More than 20 years ago, Tomsk State University opened a department at the Faculty of Philology for teaching the Russian language to foreigners wishing to enter Russian universities. Over time, it was decided to organize an independent center where students, in addition to Russian, study other subjects. The director of the TSU Pre-University Training Center Daria Tarakanova shared her experience of working with international students.

ONE FOR ALL

– Daria, tell us about the history of the Center. What are its major tasks?

– Initially, TSU created a preparatory department at the Faculty of Philology to teach foreigners the Russian language. The Faculty of Philology was the founder of a strong school of Russian as a foreign language. Now the department of Russian as a foreign language is the main talent foundry and a research center in this domain. Most of the teachers of the Pre-University Training Center are graduates of the Faculty of Philology and employees of the department.

In 2016, we decided to make a separate division for pre-university training – the Pre-University Training Center. The first set of international students consisted of 32 people, mainly fr om China and Vietnam. Then we had three groups and three teachers who combined administrative and teaching duties.

Now educational programs have been expanded: we conduct training not only in the Russian language, but also in general education subjects, depending on the profile of the future specialty. The goal is to help students master the necessary knowledge of the curriculum in Russian in order to successfully enter and study at the university.

– What is the geography of your students?

– The countries are quite diverse, but the largest diaspora is China. This is quite reasonable: there are close relations between our countries, and Chinese applicants are interested in Russia a lot. Every year there are new amazing countries that are far from us. For example, we have students from Djibouti, Botswana, Angola, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, Yemen. Last year, there was a girl from the Comoros named Dolphin.

It is always very interesting to see students from new countries, to get acquainted with their culture, customs. Children often bring traditional costumes to Tomsk, so the holidays in the Center are always bright and entertaining.

– What faculties of TSU do they plan to enter?

– Student preferences are very diverse and often depend on the active areas of development in their home country. For example, our Chinese students often strive to develop in international activities, so they choose areas related to international relations. Besides, given China’s trade focus, the Institute of Economics and Management is also quite popular. Many Chinese are interested in the Faculty of Philology, especially in the Russian as a Foreign Language, in order to work as teachers at home upon their graduation.

Citizens of Arab countries are mainly interested in computer science. Many come under the state quota. Moreover, students from Indonesia are showing great interest in IT specialties. The rest of the directions are distributed more or less evenly, depending on the interests and needs of specific countries.

THE GREAT AND MIGHTY RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

– It is believed that the Russian language is one of the most difficult languages to study. How do your students cope with it?

– It depends. This is the most difficult for Chinese students since the system of their native language is totally different from Russian: both writing and phonetics have huge differences. However, with a certain effort and perseverance, the students still achieve significant success. On the contrary, students from Arab countries sometimes “grasp” the grammar of Russian quite quickly, and the spoken language is also easy for them.

The teachers of the Center are not limited to classes only. They try to vary activities to make their students relax. After all, when they have three or four classes a day in one subject, it is very difficult, you need to constantly maintain concentration, assimilate a large amount of new information in a new language. To make the studies easier we often spend time with students in an informal setting, this is very conducive to remembering new words.

Teachers are trying to help students successfully adapt to our country, which is very different from their homeland. After all, we have many students from hot countries wh ere there is no snow. In Siberia they see not just snow, but also experience a severe climate. So, we often advice students in terms of clothing. But nevertheless sometimes we have to act like their mothers and force them to put on hats.

– It turns out that when students come to Tomsk, the Center completely takes them “under the wing”?

– That’s right. The teachers of the Center perfectly understand how difficult it is for our students, so they try to help as much as possible in everything. First, our task is to give international students high-quality knowledge that will allow them to successfully pass entrance exams to the university, and second, to acquaint them with our country and its rich culture, and third, to make the guys want to enter our university. We are quite successful so far since most of the graduates of the Center choose TSU.

WARM SIBERIA

– Daria, you said that a lot of students come fr om abroad, often from hot countries. What surprises them most about Tomsk and what do they particularly like? How do they find our culture?

– One of the biggest shocks for them is, of course, snow! It’s so amazing for them to see white falling flakes and feel them on their skin. Some time ago classes were held at Parus dormitory, wh ere study halls have large floor-to-ceiling windows. When it snowed for the first time, we all gathered by the window and watched the snowfall. The students went out into the street, shouted, emotions ran high! For them, a whole event is to buy warm clothes. Guys, of course, take it easier, but girls love to dress up. Many people like boots and things with a fur edge. They are very good for them. The girls in them look like real Russian beauties.

As for the Russian culture, teachers go with students to theaters, exhibitions, museums. We teach them how to prepare those dishes that they especially liked here. Teachers teach students skating, skiing, sliding.

– What do foreigners like?

– Most of all students admire pancakes! Everyone likes them. Students like Maslenitsa a lot. They are very interested in everything. After Lent, on Easter week, we go to church for the belfry. This, of course, is a very memorable event for them, when the students have an opportunity to ring the bells.

– Students study in the Center for a year, and what is next?

– Then the majority – more than 80 percent – enters TSU. Several people usually leave and try to enter other universities in Russia. Some often choose St. Petersburg, as it is a city with a unique atmosphere. But even when they complete their education in Russia and leave for their homeland, we do not lose contact with them. Each teacher is the mentor of the group, so they have time to really become one family. Graduates often write about important events in their lives, for example, if one of them got married, found an interesting job, and so on. Tomsk and TSU forever remain in their hearts, as one of the brightest and warmest memories.