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Top Marks in Everything
The Journal “Bolshoi Gorod” – Big City, has discovered that people who get 100/100 in more than one subject do actually exist so we tried to find out what makes them different from mere mortals...
Article: Ksenia Vityuk
Photo: Ekaterina Pomelova
Masha Roslyakova
EGE/USE Points: 100 in Russian and 100 in History
Studies at: HSE, School of Asian Studies
Favourite music: Ed Sheeran and James Blunt.
Favourite book: “Heaven Has No Favourites” Erich Maria Remarque
About the EGE/USE
The Unified State Exam (EGE in Russian) has its shortcomings but on the whole, I think it is the right approach and works well. Maybe my teacher in 8th grade simply had a good way of presenting it to us not as an exam but as a kind of test of ourselves which we need to go through. I do think that the EGE is too tied to certain kinds of answers. To get good marks you need to know how to find useful information in any source, to develop techniques for making associations, and do test papers to get used to the way the exam is set out. And also, you shouldn’t think that just by going to classes you are guaranteed to do well at the exam.
Preparing for the exams
I spent a lot of time and worked really hard to prepare – especially for English and History. History was really tough. I watched historical documentaries, fell asleep listening to the audiobook “A History of Russia”, I wore the textbooks to shreds with reading and re-reading, we enacted historical battles in class with my classmates and teachers, all of which I don’t regret for a minute. In 9 months, history became, kind of, more like a good friend than a school subject. Before the first history exam my (real) friend and I went outside and screamed our loudest for about half an hour to get rid of the stress. That helped a lot, by the way, and I recommend it to everyone!
Lucky charms
I thought of putting a five kopeck coin in my shoe and other things for luck but on the day of the exam I forgot all about them. I took some chocolate but my classmate ate it. Maybe it helped them.
School pranks
We made a list of naughty things that you had to do before you left school: arrive at school in time for the sixth lesson, smoke on the staircase, take alcohol in a Sprite bottle to the Headmaster during a lesson.
Boys
I like self-confidence in a boy, and the rest – isn’t that important, although it’s nice if they don’t just listen to Russian rap and love Apple.
What annoys you
It drives me crazy when people muddle Korean with Chinese, and when people moan just to get sympathy.
On Putin
I don’t think I’m in a position to judge Putin – he’s 60 and I’m 17. He seems to be a person who really wants the best for his country, he’s just been in power for too long. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen, we need new people, a fresh start. If I met him somewhere, the first thing I’d ask him would be if he ever goes to the supermarket in the evening to buy bread.
Your future plans
I’d like to say that I see myself as Lady Gaga’s parrot or as a nasty rich criminal, but the first thing that came into my head is R2D2. I’ll be filming in “Star Wars” movies till the end of time.
Source: Bolshoi Gorod