Testimonials
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!
Saint Petersburg is really a magical city with beautiful scenery, wonderful palaces and enthusiastic people. Located in such a gorgeous place, surrounded with really nice natural environment, Polytech University is surely a wonderful place to study. What's more, the professors and teachers are excellent in their fields. Thanks for this chance to visit Polytech, and the chance to fall in love with the city!
The integration of cultural and academic activities were very fitting for the "Open your mind to Russia" course. The elements of Russian language, history, and business culture come alive in the contexts that St. Petersburg and it surroundings provide. My views of Russia and its values have changed as much as could be expected from a three-week program, due to the flexibility of the programme both in and outside the classroom. Exceeding the formalities of the programme, the uniquely internation composition of the student population, spanning east and west, offers a remarkable environment reflecting the international position of Russia.
It was an amazing experience where I learnt to explore a different city and tested my limits. Living in a city with majority of outsiders speaking a foreign language was really interesting with only the warmth of the people pulling us through amid the cold days.
The reasons that underpinned my decision to take part in the summer school were the international outlook of the program, the involvement of leading professors in the educational process, the visit to industrial facilities and the chance to be exposed to the Russian culture in a vibrant city as Saint-Petersburg. I am delighted that all professors, as I expected, were very knowledgeable, open-minded and positively-oriented, and also very eager to transfer their knowledge in a non-traditional (more interactive) way. Furthermore, the visit of some large electricity generation (Rosenergoatom, the branch of Leningradskaya NPP) and turbine manufacturing (REP Holding) sites was undoubtedly a cornerstone in terms of providing additional added value to the program. In addition, for the positive outcome of the school contributed the big variety of cultural activities organized during the stay. For instance, the excursions to the world-renowned The State Hermitage Museum and Peterhof Palace, and the boat trip along the Neva river were absolutely marvelous. Last but not least, all program coordinators were extremely supportive and always ready to help throughout the entire program, which has made the stay even more delightful. So this is my impression of the summer school in a nutshell. Hopefully, it will suit your needs. Please let me know if there is anything else that I have forgotten. Also, I believe that this type of international programmes are not only about acquiring new knowledge, experiencing the life in a new country with a different culture, but also about establishing new professional contacts. Hence, I am hoping that we will manage to keep our contacts successfully in the future as well. Since I don't have all the contacts of your university colleagues who have been involved in the summer school (and I don't want to miss anyone), please say hello to them from me. Lastly, I wish you a great success to all your current and future endeavours.