"My goal is to learn Russian at a high level and become a good specialist"

It is Russian that you have decided to study. Why?

I started to learn Russian already in high school. I studied Russian for four years there but the quality of education wasn’t so good. After I graduated from the high school, I completely forgot Russian language. After graduation, I decided to learn Russian again. Therefore, I studied at the summer courses of the Russian language at the Russian Culture Centre in Ulaanbaatar. There I found out that I have the opportunity to study at Russian universities on the government-funded basis of the Russian Federation, and decided to participate in the competition. I spent a year preparing for the competition on my own and got the right to study in Russia. I am learning Russian because there are many excellent professionals in all fields of science in Russia; they are numerous in economics, which I coveted to study.

Can you tell us what factors you were considering when choosing a university? Why our University?

We had the opportunity to choose six universities and we needed to prioritize it. Since I wanted to study at one of the most prestigious universities in Russia I marked St Petersburg University as the most desirable. My choice was also based on the fact that St Petersburg University has the rich history, internationally recognised rank of the institution, and the beauties of the place. I was afraid that this university wouldn’t take me but fortunately, I was chosen.

Were there any difficulties you had encountered during the study? If yes, how did you manage to overcome them?

Last year, I completed the St Petersburg University online preparatory course. It is obvious that studying foreign languages online is not simple. However, thanks to the teachers that worked with us in close contact and were helpful, I was not experiencing any serious problems.

If you have resided in St Petersburg, can you tell us about the impression it has made on you? What did you do in your free time? What sights did you visit? What did you like most about the city? On the contrary, what did it seem hard to get used to?

I am still in Mongolia so far, but, of course, I want to come to St Petersburg and visit beautiful places. I really want to visit the State Hermitage Museum. I have heard and read about this museum a lot. I think it’s very beautiful, so first of all I want to visit this museum.

Would you evaluate the course you studied? What did you like most about it?

The preparatory course that we (my group) completed has ensured us an advanced level of the Russian language training comparing with other groups. It was appealing to me as I had wanted to study Russian as comprehensively as possible. Our group had wonderful teachers, because of them we were able to learn Russian at the level I wanted.

What are the core skills that you formed when studying at our University?

There are many excellent professionals in all fields of science in Russia; they are numerous in journalism and in economics, which I coveted to study. Of course, this means that there are a lot of amazing books in Russian. I really like to read and learned to find the necessary information in Russian also I began to read my favourite books in Russian.

Can you state that the pandemic affected your training process? If yes, to what extent?

Definitely, yes. For example, I had to study online. I was going to visit St Petersburg last year. However, with the pandemic, my dream did not come true.

What would you like to advise foreigners who are coming to Russia?

If you ask me about the country, I do not have much to say, as I have never been to Russia so far. However, I would like to advise concerning Russian: don’t ever give up even if, at first, it seems hard to study the language. It is tremendously attractive, beautiful, and almighty, though not simple.

What are your plans for the future?

This academic year I entered the SPbU’s Master’s programme «Applied Macroeconomics, Economic Policy and State Regulation». I have set myself some goals and one of it is to learn Russian very well and become a good specialist in the field of economics. After I finish my master’s degree, I would like to return to Mongolia and dedicate the knowledge and skills that I will acquire to my country and contribute to its development.