Future Engineers from China Study Russian at TPU Summer School
Tomsk Polytechnic University is hosting a Summer School for students from Chinese partner universities. For four weeks, 35 students will be learning Russian and getting to know the university and the city.
Summer schools for international students have been held at TPU for more than 15 years. Chinese students have traditionally attended the event. At the moment, TPU has five partner universities in China, and every year their students study at the Summer School.
“Summer School is an important part of joint bachelor's programs in the 2+2, 3+1, and 4+0 formats. The classes give students an opportunity to immerse into the Russian language and prepare for a successful examination. Every year, at least 30 international students participate in the Summer School,” says Evgenia Sherina, head of the Division for Russian Language of the TPU School of Core Engineering Education.
This year, students from four Chinese universities will study at the Summer School. Eight students from Shenyang Polytechnic University were the first to begin their studies.
“I am pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. I chose TPU because it is one of the best engineering universities in Russia, offering high-quality engineering education. This is my first time in Tomsk. I really liked the Lagernyi Garden, the Botanical Garden, the City Garden, and Novosobornaya Square. The Russian language is difficult to learn because of its complicated grammar. I hope that the Summer School classes will help me pass the exam successfully to live and study in Tomsk,” says Wang Shengchen, a student from Shenyang Polytechnic University.
Students from Chongqing University of Science and Arts and Donghua University (Shanghai), which have joined the project for the first time, will also participate in the Summer School. Students from Jilin University will study both offline and online.
All Summer School students are enrolled in programs related to mechanical engineering, automation, and materials technology. Under the guidance of teachers from Tomsk Polytechnic University, they are studying Russian, physics, and engineering graphics.
“The Summer School goal is not only to immerse the students in the language environment, but also to familiarize them with the city, the university, Russian culture, and, of course, to introduce them to each other. The program includes excursions around the university and Tomsk. In addition, a series of events to facilitate social and cultural adaptation of international students will be offered by the Firebird Club in August. The meetings will be held in the format of a cinema club, a gaming club and a club of Russian cuisine lovers,” Marina Bokhonnaya, associate professor at the Division for Russian Language of the TPU School of Core Engineering Education and the head of Firebird Culture Club for international students, says.
The Summer School will end with passing a TORFL exam (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language), an international exam to determine the level of Russian language proficiency. In September, the students will progress to the third year and continue their studies for the joint bachelor's degree in the 2+2 format.