TPU Exchange Student Handbook 2009

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Cent re for Int ernat ional Ac ademic P rogrammes

ht t p :/ / www. c ia p. t p u . r u e-ma il : ovb @ t p u . r uO f f ic e 325, 30 L en in p r osp ec t , Tomsk , 634050 Ru ssia . Tel : + 7-3822-563236; F a x : + 7-3822-564651

Dear student!

We are glad to welcome you at TPU.

Please, consider the information of this handbook

when planning your trip to Tomsk

STUDENT HANDBOOK


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To m s k P o l y te c h n ic U n iv e rs ityE x c h a ng e stu d e nt h a n d b o ok



Tom sk c ity Founded: 1604

Population: >500 000

River: Tom

Universities: 6

Students: 85 000

S i b e r i a

Tomsk is located almost in the geographical centreof Russia. It was founded 400 years ago on the pictur-esque bank of the Tom river.

Tomsk is a prominent academic and scientic cen-

tre. There are 6 universities, 20 higher research insti-tutes, Tomsk Scientic Center of Siberian branch ofRussian Academy of Sciences and many specializedcolleges and schools training specialists in engineering,medicine, education, art, etc. About 85 thousand stu-dents live and study in Tomsk. Currently, every sixthperson of the city is a student. Tomsk is often namedstudents city.

There are more than 70 industrial enterprises inTomsk region and their production is well-known worldover. The main branches of industry are oil and gas,instrument making, machine building, metal and woodprocessing, food production, thermal and electric powerproduction. There are many opportunities for students

to get practical training and make successful career.

Tomsk is a cultural centre of Siberia. There are manytheatres, Hall of Philharmony, art and museums of locallore, cinemas, libraries and historical places. The pride

of our city is the State University library and one ofthe largest and richest gardens of Russia - the Siberianbotanical garden. Green area of Tomsk amounts 18%of its territory. Tomsk is famous for its wooden archi-tecture. Tomsk carefully keeps houses and buildings of19th century in the Old Town. Acknowledged as his-torical sites, they are preserved by the State.

The city is constantly growing. Many new buildingsand districts spring every year. It becomes younger andbetter. The citizens of Tomsk are proud of their beauti-ful city. The 400th anniversary was one of the greatestevents for them.

You are welcome to our ancient and ever young cityon the bank of the Tom river!

When a foreigner hears Siberia, images of frozentundra and prison camps come to mind. But things arechanging. Tundra and prison camps are still there butpeople go to concerts of organ music and dig groundout of pure curiosity.

You may hear that most Siberian settlers are exilesor forced laborers. It was like that in the 19th centu-ry. Nowadays most Siberian settlers are free migrants.Most Siberians are Russians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs andBelarusians. Such Mongol and Turkic groups as Bury-ats, Tuvinians, and Yakuts are native Siberian inhabit-ants, and descendants of these people are living thereas well. About 70% of Siberians live in cities. Novosi-birsk is the largest city in Siberia, with a population ofabout two millions.

Despite long winters with subzero temperatures,about a tenth of Siberias mineral and forest wealthhas been tapped and is under development by pros-pectors.

Climate in Siberia is quite severe with cold winterand hot summer. Weather can change very quickly dur-ing the day, from a warm and sunny to a cold and rainy.

The average temperatures in winter are -10-15 degrees

Celsius. Sometimes the temperature falls below -30 C.

But frost normally dont stay for a long time, maxi-mum for one or two weeks. Most of the time it is reallynice in winter, people enjoy skiing, skating and spend alot of time outdoors.

Average summer temperatures in Tomsk are about+20-25 degrees C. Sometimes it gets really hot in sum-mer 30-35 degrees C above zero.


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To m s k P o l y te c h n ic U n iv e rs ityE x c h a ng e stu de nt h an d b o ok

A dju sting to R u s sia

Stereotypes

Fo od peculiar iti e s

Adjusting to your new environment can be exciting,overwhelming & challenging! This is normal you havebeen taken out of your familiar environment and placedin an entirely new setting! Dealing with new customs

can get exhausting.Here are some tips to help you:

- Be patient! It gets easier as time goes by.

- Maintain a positive attitude.

- Try to have an open mind!

- Participate in conversations and group activities.

Many Russians would like to learn about you, yourcountry and your culture. Meet people and socialize so

that you can practice your Russian, learn more aboutthe country and its traditions and tell others more aboutyou and your culture.

Its extremely cold in Russia.

Actually, winters here are usually rather cold - theaverage temperature is about -15/18 degrees Celsius(about 5 degrees Fahrenheit), but they dont last all yearlong. And we also have summer, when you can wear T-shirts and sunglasses and even get sun-burned.

Vodka is our na-tional drink.

Yes, it is. As well astequila in Mexico andschnapps in Germany. Butit doesnt mean its the only

alcohol Russians drink. Beeris as popular as vodka, es-pecially among the younggeneration. It is also veryacceptable to be teetotal.

Russian fashion is veryspecial: people wear biguffy hats, fur coats andvalenki (warm woolenboots) because it is alwaysvery cold in Russia.

Fluffy hats were fashion-able in the past times. Peoplemostly in small towns wear furhats but they are not big andnot that uffy. As for valenki,they are still popular in the

countryside, especially among farmers. In winter someold people in villages wear valenki even at home. Oth-

ers put them on before going outdoors. They put onrubbers on valenki in order to keep them dry. So, theseboots are very good if you live in a village where thereis always a lot of snow. We actually follow fashion andtry to look stylish.

Russian maa con-trols everything.

Yes, there is criminalityin Russia. Is there no crimi-nality in other countries?Our criminals dont controlthe whole planet. The truthis, Russian maa exists onlyin American movies.

Even for Russians it is difcult to describe the Rus-sian food. Russia is mainly a northern country withlong-lasting cold winter. The food should give much en-ergy and warmth to survive during the winter time. So,the essential components of Russian cuisine are those,which provide more carbohydrates and fat rather thanproteins. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rarely used in

food. So, the top ve components of a Russian mealare:

1. Potato(boiled, fried, baked, potato chops, po-tato pancakes, potato soup, smashed potato)

2. Bread(bread, toasts, bread-crumbs)

3. Eggs(boiled, fried)

4. Meat (pork and beef chops, stakes)

5. Butter(usually added in all meals and spread onbread)

Also popular: cabbage, milk, sour cream, curds,mushrooms, lard, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, ber-ries, honey, garlic, onions.

So what are some of the most common tradition-al foods on a traditional Russian menu? Borshch, ofcourse, which is a beet soup, and one of the most fa-

mous Russian traditional foods.

You may have already heard ofpirozhki.These lit-tle pastries can be packed full of potatoes, meat, cab-bage, or cheese. Blinyare also served rolled with a va-riety of llings: jam, cheese, onions, or even chocolatesyrup. At any restaurant where you arent sure of anyof the other dishes, blini are always a safe bet.

Pelmeniare pastry dumplings lled typically withmeatballs. They can be served alone, slathered in but-ter and topped with sour cream, or in a soup broth.Denitely a favourite in Russia and abroad!

Russians believe in hot food. They say if you arewarm inside youll stay warm outside!


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Mon e y mat te r s

Curre nc y i n t h e R us s i an Fe d e rati on

About your m on e y

Getting money from home:

The most convenient way to bring money with youis to have it on a credit card. Major cards (VISA, Mas-terCard) are accepted at almost all ATMs so you will beable to withdraw some cash when you need it.

You can also open a local bank account in Tomskwith a debit card for spending purposes while in Russia,and transfer money from your home bank account toyour local Tomsk bank account when you need.

Western Union: This company will transfer moneyfrom overseas for a fee. Go to www.westernunion.ru tond Western Union ofces in Tomsk and an ofce clos-est to you and check transfer rates.

Currency exchange:

US Dollar (USD) and Euro (EUR) are the best recog-nized and accepted of all foreign currencies in Russia.

When coming to Russia you will need to exchangeyour money. Its good idea to exchange a little sum ofmoney in Moscow, but you should remember that ex-change rate in the airport is not advantageous. Makesure that your banknotes are in good physical condi-tion: there should not be any holes, prints, signatures,scuffs or damages on your notes. Otherwise you willhave to pay a commission of 6%-10% from the sumtotal. Anyway, we will help you to do this in Tomsk. Tocheck the current rates, visit: www.cbr.ru/eng/

The rubleor rou-

ble is the currencyof the Russian Fed-eration. One rubleequals 100 kopecks.There are 1,5,10,and 50 kopeck coins.

10 rubles Desyatka or Chervonets

50 rubles - Poltinnik or Poltos

100 rubles Sotka or Sotnya

500 rubles Pyatikhatka

The ofcial symbol for the ruble is P., though or

RUR are also commonly used.The amount of 10 rubles (in either bill or coin) is

sometimes informally referred to as a chervonets.The practice of using the old kopeck coin names foramounts in rubles is now not very common. In modernRussian slang these names for bills are used:

1000 rubles - Shtuka or Kosar or Rubel 5000 rubles - Pyat Shtuk

- Keep your money in a safe place! Try to carry some cash with you. In Russia you are expected to pay cash al-most everywhere. Keep it in your wallet under your clothes if you are carrying large amount of money with you.

- Budget wisely! Be careful about overspending.

One ruble coin


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About Unive r sit y

A cco mm odati o n

Founded in 1896, Tomsk Polytechnic University isthe oldest technical institution in the Asian part of Rus-sia. Since that time, the university scholars and gradu-ates have greatly contributed to the Russian science,education, culture and industry development. All thishas been achieved by the joint efforts of the universityresearchers, professors, students and graduates. Morethan 120 000 specialists have graduated from the uni-

versity, over 300 of them have become Academicians ofthe Russian Academy of Sciences, honored professorsand researchers, winners of prestigious Russian andinternational awards. Graduates of Tomsk PolytechnicUniversity work at many industrial plants, research in-stitutes, and welfare services throughout Russia andabroad. The centenarian history and the todays leadingposition of TPU among technical institutions had result-

ed in receiving a status of especially esteemed object ofcultural heritage of Russian Federation by the PresidentDecree of April 2, 1997.

The motto of the university is Scentia. Libertas.Prosperitas.

It is the university tradition to emphasize on:

harmonious development of an individual commit-ment to innovations in education and science;

development of fundamental sciences and appliedresearch;

combination of research-based training and soundknowledge in fundamentals;

substantial practical engineering training that en-sures a better adjustment to the modern industrial en-vironment;

motivation of students, teachers, scientists, and

managers to most effective performing their duties; collaboration with the leading scientic, education-

al, industrial Russian and foreign institutions;

providing life-long learning through a business ca-reer;

Nowadays, 23400 under- and post-graduates, 580PhD-students and 46 doctoral students study at theuniversity comprehending more than 120 courses indifferent elds of engineering, economics, marketing,management, humanities and linguistics under theguidance and supervision of 1924 professors and in-structors of which 195 are Doctors of Science and 800Candidates of Sciences (Ph.D). Annual number of grad-uates amounts to nearly two thousand.

There are 4 attached Research Institutes, wheresenior students carry out their labs and make researchusing modern and unique equipment at the university.

7 university branch campuses and 12 representa-tive ofces functionate in many cities of Russia, in CIScountries, as well as in Germany (Karlsruhe).

The accommodation in the student dormitory will bereserved for you before your arrival.

Standard dormitory room costs 32 per month. Ac-commodation fee may not be charged if such conditionis provided in academic exchange agreement betweenuniversities. Refer to your international coordinator fordetails.

Dormitory conditions:

You will live in a dormitory for international studentsand Russian students studying foreign languages.

In each room there is a bed, a wardrobe, a table,chairs, bedside-tables, curtains, a fridge or a TV setand Internet connection. There are 4 rooms in a section(2 double-rooms and 2 triple-rooms), so 10 people livein a section. Each section has a shared shower, a toiletand two wash-stands.

There are two kitchens on each oor, each equipped

with two electric ovens, a table, a cupboard, and asink.

There is a studying room and a lounge on each oor.The laundry room is on the rst oor.

There is an International students centre on theground oor of the dormitory where students can gath-er together, make presentations, do ballroom dances,celebrate national holidays.

Each student is provided with bed-clothes, a pillow,a blanket, counterpane, and set of pots and pans. Bed-clothes are changed every ten days.

Its not allowed to smoke in the rooms and any-where inside the dormitory, except for special smokingroom.

Each student receives dormitory ID card. You willneed to provide one 3x4 cm photo for that.


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R eg i st rati o n

Medical in suran ce

Medi cal care

Pi ck - up se r vi ce

Orientation week

C o n t a c t s

Remember that you must register in Tomsk withinrst three daysupon your arrival. For registrationyou will need the following:

1. Passport

2. Migration card (that you get on the border)

3. Tickets

4. Six photos 3x4 cm on dull paper (black&white)

5. 400 rubles

You will need to have some rubles exchanged beforecoming to Tomsk in order to pay registration fees and

get your registration done in time. Exchanging moneymay take time, so plan ahead. We can also assist youin that process.

According to Russian Federation legislationevery foreign student staying on the territory of Russia

must have medical insurance. It will be moreconvenient, faster and cheaper for you to make yourinsurance here in Tomsk. The cost of insurance depends

on the period of your stay in Russia: 8 per month.Please, be informed that having medical insuranceis also one of the terms of your academic exchangeagreement without insurance you will not be al-lowed to studies.

When staying at one of our dormitories you musthave several medical certicates:

1. health certicate for the dormitory (40 rubles)

2. uorography certicate (50 - 70 rubles)

To get the certicate you will have to undergo a sim-ple doctors examination. Its a compulsory procedurefor every student.

Remember that uorography examination may betaken once a half-year. Thus, in case you have takenuorography check in your home country less than 6month before arrival, you should bring your certicatewith you. Otherwise you will take uorography checkwhen you arrive in Tomsk.

You should inform TPU exchange coordinators ap-proximately 10 days before your arrival in Tomsk if youwant to be picked-up. Otherwise you will have to make

your way to the dormitory on your own.

If you arrive in Tomsk airport / train station (notother Russian city) then your pick-up service will befree, otherwise you have to pay for transport spend-

ing.

From the airport or railway station you will be trans-ported to the dormitory. Your coordinator will show youthe nearest supermarkets, banks, mobile SIM cards

shops and will give you a tour around the universitycampus and the city.

Ms Anna TseluykoAcademic exchange coordinator

(scholarships, academic transcripts)

Tel: 563 236

[email protected]

Mr Alexander ZamulinAcademic exchange coordinator (ori-entation, extracurricular events)

Tel: 563 236

[email protected]

Ms Galina Kirzhakova Visa, registrationTel: 563 299

[email protected]

Ms Elena Surnina DormitoryTel: 563 299

[email protected]

Ms Nadezhda Levina Sports activitiesTel: 563 299

[email protected]

Ms Evgeniya Danilevskaya

Curriculums, schedules;

Organization of Russian as a foreignlanguage (TORFL) certicates

Tel: 563 304

[email protected]

NB! If you come to Tomsk in fall semester, do notforget to bring warm clothes and shoes with you.


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A p proximate pr ice l e vel sMeals

Foodstuff Average price, RUR Average price, USD

1 White bread 15 0.5

2 Milk (1 liter) 25 0.8

3 Chicken (1 kg) 130 4.81

4 Mutton (1 kg) 150 5.55

5 Fish (1 kg) 70 2.50

6 Salami (1 kg) 200 7.5

7 Haricot (1 kg) 20 0.7

8 Tea (25 sachets) 50 1.8

9 Coffee (Nescafe 100 g) 100 3.5

10 Coca-cola (0,3 liter) 18 0.56

11 Apples (1 kg) 50 1.8

12 Oranges (1 kg) 65 2.2

13 Bananas (1 kg) 40 1.5

14 Potato (1 kg) 25 - 50 0.9 - 1.8

15 Tomato (1 kg) 85 3.14

16 Sugar (1 kg) 25 0.9

17 Salt (1 kg) 6 0.25

18 Eggs (10) 35 1.35

19 Butter (1 kg) 200 7

20 Oil (1 liter) 50 1.8

21 Curds (1 kg) 80 2.96

22 Cheese (1 kg) 140 5.1823 Fruit juice (1 liter) 60 2.22

Other Expenses

Expenses Average price, RUR Average price, USD

1 Public transport (bus) 9 0.28

2 Cinema ticket 150 5

3 Theatre ticket 150 5

4 Night club 250-500 9.25-18.50

5 Fitness (a month) 1200 44.4

6 Taxi (through the city) 100 3.77 Man hair cut 150 5

Price levels are approximate and may vary, depending on place, availability, season and/or other factors.Last updated: July 2009.


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TPU Exchange Student Handbook 2009

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Transcript of TPU Exchange Student Handbook 2009