Applying for BLCU Dorms

[tjacook]

Hi,

I am heading to BLCU later this month (July 07) and have not yet secured accommodation on the Uni Campus. I will be staying in a hotel for a few days before class and was hoping i could go to the Uni and arrange it then. Do you think this is achievable?

Also, What is the best way to apply for on-campus accommodation? Is it face-to-face or via e-mail? Can you pick what building you want to be in?

Many thanks in advance.

Tim.

[MrBobn]

I showed up yesterday 7/10 to attend the 6 week program, and I had no problem getting a room. I had to go to Building 4 (not building 2 like my map that they sent me said) and was able to get a room pretty easily. I don't know about today though. I did it face to face, the people at the forgien student housing office spoke good enough english that I had no problem getting a room.

They gave me a choice of single, "nice" double, bad double (no bathroom). I took the nice double, and took what they gave me, just happy to get a room. The room isn't great but it is livable.

I'm in Building 4 room 202, and my email is aaron-marshall@excite.com please email me or stop by my room if you want to hang out/ study explore study, etc.

Aaron

[elle*]

MrBobn, could you please give some more details about dorms #4??

I showed up yesterday 7/10 to attend the 6 week program, and I had no problem getting a room. I had to go to Building 4 (not building 2 like my map that they sent me said) and was able to get a room pretty easily. I don't know about today though. I did it face to face, the people at the forgien student housing office spoke good enough english that I had no problem getting a room.

They gave me a choice of single, "nice" double, bad double (no bathroom). I took the nice double, and took what they gave me, just happy to get a room. The room isn't great but it is livable.

I've been given a room there (dorm #4), so I'm quite curious about the accomodation (cleanliness etc.). Thanks for any detail!

[MrBobn]

The cellings are high, the bathroom isn't great but it does have a toilet and hot water with good pressure. Sleeping on the bed is the equivalent of sleeping on a board, and the air conditioners are actually pretty damn good. You can also get a non wireless internet contection in your room as well. The desks are also pretty nice and large, the TV is okay but there are several english, and one spanish language channels. Also they have maids that come in and take out your trash. Hope that helps.

[elle*]

Thank you so much, mrbobn: you've been very useful.

I'm leaving next monday so I'm a bit concerned about accomodation and everything...

[MrBobn]

don't worry, the place is actually pretty nice, and other than the crappy bed, I really like it. I think the school does a great job of accomodating all varieties of people from those who are serious to those who really just want a vaction with a little chinese. It isn't hard to find a chinese language partner if you want one, you really don't have to do any thing they will literally come up and ask you if you want to be partners. There is a small market less than 5 minutes from campus on foot, where you can buy necessites, or there are several small shops on campus as well. My advice, bring a few rolls of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and deodorent, and some shower sandals/flip flops. You don't need an adapter to use the chinese outlets only a power converter if required.

[niicco13]

Hello Mrbon

I am leaving for Beijing and a 4weeks stay at BLCU in 3 days and I still have no idea of where I'm going to stay.

BLCU did not guarantee a room.

Do you know if any single/double rooms are still available?

Which building to choose?

Thanks a lot for your help,

niicco13

[pijiu]

My friend found a place in BLCU building 6 yesterday with no trouble at all so I guess you will be ok.

[niicco13]

thanks for the info

[deezy]

Yes, I emailed them to try to reserve a room...but no reply. And I'm leaving in a week! So, I guess it's first-come, first-serve at registration? But, it seems that it is still not hard to get a dorm then. Cool.

BTW, since you can't get a dorm room before registration, what's a good nearby hotel to stay in until then for those of us arriving a few days early?

And when you pay them for tuition and board at registration...it says foreign currency must be converted into RMB at the exchange rate of that day. Does that mean we can pay them in USD and they will accept it using the exchange rate...or do we have to pay them in RMB?

[Guest Aprill]

I e-mailed them, but didn't get any reply:cry:. I'm going to BLCU in a week and planning to live in the dorms. I've sent e-mail today and gonna call them if won't get any reply in couple days.... If anyone reserved a room in the dorms before going to Beijing, how did you do it : via e-mail or by the phone?

[deezy]

I e-mailed them, but didn't get any reply. I'm going to BLCU in a week and planning to live in the dorms. I've sent e-mail today and gonna call them if won't get any reply in couple days.... If anyone reserved a room in the dorms before going to Beijing, how did you do it : via e-mail or by the phone?

I don't think you can reserve dorms there. They say they can't guarantee any, so I don't think you can. My dad even called and she said to just get them when you register.

It seems like that's generally not a problem, though, so I'm not too worried about it...

I AM concerned about my L/F visa issue - but they won't reply to my emails about it (or reserving dorms) either. Yes, I notice they often simply don't respond to emails. So, I guess I'll find out when I get there... There's no point in even calling now when it's too late for me to do anything about it. I'll probably just have a better chance showing up and asking in person.

I'm getting the feeling that there's a culture clash here. I'm used to order and orderly responses here in the West. But over there, I'm guessing things may be more chaotic but perhaps also more flexible. People have much larger problems to eal with and so maybe they don't even bother addressing these small issues. I guess I'll try to haggle my way in with an L visa...

[wwu_5]

Hmm, I havent got any problems with replying emails so far. I've send about 3 or 4 with a bunch of questions and I've got a reply within a day every time

[deezy]

Hmm, I havent got any problems with replying emails so far. I've send about 3 or 4 with a bunch of questions and I've got a reply within a day every time

It may depend on the question..

I didn't have problems getting replies until I asked about reserving dorms or trying to register with an L visa. Then I got nothing, even after emailing twice.

[MrBobn]

Seems like every time I go back to my room in building for over the past few days people are either checking out or moving in, so I wouldn't be too worried about getting a room. Worst case senerio, there are a whole buch of apartment notices around campus, many of which are in english.

When you pay the tution (which can be paid with a Credit Card 4% service, and I think Traveler's checks), If you have cash you can get it converted to RMB at the Bank on Campus. They speak a little english there, and I belive the rate is still like 7.5 yuan for a dollar. The bank also cashes traveler's checks, but it is a long and giant pain in the butt to do it their. You can also get your money coverted at Beijing Airport at around that rate.

The housing cost MUST be paid in RMB, I originally misread that and thought that I could also use my CC to pay it, so I had to do a large cash advace to cover that fee. Don't make that mistake, oh and get your money converted in China, or at the very least not at US air ports, at O'hare they were only giving 6 yuan for every dollar, highway robbery if you ask me.

as for the Visa problem, I don't know what to tell you. I do know that on my acceptance letter they said specifically to have a student visa, the JW form they sent you to get it and the exceptance letter, or (paraphrasing) not to bother registering. Bear in mind though I'm in the six week class. I would definetaly print off where it says you can use an L visa, in case they give you trouble about it.

[deezy]

The housing cost MUST be paid in RMB, I originally misread that and thought that I could also use my CC to pay it, so I had to do a large cash advace to cover that fee. Don't make that mistake, oh and get your money converted in China, or at the very least not at US air ports, at O'hare they were only giving 6 yuan for every dollar, highway robbery if you ask me.

as for the Visa problem, I don't know what to tell you. I do know that on my acceptance letter they said specifically to have a student visa, the JW form they sent you to get it and the exceptance letter, or (paraphrasing) not to bother registering. Bear in mind though I'm in the six week class. I would definetaly print off where it says you can use an L visa, in case they give you trouble about it.

Right, most CC's have a 3%-4% surcharge. Even with just regular transactions. And yes, I think there is also an additional fee for cash advances. So, I am NOT USING any CC's overseas if at all possible!

I am going to use my bank ATM card - which has a 2% cash withdrawal surcharge. Not too shabby.

However, are the ATMs on or near BLCU well-stocked with RMB? Because tuition & board for a month is going to run around $900 USD. That's a lot of money to withdraw. If not, I guess I will have to bring USD with me and convert it when I get there.

Where's a good currency conversion spot near BLCU, btw?

As far as the whole visa issue...I am leaving it up to ming now. There's not much I can do at this point but pray and hope greed > bureacracy.

[MrBobn]

don't worry about ATMs, they are all over the place, I can think of atleast 3 off of the top of my head, on campus.

There is a bank on Campus that will do currency conversion, there are also a lot of nice hotels in the area, who will probably also do currency conversion. For example, I know that the XiJiao Bing Guan does, and the 4 star hotel in Xi'an that I stayed in this weekend also did as well. So you shouldn't have to worry about those things.

Also on friday, in my building there was a whole group of kids that checked out, which had to atleast opened up 10 rooms or so. Don't know if they got filled over the weekend or not though.

[deezy]

FOLLOW-UP:

1) The L/F visa issue was NOT a problem for me. Although next time, I'd probably apply earlier to get an F visa just in case (especially if I take a class longer than a month). I think they may be pickier about you having an F visa for longer terms - but might still help you get one there if you need it. I think generally speaking, they will try to work with you to earn your money.

Also, I'm sure they get deluged by "petty" emails from overconcerned students not used to the "organized chaos" of China - and simply stop replying to the ones they consider inconsequential.

2) I'm still not sure how you can reserve dorms in advance. Maybe some can, but typically you are just offered whatever they happen to have available upon arrival. Which there didn't seem to be any problems getting a room when I was there - although you may not get the dorm of your choice. But "worst case," there's always hotels right off campus like the Xijiao.

3) There are several ATMs on and around campus. One is at the South gate. Another is further inside. Another is a China Construction bank (partnered with Bank of America) by the McDonald's outside at the SE corner. Etc, etc. If you need to see an actual teller though - typical waits are annoyingly long (maybe 1/2 hr at the very least).

4) As far as the weather...I believe July & August are the hottest and wettest months in Beijing. I only wore pants a few times at night when going out to nice clubs. Shorts and short sleeves all the rest of the time. Don't even think about bringing a jacket if you are coming during this time.