We all understand that availability is good educated people in the country directly affects its economic potential. If there are a lot of well-educated people, the country will experience an economic breakthrough, and if there are few, the country will experience an economic recession. But many people forget that the living conditions of students directly affect the quality of education. Therefore, you can make a logical chain: good conditions for the lives of students lead to a good education, which in turn leads to the economic growth of the country.
In this article I would like to compare the living conditions of students in the USSR and in modern Russia. Scholarships and prices of goods and services can tell us a lot.
Under the Union, even C students received scholarships. In modern Russia, C students do not receive scholarships. Those. approximately 70% of all students in our country do not receive any money to survive. Future specialists have to either sit on their parents’ necks or go to work.
But let's think about how then students can get a good education if they work? No way. They spend all their free time from studying at work, come home tired, and read educational literature there is no time left. As a result, almost all of these 70% of students receive diplomas, but not knowledge.
But there is another 30% who receive scholarships, you say. And they are the ones who can give impetus to economic growth countries. But, let's now see what scholarships we have. Under the Union, scholarships averaged from 35 to 50 rubles. For excellent students it is even higher. In today's Russia, the average scholarship is 2,000 rubles.
Now let's compare prices. You can take many indicators, but let’s take just a few. Bread cost 12 kopecks, now 20 rubles. During the Soviet Union, a scholarship could buy an average of 330 loaves of bread, but now only 100. A cup of coffee in a cafe cost 20 kopecks, now it costs 20 rubles. Those. this is 200 cups of coffee during the Union and 100 cups of coffee now.
But don’t forget that dorm rooms were free, but now you have to pay an average of 500 rubles a month. There are now not 2000, but 1500 rubles left for living. This means you can buy even less food. You can’t live on 2,000 rubles now, so even students who receive scholarships also go to work, which in turn reduces the quality of their knowledge.
Some might say that the stipends were high, but the counters were empty. Have you heard about students who died of hunger? I did not hear.
What can we say about the requirements at universities under the USSR and the current requirements. Now the student answering that Tatar-Mongol invasion was in the 20th century, gets a C on the exam. Previously, a person would have been miserably thrown out of the university for this. Although such a person would not even be able to enter. And what do we have in the end? In Soviet times, students lived as if in paradise and received quality education. Now the life of students resembles hell. At the same time, it is quite difficult to gain good knowledge while working. Draw your own conclusions...
And why are anti-Soviet people such idiots?
There are again several posts in the Top about the horrors of the USSR. I thought that this year there would be fewer of them - the 100th anniversary of the revolution has passed. But I was wrong. Maybe it’s now about the elections, about Grudinin’s nomination?
Here's a snippet from one post:
“There is still a lot that can be remembered, but I will remind those who have forgotten or do not know only the following: the most big topic There was a joke in the USSR about a starving student (now completely forgotten). And since I lived in the USSR, and besides, I was a student then and lived in a dorm, this topic is still close to me, despite the fact that I have been full for a long time.”
A student scholarship in the USSR was 35-50 rubles, depending on the university. By the end of the USSR there were scholarships of 62 rubles, 75 rubles (increased), for example, at MIPT. The scholarship was paid depending on academic success: usually it was not given if there were “C” marks. Excellent students received an increased stipend, it seems, 50 rubles. There was also a Lenin scholarship - 120 rubles, paid monthly, established for a period of 1 year. Assigned to students starting from the 2nd year, for excellent academic performance and active social activities.
Now what could you buy with this money?
Here's what people remember:
“A Moscow metro pass cost 1.5 rubles for a “diary” student.
Lunch in the dining room - 35-40 kopecks.
Cheburek with meat (with meat and broth inside, not potatoes) - 16 kopecks.
Rent a room in a communal apartment - from 20 to 30 rubles. (I vouch for my words, because I myself rented out a furnished room in a 2-room apartment in Chertanovo in the late 70s).
A student train ticket to Tallinn cost 6 rubles.
Bottle of beer - 37 kopecks. (you could return the bottle and get 12 kopecks)
A liter of milk - 32 kopecks.
A bottle of kefir - 30 kopecks. (of which 15 kopecks is a deposit, i.e. dishes)
Fish - from 70 kopecks per kg.
Buns - from 7 to 12 kopecks - and tasty, unlike today.
“Fruit” cake – 1 rub. 75 kop.
A cup of coffee in a cafe - 15-20 kopecks.
Taxi fare: 10 kopecks for boarding, 10 kopecks per kilometer.
Decent wine - 2-3 rubles.”
“The student scholarship at Moscow State University was 35 rubles per month, 2.50 of it was deducted for the dormitory, 3 for a travel ticket. There was 1 ruble left for the day. A ticket to a concert at the conservatory cost 3 rubles, one kg of meat - 2.20, boots - 50/70 rubles".
Of course, a lot depends on the year that is being remembered. 35 rubles at Moscow State University - that was humanities faculties. 3 rubles - this was a single discount pass. By metro - 1.rub. 50, I don’t remember whether there were buses, trams, or trolleybuses.
Was it possible to live on this money? It depends on who.
For example, President Medvedev once said: “If anyone ever tells you that under Soviet rule a scholarship allowed you to live with dignity, tell him that this is nonsense. The most you could afford with a scholarship of 50 rubles in the 1980s was to go to a cafe with a girl.”
In central restaurants such as “Prague”, “Aragvi”, “Uzbekistan” a hot dish cost 3.50, in the rest - 2.50. Can the two of us eat for 50 rubles? Maybe he ordered several bottles of cognac? Medvedev loved to go for walks, to say the least.
Most of the students were helped by their parents.
But there were those who lived on their own money. They usually worked as janitors, postmen, nannies, translators, loaders, and tutors. Gave extra money and summer job in a construction team, sometimes quite significant.
But it’s one thing to add, for example, 35 more rubles to 35 rubles, and another thing to give or earn 75 rubles at once. The scholarship was definitely a great help.
There were still jokes about starving students, but an order of magnitude less than about students with poor grades.
Now let's look at the scholarships that students receive today.
In 2017 academic scholarship: for students of technical schools and colleges - 856 rubles, universities - 1571 rubles.
The minimum scholarship for a student at a university is 1,340 rubles, at a vocational school - 487 rubles. Maximum scholarship- about 6 thousand rubles.
Now, what can this scholarship be spent on?
Cost of living in student dormitory at HSE – from 900 rubles per month to 1500 rubles.
The cost of living in MSU dormitories very much depends on the form of study and place of residence: state-funded students pay 120 rubles per month (the same 5% of the scholarship) regardless of the dormitory, contract students pay from 3,360 rubles per month for accommodation in a full-time for a five-bed room at DAS up to 11,700 rubles per month for accommodation in a one-room apartment in GZ (sectors “E” and “F”).
In general, there is no single cost, and each university has its own.
I will also add that previously each university was obliged to provide dormitories for all students, but today there are universities without dormitories at all, and in other places there are not enough places for everyone.
Rent a room in Moscow costs about 10 thousand rubles.
You know the cost of food in canteens yourself. In Moscow it is difficult to have lunch for less than 150 rubles.
Cost of monthly discount travel ticket unlimited travel on the metro and monorail for students is 365 rubles. / 380 rubles from 2017.
So calculate how much money a student who has received a scholarship of 1,571 rubles will have for food, even if living in a dormitory costs 120 rubles, like at Moscow State University. After the purchase discount ticket approximately 1000 rubles.
How many days can you eat on 1000 rubles?
And remember that only 50% of students today study for free. The rest pay from 25 thousand per year at some university in Bashkiria to 260 thousand per year (HSE) and 440 thousand at MGIMO. But in most universities in Moscow - somewhere in the region of 100 thousand.
True, there are now more opportunities for students to earn extra money. For example, they work as waiters.
However, there are no new jokes about hungry students. And this is understandable: now poor people cannot teach their children. What kind of jokes can there be about living on 1000 rubles?
And why are anti-Soviet people such idiots?
By the way, I didn’t find many jokes about a hungry student. Here, perhaps:
A hungry student comes to the dormitory, and the smell of freshly fried meat fills the floor. He enters the room, and there are 40 students with forks eating meat from one common tray. The newcomer is silently handed a fork and he eats the meat with everyone else. I ate my fill, but it’s inconvenient to just leave.
Then he says: “Guys, there’s something I don’t like about our dean,” and he responds: “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it!”
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Two hungry students are sitting in a dormitory and drinking with their last money. Suddenly one asks:
- Where did that smell of barbecue come from?
- Fool, take the fly off your cigarette!
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Hungry students lie and dream:
- Well, guys, let's get a pig. There will be meat, lard...
- What are you talking about? Dirt, stink!
- It’s okay, she’ll get used to it...
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A hungry student comes to the cafeteria and says:
-Please give me 2 sausages.
(saleswoman) - Are you showing off?
(with a sigh) - And 8 forks.
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- And I know how to properly cook chicken or meat in a communal apartment or in a dorm!
- How?
- I’ll explain. You are a hungry student. The neighbor is a housewife and cooks a lot. She puts the chicken/meat on the stove to cook and goes into the room to watch TV. You put a pot of water next to it, and as soon as it’s gone, you move the meat to you. You're standing nearby. You hear her shuffling along the corridor - you put it back. She came, checked, and left. You go back to yourself, and so on several times. As a result, she has meat, and you have broth!!!
The Soviet past is remarkable in that most older people want it back, and young people have heard so much about it that they regret not having been born earlier. The difference from today is that people had money, but they had to stand in line for hours to buy goods. But when there is an opportunity to buy something, it’s not a sin to wait a little.
As practice shows, the ability to save and count money comes with age, regardless of what century people live in, and in student time the scholarship could go away in one day, but then what to do next, and how to earn extra money. Average scholarship in Soviet time at the student's Faculty of Physics was 45 rubles, the increased one was 56. In principle, if distributed correctly, it was quite enough. For example, lunch in the student canteen, consisting of the first, second and third, averaged 22 kopecks, that is, even eating three times a day, the expenses did not reach a ruble, and there was still enough for shortcakes and ice cream. The fee for the hostel was also small, maximum from 2 to 5 rubles, so 10 rubles a month were still left for theater and cinema.
It is important to note that all literature could be borrowed for free from the library, but even if you wanted to buy a book, they were inexpensive. But since most students ran out of money in the first week, they had to earn extra money. Girls, as a rule, found it more difficult to find temporary work, but boys could “sell” their physical strength well.
In almost every city there were stations where carriages with various raw materials arrived, building materials, coal, metals and so on. By unloading a carriage at night for 4-5 hours, you could earn 15 rubles, that is, in three days of work you could earn the entire scholarship. Certainly, this work It was not easy, but after just a day of rest the body returned to normal.
Of particular interest to students was the summer, when they could go on business trips to Siberia to earn money. After only 2-3 months, it was possible to bring home up to 2,000 rubles clean, and at that time this was a lot of money, when the average teacher’s salary was 120 rubles, and only miners could receive up to 500. It is important to note that if fraud with On the employer's side, all problems were easily resolved through the courts, and the shortfall in payment was returned. It is important to note that throughout Russia there were many cities where one could go to earn money if one wanted to. Most young people, after such work, returned home and went to a store called “Ruby” or “Emerald” and bought beautiful jewelry for their loved ones.
Of course, despite the socialist system, some commercial and speculative notes made their way at that time. For example, students whose parents lived near the borders with Poland, Latvia and Lithuania had the opportunity to bring a lot of high-quality and beautiful things. So, some seasoned individuals managed to resell them at several times the price, and make good money on the difference.
In Soviet times, everyone could earn money because there were opportunities, and there were no such tricks as refusal to pay for work on the basis that a person did not pass probation and didn't deserve the money. Therefore, in terms of part-time work, it was definitely easier in Soviet times.
The document has become invalid
Document as of August 2014.
Approved
By order of the Minister of Higher
and secondary special
education of the USSR
dated October 1, 1963 N 301
Agreed
Secretary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions
V. PROKHOROV
Deputy Minister
finance of the USSR
F.MANOYLO
1. In accordance with decisions of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (Orders of the Minister higher education USSR dated August 14, 1956 N 648 and the Minister of Higher and Secondary special education USSR dated July 26, 1963 N 245) state scholarships in established amounts are awarded to higher education students educational institutions students studying off-the-job, taking into account their academic performance and material support, and, first of all, to students who received excellent and good grades, and in some cases having satisfactory ratings. Scholarships are awarded twice a year. academic year based on the results of examination sessions.
2. Scholarships for students (except for the students specified in paragraph 7 of these Instructions) are assigned by scholarship commissions of faculties, and in universities where there are no faculties - by the scholarship commission of the university.
In faculties with more than 500 students, course scholarship committees may be created to assist faculty scholarship committees. Based on materials from course scholarship committees final decision submitted by the faculty scholarship committee.
Scholarship commissions are created for a period of one year from representatives of public organizations of the university, faculty, course under the chairmanship of the vice-rector, dean of the faculty, and deputy dean of the faculty, respectively.
The composition of the scholarship committees of the university and the faculty is approved by the rector of the university, and the composition of the course scholarship committees is approved by the dean of the faculty, in agreement with public organizations respectively university, faculty, course.
A representative of the university accounting department is included in the scholarship committees.
3. Scholarship commissions when considering issues related to appointment state scholarship, are guided by these Instructions.
Lists of students to whom the commission has awarded scholarships are approved by order of the rector upon the recommendation of the deans of the faculties.
A student who does not agree with the commission’s decision to deny him a scholarship can appeal this decision to the rector of the university, who, together with the trade union committee and the Komsomol committee of the university, makes a final decision on this issue.
4. To receive a scholarship, students submit an application to the scholarship commission, which indicates the composition of the family and the income received by the student and each family member.
To confirm their financial situation, they must, within 15 days from the start of classes in the first year, submit to the university the relevant documents on family composition and income received by the student and each family member. The income of family members - collective farmers - is indicated in monetary terms, taking into account cash and natural income. In subsequent semesters, such documents are submitted by students only if their financial situation changes or at the request of the scholarship committee.
5. For first-year students of higher educational institutions, scholarships in the first semester are assigned taking into account the grades received at entrance exams, and financial situation in the usual amount without a 25% bonus for receiving excellent grades in entrance exams.
In the second and subsequent semesters, scholarships are awarded to students from the first day of the month following the examination session.
Students who receive unsatisfactory grades and retake exams in these disciplines after the examination session are, as a rule, not awarded scholarships, regardless of what grades they received.
The rector of the university is given the right, at the request of the scholarship commission, as an exception, to award scholarships during the intersession period to students when their financial situation changes and taking into account the grades of the previous examination session, as well as to individual needy students who have retaken the exams in the prescribed manner.
Students who do not appear for exams during the examination session due to illness, certified by the appropriate document from a medical institution that has the right to issue certificates of temporary incapacity for work, are not withdrawn from the scholarship until the results of passing the exams within the individual deadlines established by the dean of the faculty, after which they are awarded scholarships for general principles.
Differentiated grades for tests, as well as grades for educational and practical training, are taken into account on an equal basis with the grades received at the examination session.
Grades in elective disciplines are not taken into account when awarding a scholarship.
6. Without taking into account financial status, in the presence of grades not lower than “satisfactory”, the scholarship is awarded to the following students:
a) Heroes Soviet Union and Heroes of Socialist Labor;
b) deaf and dumb and blind;
c) officers admitted to universities in the 1960/61 and 1961/62 academic years from among those dismissed from the Armed Forces in accordance with the Law on a new significant reduction of the Armed Forces of the USSR, if they do not receive a pension;
d) officers and military personnel of the extended service of the Armed Forces of the USSR, troops and bodies of the Committee state security under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, dismissed from military service, starting January 1, 1963, for reasons of health, age or redundancy, if they do not receive a pension;
e) sent to universities in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated September 18, 1959 N 1099 “On participation industrial enterprises, state and collective farms in staffing universities and technical schools and in training specialists for their enterprises" and other decisions issued in addition to this Resolution;
f) students studying at technical colleges;
g) eligible to receive a scholarship based on individual government decisions (for example, Order of the Minister of Higher Education of the USSR of February 11, 1958 N 139);
h) former pupils of orphanages and children's labor educational colonies and persons under foster care, as well as former pupils of boarding schools who do not have parents.
7. For students sent to universities in accordance with Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 18, 1959 N 1099 and other decisions issued in addition to this Resolution, scholarships are assigned and paid monthly directly by enterprises, construction sites, state farms and collective farms that sent them for study, in the amount of 15% higher than the scholarship established for this course.
If necessary, scholarships to these students can be paid by enterprises, construction sites, state farms and collective farms through higher educational institutions in agreement with the heads of the relevant higher educational institutions by transferring them to deadlines required amounts.
If a student receives unsatisfactory grades at the examination session, the dean of the faculty informs in writing the head of the relevant organization about the need to terminate the payment of the scholarship to this student until he retakes the exams.
During off-the-job training, students at factories and colleges are paid monthly stipends directly by the enterprises where the colleges are organized, in the amount of 15% higher than the stipend established for this course.
8. During industrial practice at workplaces with payment wages, as well as during production work(including during the apprenticeship period) stipends are not paid to students. Payment of scholarships during industrial practice by higher educational institutions (or enterprises, construction sites, state farms and collective farms that sent working youth for training) is made upon presentation by students from enterprises, institutions, organizations where they are undergoing internship, certificates stating that their wages are not paid.
When alternating production work with training sessions(weekly or other periods) during their studies, students are paid a stipend on a general basis, and for the time they work in production - a salary.
For first- and second-year students who combine training with socially useful work, enterprises, institutions and organizations pay 30 rubles per month during the apprenticeship period, but not more than for four months.
When alternating periods of apprenticeship and off-the-job study, students are paid an apprenticeship wage rate of 30 rubles per month during periods of apprenticeship, and a stipend on a general basis during periods of study.
The calendar period of the apprenticeship is extended accordingly.
Persons sent to study in accordance with Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 18, 1959 N 1099 and other resolutions issued in addition to this Resolution, as well as students of technical colleges during the apprenticeship period receive 30 rubles (i.e. the student rate wages without increasing this amount by 15%) from enterprises where they undergo apprenticeship, with subsequent reimbursement of these amounts by enterprises that sent students to study.
9. Students (with the exception of students receiving personal scholarships and specified in subparagraphs “a” and “b” of paragraph 6 of this Instruction) who are eligible to receive scholarships and who received only excellent grades at the examination session, the amount of the scholarship increases by 25% from the first day of the month following the examination session.
Excellent students from among the students of factories and technical colleges and persons sent to study in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 18, 1959 N 1099 and other resolutions issued in addition to this Resolution, scholarship payments are made in the prescribed manner at 15% higher scholarships for excellent students of the relevant course.
10. Personalized scholarships are appointed regardless of financial situation, but in compliance with the procedure established current Regulations about personal scholarships. Personalized scholarships awarded to students sent to study in accordance with Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 18, 1959 N 1099 and other resolutions issued in addition to this Resolution, as well as students of technical colleges, are paid at the expense of the educational institution.
11. An increase in the amount of the scholarship in connection with the transition to a senior year is made from the beginning of classes in this course.
Students who have lost the right to receive a scholarship based on the results of the examination session do not receive a scholarship starting from the first day of the month following the end of the examination session.
12. Students of higher educational institutions who received scholarships in the 1962/63 academic year in amounts higher than those established by Order of the Minister of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the USSR dated July 26, 1963 N 245, will retain the amount of scholarships they receive until graduation from the educational institution, without increasing them when transferring to subsequent courses of study, if in these courses the new amounts of scholarships are lower than the amounts of scholarships they receive.
In all other cases, the scholarship is paid in accordance with the established procedure in the amount provided for by Order of the Minister of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the USSR dated July 26, 1963 N 245. If individual students did not receive a scholarship in the 1962/63 academic year, and in subsequent years they became eligible for a scholarship, were transferred from one higher educational institution to another or from evening and distance learning on a full-time basis, the stipend is paid to them in the same manner and amount.
13. Students transferred in accordance with the order of the relevant ministry (department) from one university to another or from one specialty to another in the same educational institution are awarded scholarships until the next examination session based on the results of exams passed according to same place studies, regardless of availability academic debt resulting from differences in curricula.
Students transferred at personal request from one university or faculty to another university or faculty, as well as from the senior course of evening and correspondence universities(faculties, departments) for the junior year of a full-time department of a university, scholarships are awarded after repayment of debt under the curriculum.
14. Students of full-time universities who are retained for a repeat year of study due to poor academic performance are not paid scholarships during the entire repeat year of study.
Scholarship students left in the same course for the second year due to illness or in connection with leave due to illness or other valid reason, timely issued by order of the rector of a higher educational institution on the basis of relevant documents from a medical institution that has the right to issue certificates of temporary incapacity for work, payment of the scholarship is renewed from the start of classes in the repeated academic year until the results of the first examination session, after which the scholarship is assigned on a general basis.
For students who did not receive a scholarship and were retained for the second year due to illness, a scholarship in the second year of study may be assigned until the results of the next examination session, taking into account financial support.
15. While a student is on leave due to illness or other valid reason, the scholarship is not paid to him.
After the scholarship student returns from leave granted to him due to illness or other good reason, payment of the scholarship to him is resumed until the results of the first examination session, after which the scholarship is assigned on a general basis.
16. Scholarship students in case of temporary disability confirmed medical institution having the right to issue sick leave certificates, receive a full stipend until they are restored to work capacity or until a disability is determined by the medical labor expert commission (VTEK); for maternity leave, the scholarship is issued in full during the terms of this leave established by the current legislation for female workers and employees.
For students whose production work alternates with study, including students at factories and colleges, state social insurance benefits are issued only for periods of temporary disability, maternity leave that occur during production work, excluding the period of apprenticeship.
For days of off-duty study missed due to temporary disability, maternity leave, these scholarship students are paid a stipend in the manner specified in the first paragraph of this paragraph.
In the event of temporary disability during the apprenticeship period, all students who have certificates of temporary disability are paid for days of illness based on the student rate established by paragraph 8 of Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of August 4, 1959 N 907 in the amount of 30 rubles per month.
17. Students of evening and correspondence universities (faculties and departments), as well as students studying outside of work during their correspondence or evening training, during menstruation additional leave provided without pay at the place of work for familiarization directly in production with work in the chosen specialty and preparation of relevant materials for the diploma project, a scholarship is paid on a general basis in the amounts established for students last year training.
Students of higher education institutions during the annual additional leave lasting 6 - 12 working days, provided in accordance with paragraph 12 "b" of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of December 30, 1959 N 1425 without pay, are paid a stipend in the prescribed manner.
18. Students of higher educational institutions reinstated in the educational institution within three years after dismissal from the ranks Soviet army in reserve, the scholarship is assigned from the day of reinstatement until the results of the next examination session in the manner specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 of clause 14 of these Instructions.
19. Students of higher educational institutions receiving a survivor's pension are awarded a scholarship on a general basis, i.e. taking into account academic performance and financial support, and are entitled to simultaneously receive a scholarship and pension.
20. Rectors of higher educational institutions are given the right to temporarily remove from their scholarships students who violate discipline, upon the proposal of the deans of the faculties, agreed upon with the public organizations of the faculties. In case of violation of discipline by students sent to a university to study in accordance with Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 18, 1959 N 1099 and other resolutions issued in addition to this Resolution, the rector of the university informs about this in writing to the management of the enterprises, organizations and organizations sending them institutions to stop paying them stipends.
21. Rectors of higher educational institutions are allowed, in agreement with the trade union committee, to pay students, in case of urgent need, a one-time allowance in amounts not exceeding the monthly stipend for the corresponding course. The one-time benefit is paid within 0.2% scholarship fund of this educational institution.
22. The assignment of scholarships and one-time benefits to students (except for students specified in clause 7 of these Instructions) is made within the limits of the scholarship fund provided for according to the budget of the higher educational institution for the corresponding year.
23. This Instruction does not apply to foreign students. Scholarship provision foreign students are produced in special order, reported by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the USSR.
The most happy people in the USSR these are students. Everyone who lived at that time will certainly agree with this statement. And as proof, we will talk about the life of Soviet girls while studying at the university.
1. How we did it
For millions of boys and girls in the USSR, higher education was the main social elevator. Diploma prestigious university gave a start to life, participation in amateur performances opened the way to the stage, active work in the Komsomol organization was considered almost the only option for those who decided to enter politics, that is, to make a career in the CPSU. But first you have to become a student, and this was not so easy.
Of course, for most universities, it was enough only to pass the exams more or less successfully. In some specialties there was a severe shortage and they accepted almost everyone who didn’t get a bad grade. A striking example: “pedins” and “selhozy”. For elite institutes and universities, not only a good certificate and excellent entrance exams were expected - the passing score sometimes reached 4.7 and additional factors were required.
For example, at MGIMO good knowledge foreign language was not enough, a working background or at least a year of experience in a working specialty was required, as well as a recommendation from the city party committee. For the law faculty, service in the army or work in the police was required, for “medina” - an entry into the labor profile and a reference from the head physician were welcomed. In addition, there were quotas for small nations, referrals from enterprises, and so on.
All this applies to the second half of the existence of the USSR. Before the war, the overwhelming majority of educated people went through the system of educational programs and workers' faculties created by the Soviet government, and they went to college not even after exams, but on Komsomol vouchers.
2. How they didn’t act
In many universities it was necessary to pass an interview and it was not always formal. Sometimes even not-so-successful exam grades faded into the background if the applicant knew the subject well or could demonstrate her passion for it. But they could have killed her just as well. It was often more difficult for girls to get into a prestigious specialty due to gender stereotypes. For example, in Mechanics and Mathematics, all other things being equal and even more low ratings would take the young man.
Another problem that especially hampered girls from the provinces was the discrepancy between the programs. Often during entrance exams they were faced with tasks and questions that were simply not covered in school. And if in the 1950s this lag was not yet clearly pronounced, then with each decade the gap widened.
Separately, we need to talk about the selection system for creative universities. Thousands of girls from all over the USSR came to the capital to enter the main specialized educational institutions of the country: VGIK, GITIS and so on. The competition reached hundreds of people per place, and the elimination was truly cruel.
First I had to go creative tasks, which in itself is difficult. Then an interview general knowledge about theater or cinema. There were no tickets, and members of the examination committee sometimes asked questions about the history of Tajik cinema.
3. Where did you study?
Despite the formal equality of opportunity, in the USSR there was always a clear division into male and female institutions. It is no secret that mostly girls studied to become teachers and philologists. Another place where the concentration of the weaker sex was high was the narcosis. These were not the most popular universities and it was easy to get into them, with the exception of some specialties.
But in polytechnics there were traditionally few girls. There were educational institutions where women were not accepted at all. For example, sailors and military schools. Of course, there were professions that almost all girls dreamed of. We have already talked about actresses, but journalism and foreign language departments were no less popular.
4. How we went to get potatoes
Having received the treasured student ID, on the first of September, girls came to their universities to plunge into the world of knowledge, but immediately went “to the potatoes.” A trip to the collective farm “to fight the harvest” - mandatory stage obtaining higher education. It was very difficult to “slope down”. The only exception- sick leave. But it must be said that until the 1980s, this was not something extraordinary for most students.
Such trips were practiced not only for students, but also for schoolchildren, starting from the seventh grade. They were sent to the fields for several weeks at the height of Indian summer, where future actors and physicists most often occupied themselves with harvesting vegetables that had survived until September. And although the work was quite hard, everyone had a rough idea in advance of what awaited them, they were ready for it and knew how to right moment, to be honest, cheat.
But in the evenings you could sit by the fire, listen to the guitar, meet fellow students whom you had previously only seen at entrance exams, chat with potential suitors, and generally have a fun time. Often about the days spent on the collective farm in student years, they remembered it with pleasure, without negativity.
5. Where did you live?
It so happened that many girls preferred to receive education outside of hometown. Residents of the villages were traveling to the nearest large locality or regional center. Applicants from there flocked to universities in the republican capitals. The chain ended in Moscow and Leningrad. Despite many everyday inconveniences, the girls tried to be as far away from their home as possible. And most of them Soviet students moved into the dormitories.
The hostel was the simplest and most affordable option, but far from the only one. Quite often, girls rented a room with the hostess. As a rule, they didn’t take a whole room, but only a bed, and three or four people had to live together. Such a service cost relatively inexpensively in the 1970s: 5-20 rubles, depending on the city.
Renting an apartment without a landlady was more difficult. Almost all real estate in the USSR belonged to the state. Rarely did anyone have a second apartment available for rent. But even this, with some luck, could be organized, although it already cost from 20 to 100 rubles.
6. What were your hobbies?
It’s clear that they went to universities to get a specialty. But Soviet authorities not only ensured that female students acquired necessary knowledge, but also developed diversified. All institutes and universities paid a lot of attention to a wide variety of amateur artistic activities and sports sections.
It must be said that initially almost all sports in the USSR were strictly amateur. In the biographies of many famous athletes In the 1950s or 60s, you can often find lines about how they took their first steps in big-time sports in sections at enterprises or universities. Later, female athletes and volleyball players began to appear, who were only registered at the institutes, but did not actually study. But still, girls, if they wanted, could enroll in some section and play sports for free, which is called “for the soul.” Swimming, gymnastics and mountaineering were especially popular. The latter, however, was not in all universities.
However, sports were not the most fashionable activity among female students. Their attention was more attracted to amateur artistic activities. At the institutes and student recreation centers there were both completely official groups and various ensembles and youth theaters, for which the university served only as a convenient base. Edita Piekha and Maya Kristalinskaya became stars while they were still students.
KVN stood apart. The Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful was invented on television, but very quickly it turned into a real movement that penetrated almost all universities in the country. Moreover, many institutes also held internal competitions between faculties. Even the closure of the program did not affect its popularity. Among the students, KVN successfully survived until perestroika and the resumption of broadcasts. The only disappointment: it was difficult for girls to even get into the faculty team; the main group of cheerful and resourceful people was male.
7. How did you relax?
It may seem that everything said above already refers to entertainment and relaxation. To some extent this was true, but both sports and amateur artistic activities took a lot of time and were more like receiving a second education without interrupting the first.
The girls who studied at the institutes had enough opportunities to have a good time. And it helped a large number of benefits. It was possible to visit cinemas, theaters and museums at a significant discount, and transport tickets were also cheaper for students. But the most popular pastime remained dancing.
IN major cities they were organized constantly: in the summer on outdoors, in winter they used any suitable premises, from Houses of Culture to train stations. Entrance to such events was paid. However, semi-closed student evenings were organized especially for students, tickets for which were distributed through the trade union committee.
Trade union committees were in charge and summer vacation. There you could get vouchers to student camps for 10-20% of the cost, and they also sent you on camping trips and tourist trips throughout the USSR. The diversity of the program depended primarily on the wealth of the university itself; as a rule, the “coolest” in this regard were not only prestigious educational institutions, but those assigned to a heavyweight department, for example, the Ministry of the Oil Industry.
8. Where did you earn extra money?
The scholarship in the USSR was relatively large. Until 1970 - from 30 rubles, then they raised it to 40 rubles, excellent students received 56 rubles. But this was not always enough for everyone. Therefore, from time to time there was a desire to find a part-time job. It was easier for the young men: loaders and laborers were constantly needed. The pay for this kind of work was good, about 10 rubles a day, and the wagons had to be unloaded at night. But the girls had to really rack their brains to find additional income.
The easiest option is to get a job as a cleaner. There were always many such vacancies, it was easy to hire part-time and it was possible to agree on working hours. But the money they paid for it was very modest. The rate was only 70-80 rubles per month. Another common way to earn extra money was tutoring. Usually they recruited schoolchildren and paid 3-5 rubles per lesson. But such work was not suitable for all students. Some people simply did not have the knowledge to tutor, while others were simply embarrassed to take money.
Student teams provided a good opportunity to earn money. The USSR had its own branched organization “All-Union Student construction teams", which operated under the Komsomol. Students were primarily sent to construction various objects, but not only. There were detachments that were engaged in fishing, trading and even teaching children.
It was almost impossible to get rich in the student team, but 400-600 rubles per summer period could be obtained. Working as a conductor was considered especially attractive financially. In addition to the actual salary, some also managed to hand over bottles for 5-10 rubles per shift.