For a young person moving to Kyiv for university studies, life can be very challenging. You have to manage your own finances, be able to make some income while continuing your studies. You have to figure out what’s most important to focus on. And of course for the last few years we have all been dealing with the impact of the giant pandemic sweeping through the world and causing institutions to close, including university.

So we asked a number of students from Taurida University to share with us what challenges they have been facing in Kyiv since they left their home region and moved to the capital. 

I’m Valeria Filenko, studying journalism. Come from Kherson. Writing, taking photos, making websites, online journals – these are only a few things I’m fond of.

I moved to Kyiv in 2019 when I was about to begin my university studies. Like many young people from other regions who came to study in Kyiv, I decided to live in a dormitory since it’s quite cheap. And there I faced the first challenges of living in the capital. Living conditions were almost unbearable to me. And on top of that it took me about an hour and a half to get to university, and if I had classes early in the morning, then it got even worse… So this forced me to rent an apartment. Luckily, one of my fellow students suggested living with her, and I forgot about that dormitory.

Students have to find work in order to help their parents and be able to support themselves. I am right now hopeful that I’ll find a good one, but often students have to face the fact that salaries are lower than you expected, or that there’s only work full time. So some choose working full time and not going to classes (they can be understood for sure, everyone needs income). Either you are working in a coffee shop, restaurant for very little money, or you make studies your main priority and don’t work. I decided to work in summer, and for the past two years I had to work all summer because that was the only available season. I hope that at least during my third year of studies I’ll be able to combine work and my studies.

I’ve been living in Kyiv for almost three years now, but a lot of time has been taken away by the quarantine. Since the first part of 2020, university has had to close and even right now the situation is always changing: you’re going to classes, and then some time later you have distant learning. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of life that I need to deal with, when you don’t know what will happen tomorrow.

I’ve been living in Kyiv for a few years, and I can say with full confidence that I fell in love with the city. It was my dream to study in Kyiv. It opens up a lot of new opportunities, it’s also new friendships and challenges. Coming from a very small town, where everyone knows each other, it was quite unusual but fascinating to begin life in a big city like Kyiv.

Every day my circle of friends was expanding, and the fears were going away. I think people don’t have to see a perfect you. Even coming from a little area, you can be yourself and become friends with other like-minded students. Living in a big city is cool, but there’s always something that reminds you of your home. Here in Kyiv, you’re responsible for what you say and what you do. You’re looking for ways of solving problems yourself. You’re supporting yourself, making a living, and appreciating the hard work that goes into it. Summing up my thoughts, I can say that moving to a big city is valuable, almost needed! Not only because of great opportunities, but also because of that contrast you will feel. I’m sure that by staying in Kyiv for some time, you’ll definitely want to come back!

Sofya Melnyk, a 4-year journalism student, at Taurida. Come from Zaporizhzhia. Like reading, writing, horse-riding.

So in my first year of studies at university I didn’t have a job, I was living in a dormitory. Financially, it was hard, but I could find time for basically everything.  

One year in a dormitory was quite enough for me, so at the start of my second year I got my first job in an atelier. Combining it with studies was easy, since I had a very flexible schedule. The negative thing about it was that I had to go to university from my work and then come back, so several hours were spent just on the subway. 

I then got my second job in a shop. During this time I had very stressful moments, and lost my stipend (*money that students get each month for their work during a semester, active participation in events, activities).

As soon as I applied for dismissal, I was offered an interesting position in another company. But I also had to work for 2 weeks at the previous job (which lasted for a month), and do an internship in a new place. Thank God, it was a holiday time, and at least there were no studies then, otherwise it would have been painful…

At first, this work was as easily combined with my studies as possible, since we had distant learning, and there was no problem just going to online classes from the workshop, plus the Wednesday-Sunday schedule makes the task easier. I gained my monthly stipend again and this is a very positive thing. I don’t know what will happen during this semester, will I find a new job or not. So now I can only hope for the better.