Louis Van Soye, 比利时 

布鲁塞尔自由大学

Hi everyone! My name is Louis. I’m 21 years old student. In Belgium I study translation from Russian and from English into French in Free University of Brussels.

I started studying Russian three years ago and decided to be an exchange student at Volgograd State University as part of my third year.

What I liked very much about studies was the free choice of classes: if I wanted to study the morphology of modern Russian, law, economics, translation and so on, I could attend these classes. I suppose that such a wide range of opportunities will provide new perspectives in future.

In Belgium, I’ve heard that in Moscow or St. Petersburg people often speak English or French and if a student wants to speak and understand Russian, it is better to choose Volgograd as a city where university classes are always for Russian students, where foreigners can speak Russian at any time.  

In the beginning it was very difficult for me to understand what was going on in the classroom, what homework I had. But this is the reason for progress, I think. I I've moved to a new level of Russian language proficiency.

The student life here is very dynamic and active. During my exchange there were many student’s events such as "Miss VolSU", "Mr. VolSU". I liked such student meetings very much, because I could get acquainted with Russian students outside the classrooms.

It was a very good experience and I’ve made a lot of new friends! 

Thibault Perret, 法国

勃艮第大学

My name is Thibault. I am an undergraduate French student in Bachelor, and I was in exchange for a year at the Volgograd State University (from September 2018 to June 2019). When I came to Volgograd in September, I knew this was the place for me. This is a pleasant and historic city. After having spent 4 months in a student dormitory, I moved to a host family. It's a great opportunity to discover a new way of life. That made me fall in love even more with the Russian language, people and culture. I didn't go through the preparatory courses in the Summer-school because I had already started to learn Russian 2 years ago in my country at the university.

I directly integrated a group of Russian students at the start of the new term in September and I attended to the same classes like them. It's very thrilling to experience such an immersion into a new culture.

Alexandre Favresse, 比利时

布鲁塞尔自由大学

VolSU is an excellent university for studying Russian language. Indeed, studying here gave me the opportunity to attend classes in Russian and communicate with native speakers. This is an unique opportunity to plunge into language studies. Teachers here are really understanding and qualified. They evaluated me according to my abilities. I recommend this university to those who really want to study, because the required level is high and the amount of work is significant.                                     

Uma Togora, 马里, 非洲

My name is Uma, I'm a foreign student from Mali. I am a fourth-year student at Volgograd State University. Our university has experienced teachers who respect students and their opinion. I also like the schedule, I have plenty of free time for my personal life. You can find all the study materials in the university library. There are also plenty of computer rooms in the university campus where you can study between classes. So I can say that the organization and quality of the training are pretty good. As an international student, I have always had the help of teachers and other students in my group. I really liked the way we studied together in the group. The university has a dormitory where both Russian and foreign students live.

My favorite expressions in Russian are: слава Богу, точно, вообще, все равно, блин!  By the way, I use these words even when I talk to my family and friends from Mali. In the beginning they didn't understand what I was saying, but now they are used to that.

Piao Hongyan, 中国

吉林大学

Hi! My name is Piao Hongyan and I’m a student from China. I’d been studying here for 1 year. For the very beginning it was really hard for me to live and study here. Now I think it was a very good and unforgettable experience in my whole life! When I was studying in China my Russian wasn’t good. I couldn’t express my opinion it was too hard for me. But when I had arrived to Russia my speaking and listening skills got better. I’ve made a lot of new friends and I loved to speak with them in Russian! I really liked the professors here. They are competent, responsible and kind. I already miss the University, my Russian friends and even sunsets!

Since I had to work on my project, I didn't attempt any classes at VolSU. That means that I mostly communicated with the International Office of VolSU, that provided great assistance with all kinds of bureaucracy matters. Small meetings for foreign students were often organised and they allowed me to meet with some russian students whom I became good friends with. In other words, VolSU really values its foreign students and it shows. The russian students I met there are all very curious and patient and I felt welcomed. This kindness and patience encouraged me to practice my russian and to improve it.

I am grateful for this experience!

I think I was very well received by the university. Not only at the student welcome evening, where I was able to meet other Russian and foreign students, but also from the very first day, when a volunteer picked me up at the airport so that I wouldn't get lost the day I arrived in this city I didn't know at all.

The International office was also very kind to me, they kept contact with me throughout my entire stay to make sure everything was OK, and they were always helpful with me whenever there was a problem I had to deal with. They also organized some very interesting meetings and events, that allowed me to discover the city and the Russian culture.

All this made my experience in Volgograd even more enjoyable and worthwhile!