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Arranging
Studies in Russia: Universities, Study Abroad Organisations,
Language Schools, Student Exchange Programs.
There are several approaches to arranging study in Russia, and
which is best for you ultimately depends on your own needs and
your international travel experience. The main avenues for study,
with their advantages and disadvantages, are the following:
Directly contacting a Russian university
The
least expensive option for language study is usually to contact
a Russian university directly. This can be done by telephone,
fax, or email. Do not be surprised by slow or nonexistent responses.
Email is not checked that regularly at all universities and you
may need to follow up with a call. In most universities it is
the “International Department” that you should contact,
but in the largest universities, there may be multiple “semi-autonomous” departments
or structures within the university that teach Russian.
If you would like to arrange a student exchange program in Russia
or a degree study, you can do it directly through your chosen
university as well, but that will require quite a lot of time,
and you will need to pay for everything (except, maybe, tuition
fees).
Advantages: Cost, especially for longer-term programs.
Disadvantages: Not great administration and communication, especially
at the early stages, which can cause delays or other problems
that can counter the money saved, especially on short programs.
More limited support, which is fine for the most part for independent
students, but can be problematic for students who will need assistance
with issues such credit transfer and financial aid/payments.
Private
Language Schools
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tver, Kaliningrad, and some other cities
are home to one or more private language schools. These are private
organizations, generally with an educational license, that may
or may not actually be located on the territory of a Russian
university. In many cases they will collaborate with a Russian
university so as to share language instructors and classroom
facilities, but otherwise there is no formal relationship. The
cost is usually significantly higher than the Russian universities,
but allows for short-term study and quite a bit of local support
and cultural/sightseeing activities.
Advantages: Good local support, cultural/sightseeing activities,
more suitable for short programs (which don’t fit well
into regular universities). Generally better communication since
they are commercial.
Disadvantages: Such programs and organizations may be problematic
if you are trying to transfer credits or use financial aid monies.
If you are doing a semester or year abroad as part of your degree
studies, the likelihood of the program being approved is probably
significantly less than if you are doing the same at a Russian
university. This does not speak for the quality of the program,
which can often be higher – it is just the way it is.
Study
Abroad Organizations
A
study abroad organization works independently to manage and promote
one or more study abroad programs. As in any industry,
some are excellent value added with a solid reputation, and others
should be scrutinized closely by asking lots of questions and
asking to speak with former students. Such organizations are
dedicated to what they do and have considerable experience with
credit transfer and general support throughout the program. While
their headquarters is likely located in their primary market
(country), they should have people on the ground in Russia. Don’t
be shy in asking detailed questions of such organizations – they
will charge more than if you contact a Russian university directly,
but there is usually good reason in terms of level of communications
and support that increase the value of your experience abroad.
Advantages: Greater level of support, cultural/sightseeing programs,
organized travel, assistance with credit transfer and financial
aid/payments
Disadvantage: Cost – especially if the level of support
provided is more than you need, sometimes too many English speakers
around, often limited in terms of study destinations and program
types.
Your
Home University’s Program
The university you currently attend may have either a study abroad
or exchange program with a Russian university (or on rare occasion
private language school). Overall this is the most expensive
option, but it guarantees maximum credit for the semester or
year. As this option can take many forms depending on the type
of cooperation between the universities, we cannot clearly list
the advantages/disadvantages. Many universities may simply “endorse” a
program run by an independent study abroad organization.
Student Exchange Program
If your school or university doesn't have an exchange program
with the Russian university you are interested in, you can try
to establish this link by yourself. This will take a lot of your
time, and you will have to pay for everything by yourself (except
the actual course maybe, depending on the university you choose),
but you will have an opportunity to study exactly where and what
you want.
To arrange a student exchange program in Russia, you should:
1) Get information about the Russian university you would like to attend (website,
info in English, leaflets, etc.)
2) Present it to your university and get the official confirmation from them
that they would like to establish an exchange link with the Russian university
and
receive international students from Russia.
3) Send this official confirmation to the Russian university, in addition to
some advertising material of your school (catalogues, brochures, etc.) by snail
mail, as well as fax. Check by phone if the mail arrived and ask when you can
call back for decision.
4) Once the Russian university approves the cooperation, you can submit the first
application from your university, that is you! You will be the first
exchange student in this Russian university, so they will be careful to get everything
right for you.
Some tips for arranging student exchanges:
1)
Choose the university that has already some links
abroad, otherwise it will be too difficult for them to establish a link with
your
university and to arrange visa support.
2) Make it clear you're going to pay for everything by yourself, otherwise no
one
will accept you. Your tuition fees may be paid by the university you're applying
to, but only if there's reciprocation on the side of your university as well
for their students.
3) It's good to have a person in Russia, who can visit the international office
of a university in person and ask all necessary questions; it can often prove
very difficult to get in touch with university officials by phone, even harder
by e-mail.
4) Exchange arrangements in terms of cost tend to favor European students. Such
arrangements can result in American students, especially those at private universities,
to pay more than necessary for their experience in Russia.
Important: Regardless
of how you plan to enroll for studies, if your aim is to transfer
credits you should get the program approved in advance and upon
completion of the program, be sure to get a transcript and certificate
for the studies.
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contact us if you didn't find what you were looking for in this
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