diste01 Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:05 AM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:05 AM Sorry to hear that KrystianWang but seriously don't give up. As much as you may feel demotivated now focus on positives. See what your situation is in coming months and maybe it's worth doign that again? Application to Fudan wasn't cheap but still not as bad. I think it was 400RMB and then all paperwork + postage. I guess total around USD110 or a bit more. For Renmin (I also applied there and got a place) it was 800RMB for application fee and then the rest of the stuff, total around USD180. It's definitely not cheap but if you consider yourself a strong applicant and really to go to China then think it over again next year! Also, I consider this an investment in future. No investment has a guaranteed outcome. You may fail, you may succeed. I took the risk, spent a bit of money but also got what I wanted. If I applied for CSC only with Embassy in Warsaw, Poland (7 places and around 300-400 applicants) then I wouldn't get anything... Sorry to hear that again and keep your head up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZhangKaiRong Posted July 5, 2012 at 11:16 AM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 11:16 AM @diste01 It was not 5 years, rather 5 different scholarships in the last two years I applied for CGS at my local embassy three times, a Confucius Scholarship once and now the EU Window. BtW, I was like KrystianWang now, I would have stopped applying for scholarships and even reduce my time spent with learning Chinese if I had failed this time as well, but fortunately, this time I was lucky. @KrystianWang I know how you feel now, but give yourself a couple of days, and after that think about it again. You spent three years learning Chinese, managed to get an HSK2, do you really intend to throw it away? Of course, you are the only one who know what to do with your life and career, but consider that the knowledge of Chinese language and culture will be very important in the near future, and you may never know what will be the benefits of your hard work. I really encourage you to keep learning Chinese and apply for the scholarship next year, because I'm absolutely sure that you will be one of the awarded lucky people. Your age isn't that important, trust me: one of my Chinese teachers started to learn the language at the age of 30, he got a scholarship at the age of 32, and now he is one of the best teachers and China-experts in the country. So, it's never too late! And some motivation for you: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effeeali Posted July 5, 2012 at 11:24 AM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 11:24 AM I am unable to understand, can one apply directly to Chinese universities? is it better as compared to applying through Embassy? I applied through my ministry. But the ministry has not contacted me yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diste01 Posted July 5, 2012 at 01:51 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 01:51 PM Yes you can although you shouldn't apply to say your Embassy for CSC and then to your uni for CSC as well since if they notice that you'll be disqualified. I applied to Renmin Uni - they have their own scholarship scheme. Also applied to Fudan for Shanghai Government Scholarship and then to my Embassy for CSC. Before I was in touch with Fudan and they said it's better to apply directly. However, they might say it cause then you have to pay the application fee. Applying via your Embassy or Ministry or whatever is free everywhere if Im not wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipper86 Posted July 5, 2012 at 01:59 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 01:59 PM can one apply directly to Chinese universities? is it better as compared to applying through Embassy? muuuuuuuuch better!! If you apply directly the universities can recommend you for the scholarship, which means you have priority instead of students who applied for csc through their own embassies or csc council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diste01 Posted July 5, 2012 at 02:14 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 02:14 PM yeah and your application gets directly to uni for evaluation. Via Embassy it's hit and miss. Again, the quota for my country is 7 and applicants around 300-400+ most of them probably know the consul anyway.... so there you go. I haven't heard a word from my Embassy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulee Posted July 5, 2012 at 03:54 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 03:54 PM Hi Guys. I have a question about the degree programs in terms of the scholarships. If I already have the same level degree as that which I am applying for ( as in, I already have a bachelors but I want to get another from China), when I send in my application will they accept that my latest academic record is that of the same level of that which I am applying to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnel144 Posted July 5, 2012 at 04:25 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 04:25 PM Has anyone heard back from the US Embassy in DC? I got an e-mail in mid-May about a questionnaire and that results would be back by "late June or early July" and yet some people here say the universities have already made their decisions... Do they even contact you if you don't get the scholarship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipper86 Posted July 5, 2012 at 04:48 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 04:48 PM @Tulee I think it's totally fine, you are just applying for another degree. @cnel144 Do they even contact you if you don't get the scholarship? Usually embassies and csc don't inform you if the response is negative...unless you call/email them directly and ask about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeia Posted July 5, 2012 at 05:42 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 05:42 PM My university said I received the CSC, but I have heard no news from the U.S. embassy whether this is official or not. I e-mailed two people at the U.S. embassy with the e-mail from the university I was accepted into inquiring as to whether this was true or not, but one week later and no response. Either way, it's super frustrating because I just want to move on with my life. I'm super happy that the university said I got the CSC scholarship, but I'm afraid the embassy will e-mail me and say: "just kidding!" Anyway, I'm in the same boat as you cnel144... I hope they get back to us soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smossey Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:09 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:09 PM @angeia I'm in the same boat. I was told I have the scholarship(half scholarship) from my Peking University, with living, stipend, and medical insurance but I have no word from my embassy or the CSC. This is troubling, because I'm not going on the shot that I could get the scholarship, I simply don't have the funds. In fact I can only pay my first year's tuition (60,000 RMB) Sadly I may not be able to go just based on funding alone. On that note can anyone who has lived in china on the scholarship provide some info on their budget? Is 1700 RMB a month enough or should I have more saved for the year? I like to go out on occasion, but can live rather humbly. How much would you recommend for the year? Also does anyone know a student loan program for U.S. students besides loans from banks and private sources? For my second year I would need a loan of $10,000, and no one wants to provide me with one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeia Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:25 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:25 PM @smossey I had no idea there were also half scholarships! My school didn't say anything about what kind of scholarship I got, just told me that I had received it and that was all... 60,000 RMB for one year's tuition is pretty darn expensive, I must say. I'll definitely have to ask about that.... BTW, I have lived in Beijing before and I think living on 1700 rmb a month is definitely possibly, but you'll have to be quite thrifty. No weekly bar hoppings, maybe once or twice a month, tops. The cafeteria at Beijing University is really good and cheap, although you'll get sick of it after 2 months... but hey, 10 rmb meals is a really good deal. If you ONLY eat Chinese food and don't party too hard, I think you can survive off of 1700 rmb. I'm not sure about loans and whatnot... I was considering that option too, but... Hope the embassy gets back to us soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smossey Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:37 PM Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 at 08:37 PM @angeia Yea at the time I was very excited that I had received even that as a scholarship, but now with my lack of funds I just wish I had received a full scholarship. I originally thought it was 60,000 for two years which was definitely doable for me, but now I'm in between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand I have a free ride to my state university for my MPA, but with gas/fees I will still pay around $10,000, and this is all while living at home with my parents....yay On the other I have Peking University for $19,000 plus the plane tickets/extra living expenses. My calculations $25,000 at least. Plus I've never been away from home two years, only 5 months in London so I'm rather nervous. I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I just don't know what to do. I feel like I will regret it forever if I don't go, but will my Master's in International Relations with debt be worth more and find me a job? Or will getting my MPA be a better choice? I need a crystal ball P.S. I have been employed at terrible jobs for the past two years and have not even utilized my undergraduate degree. That's where my frustration mostly comes from. I want a degree worth something, that I can use skills from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diste01 Posted July 6, 2012 at 01:19 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 01:19 AM @smossey What schoalrship is it? You mentioned half schoalrship with living stipend so do they want you to pay 50% of tuition and they provide another 50% and living stiped 1700/month etc.? Sorry I can't fully understand this package. I got schoalrship type B from Renmin Uni (tuition fee and textbooks paid, everything else on me) but Fudan gave me a Full one so I'm going there instead. It sounds a bit crazy to have 50% tuition paid for + living stipend and you need to take care of the rest. I might not be understanding it correctly. I'm in a similar financial situation though. Wasn't blessed enough and my parents don't drive Porsche and we don't live in a mansion on the outskirts of town. Just a normal middle class family. As far as i know China won't be cheap if you want to have fun. I went to visit in 2009 for holiday and booze in bars/clubs is expensive. Food is cheap compared with US/Europe standards but keep in mind this is Beijing. You'll pay 10RMB or 10000RMB for a dish if you want depending on where you go... it's full of corrupt government officials who can afford those prices without a doubt... There might be places where it's cheaper than 10RMB but you better ask someone who knows for sure. In my opinion living stipend is nothing, in my case it may cover food and nothing else. It's around 55RMB a day which should be enough to eat, maybe a few RMB left for 3RMB Qingdao from supermarket, metro ticket and that's about it. I'm not complaining, it's great they give it so I can afford to go to China for 2 years but other expenses like travel and nights out will need to come from your own pocket. There's no way 1700RMB will cover it all but again it depends on your lifestyle. I'm currently living as an expat in Thailand and life here (being cheaper than in China for sure) costs me around USD2,000 a month including everything. It's a pretty decent life though and I'm enjoying it. I can afford most of the things however in China the same would cost me definitely more. I certainly don't want to go to China to live on rice and water so I managed to save a bit of money over time and my boss may keep me on staff working remotely. So all in all my lifestyle will downgrade a bit but anyway, there's a trade-off. I'll get my MA from China!!! Amazing Regarding your studies I think it's up to you what you make out of it. It depends on your personality, connections, luck etc.. There's no guarantee you'll get a job after but in my opinion your CV will indeed look much more interesting. Try to study some chinese, that's what I'll do and this is the priceless skill. I just have my BA today and really believe MA from China will boost my CV a lot (and I hope it does)... Idont have much problems finding a job today but I feel like I want to study more and I need my MA! I say go for it! What about accommodation? Im assuming University provides? Do peopple on full scholarship get accommodation autoamtically reserved or we still need to go through application procedure, anyone knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smossey Posted July 6, 2012 at 02:02 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 02:02 AM @diste01 It's the partial CSC or China Government Scholarship. It provides for my housing, insurance, and 1700 rmb a month but nothing for tuition. Accomodation also may be nice, or may be terrible. I have no idea what room it covers. I wish it provided half tuition, but I need to pay in full . Also thank you for all the great advice. I suppose I will think on it, but I can't do anything till something comes from the CSC anyway. I unofrtunately don't trust PKU to hold their end of the bargain without any paperwork. Unofrtunately, I applied only to PKU not knowing much about chinese universities, and they were the most expensive for my master's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diste01 Posted July 6, 2012 at 02:14 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 02:14 AM I see where you're at now. Accommodation will be 99% on campus, single room or maybe a room in a flat if they have such at Peking Uni (they do at Fudan and this is they one ill try to get). Don't expect too much... Yeah Renmin tuition is high too 60,000RMB. Fudan charges 50,000RMB for mine. I think it'll bump up in coming years but the program is still relatively new. Anyway, I understand what you're saying. I havent received the admission package yet but my name is on the list of university site and I called to confirm so I'm 99% sure everything is ok unless they mess up my paperwork... Again, if you have the chance to go i say do it... another thing to consider is how you're gonna move there. I guess your baggage allowance (i think ur from the US) is 23kg X 2 in economy + hand luggage but it could be less depending on the airline, not sure. For me flying from Thailand I'll need to get a business class flight to get 40kg checked and 14kg carry on. Economy is shit...20kg + 7kg...this is yet another expense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeia Posted July 6, 2012 at 04:37 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 04:37 AM @smossey I really feel for you!!! I was thinking of exploring loan options if the scholarship didn't go through... There are a ton of scholarships for foreigners in China, so you can try to get another one to maybe pay for one year of schooling, and only pay one year out of your own pocket? I lived in Beijing for 5 months as a foreign exchange student, and I sure didn't spend 2000 USD a month for JUST living expenses. I won't lie to you: You can't eat out all the time, you can't go drinking every night and you will probably never get to eat foreign food aside from McDonalds. BUT Beijing has a lot of cheap Chinese food, although it might give you food poisoning every now and then. I have lived in Beijing and Shanghai both, and Shanghai is double the cost of Beijing. Hands down. Subway in Beijing, to ANYWHERE, is only 2 rmb--in Shanghai it is 4-10 rmb one way. Taxi in Beijing starts off at 7-9 rmb, Shanghai is 12-18 rmb. Plus there's more bars and places to allure you out in Shanghai, where a in Beijing (esp where you're going to live, near wudaokou) isn't so hip happenin. When I lived in Beijing I ate cafeteria food, went out for a nice meal on the weekends and bar hopped maybe once a week (beer is cheap in china... just don't get cocktails). Is it possible to live on 1700 rmb? yes. Will it be easy? no. I graduted with a double bachelors in Mass Comm and Japanese. When I graduated, I thought mass comm (public relations）was the degree that was going to provide for me, but on the contrary it was Japanese that did it all. I lived in China as a Japanese language specialist for about one year, and I know now that when going to grad school--or getting any degre--thinking about what you're going to afterwards, and if it is practical, is very vital. If you think MPA is your path in life and will be a steady job in the end, then do it. What do you plan to do with a degree in international relations? Just think about these things before you make any final decisions. And last, but not least, do something you won't regret later. Maybe in 20 years you'll still be kicking yourself for not going to China. Who knows. On a CSC related note, I e-mailed my school and they said that I could first come on a tourist visa and they would help convert it to a student visa. He confirmed that I did, in fact, receive the scholarship--but still, this has yet to be heard from the embassy. Good luck you guys!!! Hope the embassy gets back to use by tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diste01 Posted July 6, 2012 at 04:46 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 04:46 AM @angeia Interesting thoughts. Well I'll have to agree with you but through my own reading and conversations with Chinese people living in Shanghai and Hong Kong I was told that Beijing will be more expensive and less "happening". When I was traveling been to both places and Shanghai seemed more expensive and there're more places to spend your money. However, I was told otherwise and had to believe in it since anything could have happened since 2009. Maybe they were talking about property cost etc? Not sure. Anyway, I doubt the cost of Shanghai is double of Beijing but I'll let you know in a few months time. It all depends on where you live. Fudan e.g. is out of the city a bit and the area seems to have very reasonable prices. I know unis in Beijing are a bit out too but e.g. accommodation around Renmin Uni was around 3000RMB a month. In shanghai I can get the same for around 2200RMB. It's all relative and I guess there's no single answer here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewsay Posted July 6, 2012 at 09:41 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 09:41 AM Well, I emailed my first university and one person replied that they didn't see my information at all and I'm awaiting an answer from the second one. I should have realized something could have gone wrong when my status says on the online application "application already recovered." even now. I somehow believe that my application was never sent at all. I doubt that universities are still awaiting applications from elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZhangKaiRong Posted July 6, 2012 at 10:55 AM Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 at 10:55 AM I've just been notified by the university I got admitted to, so I suppose other universities are going to inform the recipients soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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