This academic year, St. Petersburg Mining University commissioned two new dormitories for non-resident students. However, the term "dormitory" in the usual sense of the word is not quite appropriate here. The conceptual difference is that young men and women who study at the first technical university in Russia no longer live in rooms, but in separate studios, reminiscent of rooms in a good hotel.
All the amenities necessary for young people are provided there, including furniture, household appliances, a bathroom and even their own kitchen. The space is designed for two people to live together. In addition, the dormitories have a gymnasium, a 24-hour laundry and a canteen. In a word, everything is thought out to the smallest detail and made with care for future engineers and scientists.
Forpost decided to find out from them the details of life and went to Nalichnaya Street, 24. This building is located next door to one of the educational buildings of Mining University and is connected to it by a corridor, so the children do not even need to go outside in the morning to start classes.
"I had dreamed of going to Mining University since the eighth grade. But I imagined life in St. Petersburg a little differently, planning to rent a flat. I didn't even think about a hostel, because I had only negative associations in my mind. Older friends from other universities told me that they didn't live in the most comfortable conditions. For example, they have one toilet per block, i.e. for six people, and the rooms have not been renovated for a long time. But as soon as I saw the photos of this building and these studios, I immediately realised that everything is completely different here and changed my decision," said first-year student Irina Gordeeva.
She is the winner of the School Leader competition, the winners of which receive the right to guaranteed admission to Mining University. And also an opportunity of priority choice of a place in the dormitory. That is, the girl, who came to the city on the Neva from Tyumen, had no big competition from her peers, and she chose exactly the living space she wanted. And even a month before the official end of the admissions campaign.
"There is enough space in the studio for me and my roommate. It's very cosy. And I've also developed an attachment to this place. After the holidays, when I came back to St. Petersburg from my parents, I realised how much I missed it. I'm glad I live here. Not everyone gets such conditions," Irina added.
The residents only had to take their personal belongings with them to the new apartments. The Mining University management provided the student rooms with everything they needed, including bed linen, hangers and even doormats. And immediately after the housewarming party, they paid the students one and a half thousand roubles each "for the purchase of individual means of use", i.e. towels, soap, toothpaste and so on.
"There is no doubt about it, but it is one thing to prepare for classes in a quiet and comfortable environment. Of course, it is possible to become a good specialist in less favourable conditions, but still, it is one thing to prepare for classes in silence, and in such comfortable conditions as here, and quite another - in a room where a piece of plaster hangs from the ceiling, and your numerous neighbours are busy doing whatever they want. Someone is watching TV, someone is talking on the phone, and someone, let's say, is playing the guitar. So, first of all, our successes, of course, depend on ourselves: our persistence, diligence and so on. But the environment created at Mining University, both in the classrooms and in the dormitories, helps a lot. I am absolutely convinced of this," says Danil Sitnik, who came to the city on the Neva from Nakhodka and is now studying at the Faculty of Oil and Gas.
Almost thirty kids from Donetsk and Luhansk live in the new building. They came to Mining University as part of the programme "Student of Donbass-2023" and a pilot project to improve the system of higher technical education, which is currently being implemented in St. Petersburg. One of them - Kirill Dudarev - assured that he had not even expected to get into such "hothouse" conditions.
"When I travelled here, I hoped that the hostel would be comfortable, but, of course, I did not assume that its level would be so high. To be honest, I felt out of place at first, I'm not used to such things. I like that the studio has a separate shower, its own kitchen. Sometimes I watch TV with my neighbour, who is from Lugansk, but more often we study. There is a lot of studying, we need to catch up. The location, by the way, is very good. Across the road is a large shopping centre. The city centre is only 20 minutes away by transport. The school building is within walking distance," said Kirill Dudarev.
Anastasia Mikhailenko is pleased with the almost sterile cleanliness that reigns in the corridors and rooms of the new dormitory. On the one hand, it is quite logical, it was put into operation quite recently. But, on the other hand, keeping everything "in pristine condition" requires a certain amount of effort and, most importantly, the appropriate mentality.
"I'm the head of the ninth floor. My job is to check the rooms three times a week to make sure they are clean. If it's dirty, I ask the boys to clean it up and then I come back to check it again. I want to keep everything in good condition. The dormitory is new, the furniture is new. People will live after us too, we need to think about them," Anastasia Mikhailenko explained her motivation.
According to another student Elvira Levun, the secret of maintaining good neighbourly relations and a healthy climate in the studio is simple. It is necessary to distribute responsibilities in such a way that they do not become an impossible burden. For example, someone is responsible for cleaning the room, and someone is responsible for catering.
By the way, thanks to the presence of their own kitchen, many young people cook directly in the room, which allows them to save money and not feel like three poplars on Plyushchikha, standing in front of the cooker in a common room for the whole floor. By the way, not only girls, but also guys exercise in the culinary art. Some of them even get up early on purpose to make themselves breakfast, and in the evening they cook soups and more.
"Today I marinated some pork, I'm going to roast it. In general, I like to cook for the week ahead. I hardly ever go to the canteen. It's a pleasure to live in such a studio. I am very lucky", - Alexander Sinitsyn shared his opinion.
It should be noted that nine dormitories are now open for Mining University students, and one more, on Morskaya Embankment, has recently started renovation. As for the academic complexes of studios, i.e. the most comfortable rooms, they accommodate about a thousand people.
