yueni Posted July 5, 2009 at 03:20 AM Report Posted July 5, 2009 at 03:20 AM @Jasarn BLCU is a minimum of a 30 minute cab ride away from Chaoyang, about 45 minutes on the subway. It'd probably be more convenient for you to live on campus during the week and then spend time at your dad's over the weekends. It's really up to you if you want to do an hour+ commute during the week. @barronrandall You can get single person rooms at BLCU easily if you are willing to pay the difference. There are single rooms available, you just have to be persistent and keep asking. If the dorms are out of single rooms, then the Conference Center is a good bet as well. Last year, a 6 month stay in a single room was 115rmb a day, iirc. It might be more this year. I wouldn't be surprised. It's more expensive if you stay for a shorter period of time, obviously. The Conference Center is central to everything. It is also universally acknowledged that dorm 17 (the new international dorm) is the best dorm on campus. 4 and 6 are also decent quality dorms. I've seen dorm 4 and not 6, though. 6 has been recently renovated. @Gaogao I'm not sure what the procedure is for short-term students. Are you on a scholarship or are you a paying student? Scholarship students automatically get stuck in a low quality dorm. If you're a paying student, you get to pick and choose. If you're a scholarship student and want to move dorms, you just have to pay the difference to upgrade. For your own bathroom, it's about 30rmb a day. That was last year's rate though. Prices are likely to have risen since. If you go to page 14 of this post, I did a run down of the dorms, with more detail of 9 as I live there. You will probably want to bring your own bedsheets. They do provide you with their standard ones, but most people bring their own sheets. It's 5 stories, no elevators and about 10-15 minutes from the main classroom building. It might be less if you're a short term student and use a different building than the one long term students go to. @greenarcher Honestly, I'm not sure. Dorm 17 is usually booked solid at any time during the year. When I arrived last year, the office at Dorm 2 told me that Dorm 17 was its own special entity. However, people have told me since that they can coordinate with 17. I don't know if this is a new thing or not.
liorpari Posted July 27, 2009 at 10:06 AM Report Posted July 27, 2009 at 10:06 AM Hello EVeryone! I am going to attend a one year program in BLCU starting this september and I have a couple of questions about the accommodations: 1. How do I wire them the money to reserve the room? I understand that I have to pay in advance. does anyone know if the bank to which I should wire the money is the same as the one I wired the money in order to apply? 2. I want to stay in the dorms for a short period of time and then to get an apartment. any suggestions on how I might do that? is it hard to find a decent place near BLCU? Thanks for your help
Keiana Posted August 10, 2009 at 10:08 AM Report Posted August 10, 2009 at 10:08 AM Is there a curfew at BLCU Conference Centre since it is located within the campus?
pennylane Posted August 13, 2009 at 05:20 AM Report Posted August 13, 2009 at 05:20 AM i was just wondering if anyone knew how strict blcu are on attendence, like if you have to return to your home country for a week or two??? also, do many people go home for christmas? i know that semester runs though christmas but i have spent the last few christmases in china and my family demand i be home for christmas this year!
Brian US Posted August 14, 2009 at 12:08 AM Report Posted August 14, 2009 at 12:08 AM In response to the conference center curfew. I stayed for two weeks during the summer in 2007 and there was not a curfew. Of course, things may change.
peekay Posted August 14, 2009 at 12:58 AM Report Posted August 14, 2009 at 12:58 AM As for attendance, it depends on the program you're in, but it's generally lax. They know many foreign students will want to travel/party/whatever within China during the school year so missing classes is just the reality of things. For the typical short-term (semester) programs, you get a generous quota of so many class-hours per semester you're allowed to miss. I forgot how much exactly but it's like 80-100 hrs per semester, which if you're in the 20 hrs/wk class that means up to 4 or 5 weeks of missed classes! If you manage to miss more than this limit then you're not allowed to take the final exam (and thus you fail the course.) Technically you get this allowance only for 'excused absences' which means you need to get approval from your main teacher before missing class. If you simply skip class for a few days in a row, then the foreign student's office will get notified (and will try to contact you.) Mainly they're just concerned about your safety, to check if you're sick or something. In theory they could kick you out of school and have your visa revoked, but I've never heard of this happening (maybe in extreme cases.) Students do leave for home during Christmas, so just make sure you haven't missed too many hours before leaving, and be sure to ask permission from the teacher. If you're on an 'F' visa you may also need to process a re-entry permit through the foreign-students office, well in advance of your departure date.
greenarcher Posted August 14, 2009 at 09:31 AM Report Posted August 14, 2009 at 09:31 AM Regarding the "Re-Entry Permit" for F Visa Holders What kind of permit is this? I am planning to visit Hong Kong on October or November for a few days but since my F visa is only single entry, I was told by the embassy that I need to secure further documents/extension to leave/return to Beijing. Is this document easy to acquire? Who do I go to in BLCU?
peekay Posted August 14, 2009 at 09:53 AM Report Posted August 14, 2009 at 09:53 AM It's basically just another F-visa, issued by the local PSB instead of by an embassy abroad. At BLCU go to the Foreign Student's Office in Teaching Building #3 (same place where students register when they first arrive at BLCU.) You need to bring your visa paperwork (acceptance letter from BLCU and JW202 form), passport and a passport photo. If you live off campus you'll also need to bring your Temporary Registration form. You should apply at least a couple of weeks before your departure date. I believe you can only ask for two re-entry visas in one semester.
Brian US Posted August 19, 2009 at 12:54 AM Report Posted August 19, 2009 at 12:54 AM Anyone know if the conference center has vacancy for next week? Just called 861082303778 and in my broken Chinese I "think" I reserved Monday and Tuesday night. The woman at the front desk did not speak english, so it was hard to confirm. From prior posts it seems the conference center has always been booked around this time, so I am afraid I will show up with no place to crash. I am sure no one will notice me sleeping the library for two days next week.
nietzsche Posted August 22, 2009 at 12:02 PM Report Posted August 22, 2009 at 12:02 PM The worst place I have ever been. Beijing is OK maybe, for only touristic visit. But the school is unfriendly, noone speaks English and they do not even try to understand what you are trying to explain. I decided to throw my scholarship away and I am going back home. The ones who are thinking to go BLCU, think TWICE OR MORE. The dorms are terrible, dirty and uncomfortable. I wish I never came and wasted my money. Thank god I am on the way home.
greenarcher Posted August 22, 2009 at 12:37 PM Report Posted August 22, 2009 at 12:37 PM I called BLCU before and the staff spoke english. The ugly dorms are the one designated for scholarship students. If you read this thread you will know that there are much better dorms.
wanderlust Posted August 22, 2009 at 03:13 PM Report Posted August 22, 2009 at 03:13 PM Re nietzsche's post - I've a friend who studied in BLCU last year and she said that Dorm 17 is the best (as I think most everybody who reads posts in this forum already knows) since it was the newest. If you look around in youtube some students have posted videos of several dorms - 17, 4, 13 and none of them look too bad. @greenarcher - hey we're from the same city - would like to make contact so as I know somebody when I get there. Signed up for the one semester course that starts this Sept. I'm thinking of getting a room in the International Students Center (Beijing Foreign Student Activity Center) - anyone else planning to do so or have recently stayed there? Would appreciate any info.
Genova Posted August 23, 2009 at 11:55 PM Report Posted August 23, 2009 at 11:55 PM Great information, thanks! I will be checking back with some questions later on!
Genova Posted August 24, 2009 at 10:18 AM Report Posted August 24, 2009 at 10:18 AM Right now I am looking into the "Beijing Foreign Student Activities Center" The “ISC Club” kind of rooms. The website sais it is 10500 RMB. But I cannot find if this is for a single bed, or double bed. I intend to live there with my girlfriend. If they even allow that, perhaps there is a rule that it is only for students? I myself am considering to go to a 1 semester language program at BLCU. Hopefully someone can awnser these questions Thanks!
nietzsche Posted August 24, 2009 at 11:05 AM Report Posted August 24, 2009 at 11:05 AM I stayed in dorm 4 and it was terrible, dirty, and uncomfortable. I cannot imagine scholarship students' dorms. I just wanted to warn people who are not sure whether they can stay in a dirty environment or not. My understanding of cleanness did not match with theirs'. And the stuff is TERRIBLE. Still everyone got his own measures and some other people may be happy there. But thank God I am at home in my blessed homeland.
sahra Posted August 24, 2009 at 12:24 PM Report Posted August 24, 2009 at 12:24 PM @Genova: I think you got that wrong with the ISC club. 10500RMB is just the fee for joining the club, but it does not include accomodation! You'll find the different room rates here: http://www.iscbeijing.com/accommodation_fees.htm A standart double room would be 84RMB/night/person if you stay there one semester. You can stay with your gf in one room. they don't care with whom you are staying there as long as you pay. and you don't need to be student, their only condition is you're at least 18 years old.
XiaoBin Posted August 24, 2009 at 08:10 PM Report Posted August 24, 2009 at 08:10 PM I posted some BLCU stuff here http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/31-is-it-an-idiom126&page=3 @keiana Conference center has no curfew. Neither does dorm 17 and 4. Some other don't have curfew aswell, don't remember exactly which ones. @brain When do you want to stay at the conference center? I'll be there september 8th-9th. If it's after that date I can book it for you. @liorpari Check link above, you might find some answers there. I'm doing the same. I'll be stayin in the conference center and then look for an apartment.
theblackswan Posted August 25, 2009 at 04:36 AM Report Posted August 25, 2009 at 04:36 AM Could someone explain how BLCU places students in Chinese classes based on their skill level? (i.e. is it some sort of Chinese proficiency test you take at the beginning of the semester or can you choose the difficulty level yourself to some degree) I just studied Chinese for three years in the U.S. in college and was hoping to take as challenging of classes as permitted. What course(s) should I consider? I noticed that yueni posted some info awhile back in the thread, but I was hoping someone could elaborate.
XiaoBin Posted August 25, 2009 at 07:41 AM Report Posted August 25, 2009 at 07:41 AM When you get to BLCU, you will have to take something that's called a "placement test". On your application form you have to circle the amount of words you know (A=0, B=800, etc) Everyone that circled A will take the same placement test, B and so on. The test will be written, reading and spoken. The teacher will evaluate this and put you in the right class. i.e. If you circled B and your written chinese is B level, but spoken is C level. The might concider putting you in C class. Don't worry about it too much tho. You can decide to switch classes the first week that you get there. So if you think it's too easy then go a level up.
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