Stories from Abroad

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

Foreign internship at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) opened for me an opportunity to get acquainted with a different methodological approach to learning and working with information.


During the internship I wrote two scientific articles, one of which will be published in an international journal at the university; developed the entire practical part for the future master’s thesis, which will be defended at INRTU in June 2022. Thanks to the university environment (common studios for classes, group projects, quality and timely consultations with professors) there was more motivation for study and research work.
The trip to Germany dramatically affected my internal development and personal growth. After 5 months living in another country, not knowing the local language, and having a lot of household difficulties (especially at first), I became much stronger, braver and more confident. Being away from my family and friends and in another language environment I improved my English and of course my communication skills.
I also managed to find an official part-time job, which helped a lot in terms of socialization and additional income.
The difficulties encountered in preparation were mostly related to the registration of the visa. Advice for future students: study more when preparing documents, do not panic if there are some troubles, everything can be solved.
We were engaged in visa obtaining on our arrival to Novosibirsk (it was our intermediary point between Irkutsk and Germany). We had to prepare the documents as soon as possible. There were problems with the insurance, which we solved on the same day. My advice: call the consulate beforehand and once again specify the package of documents to be submitted, and for each point all the details.
Upon arrival at the Karlsruhe University of Technology there were practically no difficulties. The only problem was the language barrier, but this is normal at first.
I did not have to pay for visa registration, because I was going on a scholarship program DAAD, but I paid about 6000 rub. for notarized translation of the documents, about 3000 rub. for Russian insurance for the first weeks in Germany. In Novosibirsk during the visa application process spent about 3000 rubles for accommodation, the flight Irkutsk — Novosibirsk 14500 rubles, Novosibirsk — Moscow 10900 rubles, Moscow — Frankfurt 13500 rubles, Frankfurt — Karlsruhe 3000 rubles.
Accommodation in Karlsruhe cost 360 euros per month, monthly obligatory insurance 111 euros, on average 140 euros per month for food. Semester fee was 151 euros. Public transportation was 2.8 euros.
Upon return, tickets Berlin — Istanbul 151 euros, Istanbul — St. Petersburg 282 euros, St. Petersburg — Moscow 4000 rubles, Moscow — Irkutsk 13500 rubles.
Advice: When you arrive at the airport find out what kind of grocery stores are budget. The quality of products everywhere is on the same level, but the cost is strikingly different. Also, often the semester fee in Germany includes a ticket for public transport. Check with your university administration.

It was an unforgettable period in my life. I was surrounded by interesting people with whom we had a great time together. People fr om different countries, sometimes with completely opposite views on life, gathered in one place with a common goal - to gain knowledge. I managed to reconsider my attitude to some things, to experience completely new feelings and emotions for me. I can conclude that the social aspect was worked out even better than the educational one. During the 5 months spent in Poland, I visited 4 more countries, and 11 cities - the presence of a Schengen visa allows you to easily travel around Europe.

Preparation for the internship went smoothly, the staff of the student mobility department provide active assistance in paperwork.

I got my visa very quickly - about a week after applying. The main thing is to carefully read the list of required documents and not miss anything. In my case, the bank employee only put a stamp on the certificate of my income, which was a mistake, because the signature of the employee is required also.

Wroclaw University has extensive experience in working with foreign students, so the adaptation to the new location was very fast. Very often various events were organized wh ere you could meet other students and teachers, which also helps to get comfortable, just do not be shy.

My Expenses
Amounts in rubles.
Visa costs: 20 900,
airfare/fare (round trip): 42,600,
food and accommodation - 18,000 - 20,000.
Inexpensive groceries in Klaufland.