Rural students, who live in the villages of Russia, are more resolved than ever to leave their native land. Their decision is influenced by the mass media, which plays a large role in determining their views and the way they relate to the world. In this article, the author examines the influence of the mass media on the life of rural students through a survey called "The Influence of the Mass Media on the Consciousness and Behavioral Dispositions of Rural Students" in 2003. The main focus of the survey are the young people between the ages of thirteen and eighteen and from the sixth through the eleventh grades. For the rural community the mass media represent a very important means of integration into the world of information, a vital means of understanding phenomena and events. In order to analyze the influence of TV on students' value orientations and life plans, it is necessary to take account of the size of the young TV audience in the countryside. To determine the extent which the TV contributes to the life plans of young people attending school in rural areas, the author turns to an analysis of the models of behavior and life strategies chosen by the students after they graduate from a rural school. (Contains 2 tables.)