THE standard of living for most Russians could not be further removed from that enjoyed in wealthy South Bucks. MATTHEW HARRIS finds out how university exchange students from St Petersburg coped with studying at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Chalfont St Giles.

I had never met a Russian and the first thing that struck me as I met Olga, Dimitri and Anatoly was how Western they looked.

I'm not sure what I had been expecting maybe a degree of aloofness, a mullet haircut, a bottle of vodka in one hand and a sickle in the other?

So with my preconceptions dashed I sat down to talk with three management students and found out their views on Russia and England.

An important topic of conversation is money; as 19 year-old Dimitri Shcherbakov says: "In Russia, it all comes down to money.

"Here you can make plans for the future. In Russia it is more difficult.

"Everybody is trying to make plans but if something happens they have to be changed."

A high crime rate and political instability are not the only legacies of the Communist regime.

The Russian economy is in dire straits in contrast to the empty shelves of yesteryear the shops are full, but most people cannot afford to buy the goods on offer.

Dimitri explains: "In Russia there is no middle class.

"Five per cent of people are quite rich and 70 per cent do not have enough money to buy everything they need.

"They just exist and do not live they can buy bread and butter and pay for their flat.

"They have to plan their money for the whole month you cannot eat salmon and shrimps all the time!

"Here in England, anybody who works can live and go out to bars and do what they want. "

Dimitri and his two colleagues Olga Soldatenko and Anatoly Chelnokov, both 20 have no sympathies with English students' complaints about poverty.

In Russia a student grant is about £5 per month, and those not fortunate to be able to live with their parents while studying have to live in grotty dormitories with 25 students per kitchen and bathroom.

Dimitri continues: "Some students in Russia do not have enough money to go out but here they can buy everything they need and they can do what they want.

"There is more freedom here. In England students can choose whether to study or not it's up to you."

In St Petersburg, Dimitri's daily routine means he has to get up at 7.30am to begin classes at 9am.

The day is an intense series of lectures and there is not even time for a lunchbreak.

Students have 90 minute lectures throughout the day, which are only broken up by 15 minute breaks.

This contrasts sharply with the more relaxed student regime in this country. Dimitri describes his average day at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College: "It depends on when the lectures are but I usually sleep until midday and get up about five minutes before the start of the lecture. I'm always late but I am trying my best!"

Olga's mother is a doctor in St Petersburg and the lack of funds for the health service there is causing a crisis in public medical care.

Put simply there isn't any.

She says: "The Russian health system is very badly funded.

"If you want to get good treatment, you have to go to the private clinic. In public hospitals you will not get any help for illnesses."

Dimitri adds: "If you want to get good treatment you have to pay. Nobody will give you something for free."

Young Russians today want to escape the confines of their country and see the world.

The best way for them to do this is via exchange schemes such as the one run by the college and St Petersburg.

Dimitri explains the problems encountered by young Russians who want to visit other countries: "Most young people want to go and see the world but not everybody has enough money.

"But this is the way it is. If you do not have enough money you cannot do anything. Money is power.

"That is why so many students try to combine travelling with working or studying."

But not everything is better in England.

The students miss their home town and sometimes find it hard to adjust to being in the middle of the countryside.

Olga explains that sometimes here it is difficult to leave the campus: "If you miss one bus then often there will not be another one for hours. So going out can be difficult.

"Sometimes we go out to nightclubs in St Petersburg, but there is less of a culture of going out than here.

"In England you have a special culture of spending your spare time in pubs. You get paid and you go to the pub and have lots of beer.

"I think it's good. People can communicate. They feel relaxed in the pub and they make friends.

"People are more open here. In Russia if you go up and start talking to somebody, they can ignore you."

Olga, Dimitri and Anatoly have now returned to St Petersburg but, despite the obvious problems at home, they were keen to promote their city, which is one of the most beautiful in Russia.

Dimitri said: "In 2003 there will be the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg.

"The city has received cash to renovate areas of the centre and all the hotels will be full. We invite anyone from England to come along and visit."