Worldlinkedu, Educasian or Direct apply

[mocha]

Hi ,

I am new to this board. Having read many thread here,still no one mentions about the way they apply. I most probably go for BLCU as many ppl i know have been there. I find applying via agency is much more expensive but given extra services they provide I am not quite sure if it s worth paying that much. The tuition fee only ( from BLCU webste) costs 2300$ if I apply via agency by paying for a bit more for convinence, it would go up to appox 6000$ inclusive. Are there anyone been to this kind of decision? I cannot speak chinese at all and dont want to have problem finding a way to uni on my first day and not getting my accomodation ready in advance. ( BLCU admin said i cannot book accom until I arrive there) . Will i have tutorial class and exchange partner program if I do not apply with agency?

So far I found only worldlinkedu and Educasia . They both re pretty similar. Which one should i go for or any other good? Or am I too paranoid and should be fine if I just contact with BLCU?

I am planning to go there this September for 1 semester course, yet havn't applied . Plz give me some suggestion . Thanks!

[roddy]

Having read many thread here,still no one mentions about the way they apply

Topics mentioning Worldlink

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/3344-bcla-beijing-culture-and-language-academy&highlight=worldlink

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/1395-worldlink-education-in-bj-cactus&highlight=worldlink

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/1165-worldlink-education-beijing-chinese-language-academy&highlight=worldlink

Topics mentioning Educasian

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/26-traditional-vs-simplified-characters51&highlight=educasian

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/4040-programs-for-studying&highlight=educasian

Two minutes with the Search function

Roddy

[free_radical]

Hi Mocha

I went to Beijing last year to study Chinese and since I was very late in applying (only 2 weeks before start of class) I decided to go through Worldlink. At the time I spoke no Chinese except "ni hao" and "xie xie" but I decided to take the tuition package only as I thought the rest was grossly overpriced for what they were offering.

I arrived at the airport and managed to get to Haidian with no problems, I turned up at the Xi Jiao hotel in the afternoon and very easily got myself a room for a few nights (there's quite a few hotels around that area). I then managed to find a student dorm not affliated with any university in Er Li Zhuang (up the road from BLCU) which cost 65kuai a night for a single room. The dorm was safe and clean (important to me as a female) - the only problem was the (very) loud, drunken Japanese and Korean students returning from their nights out at 3 in the morning. I later found out that this is where Worldlink house it's students but they charge horrendous prices for the privilege.

What I am trying to say is that if you just turn up at BLCU you'll be fine, there are loads of Chinese students willing to do language exchange (I found loads through all the adverts in the coffee houses around Wudaokou and through my martial arts teacher) and you can pay for a private tutor for around 40-50kuai an hour.

I hope this answers some of your questions, feel free to ask more if needed and good luck with your Beijing adventure.

free_radical.

[mocha]

Roddy: Thanks for the useful links and sorry that I didn't look though other topics properly.

Free_radical : Your reply make me feel much more confidence to go there on my own. I also think that the agency price is too expensive although money is not a big issue. I ve got another question whether intensive class will help me to improve chinese as a beginner far better than normal class. Does it mean I wont have time in the afternoon for elective classes? My friend said it does help but some ppl said they regret to take intensive class. I hope that by the time I finish the course, I should be able to have full converstion in Chinese.

[Daan]

You might want to check out www.ef.com

I'll write more on that organisation later if you want me to, have to head out now

[free_radical]

Hi mocha

I was on the normal 4 hrs per day tuition but I hired a private tutor for one and a half hours three times a week just to help with my speaking and pronunciation.

I did speak to the students on the intensive courses and some of them regretted doing it, they were always very tired and sometimes a bit fed up that instead of going out at lunch time or early afternoon they had to go back to class (and not to mention all the homework they had to complete for the following day).

Personally I wouldn't recommend the intensive class for someone unfamiliar with East Asian languages, the amount of learning you will have to do in the normal class will be more than enough to keep you occupied. However as I recall the electives take place at around 4pm so you wouldn't miss out if you do decide to go the intensive course route.

free_radical

[puja]

Hi,

I'm also planning on going to BLCU in September and I first also thought of going with WLE as my chinese is quite at beginner level. But I talked to a organization affiltiated to the chinese embassy here in germany and they told me that Worldlink only ats as a middleman and that I should apply directly at the University as it is much cheaper

free_radical, do you have more info regarding that dorm you stayed in? Would you recommend staying there instead of on campus housing or would you perhaps even recommend staying somewhere else?

Best regards,

Puja

[xingxiang]

don't go through an agency... go hang around the agency because there are many hot girls on those programs... but don't come out of pocket that. there was one point that i seriously wanted to sue worldlink for false advertisement. i didn't get what was advertised on the website, even though i paid an arm and a leg for it, and i wasn't happy with what i had. of course there is no lawyer that would take an international case like that... worldlink is australian.

you should be fine going there by yourself. don't make the mistake that i made.

[free_radical]

Hi Puja

sorry I am at work at the moment when I get back home I will dig out the information for you about the dorm.

The dorm was a bus ride away or 30mins walk or so from BLCU but a free shuttlebus was provided which left exactly at 7:30am every morning for BLCU.

I thought it was good value for 65kuai a night - just make sure you get a room away from the kitchens and the laundry rooms if you like it quiet. There was a big supermarket just round the corner and even a McDonalds if you're that way inclined.

All you got was one room though with a shower/toilet so it wasn't huge but it was cheap, clean & safe which suited me.

free_radical

[puja]

HI free_radical,

thanks for the info. sounds like the dorm WLE is advertising as their own, but 65 kuai seems really good value.

Another thing that some friends of mine mentioned is the integration with the other students which should be better on campus. How have you experienced this?

Best regards,

Puja

[free_radical]

Hi Puja

I would definitely agree with your friend about student integration sometimes I felt a bit far away from the other students but it was cheap and it was only a 10kuai taxi ride away from BLCU.

Here's the website anyway, I just turned up at the reception and asked (at the time no one could speak English there so it was a very good chance to practise my beginning Chinese - thank God for the Lonely Planet Mandarin phrasebook ) so I don't know if they if they will reply to an email or not.

http://www.qmhjzx.com/toc.htm

Good luck

free_radical

[redpixel]

Hi!

Stupid question maybe, but what is the difference between the rooms listed as double rooms and single rooms on their page? It seems weird to me that the double rooms would be more expensive, if it meant sharing it with another person

Thanks a lot for posting this link btw, I'm planning on going to BLCU this fall, and this dorm definitely looks better than the BLCU dorms, at least in terms of price

/Martin

[puja]

Hi,

thanks for the link free_radical and also for your view on the integration thing. Do you know what is meant by "Korean Style" ? It seems a lot of koreans go there.

redpixel, I don't really know, but I would say, that the price for double room isn't per person but per room, so it seems a bit more expensive but in fact it's nearly half the price.

But I think you should have a roommate then, as they don't seem to match like BLCU does.

One thing that also speaks against BLCU dorms is the first-come first-served policy, so that if you're unlucky and come late you won't get the nicer rooms and I've heard there are some really mean rooms at BLCU, depending on what dorm you're in.

Best reagards,

Puja

[redpixel]

Hey Puja,

Yeah, I guess you're right. For some reason when I considered that earlier I thought that the price difference would be bigger, but BLCU's prices have a similar ratio (91 RMB for a single and 50+50=100 RMB for a double room). This dorm is really amazingly cheap then, especially if you find somebody to share the room with

I wonder if you ought to call them and book a room or just hope that there will be some left by the time you arrive there... I'm a bit scared to call all the way to China and most likely end up with somebody speaking Chinese on the other end

/Martin

[puja]

This is from their website:

"It is welcome to snake reservation for next term"

I would say from reading this, that you sure can make a reservation before you go to china, but to expect good or even bad english when you call them is quite risky. I would first try to conact them via email at mailto:postmaster@qmhjzx.com or if you know some chinese speaking freind you could tell them to call there

I haven't decided yet wether to go to this dorm or blcu dorms, mostly because of the integration thing. On the other hand this dorm seems to be more comfortable and cheaper.

Puja

[redpixel]

Yep, I agree... Maybe it's a better idea to stay for 3 or 6 months on-campus and then move out to this dorm once you get to know a few people, if you're planning on staying at BLCU for a longer period of time. I haven't really made my mind up as to what I'm gonna do either

I guess the BLCU dorms are OK too, as long as you arrive early.

/Martin

[puja]

redpixel,

that's exactly waht I was thinking of and also what some friends of mine who are at blcu right now told me.

Puja

[Tomer]

Check out http://www.worldlinkedu.org for opionions about the school...

It's a site setup by the students with their comments and feedback.

Actually the site seems pretty empty right now but i think it's new...

Try posting maybe you'll get a reply

[ipolani82482]

A couple of years ago I studied at BLCU using EducAsian as my middle-man. They are extremely pricey, but if I ever had a problem, they were right there ready to help. I must say, they were very helpful when my passport was stolen. I also had a huge apartment just off of campus that they found for me (though I was hardly home, it was still great). I am returning to China this September and have decided to go through EducAsian once again. I have decided to study with EducAsian this time because they are probably the only company that offers a 3 city, Chinese Language and Business program that includes a lot of traveling and lectures in English. For this particular program that EducAsian offers, all classes are extremely small (2-4 people per language class) and they offer free tuturing to all program participants. All lectures aside from language classes are exclusive to those in the program and they are offered by Profs. from Beijing Daxue. It will be quite costly, but I think that it will be well worth the money due to the type of program that I want to do. If I were going to return to Beijing to attend BLCU again (without business classes), I would do it myself due to costs. I have a few friends that have returned and did everything on their own and have saved a lot of money. So for those who want to just study Chinese language at BLCU, I would suggest going directly to the University...but if you are interested in other programs such as the one that I am taking, I think that a middle-man helps a lot.

[lylestyle]

hey Ipolan,

My girlfriend works for EducAsian, her name is Jessie. Maybe you'll meet her, shes a nice gal!