Education

From April 25 to 27, a scientific student conference was held at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU). It was attended by international graduate students and postgraduate students from 57 countries, including four students from the HSE Preparatory Year programme. The HSE News Service talked to the conference organisers and participants about their impressions of the event.

A growing number of HSE University’s international students are actively learning Russian, even if their degree programme is taught entirely in English. To help them build fluency, the HSE University Preparatory Programme launched a Russian Speaking Club for its students in March 2021. Now, all HSE University's students, regardless of the programme they are in, can take part in the meetings.

Van Ly Vu shares her story of becaming a student of HSE.

Since September of this academic year, the HSE International Prep Year (IPY) programme has offered a supplemental Russian language course for international students studying at HSE. It is designed for students who have successfully graduated from the preparatory programme and are now studying in undergraduate or graduate programmes at HSE on Russian government scholarships. The HSE News Service spoke with students about the course and learned how it is helping them in their studies at HSE.

In terms of format, this new academic year has been an unusual one for many HSE students. In HSE University’s International Preparatory Programmes (IPP), 90% of students from various countries will start their classes online. We talked with the IPP teachers and students about the structure and content of their courses, and the difficulties students face in mastering the Russian language and immersing themselves in Russian culture.

Classes will begin on-campus on September 1 (for some graduate programmes on October 1), and wearing masks in university buildings and dormitories will be mandatory for all students and teachers. HSE University will arrange online learning with mandatory support from professors for newly enrolled international students who are currently unable to travel to Russia.

Elena Aisakova teaches Russian to students of International Preparatory Programmes. Her five groups have all transitioned to distance learning. HSE News Service has asked Elena and HSE's international students what it’s like to study Russian online as well as what tips they have to help others learn effectively while being on ‘opposite sides’ of the computer screen.

For students interested in pursuing careers in international law or economic integration, HSE University’s Faculty of Law offers the Master’s Programme ‘Law of International Trade, Finance and Economic Integration’. Previously taught in both Russian and English, the programme is now taught in English only. HSE News Service spoke with two first-year international students about their studies, living in Moscow, and their overall impressions of the programme.

Is it possible to learn the Russian language perfectly in a year? Why management is more interesting than physics? What makes Russia an attractive study destination? HSE News Service has talked to Guillerme Gerotto, a second-year undergraduate student from Brazil studying Business Administration at HSE University, about these and other questions.

On November, 22, HSE’s International Preparatory Programmes (IPP) kicked off a new school year with a Welcome Day event. Students were greeted by IPP Director Alexandra Nazarchuk before taking the stage themselves to give short presentations about their home countries. HSE News Service spoke with students of the programme about their classes, living in Moscow, and what they plan do to after they compete the programme.