Study Abroad News from Russia / 12.03.2006

6 views

Skip to first unread message

danil....@gmail.com

unread,

Mar 29, 2006, 9:20:39 AM3/29/06

to eduabroad

1st INTERNATIONAL EXIBITION "PREPARATION PROGAMS TO FOREIGN
UNIVERSITIES". PLAYS FOR STUDYING! COME AND WIN!

On March 18 in Moscow and on March 19 in St.Petersburg the first theme
exhibition is to be opened dedicated to the preparation programs to
foreign universities. Its participants are 13 educational institutions
that present universities of the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand that have come on purpose to Russia to meet potential students
and to tell details of their educational programs. Having visited the
exhibition, you can know the terms of entrance, get a catalogue with
separate programs' description and take part in the drawing of the
prize - a two-week trip to London, to the Wimbledon School of English.

http://www.foundation-expo.ru/

"PRO-UNI GMBH" COMPANY IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL OPERATOR IN GERMANY

"PRO-UNI GmbH" (Germany) is an experienced creator and a successful
organizer of educational, cultural and adaptation programs for
foreigners in Germany. The company renders informational and
organizing and consulting assistance to those who desire to study
German, to get higher education or to defend a thesis in Germany, to
get to know better the great history and culture of the country, to
adapt to its social and economic realities. The major information about
possibilities, work style, innovations, and of course about actual
programs of the Company you can check at its web site:

http://www.pro-uni.ru/

NEWS

--- A $50 discount on the summer language courses in the UK

The BKC company informs that when booking till April 15 a 50-dollar
discount is valid on summer trips to England to the schools
International House Wels Group and Embassy.

http://www.bkc.ru/abroad/new.html

Comments: http://eduabroad.ru/journal/09.03.2006/1/comments

--- In 2007 an alternative to International Baccalaureate will appear

>From 2007 the international secondary schools will be introduced to the
new examination system Cambridge Baccalaureate - an alternative
International A/AS-Levels and International Baccalaureate. The new
system is developed by University of Cambridge International
Examinations (CIE), according to the "Rektor" company. The Cambridge
Baccalaureate certificate allows entering English-speaking
institutions. The new system defers from the International A/AS Levels
exams developed earlier by CIE in the fact that now graduating students
will have to not only have exams in three chosen A-Level subjects and
one AS-Level but also to pass successfully the additional courses in
critical thinking and essay writing courses. Students of senior classes
having passed the exams successfully and having fulfilled the program
will get a Cambridge Baccalaureate certificate. Those who pass exams
but don't manage the additional program will just get a certificate
about passing A/AS Level exams which is enough to apply to the
university but it's not a full-value certificate.

Developing new, higher standards of preparation is an answer to the
recent criticism of the traditional British system that didn't allow to
the universities to make a well-grounded choice among entrants and to
choose best students because quite often good marks in exams do not
mean independence and maturity of the specialist to be. Now
International A/AS-Levels exams are being taken in nearly 1,000 schools
out of 100 countries, and International Baccalaureate - in 1,355
schools out of 116 countries. From next year students will be able to
make a choice in Cambridge Baccalaureate's favour as well. The CIE
experts are sure that later the similar system should be introduced not
only to the international schools but to the traditional English ones,
too.

http://rector.ru/news.asp?news_id=89

Comments: http://eduabroad.ru/journal/09.03.2006/2/comments

--- A discount for the language courses in Australia

Students International informs that the programs of study in language
schools International House [1] in Brisbane and in Kerns (Australa)
offer a discount for Russian students. The cost of a week with a
discount makes 260 Australian dollars instead of usual 310 dollars. The
offer is valid if booking and payment is made till August 31, 2006.

http://www.studinter.ru/?go=news&act=det&nid=169

Comments: http://eduabroad.ru/journal/09.03.2006/4/comments

Links: [1] - http://www.ihworld.com/

--- There are defects in the new system of British visas registering

Application of the new procedure of British visas registering is going
off not so smoothly as was supposed, RATA-news informs. We remind that
as a result of the tender [1] made in the end of 2005 the British
Embassy in Moscow has defined a partner [2] that will undertake
administrative functions of the visa department. It is an Indian
company Visa Facilitation Services (VFS). It was supposed that the
company would open offices to receive applications in large cities of
Russia. Then, instead of coming personally to British councils in
Moscow, St.Peterburg or Ekaterinburg, Russian citizens will be able to
choose any city where there is a VFS representative office to fill in
the questionnaires there and to confirm payment of the visa's cost.

But during "checkout" there were serious drawbacks found in the system
which were made public last week in the UK Embassy in Moscow at the
meeting of more than 20 Russian travel operators with General Consul
Jessica Hend.

VFS has a huge experience in fulfilling administrative functions in
visa registering in a range of countries and cooperates successfully
with many representative offices of the UK that deal with visa issuing
in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The matter is that the VFS company has a similar visa's work in 16
countries, in particular in 10 out of them cooperates with the UK
Embassy. However, VFS have no offices in Russia, therefore the company
selected a Russian "contractor" for themselves - Moscow company Star
Travel. The problem is that Star Travel is a travel operator offering
trips to the UK as well. That is, the direct competitor of all other
companies working in the same direction.

Another problem - raise in the British visa's cost. As soon as the new
system of document application begins working, the British visa's cost
will be increased by 900 rubles, or more than $30, - that's the amount
the services of collecting and delivering documents are estimated.

The director of educational agency "Insight-Lingua" Anna Maslennikova
shares her opinion on innovations/ "We offer studying abroad. 70% of
our clients are schoolchildren and students from regions, - tells the
company's director. - Some time ago the UK consulate began to demand
the originals of invitations. The service costs 50-80 pounds. Then the
consular fee was increased for students till 4,500 rubles. Now - 900
rubles more to add to the visa's cost. As a result, in order to sent a
child to England to study the language, one should pay for a visa
approximately $300. As for the French, students till 25 years of age
get visa free of charge".

During the meeting the travel operators passed to the general consul of
the UK the collective letter with a request to reconsider the decision
concerning VFS's Russian contractor. It reads that documents should be
gathered not by a travel company but by an independent structure.

http://ratanews.ru/news/news_6032006_6.stm

Comments: http://eduabroad.ru/journal/10.03.2006/1/comments

Links: [1] - http://eduabroad.ru/journal/journal/26.09.2005/1 [2] -
http://eduabroad.ru/journal/journal/20.12.2005/3

COLUMNISTS

--- New Zealand-2006 - part II / By Alexey Volkov / A goat chained to a
kennel as a guard of the ostrich farm...

To read further: http://eduabroad.ru/volkov/40/comments

--- Maltese diary - part 2 /By Tatiana Bogolyubskaya/ 3:55 p.m. "Please
do not leave your seats until the engine is switched off." - that is
the phrase ignored by one half of the passengers because they don't get
its meaning and by other half - because "there is no law" for them ...
so to speak...

To read further: http://eduabroad.ru/bogolyubskaya/2/comments

EVENTS

March 14: meeting with a Aston Business School representative ("ITEK")

http://eduabroad.ru/journal/22.02.2006/2

March 14, 15: Swiss Hotel Management School presentation
("Intellect-Tour")

http://eduabroad.ru/journal/06.03.2006/1

March 15: Royal Wolverhampton School presentation (British Council)

http://eduabroad.ru/journal/07.03.2006/2

March 15: Institut Montana-Zuge presentation (IQ Consultancy, Spb)

http://eduabroad.ru/journal/07.03.2006/3

March 16: "Children holiday programs at Malta, in the UK and Ireland"
seminar ("Otkrytyy Mir")

http://eduabroad.ru/journal/10.03.2006/2