Testimonials

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.

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!

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.

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.

I have participated in the module “Global Entrepreneurship”. Teachers really motivated us to work on our own project. During this project we learned how design thinking works and we got inspired on how to develop entrepreneurial thinking. Our team had people from France, Russia, Italy, China and Germany. So we got a great experience of working in international team and learned to see where we have our strengths and how we can support each other to get better. So it was a great adventure for me! Also Saint-Petersburg is a very beautiful city and the campus has the great location with all the parks around which makes it a perfect place to work and study. Thank you very much to all who have organized this course!