<p>I'm just finished out my first year of a Russian major at a large Canadian university, and for several reasons I'm looking at possibly transferring after next year mostly due to some departmental instability. I'm American, so I'm looking at American schools as a domestic student. One of the other reasons I'm considering transferring is the size of my school: outside of my tiny, underfunded department, it's hard to find a literature class that offers the kind of intimate discussion that I'm looking for. I'm kind of lost looking for schools with better departments; someone pointed me to the Russian Flagship program, which looks really interesting, so I have my eye on Swarthmore, but otherwise I'm just scratching my head. What are some good Russian programs at smaller (by which I mean smaller than a huge public university, doesn't necessarily have to be SLAC-small) schools? Funding is definitely a consideration, but at this point I'm just looking to get some names together.</p>
<p>EDIT: For what it's worth, my overall GPA will be somewhere between a 3.75-3.9 when I apply, but my GPA across all Russian classes is and will be a 4.0. </p>
<p>First, I would highly recommend including at least one or two large and cheap public state flagships on your list. Many will be admission safeties and have good Russian programs which cover both the language and literature part of a Russian degree. The classes will also likely be tiny after the first year, the students serious, and you’ll likely quickly know every russian major. For instance, even at my state flagship, which does not have a strong Russian program compared to say, UT Austin, there are at least three upper division Russian courses offered each semester, all of which have fewer than 18 people enrolled. The school also offer the option of independent study and a thesis if the professor agrees, further expanding curricular options. The previously mentioned UT Austin, one of the best in the country for Russian, graduated only seven Russian majors at most last year. Two of them were language majors, five Russian studies majors although the language majors may have also been studies majors. </p>
<p>Realistically you should only expect to spend 2-2.5 years on campus after you transfer, since any reputable program will make you study abroad, or at least highly encourage it. </p>
<p>A reach transfer school could be Emory which has five Russian language/ literature professors, and a vibrant international focus. The school gives good financial aid although it’s a big reach for most transfers.</p>
<p>If you’re a women you’ll have a few more possibilities
Some other possibilities, many of which are extremely competitive for transfer admissions:
-Reed College (21% transfer acceptance rate)
-Scripps (women only) where you’d take most classes at next door Pomona (12% acceptance rate)
-Barnard (women only) 25% transfer acceptance rate. Take classes at Columbia
-St. Olaf College (the more competitive Carleton College, which also offers a Russian major is but a mile away. Apply to both since St. Olaf only takes 26% of transfers which will likely go down in the upcoming years)
-University of Rochester (27% acceptance rate, may not be the best for deep inquiry into the russian language)
-Miami of Ohio (54% acceptance rate). Not sure about the quality of its program. </p>
<p>Middlebury has always had a first-rate Russian department. I’m not sure what their transfer acceptance rate is. </p>
<p>In 2012 it was 8.3%. It’s likely decreased since then.</p>
<p>You might want to look at Pitt (a medium sized public university). It has strong programs in Russian and Slavic languages.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.slavic.pitt.edu/about/overview”>http://www.slavic.pitt.edu/about/overview</a>
<a href=“Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies”>http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/crees/</a></p>
<p>Pitt also hosts an intensive Russian summer program in Pittsburgh and Moscow that is attended by students from across the US: <a href=“Undergraduate Research Symposium | Slavic Languages & Literatures | University of Pittsburgh”>http://www.slavic.pitt.edu/node/297</a></p>
<p>Courses in Russian (undergraduate; excluding other Slavic languages) offered this spring semester:</p>
<p>RUSS 0020 2144 AT 10213 Elementary Russian 2 5 cr.
RUSS 0020 2144 AT 19296 Elementary Russian 2 5 cr.
RUSS 0020 2144 AT 19297 Elementary Russian 2 5 cr.
RUSS 0040 2144 AT 10215 Intermediate Russian 2 5 cr.
RUSS 0040 2144 AT 21689 Intermediate Russian 2 5 cr.
RUSS 0090 2144 AT 10916 Russian Fairy Tales Crane,Robert Franklin 3 cr.
RUSS 0090 2144 SE3 26280 Russian Fairy Tales Seckler,Dawn A 3 cr.
RUSS 0110 2144 AT 26569 Russian Conversation Practice Manukyan,Kathleen 1 cr.
RUSS 0325 2144 AT 11551 Russian Short Story In Context Basina,Yuliya 3 cr.
RUSS 0410 2144 AT 10216 Advanced Russian 2 Basina,Yuliya 3 cr.
RUSS 0590 2144 AT 11399 Frmtv Mastrpieces: Russa 19thc Padunov,Vladimir 3 cr.
RUSS 0740 2144 SE3 28139 Evening Russian 4 Basina,Yuliya 4 cr.
RUSS 0800 2144 AT 21690 Masterpieces 19thc Russian Lit Trimble, Theodora 3 cr.
RUSS 0810 2144 AT 10217 Masterpieces 20thc Russian Lit Klimova,Olga 3 cr.
RUSS 0811 2144 AT 11402 Madness & Madmen In Russ Cult Brady, Joel 3 cr. </p>
<p>BrynMawr also has the language flagship and is easier to get into than Swarthmore, although it’s a top school (women’s college, part of the old “seven sisters” network).</p>
<p>Take a look at Bard College. They have a joint program in St. Petersburg. <a href=“http://artesliberales.spbu.ru/”>http://artesliberales.spbu.ru/</a> Here is the link their the Russian & Eurasian studies program at Bard: <a href=“http://russian.bard.edu/”>http://russian.bard.edu/</a></p>
<p>The Bard program is open to students from other colleges. My daughter studied Russian at Barnard – went to the Bard/St. Petersburg program for study abroad. Met students from many other colleges. </p>