Aleksey Nikulin: ‘You Don’t Have to Choose a Career Once and for All: Life Is Always Changing’

The Admissions Committee of the State University of Management will start taking applications in the near future. We have asked Aleksey Nikulin, Director of the University’s Admissions, Academic Mobility, and Career Office, to tell us about the specifics of admission to the University, how students can gain extra points, and what kind of admission quotas candidates can take advantage of.

Alexey Sergeyevich, the rules of admission to the University have changed this year. We already know that applicants will be able to submit their documents to SUM remotely. What other significant changes have been made to the rules of admission in 2020?

This year, the submission of documents and all interactions with applicants will be carried out remotely. Candidates can apply through their Applicant Account on the SUM website. The University’s admission tests will also be carried out remotely using SUM’s digital information system. In-person document submission may become possible if there are any changes in the current epidemiological situation resulting in the lifting of the lockdown.

The deadlines for submitting documents, completing admissions exams, and enrolling in state-funded education at the University have also changed. Applications will be accepted from 20 June for bachelor’s programmes and from 3 July for master’s programmes. The deadline for submitting the required documents to enrol in state-funded education is in August. Other than these, there have been no significant changes to the admission procedure.

You mentioned that the admission tests will be held online. Are these tests mandatory for everyone, or are the results of the Unified State Exam (USE) enough?

The results of the Unified State Exam are equivalent to those of the University’s admission tests. Applicants with secondary education certificates are admitted based on their Unified State Exam results. Internal admission tests can be taken by certain categories of applicants: children with disabilities, foreign citizens, graduates with a secondary professional education diploma, and applicants seeking to enrol in master’s programmes. 

Applicants aren’t always confident in their USE results. Is there a way for them to improve their chances of admission by gaining extra points? Does SUM offer any academic competitions or scholarships that can help?

Absolutely. Any applicant can improve their chances of being admitted to SUM. And points scored for individual achievements can be an important factor when trying to enrol in state-funded education. But applicants should keep in mind that they can only obtain a maximum of 10 such points.

Applicants who have a certificate of secondary education with honours or a diploma of secondary vocational education with honours receive 5 additional points. Additionally, those with a gold badge and corresponding certificate in the ‘Ready for Labour and Defence’ All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex receive 1 point.

Additional points are also awarded to winners of university academic competitions. For example, this year we held the ‘Future Managers Competition’ for school students. The winners had 4 points added to their USE scores. There are many events like this at SUM. And these aren’t just university-wide events, but also independent events held by SUM’s various institutes. As such, if a student has already decided on their future profession and university, they have many opportunities to improve their score through individual achievements over the course of the year.

SUM offers its special ‘SUM Leaders‘ package to the winners of school academic competitions and applicants who have passed the USE with a perfect score. Benefits include increased scholarships, internships abroad, funding for student projects from the University, and a more individual approach in helping them build their career path and receiving support in obtaining scientific grants.

In addition, starting from 2020, talented applicants who pass the USE with at least 80 points in each subject required for admission to the programme of their choice but do not receive scholarships for state-funded education will be offered a 50% discount on the first year of study by the University. The discount may be extended further for students who pass their midterm exams with excellent marks.

You’re saying that candidates can improve their chances of admission. This raises the question: what do applicants need to know and understand in order to make the most of their opportunities for successful admission?

First of all, applicants need to understand that passing scores are determined during the enrolment process. At the moment, we only know the number of places available at the University. And no one knows for sure how many people will apply this year or what USE scores they’re going to have. Admission is always a competition, and only those applicants with top scores can afford not to worry.

For everyone else, this is a competition where applicants need to monitor the lists of applicants and assess their chances. I strongly advise candidates to continuously keep in touch with our Admissions Committee. You can do this through phone, e-mail, or our VK and Instagram pages for applicants. We answer questions almost around the clock.

Are there any quotas that can provide alternative ways for getting admitted? If so, who is eligible to take advantage of these quotas?

This is indeed another option. Applicants eligible for certain quotas aren’t involved in the general competition but have a separate competition instead.

Such quotas can be used by applicants with preferential considerations for admission, including children with disabilities, people with I or II disability category, people with disabilities since childhood, people with disabilities caused by combat injuries or illnesses incurred during military service, orphans and children without parents or guardians, those from the families of orphans or children without parents or guardians and war veterans. 

What quotas are there for applicants not eligible for preferential consideration for admission? Do they have any extra options?

There is a quota for targeted training. This is another way to get a free education at the University. Applicants interested in taking advantage of this quota need to conclude a targeted training contract with a budget-funded organisation.

Advantages of targeted training include the support measures specified in the targeted training contract, as well as guaranteed employment in the student’s vocational field upon training completion.

However, applicants must find a customer organisation themselves.  They can contact government agencies such as departments or local administrations, as well as other organisations in need of qualified specialists.

There is also a quota for foreign citizens. Foreign applicants, including Russians living abroad, can apply for a training quota through a representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo.

I have one last question. Not all school-leavers have decided what they want to be yet. What advice would you give them, and what can help them make this choice?

Believe in your dream and follow it no matter what! The choice of your profession and your path in life isn’t an easy one to make. People who choose a profession that isn’t for them end up studying poorly and getting no pleasure from their work.

But you don’t have to choose once and for all – life is always changing. The choice you make today might turn out to be successful, or it might not. It takes time to understand what you really needed and what ended up being useless.

Our university has created the environment you need to turn your dream into reality. We have developed a system that provides students with apprenticeships, internships, and employment. Each department collaborates with industry partners relevant to the fields studied by its graduates. You can always decide on your future profession while you’re studying. Once you graduate from a bachelor’s programme, you can change your educational path by enrolling in a different master’s programme.

Подпишись на тг-канал "Наш ГУУ" Дата публикации: 11.06.2020