Winter Online School for International Applicants

On February 27–28, 2026, the School of Russian as a Foreign Language (RFL) of the Faculty of Humanities held its first Winter Online School for International Applicants. The event was attended by prospective students from China, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. The school was opened by the Head of the School of Russian as a Foreign Language, O.S. Eremina, and the Academic Supervisor of the educational program "Russian as a Foreign Language", N.I. Muravleva, who spoke about the program's 10th anniversary and its unique features compared to other RFL programs in Russia.

At the lecture on lexical typology in RFL given by E.V. Rakhilina, the Winter School participants learned about the specific features of posture verbs (sit, stand, lie) in various languages and their usage patterns. During the workshop "RFL in the Digital Age," K.K. Kashleva demonstrated how to simplify lesson planning using neural networks and which corpus tools help find solutions to linguistic challenges encountered while learning Russian. At a workshop dedicated to the difficulties of Russian grammar, A.L. Leontieva and the participants analyzed the nuances of verb aspects and tenses, which often pose questions even for advanced learners. In a methodology workshop, N.I. Muravleva and the students explored strategies for introducing authentic materials from the very first RFL lessons. Students who attended all lectures and workshops will receive certificates of participation, which grant additional points for the portfolio competition when applying to the Master's program.

Zhang Weichi (China)

Participant

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers for holding the RFL Winter School. The lecture topics were highly relevant, and the school served as an excellent showcase for those planning to apply to your Master's program. I would especially like to mention Anna Leonidovna's sessions on verb aspects; she managed to present complex aspects of Russian grammar from a fresh perspective. The answers to my questions during the lectures were comprehensive and helped clarify the points that usually cause the most difficulty for international students. Participating in the school was incredibly beneficial for me. The organization was truly inspiring, and if I decide to pursue a Master's degree, I will definitely choose your program. Thank you for the opportunity to engage with such high-level experts and for this valuable experience!