Hello all and thanks for stopping by! This is the second written question and answer I have done here on The BLCU Blog (the first can be found here). You can find more as YouTube videos which I did earlier this year. They are also available here on the blog.
If you have any of your own questions you would like me to address, please send them in to theblcublog@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible in the form of a Q&A for the benefit of everyone. Sometimes it can take me a few days to get it posted, but please bare with me. I'm only human!
So, without further adue, let's take a look at today's Q&A which comes from a reader called Anna.
"Hey Micheal! My name is Anna and as I am going to BLCU this September have found your blog extremely useful! So thank you!!
I was wondering if you could answer a-few quick questions I still have before I book my flights to Beijing for this September.
Firstly, after receiving my admissions pack (JW form and what not) is it a good idea to phone the admissions office and let them know I'm definately coming? Or do they just expect you to turn up?
Anna, thanks for getting in touch and the positive comments on the blog. Again, I'm glad you've benefited from the information here.
Firstly, do you need to phone admissions at BLCU and let them know that you're definitely coming? I didn't personally do this and I don't think it's necessary. You will have a place reserved on the course and I haven't heard of cases when anyone had a problem with this side of things. As you probably know by now, it's accommodation that catches people out!
So my answer would have to be no, there's no need to call them once you have received the admissions pack. They will be expecting you to turn up. After you are settled in, the registration process will begin a week or so before classes officially start. This is when they will know who has come and who has not. However, if you are delayed for whatever reason and arrive at BLCU late, it should not be a problem. You can just sort out registration independently when you get there.
Basically, don't worry too much. The university will try to accommodate students and be as flexible as possible. At the end of the day they are making money off you and that's what is most important to their survival!
Secondly, I have decided that I am going to undertake the challenge that is booking a dorm room around July 15th (SCARY!) buutt.... would you still recommend arriving at BLCU one or two weeks in advance? I've heard stories of the housing office having no recollection of dorm reservations, and am really worried that I'll be too late if I turn up say only 4 or 5 days in advance, despite having booked a dorm.
Thank you!
Anna"
Firstly, good luck with the booking process. I hope it goes smoothly! Although it may happen, I can't remember meeting anyone who has booked a room and then turned up to find it unavailable. The problem for most people is booking the room in the first place! It's such a pain in the neck because you have to call them from your own country, taking into account the time difference, and then on top of that speak Chinese to book the damn thing! It's outrageous for a university that caters to thousands of foreign students every year!
The central housing system generally have people answering the phone that can speak English, but then when you ask to book accommodation, in my experience, they will not handle it, but instead forward your call to the various student buildings (such as Dorm 17, the Conference Centre and so on). When your call is then picked up by these other buildings, the reception staff don't speak English, and even if they do speak a little they're not interested in trying or making an effort!
Sorry to rant, but I've mentioned this before and it really is a major source of complaints from students applying to BLCU. They really need to make this stage of applying easier. It's one way agencies such as CUCAS make their money. They sort it all out for you.
To answer your question more specifically, I would personally recommend arriving at BLCU a week before the registration period begins (usually lasting the better part of a week). I mean why not? Are you so tight for time that you can spare an extra week to get there early and settle in? Walk around the grounds, see the local shops and markets, familiarise yourself with Wudaokou. That way you'll already be ahead of others and won't be as stressed when the campus begins to get busy and you have to run all over the place to register without knowing what building is where!
Four of five days before registration is not what I would call late. That is in fact early. There are still sometimes people turning up after the registration period. So if you've booked your room for around that time frame, I would say well done. It sounds ideal. Plus, since you are going during the summer it means that BLCU will probably be a bit quieter than during term time. Most of the students will have left or be leaving (back to their own countries or else to travel around China perhaps). Either way, I don't think the campus will be too busy in July.
Anyway, I hope in a long, winded way I have answered your two questions. I tend to rant, sorry about that. I just want to make sure I'm explaining things as clearly as possible and not just give quick, half-assed answers. I try to make posts more like conversations rather than rigid mechanical answers!
One last thing...
Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!
感谢您分享信息，这是非常有用的信息。
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