Denis Maldonado, Ecuador. "When I was a child, I saw a strange script on the building of the Russian embassy and wanted to know what it says".
Going to study in Russia, Denis Dayanara Maldonado packed a suitcase full of warm clothes. Her friends told her: prepare yourself, otherwise you will get frostbite on your nose or feet. But when Denis arrived in Tomsk, she experienced a real Siberian summer. It turned out that it could be no less hot than in her native Ecuador.
Now Denis is in her third year of studying biology at the Tomsk State University. She recalls that it was so difficult to be alone in a completely different country and without knowing either Russian or English, that she even wanted to return home during her second week in Tomsk. But the girl didn't give up. She always wanted to study in Russia.
"I liked the Russian language since I was a child, because the Russian Embassy in Ecuador was not far from my home. When I was a little girl, I saw strange and unclear letters on that building, and I was very curious what was written there. After my brothers finished their studies, my sister and mom decided that I would go to a university in Russia. They saw that I was very interested in the idea, and I was happy to get such a terrific opportunity. If a chance like this comes along, you have to take it right away, because you don't know when such an opportunity may arise again".
Despite her difficulties with the language, Denis is actively integrating into the Tomsk life. For example, one of her favorite local holidays is Maslenitsa. The young lady says it reminds her of Ecuadorian holidays.
"In Ecuador there is a similar custom of burning a straw man, but we do it only on New Year's Eve. I also like that on Maslenitsa they cook delicious pancakes, hold funny games and sing beautiful songs while wearing Russian national costumes".
Everyone has long been accustomed to studying as part of an international exchange, but why should a foreigner go to study in Russian regions unknown to him, rather than in the capital's universities? The answer is in the quality of education at local universities.
For example, Novosibirsk and Tomsk have been included in the global "Top 100" of the world’s best universities according to the QS World University Rankings. Presence of these two Siberian cities in the ranking is logical. Both are centers of scientific knowledge. Both have historically attracted talented people from all over the world.
Carlos Tizwi, Zimbabwe. "Instead of Siberia, I imagined a vast snowfield with a train running through it".
According to surveys, every eighth resident of Tomsk is a student at a local university. One of them is Carlos Tizwvi, who came from Zimbabwe to study Mechatronics and Robotics at the Tomsk State University.
Carlos says that he has always dreamed of studying abroad. However, he honestly admits that he never imagined that he would come to Russia rather than to a European country.
"I still had a negative image of Siberia. I had a picture in front of my eyes of and what I saw on the National Geographic channel: an enormous white snowy field and a train running through it. I started googling Tomsk and read that it was a student city. I thought it would be interesting to see it”.
It was a little easier for the African than for our friend Denis from Ecuador. One of the official languages of Zimbabwe is English, which is the language of instruction at some universities in Russia. Carlos expected that his knowledge of English would be enough for him. However, he did not take into account that the program he had chosen did not involve studying in a foreign language.
"I had to learn Russian. Before going to Russia, I downloaded an app on my phone and tried to learn the most common phrases. To be honest, when I arrived in Tomsk, it didn't help me much. There was another problem connected with my native language. There are two ethnic groups in Zimbabwe: the Shona and the Ndebele. The Shona, the group I belong to, do not have the letter L in the alphabet. It was very difficult for me to master it, especially the correct pronunciation, a hard or a soft L".
Phuong Mai Le Thi, Vietnam, "I grew up on the works of Leo Tolstoy and Boris Pasternak".
However, not all foreigners have to Google the location of their university. Phuong Mai Le Thi, for example, has been fascinated by Russia since she was a child. She grew up reading the works of Leo Tolstoy and Boris Pasternak. Therefore, when it came time to choose a university, she did not hesitate to go to Siberia, the real hinterland of our country. At the same time, Phuong's love for literature remains, so she had to choose for a long time between studying philology and journalism.
"I decided that in philology you have to read a lot in Russian, and my language skills are not that good. I think that after studying journalism you can become a writer, while after studying philology it is more difficult to become a journalist. In the future, I would like to combine literature and journalism and write analytical work. I would like to tell my feelings, my personal opinion".
The young lady realized that Russia from the books of the late 19th and early 20th centuries does not resemble modern Russia. However, many things in our country's culture still reminded her of literature - for example, the balls that take place at some universities. Separately, Phuong was struck by the fact that many men, regardless of age, hold doors for women.
"There are many positive aspects to this country and this city. In Russia, I feel more comfortable in terms of clothing. I can wear what I want. People won't think I'm weird. Russians also have interesting traditions in food. For example, lard and kvass are very tasty here. I don't like to cook, but I do like shchi and borscht”.
Foreigners who study in Novosibirsk, the second student capital of Siberia, have no fewer tales. The city's largest university, Novosibirsk State University, has been strengthening its position in the QS subject rating year after year. In particular, it is among the top 100 global universities in astronomy and physics.
There is a story of three NSU students from Africa who spoke French but did not know Russian well. They got lost in town and could not find their way to the correct building. Their journey had a happy end: they found a student from Marseille who became their guide.
Alexandre Senninger, France. "I came back to France to finish my education, but I had already decided that I wanted to go to graduate school in Novosibirsk".
Yes, young people even from major European countries come to Russia to study. For example, Alexander Senninger first came to Novosibirsk from the French city of Cergy-Pontoise for a four-month internship. He had a choice between several countries, but it was Russia that he wanted to form his opinion about.
"I chose Novosibirsk to get to know Russia. I felt that I was obliged to see the country with my own eyes, and I was very impressed by how many common perceptions and stereotypes in France did not coincide with my personal experience".
After returning to France, Alexander decided that he wanted to return to Novosibirsk as a graduate student. For this he had to pass a tough oral exam.
"In 2020, I took entrance exams to the university. They consisted of a series of questions in geometry and topology, all master's level. In my opinion, it was a challenging but very useful way of assessing knowledge. I always enjoy exams, so I passed easily and scored a perfect score of 40".
Ema Krieglerova, Slovakia. "You don’t work as hard at the European universities".
Students from neighboring countries also go for quality Russian education. For example, Ema Krieglerova from Slovakia has wanted to go to Russia since childhood to study science. At the same time, Ema is one of the few who did not experience any problems with the Russian language. In her gymnasium, it was one of the compulsory subjects.
"I always wanted to go to a university abroad, I knew about Russia's achievements in science, I knew Russian language and Russian culture quite well, I decided to choose to study there. I listed Novosibirsk university first on my list and chose it because of my desire to study medicine from a scientific point of view".
Ema especially appreciates the teachers. According to her, they are some of the most competent people she has known. She also believes that the system of higher education in Russia is built much more seriously than in Europe.
"Compared to European universities, students are required to do much more work during the semester, which, on the one hand, is useful for absorption of information, but on the other hand, puts a lot of pressure on the psyche of students".
Despite all the difficulties with language, cultural and weather adaptation, all the young people are convinced that Russian education is an important step towards a successful career. It is noteworthy that having studied at universities outside the European part of Russia, young professionals do not always go to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Many stay to work in the regions. Others go to their native countries, because a Russian diploma there is a ticket to a great future.