Beijing Institute of Technology -- past or future students?

[Fropie]

Hi, I'm coming to Beijing in late August to start a one-year Mandarin course at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Communication by email has been difficult because it seems they speak very limited English, and I speak no Mandarin! I'm hoping to find someone who has studied there recently or plans to study there in the coming year... maybe we can figure it out together...

My first question is about the starting date. The letter of admission says I need to register by Sept. 1 or 2, but the Study Visa application they filled out says I have to register by Sept. 15. So does that mean that classes don't start until Sept. 15???

Also, I didn't request accommodation, but the letter of admission says they have reserved a room for me in the international students' dorm. Although I'm not interested in sharing a room, the idea of staying in the dorm is tempting for the first few months until I get settled. I'm guessing/hoping that since I didn't request the room in the first place, I won't be obligated to take it if it's not what I want. From what I understand, it's just a matter of whether I pay for it at the beginning of term. Does that sound right?

Also, they haven't said when the rooms are available. Is it normal for students to move into dorms at the time of registration? I'm assuming I can plan to arrive a few days before registration and just get a room in a hostel, but I need to know how long to reserve the room for. As I said, getting an answer from the university is difficult... But they did send the materials, so I'm hopeful that it's just a problem with the language and things will go smoothly once I'm there...

Basically, any and all information about BIT or universities in general (how they work, schedules, etc.) would be helpful. I was expecting a lot more information with the visa app, but in the end it was one full page in Chinese, which is useless to me, and a few sentences in English.

Thanks!

[yadamaca]

Hi, yeah I'm in the same boat, I'm gonna do a semester there but I probably wouldnt want to stay in the dorms

Anybody know anything about this place? Location, etc.? ?

[Fropie]

hey yadamaca --

i'm still trying to figure things out, but i did have a chinese friend go through the admission letter from the school. it looks like we have to register on sept 1 or 2 but before we do that we have to go to the police (or public security bureau) and get a form. i don't know what form it is, but i think it's the termporary residence thing.

it's all really confusing, and i still am having trouble getting any sort of response from the international students office. i did at least find something on their web site saying you can pay for dorms on a monthly basis, so i may just stay there for the first month since i know NO chinese and don't want to be freaking out trying to get everything done and find an apartment in just two days!

[Waqas Khan Yousafzai]

Hey guys,

I got admitted in the Beijing institute of technology(BIT)in master's of information and communication engineering (sept 2010) with full chinese govt scholarship.I just want to ask about this university?is this a good university in china ?and should i avail this chance?

Thanks in advance

[dali3927]

Based on what I knew, I think Beijing Institute of Technology is a pretty good school, it should be in TOP 10 Universities in China or Top 15 at least.