May 21, 2006
LOTD: State Exam
There are three requirements for the completion of the MA program here at St. Petersburg State University. You have to pass all the exams, defend your dissertation, and pass the State Exam. It consists of three questions, and you have an hour and a half to answer each. The first two questions are general, and in the third you are required to analyse a document.
In the beginning, everyone was freaking out because they gave us a list of "themes" to study. While it's nice to know in advance what the questions might be, you get a little overwhelmed when the list is 120 themes long!! In the end it all worked out. Though in line with Russian tradition and culture, there was some cheating involved. I didn't use it, but the internet was active on our computers, and you could tab back and forth.
We started at 10, finished at 4, and had our results by 7:30. Waiting for the results in a big room with dozens of other people reminded me of my debate days. I, along with two other classmates, got a 5. Additionally, Danielle and I got a special minus sign written next to our total score of 5, so it looked like "5-". Needless to say, this concerned both of us. A professor somewhat clarified, explaining that it actually means we were singled out for special recognition, that our work was of the highest quality. What's still unclear is whether or not that will have any effect later on down the line. Is it mentioned on the diploma or something?
I'll post my essays, and I'd love to hear feedback. I'm not going to change anything or correct any mistakes I may have made. We wrote them directly on the computer, but they didn't have an English-language spellchecker installed. I got a five on each essay. All together I wrote a surprising amount. A total of 16 pages, with 1.5 spacing. If only I could write my dissertation that fast!
The Russian system has four grades:
5 - Excellent
4 - Good
3 - Satisfactory
2 - Unsatisfactory
Here's me waiting in the cafe area waiting for the grade announcements, unshaven and somewhat dazed.
