Report on my study at Saint Petersburg State University
Study Programme
In the past semester I have been a regular student at the Russian SPbU (Saint Petersburg State University). My study programme consisted of following that semesters master courses of the International Trading System master at the economics faculty. Though I was an
International Relations student, these courses were on enough of my level to understand and participate well in the study course, as well as use some International Relations knowledge that helped me in many if the exams. The level of education is certainly lower than that of our universities, but that can be said for many classes that can be taken by international students.
Language
I had decided not to take any Russian language classes, as all of my classes were in English and I already knew enough Russian to get around without much difficulty, besides, learning a language takes years of dedication and since Russian was not required for my study program or me as an individual I opted instead to take more time to learn the culture, visit landmarks and Russian cultural institutes in Saint Petersburg.
Finance
Financial preconditions for Russia are certainly less pressing than others, especially because the rouble is currently quite weak against the euro, which greatly increases your mobility and possibilities to explore Russia. Not only that but local Russian goods and services are much cheaper due to their low minimum wage, as the facilities in the dormitories were generally rather bad, especially the stove, I spent a considerable amount of my available budget on eating out with friends I met there.
Preparation and contact with the faculty
I had quite a lot of time to prepare for my stay in Saint Petersburg as I pushed it back a semester at first, the contact went well and Natalia who is the mobility coordinator was always quick to respond to my messages and very helpful in finding solutions to the issues I faced, especially at the end when a professor was very uncooperative in giving me my grade as something had gone wrong with the exam Natalia helped me through a long process of putting pressure on the professor to be able to get my grade in the end.
Housing
There are two main options when you go to SPbU for housing, you join the Internationals student dormitories on Vasilevskiy island, which is located on the far western part of the city, or you find your own apartment to share with other in the city centre. As the rent for the dormitories was some 4000-5000 roubles per months, about 60 euros, I opted to stay in
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the dormitories for the entirety of my stay as this would allow me to travel more and experience more of Russia. The dormitories had sorts of rooms, modernised ones and older ones, I stayed in an older one with faulty kitchen appliances, a relatively unclean bathroom and worn out furniture and wallpaper. I would highly suggest immediately asking to be put in a modernised room at the start of your exchange as these are in much better condition, though the kitchen appliances tend to be just as faulty.
Culture
Saint Petersburg is often referred to as the cultural capital of Russia, having long been the capital of the Russian empire. The Hermitage State Museum (which I could visit free of charge) is one of the best museums in the world and much of the city is adorned with the most fabulous Italian architecture of the late 18th and 19th centuries. The Russians of Saint Petersburg tend to think of themselves as cultured as well and a lot of the harshness one would expect going to Russia is simply not present with the people you find there. They are generally willing to make conversation if you show interest and you can find plenty Russians in the many coffee shops and bars dotting the inner city.
Free Time
I was quite in luck that most of my classes were very late at night, so that I had the day to explore the amazing city that is Saint Petersburg. There are a variety of museums and cultural hotspots around the incredibly big city centre, from New Holland island to the museums and sports centres of petrogradskiy and of course the famous Mariinsky theatre where they almost on the daily have fantastic operas, dramas and concerto’s. The night-life is great, though the nightlife culture is still quite young in Russia you have some amazing bars to spend your evenings at, if you get tired of Saint Petersburg, you might as well be tired of life.
Travelling
I did quite some travelling when my school schedule allowed me, having classes on Saturday limited my mobility to travel on the weekends but I managed to visit Murmansk (The
northernmost city in the world), Pskov, Moscow, Estonia and all the suburbs of Saint Petersburg and would have done more if the timing would have allowed it. I highly recommend Pskov as it is a beautiful small town with an amazing Kremlin and an ancient monastery with well-preserved Byzantine fresco’s.
