Students’ Testimonials

The summer school provided me with the chance of working and learning among people from different continents gave me some first hand experience about what I am going to face through my studies in an international university. Another reason why this program was good for me was its lecturers. Not only they were some of the best professors of the SPbPU but also we got some lecturers from industry which provided us with some practical knowledge which cannot be found in any books. Besides we had the chance to be in one of the most beautiful cities of the world, Saint Petersburg. Words cannot convey the experience we had in this city.

Going to summer school is not only about the in-class experience. I am so glad I decided to go to summer school and I am very grateful to every single one who made my experience at SPbPU this summer so extremely awesome. Students of all levels should be able to attend the “Doing Business in Russia” program, however, also further advanced students will get a great and broad insight into the Russian market and economy from Russian professionals and their personal experiences. I will long look back at the memories I created there with a smile on my face and definitely recommend everybody to take the chance and experience the same!

I’ve been studying Russian for several years, and I needed practicing it with native speakers. Besides, I wanted to know more about society, politics, culture, and arts of Russia. I very much liked the practical and theoretical Russian Language classes; I also enjoyed the lectures on the history of art and politics, as well as the exciting trips we had during the program. It was wonderful to study in such a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, and our teachers are true professionals. We had lots of useful exercises and speaking clubs, and all this has helped me to significantly improve my language skills. In addition, I’ve got many new friends here, and the tutors helped us to know more about the city, I am extremely thankful for this experience!

I was very happy to take the Molecular Gastronomy course at SpbPU last summer. It was very interesting to talk about gastronomy with friends from all over the world and taste dishes of Russian cuisine. Looking forward to more students taking this course!

This summer in Saint Petersburg has been quite a life-changing experience. I have always loved everything related to space programs and space communications, and this course has shown me a really interesting approach to this field. Above all, I loved the internationality of the course, which has allowed me to make very useful acquaintances.

The Summer School gave me a great insight into the field of ERP Systems and SAP. I liked the small classes and cozy learning atmosphere. Moreover, I benefitted a lot from the intercultural atmosphere by communicating with the other international students attending the summer school program. A lot of great events and trips were planned by the university, so that we could experience St. Petersburg to the fullest. St Petersburg is a great and beautiful city with a lot of sights, restaurants, cafes and bars to visit. It's got an amazing culture and I will never regret my decision to have participated in the SPbPU Summer School Program. I can definitely recommend it!

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. 

The whole program exceeded my initial expectations. The courses I followed were well structured and the teachers well prepared. I feel like I gained much knowledge and will certainly help my curriculum and my university studies. Saint Petersburg has amazed me in terms of its greatness: the historical buildings are richly decorated and full of history. I have nothing but dear memories from this experience and I hope I’ll be able to go back to Saint Petersburg soon!

The university is great, the city is great and for me, people here are really great too! Three weeks what I have learnt is not only the knowledge from SAP program but also the real Russia.

I have to admit that the first impression on Russia is just like the American Journalist in the TV series Как я стал русским . As is known, tanks, bears, of course, and the Водка. Actually all above is not true. The street is clean and sky is blue. There are tanks only for exhibition.

When I started my class, I found my Russian classmates Alexandra had lots of interaction with our teacher Anna. It is open minded. Compared to the classes in my university, students usually listen to teachers without any questions or discussion. Maybe it is our disadvantage. I felt free in the classes and I could ask questions anytime. SPBPU has a long history and there’re many famous professors. Anna showed us how students work with professors to solve the innovated programs and it’s impressive.

Our tutor Nikita, the pretty boy showed us a lot of amazing places which usually tourists may not come. We have been to the amusement park. I guess it’s also Russian style. The projects are crazy. I tried the rollercoaster and it felt amazing. It means some kind of achievement to me. Later we saw the gulf of Finland and the new skyscraper. It will be a new Petersburg. I really expect to come back and witness the changes happening here.

I really love you, SPB and people who lives here!

I would like to thank you for making the Polytechnic summer school, July 2017, a very memorable and productive event. That was made very professional in every aspect from the very beginning to the end. It was motivating opportunity and will be remembered by the participants for a long time. Thanks again!

Summer School of Russian Studies in SPbPU was one of the best decisions I made this summer! Having the opportunity to visit Russia allowed me to learn the Russian language, culture and history.

I came away with a much greater appreciation for a country that doesn’t get much publicity. In particular, SPbPU was a great host university. From arranging to receive us from the airport to ensuring we are settled into our accommodation, SPbPU made us feel very welcome in a very foreign land. The White Nights programme was planned really well, as we had a very experienced language tutor in class, as well as a very knowledgeable guide who accompanied us for all the ‘field trips’.

We were treated to visits to places such as the Hermitage, Peterhof Palace, and they even arranged for us to see the opening of the iconic drawbridges at night! Lastly, for such a complete experience in St Petersburg, SPbPU ensured that it was all kept really affordable, especially so when compared to other summer study programmes elsewhere. Would definitely recommend this programme to others!

IM was a course that I was looking long time to learn, and I did it in Russia. I really enjoyed the classes, not only the one that I focused at the beginning... I enjoyed all of them, particularly the class of Russian Civilization and its Architecture, where after a few trips to Saint Petersburg, I could understand the meaning and have more information about some buildings that I saw daily before.

I participated in the Polytechnic University 2017 summer school "3D design and digital fabrication" project. I designed and used 3d printer to produce a nautilus-shaped lantern. My life in the school was very exciting. The Chinese people particularly like eating, so my Chinese teammates and I cooked a lot in the kitchen. We also share our Chinese food with students from other countries. All of us spent a very happy time together. During my spare time, I visited the Hermitage, Peter Paul fortress and other attractions. I like history, so I enjoyed the various museums in St. Petersburg. I am very grateful to the Polytechnic University for giving me the opportunity to come to Russia to communicate with people from different countries. I am very grateful to my teachers - Yulianna, Simon and Sergei for teaching me patiently. I am very grateful to Darina, Sasha, Nikita for taking care of my life.

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!

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!

First of all, I like Russian language, it is very melodic for me, that is why I came here. Secondly, I am studying Power Engineering, and a huge part of the Polish energy industry is connected with Russia. So I am sure that in future I’ll use my Russian language skills effectively. For me the most interesting part of the program was the Speaking club, because there we were talking only in Russian. Since my level is not very high yet, it was quite challenging for me not to switch to English and to speak Russian as much as possible. We discussed different topics and it was indeed very practical, I enjoyed my time in St.Petersburg a lot!

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!

My experience in the course was amazing and unforgettable. The professors are great professionals. The classes were amusing and dynamic. The coordinators were always there helping. The entire course was a lot more vivid in such a city as Saint Petersburg. Also my classmates were all great people from all over the world. With them, it was more enjoyable touring the city. I would recommend this summer school to everyone!

My teacher told us about the Summer School of Russian Studies at SPbPU describing it as an outstanding experience. Frankly, I decided to take part in it out of curiosity. And then I really liked it! Russian language classes were very important for me to improve my speaking skills, also they helped me feel your language better. Apart from the Russian language course I have taken an elective Russian Business Culture course which I truly enjoyed too! I think, the module is very well organized, we had many lessons and field trips, we learnt a lot, but we also had the time to walk around the city, explore it and see lots of beautiful spots. Architecture of St. Petersburg is so inspiring! I would like to work with Russian language, probably to connect my future career with some international company, or to work in a Consulate, that is why I plan not to stop on what I achieved but to move further.

I absolutely love Russian language, and it was very important for me to study in SPbPU! The classes about the Russian Art and Culture were great. We learnt about the history, traditions and customs of Russia, as well as about politics and some social aspects. What is more, we had the chance to see Russia as insiders. I think that during this Summer School I could understand Russia in a rather good way. I am interested in International relations and I would really like to work in this country, so I hope to use my Russian language skills in this sphere in future.