The Vyatka State University

Now I am a first-year student of the Vyatka State University. I have chosen it because it is one of the most prestigious higher educational institutions in Kirov. It is a classical university for training highly qualified specialists for all branches of science and technique.

The University was established in 1963. In 1994 it became the Vyatka State Technical University. In 2001 it became the Vyatka State University. The university is situated in the Theatre Square. It has 10 buildings. There are 10 faculties and one institute in the university: the Faculty of Architecture and Construction, the Faculty of Automation and Computing Machines, the Electrical Engineering Faculty, the Chemical Engineering Faculty, the Faculty of Automation of Building Machinery, the Social - Economic Faculty, the Humanities Faculty, the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Telecommunications Systems, the Faculty of Evening and Correspondence Training, the Institute of Retraining Specialists.

There are three forms of education in the VSU. They are: day- time, correspondence and evening forms. The training course at the university lasts 4 or 6 years. It begins on the first of September and ends in July. There are two terms in a year, and at the end of each term students take tests and exams in different subjects. The main subjects in the first two years are higher mathematics, philosophy, history, economic theory, English or German, etc. During the third and the fourth years students study special subjects. They begin working at their diploma project in the fifth year.

In the first and second years of studies we usually have 3 or 4 classes per day. After classes we can have some out-of-classes activities.

Many students get scholarship. With good and excellent performance they get extra 25 per cent of the common scholarship and those with excellent performance in all subjects get extra 50%. Students with satisfactory performance do not get scholarship. As for me, I do not receive it because I pay for my instruction.

Out-of-town students live in shared rooms in hostels. They have to pay cash for their meals because there is no meal plan on campus.

The VSU is a large scientific center. It possesses several research laboratories. Many engineering developments done by our scientists have been displayed at international exhibitions.

The faculty of the VSU includes a great number of doctors and professors of science.

In general, the Vyatka State University is one of the most promising higher educational institutions in the region.

6. My future profession. My Future Profession

Finishing school is the beginning of independent life for millions of school leavers. Many roads are opened before them: vocational and technical schools, institutes and universities. But it is not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more than 2,000 existing in the world. Some pupils do this at industrial training centers, some follow the advice of their parents, others can't decide even after leaving school.

As for me, I have a definite vocation for economics. At school I was good at mathematics, geometry and English, so I decided that the profession of an economist attracts me most. Therefore I entered the Vyatka State University and now I am a first-year student at the Social-Economic Faculty. My future profession is an economist.

At present economics occupies a prominent position among modern production processes. The profession of an economist has become one the most useful, modern and interesting. That is because our country is moving towards market economy and different forms of business ownership are being established. There is a place for an economist at every plant and factory. An economist exercises different functions. He or she can determine the structure of an enterprise and calculate costs as well as probable profits. An economist analyses the condition of the market and prospects for its development in the future. The activities of an economist at an enterprise also include the control of the financial state of an enterprise and the performance of many useful calculations. An economist must possess a profound knowledge of economic theory, industrial management, accounting, mathematics, computer science. That's what we study at our faculty.

At our University a study of theory is generally accompanied by practical training. At the University workshops and laboratories the students master various operations, learn the technological properties of materials and products and their use, the structure of enterprises and companies, different computer programs. They master the skills of an accountant, manager, computer programmer. At the end of the third and fourth year the students are sent for a few months to a plant or a bank in order to get some practical know-how in the business. Working and studying there, the fourth-year students start working at their diploma projects.

Our department is called Management. A manager is an actual administrator. Having a good understanding of the present economic situation in the region and the demands of the market a manager can start his own business, or he may become a partner of a joint venture. We must also be interested in new things that concern our speciality. One way to learn about the latest developments is practice; another way is reading foreign economic magazines. That is why we learn either English or German at the University. Every qualified specialist must know at least one foreign language, besides we may meet foreign specialists coming to our enterprises or companies to establish trade connections.

I have studied for only one year now, but I think I have already acquired some valuable knowledge on my speciality. There is still time to decide if it is my real sphere of interests and if I am suited for this profession because the reality of work is always harder than studies. I am looking forward to my industrial training where I will be able to test my abilities. If it is OK, then I shall know that I have made the right choice and will become a good specialist at one of the enterprises or companies of our region or maybe I shall start my own business.