18 reviews
3.88 / 5 based on 18 reviews
Useful |
0
Jennifer L
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I worked, but it was illegal/cash in hand work
Personal spending habits
Belarus is incredibly cheap in comparrison to American costs. There is a huge economical difference. In addition, there's not much of a selection of things to spend money on there
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Overall, Travel, Housing, Nightlife, Telephone, Food:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Useful |
4
Jennifer L
Languages
Language of instruction: Russian
Was learning Russian a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Russian
How much did you improve your Russian?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
Two languages are spoken in Belarus, Belarusian and Russian. I studied both. My classes were mostly in Russian and Russian is the language mainly spoken in Minsk. In addition I studied Belarusian but didn't really use it in day to day life
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Useful |
9
Jennifer L
Overall
I wish I had known...
Nothing that I can think of.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
They are not accustomed to having many foreign students except from a few select neighboring countries. They were completely unprepared for me and so I had to initiate a lot of things myself.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Living in Minsk was a wonderful experience. Life there is not easy and they take their academic studies quite seriously so you really need to work if you are going to keep up. The Belarusian people are wonderful and really made my stay there worth-while.
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Useful |
3
Jennifer L
Academic
Course recommendations
Minsk State Linguistic University was very flexible in the courses that it conducted for international students. I needed Political Science courses and they meet that need.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Studying in Minsk can be anything you make it. You have to make the effort and express your needs and desires, they will accommodate you.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
3
Jennifer L
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife, Activities, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Belarus is a pretty repressed society and there are not a lot of nightclubs or bars to go to, besides much of the local population can't afford to spend money on things like that. You can however buy beer on any corner and just walk around the streets or sit in the park with your friends and your drinks!
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Useful |
5
Jennifer L
Housing
Type of housing: With a family
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: With a family
Why?
I had such wonderful experiences living with a family that I wouldn't change anything. I made friends which will last a lifetime and learned much more about the culture than I ever could have done on my own!
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Personal comments
I was initially placed in a dormatory for foreign students which I didn't like at all. It was dirty, far from the University and I had to share a bathroom and a kitchen. Had I stayed there I would have had to buy all of my own dishes and cook all my own meals. A friend's family asked me to come and live with them for the year and it turned out to be a brilliant arrangement.
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