Stories from Abroad

My internship was so useful and productive for me! A lot has happened in these 4 months actually...
I wanna say that at the moment it was the best time in my life. Also I improve my English skills when communicating with foreigners. And also engineering/technical English related to my specialty Architecture. I believe that studying at this university gave me even more motivation for me. And the professors at this university are real professionals and gurus in their field, who will not only teach and share their experience in the professional field, but also just so good people who are ready to speak heart to heart. Wonderful University! And of course, making new friends from the whole world! It was unforgettable. I am very grateful to the university for this opportunity!
     Difficulties happened in the choice of courses. Initially, the university did not provide a catalog of new courses / disciplines (there were only previous ones). Having chosen all the suitable courses and agreed with the my University teaching staff, later, just before the flight, when all the tickets were bought and the accommodation was paid, a new catalog of courses for the upcoming semester appeared, in which there was not a single discipline that I had chosen before! In my specialty, only 3 courses were given to choose from (I couldn’t choose in another direction, initially the university wrote that it was forbidden to choose courses in other areas), the first of which was for freshmen (initially it didn’t fit anymore, because I’m studying in another course, I they just wouldn’t have registered for it), the second one, which came up and I chose it, and the third course, which I couldn’t take, because the class schedule coincided with the second one. As a result, I received only one course (6 credits) out of the initially selected 4 for studying for a whole semester at a Korean university. It was no longer possible to refuse, because all tickets and accommodation were paid. This problem affected not only me, but other foreigners too! I think that this is a real minus, because I wanted to study more disciplines at this university.

     The visa process took about 2 weeks. To obtain a visa, it was necessary to prepare a certain set of documents, a list of which the embassy provided on the website, and a consular fee of $80.

     The main difficulties in the preparation process arose due to the situation with COVID-19. It was necessary to take into account and compare the time and date of the flight to take PCR tests before departure (no more than 36 hours after the result was issued). Perhaps for most people, a 7-day quarantine will seem like an inconvenience, but for me this time was quite fun and interesting.

     My expenses for academic exchange:
     Visa: $80
     Flight/round trip: ~ 85,500₽
     Contribution for ARC: ~2,000₽
     SIM card for 4 months with unlimited Internet: ~7,500₽
     PCR tests on the territory of the Russian Federation: ~3,000₽
     Private health insurance: ~20,000₽
     Quarantine 7 days: ~60,000₽
     Hostel for 4 months: $ 1,300

The internship was wonderful! Wroclaw is a very beautiful city with many students from all over the world. Studying in international groups helps to broaden your horizons and look at different disciplines from a different angle. Also, a different training system from ours helped me to immerse myself in the process and develop new skills. This internship brought me many new acquaintances, unforgettable moments and, of course, invaluable experience of studying abroad at one of the best universities in Poland.

What difficulties did you have at the stages of preparation for the internship? What tips and recommendations can you give to future participants of the academic mobility program?
I can't say that I faced any difficulties, as the staff of the International Office explained everything clearly to us at every stage of preparation. However, I advise the guys who are going to continue an internship in the future to improve their English, as this is the only way to communicate with teachers, curators and students from different countries. And, of course, do not delay the deadlines for collecting and submitting documents :)
Obtaining a visa. Your advice for future participants of the academic mobility program.
To obtain a visa in a timely manner, it is enough to collect all the documents and bring them to the visa application center, which cooperates directly with the consulate of the country you are applying to. The main document for obtaining a visa (not counting a passport, of course) is an invitation from the university. It is very important to specify deadlines with a margin when applying, so that you have time to get used to the city before starting training, and also have a few days to collect after passing all exams.
Difficulties upon arrival at the host foreign organization? Your advice to future participants of the academic mobility program.
The main advice will be to fulfill all requirements on time and carefully read all the letters from a tutor and the university. We spent a little more time on getting a student card, changes in the curriculum than we could, with a closer study of the letters. It is also important to specify the dates of each subject that you choose. We were faced with the fact that some subjects were simply not taught at the time of our internship, despite the fact that they were in the curricula and were available for selection on the organization's website. But the curator of the host university will help you with all the difficulties.
Expenses related to participation in an exchange semester abroad
Visa ≈ 8,000 ₽
Trip (Irkutsk – Wroclaw) ≈ 30,000 ₽
Deposit in the hostel ≈ 8,000 ₽
Monthly fee in the hostel ≈ 10,000 ₽ (+utilities ≈ 1000))
Products per month ≈ 8,000 ₽
Public transport fare ≈ 40 ₽ per trip
Laundry (on the dorm floor) ≈ 80 ₽ per hour of machine operation
Student card ≈ 400 ₽
The student card gives a discount on travel on trains, commuter trains and public transport (from 30 to 50%)
To reduce costs, you should cook yourself, since the products in Poland are high-quality and inexpensive. The kitchen in the dorm is one per floor, but we almost never encountered the problem of queues. Also, you can safely move around the city by bike, the first 20 minutes are free, and the distances there are not large. (Wroclaw is about the same area as Irkutsk)
And don't forget that in many places a student card will help you save money and give you a discount:)

In October 2021, I submitted my application for the Year of Exchange in America for Russians (YEAR) program. After the selection process, I was nominated as one of the program finalists and received a full scholarship to complete a one-year non-degree study program in the United States. Each year, the program allocates finalists to universities and community colleges across the country. I received a placement at Lower Columbia College (LCC), which is located in Longview, WA. During the YEAR program, I balanced academics, social life, and extracurricular activities. I ranked in the top 10% of students at LCC, was named to the Dean’s List and LCC President’s Honor Roll, and earned an invitation to become a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Additionally, I performed with a college choir at concerts, volunteered in a local community, and traveled. Departing to the U.S., I thought I would only improve my English language skills and expand my outlook, however I have learned and gained a lot in a year. The program has opened a myriad of opportunities for me: professional development and mentoring events, networking opportunities, internships, grant and funding opportunities. However, the most incredible thing the program gave me is people who inspire me to set ambitious goals for the future.

Did you encounter any challenges during the preparation stage?

It was slightly challenging to sel ect courses for the upcoming fall quarter. I was required to register for courses 2 months prior to my departure date, and I needed to sel ect courses that are conducted either in-person or hybrid to comply with the J-1 visa conditions. However, the majority of courses were delivered in an online format at LCC due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, I was required to take one course in American studies each quarter and enroll in courses that are no more than 15 credits in total per quarter to comply with the YEAR program terms and conditions. As a result, I had limited options for course selection.

Visa application process

Program managers sent detailed instructions on how to submit an online application for a J-1 visa on the official website of the U.S. Embassy. A J-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for individuals approved to participate in exchange visitor programs in the USA. YEAR covered costs associated with an online application and SEVIS. Additionally, the program covered the cost of plane tickets and hotel accommodation for finalists residing outside of Moscow because each finalist was required to attend a visa interview in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to receive a J-1 visa.

Did you encounter any challenges upon arrival at a host institution?

No, I did not.

Does the program provide financial support?

The YEAR program covers costs associated with TOEFL and J-1 visa, international travel fr om home city to U.S. host university/college, tuition at U.S. university or college, living expenses, health insurance, international travel fr om U.S. host university/college to home city.

My impressions of the internship...
I liked this Internship. The internship had a good effect on my level of English, at first it was difficult, but then I adapted. I learned a lot of new and relevant information in my specialty, and also improved my level in 3D modeling.
I lived at Sungkyunkwan Second Campus in Suwon City. The territory of the University is very large, everything is well-organized, clean, there is a library where you can come and study when the exams start, the library is open even at night. You can also come at night and work in the building where you have classes, I used this because it was not convenient to work in the room. Near the university there are many places where you can eat, buy groceries, as well as a large cosmetics store. There is a canteen in the dorm building, so I often ate there. In general, I really liked the university, its convenient location, good professors and interesting courses.
I also liked that festivals are held at Korean universities, various Korean stars come, sing and dance, cars with food for every taste come, as well as various entertainments.

Difficulties during the preparation for the internship...
Difficulties arose with the documents, it is necessary to prepare a lot of documents and fill them out very carefully, there may also be problems with registration on the websites of the host university.

Visa process...
First, to apply for a visa, you had to register at the Consulate, in order to get there you had to pass a PCR test, all the necessary documents are on the consulate website, fill them out carefully, a visa costs $ 80 and the visa is received within 2 weeks, then you need to register again consulate and come for a visa. Be sure to take your Russian passport to the consulate, otherwise they will not let you in.

Difficulties upon my arrival at the host foreign organization...
Personally, I have difficulties with English, but over time you join this atmosphere and learn to become easier, so be sure of the level of English. Also, the course I chose was very difficult, so choose the courses carefully and read their descriptions.

Costs associated with participation in a foreign internship...
Visa costs - $80
Passage of quarantine - 800000 krw
Flight in both directions - 85000 rubles
Insurance - 8466 rubles
ID card - 3000 rubles
SIM card - 7400 rubles
Accommodation in a dormitory - $ 1300
Travel by metro, bus in both directions is about 150 rubles, but it all depends on the distance

The campus of the university is quite large and is located not far fr om the city center, it is not so far to go to all the sights, the location is very good. GLAM helped us at first to orient ourselves.
I had no difficulties in preparing for the internship. The only recommendation I could give is to keep an eye on the mail and not to delay the submission of any documents.
I went to study for the second semester, the visa processing was held on the New Year holidays, since the Korean consulate in Irkutsk requested documents that the Korean university sent only on December 31. The appointment for the submission of documents was a month in advance, the preparation of the visa was 10 days. I somehow managed to negotiate with the consulate and get a visa out of turn, and only thanks to this I managed to fly to Seoul on the right day. Therefore, sign up for the submission of documents for a visa in advance (before receiving the documents)
Information that I can move to dorm only after a full vaccination was announced after the application was submitted (one month before the flight to Seoul). Urgently I had to look for other accommodation for this period, which turned out to be much more expensive.

Expenses:

·         Flight to Seoul (Irkutsk — Vladivostok— Seoul)- 53724 rubles

·         Flight to Irkutsk (Seoul — Tashkent — Moscow— Irkutsk)- 68326 rubles

·         Food-270000 KRW (1 month) / 13000 rubles

·         Transport-170000 KRW (1 month) / 8000 rubles

·         Apartment where I lived before the vaccination- 1137 USD (1.5 months)

·         Dormitory- 1298000 KRW (4 months) / 62 000 rubles

·         Health insurance- 120000 KRW (1 month) / 7500 rubles

·         Open an account in a Korean bank- 20000 KRW / 5700 rubles