bell, wake them up and then get to go in. Luckily, they are the nicest on the campus. Dorm 4 服务员 are grumpy as hell, but there you can just touch your card at a sensor on main door and go in, no need to wake up the grumpy beasts at any time

You get a bed with all the bedding which is changed probably once in two weeks (this varies, sometimes once a week, sometimes once in three). I was not very fond of the blue-white striped bedding so I bought my own and would launder them according to my wish. There is a laundry nearby in dorm 12 where you pay 4-5 yuan per load. Otherwise, if you are in any dorm 4, every floor has 2 public washing machines. You buy a 4 yuan coin from the reception, use your own washing powder and voila, you can do your laundry whenever you wish.

The classes are not far from dorm 9. 10 minutes walk tops. Dorm 4 is closer still to teaching building, just 5 minutes.

Sadly, there is no one such as a counselor there. You can arrive, head to dorm 4 and ask about vacancies as soon as possible and then shift. If paid for the entire semester in full at one go, dorm 9 rooms are 35 yuan a day while dorm 4 is 56 yuan. I would say really a very tiny amount for all the hassle you will be saving by not being at dorm 9. There is a small convenience store just 20 meters away from the entrance to dorm 4 which stays open till 1 am, so mid-night snacking is not a problem either! Dorm 4 also has public kitchens on each floor as opposed to only one public kitchen in dorm 9 on ground floor.

I lived in 4. Well, it's not the ideal place because of "students" from certain countries who are drunk and creating nuisance all the time, but if you are not of them, you will find them at almost every place in BLCU. We even had two guys bring a bottle of wine for a small informal thanksgiving party we organised in our class!

Feel free to ask whatever comes to your mind

[Sasha Cesaria Astiadi]

@praateksha

Can't thank you enough for the explanation!!! Very detailed and it helped me to imagine things so much I actually was really relief with the explanation bc I thought it would be worse than your description, but I am still considering to move to dorm 4, it seems like an absolutely better living environment than dorm 9.

More questions please if you don't mind answering..

1. I am placed in 2 beds room in dorm 9 with a roommate, I assume I would get a random roommate, yes? Or do you know anything about this? and oh, dorm 4 have private bathroom inside their rooms don't they?

2. If so, that I get a random roommate and I'm considering to move to dorm 4 in 2beds room, just like you said and decide to pay the difference about 56-35= 21rmb per day for 1 semester (which is app. 3780rmb per semester?), would that mean that I have to look for a roommate to move together to the dorm 4 first? Do they always make you pay in front or can you deposit several amount first?

3. Do you know what time the housing office will be closed everyday? I've checked flight prices and the cheapest ones are the ones that will get me to beijing past midnight... And I guess I can not book one of them since I will have no shelter once I arrive past midnight at the beijing airport. So, do you know the exact time the office open/close? I will try to look for flights that will get me to beijing in the morning though, because it would be a unnecessary expense if I have to rent a hotel room for a day just because I miss the registration time if the office is already closed once I arrive there. And in my admission notice, it says that I have to go to the housing office, which is building no. 2, is it right? So that means if I move I will have to go to dorm 4 after.

I'm sorry that I'm asking you too many questions, prateeksha... I understand that you might not have all of the answers from my questions, but I'm already glad that I finally am talking to someone! It means a lot to me

You're really kind for doing this =) are you still in BLCU? I hope we can meet later

[JayDee]

@Sasha:

Check out those blogs, it's full of information about BLCU. It helped me alot to be more preapred:

http://www.blcublog.com/

http://myblcublog.blogspot.ca/

I got a CSC Schoolarship too, can't stop thinking about China since I saw the papers in the mail.

Plus one of my friend got the schoolarship too, both of us for 5 years, how long is your?

I have all my things ready, we will arrive at Beijing Airport at 4pm, hope the dorm check service is 24 hours...

I've been reading this forum for about a mounth and your the first person I see who's going to BLCU. If you know other people let me know!

I got no serious experience with mandarin so we might be in the same class.

@prateeksha:

Thanks for the information.

Unfortunatelly my visa is only good for 1 year, so I won't be able to stay during summer.

I asked for a 5 years visa and my embassy told me it dosen't exist.

Depsite winter holydays you think it's a good idea to travel during the 1.5 winter break mounth?

Excuse me for the broken english, it's not my main language.

[prateeksha]

@Sasha: They do allot you roommates randomly. However, you can tell the fuwuyuan that you would like to live with someone from your country/from some particular country or with which nationalities you do not wish to live (trust me, this happens a lot. I have done this myself). If there is a relevant vacancy, they will certainly give it to you. You can always change your roommate later if you run into problems, as long as there is a vacancy they will change your room. Dorm 4 has private bathrooms in each room and a balcony.

You can find a friend and move together, but everything eventually depends on whether they have a vacant room or not. You might have to make inquiries several times. May be at first there won't be an empty room which might get free after a week or a month. Depends on the situation. The 56 yuan per day for dorm 4 and 35 yuan for dorm 9 is bulk rate - that is, if you pay for the entire semester at once. If you wish to pay monthly, a dorm 4 room is for 80 yuan per day. So it is strictly advisable to pay for the entire semester in one go. Even if you choose to move out of the dorm for some reason in middle of the semester, you can get cash refunded.

The housing office closes at 6 pm everyday. You can either stay at the airport till morning or book a hotel for the first night in Beijing. Housing centre is building 2, yes.

@JayDee: Many many people go traveling in winter vacation! The daring ones head to Harbin for the ice festival. Many go to southern China - Hangzhou, Suzhou, Kunming - for enjoying balmy spring. Those with more cash head to Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia (visa on arrival countries, also closer by)

There is no 5 year visa of course. Your X-visa will be converted to residence permit which will be renewed annually.

I am not at BLCU anymore. Back home already

[afisher]

Hi

I commence a scholarship in March 2013 and would like to reside in Dorm 17. As I understand I will get accomodation without charge in Dorm 1 , Is it possible to pay the difference to secure accomodation in dorm 17 or the conference centre . If so how do I go about this (I have Chinese friends who can call from Beijing on my behalf) and when would this need to be done

Hope you can help , thanks also to those who contribute this blog is halping to remove many of the uncertainties associated with my intended 12 month stay

Amy

[akire]

Hi,

i'm taking the spring term at BLCU 2013. I'm going to be in Beijing by the 7th of februray and classes start at the 23d. When do you suggest i should phone them and make my dormreservation? Is it unecessary to phone them since i'm arriving at the 7th? Furthermore, i'm thinking about choosing either dorm 6 och 8. Have any of you guys stayed there? Is there any difference between the two dorms rergarding cerfew, cleaning, beds, rooms etc.?

Thanks!

[luoshan]

In response to the issues with accommodation, i can confirm the phonecall/email ignoring, but all is not lost! And this doesnt represent the teaching quality at BLCU, which is very good!

My Australian university assured myself and another student that our dorms were both booked and confirmed in Building 17 for the 5 week course over 2012-13. Alas, when we arrived our names were clearly not on the list! they said they had no rooms, but we should check with other dorm buildings. They seemed totally confused when we said that our university had called them!

Fortunately this was at 8am rather than night time and i am not a beginner student, or I would not have been happy.

After a long time spent visiting other dorms we eventually managed to book in dorm 8, which turned out to be very good, and cheaper than dorm 17.

If you have trouble, ask at Building/Dorm 2, there's an office which coordinates several dorm buildings. They are friendly-ish.You can ask to look at rooms before booking/paying.

I would recommend dorm 8,7 or 17, even 16 (non-serviced, tiny apartments shared between two).

[sam55]

Today I went to the "International Student Accommodation Center" or something like that, and the guy there said there were no dorms available, and to check back in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the suggestion luoshan I'll try the office at Dorm 2 tomorrow!

[sam55]

Well I had no luck finding a dorm today! I went to dorm 17 and the international student housing center (dorm 2), both have no rooms.

Is anyone else in the same situation and looking for apartment instead? Tomorrow is registration day and I can't register without a dorm/apartment!

[m21]

what happens if scholarship students dont get dorms (as in all filled up) ????? do have to find an apartment and pay full or just the difference between dorm and apartment rent?

[TriniRon]

Does BLCU still put Chinese Government Scholarship students in the dorms 1 and 9?

[Inkreader13]

Is there anyway I can find out what dorm I will be put into? I am also a Chinese Government Scholarship student. Will I be in dorms 1 or 9 for sure?

Also, I arrive on September 3rd. If I am able to get to the housing office that day, will I be able to go to my room? Registration officially starts the day after. If not, will it be hard for me to find a hotel for the night? Should I book ahead to be safe?

[kvetch]

I've just moved in to my dorm. The bathroom stinks. I can't access this website that tells you how to deal with the problem, but if someone would be kind enough to paste the info on here?

http://theblcublog.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-deal-with-smelly-drains-at-blcu.html

[roddy]

"Put something on top of the drain". He uses a bag of water.

[Razumihin]

Does anyone know if it's possible to change into a single room or the hotel on campus if I'm a CSC student? I'm willing to pay the difference, but no idea how to do that if I'll go to BLCU. And would really like to have a place of my own, not a shared one.

[Razumihin]

I received info that I might be going to BLCU as a CSC student this autumn so is it possible to change the room given to scholarship students into a better one? And do I have to pay just the difference or whole fee if I change?

 

I will be going around 20th of August so I hope I'm there early enough.

[Utshka]

Hi, 

I will be attending a 8-week language course with a friend at BLCU in July and August. So is it recommended to stay On-Campus, or to rent an apartment outside the campus? 

If I'm staying on campus, is it allowed to bring non-student-friends inside the campus/rooms? 

[daren2503]

Hi Mates,

 

I will be coming to BLCU at the end of the month and I'm on scholarship. I have heard that scholarships students are placed in Dorm 1 and 9. And as from now on any forum I have been too, I have heard only negative comments about these Dorms 

 

Can someone please help me to know whether I will be able to change to a better Dorm and which dorms do you recommend me to stay in please ? I'm kind of stressed a bit about that before I even arrive in China because from what I have heard about the public bathrooms and toilets in Dorms 1 and 9, it's kind of creepy