Mobility specification

Country:China

Institution:Beijing International Studies University

City:Beijing

Program:Selections and quotas

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Center for Chinese Studies

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?In my case, it was a study stay and a quota-based scholarship, funded by the Ministry of Education. I studied at a foreign university for 2 semesters and the requirement to pass the year from MUNI was to complete 20 credits recognized by MUNI. The recognized credits could only be with Chinese language courses, other courses such as those dealing with history, literature and the like were not recognized.
The number of credits was recognized based on how the MUNI teachers recognized us. Credit recalculation was done based on the difficulty of the course and the number of hours per week. In my case, I received 20 credits at the foreign university, and at MUNI they also recalculated exactly 20 credits.
However, in case I took courses other than Chinese language classes, MUNI might not recognize these credits, so it is necessary to consult the course registration in time.
In my major (Chinese Studies), it was also possible to enroll Chinese courses (1-6) as successfully completed based on the courses I had taken at the foreign school, but in my case it was not possible because I had already taken them at MUNI.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?My foreign university, Beijing International Studies University (BISU), had a strict schedule of classes that could not be chosen independently.
We could choose the difficulty level, in my case Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 (中级1-2), and our class schedule was approximately 7:00 am to 12:00 pm Monday to Friday.
In the case of holidays during which classes were dropped, it was necessary to make up these classes on weekends, these classes were set by the teachers and attendance was compulsory. So even if we were allowed a week off due to a holiday, the number of hours taken per week had to be kept, so some weeks we took classes on the weekends.
Student evaluation consisted of several factors. The final grade was a percentage and included attendance, class activity, midterm test result, and final test result. Each of the named activities had its own weight and the final grade was the average of these factors. This means that even if the tests did not go well, but the student had perfect attendance and was active in class, he or she would pass the course with no problem.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?At the beginning of the semester we were offered a tour of the campus with the school administration, the students were given a tour of the different buildings, shops, etc.
In the following weeks we completed a mandatory fire drill and were briefed on campus safety and the rules of the land.
Extra-curricular activities were as follows. On the Wechat (微信) app, we were sent out mass messages in the group about the organisation of the trip, which any of the students could join, a limited number of students could take part in the event. The tours consisted of visits to cultural sites, social events, visits to the countryside and so on. All these activities were free and funded by the university.
It was possible to take part in the activities of school clubs on campus. I personally encountered sports clubs most often, but the clubs were diverse. I knew people who went to a dance club, a hip-hop club, or even a club where they learned magic tricks.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Interpretation services
Crisis intervention

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:8000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The unexpected expenses were mainly expenses in the first weeks after arriving in the country. Before departure we had to pay for medical examinations and for visas and travel insurance, after arriving in the PRC we had to take the medical examination again, we were forced to pay for Chinese insurance and for visa extension (the so-called resident permit for the whole period of study). These fees can be considered unexpected, because at this time the scholarship had not yet been credited to the bank account and it was necessary to have some financial capital ready to go through all the procedures necessary to obtain the Resident Permit.
Another of the unexpected expenses was definitely a visit to the hospital in case of illness, I personally only had this happen once, and the scholarship alone might not have been able to cover this expense. However, the travel insurance did cover this expense, but not immediately. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account expenses that the scholarship may not be sufficient to cover.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?In the PRC, specifically in Beijing, there are certainly plenty of opportunities to save.
Eating out at the university canteen is a perfect way to save money, with meals averaging around 10¥ (8¥=1€=25Kč approximately). There were both more expensive and cheaper options, but in my case the cheaper options often provided a sufficient perhaps even above average portion of food.
Another way to save is definitely to use Chinese mobile apps.
When ordering food through these apps, various stores provide discounts and the prices are often cheaper than at the store itself. Examples include Meituan (美团), Eleme (饿了吗).
I definitely recommend shopping for all sorts of items on the Taobao (淘宝) and Bingduoduo (并多) apps. The range of items sold is varied and at cheaper prices than in a local shop. Moreover, shopping is convenient and returning in case of dissatisfaction is also easy.
However, the biggest negative is if the person does not have enough language skills to understand these apps, some of them do not provide English version, it is necessary to learn how to work with and understand the apps.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?not at all

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?To find connections, the mobile app Gaode Ditu (高德地图) is sufficient , it is the most used map app that works across the PRC. It can be used to look up various public transport links.
There are two payment options when you enter the bus. In Beijing, a bus ride costs ¥2 regardless of the length of the journey if you pay with cash. In the second case, you can use the Wechat Pay (微信支付) or Alipay (支付宝) app by scanning the QR code. You must have a Chinese bank card (or any other card the app will accept) connected to the app.
For subway travel, again payment via Wechat or Alipay works, otherwise you can buy a single ticket at the terminal, price depends on the length of the route.
For train travel I recommend the Ctrip (携程) app, it's easy to use and you can look up the train connection directly and then buy a ticket. The Ctrip app for booking a hotel when travelling to another city.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?neutral

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?It depends on individual preferences, whether you plan to visit historical monuments, modern architecture, nature, etc.

In any case, the "must see" in Beijing are definitely the following:
- Forbidden City
Around the Forbidden City, you can visit many parks from which there are nice views of the palace. There are also many hutongs (胡同), streetfood and the like nearby.

- The Great Wall of China
In Beijing, you can visit the three main sections of the Great Wall - Badaling (八达岭), Mutianyu (慕田峪) and Simatai (司马台)
I personally recommend visiting all three. If you visit Simatai, it is definitely worth visiting the water town of Gubei (古北水镇), which is close by

- Summer Palace
The new (颐和园) and old (圆明园) Summer Palace

- Tiananmen (天安门)
- Altar of Heaven (天坛)
- Mao Zedong Mausoleum

In case you're more eager to visit nature, it's a bit complicated in Beijing, it also depends on where the university you're studying at is located. BISU was located on the border of Chaoyang and Tongzhou district. There was hardly any nature, mountains, and so on nearby. It was necessary to travel almost 2-3 hours westward by subway to get close to some real nature.

- Pheonix Ridges
- The water town of Gubei
- Mount Xiang (香山)
- Various parks all over Beijing, I've walked countless of them myself, there are a large number of them, but they don't compare to real nature

There are many, if I were to list all the recommendations there would be a lot to write about, I think I've broken down the most important and famous places.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?In Beijing, you 100% must visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

Share your best experience:The best experience is definitely the whole time studying in Beijing. I consider it as a complete experience, which is an important part of my life, and I can't pick one that is better than the other.
Through my stay, I met many new people originally from different countries and the time spent with them can be considered the best experience no matter where we were.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?By completing the online questionnaire on the Embassy website, then by attending the Embassy in person. Once you have met all the requirements needed for a study visa, your visa will be issued in about 7 days.

What is needed?Filling out an online questionnaire, this one includes the most miscellaneous information about the applicant, the majority being personal information. For a study visa, you need to submit an "admission letter" from the university, a receipt for the purchase of a plane ticket, and a photo in a specific format. All the information is listed on the embassy website.

How long does it take approximately?Completion of the questionnaire depends on an individual basis, based on whether you have travelled to the PRC in the past or not. Approximately about 1-2 hours, certainly no longer. Getting to the embassy is also individual, I personally have always processed visas in Bratislava and never had any problems. You need to leave your passport at the embassy, pick up in about 7 days.

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?The journey from Vienna to Beijing took approximately 13 hours by direct flight. Be sure to watch out for personal items, mark your luggage well in case it gets lost somewhere.
I would recommend some comfortable clothes, after all you will spend about 13 hours on the plane.
My arrival was at Beijing Capital Airport, not far from downtown, but there are several airports in Beijing.
The airport was about 40 minutes away from the school by taxi. I would definitely recommend preparing some yuan for the trip, or perhaps exchanging or pulling some capital out of an ATM to get from the airport to the school.

Most importantly be prepared for the firewall that blocks access to Western media in the PRC. It can be a shock to people who don't know about this for some reason, I would recommend having not just one VPN app installed beforehand, but install as many as you can, gradually test which works best in your location, ask for a refund on the ones that don't work well, and for the rest of your stay have 1 paid VPN that works best for you.

Can you pay by card?sometimes

What not to forget when packing?Take some traditional snacks, some of that mountain food, your new friends who have never eaten it will be pleased :D

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Best year of my life :)