Testimonials

In late February, Saint Petersburg’s magnificent streets, colourful facades, and its cultural as well as its (particularly lively, I must say) nightlife are shrouded in wintry magic, and the Nordic vibes of the city are so cosy that they give you the feeling you’ve just stepped into a different dimension of the existence. That alone is so overwhelmingly beautiful that you’d think that this city just can’t offer much more than that.

Well, you’d be wrong, as I discovered while attending the Winter School in Russian language and Culture organised by Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University – one of the city’s oldest and most prestigious academic centres.

I enrolled out of curiosity. I wanted to brush up on my Russian and didn’t really expect much of the program, but, turns out, I was surprised right from the start. One of the best things about this experience was the highly professional staff – the teachers are well-trained, widely read, energetic and ready to answer any question you might come up with, whether it is about the Russian Dative, Dostoyevsky or the history of the city. For someone interested in art and history, the afternoon sessions will be delightful. The teachers are knowledgeable and eloquent, and the program coordinator makes sure you have everything you need to enjoy the time you’re spending there. It was, overall, an unforgettable experience, which successfully combined studying, sightseeing, and having fun!

Thank you all for working so hard and making it possible!

My experience in the course was amazing and unforgettable. The professors are great professionals. The classes were amusing and dynamic. The coordinators were always there helping. The entire course was a lot more vivid in such a city as Saint Petersburg. Also my classmates were all great people from all over the world. With them, it was more enjoyable touring the city. I would recommend this summer school to everyone!

I followed the summer school "OPEN YOUR MIND TO RUSSIA" in 2013, it was a well organized mix of lectures and social program. The social program shows us the most important and famous historical and cultural heritage like Peterhof and the Hermitage, but also the life in St. Petersburg nowadays. The lectures gave me a good overview about the history and culture of Russia. Moreover I got a good impression of the develop of the Russian economy. The knowledge which I gain during this two week program was very helpful for my further studying, especially for my class in "International Business and Cultural Diversity". I really like to get in contact with people from other countries therefore it was a great opportunity and I could extend my international network.

SPbPU Summer School of Russian Studies happened to be exactly the one that I was looking for! I wanted to boost my Russian language skills and at the same time discover St. Petersburg. So I decided to join 2 modules: I combined a week of General Russian with 3 weeks of Russian Language for Business Communication. In fact I enjoyed both of them, and I think they were equally useful for me. “Speak as a Professional” provided me with specific knowledge, specific terminology and expressions from professional speech. On the other hand, the General Russian course was just as important because if a person wants to speak a language properly, he or she has to be fluent in different fields. For me as a translator this Summer School was an extremely valuable experience, I think the skills I obtained will be useful for my job. What is most important, all my efforts paid off: in the end of the module I successfully passed the TORFL II Exam, so I am happy and extremely grateful to SPbPU for such a high quality of programs!

Awesome time with awesome people. After spending just one night at home, those three weeks in the city of Saint Petersburg seemed as a dream. From the first moment the team which organized the event made me feel more than welcome. I arrived to the city at midnight. Even in that situation someone come to the airport to receive me with a smile. I learn so much. Not only in class but also thanks to my mates of adventure. All of us came from different countries and have different culture. The variability of thoughts enriched myself. At class we really had a wonderful atmosphere and classes were interactive and interesting. What I enjoyed the most from the program were the complementary activities. I would really recommend this experience to everybody. Thank you all for the great time I had!