Student Life

Two people walking through forest on path between rows of trees

At the School in Russia, we understand that the time students spend outside of class is as important to their linguistic and cultural immersion as the time spent in formal educational situations.  

Where students live, what language they interact in regularly, and what activities they pursue with Russian peers all play key roles in their ultimate experience.

Activities

Participation in extracurricular pursuits is a major priority of the School in Russia. On-site staff and university faculty work actively to assist students in locating things to do and strongly encourages participants to pursue individual activities outside of classes and away from the other American students in the group.

With help from its host universities, the School in Russia maintains contacts at a variety of facilities in each host city and can advise students on particular pursuits. The School in Russia will help participants to locate activities, but expects that students will follow through independently once those activities have been found.

Travel

We organize one or two out-of-town trips each semester to cities and regions of historical and cultural interest. A limited number of city excursions are also organized at each site.

Except in situations where an excursion is a required component of a particular course, all trips and excursions are optional. Students may choose not to participate on group events, at their discretion. However, the program cannot reimburse or otherwise compensate students for events missed.

Destinations for trips vary from site to site and from year to year. Past groups have traveled on short trips to Nizhnyi Novgorod, Pskov, Vologda, Vladimir/Suzdal, Tver’/Torzhok, Tula/Yasnaya Polyana, (western Russia), and Ulan-Ude, Krasnoyarsk, Khakassiya, Tuva and a variety of sites on Lake Baikal (Irkutsk). Longer trips have taken students to Arkhangelsk, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Sochi, Kazan, and the Lapland areas of the Murmansk region.

General Information

Irkutsk Information

Moscow Information

Yaroslavl Information