<p>I've read on CC that you shouldn't let the availability of a particular language sway where you go to college because you can always learn it through study abroad. How realistic is this? How fluent can you become with little background knowledge after a semester abroad? I ask because I really, really want to learn Russian, however, only three of the colleges I've applied to offer it. I have a book that teaches you the fundamentals of Russian, however, I doubt that reading the book and buying Russian tutorial software/CD's/DVD's coupled with a semester abroad is the same as enrolling in Russian classes throughout college AND studying abroad. But I'm no expert, so I wanted to get your opinion on the best way to build fluency. Is it worth it to choose a college based on language availability? (There are a lot of other things going for the colleges with Russian, so that wouldn't be my sole deciding factor. But if it comes down to two colleges I like, one with Russian and one without, would it be better for me to choose the one that offers Russian)? I don't intend on majoring in Russian (I want to see how I like Russian coursework first), but I am considering a minor.</p>
<p>My boyfriend is learning Russian (possibly minoring) in school right now, and from what he’s told me, it’s a difficult enough language to learn with teachers, fluent TAs and mandatory tutoring sessions. Self-teaching a language can be extremely difficult, especially when it has a different alphabet. And once you’re in school with your regular coursework, the amount of extra time you would need to spend studying Russian might make it unrealistic. </p>
<p>I think language availability is a perfectly solid reason to choose one school over the other. Without Russian classes + Study abroad + more classes after you return, it’s unlikely you would reach fluency, let alone a satisfactory proficiency. </p>
<p>That said, if you spend your first two years learning Russian, you could apply for the Critical Language Scholarship ([Critical</a> Language Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://www.clscholarship.org/]Critical”>http://www.clscholarship.org/)) which is a summer abroad language program that would be completely free for you, the student. I have a friend who did this in Russia last summer and she highly recommends it.</p>
<p>To put this in perspective, I’m studying abroad in Denmark and I know almost no Danish. Even though I’m living with a host family and taking language classes, I expect that after the semester I’ll only know enough to do some basic conversations, read traffic signs, and navigate the grocery store. That’s just the nature of language-learning.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity- which colleges w/ Russian are you looking at?</p>
<p>OP, are you familiar with the Russian Language Flagship programs:
[The</a> Language Flagship - Russian](<a href=“http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/russian]The”>http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/russian)
[Russian</a> Flagship Programs](<a href=“http://flagship.americancouncils.org/russian/]Russian”>http://flagship.americancouncils.org/russian/)</p>
<p>Also, here are the schools that have federally-funded National Resource Centers in Russian & East European Studies:
Duke University: Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Georgetown University: Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies
Harvard University: Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Indiana University-Bloomington: Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center
Indiana University-Bloomington: Russian and East European Institute
Ohio State University: Center for Slavic and East European Studies
Stanford University: Center of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
University of California-Berkeley: Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
University of Chicago: Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
University of Kansas: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
University of Pittsburgh: Center for Russian and East European Studies
University of Washington: Herbert J. Ellison Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison: Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia</p>
<p>There are many other colleges and universities that offer suitable programs in Russian, of course, e.g., Middlebury.</p>
<p>I’m looking at American which is my top choice. They have a very good foreign service program which I am interested in and there are lots of opportunities to implement Russian knowledge in the DC area! The other colleges I’ve applied to with Russian are Temple and West Chester. Should American be too expensive, I’m highly considering Temple, but West Chester was more of a safety so I don’t think I will be attending.</p>
<p>If you’re a Pennsylvania resident, you also should consider the Russian & East European Studies program at U Pittsburgh.
[Undergraduate</a> Students - CREES: The Center for Russian and East European Studies](<a href=“http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/crees/undergrads.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/crees/undergrads.html)</p>
<p>There are a number of study abroad opportunities, either through Pitt or external programs:
[Students</a> - CREES: The Center for Russian and East European Studies](<a href=“http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/crees/studyabroad.html]Students”>http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/crees/studyabroad.html)
e.g., [Study</a> Abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia - Fall 2011 and Spring 2012](<a href=“http://www.aifsabroad.com/russia/stpetersburg/year1112/]Study”>http://www.aifsabroad.com/russia/stpetersburg/year1112/)</p>
<p>For an international component you can major in political science and do a certificate program in global studies. <a href=“http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/undergrad.html[/url]”>http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/undergrad.html</a> If you’re able to qualify for the honors program, Pitt offers a B. Phil major in international studies. <a href=“http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/bphil.html[/url]”>http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/bphil.html</a>
You can always apply for internships in DC through the political science dept or through external programs:
[University</a> of Pittsburgh: Political Science](<a href=“http://www.pitt.edu/~politics/underoverview.html]University”>http://www.pitt.edu/~politics/underoverview.html)
e.g., [DC</a> Internships : CS](<a href=“http://www.dcinternships.org/cs/about/]DC”>About - TFAS DC Internships)</p>
<p>I’ve taken Russian. I have a friend who is pursuing her PhD in Russian Literature. We often have talked about our Russian language learning experiences. It IS much better to learn Russian through classroom to start building the foundation. Russian is quite challenging because of the Cyrillic alphabet and cases (verb tenses are a piece of cake) as well as pronunciation. You want a very challenging Russian program that actually prepares you for a study abroad experience in Russia, not “Russian is so difficult that we should go easy on this so you don’t drop out.” Ask the professors and students at AU and Temple when you are accepted. Do the students feel comfortable with their Russian after 3 years?</p>
<p>You can learn pretty darn good Russian after 2 years of coursework and 1 year in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but certainly not enough for excellent graduate level (my friend said that she thought she knew enough Russian until she took her first graduate course in Russian as a PhD student!).</p>
<p>Before you embark on it, you need to think about why is it you want to learn Russian and if you like the culture enough to enjoy the language. I say this because Soviet-era movies can be quite depressing and make learning Russian boring! :)</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend these courses
<a href=“http://www.rusvillage.com/”>http://www.rusvillage.com/</a>
<a href=“http://russian.org.ru/”>http://russian.org.ru/</a></p>