low quality disorganized education but good alone time! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2019 to 12/15/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Moscow

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I got valuable alone time

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Most of the professors did not care at all about us- it felt like our class was an easy extra thing they did to make a little money instead of an opportunity to teach foreign students about Russia

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was incredibly disorganized- we almost didn't get our visas in time! Everything was scheduled very last minute and created a ton of stress for us

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a dorm and it was fine!

* Food:

I made all my own food

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living in a dorm of international students made it really hard to practice Russian and integrate

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

n/a

* Safety:

I never felt unssafe

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I would direct enroll

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

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

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 40
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? saving on going out to eat

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? russian 202
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? live with a host family to practice

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • living in a dorm
  • taking a direct enrolment class
* What could be improved?
  • organization
  • quality of Middlebury's offered classes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? that grades were so arbitrary- i stressed out too much at the beginning

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

History of Post Soviet Russia

Course Department: RGU
Instructor: Sergey
Instruction Language: Russian
Comments: I liked this class! It was interesting lecture! We didn't have any work and final grades felt very arbitrary, but I learned a lot from sitting in class
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Soviet Literature

Course Department: RGU
Instructor: Bit-Yunan
Instruction Language: Russian
Comments: This class was really difficult to talk in and the professor did not do a good job of allowing less advanced students to speak without pressure. There was also a weird flirtatious energy with one of the students which felt very inappropriate.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Russian Painting of the Late 18th to Early 19th Centuries

Course Department: HSE
Instructor: Anna Lvovna
Instruction Language: Russian
Comments: This was a direct enrolment class and I loved it! I learned so much from these lectures and the professor was very acommodating.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Grammar Level 2

Course Department: HSE
Instructor: Igray Uchi
Instruction Language: Russian
Comments: It was really boring and we were assigned way too much work, but it was all incredibly tedious and easy
Credit Transfer Issues: no