I arrived at Shanghai, February 23rd on 22:30. It was super late, so my friends and I decided to rest at a hotel for the night before we head to our dorms. My aunt ordered the hotel for us online. The price was reasonable, each of us just had to pay around $18. For our hotel they have the pickup service, so they pick you up at the airport and drop you off at the hotel. The ride to the hotel was around 20mins which was kinda fast, but the van looked a bit ghetto. The hotel was clean and we had free breakfast. The next day after breakfast, we ordered a DD (kind of like Uber) the price was around 300 rmb. When we got to the dorms we had to give the front desk our passport and acceptance letter. After getting registered, we pay for electricity bill then we go to our dorms. You pay for your dorms online. Try to chose the international students dorm, because it’s super convenient to get takeout. Outside the international student dorm there’s a hole through the gates and that’s where you grab your takeout.
For the days before school, we attended events that are for the new international students. In the event, they taught us how to use Chinese apps, the history of the school, and where places are. During the event you could make friends and learn about things that would make your life in China easier. There is also an event called Break the Ice, you can go to the event with your buddy. That way you and your buddy would get to know more about each other. First day of orientation I found out that Lucy has already quit. The person that would be taking over would be, Amy. She would go over the criteria’s and the Fudan grading system. The Fudan grading system is kind of harsh, only 30% of the class could get A- or higher. On the same day of orientation you would need to go back to your dorms ( international student dorm), because that’s where they have insurance booth at. After going to Amy’s presentation and buying your insurance, your done for the day. Did you want to eat at the cafeteria? Well then you have to go to the building by Guanghua tower. You can either take a photo there or use your own photo. If you want to use your own photo you have to put it in a usb. When you get your card it’s better for you to put some money in the card. The reason reason why is, because later on it’s kind of confusing to learn how to deposit money in the card. The prices of food are super cheap and it tastes really good, especially the cafeteria by the international dorm.
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Hey guys, I left Hawaii on Feb 11th and arrived at Guang Zhou on Feb 13th. It’s really cold and I’m freezing right now. I was thinking that before I go to Shanghai minght as well visit my relatives in Guangzhou and spend Chinese New Year in China. I visited “Flower Street” with my aunty. This street sells items that you would need to prepare for Chinese New Year. There were so many people like no joke it was so packed. I got to eat this candy snack thing that’s called Bing tang hulu. It tasted sweet and sour at the same time. I always eat what ever I like, but for you guys I would suggest you to wait. It takes some time to get used to the food and I don’t want you to get food poisoning. In addition, I went to the Canton tower for the price it depends on how high you want to go. The day I went was foggy, so yeah I didn’t get nice photos. Oh right, just a heads up watch out for cars. You would hear a lot of cars honk for no reason, but they do that just for people to be aware that there is a car. Guangzhou is like a maze it’s so big that if you get lost it’s hard to find your way back. Sales associates can be rude and they talk really loud for some reason. Overall, aside of the customer service China is pretty fun.
Register for classes: When registering for classes, you would need to know your Fudan student number, last six digits of your passport, and the course code. For the course code it would be found in the email that Lucy (Fudan representative) emails you. Classes that they offer this semester may not be offered for next semester. This is something that I had a problem with, because I had in mind the certain classes I would take but they didn’t offer it. Most of the classes that Fudan offers are finance classes, so if you are a management or accounting major it would be hard to find classes for your major. Buying tickets: I bought my ticket with Air China, because it was the cheapest I found at that time. You would need to buy the ticket after you receive for your student visa, since you wouldn’t know how many days China would let you stay. If you have a 10 year visitor visa, sorry, but it would be cancelled once your student visa gets approved. Student visa: Most of the travel agency would help you do the student visa and the price would cost $180. When going to the agency, bring your passport, acceptance letter, ID, and money. They usually tell you it comes in within a month. Booking dorms: When you reserve for the dorms choose wisely, and don’t think that you can change. I got scared that I wouldn’t be able to get a dorm, so I just choose the international building which most people chooses and didn’t think throughly with my roommate and reserved the room. I tried to go back to see what were the other choices, but it didn’t let me so back, so once you reserved the room even if you didn’t pay, you can’t go back. You literally get to pick the floor and room number, that would be a plus if you have someone that you specifically want to dorm with. Fudan gives you 3 days to pay the 800 RMB deposite. I paid with Wechat pay, because if I used my regular visa card I would need to pay a fee. Mix Program: I am studying abroad through the mix program. I came across this program through my friends and most of the people who went abroad went through Mix so I chose the Mix program. I first went onto the Mix website and there was a part where you need to choose the schools your prefer and the reason why you chose to study abroad. Most of the questions are just questions about how you think that you are able to survive during study abroad. Applications: Some of the applications that you would need to fill out after you get selected would be health clearance form, ISIC card (insurance card), sign and give Mix program the package of forms that your school sent you. The package has your contract and a map of your school. Dear Mr.Freeman,
I am greatly honored to have been selected to be a Freemans scholar. Thank you for your generosity, which allows me to experience a lifetime memory of being an exchange student to another country. This experience would shape me into being a better and knowledgeable person. Completing one semester at Fudan University would give me a chance to learn about my Chinese culture. Which I am not familiar with reason because I lived in Hawaii my entire life. with your scholarship not only would I enhance my knowledge about my culture, but also I would be able to learn about how China has one of the fastest growing economies. Thank you again for your thoughtful and generous gift! Sincerely, Lily Dai |
AuthorAloha, |