school registration process

[agentzi]

An article @

http://www.statehornet.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/23/4333029c7493c

makes the Beida registration process seem incredibly arduous. Is this indeed the registration process at most Chinese schools?

The process began with the kind of symphonic futility that can only exist around the truly patient. There were queues like you’ve never before seen them. They wove and they curved and they jostled. They even sometimes crossed. We, each of us, shuffled along at an infinitesimal rate, each just two more legs on a giant centipede. My breathing slowed, as did my pulse. I had become part of a much larger organism, one with an incomprehensibly slow metabolism. Time slowed to a jog and, finally, a crawl. I had been cryogenically frozen at room temperature. ……

There proceeded to be fantastic amounts of paperwork at this point, all written in languages unintelligible to me – each and every one absolutely critical to the success of the entire process. Remember, I’m still registering for classes even though about 20 hours have passed.………… They say that I’m close to being registered, even though my classes began two weeks ago.

Is it really that difficult to register or is the author sensationalizing for his school paper? If it's that tough, it certainly argues dissuasively against the allure of overseas study,

[jungletech]

Wow, I didn't realize that there was anyone else from Sac State here!

I read this also and thought it must be incredibly exagerated. I mean really, 20 hours? It's not that bad is it?

[Harvey]

How long does it take to get through the entire registration process anyway?

Say I was planning to apply to the short term program at BLCU which starts August. Assuming I am living outside of China, how much time in advance should I allow for the entire registration process to go through? Is one month enough lead time to get everything done?

- Harvey

[StealthyBurrito]

First off, I'm afraid to say this is what you will experience all over China, not just at Beida, which is notorious for its horrible administration (as I'm sure you all know from my previous posts), but also at any sort of bureaucracy, such as the police station (ironic considering his thesis).

This is my guess. Since he is a graduate student, he is largely having to do most of the registration himself. This means arranging for his own housing or registering at oncampus dorms, paying his own tuition, choosing classes, finding classes, talking to professors, getting an X visa, getting a student ID, getting a library ID, getting a meal card, attending orientation (this actually takes up a good chunk of time) etc. etc. etc. It's mind boggling, especially if you have no one to help you, and if your Chinese isn't up to par, you're going to be running around a lot. Choosing classes is especially difficult since there isn't really an official "class list" with every class in the university. Finding classes is like a big Easter egg search - except your easter egg isn't all that exciting. That said, 20 hours is not an exaggeration.

However, don't let that discourage you. Most programs for study abroad students, such as if you are applying through your own university, or if you are going through a program like CIEE, will do the majority of the work on your behalf. This is the benefit of going through a third party; they know the system and will make it as painless for you as possible. That's what you're paying them to do, at least.

For example, on registration day at Beida I experienced none of this. Since I had already paid my tuition (to my own university, not to Beida), already found my own place off campus, already had my visa taken care of before I arrived, and had all my paperwork with me and in order, I only had to talk to one person at one station. It also helps if you are familiar with the common terms used during registration in Chinese, such as "registration" (duh), "visa," "tuition," "passport," "student ID," etc. to help reduce any linguistic problems.

And if you run into any problems, usually patience, a little persistence, and some creative thinking pay off. I actually was not allowed into registration because I came 15 minutes before they closed and they claimed the entire process took an "hour," but after examining the whole process I explained I only needed to see one station regarding the actual registration because I had already taken care of everything else. They let me through and I was out in 5 minutes.

Then a week later I dropped by my university office and my student ID was ready. The meal card and library card were fairly painless if you know when to miss the lines; I spent maybe half an hour combined for both. All in all, it wasn't bad at all.

Edit: I forgot to clarify, the registration process is spread over about a week (5 days) assuming you are an international student studying for a degree or if you applied independently of any 3rd party programs. Otherwise, it varies depending on your program.