Testimonials

Sami Wehbe

The summer school was an excellent experience and I am very grateful that Polytech gave me the opportunity to experience Russia firsthand and make my dream of learning Russian possible on a scholarship. I made so many close friends there and got to visit so many different cultural sites that I would not have visited otherwise. The most amazing thing that I witnessed there was the White nights. A great thank you to everyone who made the summer school possible and for providing me with a perspective of Russia that I would not have gotten otherwise.

Sami Wehbe, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Qatar (Summer School 2015, module “Exploring the Russian Heritage”)
Daniele Cortesi

It was a wonderful experience, which I would do again, surely. Landscapes and city that, covered by snow, had a magical side. I appreciated the various activities offered by the university and the volunteers, always available and friendly.

Daniele Cortesi, University of Bergamo (Winter School 2019 “Turbomachinery”)
Joseph McGovern

The summer school was highly enjoyable. I met some wonderful people and became acquainted with the incredible city of St. Petersburg. I very much valued the experience of being immersed in the Russian culture as well as talking with people from all over the world. I remain in awe of the city's history, design and philosophy and remember my time at the summer school fondly. 

Joseph McGovern, King's College London, UK (Summer School 2018 “Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion”)
Ricardo Muñoz Nafría

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!

Ricardo Muñoz Nafría, translator in “Trivago”, Spain (Summer School 2017, modules “Speak as a Professional” and “Exploring the Russian Heritage”)
Sandhya Pavalavannan

Hi, it's been a great time after the winter school. Now I am pursuing my postgraduate course. So far I have attended few interviews in my undergraduate level and the international exposure that I gained from the winter school has made me stand out of the crowd. Attending the winter school is definitely one of the mile stone in my career. We actually got international industrial knowledge about our sector. Interacting with other international students provided us with various knowledge aspects. We are immensely thankful for the warm hospitality and service provided by the program organizers. Fun filled learning, industrial trips, training by real industrial faculty, interactive sessions were the key point of the program. St. Petersburg weather is one which we couldn't resist talking about. On the whole the winter school program has carved unforgettable memories and knowledge in us.

Sandhya Pavalavannan, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, India (Winter School 2019 “Civil Engineering”)