26.11.2007
Common Questions about SRAS ProgramsTable of Contents:
If you have additional questions, please Contact SRAS
I. GENERAL QUESTIONS (back to top) Why Russia?
For more reasons to study Russian, see this Russian Life article, this list of reasons from professionals and gov't authorities, or this list of interviews with students and professionals who have worked or are working in Russia already. How can I best integrate study abroad into my long-term education?
We recommend a summer introduction to Russia after your first year of college study, followed by a semester or year of intensive study abroad during your third year, with Russian language, history, and culture classes taken at your home university in between. This schedule not only provides intensive vocabulary development at the appropriate stages of your Russian language career, but also provides you with experiences that will shape your studies ahead. How do I apply?
Go to the top right hand corner of our homepage and click "Login." The entire process is self-guiding and online for your convenience. Once you have completed the online form, you will receive an email from SRAS about the status of your application, usually within three to five business days. You should submit the application fee ($40) and deposit ($250) immediately. The application fee is not refundable. The deposit is refundable if you are not accepted or if you withdraw your application before acceptance. See section three of this page for more about our refund policy. Can I contact former SRAS students?
Yes. Upon request, we will be happy to forward you a list of references to contact either by phone or by email. You can also click here click here to see what students have to say about SRAS. Can I study in more than one location?
Most SRAS programs will allow study in more than one university, so long as you spend a full semester at each university. Students should be aware, however, that changing universities requires changing visas, which requires a trip outside of Russia to collect the new visa from a consulate. While student visas can be renewed in Russia, new visas, which must be issued if you change your host-university, can only be received at a consultant outside of Russia according to Russian legislation. II. PLANNING AND DOCUMENTATION (back to top) What are the application deadlines?
Unless otherwise noted in the program description, the application deadlines are as follows:
Summer session: March 30
Fall session: May 1
Spring session: October 15
Other periods: At least three months prior to studies. In some cases, late fees may apply.
If you are applying for an internship or customized programs, we recommend applying as early as possible.
What if I've missed the deadline?
SRAS can accept late applications for most programs. You should contact an SRAS representative as soon as possible to discuss your options. Late fees may apply. Do credits transfer?
All SRAS programs are eligible to receive academic credit from your home institution. However, the decision of whether or not to award that credit is solely at the description of your home institution and its particular rules. You should contact your academic advisor at home to find out what requirements and restrictions your home institution has. All official certificates and transcripts are issued by the host-university in Russia and supported by any documentation necessary from SRAS. It is strongly recommended that you obtain prior approval for credit from you home university before beginning your study abroad course. When will I know my class schedule?
Shortly after you arrive in Russia, you are tested for your Russian language level. Groups are small and based on your test results and the results of others studying at the same time, final group and teacher assignments can only be effectively made after testing. Generally, language courses begin on the second business day after you arrive (to allow of testing and for you to sleep off some jet-lag). Course tend to be held between 9am and 3pm, but your final schedule will depend on your group placement, course selection, and special requests you may make. What about books and class materials?
All books are provided by the program and distributed in Russia. There may be a small fee (usually less than five USD) for materials depending on the teacher and location. When will I get my transcript?
If you need one, you may receive your certificate and/or transcript a few days before your departure from Russia. HOWEVER, you must inform SRAS before arriving in Russia and inform their host university upon arrival if you will need a certificate and/or transcript. You must additionally remind your host university two weeks before your departure from that university. If students do not complete all three steps indicated here, SRAS cannot guarantee the timely issuance of transcripts and/or certificates. We will make every attempt to help students retrieve documentation after they have left Russia, but processing and shipping costs will apply. III. COSTS AND FUNDING (back to top) Are scholarships or financial aid available for study in Russia?
Yes. Click here for more information. When do I need to pay?
Besides paying the application visa and deposit upon application (see section one, above), you will need to pay the visa processing fees within two weeks after acceptance unless otherwise indicated online on your Enrollment Status Page (opened after you register on our site). Full payment of program fees must be made four weeks prior to departure. Deferrals are only granted for those amounts guaranteed by loans or scholarships. What should I budget for food, entertainment, etc?
Good question. Click here for more info. Why is there such a cost difference between types of programs?
Several factors influence the cost of a study abroad program. The two components that greatly increase the cost are a) organized travel and activities and b) American (or other Western) group leaders or resident advisers. We won't get into the details of why this is the case (unless you ask) but essentially it means the following: If you don't need or want it, why pay for it? Are refunds available?
Sometimes. Our refund policies run as follows:
1. Application fees are not refundable.
2. Deposits are refundable only before you receive your acceptance letter. The only exception to this rule is if you make it very clear upon applying that your ability to partake in the program is entirely dependent upon funding for which you have applied. Upon presentation of a letter of denial of funding from that source, we can refund a deposit, less any costs that may have been incurred up until that point. This policy is necessary to make sure that you will have a visa with which to enter Russia. Visa processing is not fast or inexpensive and your deposit is spent quite early on beginning the process. Read more about Russian visas and visa processing.
3. Tuition (less deposit) is fully refundable if we are notified in writing at least 30 days before your departure date. Internship fees are also refundable at this point, minus a penalty fee of $250 (this is in addition to the $250 deposit with is not refundable).
4. If we are notified 20-30 days prior, a full refund less the greater of either the deposit + visa fee or 20% of the total program cost can be given.
5. If 10-20 days, a full refund less the greater of either the deposit + visa fee or 35% of total program cost.
6. If 1-9 days a full refund less the greater of either the deposit + visa fee or 50% of total program cost.
7. No refund can be given after your arrival in Russia. IV. RUSSIAN EDUCATION (back to top) What is an academic hour?
As is the case in many countries, Russian universities run on academic hours. An academic hour in Russia is approximately 40-45 minutes, the time in between used to get to another classroom and for you and the teachers to have a mental break. In most language programs, when groups are small and there is no need to change classrooms, academic hours are often done in "pairs" with only a short 5 minute break between. This "compactness" of your schedule can often be confusing and you might think you are studying for less hours than you are. Questions of academic credit generally assume academic hours. What is an academic year in Russia?
The academic year, with slight variations from university to university, runs from September 1 until approximately June 30. As with any university, the first week is a lot of paperwork, testing, and settling in and the last month can be mainly exams. It is possible to shorten your semesters to fit the US academic schedule for most programs. Degree students and UPC students should follow the Russian academic calendar. The semester break is usually in January for students following this calendar. There are several 1-2 days holidays during the year, mainly in November, January, and May. Where can I find out more about the Russian education system?
See this short developmental history written by SRAS Program Director Renee Stillings.
Contact SRAS with any additional questions you may have. V. LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (back to top) How quickly can I learn Russian?
The Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, divides the languages they teach into four groups, from easiest to most difficult, as measured by the number of hours of instruction required to bring students to a certain level of proficiency. Below are sample lists of the languages included in each group. Group I: Languages included: Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish Group II: Bulgarian, Dari, Farsi, German, Greek, Hindi-Urdu, Indonesian, Malay Group III: Amharic, Bengali, Burmese, Czech, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Cambodian, Lao, Nepali, Filipino, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Sinhala, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese Group VI: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean Information on the Groups | | Group | I | II | III | VI | | Hours needed to reach Level-2 Proficiency | 480 | 720 | 720 | 1320 | | Speaking proficiency level expected of a student with superior language aptitude, after 720 hours of instruction | 3 | 2+/3 | 2/2+ | 1+ |
So what does that mean?
It means that you need to spend as many hours as there are in a month (720) in a classroom before you will have a working set of Russian language skills. Study abroad can greatly speed this process by providing more opportunity for practice (more "classroom hours"). However, it can only do this if you avoid speaking English and use your time abroad to seek out Russian friends who will let you practice with them and correct you when you make major mistakes. It is safe to say that students with some background in Russian can advance faster than those who come without basic skills and need to spend much of their time trying to "survive" in a foreign land without the language. What is level two?
As defined by the Defense Language Institute: "Able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements. Can handle routine work-related interactions that are limited in scope. In more complex and sophisticated work-related tasks, language usage generally disturbs the native speaker. Can handle with confidence, but not with facility, most normal, high-frequency social conversational situations including extensive, but casual conversations about current events, as well as work, family, and autobiographical information. The individual can get the gist of most everyday conversations but has some difficulty understanding native speakers in situations that require specialized or sophisticated knowledge. The individual's utterances are minimally cohesive. Linguistic structure is usually not very elaborate and not thoroughly controlled; errors are frequent. Vocabulary use is appropriate for high-frequency utterances, but unusual or imprecise elsewhere. While these interactions will vary widely from individual to individual, the individual can typically ask and answer predictable questions in the workplace and give straightforward instructions to subordinates. Additionally, the individual can participate in personal and accommodation-type interactions with elaboration and facility; that is, can give and understand complicated, detailed, and extensive directions and make non-routine changes in travel and accommodation arrangements. Simple structures and basic grammatical relations are typically controlled; however, there are areas of weakness. In the commonly taught languages, these may be simple markings such as plurals, articles, linking words, and negatives or more complex structures such as tense/aspect usage, case morphology, passive constructions, word order, and embedding."
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