Nikolai Sannikov

Country: Russia

CSU Degree Program: Computer Science

INTO CSU Program: Computer Science

Why did you choose to come to Colorado State University?

I just knew that Colorado was a really nice place to live and to study. CSU is one of the biggest universities in Colorado,and in the US in general, so yeah, that’s why I am here.

How did the Pathway program help you  become a successful CSU student?

INTO CSU gave me a lot of skills that were super usefulin my future studies at CSU. First of all I have a lot ofclasses that involve speaking or writing in English, suchas College Composition, Pop Culture, and Public Speaking.Overall, living in an English environment helps to learnthis language. I have really become much more confident,especially because I was given a lot of skills in my majorComputer Science, it was helpful when I was doing summerpractice back home. Employers demanded a lot of thoseskills, and I was really happy that I studied those.  

What activites are you involved with at CSU?

Since my first week here I have joined one of thefraternities on campus.  But besides the fraternity, I amdoing quite a lot of interesting projects with some of myprofessors that are related to my major which might beuseful in my portfolio when I try to get employedo it.

What sets CSU’s Computer Science program apart fromother universities?

I really like how Computer Science courses are organizedover here. So we start with some basic but necessary skills,such as object-oriented programming, using Java and CM.CSU offers a lot of industry related courses that are reallydemanded in the computer science industry such as bigdata, and machine learning.

What is it like to live in Fort Collins?

Fort Collins is a really nice place. I really like it over here.People are very welcoming and nice. The city looks great,and there are many places to go after classes such as cafes,some museums, and art galleries. I really like it here. Duringmy free time, my friends and me go to the sports centerat CSU to work out, and play some football with otherstudents. Also we go hiking in the mountains.

What achievement are you most proud of in your academic career?

I’m really proud to be a CSU Ram. I went to CSU notbecause it is easy, but because it is hard. Living in anothercountry, listening to classes in another language [ishard]. I’m really happy that I managed to do it. I feel reallycomfortable over here. I’m really happy that it will give mean advantage over the students who decided to stay inRussia, and go to Russian universities, since employers willdefinitely pick me.

What advice do you have for future INTO CSU students?

Ok, so my advice to international students is just not to beafraid to come over here. It’s a really nice place; people arereally welcoming and nice. You will never be alone.