A review on Russian as a Second Language

Other Reviews on Russian as a Second Language

• A-

  Russian as a Second Language best time of my life

  Reviewed by Jeremy Coppock 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.

• A+

  Russian as a Second Language SRAS

  Reviewed by Christiana Holsapple 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.

• A+

  Russian as a Second Language One of the best in the region

  Reviewed by Peter Bourgelais 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.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language Good program

  Reviewed by Alexandra Spurlock 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 your experience is depending on the effort you make. Class is not strict, lacking assignments, grades and attendance policies. So if you want to get the most out of your study abroad program you need to make the effort, go to class and make Russian friends, which is somewhat difficult. The program gives you everything you need, the rest is up to you!

• B-

  Russian as a Second Language Affordable program that requires students to be proactive

  Reviewed by Liz Burkum 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.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language Awesome Program for Students looking to improve Russian.

  Reviewed by Aleksanders Ans 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 instructors are very good.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language My study abroad program provided me with plenty of opportunities to have a well-rounded experience.

  Reviewed by Holly Norris 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.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language Chinese Food

  Reviewed by Eric Williams on August 15, 2012 .

  There was a place called Chinese Kitchen of Anna and Sonya. It is off of Svetlanskaya Street in Vladivostok. They have amazingly delicious food with is very afforable.

• B

  Russian as a Second Language SRAS is a decent program.

  Reviewed by Amanda Ramshaw 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.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language i will be back in the spring

  Reviewed by Brandon Grogean on August 16, 2012 .

  Overall, i liked the experience alot and i will be back in the spring

• B

  Russian as a Second Language A unique, beneficial opportunity to study in Vladivostok, but not particularly personalized to student needs

  Reviewed by Taylor Zajicek on August 27, 2012 .

  Living in Vladivostok was a great, extraordinairely unique opportunity. The students were afforded a lot of independence, and we made the most of it, meeting Russian students and spending rewarding evenings with our host families. Vladivostok is a city like no other, and definitely deserves a visit--it grows on you quicker than you think.
  
  On the front of the program SRAS was a great resource that was always available and prepared us in an organized, helpful format. I doubt that traveling and studying in Russia could be eaiser.
  
  My only complaint with the program was the lack of personalized attention given to the students. For the most part, all of us studied in one classroom, irrespective of skill level (ranging from beginners to advanced), and as a result, a number of students didn't feel that the material applied to their needs, myself included. That said, everyone I spoke with felt that their Russian abilities grew significantly from experiences outside of the classroom.

• B+

  Russian as a Second Language The positive and negetives of Kyiv!

  Reviewed by Miranda Panuska 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 go to class.

• B+

  Russian as a Second Language I Love Russia

  Reviewed by Ryan Blue on August 28, 2012 .

  This was my second time in Russia, first time with SRAS. Overall great experience. Had the most fun when I ventured off and did my own exploration.

• B

  Russian as a Second Language Leadership

  Reviewed by Michael Sweigart on August 28, 2012 .

  I do not mean to be negative, but there were some disappointing aspects of this program and I want to make sure that I point them honestly. One of my issues was with the Assistant Director. Although Josh was very nice, he was very awkward and borderline rude with the students. For example, he would write emails to the students to ask them to do tasks to help him out with things. This was fine, as I have no problem helping out, but we would have long e-mail conversations about things, but would never follow up in person. Every time that I did one of these he would not know who I was when I would see him in person. I realize that it is hard to remember who students are, but I think as an administrator for a program like this, it is very important to know who students are to at least say hi when seeing them in person. On my previous study abroad experience, the coordinators and directors of the program maintained very close relationships with each of us, and it made us feel very welcome.
  On this same note, however, Kim was absolutely great. She made sure to check in with each of us personally, and no matter how busy she was, would always make sure to have time to answer questions for us or give us help with anything. I think that her leadership and personal skills will bring a LOT of improvement to this program!

• A-

  Russian as a Second Language Great immersion, decent education.

  Reviewed by Ben Francis 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.

• A+

  Russian as a Second Language Best thing I ever did!

  Reviewed by Jordan Napier 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!

• B+

  Russian as a Second Language Not quite satisfied

  Reviewed by Brianna Juhrend on September 01, 2012 .

  While I greatly enjoyed my summer in St. Petersburg, the coordination of the program was not great in terms of a move from dormitory to apartment, a weekend excursion itinerary, etc. However, it is Russia! I just went with the flow and made the best of it.

• A

  Russian as a Second Language Off the Beaten Path

  Reviewed by Mark Niegelsky 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 advantage, though others might not. Its position as a port city in the Far East also makes Vladivostok unique, and the mix of people in cultures is a major plus.