I attended a summer semester at Lomonosov Moscow State University in the heart of Moscow, the beautiful capital of Russia, during the summer of 2017. The program is great for those looking to perfect their use of the Russian language and immerse themselves in Russian culture. Students are given an entry test (both written and oral) so that they may be placed in the class that best fits their academic needs. Other than the mandatory language course, students can pick between a variety of elective courses, including but not limited to Russian Art, Russian Culture through Field Trips, Phonetics, Russian Economy, etc.
All professors are extremely kind and qualified. The same goes for the staff as well, except for the head of the department and his secretary. I had the unfortunate experience of running into a payment issue at the beginning of the semester, and I had to sit through a disturbingly passive-aggressive meeting with both of them. I hope they have since been replaced.
As for the bureaucracy, it is, unfortunately, a typical example of Russian bureaucracy at its worst: people are very reluctant to do whatever task, no matter how simple, you’d ask them to do, including making copies of documents. Yes, you read that right.
Students get the option of residing at the MGU dorm, which was built under Stalin and is a landmark of the city itself. Several food courts are also present within the “citadel” of the dorm, and all entrances are guarded by security 24/7.
Overall, my experience at Moscow State University was great, even considering the unfortunate incidents that I have mentioned. If you love Russian culture and are looking forward to learning more about the country and perfecting the use of the language, I would highly recommend this experience! Keep in mind, however, that very few Russians speak English: therefore, it would be much more practical if you already had a basic understanding of the Russian language before embarking on this trip.