Deciding on a university major in Russia tends to be a serious and permanent decision. In part because most faculties in Russia have their own entrance exams, changing a major involves not just “declaring” a new major, like in the US, but often involves essentially a whole new application to the university. Further, degree programs […]

Although the introduction of the Unified State Exam (USE) was meant to largely replace university entrance exams, many universities, especially those with prestigious programs, continue to require applicants to take their specific entrance exams. The USE is now simply an additional requirement. Olga Dmitraschenko entered Moscow State University in 2006, after completing her high school […]

Translating between any two languages can be difficult, and translating between Russian and English is no exception. Due to certain grammatical differences, some meanings within the languages can be difficult to translate. While such differences between English and Russian that affect accurate translation are numerous, below are six of the most interesting in our opinion. […]

Moscow State University (MSU) is one of the top-ranked universities in Russia, and admission is highly competitive. To be considered for admission to MSU, students must first pass the Unified State Exam (USE), which is essentially Russia’s SATs, but then also pass MSU’s specific entrance exams, which are subject-specific exams in the field of study […]

High school graduation (выпускной) in Russia – and most of the former Soviet states – is a grand affair. In addition to a ceremony in which they are given diplomas, graduates have formal dinners, black-tie balls, and all night parties with concerts and fireworks. Olga Dmitraschenko graduated in Moscow in 2006, after completing her high […]

Learn Russian with this free phrasebook and its recordings made by a native Russian language speaker. For a deeper learning experience, see these online and study abroad experiences from SRAS! Today, Russian is spoken by approximately 258 million people worldwide, making it the eighth most spoken language in the world. Russian was spread by the […]

The exit exams that Russian students take to exit high school are known as the Unified State Exam (USE), also known as the “EGE” (ЕГЭ – Единый государственный экзамен) in Russian. The USE to replace the previous system of entrance exams for higher education institutions and was intended to work like the SATs in the […]

The following is a short Russian MiniLesson concentrating on the differences between Russian and Ukrainian. Words and phrases below (but not letters) shown in bold have annotation. Just hover your cursor over the text to see the annotation. Interested in really expanding your knowledge of the Ukrainian language? For a deeper learning experience, see these […]

Eksternat (rus: Экстернат) is a form of distance learning in the public education system of many post-Soviet countries. It allows students to study at their own pace and to pursue other interests while in secondary school. Olga Dmitraschenko, for instance, opted into the system in order to graduate a year early and pursue an internship […]

Orthodox Easter is by far the most important religious holiday in most Slavic lands and is the busiest day at most Russian Orthodox churches across the globe. The holiday is steeped in history and mystic symbolism. The following is a dual-language article meant to teach you about history and culture of Orthodox Easter while allowing […]

Sharing common roots, Russian and Ukrainian, at first glance, look very similar. This is not so. In reality Russian and Ukrainian have more differences than similarities. The following is an article that originally appeared on Russian7.ru (Русская Семерка). The original can be read here. The following translation to English has been provided by Lindsey Greytak, […]

Kulich (Кулич) is a lightly sweet, yeast-risen bread baked with considerable amounts of egg and butter. It may also contain raisins, almonds, candied or dried fruit, lemon zest, and various spices including cardamom and even saffron depending on the recipe and personal preferences. It is a tall, cylindrical-shaped bread with a rounded top, and it […]