Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School, Spring 2015 Master level exchange Travel report

Transcription

1 k93920 Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School, Spring 2015 Master level exchange Travel report 1. Preparation for exchange before arriving Moscow 1.1. First contacts with the university I was not approached by Lomonosov Business School in mid-fall 2014 for the upcoming spring exchange semester Instead, I decided to contact the department in early October, which is responsible of international students in Moscow State University Business School. I received quick responses from the department on questions regarding to upcoming exchange experience. I communicated with them in English and Russian, and recommend using Russian because I received effective (faster and more accurate) responses. For selecting courses, I immediately requested courses that are offered for international students (both in Russian and in English). It took a while, as they responded to me that they have not finished the course plans for spring term yet. Also, some of the courses that I thought they had offered in Russian language were not available this time. I recommend to confirm with the department all the courses you are planning to take are in fact offered and lectured. I got final confirmation on the courses when I arrived to Moscow. I filled also the form they had on their website (International Exchange Program Application, ( For this application, they require also from student a copy of passport so they can send you invitation for visa arrangements. Also, they requested official transcript of grades and CV, which I attached for the application and scanned it back to the department General visa issues, dormitory Immediately after receiving invitation (early January), I booked time from the Embassy of Russian Federation for visa. Key documents to keep in mind when applying for student visa: HIV certificate, you can get this free from YTHS ( and they give it in Russian language also Photograph that is valid for Visa application Filled Visa application that you bring to the Visa center (or Embassy) from

2 2 Additionally, make sure you have travel insurance for whole exchange period. You need to input this information for visa application. For successful accomplishment of visa application, it is expected that the passport is valid for at least one (or one and half) year after applying for visa. Applying and receiving student visa took from me approximately 5 working days, and I paid for it around 50 euros. The visa that I received first was single-entry visa, which was valid for about one and half months. After arriving the Moscow, it was expected from every international student arriving with single-entry visa to turn in their passport for one month, so that students can have multientry visa valid for the remaining period. Therefore, be prepared that you cannot travel outside from Moscow easily during this month. During the exchange, I lived in dormitory. I highly recommend for students to grab this option, as it is located very near from the faculty where the lectures are held (10-15 minutes by walking). Even though the visual conditions may not be same level as in Finland, it is sufficient and comfortable for exchange period. In addition, the price (~ Russian rubles per month) is not very high. Dormitory room is a block, where a student shares small corridor, toilet and shower room with another student, while both students have their own rooms. The dormitory rooms were very warm (+26 to +29 almost all time). I expressed to the international department that I need a room from dormitory and they arranged it. There was not any other actions required apart from this for fulfillment of housing needs. Before arriving Moscow, I received contact information of my buddy. They make sure that someone native Russian is there to meet you. It is necessary, especially in the first day during Moscow to make all the arrangements to acquire dormitory room, applying for pass cards and every other practical issues that needs to be addressed (opening mobile phone network, internet connection, showing the premises of university and so on). I decided to go to Moscow by train, because it is convenient way and the price is about same as going by plane from Helsinki. By train, it was easier for me to take the entire luggage (no additional fees that could come by flying), and no security checks. Flying is a good option if you do not have much stuff with you and/or you want to travel faster.

3 3 I spent lot of time on preparations for exchange, and there was not any problems. It is highly encouraged to express any potential problems or questions that one has. However, many of the people I encountered were not capable to communicate effectively in English (Business School students were exception), which means that this is great opportunity for enhancing Russian language skills! 2. Exchange studies 2.1. General information about studies I arrived in February 4 th to Moscow, and left 29 th of June. After arriving, there was one day in the following week dedicated for orientation. I had final course work on 26 th of June, but most international students had left couple of weeks earlier. Final month during my exchange period was dedicated for Practice of Business only, and some students decided to drop it off. During exchange, I studied for my Master s degree. This gave more room to choose courses. For my understanding, the department forbade Bachelor level students to choose Master level courses. However, Master s students could choose any courses from both levels, and I chose courses that seemed most interesting. I confirmed my selection of courses while in Moscow (one course was canceled, but it was not hard to find replacement for it). Courses were offered mostly in English, but I requested (earlier) list of courses that are teached in Russian and took two courses from that list. International students were informed weekly by about study schedule for 2-3 weeks forward. This had negative impact on scheduling own arrangements, especially if one is about to travel for a longer time. The exams for individual courses were held at random intervals, but usually about 3-4 weeks after first lecture. Generally speaking, I think that the exams were fairly easy compared to the ones I have taken in Aalto. Depending on the teacher, who usually was controlling the exam, students liberally whispered advice from other students, and/or used mobile devices to check information from other sources. This behavior depended on teacher, some were very strict regarding to this and some teachers did not care about it. However, the exams were fairly easy for me. The exams did not measure how well students have memorized course material, but whether they listened during lecture at all.

4 4 The lecturing times were at day and late evenings for example, some lectures for specific course started 9 in the morning, and ended at 14. Two courses had lectures often from 18 to 22. Also, some lectures were held on Saturdays. Teachers confirmed participation of every student most of the times, because it was regulated to be present at 50% of lectures from students. The execution of this differed from teachers some teachers did not care and just put the participation list forward for students themselves to mark their presence Courses passed during exchange Geopolitics and it s Implication for Business (2.5 ECTS), Teacher: M.V. Bratersky Topics changed from the theory and purpose of state, current topics in foreign policies of large economies (mainly USA and Russia focus), and many things that were in the focus of media. Other topics included free trade issues, global currency system, trade policies, political regulation, trade and economic sanctions, and Russia and NATO. The lectures were not boring, but the presentation skills of teacher were not very good. It seemed that the teacher knew very well his topic, but his way of explaining things in English was challenging (as he sometimes spoke too quietly if students started to talk loudly). During breaks, most of the students left. The materials were not of good quality. The final mark came from 50% of short (five minute) presentation on a given topic that was given by teacher, and 50% of exam. Exam contained 15 questions, where student had to choose the correct option from another Managerial Skills and Decision Making (5 ECTS), Teacher: A. Bogdanov Course was about Theory of Inventive Problem Solving and some basic accounting on formation of balance sheet and cash flows. During lectures we analyzed business models and value chains of corporations, studied market sizes (i.e. how many cars are sold yearly in area of Moscow), and practiced bookkeeping. Teacher was very good and amusing, which made the lectures enjoyable to follow. However, the topics we went through were very basic (apart from first two lectures dedicated for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). Final mark came from essay (10% of grade) and exams (90% of grade). Exams covered things we went through lectures (building balance sheet, analyzing

5 5 market size, and solving a problem using Theory of Inventive Problem Solving ). We had two exams on last day of the course, which was slightly confusing arrangement Venture Capital Management (2.5 ECTS), Teacher: A. Zuzin This was one of the best-lectured course in English. Teacher knew his topic and has himself lot of industry experience on Venture Capital. Most interesting parts covered about the legislature in Russia on businesses and main differences between Russian law and English law. During lectures, we also studied typical phases that a business has to go through before becoming a solid business model. We also covered some basic and essential valuations for Venture Capital. The group presentation was a good case study, but unfortunately, I had a team that was not very interested to spend lot of time for it. We had to value a company that was about to be sold its shares for new shareholders, and take into account lot of factors (where the company should be registered in terms of legislation, analyzing potential market size and future cash flows). Exam, however, did not measure how well student has memorized materials. Questions were like What of the following skills are required for project management and there were many options to choose. The questions and answers for them were ambiguous. Final grade came from active lecture participation (10%), group presentation (20%), final exam (60%, minimum for pass 30%), and individual home task which was case reading (10%) Russian for Foreigners (5 ECTS), Teacher: S. Degtyar International students were divided into two groups, one for basic and one for more advanced. I was assigned with two other students into more advanced group. After every lecture, we got short assignments and every 3 weeks we had a short exam that covered a text we studied for previous weeks. Teacher had strong emphasis on grammar and correct use of it. The lectures were once a week from February to the beginning of May. During final lecture, students made short presentation in Russian about their stay in Moscow. Grading came from participation of lectures, homeworks and exams. I learned to use grammar better during this course, which I had neglected too much before in Russian Language courses in Aalto.

6 International Marketing (2.5 ECTS), Teacher: A. Blinov This course was very generic about marketing. Lectures covered global marketing environment, world economy and international trade, social and cultural environments, and different strategies in marketing for specific market areas. Also, about half of the lecture times were dedicated for Business Simulation project. Teacher was reading straight from the lecture slides, which made the lectures boring to listen. After first half of lectures, second half was dedicated to Business Simulation. Students were divided into manufacturer and retailer groups (teams of 2 and 3). Groups were then provided market information of products, and had to make decisions for next lecture/period about prices, changing product features, and so on (there were many parameters that group can change). The simulation game was not well executed, and it was rushed so we could end the simulation game. I did not learn anything new during this course. During final exam, students were allowed to use computers and read lecture material for correct answers. Grade, I think, consistent mostly from the exam Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (2.5 ECTS), Teacher: J. Basen Course was devoted to explain what one has to do before creating a company. Topics included context of entrepreneurship, model for entrepreneurship, opportunity recognition and preparation and exploitation. Best thing I remember from the course was that lecturer talked a lot about Rainforest book (by Hwang & Horowitt). During lectures, we did readings of texts in groups, and presented viable business plans. Final grade came from exam (which was hardest one in my opinion of all exams), an essay about own experience of entrepreneurship, and class participation. I did not learn new things from this course, but it may be useful for someone who has never thought about establishing own company. The teacher was enthusiastic about the topic, which made lectures more enjoyable to follow Управление Рисками / Risk Management (In Russian, 2.5ECTS), Teacher: P. Smolkov This course was previously lectured in English, but this time only in Russian. I am not fluent in Russian, but I managed to understand most of the things we went through during lectures.

7 7 Course focused on program in excel. I missed half of the lectures as they had started already in January. Teacher was expert in his area and good lecturer. We did simulation examples in excel, analyzed what risk factors has largest impact in business model, and studied probability and distribution theories. In the end of this course, we had to provide own business plan and simulation example. This was considered as the final exam. I was offered an option to do this in English. During the exam situation, I had to explain my business model and explain the largest risk factors. Then I had to show what risk factors I could control and what kind of impact it would have on the probability of achieving desired profit level on my business. The final grade came from business plan and lecture participation Финансовая Инфраструктура / Financial Infrastructure (In Russian, 2.5 ECTS), Teacher: S. Saverskiy Another course I took in Russian language, main motivator for me was to learn and listen Russian business terminology. The course covered basic things in finance, and reminded me of Introduction to Finance course in Aalto. Lectures covered financial markets theory and instruments, pricing of securities (stocks and bonds), basic option theory, and currency markets. The lecturer was good and encouraged students to participate in discussions, asking questions. We had small exams (4) during every lecture, where questions came from previous lecture s topics (24% of final grade). Lecture participation was 16% of grade, two homeworks were 30% of grade (essay on book of about 3-5 pages, and essay on Russian financial markets). Final exam was 30% of final grade (12% of exam required for passing the course) Russian Economy Overview (1.5 ECTS), Teacher: V. Kononova I took this course because it covered Russia specific information. During lectures, we covered all things related to Russian economy; geography, economic transformation from Soviet era, monetary policy, fiscal policy (including taxation and budget expenditures), and macroeconomic factors. This course is targeted for all international students. For the final lecture, we had to form groups to present a specific economy and compare it to Russian economy (our group chose France).

8 8 Grade consisted of in-class tests (15%), written essays for every lecture (40%) about 1000 words, group presentation (25%) and final written test (20%) Practice of Business (5 ECTS), Teacher: M. Markova This course was most time consuming of all. Before Practice of Business, all other courses and lectures were passed so we could focus on this course (I had, however, Financial Infrastructure still left). Couple of days before we started working on the companies, students were informed that it is expected from them to show up for 5 weeks every weekday (25 working days) in an assigned company. Some students were disappointed, because they thought that it would not be that time consuming. I chose Mikhailov & Partners Consulting Group -company. There were three different companies that we could choose from, and this one was most interesting from them for me. My working hours were from 11 to 17 including lunch break (about one hour), but there was not strict control on showing up on time. It took one hour by metro to get to the company office from university campus. I was working there with another Russian student and exchange student on two projects. We had an appointed manager, who approached us on questions that were related on serving a client. The client wanted to have information on financial products (life insurance product, and investment product). With other interns, we searched information from online about these products and made presentations about these products; we explained what the costs of the products for the client would be, if he wished to buy them. In the last day, we had to make a presentation about the company for university. We presented the company s structure, and explained what we did during our internship. Also, we had to make individual reports (first report was to be returned after first week of work, second report was returned on the final day of work). The first report was about 2-3 pages, where I had to declare my goals for internship. For the last report, I had to explain about company and its products, clients, and competitors. In addition, I had to explain how I achieved my declared goals that I described in the first report. The final report was about seven pages. Final grade consistent of initial report (10%), final report (30%), presentation about company (20%), company s assessment of my work (40%). Also, there were sanctions if you missed a work day (-5% per day) or lost your Journal of Attendance (-10%), where you were

9 9 expected to fill in the assignments accomplished for specific days. However, I think there were not any serious sanctions if either of the last two things happened to a student. From what I learned from other exchange students, they did not show up daily to work and had a lot of free time (they worked in different companies than I did). Most of them left week or two before the internship ended, and I think they also got credits from this internship. This course seems to be arranged for international students with flexible conditions. 3. Free time and other information 3.1. Costs and general expenses Major expenses that occurred was monthly rent ( roubles). When I arrived, the currency exchange rate was 1 EUR = 74 RUB, which decreased in time to 1 EUR = 55 RUB. Depending where you ate, food was not that expensive. Students could order food from university restaurant (Кафе Факультет) with (almost) no additional costs to dormitory room. I ate almost daily at cheap student restaurant (диетическая столовая), which is very good place to eat if you like Russian food. Price was ~ rubles for meat and side dish, and tea was included free in price. There are four student restaurants in the main building, so there is lot of options to eat from (one of them is open 24/7). In addition, there is in the dormitory floor a shared kitchen if you want to buy your own food, cooking equipment and dishes. In the university campus, there is a small store where you can buy food also (open also 24/7). For example, I bought bread, butter, cheese, sausage and similar products from there and stored them into my fridge. There is a large supermarket (Капитолий) not far away from university campus (10-15 minutes by Marshrutka, Маршрутка), where you can buy all food and equipment for your dormitory room. I bought coffee machine for 500 rubles. Also, I managed to get a free fridge from other Aalto student from previous semester, who was kind enough to forward it to me. In addition, there is a small store in main building where you can buy cleaning equipment (I bought brush and bucket for cleaning my room). Apart from necessities, the sight seeing s and museums were not expensive. If you manage to convince ticket cashiers about your student status, you can get to some places for free/discounted price.

10 Other students, free time Most of the exchange students were from France, and there was in total nine of us for this exchange. During the previous semester, there was about 25 exchange students. All students studying in the same faculty are located in same dormitory floor, and it is inevitable that you get to know them one way or another (especially the exchange students). The international committee that was responsible of arranging program for exchange students was not very active. Apart from the orientation day, they did not arrange any other programs. I heard that they arranged travel to St. Petersburg during fall term, and had more active schedule for exchange students (I assume because there were many more exchange students in fall term). However, I managed to fill my schedule with other friends. I spent most of my time with local Russians whom I met during my stay and some of my friends who live and work in Moscow.

11 Local area, weather Here is a map of the local area with key contact areas for student: It takes about minutes from dormitory room to the Business School faculty for lectures. Also, it is possible to walk in 20 minutes from dormitory to metro station, or take a minibus (Маршрутка) which takes you there in 5 minutes. Minibuses (and normal buses) goes straight from the main entrance of MSU Main Building often. Weather is same as in Helsinki. When I arrived in February, it was about -10 to -20 occasionally. During June, weather was +20 to +30 degrees. The dormitory room was however, very warm constantly (+26 to +29 degrees).

12 Traveling, good to know and cultural differences It was hard to schedule anything for longer time, because exchange students were informed weekly about schedule for upcoming two-three weeks. Also, the passport was taken away for one month, which ruined my travel arrangements I had in mind during that time. Unfortunately, I did not manage to travel within Russia, but recommend doing so if there is plenty of time. However, there is lot to see in Moscow, and I didn t really have strong urge to leave the city. Other thing good to know is that it is recommended to carry passport all times, as officers can make inspections and ask for your ID (I was not asked, however). The major cultural difference compared to Finland, is that Russians like to talk a lot about everything possible. Good thing for prominent student that wants to learn Russian is to go for this exchange and start practicing it. Also, people I encountered were not good or did not speak at all English (business school students were exception). For example, I made new friends with whom I constantly talked Russian. Overall, I consider Russians friendly (excluding maybe public workers or officials) with whom one can easily approach. However, from my understanding, some French exchange students did not share my feelings, but many of them had very limited skills in Russian language and encountered difficulties in communication. 4. Final comments I recommend this exchange opportunity for any student who is willing to enhance Russian language skills, get to know Russian culture, make new friends, and see things that do not exist in Finland (or in Helsinki at least). There are lot of things to see in Moscow and in Russia (for me, Moscow was enough). If I were to go for this exchange again, I would not do anything differently. I learned more about Russian culture and character, and something about French character from other exchange students also. For myself, I learnt that Moscow is great opportunity and has a lot to offer for anyone who is willing to challenge himself or herself. This was the only university I wanted to go for exchange studies, and my (realistic) expectations were exceeded. It is very probable that I end up in Moscow eventually again, perhaps for longer time than my exchange. I noticed that many other (French) exchange students did not share same feelings than I did. For my understanding, this correlated strongly with one s capabilities of communicating in

13 13 Russian language (however, my roommate did not know any Russian before exchange, but enjoyed his stay in Moscow).