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Ask specific questions, thats pretty hard to answer,

Which district are you thinking of living in?
Where are you going to study?
are you wanting to work while your here?
Do you know anyone here?
ARe you interested in finding clubs etc to hang out with?

Try answering those questions and see what responces you get.

yes its a good idea if you know Chinese. JW

Hmm.. Pre-arrival Tips on living in Beijing.

1.    Locate Beijing on the map.
2.    Only drink bottled water, and make sure the seal is still intact.
3.    DonÂ’t go anywhere without a Chinese escort/interpreter since no one speaks English.
4.    DonÂ’t touch/look at the local girls – it upsets the local men.
5.    DonÂ’t make jokes – they cannot be translated because the culture difference is too big.
6.    Expect to eat lots of rice.
7.    DonÂ’t ask what the meat is because you wonÂ’t want to hear the answer.
8.    Take toilet paper and first aid kits with you.
9.    Bring a present for your hosts.
10.    Enjoy the trip.

and then on your return home as a newly qualified China Hand you can correct the first listing to:

1.    Here it is on the map.
2.    Only to drink bottled water, and to avoid the local alcohol “baijou” since it tastes like petrol.
3.    Not to go anywhere without a Chinese escort/interpreter – it is impossible even to find the WC by oneself.
4.    Not to talk to the local men – it upsets the local women.
5.    Only slapstick jokes can be translated.
6.    Chinese only eat noodles.
7.    DonÂ’t ask what the meat is because we know the answer.
8.    Take toilet paper and first aid kits with you at all times.
9. Bring many presents for your hosts, his family and his friends
10.    Prepare for all the return visits.


Adapted from

Failing that as einswald suggested can you be a tad more specific with your question?

Check out where you'd like to study first, and get accepted for a course. The Beijing Foreign Languages University is an excellent start: confuciusprograms.com/locations.aspx?ID=8. Then, expect to be in a class with people from all over the planet :-) The lingua franca will be Chinese, so that will improve very quickly. And, choose a place to live where you have to practise your Chinese constantly. A friend of mine was pretty much fluent, starting from scratch, after 8 months. Whilst here you might even pick up another Asian language like Japanese or Korean. Come to Beijing: keep and open mind and you'll never regret it!

Surprisingly some of the private language schools are better and cheaper than the universities.

Better, amongst other reasons, because of the class size.

I personally like Frontiers (price and quality) but there are others of a similar standard.

Try living with a Chinese family. This can even be for free (barter basis)..You speak English with the kid for a couple of hours per week in exchange for free bed and board. Try Googling HomestayÌý ÌýBeijingÌý best though if you can get it arranged via the school. Less chance of being scammed