Hello! My name is Vladislav Yurovskiy, I am from Uzbekistan. 4 years ago I began to study at Turiba University on the undergraduate program of “Business Administration” (Business Administration, BBA). I want to share with you the experience of studying abroad.
My goal is a University in Latvia
When choosing a university where to study in English, I immediately paid attention to universities in Latvia. The fact was that a sister of my close friend was studying in Latvia and spoke very well about the country. Then I was lucky enough to get to an educational exhibition in Tashkent, where the University of Turiba was presented me in a very dignified manner. I did a research, took a deeper look on the internet, read reviews, learned about scholarships in Latvia and made the final decision - to continue my education in Latvia. I applied to Education Standard for advice, and they greatly helped me. And after a few months I started studying in Riga.
Latvia - the country of contrasts
When I slightly settled down in Latvia, I began to notice that it was a country of contrasts - calm and craziness (in a good way!): Monday to Thursday, everybody work and study, and on weekends they really relax - walk through the city, visit cultural events, and enjoy life all the way around!
BBA at Turiba – the program of great opportunities
While in Tashkent, I knew that I would surely apply for various scholarships and student exchange programs, especially since Turiba provided this possibility. To do this, I needed only to study hard and pass all the tests in a timely manner. I was successful in that, and the way to scholarships was opened.
Some patience…
First I won the International Exchange Programme, could go to a university in another country for several months, but I did not really like the conditions, and I refused. Then I won the Erasmus scholarship and had to go to Portugal, but there I faced some problems with the documents and had to abandon the trip. The next trip was a success. I won the Erasmus scholarship - a three-month summer internship in Spain was waiting for me ahead in the city of Malaga. There for 3 months I was engaged in online marketing and social media promotion of products of a real estate company specializing in the construction of new buildings. It is an invaluable experience for me.
Double Degree Program
After coming back from the practice training, I continued to study successfully. Six months later, I applied for Double Degree Program. In front of me, there was a choice – a University in France, La Rochelle, or in Finland - Lapin AMK? Yet, I chose a University in Lapland.
When my friend and I were going to go to Lapland, all friends were saying that there was up to -40°C, that we would not survive)) But in reality it was much easier. Due to the high level of humidity, the local -40°C as -17°C in Tashkent. The climate was good to me, and the nature was wonderful. And visiting Santa Claus is a fairy tale :)
I really liked the Finnish university, especially the educational system, which was different from teaching even at Turiba. Almost all tasks were given for groups, and the group was made up of students from different countries. Here we also have to self-study a lot and make an analysis of data on the issues given by a teacher. This system stroke my fancy, it greatly improves analytical thinking.
The next purpose - the state scholarship in Latvia
After studying in English on the double degree program in Finland, I returned to Turiba. My next purpose was the state scholarship for international students in Latvia. I was lucky to win this grant! This scholarship covers full tuition at the university, as well as living expenses for one year.
Closer to the Bachelor's degree
This year I’m going to graduate, and the diploma paper is ahead. What I like here is the fact that all you need to do yourself is rely on your own knowledge and perseverance. If these qualities are not well developed, you must develop them in order to succeed. When entering abroad, a student himself has to analyze everything and exactly know the purpose why he is doing it. Here, a great attention is paid to self study. No teacher will run after you, or call your parents and say that you have missed a lesson. All your fails will just immediately be reflected in the final assessment, which is extremely undesirable if a student has a purpose to obtain grants and scholarships.
Personally in me the undergraduate study abroad fostered independence and determination. I am sure that the experience I have obtained will bear fruit in the future, after graduating.