It's worth doing some research before you go to make sure you're properly prepared for life and study in Russia. This page includes information about what not to bother taking and what to take with you. There is also a section for students about research, using libraries and writing dissertations in Russia.

What not to take

Students travelling to Russia for any length of time almost invariably have problems at the airport with excess baggage; if you don't when you go, you certainly will when you come back! If you've never been to Russia before and your knowledge is based on news footage of bread queues at the time of the last economic crisis in 1998, you're likely to pack a lot of unnecessary things in the belief that you can't buy anything there. The fact is that especially in the big cities, you can actually buy everything you can in the West (with a few exceptions, see below), even if it isn't the same brand. Good things to put off buying until you get to Russia include:

A very warm winter coat

Don't spend a fortune in Britain when you can get something cheaper and warmer in Russia. Ladies' coats are often more elegant there too. If you don't mind wearing fur (and you probably won't once you've experienced the Russian winter), a sensible idea is to buy a second-hand fur coat from a charity shop at home. Wearing fur is more than acceptable in Russia.

Winter boots

These are much cheaper in Russia, where they are made to cope with snow and ice rather than as a fashion accessory.

Toiletries

You can get everything there, so don't take a month's supply with you. Contrary to popular stories, soft toilet paper and most brands of tampons are available.

A Russian-English dictionary

These are readily available in bookshops, so it's not worth taking up your luggage allowance with a dictionary. You can even buy the Oxford Russian Dictionary for about half of what you would pay in England. It is easy to sell it before you leave at the end of the year.

Camera films and batteries

These are much cheaper in Russia.

Stationery

Folders in particular take up lots of space and you really don't need to take them.

Paracetamol

I am reliably informed that you can get it in Russia, so no need to take enough for the year with you.

What to take

There are certain things that nobody realises they need until they arrive. I asked some students who spent their year abroad in Russia to say what no-one told them to take:

To this list I would add vitamin tablets, especially vitamin D for the winter when (especially in the north) you won't get any sun, and calcium. A pair of slippers is not only essential to avoid treading mud into the flat; Russians tend always to wear slippers indoors and if you don't have your own, your host family will probably lend you a very large pair of spare ones which will have you sliding around the flat and tripping over things all year. It is impossible to survive the winter without a warm, comfortable pair of shoes or boots, whether you take them with you or buy them there. Simple medicines such as Lemsip (absolutely essential) and Imodium can be useful to have with you. I also found it impossible to buy good sunscreen. Take nice coffee and Cadbury's milk chocolate if you can't live without it. If you take credit cards, make sure you have the 'phone number and details to cancel them immediately if they are stolen.

Books to read

It's useful to read something about Russia, and about the city you're going to before you leave; it makes you feel a bit more prepared as you will have a better idea of what to expect. However, don't just stick to guidebooks, although the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide series are very useful and a good read in themselves. For some more general reading before you go and while you're there, I would recommend the following books which you certainly won't find on your university reading list:

Among the Russians and In Siberia by Colin Thubron.

Excellent travel writing about a journey around Soviet Russia and a more recent trip on the Trans-Siberian Express.

Xenophobe's Guide to the Russians by Vladimir Zhelvis.

Accurate and very funny guide to the Russian character, customs and idiosyncracies.

Archangel by Robert Harris.

If you like thrillers, then this terrifying historical 'what if...' novel is for you. It is set in Moscow and the northern city of Archangel (Archangel'sk) under the Soviets - this is a good one to read once you've been to Moscow.

Gorky Park, Polar Star, Red Square, Havana Bay and Wolves eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith.

The first three of these are set in Russia, Wolves eat Dogs in Chernobyl, and Havana Bay in Cuba; the adventures of Russian homicide detective Arkady Renko who is a bit like a Russian Inspector Frost - he is more interested in solving the crime than playing by the rules. In the course of these books, he falls in love with a political dissident, passes up the chance of a life in America and is sent to Siberia to work on a fishing boat. Great stories and a realistically grim depiction of Russian life in the mid 1980s; the author seems to know what he is talking about.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.

A gripping novel about the life of a family during the siege of Leningrad and the daughter's subsequent escape with a soldier. A good trashy novel to read on the beach, but particularly interesting historically and if you have been or are going to St Petersburg.

The Winter Queen (Azazel') and Leviathan by Boris Akunin

Follow the progress of Erast Fandorin, a civil servant turned detective, who solves crimes like an old-fashioned detective in the style of James Bond. These two novels are the first two of Akunin's series to be translated and published in English; Turkish Gambit (actually the second in the Russian series) and The Death of Achilles have also now been published. Get hold of the original Russian version for a more authentic read!

Ice Road by Gillian Slovo

A compelling account of the effects on ordinary people's lives of Stalin's purges and the siege of Leningrad, this is very well written and historically accurate. Impossible to put down.

Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif

Alexander Ivanov, now settled in Boston, has to come to terms with what happened to his wife Katya 50 years ago in Moscow. The story of what happens when fear of the establishment turns friends against each other is important to read if you're ever going to understand the attitudes of older people in Russia today.

The People's Act of Love by James Meek

An epic historical novel about an isolated Siberian town harbouring a cult of castrates under Czech martial rule. Add in a fugitive who arrives in their midst claiming to be pursued by a fellow convict who has turned to cannibalism, and you have one of the oddest but most gripping books to be found.

If you would like to recommend any other books, please e-mail me.

For students: research and dissertations

Most universities require students to do some kind of dissertation or project on the year abroad. This can seem a daunting task, but it will only be more stressful if you leave it until the last minute. Here are some general guidelines for research in Russia:

• While choosing your topic, keep in mind the amount of research you are realistically going to be able to do in Russia. If you are going to be at a university then you'll be able you use the library there, but remember that other than this, the only big libraries are in Moscow and St Petersburg. Even in St Petersburg I found that it was going to be very difficult to research the topic I had chosen for my dissertation and decided in the end to do a translation project instead, as it was something I could actually do in Russia. Other students had the same problem.
• If you are planning to do a translation project, it is worth waiting until you get to Russia to decide what to translate; people will be able to recommend contemporary authors, or those who are little known outside Russia. The advantage of this is that they probably won't have been translated before, but remember that you will have to do all your research on them for the introduction before you leave Russia.

Libraries

• Russian libraries are exceptionally bureaucratic - they make getting a visa look easy and are the only institutions I know of that will have you pining for the Cambridge University Library! To register at one you'll need a letter from your British and/or Russian university (preferably with some kind of official stamp on it), your passport, visa, and some passport photographs.
• Computer catalogues are unknown in Russian libraries, so you'll have to deal with card indexes to find what you want, and then usually ask for it to be fetched. Librarians tend to be some of the most friendly bureaucrats in Russia, so don't be afraid to ask for help.
• You probably won't be able to borrow books, but you can photocopy what you need. Be prepared to fill in a form asking for 'permission to photocopy' and then queue for someone to do this for you. Check when the people doing this have their breaks though; they'll let you queue for an hour and then, without any warning, close the hatch just as you get to the front.
• It is inevitable that whatever you want to do at the library will take ten times longer than you think. Don't leave all your research until the last week of your time in Russia, but register early and find out the sort of books you want before you go in. If you don't know what you are looking for it can be very hard to find anything in a card index where you can only search by author and title, and if you're starting from nothing, you should be prepared to spend at least a couple of days finding the books you want.

Once you've got round the bureaucracy and are used to things working rather slowly, Russian libraries are not too intimidating and you should be able to do all the research you need. Just don't lose your library card or the piece of paper they give you when you go in or you'll be temporarily banned! You also need to get this piece of paper stamped by someone in order to get out, even if you haven't looked at any books.