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I’ve noticed that there is still a lot of confusion with regards to booking accommodation at the Beijing Language and Culture University and exactly how one ought to go about it. In this short post I'm going to look at some of the reasons for this confusion and exactly what your options are. Be warned though, you may not like what you're about to read!
So what's the problem and what are your options?
The truth is, unless you use a Chinese immersion program such as blcu.org, blcu-china.org or CUCAS there’s really only one way you can go about booking accommodation at BLCU and that’s to phone the respective on-campus accommodations up and make a reservation with them directly.
Whether it be Dorm 17, the Conference Centre or any of the other dorms on campus (though I’m not familiar with the process for scholarship students who will probably be staying at Dorm 1), this booking process will be the same.
The problem for most people and the joke of it all is that at a university catering to thousands of foreigners each year, the people working in the receptions of the on-campus accommodation buildings hardly speak a word of English. As such, you’re going to have to rely on Chinese to get the booking made. If you can’t speak Chinese, the best thing to do would be to find someone who can call on your behalf. If you have some basic spoken Mandarin, it may be enough to get the job done.
If you’re mad about this crappy situation, don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first person. The lack of English speakers available to help with accommodation bookings at BLCU is a problem they have had for many years and why they haven’t made efforts to improve this situation I have no idea.
Because of this, the whole application process is made unnecessarily difficult for many prospective students and probably one of the big reasons immersion programs such as the ones I mentioned at the start of this post enjoy so much success with BLCU applicants.
Booking accommodation over the phone
When calling to book accommodation, the only details you will need to give them is your full name, the type of room you want to book (single or double) and the dates you wish to stay. That’s it. This information should be enough to get your name put down in the reservation book until you arrive in person at BLCU.
Keep in mind that as a new term approaches, available places at all the on-campus accommodation are going to be filling up fast. As such, you should aim to decide where you want to stay and then reserve a room as soon as possible. The last thing you want to do is arrive at BLCU without accommodation (see my post on Arriving At BLCU Without Accommodation).
At the same time, if you call too early, for example at the end of the previous semester, the rooms will probably still be full and you will be told to call back at a later date. Therefore, the best time to call is in the middle of the break between one semester and the next, or at least a good few weeks after the previous semester has finished.
If you are going to BLCU for a short-term program or summer course you still need to bear this advice in mind for making your accommodation bookings. In the latter case, keep calling them once the previous semester has ended to ensure you get a spot in time for the start of the summer course.
Conclusion
What? Finished already? Yep, afraid so.
I know this post has been brief but I think I’ve got the message across and made it clear that, basically, booking accommodation at BLCU is a pain in the butt and there are no quick solutions unless you can make the booking over the phone in Mandarin or enroll with an immersion program who will do it all for you.
All the same, I hope this clarification has helped a bit. At least you now know where you stand and exactly what the situation is regarding booking accommodation at BLCU, even if I didn't give you the answers you were expecting (or hoping for)! Sometimes the truth hurts.
One last thing...
Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!
I haven't done it yet, but can feel the heat already.
ReplyDeletehttp://prateekshahastogotobeijing.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/booking-a-dorm-at-blcu-t-o-r-t-u-r-e/
sums it up better.
Torture would be a better word, yes! :)
ReplyDeleteMy son booked his room at BCLU for the semester beginning Feb 2012 through CUCAS and had no problems. He showed up on campus on Feb 17th and got a double room in Dorm 17. He had requested a double, but they did say no singles were available. He registered through CUCAS for the program, and everything went smoothly. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I appreciate you sharing your positive experience of booking through CUCAS!
ReplyDeleteScholarship students don't need to book accomodation (as I previously thought), a reservation is automatically made in their name and upon arrival at BLCU they need to register at Dorm 2, where the staff will look for available places. The rooms are always double and can be, to my knowledge, in any student dorm except 17, which is probably always full.
ReplyDeleteFirst i planned to live at the dorm for the whole perioud, but after i read about the advantages of living off the campus, i considered an idea of living on campus for the first month or so and if i find someone to share an apartment move off the campus. but if i won't find anyone? and my dorm room will only be booked for a month, could i then prolong the booking?
ReplyDeleteYou may be able to extend the book, but you should notify them as soon as you get there. Usually they give priority to people already in the rooms as it is easier for them than getting in a new person and having new paperwork.
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ReplyDeletei am totally agree with you because the problem for most people and the joke of it all is that at a university catering to thousands of foreigners each year, the people working in the receptions of the on-campus accommodation buildings hardly speak a word of English.
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