Russian as a Second Language

Reviewed by Mark Niegelskystudent on September 01, 2012.

Vladivostok is an exciting place to visit, and you definitely get a better feel for what life is like in the "real" Russia, far from the major cities like St. Pete and Moscow. That being said, there only a few major museums and tourist sites (all of which can be seen in a week or less), so the onus is on you to meet people and make things happen. This can really push you to immerse yourself in the culture and I personally saw it as a major adva... Read more

Reviewed by Mark Kagaystudent on August 31, 2012.

Disorganized, not good for first time students into a new country. I didn't have any help getting into my dorm, like the orientation said, and if I hadn't met a russian student who spoke english, I probably would not have gotten in. I have not recommended this course in Moscow to any of my classmates here. Also the classes were a mess, because no one could be placed in a class without someone holding the group back, and certain students were g... Read more

Reviewed by Jordan Napierstudent on August 28, 2012.

Don't think about it - just do it! Studying abroad was the best thing that I ever did and has opened me up to all kinds of new opportunities and experiences! Read more

Reviewed by Ben Francisstudent on August 28, 2012.

The SRAS Russian as a Second Language program in Irkutsk provides great cultural and language immersion. One of the main reasons is that there aren't many English-speaking tourists in the city. There is plenty of class time with the program, about 16 hours per week. My professors did not know any English. This helped with the immersion experience, but made it difficult to ask for quick definitions of any new words. Read more

Reviewed by Miranda Panuskastudent on August 28, 2012.

I loved studying in Kyiv. The people are amazing and the city is very nice! I don't necessarily recommend studying at NovaMova however. I didn't feel that I learned as much as I should have, classes focused so much on grammar and vocab and nothing on doing fun things in between. It got quite boring after a while and I chose to skip a lot of classes because I would have rather walked around the city speaking Russian with my Ukrainian friends than... Read more

Reviewed by Amanda Ramshawstudent on August 16, 2012.

SRAS was good, but would have been better if there was more structure. There were no student evaluations and things were sometimes disorganized. Read more

Reviewed by Holly Norrisstudent on July 08, 2012.

I had class for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Each day focused on a different application of language skills, i.e. speaking ,reading, listening, writing, and grammar. This set-up allowed me to improve all aspects of my Russian language skills. Living with a host family that didn't speak English forced me to work diligently to improve my speaking and listening skills, which were the two areas I felt I needed the most improvement on. Read more

Reviewed by Aleksanders Ansstudent on July 01, 2012.

I spent 4 months (a semester) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with the School of Russian and Asian Studies. In my time there, I was able to improve my language abilities in Russian greatly and I was also able to spend a lot of time exploring the city and the most culturally relevant places in Kyrgyzstan. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their speaking skills as it is in a very immersive environment and the instruc... Read more

Reviewed by Liz Burkumstudent on June 08, 2012.

This program is affordable (which is why I chose it), but it requires the students to be incredibly proactive to get the most benefit from it. Great for students looking to live abroad for a semester and a year, not fabulous for those looking to drastically improve their language skills. Read more

Reviewed by Alexandra Spurlockstudent on June 08, 2012.

I really appreciated this study abroad. The people from the program were always responsive when you needed them, and went out of their way to help all the time. They were really nice. The school is cool, we had some great teachers and made some great friends with other international students. The location of housing for me was in a great place. I feel like the program did everything to make me prepared for living in Saint Petersburg. A lot of you... Read more

Reviewed by Mark Kagaystudent on August 31, 2012.

Disorganized, not good for first time students into a new country. I didn't have any help getting into my dorm, like the orientation said, and if I hadn't met a russian student who spoke english, I probably would not have gotten in. I have not recommended this course in Moscow to any of my classmates here. Also the classes were a mess, because no one could be placed in a class without someone holding the group back, and certain students were g... Read more

Reviewed by Christiana Holsapplestudent on June 07, 2012.

SRAS is the best study abroad program I have ever encountered. They always impressed me with their helfulness, promptness, flexibility, and overall services. Their website is excellent, with tons of information and opportunities. Read more

Reviewed by Christiana Holsapplestudent on June 07, 2012.

SRAS is the best study abroad program I have ever encountered. They always impressed me with their helfulness, promptness, flexibility, and overall services. Their website is excellent, with tons of information and opportunities. Read more

Reviewed by Peter Bourgelaisstudent on June 07, 2012.

This is one of the best study abroad programs in Central Asia, if not the best. Unlike AUCA, they'll set you up with a host family and all the fixins. You have native Russian speakers teaching you and a lot of extra programs on the side. Read more

Reviewed by Jordan Napierstudent on August 28, 2012.

Don't think about it - just do it! Studying abroad was the best thing that I ever did and has opened me up to all kinds of new opportunities and experiences! Read more

Reviewed by Alexandra Spurlockstudent on June 08, 2012.

I really appreciated this study abroad. The people from the program were always responsive when you needed them, and went out of their way to help all the time. They were really nice. The school is cool, we had some great teachers and made some great friends with other international students. The location of housing for me was in a great place. I feel like the program did everything to make me prepared for living in Saint Petersburg. A lot of you... Read more

Reviewed by Aleksanders Ansstudent on July 01, 2012.

I spent 4 months (a semester) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with the School of Russian and Asian Studies. In my time there, I was able to improve my language abilities in Russian greatly and I was also able to spend a lot of time exploring the city and the most culturally relevant places in Kyrgyzstan. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their speaking skills as it is in a very immersive environment and the instruc... Read more

Reviewed by Holly Norrisstudent on July 08, 2012.

I had class for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Each day focused on a different application of language skills, i.e. speaking ,reading, listening, writing, and grammar. This set-up allowed me to improve all aspects of my Russian language skills. Living with a host family that didn't speak English forced me to work diligently to improve my speaking and listening skills, which were the two areas I felt I needed the most improvement on. Read more

Reviewed by Mark Niegelskystudent on September 01, 2012.

Vladivostok is an exciting place to visit, and you definitely get a better feel for what life is like in the "real" Russia, far from the major cities like St. Pete and Moscow. That being said, there only a few major museums and tourist sites (all of which can be seen in a week or less), so the onus is on you to meet people and make things happen. This can really push you to immerse yourself in the culture and I personally saw it as a major adva... Read more

Reviewed by Jeremy Coppockstudent on June 07, 2012.

It might have been cheaper to just do a direct exchange with MGU instead of going through SRAS, but they provided tons of help and assistance. I love Moscow, I want to move back there as soon as I can. It must be the most beautiful city in the world. Read more

Reviewed by Ben Francisstudent on August 28, 2012.

The SRAS Russian as a Second Language program in Irkutsk provides great cultural and language immersion. One of the main reasons is that there aren't many English-speaking tourists in the city. There is plenty of class time with the program, about 16 hours per week. My professors did not know any English. This helped with the immersion experience, but made it difficult to ask for quick definitions of any new words. Read more

Reviewed by Miranda Panuskastudent on August 28, 2012.

I loved studying in Kyiv. The people are amazing and the city is very nice! I don't necessarily recommend studying at NovaMova however. I didn't feel that I learned as much as I should have, classes focused so much on grammar and vocab and nothing on doing fun things in between. It got quite boring after a while and I chose to skip a lot of classes because I would have rather walked around the city speaking Russian with my Ukrainian friends than... Read more

Reviewed by Mark Kagaystudent on August 31, 2012.

Disorganized, not good for first time students into a new country. I didn't have any help getting into my dorm, like the orientation said, and if I hadn't met a russian student who spoke english, I probably would not have gotten in. I have not recommended this course in Moscow to any of my classmates here. Also the classes were a mess, because no one could be placed in a class without someone holding the group back, and certain students were g... Read more

Reviewed by Liz Burkumstudent on June 08, 2012.

This program is affordable (which is why I chose it), but it requires the students to be incredibly proactive to get the most benefit from it. Great for students looking to live abroad for a semester and a year, not fabulous for those looking to drastically improve their language skills. Read more

Reviewed by Mark Niegelskystudent on September 01, 2012.

Vladivostok is an exciting place to visit, and you definitely get a better feel for what life is like in the "real" Russia, far from the major cities like St. Pete and Moscow. That being said, there only a few major museums and tourist sites (all of which can be seen in a week or less), so the onus is on you to meet people and make things happen. This can really push you to immerse yourself in the culture and I personally saw it as a major adva... Read more

Reviewed by Mark Kagaystudent on August 31, 2012.

Disorganized, not good for first time students into a new country. I didn't have any help getting into my dorm, like the orientation said, and if I hadn't met a russian student who spoke english, I probably would not have gotten in. I have not recommended this course in Moscow to any of my classmates here. Also the classes were a mess, because no one could be placed in a class without someone holding the group back, and certain students were g... Read more

Reviewed by Jordan Napierstudent on August 28, 2012.

Don't think about it - just do it! Studying abroad was the best thing that I ever did and has opened me up to all kinds of new opportunities and experiences! Read more

Reviewed by Ben Francisstudent on August 28, 2012.

The SRAS Russian as a Second Language program in Irkutsk provides great cultural and language immersion. One of the main reasons is that there aren't many English-speaking tourists in the city. There is plenty of class time with the program, about 16 hours per week. My professors did not know any English. This helped with the immersion experience, but made it difficult to ask for quick definitions of any new words. Read more

Reviewed by Miranda Panuskastudent on August 28, 2012.

I loved studying in Kyiv. The people are amazing and the city is very nice! I don't necessarily recommend studying at NovaMova however. I didn't feel that I learned as much as I should have, classes focused so much on grammar and vocab and nothing on doing fun things in between. It got quite boring after a while and I chose to skip a lot of classes because I would have rather walked around the city speaking Russian with my Ukrainian friends than... Read more

Reviewed by Amanda Ramshawstudent on August 16, 2012.

SRAS was good, but would have been better if there was more structure. There were no student evaluations and things were sometimes disorganized. Read more

Reviewed by Holly Norrisstudent on July 08, 2012.

I had class for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Each day focused on a different application of language skills, i.e. speaking ,reading, listening, writing, and grammar. This set-up allowed me to improve all aspects of my Russian language skills. Living with a host family that didn't speak English forced me to work diligently to improve my speaking and listening skills, which were the two areas I felt I needed the most improvement on. Read more

Reviewed by Aleksanders Ansstudent on July 01, 2012.

I spent 4 months (a semester) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with the School of Russian and Asian Studies. In my time there, I was able to improve my language abilities in Russian greatly and I was also able to spend a lot of time exploring the city and the most culturally relevant places in Kyrgyzstan. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their speaking skills as it is in a very immersive environment and the instruc... Read more

Reviewed by Liz Burkumstudent on June 08, 2012.

This program is affordable (which is why I chose it), but it requires the students to be incredibly proactive to get the most benefit from it. Great for students looking to live abroad for a semester and a year, not fabulous for those looking to drastically improve their language skills. Read more

Reviewed by Alexandra Spurlockstudent on June 08, 2012.

I really appreciated this study abroad. The people from the program were always responsive when you needed them, and went out of their way to help all the time. They were really nice. The school is cool, we had some great teachers and made some great friends with other international students. The location of housing for me was in a great place. I feel like the program did everything to make me prepared for living in Saint Petersburg. A lot of you... Read more