₦airaland Forum

Toluwarni: Georgia is OK... It's cheaper than Russia

How much is the tuition fee now? I want to guide this guy to nice schools. Why do you want Russia? You haven't mentioned as that will help me understand your motives.

Norway is also a great place to study. Tuition fee is free and you get to work. When you get your visa, they issue you a work permit at the same time. Almost everyone speaks English there. To study as an undergrad, you have to learn Norwegian. My cousin was in Moscow and left after first year university to start afresh in Norway. He is doing darn good, working for STATOIL. No discrimination there.

You might also want to try Finland. No tuition fees - medium of instruction in select courses is in English. If you are attracted by Russian girls, then Petersburg is just 8 hrs away by bus.

You can also try Germany - their economics schools with English medium of instruction. No tuition fee, just 500 Euros a year. And the school have strong ties with US & Canadian Schools.

It still baffles me why Russia when there are way better options for less money with much better opportunities.

In Russia, you can't even secure an internship.

In western European countries and Norway, internships are just handed to you on a plate esp. in Norway where there are lots of international oil and gas companies and the competition is less because the population is not much. But be ready to be bored all the time in Norway though if you find your way there.

Misunderstood_G: I see Russia as a stepping stone to greater opportunities.. I actually got accepted into Tambov State Technical University and Perm State Technical University... Some dudes advised me not to go to Moscow, saying its too expensive... I'm not going there to hustle, I'm going there to study and progress in Life.. So please what do you have to say about these universities?? Awaiting your reply.. All these go, Don't go is confusing me, But you've really shed light on the situation...... PS: I'm not an average student.. So I think I can make it..

Dude, not trying to discourage you but if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't go to those schools. Can you compare a Ferrari to Volkswagen?

I bet no.

Those schools you mentioned - I have not even heard of them. Stay away from anything not Moscow or St. Petersburg. You won't understand what it means until you arrive in Russia.

The exposure you will get in these little Russian cities like Tambov & Perm will be much less than if you studied in Nigeria. The residents of those cities themselves are struggling & hustling to find their way to Moscow & St. Petersburg and you want to go there? Don't go dude.

You are still young. Go to places where you'll build a solid network of future leaders, intellectuals - a place where American universities come to recruit students - a place where you have easy acesss to all embassies in the event of emergencies - a place where your teachers can advise and guide you as you progress in your career because they have the exposure to state-of-the-art ways of thinking - a place where you'll have people to call friends (black & white) because they are exposed - a place where when the going gets tough, you can HUSTLE if you chose to because the opportunities are there - a place where you'll find numerous Nigerians, businessmen and students, ambassadors children, CEOs, International Scholarship Students including Nigerians and others sent by various Nigerian State Governments like Bayelsa, Niger state etc. and by meeting these cats, you develop your connections. These guys are some of the future leaders of their respective countries and states.

That place is Moscow. If Moscow is too expensive for your budget,St. Petersburg should be your last resort. Don't go far away from these two cities.

You'll regret it especially if you have to pay for yourself. Life in Russia is not all about studies - the marketable skills and network you develop are also important. And in Moscow and Petersburg, that's where opportunities abound.

Listen to someone who has lived in Russia, mingled, found his way out to greener pastures just because he was in the right place. If I was not in Petersburg, I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity.

Most of my friends who studied in Moscow are now in US, Canada and UK doing great. The ones from smaller cities are mostly in Nigeria not because they wanted to go back but because they had no options after graduation. I'm not saying going back to Nigeria after graduation is bad, but it sure feels good to have options and then chose to go back because you actually want to go back home.

As an example, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard & Princeton got to Moscow State University to recruit top students for Masters and PhDs. If you are above average, there you go - a free ride to these top schools. That was how I secured 75% of my graduate admission - the recruiters were right on campus - I secured admission to PhD from BSc even before the second semester of my final year.

Unless you have deep pockets, then it doesn't matter where you study. But then, you wouldn't complain that Moscow is too expensive.

Hey guys,

I studied in Russia and did my Masters in Canada. And heading to UPenn - Wharton School for my MBA in September.
I wanted to obtain my Canadian papers before heading to the US, otherwise I would have gone to MIT from undergrad.
In fact, I specialized in financial engineering as an undergrad @ the St. Petersburg State University and went to the University of Alberta for my MSc.

To OP:

May I ask, why on earth do you want to go to Russia? If not because I secured full scholarship from an international organization, I will never have gone there. I do not recommend it at all. It is racist, not for intellectually dull people because it’ll sap all creative energy from you if you are not careful and make smart moves.

This is how I summarize living in Russia from my experience.

• You’ll learn a new international language if you study the basics of the language well and mingle nicely.

• If you were an average student in Nigeria, you’ll struggle a lot with Russian grammar. You might speak street Russian if you start going out a lot, but understanding the technical details of Russian grammar is very tough. I obtained 9 A1’s when I sat for my WAEC exams, scored 289 in JAMB, got direct admission to UNN from SS3, but in Russia, I struggled to learn the language. Now, I’m very fluent but most foreign students I know who speak it very well, albeit, street Russian can barely compose a paragraph without numerous grammatical errors.

• If you are going there to hustle as most Nigerians call it, I may not be able to advise you. But if you are going there to study and progress in life, I might be the right person to contact. And if you contact me, I will advise you not to go unless you are going to very specific schools – even then, you have to look inside and determine who you are. Are you the academic type? Can you score a 4.5+/5.00 GPA back home in Nigerian universities? I was on a 5.0/5.0 at UNN when I left.

• In Russia, you can easily get high grades if you are smart about it. I graduated with a 5.0/5.0 from St. Petersburg State University in Mathematical Mechanics and got admission to over 10 universities across US,Canada and UK (including Cambridge and MIT) for MSc/PhD with full scholarship. And I didn’t really have to work that hard. I spent most of my time developing marketable skills instead of studying for classes. But my Russian is almost flawless.

• I am not bragging. I am only saying if you want to use Russia as a transit point to better universities in the US, Canada and a few schools in UK, then Russia will work magic.

• People say you can’t work in Russia. It is very true. In my case, I was able to publish a scientific paper in an international journal and my advisor is Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s friend (Putin is an alumnus of my school’s Law faculty), so he hooked me up with two internships with the Kremlin. I was the only black person there only because of my performance which was made possible because I established a good reputation within my school from day one as a serious, ambitious young black boy.


If you ever touch base in Russia, you'll find 70%+ of the ladies to be very beautiful and easily approachable. As such, most international students get carried away. I am not saying I am perfect as I did enjoy my college experience very well, but letting that be the only good thing you can say about Russia is not something to be proud of. And you'll find 80-90% of the time,most foreigners are always scheming how to get laid or drink their kidneys out.


Enjoy life but understand that if you put your head down from day one, opportunities abound in Russia. Just don't expect to change it later because once you establish a reputation, it sticks with you all through your years there and it's very hard to change. I was lucky because from day one, I was recognized as a sharp, brilliant dude from Africa. I did slack around third year but it was hard to change the reputation I already established. Instead, my advisor kept encouraging me, giving me advice like he was my dad.

• If you want endless opportunities, go to Moscow State University. If you are hoping to pay for yourself, I will say stay back at home.

• I don’t know what your ambitions and goals are, so it might be difficult for me to guide you. If it’s just to leave the shores of Nigeria, please do not contact me. I won’t respond. I can tell from the tone. But if you desire to go the elite route, either academic or business, then feel free to toss me a message.

• I will definitely be willing to guide you.

• Just so you know, because of my Russian language skills, I was recruited by GazProm-BP-TNK JV even before I finished my MSc to manage one of their alliances with West African entities. Obviously, some networking helps but knowing the language and having N. American experience was the defining factor.

• Russia can really open doors. Think before you act. From your post, it shows someone who hasn’t done his homework. Someone misguided and needing direction.

• Good luck though and I wish you the best.

hey

pat123:
Hi opcomm and davedavy,
I really appreciate your help so far.I'm really confused with this racism thing.Actually,I'm applying for school outhere cos of the low tuition.I would have prefered any other place with a tuiition as low as $2500.Anyway,if my best bet is still to go there,can you tell me how life is in Petersburg in general,especially for international students/foreigners?Moreover,how can one avoid impendinmg trouble with the so call racist 'skull head'?btw P'burg and moscow,which is a bit better in term of racism and other things that make life worthwhile in russia.Thanks and have a great weekend as I will be expecting your response soon.

I would encourage you to stick to Moscow or St. Petersburg and stay away from other cities. They are not worth the hassles except you have enough money to take care of yourself. Tuition in Moscow is definitely higher than what you'll pay in other St. Petersburg, probably because the demand is higher.

You can also try St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications. From what I learnt, their international student section treat their student nicely. The fees should not be above $2500.


Don't also fail to try Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4027.htm

That school is highly ranked and the tuition is around that $2500 and it's in Moscow again. Don't miss out on the opportunity to have a one in a life time experience in Moscow. An experience you'll never have else where.

Use your spare time to check the universities in Russia and compare their fees.

http://www.4icu.org/ru/

Moscow is way better than St. Petersburg in terms of racism. This is because of the diversity of Moscow. St. Petersburg isn't that diverse .

To OP,

I am currently doing my Masters in Electrical Engineering in Canada. In fact, in Alberta. You are looking for schools with tuition of 6000 CAD or less? Dude, you should be able to find some. And when you land here, you can work as a teaching assistant for extra income or even in a firm part-time if you can combine both.

In my university, the tuition is about 12,000 CAD but the department usually refunds a tuition deferential of about $6000 per annum subject, though  to the availability of funding . But Alberta has always been having a budget surplus. This is to say, you end up paying only $6000 for a first-rate education.

And in some university, like the university of Victoria, tuition as an international student is the same as what domestic or permanent residents pay. It's about $5800 per annum. Add $10,000 for living cost for a year and you are ok. They also have a co-op system where you can go work for say 4 months during the masters program and earn good cash.

The tuition at University of Saskachewan and University of Regina I think are even less. Check them out. You should be able to find everything online.

In fact, let me know what your grades and major are and I can guide you on how to approach it. It's as easy as ABC. If you have second class upper in the higher end, you even stand a good chance to get some very good funding.

No emails please. Everything should be on this forum.

As an example, check this out.

http://enel.ucalgary.ca/graduate/financial-assistance-and-expenses

This usually the average.

To OP,

I also lived and studied in Russia for like five years (2004-2009) before leaving for North AMerica for my MSc. I lived in St. Petersburg. It should interest you to note that life in Russia is pretty hectic as well as fun. If you hope to depend on working while a student to survive, I would say think deeply before considering Russia. It's very difficult to find a Job as a foreigner and the Racism somehow might get your mentality distorted in some way if you allow it.

And it would do you much good to stick to Moscow. The city is pretty diverse compared to other Russian cities. St. Petersburg comes a tad second but I wouldn't encourage you to go there. Moscow will expose you to real life and add a whole new dimension to your lifestyle. You shouldn't because of the high fees in Moscow run away from it and opt for smaller cities like Rostov.

In Russia, the more diverse a city, the better. And the only diverse cities would be Moscow and St. Petersburg. An option might be for you to apply to Tver State Technical University for your preparatory course. They have one of the best preparatory courses in Russia and the fees are lower. Tver itself is just about 1-2 hours away from Moscow by Bus which is not far at all by Russian standard. Once you get a hang on the language, you can easily go to Moscow and start off a new life. Just an option though, to help you save up on some tuition cost the first year.

And forget about working the first year. Concentrate as Dave said on learning the language. If you are not fluent in the language, your life in Russia will suck big time. But Make sure you stay away from cities that are far way from Moscow. The closer, the better. Rostov is MILES away from Moscow.

Majority of the Federal Government Scholarship students as well as other students sponsored by their state governments are in Moscow. You won't be bored there. Take your time and think well. Ask more specific question and you get better survival tips.