Russia, the land of contradictions. No travel report, no documentary film, no editorial about the largest country in the world can do without contrasts: between the always-poor and the suddenly newly rich, between the Moscow metro and Siberian landscapes, between bubbling sources of raw materials and the dying economy. They often seem arranged, but sometimes they actually apply. Anyone interested in Russian universities will quickly come across a microcosm in the affluent southwest of Moscow. And in fact, you don't even have to leave the campus of Moscow State University (MGU) to find out something about this exciting country because of the much-vaunted contrasts.
Relaxed in the morning, busy in the evening
In the morning, when the events begin shortly after nine o'clock in the Faculty of Philology, the students show their relaxed side. Even if you are fifteen minutes late, you join the long queue for a plastic cup of coffee or light another cigarette. The lecturers in the small seminar rooms seem to have come to terms with this. Your tired students might have sat the night before in one of the city's restaurants with loud Russian music, a bar like Rolling Stones with loud Western music, or in a friend's room with an after-work beer. There is a ban on alcohol on campus, but loud parties are still celebrated in the dormitories as long as the floor supervisor turns a blind eye. Most students, however, were probably sitting busily in their rooms or on the subway on the way to their parents on the outskirts of the city, reading their texts. Anyone who studies world literature here will have to pour through a thousand pages in a single seminar in just a few weeks, from French symbolism to Hesse's Steppenwolf to Hemmingway's bone prose.
Russia's lighthouse problem
To study at MGU, the fading beacon among Russia's higher education institutions, you need either the appropriate grades for a scholarship or a wealthy sponsor; The white and black SUVs with German badges that fight for parking spaces at early hours show that there are quite a few of them. Studying at the university normally costs over 7,000 euros per year. In return, you don't have to leave the campus: botanical gardens, grocery stores, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, a geological museum, all within walking distance.
Presiding over everything is the president of the university, Viktor Sadovnichy, who has held this position for 21 years. In monthly interviews he presents his opinion on the most colorful topics, and he is also a permanent presence in the main building, the Soviet monumental building and the pride of the university; the flat screens show the charismatic university father meeting with other grandees from Russia and the world. The current university rankings occasionally get mixed up in between, here the claim runs away from reality: In the Times' reputation ranking, MGU was in 50th place this year after last year's absence, but in the university comparison it was behind + behind the 200 mark.
When the “i” becomes mass
The devices that combine cameras, notes and make-up mirrors are omnipresent here: smartphones and tablets, rarely a notebook. There is hardly a device that doesn't have a glowing apple on it; strong and expensive brands quickly become status symbols in Russia. Everyone can afford it – or should afford it. In bank branches, favorable conditions are promised for everyone, and on the way to the Moscow metro, the advertising posters alternate with the latest offers from Mediamarkt and Kreditbanken. Filling the new acquisitions with content is no problem thanks to a semi-legal cultural flat rate: e-books can be found quickly and free of charge on Russian sites, music and films of all ages can be consumed on the Eastern European Facebook equivalent VKontakte. Here you can also publish photos and videos whose authors know nothing about them, all without living in fear that a warning will come your way.
No matter how advanced the students are with the technology of the 21st century, the organization of their studies still follows the flow of the old days. You can check your own timetable using the notices in front of the relevant chairs. You submit the documents for ID cards and scholarships personally and with the original stamp to the responsible clerk; you wait in vain for replies by email. Blackboard pictures are photographed using a tablet and smartphone and sent to the missing fellow students. There is no university-wide internet platform for materials and appointments. Such gaps are closed in a decentralized manner, for example when some younger generation lecturers open mailing lists or groups on social networks for their courses. It shows that one would probably enjoy better teaching elsewhere. But the charm of this university will remain as long as commemorations of the Great Patriotic War can alternate with spontaneous Harlem Shakes on this campus.
Cover image: Illustration by Xenia Smykovskaya
Further links about living and studying in Russia:
General information about universities, choosing a course of study, applying, financing and much, much more
Study in Russia
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German-speaking organizations
German-speaking organizations in Russia
Studying in Russia – useful contacts
DAAD in Russia, information on scholarships, cooperations, partnership programs, as well as general information about the country, culture, education, everyday life, experience and practical reports
DAAD – Russian Federation
Blogs, reports from (exchange) students:
Russia Rally – Blogs from Moscow
Russia Rally – Blogs from St. Petersburg
News from the fridge – Anne is studying in St. Petersburg
Hear and see Russia. Here you will find almost 1000 videos from and about Russia.
russia.tv
Moscow metro
Source: Wikimedia Commons
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Russia, the land of contradictions. No travel report, no documentary film, no editorial about the largest country in the world can do without contrasts: between the always-poor and the suddenly newly rich, between the Moscow metro and Siberian landscapes, between bubbling sources of raw materials and the dying economy. They often seem arranged, but sometimes they actually apply. Anyone interested in Russian universities
