Study abroad is real and easy!
NMSTU held a meeting with the students who wanted to take part in international student exchange programs. Alexey Korchunov, Vice Rector for International Affairs, talked to all interested students and spoke about opportunities of international academic mobility currently available at the university.
By the way, the first student exchange program was opened at NMSTU 6 years ago. At that time students showed little interest in international practice, but year by year interest grew more and more and now it rises up a new scale: students regularly go abroad to study. The most visited countries are Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, China, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, India, Turkey, Kirghizia and Kazakhstan. The university concluded over 60 cooperation agreements with partner universities from 28 countries.
“In recent years we made a great leap forward. Almost all students, contacting us and expressing their wish to study in a foreign country, studied abroad. We take a personal approach and choose a program for an interested student considering his or her wishes and opportunities. Thus, a current range of majors of study taken by our participants of student exchange programs is expanded from metallurgy to physical training”, said Alexey Korchunov.
To become a participant of such program, it is not enough just to wish. According to the survey, there are two stumbling blocks for a majority of students: a language barrier and no funding. The university does what it could to help students: firstly, it organizes courses to learn a relevant foreign language at a level required by the program; secondly, it gives financial support covering travelling and, if possible, agrees with a foreign partner university on providing various bonuses for NMSTU students. Besides, some programs cover all expenses: for example, now two NMSTU students study in France under Erasmus+ program, the European Union program covering absolutely all expenses.
The requirements for participants remain standard: knowledge of a foreign language, good academic performance at NMSTU and the student’s motivation. The lucky students who have already gained such international experience shared their stories about study and life abroad, repeating that there was no reason to be afraid of, just did it.
“To go to the Czech Republic, I learnt English, and I learnt Czech directly there. I left having no knowledge of technical English, but I came back with a good store of knowledge of technical English. This year I received job offers from three European countries: Germany, Slovenia and Italy. Next year, upon receipt of my diploma at NMSTU, I intend to go to Germany,” told us Alexey Levko, having studied at the Technical University of Ostrava (the Czech Republic).
The students from France and Bulgaria who study at NMSTU under the exchange program this semester also attended this meeting with all interested students.
All students interested in academic mobility programs may contact the International Office of NMSTU: offices 424, 426; 45/2, K. Marx street; tel.: +7 3519 22 04 67, or the deputy director of a relevant institute for international affairs.
Regarding courses of foreign languages, do not hesitate to contact the Centre of Foreign Languages at the Institute of Further Training and Human Resources Engineering Gorizont: +7 919 406 07 38 (Yuliya A. Fedina); +7 912 300 03 52 (Elena N. Volkova); +7 3519 223 923 (room 481, 38, Lenin street).
