Sun Yat-Sen University

[xuefang]

I think they don't have room for everyone at the international dorm (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/sh/93385.htm) near the south gate. If you can't get a room there you can also get a room form the 351 dorm which is a lot cheaper but of course not that nice (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/sh/93386.htm).

I rent outside the university. Lot of students rent around the small north gate which is a bit east from the north gate. You can get a studio apartment from here for about 2300 to 2600RMB per month plus fees. If you use an agent, they will take a half month's rent as their pay. Deposit is usually 1 to 3 months rent. Usually landlords rent for 1 year, so a lease for 6 months or less could be harder to find and/or more expensive.

Apartments near the south and west gate of the university are a bit cheaper, but they are in a worse condition, not as nice as near the small north gate.

Registration is on 10-14th of September (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/ywb/news/102617.htm) and it's from hell! The system is bit different every time. Office opens at 8.30AM, but there are people lining at 7AM already. If you are early, fast and lucky you can manage it in one morning, but if you aren't, then it can take a day, two or even three. Come early and you get things done.

[sark]

Hi Xuefang,

As always thanks for the good info! Would you suggest living in the dorm or living in an apartment? I thought it would be a lot easier for a foreigner to get used to the place and meet people by staying in the dorm.

I was interested in getting a single room, but as you said it seems there is no guarantee of getting a room. Is the international dorm near the south gate called the No.1 International dorm?

So essentially we need to complete our registration first and then apply for a dorm room?

Sunroof,

good to hear from you. I am applying for the multiple entry F visa now as the X visa is only for people studying more than 6 months. The registration dates I think are the same for everyone. Sep 10 -14. When are you planning to register?

[sark]

For anybody who has lived in the international dorms, are there any restrictions on when you can enter the dorm. I mean are they okay with coming back late freely as one would do in an apartment?

[Takeshi]

In the normal International Student dorms near the South Gate there is no curfew whatsoever. I have come back at 4AM a few times.

I believe that the 351 dorm does have some sort of curfew, but I am not sure.

[sark]

Takeshi thats good to hear. Based on the feedback it seems hard to get a room here..

Is the international dorm near the south gate also called the No.1 international dorm? I thought I read that somewhere. How hard would it be to get a single room in this dorm when I arrive for registration? At 1650/a month it doesn't seem like value for money though

[calamindos]

Degree students, are you having the first two years of the Bachelor Degree in Chinese in the Zhuhai campus?

[xuefang]

Would you suggest living in the dorm or living in an apartment? I thought it would be a lot easier for a foreigner to get used to the place and meet people by staying in the dorm.

From my own experience I can say that it's much easier to get to know people when you live in the dorm with other students. And if you are here for only a semester or two, then I would advice to live in the dorm. I live with my boyfriend and our cat, also planning to stay in Guangzhou for a long time, so wanted something to call home, not just a dorm room.

I was interested in getting a single room, but as you said it seems there is no guarantee of getting a room. Is the international dorm near the south gate called the No.1 International dorm?

Yes I believe that's the same dorm.

So essentially we need to complete our registration first and then apply for a dorm room?

I don't have any exact informatio about this, but in any case don't register while having all your luggage with you.

Degree students, are you having the first two years of the Bachelor Degree in Chinese in the Zhuhai campus?

No, we can do our whole degree at the sout campus. We also have lots of students who have studied Chinese before in other universities, like I did in Guangzhou University, and ethnic Chinese who haven't studied Chinese in a university before. Then we also have students coming from Zhuhai who used to study together with Chinese students, but want to transfer here and study with other foreigners.

[xuefang]

I believe that the 351 dorm does have some sort of curfew, but I am not sure.

There isn't any curfew, but your friends or any visitors have to sign their name everytime they visit and they can't stay too long. Also changing from one room to another seems to be complicated. My friend who stays at 351 says it's pretty strict there. The ladys managing the dorm and watching you at the hall aren't the most cooperative type.

But the dorm is very cheap! And even though it takes about 10-15 minutes to walk to class, the location is good. Right next to the 351 there is a supermarket, bakery, canteen, stationary shop etc. It's only a few minutes walk to the small north gate where you can find restaurants and small shops.

[sunroof]

Xuefang,

Thanks for the good info. Anyway, I will go to Guangzhou next week to study mandarin and will probably go to survey the university and the apartment around there. Do you have any suggested place? And the landlord there, can they speak English?

Sark,

The staff at the university inform me that I have an orientation starting from Sep 8 (don't know why the orientation is before the registration). So I will probably go register on Sep 10.

[xuefang]

@sunroof For apartments outside the campus I recommend the small north gate where I live too.

In this map http://ist.sysu.edu.cn/iwdw2007/photo/sysu_map.jpg the small north gate is written as 下渡村门 on the top right corner. We have two major buildings just next to the gate: 蓝色康园 and 珠光高派. Lot of students live here. Look for the agent offices in these building and just ask if they speak English. Some do and some don't. Landlords themselves usually don't speak English.

Basically a good place to look for apartments is near to any gate of the university. You just have to go and see which area you like the best. I really like the small north gate myself, have been living here for a year now. It takes about 15-20 minutes for me to walk to class and about 5-10 minutes when I had a bike. It's 10-15 minutes walk to a metro station, but there are busses going from here to many parts of the city. There is also a ferry from the north gate pier to few other piers, for example tianzimatou which is near the old city center (Beijing Road and Haizhu Square).

[sark]

I just called the university again and apparently there are no room ins the international dorm..

They say I can try for the 351 dorm, but based on everyone's reviews that dorm sounds very old and not too good.

Finally they mentioned this about apartment options -

The Chinese Students Apartments on the East District of the Guangzhou South Campus:

Air-conditioned Double Room RMB4,800/person/year (The student will have to pay a deposit of RMB300 when he or she checks in).

[sunroof]

Xuefang,

Thanks for the great advice. The apartment around the north gate sound like a good choice for me. Is it has a shared apartment? I think the studio apartment is quite expensive for me.

Sark,

Why the dorm room is full before the registration . The apartment that you mention is very cheap. What about the condition of the room?

[xuefang]

@sark I couldn't imagine Chinese student's dorm being any better than 351, but then again, I don't know that dorm so can't say for sure. If you haven't yet, see the photos of 351 and see if it's something you could live in: http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/sh/93386.htm

@sunroof Nice and clean studio apartments are 2300 plus fees the cheapest. You can get a not so clean one for 1800 or so too. You can look for roommates ate http://gzstuff.com I think you can get a room for about the same price as a private room at the dorm, or even cheaper. It all depends on the apartment and location.

What I don't quite understand is that how the international dorm can be full when lots of students went back home in June and new students haven't arrived yet. You all should just ask again when you arrive here, then answer can be different. When dealing with the office too, sometimes a answer to a question can depend a lot on who you ask and how lucky you are. But I guess that's the way it work in China Just be patient and ask again if you want to get things done.

[sark]

Xuefang,

I might be mistaken, but isn't the Chinese students dorm the 351 dorm? From some of the reviews here the rooms don't seem too great and if they are strict about the time to enter and having guests over that is not good..

I don't understand how the international dorm can be full either, but that's what they have been telling me this past week. But like you said it would make sense to give it a try once we reach there.

I wish the university would have helped the students in finding apartments. Since I have only applied for one semester, I need a room for about 4 months. I guess most landlords won't be too happy about that...

Sunroof, I dont know how good those apartments might be. Its just what what university person told me in an email correspondence.

[xuefang]

@sark From your post I though that you ment besides 351 there is also an option to live in another Chinese dorm, but it seems that we are talking about the same dorm.

I think from the photos (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/ywb/living/93389.htm) you can get a very good idea how the 351 dorm room are. Notice that you have to buy mattress, blanket, pillow and such your self. There's also only a Chinese toilet there. There's also no elevator so you get a bit of exercise climbing the stairs ;)

Renting apartment outside just for 4 months might not be worth it, but finding a room/roommate could be.

Best option could be just to come and register as early as possible (10th Monday morning) and have a better chance at getting a room at the international dorm.

[xuefang]

If a student at Sun Yat-Sen University want's to rent apartment near the campus right now, you might be interested in taking a look at my friend's offer: 9 months, 45m2, two rooms, 2500RMB/month including internet. He rented the place, but has to leave much earlier than he thought.

[xuefang]

Hope everyone coming to Guangzhou is registered now and got their schedules and books today!

After finishing our first two days of lesson, we will have a Back to School party on Friday the 21st! All of you are invited to Perry's Cafe! I'll be there before 9PM and if you need more information, just send me a message.

What: Back to School Party for student of Sun Yat-Sen University (or anyone else interested)

Place: Perry's Cafe 红梅路61号，滨江水恋 A really nice pub that just opened a few months ago. Only 1.3km from the campus north gate, easy to find!

Time: This Friday 21st September. Around 9PM.

[m4ur1c3]

Hi all,

Applying for fall semester 2013. Anyone tried the online application procedure?

[sunroof]

I used it last semester. It worked fine but it took so longggg time for them to contact back. Are u applying for language study?

[m4ur1c3]

Hi sunroof,

Yes, I am applying for language program. I tried to email them to addmissions@mail.sysu.edu.cn but it cannot be delivered somehow. Are there any other email that can be use?