139 reviews
4.35 / 5 based on 139 reviews

Useful |
2
Stefan B
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife, Travel, Activities: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Moscow is such a great city with many oppertunities. Consequently, it is hard to name just one night spot or cafe. Best would be that people planning a stay in Moscow just send me an email: stefan.baumgartner@gmx.at
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Useful |
0
Stefan B
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Home university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Because the dormitory is not a very nice place...
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Useful |
5
Stefan B
Overall
I wish I had known...
As I accurately prepared my stay in Moscow there did not occur any unexpected circumstances.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
You should know Russian at an adequate level, you should be prepared for extreme bureaucracy, long winters and sometimes unfriendly people! But you can expect having a great time of your life if you cope with the characteristics of this special country!
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
You should try to find a community of Russians and internationals, but you should preferably speak Russian with both groups. Especially internationals you should choose very carefully, as there are many foreigers in Russia who think they are better than Russians and are not disposed to cope with Russian (inconvenient) characteristics. But if you just meet such people you won't experience this fantastic country.
If you have some time left you should try to find an internship in Russia as it gives you the chance to collect some (Russian) work experience!
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Useful |
3
Stefan B
Academic
Course recommendations
Not all teachers are prepared to work with internationals. Just a few are pleased about the fact that there are some internationals, others are the opposite of pleased about that fact...;-)
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course

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0
Stefan B
Languages
Language of instruction: Russian
Was learning Russian a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Russian
How much did you improve your Russian?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The most important reason for me going to Moscow was the chance to improve my Russian. I did a lot of preparation before the semester in my home country. In Moscow I very rarely used English as I knew that the only chance to improve my Russian is that I speak Russian in any situation and not just a few phrases I already knew.
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Useful |
0
Stefan B
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Government assistance
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Especially nightlife is horribly expensive...
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Nightlife, Overall, Food, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Travel:
was the same price as at home.
Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items