Vitalija Kuprenaite

Sweden, Class of 2018

Did the SGIA course meet the expectations that you had when enrolling?

I absolutely loved it. It was a good four years. It was rich in new knowledge and left me with unforgettable memories of student life and dorm life. The SGIA curriculum covered a lot of spanerse subject matter. As for me, it sparked my attraction towards criminal law.

What did you like and dislike about the classes and the university in general?

Generally—I think I can even speak for most students—I really liked the amount of knowledge we gained in MGIMO and especially the language classes. However more discussions and more round table classes would be nice. I would really like to see more student participation in class discussions.

Did SGIA help you to achieve your goals after graduating?

It gave me the necessary knowledge to apply and be accepted to the LLM Program in International Law and Securirty at the University of Glasgow. I am now finishing my last year in that program.

Was the knowledge you acquired at MGIMO practical, and in what way?

What we learned was extremely helpful. Our classes were led by the teachers who had significant exposure to practical work—at embassies or other Russian or international governance structures—so their classes were often based on important real-life cases.

What kind of improvements would you recommend to MGIMO for the future?

MGIMO could provide its students with more opportunities to study abroad on exchange programs. The students in my English-taught program at SGIA could benefit from a better integration with Russian students from other schools. The Russian education system is very good at having students learn new things, and the flow of information is usually immense. However, in Sweden, where I had studied before coming to Russia, there is more collaboration between students and professors for the purpose of discussion.

Any recommendations for your MGIMO school — SGIA?

SGIA has already a very good faculty, so its goal should now be to attract more international students.

Vitalija Kuprenaite was interviewed by Nikita Vozianov (Class of 2019) in March 2019