Iana, our graduate of CIS in St. Petersburg, passed the Cambridge exams this year. It was not without adventures: they had to be handed over in another country, in an unusual environment. We decided to ask Iana about her entire path to CIS: about studying in high school, the presidency of the Student Council, about a trip to Tashkent and plans for life. — Could you tell us, how did you get into CIS? And what was your first impression of school? In 2019, I heard about the school from a friendand decided to apply to CIS in the seventh grade. I quickly agreed after learning that this school would help improve my English and enroll abroad. And that's exactly what I dreamed of as I want to learn abroad to bring that knowledge to the Russian film industry! The passing exams turned out to be easy for me. And I was absolutely delighted with the building, because this campus is a copy of the Vorontsov Palace! It was unusual to sit in spacious classrooms with high ceilings. In addition, I was impressed by the golden elevator and the dining room, which looked almost like in American films. I started studying with anticipation! — Did you know English well when you entered CIS? My English was not very good. At first, I even asked my friend to translate everything that the teachers explained in class. It took me about a year to get into the new environment. But, by the way, I was not far behind in the program at that time. Classmates who did not know Russian especially helped me improve my English. To communicate with them, I had to quickly choose words and develop a linguistic flair. We had several foreigners in the class. But most of all, I am grateful to the Frenchman Ivan: it was friendship with him that led to the fact that I began to speak English fluently. — What subjects in the curriculum have particularly surprised you? History. It is taught in a completely different way than in Russian schools. The Russian program gives an accurate idea of the dates, names of rulers and chronology of events, while the British program helps to understand the causes and consequences of these events. In the lessons, we often discussed why the king made such decisions, why his country was developing in that direction and what it all eventually led to. I really liked this analytical approach. I fell in love with history and took it in high school as one of the core subjects. By the way, our teacher was Scottish. I have been learning to understand his accent for a long time — and this, as you know, can be difficult even for an Englishman. But even this difficulty has given me invaluable experience. This year I went to university in Scotland, and now communicating with the locals does not scare me at all. — Could you tell us, how does high school education work? The senior classes are years 12-13, and they are very different from the previous years of study. Students choose 3-4 subjects and study only them. For example, I took history, literature, English and biology. I liked them, I was motivated to dive into them. I didn't waste time on chemistry and computer science, which I don't plan to associate my life with. And I received basic knowledge in these subjects years earlier. — What can you tell us about the trip to Tashkent? What is it like to take exams in another country? Personally, I really liked the trip to Tashkent! However, it is psychologically difficult: another country, a new environment ... sixteen exams! But I tried to take it as an opportunity to fully devote myself to training, because there I was not distracted by the usual things. In addition, the new environment helped me get rid of the feeling of routine. So, I probably coped with all the tasks in Tashkent even better than I could at home. I even set up a sleep schedule for that month! I was staying at the hotel with a girl from Moscow. I often asked her about her studies at other campuses and where she planned to go. In addition, the trip brought me much closer to my classmates. In a stressful situation, I began to communicate with them more and more often, it lifted my mood. We played uno, walked around the city, went to the mountains and went for ice cream every day after school. The atmosphere was almost like a summer camp! And for those students who are going to live abroad, it was a very cool experience in terms of everyday life and other formalities. For some reason, I did not think that in a new country, the first thing you need to do is issue a SIM card or buy a steamer for things. And such a "trial" trip gave an idea of what it would be like to move abroad. I was very worried before the exams. But the guys and I supported each other. So, every evening we gathered with the girls who took the literature and repeated all the poems before the exam. I know that other guys were preparing for mathematics and computer science in the same way. On adrenaline, we remembered and wrote everything better. — You were the president of the Student Council. Tell me, what did you do in it and what benefits did you derive from this activity? The Student Council has greatly influenced me as a person. I had to give a speech at every school meeting, and most of the time I improvised. Thanks to this, I became much more confident in myself. Now it's easier for me to communicate with strangers, to perform on stage. In addition, I have learned good self-presentation, the ability to work in a team. Our guys formulate their thoughts competently, develop interesting projects. So, we organized a fair, a disco, I helped create a website for a charity auction, came up with Halloween contests, distributed responsibilities in the Council, monitored the completion of all tasks, even if it was the preparation of a festive poster. All the cases required me to be attentive and organized. It turned out to be a very useful experience. But the best part is that the Student Council helps with admission. In my application to universities, I mentioned that I was its president. I think that participation in its activities will be a good addition and will increase the chance to get into the University of your dreams. — And where and who do you dream of applying to? My dream is to study in the UK. I chose that country as there I can get the most current knowledge about the world industy. And I have already been pre-admitted to 4 out of 6 universities. I chose Edinburgh Napier University, but now a lot depends on the grades for the Cambridge exams, which I will learn in August. I really want to study in the direction of film, that is, filmmaking. And this university is in the top for this course. I chose the direction myself in my early childhood. However, at that time I thought that I would become an actress, but still decided to go into directing. I really like telling stories, inventing characters and giving emotions to people through a picture, through a movie. I am a person of "visual" perception, and for me cinema is almost the highest manifestation of art. [ /upload/medialibrary/269/it0g2nrjstf53op15gif3b8jq3drifg2.webp ] And the UK is one of the largest producers of good movies. I hope that after studying there I will be able to bring that knowledge into the production of films in Russia. I know that we can make good movies, so I want to participate in the creation of Russian films and tv shows which will be loved all over the world. I know that I will not stay in Britain. I will be following the art industry all over the world. I want to create a really worthwhile movie. And I believe I will be able to do it in Russia. I am glad that I chose this particular school, because now all roads are open to me. — Have you passed the entrance tests for these areas? I was asked to write a couple of essays about filmmakers and send an example of a small film I shot. I made a three-minute video in China about a girl who went on a trip after a breakup, after which she began a new life. [ /upload/medialibrary/f85/g4yflsq1u8cbu3jp48cqdczhif5o47ix.webp ] I can't say that I'm happy with the result. But I expressed my admiration for the world, showed how the environment affects a person. [ /upload/medialibrary/17b/1139ck2gdpv8xhrfpjzl9f7zz4aq7ux0.webp ] — Did the teachers support you? Do you think the support of teachers is important for students in principle? Yes, my homeroom teacher wrote a letter of recommendation and helped edit the personal statement. I discussed universities with him a lot, and he gave me confidence that I had made the right choice. He showed me old movies, helping me prepare for admission. I really appreciate his support and help. I don't think I would have done as well without it. — What are your plans for life? Now I have plans to move to the UK and have a career in Russia after my studies. At CIS, I gained confidence not only that I can communicate and study in a foreign language, but also that I can handle everything. As the president of the Student Council, I often had to improvise and get out of difficult situations. And after studying in two programs at once — Russian and Cambridge — I am sure that studying at the university will not scare me. — Will you visit your native school walls after graduation? Of course, I will come to school during my trips to Russia. After all, I became friends not only with my class, but also with many children outside it. I will also visit the teachers. Their support and confidence in my success gives me great motivation. I am sure that if a student has a goal, he will achieve it anyway, even if everything does not go according to plan. I am not afraid to change my place of residence, place of study, profession, because I am sure that in the end I will come to the right place. The main thing is not to be afraid of anything. This year, all my aspirations are connected with Scotland, where I will study film. And after that moving back to Russia to make them. And neither the exam results nor the difficulties of moving will be able to stop me.