MY name is Mariya Shank. I’m from Kazakhstan. I’m a senior student at the Department of Philology in Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (SMBU). When I first chose a school for my bachelor’s degree, I studied carefully the different schemes of many colleges and universities. Eventually, I chose SMBU among a variety of options. I’m very happy to have made such a decision. The school is located in the beautiful and prosperous city of Shenzhen. It has a beautiful environment, shady trees and is far away from the bustle, which helps students focus on their study. The campus has brand-new modern buildings, teaching buildings equipped with the latest teaching equipment, comfortable student dormitories, gardens, lakes, canteens, gymnasiums, supermarkets, bookstores and express delivery companies. In my opinion, this is a town in a bustling metropolis. Many teachers from Lomonosov Moscow State University, a world-famous institution of higher learning, are engaged in teaching here. SMBU has several departments, which provide students with a variety of choices in majors and research directions. Each student has the freedom to make his or her own decisions as they embark on a path for a brighter future. The university’s teachers have a rigorous approach to teaching and are adept at employing effective teaching skills and methods. Despite the fact that the majority of the students are Chinese, they can quickly master Russian, which fully reflects the professional level of the teachers. SMBU has established a number of generous and convenient scholarships as well as grants for all students, which are mainly distributed based on academic achievement and school performance. At the time I enrolled in SMBU, the university had only four departments, and then a new department would be opened every following year. I chose the Department of Philology, because it suits me most in light of my personal abilities and interests. The department covers many disciplines, which helps to broaden one’s horizons and establish a positive outlook on life. The teaching arrangements of the department proceed in an orderly manner. Students are first presented a professional introduction, and then attend the specific professional courses after gaining an understanding of the major. The department’s professional courses have their own characteristics. I think the most interesting courses include ancient Greek and Roman literature, natural science, Russian history (I studied the concise version of Russian history in Kazakhstan), lexicology, linguistics and phonetics. In addition, during my four years, I also studied Russian literature and world literature of different periods. For me, literature is the most extensive and appealing course. We have a better understanding of many writers and their works by analyzing each literary work from various perspectives and digging into every detail of the work. My favorite course is the history of Russian literature in the 20th century. Since Russian is my mother tongue, I don’t need to attend special Russian classes, but there are also Chinese classes. Of course, not all courses are easy for me to learn, but teachers always take the trouble to help and explain patiently over and over again. They carefully plan classroom instruction and prepare teaching materials to help students better digest and comprehend information. On a regular basis, the department will host a variety of academic conferences where teachers and students can share knowledge and display academic achievements. Participating in such conferences can also help students advance academically in the future. Impacted by COVID-19, it is a pity that most of my courses were conducted online. However, even under such difficult circumstances, the administrative department of SMBU still responded swiftly and quickly built an e-teaching platform that provides for the uploading of all learning materials, which has greatly improved the learning conditions of distance teaching. There is no doubt that it is not easy for both teachers and students to shift to distance teaching. We will encounter various problems such as hit-and-miss internet connections and sound issues, but these problems can be solved quickly, and online teaching has never been interrupted. I’m glad I chose SMBU, which allows me to receive a high-quality higher education, meet many interesting people, and gain a thorough understanding of Chinese culture. I wish my dear SMBU and Department of Philology will continue to flourish and cultivate more excellent students! Mariya Shank Department of Philology Shenzhen MSU-BIT University | 