Additional Vocabulary

an applicant-	абитуриент
a resident student-	студент, живущий в общежитии
a part-time student-	студент вечернего отделения
a full-time student-	студент дневного отделения
a postgraduate-	аспирант
a Bachelor of Arts-	бакалавр искусств
an external student-	студент-заочник
an old student-	бывший студент
practical course-	практические занятия
to attend lectures-	посещать лекции
lecture-hall-	лекционный зал
to work by fits and starts-	работать урывками, время от времени
a lecturer-	лектор
a Rector-	ректор
a Dean-	декан
the Dean's office-	деканат
a chair (~ of Mathematics ...)-	кафедра (математики)
a laboratory (lab)-	лаборатория
a room (a study)-	аудитория
a gymnasium (gym)-	спортзал
to miss the lecture-	пропустить лекцию
to fail at the exam-	провалиться на экзамене
to work hard-	трудиться, хорошо заниматься
to get through the exam-	удалось с трудностями сдать экзамен
to do one's best-	делать все возможное
to have a gift (a bent) for smth -	иметь дар, наклонность к чему-либо
to have a subject at one's fingers'ends-	хорошо знать предмет
to get a mark for (a composition)-	получать оценку за что-либо
to get a mark in a subject-	получить оценку по ....
to be well (bad, weak) in French-	иметь хорошую (плохую, слабую) подготовку
to be well grounded in a subject-	иметь хорошую подготовку
to have a good command of language-	свободно владеть языком
to lag behind the group-	отставать от группы
to tremble-	дрожать
to go a head the group-	идти впереди
a credit-	зачет
a credit-book-	зачетка
to get a credit-	получить зачет
in advance	заранее, автоматом

Education in the russian federation

Russians have always shown a great concern for education. The right to education is stated in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Compulsory secondary school, vocational school, and higher educational establishments ensure it. The development of extramural and evening courses and the system of state scholarships and grants also ensure it.

Education in Russia is compulsory to the 9th form inclusive. The stages of compulsory schooling in Russia are: primary education for ages 6-7 to 9-10 inclusive; secondary education including intermediate school for ages 10-11 to 12-13 inclusive, and senior high school for those who wish to go on in higher education. He or she must stay at school for two more years. Primary and secondary school together comprise 11 years of study. Every school has a "core curriculum" of academic subjects, such as Russian, Literature, Mathematics, History, a Foreign Language and others. Lyceums and gymnasiums offer programs giving a profound knowledge in some fields of study.

After finishing the 9th form one can go on to a vocational school which offers programs of academic subjects and a program of training in a technical field, or a profession.

After finishing the 11th form of a secondary school, a lyceum or a gymnasium one can go on in higher education. All applicants must take competitive examinations. Higher educational institutions, that is, institutes or universities, offer a 5-year program of academic subjects for undergraduates in a variety of fields, as well as a graduate course. If one finishes a graduate course and writes a thesis, he or she receives the candidate degree, corresponding to the master's degree, or the doctoral degree.

Rectors head higher educational establishments. Vice-rectors are in charge of academic and scientific work. An institute or a university has a number of faculties, each specializing in a field of study. Faculties have specialized councils, which confer candidate and doctoral degrees.

The system of secondary and higher education in Russia is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are to decentralize the higher education system, to develop a new financial mechanism, to give more academic freedoms to faculties and students. All secondary schools, institutes and universities until recently have been funded by the state. Now there is quite a number of private fee-paying primary and secondary schools; some universities have fee-paying departments.