Winner of the All-Russian Olympiad – on the great love for chemistry and the benefits of taking part in competitions
Studying at the Faddeev Academic Gymnasium of St Petersburg University is the first stepping stone to a university education. Classes here are taught by teachers from St Petersburg University. Thanks to the multifaceted training, high school students not only pass the Unified State Exams with high scores, but also perform well in intellectual competitions at the All-Russian level. We asked one of the graduates of the Academic Gymnasium to share her impressions of her studies and her participation in school competitions.
Stefaniia Kolesnik is the winner of the regional stage and an awardee of the final stage of the All-Russian Chemistry Olympiad.
At school I was always interested in biology, but taking part in a chemistry competition changed my mind and I decided to apply for a chemistry programme. The Academic Gymnasium offers a wide range of opportunities for gaining knowledge and personal development: lectures are delivered by the University lecturers and seminars take place in laboratories at St Petersburg University. Students therefore receive good theoretical training and a great deal of practical experience. Some school students start writing their research papers here, which they return to in their first year at the University because they know their research supervisors and can continue their research. You don't have to work on a project in your field: some of my classmates have done interdisciplinary research projects in collaboration with biologists or historians.
The level of teaching at the Academic Gymnasium is very high. The teachers aim not just to teach their students how to solve tasks, but to give them the knowledge they need to do well in examinations and to participate in competitions. For example, our teacher, Tatiana Avila Reese, offered us problems from the in-depth United State Exam preparation course in mathematics to practice on. Anna Kartsova, Professor at St Petersburg University, and Mikhail Skripkin, Associate Professor at the University and, author of many Olympiad assignments, helped us prepare for the United State Exam in chemistry. In addition, there are special courses for the students of the Gymnasium, for example on advanced problem solving or preparation for intellectual competitions.
In my opinion, the most important thing about olympiads is to enjoy solving problems: they will either teach you something new, or reinforce the skills you've already acquired.
Stefaniia Kolesnik, the winner of the regional stage and an awardee of the final stage of the All-Russian Chemistry Olympiad
‘Participating in them gave me a great deal of experience, and the knowledge I gained in preparation helped me in writing my research paper: I realised that I had started with some scientific baggage.
I am planning to apply to St Petersburg University. In addition to my basic training I recently started watching a course on 'Structure of Matter: Atoms, Molecules, Nanomaterials' on the Open Education platform.
For those who want to participate in competitions, I advise enrolling in the Academic Gymnasium to get a strong practical training, learning how to solve problems and mastering the University online courses (such as 'Inorganic Chemistry: Introduction to the Chemistry of the Elements)’, shares Stefaniia Kolesnik.