- Tell us about your studies at the Moscow Architectural Institute.
- MARCHI for me is a story of love and hate at the same time. The admission was difficult and long, the training for the next six years was even more difficult, sleepless and more nervous, but the title of "markhishnik" was worth it. I graduated from the bachelor's degree at the department of design of residential and public buildings, from there I ran away at the call of my heart to the department of urban planning, which I graduated in 2013. In my graduation year, I worked half a day at the Research and Development Institute of the General Plan of Moscow.
The first four years I was not very lucky with the teachers on the project, there was no room for creativity, there were negative comments on most of the sketches, and students in my group often did the same type, similar projects. At the Department of Urban Planning, I went to study under A. A. Malinov, where his positive attitude and enthusiasm helped me to love the project and not be afraid to express my ideas.
In general, it was interesting for me to study at the Moscow Architectural Institute, such an education gives an excellent outlook, although I felt "obsolete" in some professional subjects, especially in projects.
How did you get the idea to go to study abroad, and what was the basis for the choice of the country where you went - the Netherlands?
- For the first time, the idea to go to study or live abroad came to me in the summer after the third year, when I was vacationing with a friend in Italy. I wondered why and how people build houses and cities here. Even then, I was interested in the issues of urban planning: the movement of people in the city, comfortable urban spaces that make the city attractive for life. Already at the end of the fifth year, I began to look for master's programs in urban studies in Europe.
My choice fell on the Netherlands for two main reasons. I was very attracted to Dutch urban planning, their ability to take the most out of the small area that they have, and to create cozy towns for life. I often looked at plans for Dutch cities on Google Earth and took them as an example for educational projects. And secondly, I fell in love with a Dutchman. After that, it only remained to choose a university.
The programs in urban studies that were interesting to me were at two technical universities: Delft and Eindhoven, and the training there, and there was conducted in English. I applied to both universities and entered both. I decided to go to Eindhoven to study for purely practical, economic reasons: to apply for a visa, they required only tuition fees, while Delft asked for this amount plus another 10,000 euros - as a "guarantee" of funds on which the student will live the entire academic year. year. At that time, it was more convenient for me to pay for a year of study, and then deal with the money for other needs. In addition, the University of Eindhoven has promised on the website that they give students loans with subsequent help in finding a job. Unfortunately, when I got officially registered there, it turned out that they weren't giving any more loans.
What difficulties did you encounter when processing documents for departure?
- The university itself handled my visa. The Dutch are very organized people, so everything was extremely simple. All I had to do was pay for a year of study and also pay about 300 euros for a visa, send a copy of my passport and a couple of easy-to-fill questionnaires via DHL. Two weeks later I received a letter from the university that I can pick up my visa at the Dutch Embassy in Moscow. When I flew in August, three weeks before the start of my studies, to the Netherlands, the university gave me a timetable: when and where to come for a student card, bank card, to the municipality for registration, to the clinic for a standard test for tuberculosis and, at the end finally, to the university for a residence permit. Without hassle, a week before the start of classes I had a residence permit for 2.5 years.
However, only five days before leaving Russia, I realized that I needed not just a notarized translation of a birth certificate, but a legalized birth certificate, that is, with an apostille. I had to run to the agency, overpay for the urgency and worry a little. It is nevertheless necessary to carefully study the list of necessary documents and, if necessary, clarify the details in the department for work with students: they respond promptly.
How was the adaptation process in the new country?
- It was quite easy to adapt. The university helps with visa, bank, housing. The second week of August is an introductory week for foreign students, many of them get to know each other there. The next week is already an introductory week for all newcomers, that is, foreign students and first-year Dutch students who have entered the undergraduate program. It's a very fun and drunken week full of contests, sporting events, and nightly parties. This is the week when you learn to drink Dutch beer, that is, the cheapest and a lot, and dance to popular club music. Even firefighters come to the house to water the students with a hose - just for the fun of it.
The main difficulty is housing. When you arrive, you should already know exactly where you will live, but finding an apartment while still in your homeland is very difficult. The university helps by connecting the agency with new students. In theory, this is convenient, in practice - I was thrown off a couple of options, where only the area of housing, price and address were indicated, without photos and specific information. I was more or less lucky: the house had just been renovated, and it was clean inside. On the other hand, the price was one hundred euros higher than the average for such conditions, and under the contract it was possible to move out only after six months. For two years I have lived in two different places: these are student houses, where you rent a room and share the kitchen, bathroom and toilet with other students. I was lucky, my neighbors were always five guys: merit of the technical university.
It is not easy to find good housing: through an agency you overpay, through Facebook it is difficult, long, incomprehensible, it all depends on luck. There is also a special site Kamernet, where tenants themselves report that a room is vacated. Since the demand is huge, the Dutch arrange kijkavond, "the bride". Tenant candidates come and tell how cool they are to the “old-timers”. So you can find very interesting inexpensive options, but the Dutch do not really like foreigners. However, even if you live with the Dutch, they will be reluctant to speak English all the time.
In Holland, ninety percent of the population speaks good English: at the university, shop, government agencies, everyone will speak English to you. This greatly facilitates adaptation. On the other hand, that's why many visitors are too lazy to learn Dutch. I started learning Dutch back in Moscow. This is far from the most beautiful language, it has a lot in common with English, the grammar is not very difficult, but its sound is very different from Russian, so it is still difficult for me, after four years of study, to perceive it by ear. I believe that it is necessary to learn the language of the country in which you live. Firstly, the locals may not speak Dutch to you, English is easier for them, but they will respect you more. Secondly, all official documents that come by mail from the municipality, tax office, immigration office are in Dutch. Third, learning a language helps you understand mentality and culture. And of course, it helps in study and work. We made a project for the cities and regions of Holland, and all master plans, maps and layouts, development strategies, etc. were in Dutch. How can an urbanist start designing without deep analysis of the area? This means that one must be able to at least somehow understand such documents. Now I work and I understand that if you do not know Dutch, then you will be given no more than 50% of the work.
A great part of life in the Netherlands is cycling. All conditions for cyclists are created here. Life is not the same without greatness. And this is the main reason why, with an abundance of bread for breakfast and lunch, potatoes for dinner, and other things, it is very rare to see very fat people here.
The Dutch have a rather specific mentality. The main myth that the Dutch are very friendly and open, dissipates in a month and a half. In fact, they are just polite and friendly in conversation. Then they put a "block" through which few will break through. For two years of study, I became friends with only one Dutch woman, who is actually Chinese by origin, the same situation was with many of my foreign friends. The Dutch students already have friends, and they don't need any more. I noticed this feature most strongly among the Dutch who live “across the river”, that is, in the province of North Brabant (where Eindhoven is located) and in Limburg. They are proud of their region and dislike Amsterdam and Ranstad (Rotterdam, The Hague), as they laugh at their accent. In big cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, people are much more soulful.
Another tricky part of the Dutch is their organization. Many people carry diaries with them, where everything is planned out for three or four weeks in advance. Go spontaneously after school to a cafe, visit or watch a movie? This is nonsense for most Dutch people: spontaneity scares them.
Clothes strongly distinguish Moscow students from the Dutch. In Holland, no one meets "by clothes". I will say this openly and honestly: the Dutch do not know anything about style, beauty and originality in clothing. They dress pretty cheaply in the same stores. These are usually jeans, comfortable shoes and T-shirts - for both girls and boys. The main thing for them is comfort. Whether it's a freshman or a graduate student, you can't tell. In MARCHI, along with architectural taste, its own personal style of clothing develops. If first-year students look ridiculous and even funny, then senior students can be placed on the cover of a fashion magazine. And I think it's cool when the person responsible for the beauty of the city looks stylish and original. At a Dutch university it was sometimes very strange for me to dress the way I was used to in Moscow: dresses, shoes, jackets, blouses.
But the Dutch have their wonderful sides: they do not openly condemn people, their ideas, dreams. They do not think in behavioral stereotypes. But my favorite trait of them is that they will never yell at you, swear or harshly criticize you. They truly respect each other and know how to restrain emotions. What I had to listen to in Moscow - in the dean's office of the Moscow Architectural Institute, queues at the clinic, when boarding a bus, and so on - is absolutely impossible to imagine in the Netherlands. And that's great.
Tell us about your studies in Eindhoven
- My master's program is designed for two years. In the first year, students do two projects and attend other compulsory subjects as well as elective courses. The second year is completely devoted to the graduation project. Students choose which subjects they want to attend and the workload during the semester. However, you can study in a relaxed manner and extend your studies for three years. As in other European universities, they receive "credits", the so-called ECT. To obtain a master's degree, you need to collect 120 credits. In the Netherlands, one credit is equal to 28 hours of work, which does not include lectures, but the time that a student must spend on a specific course, that is, writing term papers, preparing presentations, self-study or preparing for an exam. Of course, no one will count the exact hours, but when you choose courses from the list, it is immediately clear how difficult the subject will be.
There was a lot of group work. No matter how difficult it is sometimes to work in a team, this part of the study seemed to me very important, the closest to real life. Finding compromises is the Dutch strength. At Moscow Architectural Institute we learned to do everything ourselves, but here we have to determine who is responsible for what, make decisions, adhere to time frames, respect other people's time and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each participant. In the process of cooperation, knowledge is exchanged, it is even better if the team consists of students from different countries. Everyone has their own methods of work, this does not make the task easier, but we share our experience and help if someone does not know something. Of course, you need to be able to quickly invite the right people to your team or not get into a team that already has bosom friends.
Both students and teachers take their studies seriously. It is absolutely not accepted to be late for lectures and consultations. Even being late for meetings with other students is discouraged. All dates for delivery of projects and exams are negotiated in the introductory lectures. Already in September of the second year of study, I knew when I would have a presentation of my graduation project. At the same time, the entire organization of consultations, presentations, reservation of audiences with a projector is done by the students themselves. Consultations on projects always take place according to a pre-compiled schedule - which student is consulted at what time. Surprisingly, a consultation on a project lasts about 15 minutes, but during these 15 minutes the teachers will give out so much information and so many questions that it will definitely be enough until the next consultation. The Dutch value their time and do not like to chat.
The Technische Universiteit Eindhoven campus has all the conditions for learning. The building of the Faculty of Architects is, first of all, a home for students. From the second to the sixth floor, there are large rooms with panoramic windows, where there are tables, to which sockets are connected: students work there, some work alone, some in a team. There are shelving and lockers, Wi-Fi is fast and free. There are printers on every second floor: printing is not free, but very cheap, 15 euros for six months was enough for me to come for a consultation every week with a bunch of A3 sheets of color printing. On the ground floor there is a modeling workshop: all kinds of machines, paints, knives, very cheap materials. A shared library was built on campus a few years ago. The building turned out to be very spacious and inspiring, it was awarded the National Architecture Award. You can even take books home, and you can order the desired book, if it is not available, from any other library in the Netherlands. Students come here to study and can sit all day until 23:00. There are also computers for students, you can reserve a room to work in silence or with classmates. I spent the whole summer of 2015 in the library while I was writing my diploma.
In general, the campus of the Technical University of Eindhoven is the most interesting and beautiful place in this city. The city itself is the fifth most populous in the country, but it looks more like a large village. It grew into a city in just over a century, after the opening of the Philips factory there. It is not very beautiful, there are no canals and an unattractive center, but it is growing, many innovative companies are working, so Eindhoven bears the title of brainport. For the urban planner, this is a living example of how they try to make the city enjoyable to live, work and study, and how the popular idea of regenerating former Philips factories for new creative industries and start-ups has not been so successful.
Compare your studies in the Netherlands and at the Moscow Architectural Institute
- The first year I was delighted with the new study and the campus itself. First of all, you notice the quality of education. This is knowledge about modern and deep analysis of future problems, effective use of study time. They study here not for the sake of the "crust", but for the sake of skills and knowledge. Here I learned what real research is and how to correctly formulate questions and methodology. In urban planning, they teach to approach the problem from all sides, and least of all this is the aesthetic side. Any project proposal should answer the questions: where? What for? Who pays? For whom? When and how? Design is already the last stage, the main thing for the Dutch is the idea, the concept.
Unlike the Moscow Architectural Institute, where every day 3-4 pairs of lectures and seminars, here my schedule looked very relaxed: no more than three pairs a day, mostly two pairs, while two school days a week could be empty at all. But this is not a free environment, for example, but time for independent study and meetings with study groups: students come to the university with computers and sit all day in the library. The university is the highest level of professional education (in the Netherlands there are also HBO and MBO, which can be compared with our colleges), therefore, it is assumed that the student must be able to learn on his own, and the professor only guides him and advises the right book, but does not chew on all the material.
An important point for me in my studies and in general in life in Holland was the respect of people for each other - regardless of gender, profession, social status. Teachers respect students, do not yell at them, do not say unpleasant words about the project, respect students' time and are generally very nice in communication. Earlier I read that the Dutch are distinguished by their straightforwardness, which can offend. But they do not know anything about the straightforwardness of the marchish teachers, who, a couple of days before delivery, can look at the diploma and say that it is "poop". Dutch professors will tactfully point out that this may not be the best solution, but the choice is always up to the student.
Exams in the Netherlands are difficult but objective. At the Moscow Architectural Institute, ticket exams are a matter of luck and hanging tongue. Here everyone is given the same tests for three hours of work, with questions throughout the course. You have to learn a lot, but even if you don't know everything, you can pass the exam for the passing ball through knowledge, but not luck. At the same time, it is categorically impossible to cheat on exams.
The situation is different with the assessments. I studied at Moscow Architectural Institute, when there was still a 10-point scale, and if you get a "three" for a project, it is, of course, unpleasant, but it is put on the record. In Dutch universities, the passing score is 5.5 in all subjects. If you don't get it, you will have to retake the next year or do the project again.
The presentation of projects is very different. At MARCHI you present your project and leave, and the defense of the diploma can last an indefinite amount of time. Everything is planned in advance, these are always presentations with the help of a projector, no longer than 20 minutes per student, and a maximum of the same - for discussion (only for a diploma a little longer): the time is timed. This is very disciplining, you need to be able to present the material briefly and talk about the main thing in the allotted time.
What did your education in Eindhoven give you and what did your education in Moscow Architectural Institute give you?
- MARCHI and the master's degree at the University of the Netherlands complemented each other well. The Technical University is a professional education of high quality, which gave me the opportunity to work at a high level and critically approach my work, while designing outside the framework of the standard.
MARCHI is a school of survival that taught me to work quickly, well, and if necessary, for a very long time. It is also a strong academic education that Holland does not have. MARCHI taught me to draw beautifully, to understand art, history, philosophy. But the most important thing that was given to me by studying at the Moscow Architectural Institute was an incredible love for my profession, architecture, cities and art. MARCHI gave this "intoxicating intoxication of familiarity with the secrets of art, which is higher than time." I did not feel this feeling of involvement in architecture and professional enthusiasm among students at a Dutch university. First of all, this is a technical university, and there is no such wonderful creative atmosphere and parties at the fountain, as in the Moscow Architectural Institute.
Education abroad is good when you understand what you want to get and when you want to study. MARCHI has become an excellent classic base. Holland taught me to look at problems from different angles, to find solutions, sometimes not related to architectural aesthetics, as well as to be critical of information and think flexibly.
Would you recommend the University of Eindhoven to other Russian students?
- Probably not. The first year of study was incredibly interesting, abundant, with the opportunity to communicate with students from different faculties. However, I didn’t like my graduation year. There were only ten of us, urban students, and I was the only international student. All foreign students of my first year studied on the exchange or Erasmus program, so mostly local, Dutch guys remained on the diploma, and not all Dutch people are as ambitious, inspired, hard-working as international students who did not easily go to study in another country. In addition, the urban planning program at the University of Eindhoven is currently going through difficult times, mainly due to conflicts between the new leadership of the department and experienced professors. It is trite, but even here the teachers put a spoke in each other's wheels. The head of the department and the head of my diploma, Sophie Russo, were just from the warring camps, so my grade for the diploma was clearly underestimated, which was extremely unpleasant. But if you go to the Department of Architecture, then everything is quiet and calm, and there is a choice from a variety of diploma studios. My fellow architects were very pleased with their program.
If you could go back in time, how would you organize your learning process in architecture?
- Everything turned out the way it happened. All important decisions were made by me not spontaneously, but on the basis of various factors. I am glad that I was able to enter the Moscow Architectural Institute, and then received a master's degree in the Netherlands. If it was possible to change something, then it was necessary earlier, back in Moscow Architectural Institute, to go to study abroad for an exchange for six months or a year. As trite as it may sound, studying abroad is a unique experience - at least for me. And there is no need to be afraid that you will have to study at the Moscow Architectural Institute for another year: there is nothing terrible in this, no matter how frightened the dean's office and the teachers. It's not even about studying, but about living in completely new conditions. New people, place, information, language - everything helps to understand that there are many incredible things that you might like and which are worth choosing. Stereotypical thinking disappears, which, willy-nilly, appears when you live in one society for a long time: you learn that boiled condensed milk is adored even in South Africa, you learn to make dumplings, bake delicious pancakes and surprise the locals that Russian pancakes with the freshest Dutch herring are very delicious.
What are you doing now?
- I work as an urban designer in a Dutch bureau
Posad Spatial Strategies. At first, they took me there as a trainee for six months, now I work under a contract. I really like it there. In addition to wonderful colleagues and attractive working conditions (travel to work and lunch are paid, 8-hour working day is the rule, not the exception, the office is next to The Hague train station with panoramic windows and views of the city center), I am also fascinated by the very “green »A look at urbanism and society as a whole. Sustainable development is not just a buzzword, but a vision for many projects: a better world requires smart future-oriented solutions.
In addition to master plans, strategy plans, regional “visions”, public spaces, the workshop is renowned for its many projects and studies related to renewable energies. We are currently working on a solar panel highway project.
Now I am busy with 4-5 projects. The studio is small, only 18 people, four of them are interns. Its small size allows everyone to work on different projects and perform different tasks: make beautiful images in Photoshop and diagrams in Illustrator, 3D models, GIS files, read Dutch documents during analysis, design master plans or small public spaces.
In addition, in the spring of 2016, on weekends, I worked part-time at the Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam. They paid very little, but you could go to various presentations and discussions for free, make useful contacts, and in general it's nice to be a part of a significant architectural event.
Give advice to an aspiring architect
- Make more contacts and do not hesitate to talk about yourself: how wonderful, smart and talented you are. When it comes to finding a job, especially the first one, modesty, especially in the architect and city planner, is a harmful quality. Be unique, don't be afraid to sound ridiculous, and constantly learn to speak in front of an audience. I myself hate it, but the ability to clearly and confidently present a project - and myself - is one of the most important qualities of a successful architect in our time.
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