Weekdays of MAI-SJTU students in Shanghai

It's been more than a month since the students of MAI-SJTU master’s double degree program started their journey towards their life experience in Russia and China. They are getting acquainted with the countries of their education and shared with us their observations. Russian students of the first year of MAI-SJTU masters arrived in China at the beginning of September 2018, moved to the dormitories and began their studies. Ekaterina Moskvicheva, a student of the program shared her experiences about life in China and the educational process at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “We are very well settled in Shanghai now. The Campus is big, there is everything you need: Dormitories, Educational buildings, a library, Administrative buildings, shops, gyms, football, basketball, tennis fields and even a swimming pool.  Most of the students especially girls are getting used to Chinese food and has developed a taste for it. Food in China is very colourful and tasty, but everything here is fatty and mostly spicy. Almost all the girls cook by themselves, but by the second month, we found out more European cuisine on our outskirts with pasta and so on” - said Ekaterina.The educational process is different in Russia and China. Students of MAI-SJTU master’s degree program is divided into three groups on the basis of their major: Composite materials, Product Life Cycle and Engines. “We have 5 general subjects, lectures, and 2 core subjects. Teachers gave us homework, which was then successfully checked and assessed. Classes lasted for 45 minutes each before proceeding to a break. Basically, we have 1-2 pair of two lessons per day and the rest of the time is free”, - noted thestudents. Evaluation systems were completely different. In China, A-F grading system is used. For example, in the core subject Solid Mechanics, the Composite materials group follows a point system: for homework, you can get a maximum of 30 points; in the middle of the semester, there will be an exam, which also gives 30 points, 10 points for activity on the lesson, etc., the Passing score is 65 points. Based on the points scored, respective grades will be allocated.“We speak English but after several lessons of Chinese in our leisure time, we are already able to say a few phrases. This is a great experience to live in another country and learn another culture. the majority of our teachers here are highly qualified and young because of which they are able to get on our wavelength and teach from a modern point of view" - Ekaterina The joint venture between Moscow Aviation Institute and Shanghai Jiao Tong University was launched in 2017 and is not confined only to Master’s degree program. In 2018, the First intake of joint Bachelor’s degree program between two universities was initiated.