IRGS in the Middle Kingdom!

The Press Centre of the “International Relations and Global Studies” (IRGS) programme sat down with third-year student Elizaveta Kondratyeva, who is currently attending a summer school in China.

Harbin Normal University (HNU, 哈尔滨师范大学) is one of China’s leading universities, located in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. It is considered one of the country’s strongest institutions in the fields of education and the humanities. Each year, the university offers grant and scholarship programmes for international students to study the Chinese language and culture. This year, Elizaveta Kondratyeva, now a third-year student of the IRGS programme, was selected through a competitive process and received funding for her studies.

“I found out about the programme through the Association for the Development of Sinology in Moscow,” says Elizaveta. “There was a post in one of the shared chats with details about the programme and application instructions. The programme is funded by the Chinese government and is aimed at foreign nationals who wish to study Chinese language and culture.

I applied to several cities, including Lanzhou and Harbin. I’m currently in Harbin, where I’ll be staying for nearly a month. Each year, participants are offered a choice of several cities and universities — you can apply to two. My main goal for this trip was to improve my spoken Chinese. I wanted to overcome the language barrier, become more confident speaking with native speakers, and better understand everyday speech. Thanks to full immersion in the language environment, regular practice, and interaction with local residents, my speaking skills have improved significantly.”

Getting selected for a summer school or academic mobility programme is always an exciting and challenging process. It’s important to prepare and submit the documents correctly, meet the deadlines, and follow all the requirements. We asked Elizaveta about her experience applying and going through the selection process.

“At the first stage of applying for the scholarship, all that was required was proof of Chinese language proficiency — the HSK certificate. Most programmes require at least HSK Level 3: the higher the level, the more scholarship opportunities there are.

In the first round, the host university reviews your application. In the second round, you begin preparing documents and applying for the Chinese government scholarship. The necessary documents include a notarised English translation of your secondary school certificate, an academic transcript with your current grades, and a motivation letter in Chinese.

The application was under review for about two months. The acceptance letter arrived along with the official invitation needed for the visa application.

For anyone thinking about applying to a similar programme, I would advise not to be afraid or discouraged by the possibility of rejection. I initially applied to Lanzhou but ended up being placed in Harbin at HNU. Applications can be withdrawn at any stage without explanation. Even with a high HSK score and excellent academic performance, selection is not guaranteed. The key is not to give up, to keep trying, and to believe in your success. It will work out!”

“Our IRGS programme supported me greatly at every stage of the application process,” Elizaveta adds. “And the IRGS travel grant covered all the costs — the visa, administrative fees, and flight.

Oleg Korneev, the Programme Academic Supervisor of IRGS, mentioned at one of our meetings that competitive financial support is available for students who have shown strong academic performance and interest in international opportunities. After receiving the invitation letters from the university and the Chinese government, along with confirmation of the scholarship, I reached out to the programme leadership to request support. There were less than two weeks left before the trip, but despite the tight timeline, everything was resolved quickly.

I’m incredibly grateful to Elizaveta Zakharova, Oleg Korneev, and Fyodor Alekseev for their help and coordination in making this mobility experience possible. I’m truly happy!”

Prepared as part of the “International Relations and Global Studies Press Centre” project.
Interview and text by: Timofey Petrov (3rd year, Press Centre Coordinator).