INRTU third-year student Erzhena Darmayeva is in TOP — students of Lower Columbia College within an annual internship in the USA

Erzhena Darmayeva, a student of the School of Architecture, Construction and Design, successfully completed a one-year internship at Lower Columbia College (USA). She entered the TOP-best college students, got into the lists of the best students of the dean and rector.

Recall that at the Irkutsk Polytechnic, Erzhena is mastering on major Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation. She went for an internship under the academic exchange program YEAR of Exchange in America for Russians (YEAR).
The Polytech student became a participant of the YEAR project due to the successful completion of the qualifying stages. Erzhena presented a resume, information about academic performance, a motivational essay, a letter of recommendation fr om a faculty teacher, and also passed an interview, confirmed her knowledge of English at the B1 level.

According to Erzhena, according to the YEAR program, the contestant cannot choose a college or university, but the organizers take into account the preferences of students in choosing a direction:

«There was no profile of mine at Lower Columbia College, so I studied in the direction of General Studies, where you can study any courses. For a quarter, I was offered to take courses for no more than 15 credits. Subjects related to the history and culture of the United States were mandatory for attending. During the year, I mastered 10 courses, including introduction to business, US history, the structure of the country’s government, and others. It is interesting to note that American universities and colleges have an individual approach to learning. Before the start of each semester, I made a schedule in which I indicated the days of the week that were convenient for me and the time of attending classes.»

During the one-year internship, Erzhena proved herself to be an active and talented student. She studied well, passing exams for positive grades, took part in volunteer actions, performed as part of the choir at concerts. She was also invited to become a member of the honorary society of Phi Theta Kappa students.

«The YEAR program opened up a lot of opportunities for me — I took monthly lectures on self-development, improved my English to the C1 level, broadened my horizons and made many new friends. In addition, I have the status of a graduate of a government exchange program. In the future, this will help to win in other large-scale projects," Erzhena shares her impressions.

Lower Columbia College is located in the city of Longview, Washington, which has a population of about 38 thousand people. Erzhena Darmayeva lived in a comfortable hostel for foreign students. She received a monthly schplarship of $425, and before the start of each quarter, the organizers sent $300 to buy textbooks. The YEAR team also covered the costs associated with the flight, passing the TOEFL exam, training, visa and insurance.
In her free time, Erzhena visited 11 states, including Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Illinois, Oregon, as well as the US capital — Washington (DC).
She also got acquainted with such sights as the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, saw the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, walked through Times Square.

Photo by Erzhena Darmayeva