Chinese Government Scholarship Life

[shuoshuo]

The medical insurance covers certain things only, and it works in a way where you have to spend a certain amount of money, e.g. $100 to 'activate' it.  It's silly.  I don't even get how it works.  Best thing to do is to always have enough money and try to be as safe as possible so you will never need to use it.

[shuoshuo]

You're probably checking China Mobile's English version.  The Chinese version of the site is very elaborate.

 

I'm on China Mobile.  It has several packages even if you're buying just the SIM card.  If you want to get on a package which includes a phone and a SIM card + monthly plans you should go to a China Mobile office.  The 4G plans are popular now.

 

I don't know much about the locked phones because I usually buy a phone and the SIM card separately.  So I've never experienced network incompatibility.

[Pauan]

Btw, talking about mobiles.

Once I bought a samsung in China and even though the phone was good, it was very frustrating in some ways. 

For example, it was blocked for google play. It didn't have it pre-installed, and even when I tried to install it, it wouldn't work. The custom "market" was anzhi.  So I could only download apps that I could download from my computer and transfer to phone or the ones that I could find in Anzhi, which weren't many.

I wonder if all phones from all brands has this kind of limitation. I am going back to China now, and it's also about time for me to get a new phone, I don't know if I should get one in China or import it from other country. (I wouldn't buy in Brazil anyway, as the taxes here for electronics are so high)

[shuoshuo]

One of my friends who kept her phone on roaming was able to use Google Play with no problems.

[Edward Phie]

Yeah be carefull when buying mobile phones, even phones with international brand such as samsung or lenovo for example can't use google play servie my friends in china said it is forced to use china local mobile market... my lenovo already 2 years and still use that china mobile market, no matter what I do it seems using google play on android it just mere dream. so be carefull when buying phone..

[Angelina]

It's not a dream. 

 

This is what I did. I went on securitales.com and then downloaded the Play Store while using the demo offered by Securitales. Then found an app at the Store called Free VPN. Everything is fine now. All apps and Facebook are right there.

 

This is not the safest option, though, I'm not sure how protected my phone is. 

[Pauan]

Do you think Iphone might have this problem too?

[Edward Phie]

I think not coz my friend buy Iphone 4 and it works fine on apple store.. only android based I think have this kind of problem. so its better buy phone in your country to be safe

[shuoshuo]

I think it is Google who has imposed this block, not China. Because I get a lot of this 'not available in your country' right now and I am not in China at the moment.

[ladyferoz]

Hello

Well I have been in China for the pat 7 month and wrote my HSK 4 exam. Our next exam will be the CSC exam, but I do not know much about it. Does anyone have any information on it, our teacher keep emphasizing the importance of it but I do not know how to study for it, HSK 4 was pretty straightforward, but this one give me a headache.

 

The main book we are using is called 综合教程 by 北京语言大学。

 

I tried asking former students in my dorm but they do not seem to remember it.

 

Are there any websites with past exam papers etc.?

I appreciate all the help.

[eshton]

Hmm a CSC exam, don't seem to remember doing one in my language year. I do remember teachers emphasizing the end of year exams as important in determing whether we qualify to continue or not. Although in our case, we had separate courses apart from 综合课 that included math, basic physics, and scientific chinese each with an exam. When I moved over to Nanjing, the international office seemed only concerned with the HSK results, I never had to submit a transcript of any kind but that may not be the case for you. In terms of preparation, I would suggest studying as if you were doing HSK 5.

[shuoshuo]

There was no such thing as CSC exam in my case.

In fact I've never heard of it. Is it not the same as the annual appraisal?

[ladyferoz]

shuoshuo

We filled in the CSC Annual Review forms, and submitted them, but this "mysterious exam" that they often refer to as "CSC exam" was sketchy when I could not find any information about it, as far as I knew, we only had to pass the HSK your university requires.

 

Now that we are doing subjects that relate to our major, apparently we have this exam that will determine whether we will continue getting the scholarship. It seems strange that my country specified only the HSK and nothing else, I know we should have end of year exams, but using the word CSC is quite confusing. 

 

eshton 

I figured, hmm, we have strange quirks in our school, my classmate has a major in Physics and he is forced to take economics and business chinese, they offer no preparatory science classes. I am doing the HSK 5 as a means to give myself a purpose again hahaha, thanks. Were your final exams difficult by the way?

[eshton]

Wow, your school is beyond quirky. I would have assumed that offering economics and business chinese would imply there's scientific chinese at the least. Personally, I've always had a knack about learning languages so exams aren't so important to me. I don't think I had much of a problem with the final exams but tbh it's been a couple of years now.

[ladyferoz]

I am thinking about changing my major before starting it, a lot has happened this past year and it made me reconsider what I really want to do.

I am currently in CCNU for my language year and I will remain here for my major, I went to the office to enquire about changing my major and asked for my HSK certificate (which I did not have yet, and told me to come back when I get it), and what major I want to do. I also told them I was a scholarship student.

 

They said it is possible to change, and today we got a WeChat announcement about going to a certain office to transfer university or change majors, now I am wondering, while you are in China, do the rules really apply? Do you know anyone who managed to change their university or major? I wonder, because frankly if it were simple, I would love to change both, I would rather attend the neighbourhood Wuhan University or HUST.  But I will settle for a major change.

 

My original major was Applied Psychology now I am going to the Visual Arts section (Visual Communication Design).  I know, I know, many people will think it is dumb, but I am finally allow myself to do my passion instead of thinking about job outcomes and income, I mean, whether or not I end up jobless, I will nonetheless die one day like the big shot lawyer with an indoor swimming pool.

And plus, if you stop me in the street and ask me what I am studying, you won't have to hear "International Relations... trade and economics"- Hehehe I am kidding, but I think 99% of my class is studying it.

[shuoshuo]

ladyferoz - yes it is possible. I personally know people who have changed their university (at a different city, different province) and changed their major. In China, a visual communication degree means barely no exams ever, it is just about handing in projects on time. So the advantage would be the no Chinese language requirement. I did art and design here years back. The whole thing was a breeze (nobody fails an art module...it's not like say...Physics done in Chinese). That said, if you are generally an academic person, you will probably regret it.

[ladyferoz]

@shuoshuo Ah you are a star . Art and design? What are you doing now? I am such a strange person,my academic side conflicts with my other side, I will try not to think about it too much, I can always read journals online ha. 

 

That is lovely to hear, more time to do some art expeditions and projects in Thailand, Shanghai etc for me

感谢

[errybird]

Hi! I saw your post and could really use some help on changing the major and uni if possible. I'm currently in Wuhan and a lot of people told me changing majors or uni was not possible because I'm a scholarship student. Have you changed your major? If so, how did you do it?

[ladyferoz]

I have not changed it yet, I am still waiting for my HSK 4 certificate. I just went to my international office to request a major change and they just asked me to bring the certificate once I get it so thus far, I do not know if it is easy or not.