Organizational aspects of adaptation of foreign students studying at a Russian university

International integration is discussed as the present stage of the development of Russian society that affects not only political and economic spheres, but also the social and education sector. International cooperation in the field of education promotes integration of Russia in the global educational community as an equal partner, it helps to improve the profile of the national education system based on international experience. Strategic lines of the development of Russian universities are seriously adjusted, and one of the aims of their development nowadays is to attract more foreign students. Due to the increased attention to the issue of attracting foreign students, researchers put forward the problem of adaptation of foreign students to a new social and cultural environment. Adaptation of foreign students is seen as the process of bringing the basic parameters of social and personal characteristics in line with the new conditions of higher school environment. In the context of adaptation of foreign students, researchers have focused on the socio-cultural and psychological adaptation of international students. The aim of this paper is to learn organizational factors of adaptation of foreign students by identifying the main difficulties that foreign students face coming to study at a Russian university. The research data that were obtained through questionnaires and semi-structured interview allowed to identify the main areas of promotion of adaptation of foreign students studying in Russian universities. They are: information support, access to information through electronic resources (online) about the weather conditions of the region and the necessary set of things and clothes that are suitable for living in Tomsk for the period of each of the seasons, living conditions in the dormitory, Russian cuisine, the average cost of food and basic things, medical service, the organization of the learning process in the university, Russian culture. Organizational and recreational support includes training sessions with the participation of Russian students, the development of friendly relations between Russian and foreign students, knowledge of features of intercultural communication, organizing club activities of various kinds (film club, sports club, debating club, club of Russian literature). Thus, the results received in the research demonstrate several trends of activities important for adaptation of foreign students to living and studying in a Russian university, on the example of TSU. The research results were also provided to the Center of Adaptation of Foreign Students of TSU; and the results are used in the work of the Center. Additionally, the results can be the basis for future research about the optimization of the adaptation process of foreign students studying at a Russian university.

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