Campus Life

Foreign students, who come to study at our University, from the first days of staying participate in various cultural actions, contests and competitions.

International concert “Let’s get acquainted!”  is the first holiday in the academic year. It is usually held in October or November. All teachers and administration of the Faculty, foreign students of senior years of studies, representatives of students’ VSTU active come to this concert. And there we show that our Faculty is a territory of friendship, mutual respect and admiration of world’s different cultures.

New Year – is a holiday which is very popular in many countries. We celebrate it in the end of December. Usually by this time students get acquainted with new life conditions and speak Russian a little. New Year is a family holiday and here students and teachers-supervisors become one family. The contest of wall newspapers is organized where each student can tell about New Year traditions of his/her country and learn more about Russian history and traditions.

At the contests “Mister of the Faculty” and  “Miss of the Faculty” students of the Pre-university Training Faculty can demonstrate their individual talents and achievements in the Russian language learning. These contests are held during popular Russian holidays February 23rd (Defender of the Motherland Day) and March 8th (International Women’s Day). Every participant of the contest should present his/her country and its traditions, gentlemen demonstrate their sport talents and ladies   - creativity; communicative ability, comprehension skills and speaking in Russian are the main parameters. Usually there are no losers – each group supports its representative and the Faculty awards prizes and awards.

Graduation concert finishes the academic year and is held in June when the examinations are passed. Graduates of the Pre-university Training Faculty  demonstrate their perfect Russian language knowledge. The whole Concert is held in the Russian language: songs, poems, monologues.

Foreign students take active part in university events and place high, e.g. Talents’ contest for the first year students (1st place in 2013), contest “Glamorous and charming” (2nd place in 2014), contest “Honor of VSTU “, “Spartakiad” among hostels of VSTU (3rd place in 2013). Big attention is paid to health and rest of students; especially useful and rich in sport events is summer rest of students in summer health camp of VSTU.

Teachers of the Faculty pay much attention to cultural & educational projects. All students take part in excursion programs: part of them is paid by the University. All the groups of the Pre-university Faculty are lucky to go in for bus excursions around the city, an excursion to the Mamayev Hill and to the historic and memorial museum preserve “Stalingrad battle”. Students for their own money, together with teachers of the Faculty travel to the cultural capital of Russia – St. Petersburg.

A lecture on the Russian national culture is held for foreign students and is free. Students attend four classes “Winter holidays”, “Maslenitsa Festival”, “Russian national costume”, “Russian national music”. These classes are held by specialists in Russian folk culture, traditional music, clothes & cuisine. Together with musicians and dance groups foreign students reconstruct ancient games, calendar ceremonies, sing and dance, taste dishes of the ethnic cuisine.

Cultural life of Volgograd is full of interesting events. Foreign students of VSTU annually participate in the “Parade of Ded Morozes and Snegurochkas”. In 2012 students-winners of this New Year show were awarded with a trip to St. Petersburg by Rector of VSTU.

There are a lot of international cultural actions: “Biblionight” (in April) and “Night in a museum” (in May) they can become great opportunities for free communication with citizens of Volgograd, acquaintance with history and culture of Russia.

National communities and associations do big work in adaptation of foreigners in Russia. In VSTU work Association of Nigerian Students, Association of Vietnamese Students, Association of Arabic Students. In 2013 VSTU initiated creation of Volgograd affiliate of Association of Foreign Students in our University. Annually every community organizes Days of national cultures.

Students of the Faculty for Foreign Students’ Training of VSTU are well-known among Volgograd citizens, because they often participate in big city holidays, especially in the City Day   (in September) when concerts of different national communities who live in the Volgograd Region take place.