CSC Scholarship - 2013 American/EU Applicants

[Brian US]

This topic is for discussion on the American and EU application process.

**This year's application process is over, so please join us in the CSC Scholarship Results - 2013 topic for discussion on results.

Lots of confusion last year about the continuation of the EU scholarship, so I'll leave discussion open for this year. Some countries may offer it, but others don't, so please update us on any feedback.

The general discussion may be found here with supporting information and discussion on last year's results here. Non-US/EU applicants should go to the Other Applicants topic.

Message me for the US and EU contact information. New members cannot message, so post here and I will enable it for you. For the online application use the agency number 00006 for the EU and 8401 for the US.

Deadlines (not updated but based from last year):

US: March 15th, 2013

EU: March 30th, 2013

[ZhangKaiRong]

The EU Window Scholarship is still ongoing, only 2012 had some problems. BtW, I'm now here in China with the EU Window scholarship.

"As one of the most important follow-up actions of the first meeting of China-EU High-level People-to-people Dialogue (HPPD) held in April 2012, the Chinese Government Scholarship (EU Window) has launched the second stage as from 2012-2016. The number of scholarships granted to EU young people to study in China will be doubled from 100 to 200. Furthermore, the subjects for students to choose cover not only Chinese language, but also all areas of liberal arts. Those students who are keen on pursuing Master’s or doctoral degrees in China are also welcome to apply for funding from the scholarship scheme."

[bagpipes1000]

Hmmm I didn't bother applying this year because I thought the EU window was closed...whoops! Oh well, will be applying in Jan 2013 for the 1 year language course. Can I ask what country you're from ZhangKaiRong?

[ZhangKaiRong]

This year was quite chaotic indeed. They announced the scholarship on 8th May with a deadline of 20th May. I hope it will be okay in 2013. BtW, I'm from 匈牙利.

[smossey88]

Hi everyone! I actually applied for the CSC scholarship last year and was accepted for a half scholarship for an MA program, but turned it down due to funding issues at the time. I'm currently pursuing my MPA degree with a focus in International Relation's and will be 95% done by the time I(hopefully) will be studying language in China. My goal is to really learn the language as best as I can during my time in China, and I had several questions I was hoping someone on the forums could help me answer if it's not too much trouble. My goal is to acquire a good speaking ability in regard to the language, which will hopefully make me more competitive for an International Relations type internship upon my return. Plus with China as the focus of my current studies knowing the language is obviously essential, and also experiencing the culture. I know if I do finish my degree or start my intership my drive to go to China will be replaced by other factors, so that is the reason I want to go when I am just shy of acquiring it. Not going to China last year, I think was the right decision but one that is weighing heavily on me.

1) Is one year enough time to acquire a good speaking knowledge of the language? I am deciding if I should apply for the 1 or 2 year Chinese language scholarship. 2 years would be great, but I will need to return to finish my MPA degree at some point, and do the internship aspect of it.

2) I've read up on many Universities and only applied to PKU last year. I know there is no concrete answer, but can anyone provide some good suggestions for Universities to study at? I've read that studying in big cities is often not the best environment to learn the language, but I would also value any personal experiences. There is a long list of schools many of which I am sure do not offer the language scholarship. In the end I would probably take almost any University, but any input or experiences would be great!

3) I know of many other opportunities for study in China such as teaching overseas, or the Boren scholarship but if anyone has any additional opportunities that are funded that would be great. I really want to start my language training by next September and the more I apply I figure the better my chances are.

4) Should I send letter's of recommendation with a language scholarship application?

Thank you for any input you can provide, and good luck everyone this year!

[Brian US]

1) Is one year enough time to acquire a good speaking knowledge of the language?

I took 2 years, but I personally would probably need 5 years to do any classes taught with Chinese students.

#2,#3

This topic is for CSC scholarship, so feel free to start your own topic or look at the information already posted on the website about schools/scholarships.

#4

Don't have to, but it wouldn't hurt.

[smossey88]

Thank you for the reply Brian US!

I figured I would need even more than 2 years, but I want to feel the pressure of having to elarn the language. That way I can at least get the basics down, and then move on to other opportunities, or continue my studies back here in the U.S.

Brian US, do you know also who I can contact as a possible guarantor? I know this doesn't really matter, but I figure I'll hamper on the side of caution.

[Brian US]

Guarantor info sent.

[smossey88]

Thanks Brian US got it!

[Kanjiology]

I have a question concerning the study plan and recommendation letters. Is there a format or template that ought to be used?

The university I want to apply to has it's own form for study plans and recommendation letters.

Thanks for the help

[Brian US]

No, there is no template for rrecommendation letters or a study plan in particular.

[Atticus14]

@smossey88 and all

Hey everyone,

I was wondering about this scenario described by smossey, i.e. that there is a possibility of getting a partial scholarship for courses such as the english MIR program at PKU. I thought these courses were exempt from support by the CSC because of the high tuition fees and all?

Does anybody know something about this?

Kind Regards,

Atticus

[stephaniepainter3]

Has anyone ever heard of someone using the CSC to study at the Inter-University Language program at Tsinghua University

[grawrt]

Hi everyone! I'm just curious about a few things

1) If you're applying for the language scholarship only, does it matter what you put down for the major? (ie; will your studies reflect it or is it just there for general knowledge). Also, dependign on the school you're applying to does this make a difference?

2) For nationality, I'm Turkish but I was born in the states, should I just write USA or should I write Turkey? i have dual citizenship within the countries.. also does this matter or am I stressing over something stooopid? lol.

3) I'm in the proccess of getting my BA, but I already have my AA, do I just send a transcript of my diploma of my AA and thats it, or should I also send the transcript from my current school? (it's been about a year since getting my AA)

Thanks, sorry for the questions. Also I was wondering if it's a good idea/bad idea to apply for schools that aren't in Beijing or Shanghai (like in Harbin?). I kind of wanted to apply for Harbin because my grandma was born there as well as my dad (they're not chinese though) and I kind of wanted to get a sense of the place they grew up in. I also heard good reviews for learning mandarin in this area.

[spock]

hi guys My name is Bart and I'm from Poland

I want to apply for CSC 2013 to pursue master degree but there is a problem I will obtain my bachelor degree few months after deadline(March) for applications.

So I won't be able to send complete transcript, I found on this forum that I can send "most recent transcript" does it mean I should send transcript only from recent semester ?

[eshton]

@grawrt

1) Can't say much about that, I think don't that it's meant for language students to fill out.

2) China doesn't recognize dual nationality, pick one and stick with it.

3) If your only doing language studies I don't think it would matter. Unless your major is Chinese related it (more than likely) won't make any effect

I should point out to you that the school where you are placed is not something in your hands. You can give suggestions(Preferred Institutions) but those might not even be considered. I have a friend here at Tongji who was already accepted at a school in Harbin (or Tianjin, not sure right now) but the CSC decided to place her here instead.

[grawrt]

Thanks eshton! I'll try not to get too attatched to a school then lol.

[imron]

@grawrt, regarding your 2nd question, you have to apply for the scholarship in your country of citizenship. If you plan to use your Turkish citizenship on the application, this means applying in Turkey which may or may not be an issue for you. I imagine you'd have less competition applying in Turkey, although if you were born and raised in the US, you might find Turkish officials are likely to favour local Turkish applicants over yourself, plus if you're based in the US I'm not sure if the extra hassle would be worth it.

[grawrt]

Thanks imron. Thats what I was thinking when I saw it but you're right that it would be a bit of a hassle. I'll take my chances with the US, cross my fingers and hope for the best.

[Brian US]

is a possibility of getting a partial scholarship for courses such as the english MIR program at PKU.

Not many scholarships to PKU, but try to get a hold of them and let us know.

Has anyone ever heard of someone using the CSC to study at the Inter-University Language program at Tsinghua University

Not many scholarships to Tsinghua, but try to get a hold of them and let us know. My girlfriend just informed me though that the program is teamed up through Berkley in the US and costs quite a bit, so probably won't be covered.

1) If you're applying for the language scholarship only, does it matter what you put down for the major?

No, but last year or the year before we decided on what might be best for the online application. Try to pick out what is the most general and goes along with "language."

Also, dependign on the school you're applying to does this make a difference?

Many schools don't have a language program, so that will be a deciding factor.

For nationality, I'm Turkish but I was born in the states, should I just write USA or should I write Turkey? i have dual citizenship within the countries

You might be better off applying through Turkey if you feel the competition will be less. My girlfriend was born in the US, but has dual citizenship with Ireland. She got the scholarship through Ireland, where she felt she had a better chance. However, imron has a point that Turkish officials may favor locals.

3) I'm in the proccess of getting my BA, but I already have my AA, do I just send a transcript of my diploma of my AA and thats it, or should I also send the transcript from my current school?

Might as well send both, so they can see your current progress.

Also I was wondering if it's a good idea/bad idea to apply for schools that aren't in Beijing or Shanghai (like in Harbin?).

I don't like getting into the "what will improve my chances" discussion, but I have a feeling applying to 2nd tier universities will give you a better shot, although qualified applicants will get their application sent to several universities, even if it is not your top 3 choices.

So I won't be able to send complete transcript, I found on this forum that I can send "most recent transcript" does it mean I should send transcript only from recent semester ?

Normally, "most recent transcript" has all of your classes up to the current semester. This will show them how many credits you have earned, but I'm not totally sure on those that haven't graduated yet.