Massive mathematical input from a serious mathematical culture Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

You'll probably find the courses much more intense than what you've had in the States, unless you're from one of the very best universities. The lack of other commitments also allowed me to take a large load of rather advanced courses, some at the graduate level, which wouldn't have happened back home. There were no sub-par professors, and extremely small class sizes are a definite plus. The courses also cover a reasonably broad swathe of modern pure math, but leave out advanced analysis, probability, partial differential equations, logic and set theory, and any courses that might pay direct attention to current research. That's probably to be expected at this level. It seems the Budapest program, the only other of this type, offers a wider range of courses, but very few of them are more advanced.

On-site administration of your program

It's very hands-off. There are a few trips organized for you, which aren't really worth paying for rather than planning on your own. It would've been nice to have more educational extracurricular activities: talks on research topics, graduate school, etc. were entirely missing.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

This rating is strongly influenced by the incredible cheapness of the Russian dorm: we paid something less than $150 a month! There's a kitchen near your room, largely unequipped, but you get a full-sized refrigerator!-and linen service is provided. On the other hand, the beds are awful, you have kitchen cleanup duty every few weeks, and you'll get chastised by the guard if you come home after 1 a.m. Oh, but there's a cat! She's the best!

Being vegetarian in an extremely meat-friendly culture, I didn't eat out too frequently, though there are several good (but not cheap) veggie options in Moscow. The groceries can be astoundingly cheap. I think there are large subsidies for things like carrots, beets, potatoes, and cabbage, which you can get for 10 or 15 cents a pound, while a loaf of bread might only cost a quarter. Moscow's also quickly getting more amenable to certain Anglo tastes like peanut butter. There's a good lunch at the school every weekday for about 5 bucks, which might give you some ideas for Russian cooking: definitely experiment with their diverse array of dairy products.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It's kind of unfair to rate the program on this, because it's not their fault I don't speak Russian. But, since the program is all in English and the courses are all with other Americans and Canadians, and because furthermore the non-MathInMoscow people on your floor will be European exchange students, you'll have to go out of your way to make Russian friends. I didn't spend time with any Russians other than my professors, though those were rather friendlier than most of my American ones have been.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Not really an issue for me, but they'll give you insurance, and there's an American and a European medical center in Moscow filled with English-speaking doctors. I had to go once to get some tests done, and it was no different than visiting a Western doctor.

I never felt threatened for a moment in Moscow, at any time of day. The place is downright lousy with cops, and furthermore has only the sparsest scattering of beggars, who are mostly old ladies, so that petty crime seems quite rare.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I spent less than $50/week on groceries, less than $20/week on the metro, and even only $30/week on housing. Your life will be incredibly cheap if you aren't a big drinker, though in the latter case be prepared for bars that in many cases imitate New York's.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The Russian was optional and not integrated into any of the mathematical content. I didn't mind much-the program is for math, not for Russian.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• Courses
• Instructors
• Fellow students

• Extracurriculars
• Interaction with Russian students