BLCU Conference Center vs Dorm 17

I know this is a popular topic amongst people that are planning to come to BLCU and is concerned with housing.

So I took the time to make this video comparing the CC and Dorm 17.

Conference Center

Pros: Very well lit rooms, provides great atmosphere for studying

Close to classroom as it is situated in the middle of the campus.

FREE BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING

Cons: Rooms are smaller than Dorm 17

No Microwave or Kitchen

Dorm 17

Pros: New Building for foreign students only.Easy to meet others like you studying aboard

Rooms are large and comfortable

Microwave and Kitchen

Cons: You can't be 100% sure that they will assign you to Dorm 17

The farthest of all Dorms and CC to classrooms.

These some points I can think of now. Anyways feel free to reply and ask questions about these. Hope these are helpful to you guys.

Hi raymond23!

Thanks for the video! I'm going to be there this summer, and I'm kinda worried about all this housing thing...Both C.C and Dorm 17 look fine, but... I have a question.. is it sure that you'll have a room at C.C if you ask for it? Or do you think it's better to book a room in a hotel for the first two nights for example?

Anyways, thanks for your help! Will you be there this summer?

So here's what I would suggest you do:

1. Call in a month early (maybe even earlier) and tell them you are coming and you want to reserve a room. They'll usually tell you call later on but try your best to leave a name with them.

2. Call 2-3 weeks before you come, if you left your name earlier, they can't tell you that there is no more room. This is what they'll usually say (like when I called) " Rooms are full already" , tell them all the dorms are full and I need a place to stay (nag a little.. believe me this is how things work in China), can you please help. (Despite them saying there is no room, they put my name on the list.)

3. Call 2-3 days before you depart, and tell them that you just want to confirm that there is room there. If you got your name on their list, you can be pretty sure that there's room for you.

This list I'm talking about by the way, is this reservation booklet they got at the front desk. I'm not sure how they arrange rooms with the list, but I got my room because my name was in that list.

Also one more thing, if you can, get someone that can speak Chinese help you call. I'm not saying they can't speak English, but they are usually hesitate to speak English and if you speak something that they are comfortable in, they will take the extra step to help.

If you can't reserve a room here and when you come, they tell you that there is no room, there are several hotels around the BLCU area for backup which I pretty sure there's room for you w/o reservation (just a little more expensive than if you reserved).

Hope this answers your question.

Yes! Thank you very much! I'll try to do what you suggest.

How long will you be staying in Beijing?

My flight back to the states is June 2nd

I'm going to miss this place so much...

Although, I might come back for a second term but not sure

Well, enjoy your last days there, then And thanks again for all the information!

Hey Raymond,

How do I go about reserving a room in Dorm 17? Do I just click on the BLCU website? Thanks.

From what I know, you can't reserve a Dorm 17 room.

When you fill out your application to BLCU, they will assign you a dorm room.

This is what I've been told.

What is the free breakfast offered at the conference center, and where do you go to get it? Is there a cafeteria there or something?

The free breakfast is just downstairs of the Conference Center.

It usually consist of eggs, congee, buns, and cold dishes. Not the largest selection but there's a couple of variety.

It actually pretty good, but for me... after living here for three months, I'm pretty sick of eating the same thing over and over.

But it's pretty good food. The best thing about the free breakfast is probably how convenient it is.

If you need breakfast, any day of the morning, you know there's food downstairs.

Hello Raymond,

glad 2 know u!

I'm Hanna & i'm Indonesian. Next month (July 10th) i'll start the 6 weeks program in BLCU.

I've got a double room in building no.12. So, can u give me a little information about the distance from dorm 12 to the teaching area? And also how the double room in dorm 12 looks like?

About the food, is there any canteen in every dormitory building?

I'm getting more excited and i can't wait longer to fly to Beijing and study there soon

Thank u very much Raymond