Dorm or Rent?

[grawrt]

Hi Guys,

 

I just found out I got a full paid scholarship to study at BLCU for a year. I'm just a bit nervous about the dorming situation as I've read nothing but bad things about the dorms there for scholarship recipients.

 

Should I dorm or try and find an apartment?

 

Ideally I'd prefer to rent because I think I prefer cooking to eating out all the time. I also like quiet. But then I know Beijing is an expensive city and the apartments around the area will likely be expensive. I don't mind commuting outside of the area as back home I used to commute all the time to school (1 hour by train). A 30 minute to 1 hour commute wouldn't be a big deal to me. Anything longer might be unbearable though. But i'm not sure if it's so good of an idea.

 

Can anyone tell me if its possible to find a decent place (maybe studio size), and how much it might cost? it doesn't have to be huge, just have a kitchen and bathroom. I'm currently in Harbin so I could probably spend the next few weekends checking out places in Beijing to rent or just wait until school starts, or get there a week before to look? I never looked for an apartment myself as my school already offered one in their prices. I quite like this standard of living (studio size with a bathroom, kitchen, washer and dryer).

 

I'm not sure about sharing an apartment but I guess I wouldn't mind if it meant that I could find an apartment more easily.

 

Thanks!

[foar]

Hey, I was on a scholarship at BLCU 2 or 3 years ago for one semester. The building I was in was Building 1, which I think is the most basic accommodation and the building that all of the scholarship students get put into.

 

There is no kitchen. Not even a communal one. So your only option is to eat out really, (aside from buying a pot noodle). The cantine is inexpensive, I think most dishes were somewhere between 6 and 10 kuai. I personally was fine with this as I'm quite lazy (especially when it comes to cooking), however I appreciate eating out every day isn't for everyone.

 

A few of my friends upgraded to Building 4 by paying a few extra kuai a week (can't remember how much exactly...) The bathroom in building one is fine really, a bit dirty but if that's what you're expecting then whatever (imo anyway). The main thing is there was always hot water (although I can't remember if it was 24/7 or not). 

 

It really depends on you're desired standard of living...if you don't mind eating out every day, a bit of dirt and communal showers then it's fine, otherwise you should probably pay for a nicer dorm (I know building 17 has communal kitchens) or rent somewhere else... GL

[jack tim]

Hi grawrt,

 

You can go to 新都环岛东，there is a department for rent and it costs about 1,400 RMB per month. The department has a kitchen, a bathroom. And you can reach BLCU in about 1 hour, by taking subway, the no.13 line. 

 

Good luck.

[grawrt]

Thank you! I'll check it out when I get there and see how the dorms are as well.

[alexandraw]

I will be arriving at BLCU in september, and I have a CIS. Is it easy to upgrade your room? I would like to change my dorm 9 room to dorm 4 or maybe even 17 if possible

[prateeksha]

grawrt, I had several friends who also preferred living alone. Dorm 6 and 7 in BLCU provide that option. You can take a single room there, and I think it will cost you around 120 yuan a day (the price gets further discounted for those staying for more than 3 months). You will have a good room with toilet-bathroom attached. 

 

There are common kitchens on every floor. In my one year, I lived in dorm 4 and cooked twice a day. The kitchens usually have a couple of induction stoves and a microwave. Electric kettle will already be in your room.

 

I would suggest checking out these dorms. The biggest advantage undoubtedly is proximity to the teaching building, which will come very handy once Beijing winter with its chilly winds sets in. The service people will come and clean your room daily, so that's another task checked off of one's daily list. And then you can add all the benefits of living in the campus - everything of daily use will be at walking distance, you will feel more integrated since a lot of classmates and other Chinese students will be living there too, and all the fun stuff around Wudaokou.

 

I hope you find what you're looking for!

[ChTTay]

If you're going to be living in Wudaokou, check out my posts #7 #8 and #10 in this thread;

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/45658-living-off-campus-tsing-hua-university-2014-2015/#comment-345019

The topic is titled Tsinghua University but it's more about living in Wudaokou. Assuming you will live in Wudaokou (where BLCU is) then what I've posted should be useful.

Let me know if you have any questions.