CSC Scholarship - 2011

[Brian US]

Did you by chance give the PSB a copy of your certificate rather than the original?

I'm sorry that my memory is a little fuzzy as this happened over a year ago. I only remember going to the white building directly south of building one to get my visa. You should ask the office if they have a copy on file or how to go about getting a copy. I lived in the dorms my first semester, so I don't know if that makes any difference as I didn't need to go to the police station. I suggest you get a notebook solely to store red stamps (sentence contains sarcasm in jest).

...I don't want to go home. I'm from Michigan, but that's for another discussion.

[madik]

Just a quick question regarding applying for Master's.

What I don't understand here is as people who have been reading this thread from the beginning, my deadline is Dec.30th and I am considering either Master's or another year of language training. As far as I know, most of the unis don't even start accepting students until March or April for Master's and since my deadline is the end of Dec, I am not quite sure how this works.

Last year I got to find out my acceptance by the end of February so I am assuming it would be the same this year. How can I be accepted to the scholarship even before I apply for the actual master's? Would it make more sense to get accepted and ask for money???

[Brian US]

most of the unis don't even start accepting students until March or April for Master's and since my deadline is the end of Dec, I am not quite sure how this works.

Nobody knows how it actually works. If you are considering doing a masters then I would put that on your application. Even if you are accepted, you may just do the language part and decline the scholarship if you don't feel like doing the masters anymore.

[Helios]

@Brian US

I scanned the health certificate before giving it to the PSB; so, I can just print it if I don't care about the little red stamp. If want an original stamped copy, I will most likely have to follow your advice and ask the office how to obtain one.

I didn't have to go to the PSB on my own, I elected to do so. The little white building is the Yifu building with the TradersLink people inside on the second floor; they also handle the residence permit application. Most students choose to have the TradersLink people handle the application process, but I wanted to handle mine on my own for a few reasons: I wanted to know how to do it on my own if I ever need to do it on my own in the future or if someone else may need help doing it.

Yes, a little book of stamps would be nice, but the stamps themselves would be nicer. ;)

[madik]

Hello BrianUS,

I need to confirm about the extension here. When I sent an email to Mr.Zhang, who is a person in charge for Toronto Chinese embassy, he actually asked me to talk to the international office of BLCU for my extension or new application for MA program as he doesn't see the reason why I need to apply all the way back through him and he suggested this office might help me apply to CSC directly in Beijing.

However, when I read the threads from previous years and talked to people who have done it before, they all told me to send everything back to Toronto and start over again. So is there really a way to apply from China?

[Brian US]

However, when I read the threads from previous years and talked to people who have done it before, they all told me to send everything back to Toronto and start over again. So is there really a way to apply from China?

I think this is another example of the CSC not even knowing how the CSC is operated. I would ask BLCU what your options are and they should be experienced with scholarship students. Yet, I wouldn't rely on BLCU's office to get anything done. Since you want to do your masters they may send you to another school after your language studies. This can only be approved through the CSC and other schools, so BLCU won't be any help.

If you want a masters at another school then send in another application. If you want to continue 1-2 years of language study then ask BLCU what your options are and based on this you may need to send in another application.

[madik]

I ended up going to the International student office at BLCU this Friday and they confirmed that I should reapply to the embassy from my home country. So if anyone is planning to extend their scholarship, just do what you did last year!

@BrianUS, helios

What do you mean by the red stamp? I had to do another foreigner's physical exam when I got here since the one I had from Canada was no longer valid. I got my result back in an envelop (a copy for personal reading) and I was hoping to use this one as the CSC scholarship doesn't require me to send my original result. I am a little confused here. If I have to get a red stamp, where should I go on campus to get one?

Thanks a lot!

[madik]

@BrianUS

Since I don't have enough time to browse through what programs are available (I want to do one in Chinese not in English, if possible and with Asian game in Guangzhou and Christmas in December, transcripts from my uni are taking longer than usual even though they are sent by UPS and it would probably take more time to reach Canada from here in December. To make it short, I want to send everything by the end of November just to be on a safe side and that doesn't give me enough time to do a research on the program.)

To make it short, I decided to go for another year of language training and hopefully by the end of second year of language training, I will have a better idea of what I want and apply for Master's.

I heard there is a better chance of winning Master's though.

Anyways, I am indebted to you, BrianUS. Always appreciate your advice here and there.

[crisgee]

I ended up going to the International student office at BLCU this Friday and they confirmed that I should reapply to the embassy from my home country. So if anyone is planning to extend their scholarship, just do what you did last year!

This was exactly what i did. I got a new transcript, copy of diploma and new health examination. And i just slightly revised my study plan (i still had the same goals anyway).

[Helios]

@madik

Regarding the red stamps: Almost any official document in China has a red stamp on it. The red stamp is ubiquitous and oddly enough, it seems to hold a lot of power. The red stamps varies from one place to another; so, don't mistake the red stamp to be a one-stamp-fits-fits-them-all thing. Red stamps are kind of like complements to signatures; it proves that a document was authorized by a department.

The copy of the physical exam in the "a copy for personal reading" should be fine. It's as close to an original as we can get and it has the red stamp if you look near the signature on the back, which means that it was authorized by the hospital. I'm intending to use this document in my application. Sorry to scare you with the red stamp thing, I was joking with Brian US.

Also, good luck on getting everything finished by the end of November!

@crisgee

...I got a new transcript, copy of diploma and new health examination. And i just slightly revised my study plan (i still had the same goals anyway).

Was BLCU able to give you a copy of your diploma from your previous application and a copy of the report for your health exam in September? Did you go to the Yifu building or the Main Building to get the copies?

Also, as madik and I mentioned, we received copies of our physical exams in an envelope that says "a copy for personal reading", and this is the physical exam with your photo, information, and as far as I can tell, it is an official document. You might be able to use that too, if you want.

[Helios]

@vkim67

I was looking through the earlier posts in this thread, and I thought I would tell you my experience regarding notarizing documents in China. Last year, when I was in Nanjing, I went to the local notary office, and I had numerous documents notarized (around 10 pages), and the cost, which I don't remember exactly, was more or less on par with what I would expect to pay in California. The reason the Harbin office is telling telling you it costs so much to notarize your documents is that they are insisting on translating the documents. To notarize a document, as far as I know, does not require that the notary be able to read the document, but that the notary is able to verify that the original is indeed an original, which is usually established by you signing your name to a statement stating it's the original, and then the notary needs to verify that the copies are an exact duplicate of the original, and finally they make a statement attesting to the authenticity of the copy. In the case of the Nanjing notary office, they made the copies of the documents themselves and notarized the copies that they made.

[luozilu]

i have some questions. i now live in wuhan. i have an incomplete grade from 华中科技大学 where i studied for just one term more than a year. there is a lot of reasons for what happened. but anyways, how should i go about explaining this on the application and should i put a copy of the transcripts in the application package? any ideas? do you think this will affect my chances of receiving the scholarship? my grades from my university in America were stellar.

last question. has anybody ever had trouble mailing documents to america or your home country? i am sending some documents to my parents and other original forms i guess will have to be snail mailed.

[luozilu]

Hello all, I am a new user to the forum although I have been a reader for quite awhile. I'm thinking of applying for the CSC for 2011. I have a question though. I was just a short-term student at 华中科技大学 for just one term. Is it important to include this and the transcripts from 华科 as part of the application or should I just list this on the application form?

[Vanners]

Hello,

I just discovered this thread and thought that I would share that I am applying from British Columbia, Canada. So far the application has been straightforward and easy to follow. There is a woman from the Ministry of Education, she is the coordinator of the international programs and she has been able to answer questions I have. It says that they are offering 5 full time and 10 part time here. I would love to hear from another British Columbian who is applying for this scholarship! I am going to apply for the Chinese Language Student, and hoping to study in Qingdao. Will keep a post of my progress and any information I can find. This thread and the CSC website have been quite helpful.. I am going to Dalian in 3 weeks, hope to check out the Uni there and get accepted into my 1st choice for my application!

[vkim67]

Helios,

Thanks for the reply. Yes I said it doesn't need to be translated and the woman told me they cannot notarize it without translating it! Which I think is BS..... but what can I do.... Don't want to hassle my fam back home but will be mailing it home for my BF to take care of...

One more question-----

Last year I applied for the CSC Scholarship and was accepted. However, I had to decline because I had already committed to another scholarship program. This year I am reapplying.

The online application asks have I ever applied for the Chinese Scholarship. If so, I need to provide institution and dates, as well as the CSC applicant number.

(A) If I say yes... I need to provide the following info but I don't have the CSC applicant number and would have to make up dates since it is a required field.

Have you ever applied Chinese Scholarship Yes No

* Institution

* Time Engaged To

CSC No. of applicant

(B) Or Should I click no-- since I never accepted the scholarship?

* Have you ever applied Chinese Scholarship Yes No

[bjopek22]

Hi all.

I have been following the CSC scholarship topic since last year, as I have been waiting till I graduate from my undergrad in the USA to apply.

I just spoke with the Ministry of Education representative with the Chicago China Consulate, and for what it is worth, he said he didn't think the new application for the 2011-12 academic year would be available until January. I am not sure if that was a personal guess or factually true. I'd be interested to hear what you're hearing Vanners, seems like the rep up in BC is really helpful. The person I spoke to did give me some pretty screwy advice on applying for the scholarship so I am thinking he might have just been pulling stuff out of thin air.

[crisgee]

@Helios

Was BLCU able to give you a copy of your diploma from your previous application and a copy of the report for your health exam in September? Did you go to the Yifu building or the Main Building to get the copies?

Also, as madik and I mentioned, we received copies of our physical exams in an envelope that says "a copy for personal reading", and this is the physical exam with your photo, information, and as far as I can tell, it is an official document. You might be able to use that too, if you want.

I did not submit my BLCU diploma. I submitted my university diploma and transcripts. My health exam, i did everything back home. As in i did the tests again. Using a copy/original of the one i submitted during the start of the year never crossed my mind (as I said, i did everything again. like it was the first time). It was only after reading what Brian wrote that i found out it was possible. But i read he had a caveat with that.

He asked the person in charge at the embassy first. I dunno if this applies to everyone. For me, i really needed to do the exam anyway since, if i got the scholarship again, i had to get another student visa, and i need to show my orginal health exam to my embassy. This same original health exam I submitted when i registered at BNU. They look when you had them made. If i had showed something dated September 2009 i would have had problems.

@liuzilu

Just don't mention 华中科技大学. Don't even claim you went there. I think it doesn't matter. Your stellar college grades would make for a great application.

[Brian US]

how should i go about explaining this on the application and should i put a copy of the transcripts in the application package? any ideas? do you think this will affect my chances of receiving the scholarship?

You are only required to include documents that are listed in the official application. Feel free to include or exclude any documents that you see fit. We don't know if added criteria helps your chances or not.

has anybody ever had trouble mailing documents to america or your home country? i am sending some documents to my parents and other original forms i guess will have to be snail mailed.

I would be careful with original documents that are hard to get re issued. I'm thinking mainly your health exam.

@vkim67

First off, we don't know how the online application works or if it is even required. I assume you lost your acceptance letter as it shows the CSC confirmation number on it. If it is a required field and you don't feel like tracking down your last acceptance letter then you might get by with selecting "No" on the form.

Not sure if anyone can give you an exact answer to this question, so I would go with sending in a complete online application form is better than getting stuck at this question.

[thewamphyri]

Does anyone know when we can expect the forms on the website to be updated, and the due dates posted?

Thanks in advance

[madik]

As far as I know, forms don't change. (please correct me if I am wrong here.)

As for deadline, you should talk to the Chinese embassy in your city. Each city has a different due date and if you are going through the third-party they tend to have an earlier deadline. So contact the embassy (I know it is tough to get hold of them but it is the most reliable way to find out the date.)

Hope this helps.