University of Rochester Summer Program in St Petersburg, Russia

  Russia

• St. Petersburg: 
St. Petersburg

Term: Summer 

Description: White Nights! Golden Onion Domes! Royal Palaces! In June, the sun doesn't set in St. Petersburg until well after midnight and the pearl of Russian Imperial architecture glows most brightly. Known as the "Venice of the North" because of its many canals and rivers, St. Petersburg is liveliest during the four weeks of our program, when the streets are bustling and opportunities for cultural contact are the greatest.

Established in 1989, the UR Summer Program in Russia began in the provincial city of Tver before moving to Moscow in 1992 and to St. Petersburg in 1994. Each, year, approximately a dozen students from the University of Rochester and elsewhere make the trip. For many, it is a life-changing experience: "This has been the most wonderful experience of my life." "The program and the Russian people have changed my life." "What I loved about this trip cannot be expressed with words". (From the 1999 trip.)

Highlights: Students stay with host families who provide two meals a day, private rooms, as much Russian as you want, and the chance to see Russia though Russian eyes. Placement is supervised by the University of St. Petersburg and most families are repeat hosts. The homestays are one of the most rewarding features of the program for our students: "My hostess cared for me better than my own mother." "My family was excellent... They were willing to let me do everything and were extraordinary in helping my Russian."

Students receive 6 credits for either RU 107 or RUS 157 or RUS 207, all of which are part of a humanities cluster in Russian and count towards both the major and minor in Russian and Russian Studies.

Participants in our month-long program attend four hours of classes a day, four days a week (Fridays and weekends are reserved for excursions). Classes rotate and include grammar, phonetics, conversation, analytical reading, and Russian culture. All classes are held on the main campus of the University of St. Petersburg and are taught by university instructors.

A typical excursion itinerary looks like this:

Week One: City tour; Peter & Paul Fortress; river and canal trip; day trip to Novgorod or overnight boat trip to island monastery of Valaam.

Week Two: Hermitage Peterhof Summer Palace; a weekend trip to Moscow (includes city tour, Red Square, Kremlin, performance at the Bolshoi Theater).

Week Three: Russian museum; opera and/or ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theater; Catherine's Palace.

Week Four: St. Isaac's Cathedral & other famous churches; Summer Garden; farewell party.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: USD 3900.00

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Year Founded: 1850