Knowledge Day at the Department of Political Science: From Student to Professional

On September 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM, a mentoring session for fourth-year students majoring in Political Science in the Faculty of International Relations was held in the main building of the Eurasian National University. The session, titled "Knowledge Day at the University: How Student Life Begins in Kazakhstan and Around the World," was timed to coincide with the traditional Knowledge Day celebrations.

The group's mentor, M.Yu. Onuchko, Associate Professor of the Political Science Department, noted that over the past three years, the university has become a vital part of the students' lives. Three years ago, they first crossed the threshold of this institution, beginning to acquaint themselves with their future profession, the faculty, each other, and university life. Today, they are entering their fourth and final academic year.

Over the past three years, these young people have accumulated knowledge and experience, acquired their first professional skills, and developed a clear vision of who they want to become.

The fourth year is an opportunity to bring all of this together. It is no longer just a time to gain knowledge; it is a time to transform that knowledge into professional competence. This final year should serve as a bridge from the university to a career. Therefore, today's Knowledge Day isn't just the beginning of a new academic year—it is the start of their final university year and the first step toward their professional lives.

During the session, the specifics of celebrating Knowledge Day in Kazakhstan were discussed and compared with distinctive features in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Finland.

The students observed that while Knowledge Day in Kazakhstan has a clearly symbolic and celebratory nature, foreign universities often adopt a different model: Orientation → Welcome → Community → Academic Adaptation. In this approach, the emphasis gradually shifts from simply "congratulating students on the start of the academic year" to actively "helping them successfully begin their university life."