I posted this message a few days ago, but I am re-posting it here in hopes of eliciting some responses!
Hello,
This is my first post on Forumosa, so please go easy on me! I have been reading through several postings on the Learning Chinese Forum, and I have not found an answer to my question. I apologize in advance if this topic has already been addressed, and I appreciate any guidance you can offer!
I lived in Taiwan for 3 years (working as an English teacher), and I recently returned to my home country (USA). My boyfriend is currently attending NCCU on the Taiwan Scholarship, and I plan on returning to Taipei to study Chinese full-time. I am in the process of applying to the Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship for the 2012-2013 academic year.
This year’s application is not out yet, but I have looked through the 2011 application guidelines. According to the MOE website, candidates are not eligible to apply if they are currently “a registered student at a Mandarin Language Center.” I confirmed this restriction with my local Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO in San Francisco).
So here is my question: would it be possible for me to first apply for the scholarship here at the SF TECO, then return to Taipei to take a Chinese language course this spring semester? Technically, I would not be a “registered student” at the time of submitting my application, but I would be by the time the scholarship results are released (June 15th). The main obstacle that I anticipate is the type of visa that I use for returning to Taiwan this spring (considering that I would need to obtain my visa from the same TECO that is reviewing scholarship applications!)…so I was considering applying for a Visitor’s Visa and just taking the language course “under the table,” so to speak. Then, if I received the scholarship for Fall 2012, I would return to the USA and apply for a Student Visa before starting up at another Mandarin Language Center.
I would really like to get a head start on Chinese language study, but I do not wish to do so at the expense of (potentially) receiving a great scholarship opportunity! Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!! 謝謝!