Testimonials

I attended summer school with my classmates back in July 2016 and it was an unforgettable experience! I truly enjoyed myself, from touring the city of St. Petersburg, soaking in the sights, admiring the palaces, gawking at the views, even the lessons itself were amazing thanks to the professor. I will definitely recommend this summer school programme to my friends. Thank you SPbPU for this opportunity!

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 time at Polytechnic University of Saint Petersburg was an all-out amazing experience. From start to finish I was surrounded by wonderful people. Upon arrival at the airport I had all the help I could ask for by one of the students of the university. This led to an immediate feeling of ease. From the first day of the course up until the last our class was taken good care off. The start in the impressive main building was organized in great fashion, and after the introduction we had a little general information which all proved to be very useful. To end the day there was a little pub quiz which led to a lot of people being able to come together and form friendships. The teacher was an expert in her course and made the lessons very easy to pick up on. The cultural program was interesting as well, the ability to visit the Hermitage with its seemingly endless works of art and the astonishing Winter Palace. The lovely people who organized everything for us even ended up joining my group of friends for a birthday dinner/drink. After that we even went out for dinner multiple times during our stay and this sort of feeling that you’re more a group of friends than students/organizers made my stay and that of my fellow students unforgettable. All in all I can not recommend people enough to take the chance to attend a summer or winter school event and have the opportunity to meet the most amazing people from the school itself and your fellow students who attend the courses.

There isn't nuclear engineering in bachelor level in Finland, and as I was aiming to work in nuclear industry, Nuclear Engineering Summer School in Saint Petersburg was easy choice for me. In lectures I got lots of theoretical knowledge about nuclear physics and reactors to support my practical knowledge. Lectures weren’t too formal and they had a great atmosphere, it was easy to ask more from professors and they were willing to answer. Volunteers from university also did great job guiding and helping us, who mostly didn’t know the Russian language. Our group with multiple nationalities had great time sightseeing Saint Petersburg together. I made new friends and almost learned Cyrillic letters too!

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.