The heroine of “Professions of the Future” shared her thoughts on Russian education

Today I announced the premiere of the documentary “Professions of the Future” . One of the heroines of the film, Kristina Mikhailova, as part of a school project (at the age of 17) created a prototype charger that uses the energy of the human body to charge gadgets. The girl openly stated her desire to study and develop her project in the United States, as well as that she wants to work in the American space industry in the future.



This caused heated discussion and resonance during closed screenings of the film. However, what exactly should happen in Russian education for the girl to remain in Russia, Christina did not tell in detail in the film. Today Kristina Mikhailova studies in the USA. It seemed interesting to me to find out her opinion about Russian education at the moment when she already has little experience in studying at an American university. In this post, a short interview with the heroine about Russian education and questions to the community about this.

In your opinion, how promising is the implementation of your project in the USA, which conditions are better there? But what - on the contrary, did not live up to expectations?
A year ago, at the end of the first year, I realized for myself that in America it is relatively easier to realize my ideas if there is only aspiration, desire and time. Which conditions are better? Probably an improved environment for creating businesses of different levels and scales. I had no particular expectations from the United States, and I came here more for a new type of training than to develop my project.

What changes could be introduced that would make Russia more attractive in terms of student learning?
Here students are free to choose their own courses that they are interested in studying. Students themselves have the right to create a field of study for themselves, and in all this their personal mentor helps them - a professor whose work the student likes the most. It seems to me that if, for example, HSE became more accessible to more students in Russia, our education would reach a new level in the world arena. HSE directly combines the international quality of education, which is so lacking in many Russian universities.

What exactly needs to be improved in Russian higher education so that “Kristina and others like her can study and do their first projects in Russia”?
It is necessary to provide freedom of choice of subjects, maybe not from the first year, but definitely, the student should have the right to choose what to study. Also, the size of the audience should be smaller so that the professor can devote more time to each student. And the budget should be different so that the quality of the relevant laboratory work improves, and indeed, in general. A university should not be a place where knowledge is “written” into our brains, a university should be a place where talents are sought and are doing everything to develop them.

Community Opinion

I believe that despite her age, Kristina accurately reflected some of the problems existing in the domestic higher education system. Many of my friends who had experience in Russia and abroad, also believe that the choice is one of the main advantages of American and European education.

I am sincerely interested in the opinion of the community about what changes and reforms are needed by Russian technical universities? What prevents them from becoming as popular as universities in the US? What can radically change the brain drain? Are fundamental changes needed in the education system or is it enough to introduce just a few new methods? Do you agree with the heroine of the interview or have a different point of view? I would be grateful for your opinions in the comments.