Interviewed: Evgenia Nikolaeva
Before we had time to look back, another school year came to an end. Behind the session, sleepless nights behind textbooks, cheat sheets and notes, an exciting expectation of exam results and parties on the occasion of their successful passing. Everything repeats from year to year, one generation of students succeeds another, but everyone who has passed the session at least once in their life has memories of the exam fuss, funny cases, embarrassment and a sense of amazing ease when everything is already passed, and There is a long, carefree summer ahead.
Our correspondent, embraced by nostalgia for this wonderful time, met with students from the Dubai representative office of the St. Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics (IZHEKON) in order to once again plunge into the atmosphere of a real student fraternity and understand how modern students live.
Sitora Ubaidulaeva, 5th year student, 20 years old, Uzbekistan
How was the session this year?
The session was successful, thank God, everything and everything was surrendered. It was hard, of course, since this semester the program was very busy, a lot of course, essays, control had to be done. But we were lucky, because we got very good teachers who understood that they explained everything in an accessible language and suggested if something was not clear. So, we managed the session.
Any funny cases on exams?
Yes, something funny happens on exams all the time. For example, at the last exam, which was held in the form of a video conference, the voices of my classmates who were standing outside the door and actively discussing exam questions were heard in the audience. And when I answered, the teacher asked: “Tell me, please, are you prompted by Blutooth or Hand-set?”, I replied: “Nobody tells me, it's just that everyone is standing at the door, they are waiting for their turn, everyone is on nerves, everyone’s feeling bad - everyone is afraid. " After all, an exam is always “two in one”: nervousness and fun.
Well, the session is over, now it’s full of free time. What are your plans for the summer? Go home or stay in Dubai and try to work?
For the summer I stay here, I have to work, get ready for the fifth year. Fourth course - it was serious. After passing the last exam, we gathered as a group, chatted, discussed the session, and suddenly realized that we had only the fifth year left and that’s it - the next stage in life would begin.
What are your plans for the near future?
Graduate from the university, get a diploma and go to work in the specialty in the hotel business.
In which particular segment of the hotel business do you plan to go to work?
Well, how it goes, I myself have not decided yet, but I think by the end of the fifth year everything will become clear. My mother tells me that it’s time to get into a hotel, but you know that without a higher education in the local hotels there is a very low salary. Therefore, I am now thinking of going to work somewhere, where without higher education they can offer more or less acceptable money. First, I will save up funds for all my needs, so as not to ask my parents, and then you can safely go to work in a specialty in a hotel to climb up the career ladder.
What would you like to wish and advise new university students?
First of all, I want to advise you to attend all lectures - this is the most important thing. Everyone knows that teachers are very kind to attendance of their couples. In addition, I wish all our future new students to study well, to set a goal and achieve it. If you believe in God - Allah, and strive to achieve your goals, everything will be 100% fulfilled in this life.
Alexey Dodonov, 2nd year student, 26 years old, Russia
How was your first year at ENGECON?
The first year was very productive. I had a very positive impression of the university. For me, this is, above all, a new experience. Firstly, the fact that I study abroad is unusual for me (I spent my whole life in the Volga region, in the city of Tchaikovsky), and secondly, here I meet people of different nationalities, learn something new about their life, culture, which is also very interesting.
Which teachers did you like to attend most of the lectures?
Of course, in lectures on the economic theory of Alexander Pavlovich Bykovsky and on the history of Vladimir Mikhailovich Troykalo. Our mathematician Andrei Grigoryevich also helped a lot of children, since in the first semester there was a very large block of mathematics, and some simply "did not reach it." But everyone was well prepared for the exams, because the lectures were sorted out "on the shelves", and as a result, everyone passed the session well.
How did the session go?
On exams the "status" of the headman of the group helped me a lot. I am the oldest in the group, and I have a voice, you hear yourself, you can command a company, so at the beginning of the school year they elected me the headman. I have to maintain discipline in the classroom so that the girls don’t chat, the guys at the lecture are not late. Yes, we have it strictly here (laughs). So, on the exam in history, the teacher, despite the fact that I, whatever one may say, left the “four”, says: “You are“ 5 ”, young man, for your merits.” Yes, and in the physics test, in which everyone was asked three questions, right after I answered correctly to the first, they gave me a "test". Here is such compensation for community service.
How do you plan to spend the summer?
Until the end of June I will be in Dubai - I have exams at a driving school, I finally want to get a driver’s license. And then I will go to Russia, to my homeland. My friends and I have a bunch of plans: hunting, fishing. We have such a nature! Yes, and from the heat of Dubai I want to relax.
Ekaterina Ivanich, 4th year student, 21 years old, Russia
How do you remember this school year?
This year we had a practice, during which I discovered a lot of new and interesting things. Theory - it is the theory, and without practice it will remain dry information. Theoretical knowledge, in my opinion, should always be reinforced by practice, no matter what specialty you receive.
Were there the teachers that you most remembered for 3 years of study at the university?
When we were in our first year, I remember the teacher of mathematics Izumrud Muslimovna. She really had a talent for teaching. She explained not only clearly, she still managed to present the material in such a way that everyone was very interested. And also, when she was preparing us for the exam, she was more worried about us than we ourselves when we passed her subject.
Did funny events happen at her lectures?
Yes, she once wrote several seven-digit numbers on a blackboard and began to add them in her mind, divide, multiply by other numbers, and all this with such ease! Naturally, everyone was surprised at this "phenomenon." Finally, she wrote the answer on the board, and then one of our classmate could not stand it and said to the whole audience: “Yes, you need to put a monument for such calculations!” And everyone agreed with him.
What's new for you students this school year?
Much. Last year, for example, the university made repairs to all classrooms in order to improve the learning process. And this opened another new audience for video conferencing. At the beginning of this year, a Student Council appeared in our ENGECON, there were more events for students.
Which of them are most remembered?
Halloween, New Year, Saturday, March 8. And it’s also very cool that joint trips to the skating rink, karting, and picnic trips to the beach began to be organized.
Vitaliy Yagotinets, 3rd year student, 20 years old, Ukraine
How did you pass the exams?
Well, although it was much more difficult than last year. In general, the session flew somehow very quickly, like one day, probably because I hadn’t crawled out of the table all this time - I was getting ready. But he handed over almost everything to the "five", only the economy to the "four". And all because on the eve of the exam was at a friend's birthday and did not have time to repeat everything.
What items do you like most?
Actually, my favorite subject is economic theory, even though I passed it worse than everyone else. It’s even a shame a bit, because I had a very relevant topic of course work today: “Crisis management”. I plan to continue to work on this topic.
What are your plans for the summer?
In the summer I will be in Dubai, as I enrolled in a driving school, I will learn to drive a car. In addition, I will help at the university, I want to work as a volunteer in the selection committee - I need to evaluate the new female applicants who will be coming to us (laughs). Although, maybe I’ll go to Kiev for a week at the end of the summer. It would be nice to meet my younger brother, I have not seen him for a long time, I miss you.
What do you remember most about your studies at the university?
Probably the most vivid impressions I had from playing in the Night Watch. I played in the university team, it was so exciting - we rushed around Dubai, looked for codes, guessed the encryption. It is a pity that now for some reason the game was suspended. We are all really looking forward - all of a sudden it will be launched again? I also like our Cinema Club, we watch different films, and then discuss them. And we seem to be talking about the plot of the film, but in the end it turns out that we are reasoning about our life. And philosophizing on various life situations is always interesting.
Maxim Vladimirovich Mineev, Deputy Director of the Dubai office of ENGECON.
Maxim Vladimirovich, how can you evaluate the past academic year?
In general, not bad, the first course quickly became involved in the educational process and in student life. This year, our students successfully completed a practice in one of the hotels in the city. We all know that due to the global economic downturn, the hotel business is currently experiencing difficult times. Each hotel seeks to optimize its activities and reduce costs. Our students got to practice at the hotel, just at that moment when the processes of internal reorganization were taking place in it, and were able to see the positive and negative sides of such processes. According to a survey of students, it was clear that they understood the structure of the hotel and saw those mistakes that were made by the management.
How did the session go?
The session was not without flaws. There were problems, but students overcame them and, in general, successfully passed the exams. There were also incidents, I was present at the defense of term papers, so one student for a long time could not remember the name of the work that she passed for examination to the teacher, and when she seemed to remember, she named the topic from a completely different discipline. Apparently, the excitement affected. In this case, I recall a joke when a teacher gave students grades, asking only three questions: "What are we renting? What is my name? And what color is the textbook?"
What are ENGECON's plans for the future?
Well, firstly, in the new academic year we are launching a new master's program in English - International Tourism Business (direction "Management"). Now our students, after receiving a bachelor’s diploma, will be able to continue their studies in English to receive a master’s degree and an international diploma. And for our Russian-language bachelor's programs, we gradually want to introduce disciplines that are fully taught in English.
What else? We plan to expand our cooperation with hotels, travel and transport companies, in which our students would have the opportunity to undergo practice. By the beginning of the school year, we are equipping two more large auditoriums for video conferencing. Yes, a lot of things are planned.
We want students to come to the university not only for classes. The university’s training center has a dance and art studio, next year a theater studio will continue its work, and a ballet and possibly a music school will open. In addition, the university has its own cinema club, interior design courses, art history courses. In general, creative natures have something to do. Ideally, we strive to ensure that the only Russian university in the Middle East becomes the center of cultural and social life of the Russian-speaking community of the UAE.
Next year the first graduation of students of our branch will take place. And this event, of course, will be a very important stage for our university and will summarize some of its work in the UAE over a five-year period.
