About 40 Soviet foreign exchange students visited NIU and the Chicago area Saturday and found many striking differences between Soviet and American life during their three-day stay in Illinois.

Sergio, 16, one of three Soviet students interviewed, said NIU is a beautiful university and very big. He said the Russian school in Moscow is smaller than NIU.

Valery, 16, another Soviet student, said the Russian university offers specialties in agriculture, education and physical education but has fewer departments than NIU.

A Russian university education is intense, if not too varied. He said it takes five years to earn the equivalent of a bachelors degree in the Soviet Union.

Valery also said Soviet high schools reqire either five or six day a week attendance depending on the students vocational goals.

After visiting a farm in DeKalb, Sergio said American farms are bigger and more efficient. He said American farms have fewer workers and crops are planted in straighter rows. He said American technology is responsible for agricultural success.

When the students toured downtown Chicago Saturday afternoon Sergio and Valery agreed that American buildings are much taller than Moscow buildings but were surprised by all the concrete.

Both students said Moscow offers more sunlight and nature along its’ downtown avenues. They also said Moscow buildings are more architecturally decorated.

Lena, 16, a Soviet woman said, “I think America is a very interesting country for me.” She said American buildings, roads, cars and food were some of the highlights of American life that she liked.

“I think that American women are friendly, they often smile, they have very bright clothes, and they are very beautiful,” she said.

She said housework in America is very much shared by both men and women. Dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, washers and dryers save American homemakers from more of the harder chores.

Lena, Sergio and Valery all wanted to deliver a message of peace to all Americans and American students especially. Lena said she knew Americans and Soviets never were the best of friends, but it is time for peace.

Greg Fagerberg, 18, Valery’s host in DeKalb and himself a foreign exchange student to Russia, said Russians and Soviet citizens generally are very friendly and polite.

He said both Soviets and Americans want peace but Americans don’t talk about it the way most Soviets do.