Testimonials

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 has been the best summer for me. The course was just for 3 weeks but I have learnt a lot in those 3 weeks and met people from all around the world. We all hung out in the night talking about people and culture. We went around the city and cover all the most awesome places in the city. Thanks to the teachers for being very understanding and patient. They taught us with understanding of our background and made the course very fun. St.Petersburg was awesome. Dasvidanya Russia. Hope to come back again

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.

Hello everyone, I am Yibing Zhao from Tsinghua University, Beijing. I was in the program 'Doing Business in Russia' of International Polytechnic Winter School in 2019. This two-week experience in Saint-Petersburg left me an extraordinary memory and many take-aways. In classes, we learned the Russian history, economic and social development, as well as the Russian business environment and entrepreneurship. The well-arranged schedule enriched this short program by guiding us to Pushkin and Hermitage and the field trips to factories. Saint Petersburg fascinated me with its beautiful scenery and abundant cultural heritages, and left me no reason for not coming and visiting again.

I had the opportunity to make summer school first where I discovered SPB as well as the university. It was amazing experience of 3 weeks which make me follow the IBS program then. During IBS semester I could notice the high work experience from teachers and I was really happy with the fact that any help could be provided by administrative offices or by the teachers themselves! To conclude, following my studies in SPB was a great and an amazing experience that still keep helping me in my work or studies in my native country and I'm now able to understand better this wonderful Eastern culture!