Study abroad in Russia a great country or the greatest country. Past Review
By Andrew Z (International Business., Illinois State University) for
AIFS: St. Petersburg - Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
I would study abroad in Russia again, however I would choose a different program to have a different experience and not to repeat anything of last semester. Despite all the short comings of the program if you research and dig for answers you can mold your study abroad experience to fit your goals
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The overall professionalism of the university was relaxed compared to home institute. This created a blurred judgement of the quality of the university. A study abroad should be at superb schools with strenuous academic challenges of the study abroad students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was next to the academic area, but the housing itself was not entirely modern. |
| * Food: |
The contaminated water supply rendering tap water useless and dangerous was a nuisance. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Studying abroad in the second largest city guarantees always places to see in the city, however It can be very difficult without comprehension of the language. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were several students that were dangerously sick while studying here. After several trips to the hospital the students were still unable to be properly diagnosed with an illness. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | The weekly expense could range from 100- 150 USD. Food was a major expense, but there was expenses such as museums and exploring the city that would infect the budget. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Initial costs when first entering the country will be high and may find yourself spending a few hundred USD within the first two weeks to be buying supplies that will last the entire semester. These supplies could be kitchen supplies or bath supplies. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The students in the university did usually speak some english, but the non-language faculty, and people at local business did not have much english skills. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student that is goal oriented and studying abroad for academic reasons. Many students were not studying with full academic focus and missed fully exploiting great opportunities. |
