Chinese student: Belarusian education highly valued abroad

Gao Kuai, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Journalism at Belarusian State University (BSU), spoke about the reputation of the leading Belarusian university in China, the choice in favour of foreign education and adaptation in a new country, sb.by reports with reference to the BSU press service

“The first six months I studied the language independently and in courses, but, as you know, mastering a foreign language is always easier if you are among native speakers and actively practice language skills in communicating with them,” the student noted.

So, after consulting with relatives and friends, he decided to enter the BSU. The choice was influenced by the high popularity of the university among Chinese applicants and positive recommendations from graduates, among whom was a friend of Gao Kuai's older brother, who highlighted the effectiveness of Belarusian educational programmes and wide career opportunities with a BSU diploma.

“Initially, I thought of entering the Faculty of Philology, in order to work as a translator in the future, but the circumstances turned out in favour of journalism. The teachers here are responsible and kind, they use the principle of ‘mentor as a friend’, so they know how to find an approach to students and understand the difficulties that foreign students face,” the young man shared his story. 

Gao Kuai was caught up in an active university life almost immediately. In his second year of study, the teachers of the Department of Literary and Artistic Criticism invited him to participate in some creative performances at the events. But the main challenge that the student set for himself was to perform songs in Russian. 

“During intensive language learning, you often listen to Russian music and it trains your ear and helps to improve pronunciation. And reproduction is the main condition for free speech,” Gao Kuai emphasised. 

The young man shows particular success in his studies. As a student specialising in literary work (creativity), he is fond of literary criticism and devotes his scientific works to this topic. The student was most impressed by the research on the critical analysis of the classical mediaeval Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The student plans to continue studying this area during the master’s degree course, where he will be able to deepen his knowledge of the Russian language. 

“Now I am actively working on expanding my vocabulary, so I want to communicate with Belarusians more. So far, our study group consists only of Chinese, so it would be useful to work on a mixed stream for a while. And such a chance will be presented during the master’s degree course,” Gao Kuai explained. 

This time, he wants to focus on linguistics and translation. He has not yet decided on his specialty and place of study at a new stage of education: the choice is between the faculties of international relations and philology. 

At the moment, the student is preparing for exams and defending his diploma, spends his free time outdoors and with friends. According to him, it was not difficult to get used to life in Belarus. 

“Therefore, the adaptation was easy and painless. Belarusians are distinguished by their openness, tolerance and kindness. Besides, the national food is excellent here. In general, Belarusian and Chinese dishes are very different, and not all my Chinese friends easily tolerate this difference. However, I immediately liked the local cuisine, especially babka [baked potato pie] and pancakes,” Gao Kuai noted. 

Also, unlike Beijing, Minsk is quiet and not crowded, so the young man especially appreciates silent walks at the end of the day. After graduation, Gao Kuai will return to his homeland. 

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Currently, more than 24 thousand people study at the Belarusian State University, of which more than five thousand are foreign citizens from 50 countries. But the largest proportion of foreigners are students from China – 3.5 thousand.