Tag "ideas & experience"

Each year, hundreds of students from all over the world decide to pursue knowledge at HSE University- St Petersburg. This journey is filled with excitement, hopes, and discoveries: from choosing a programme, submitting documents, attending interviews, and passing entrance exams to receiving that coveted acceptance letter and finally arriving in Russia.

And once they take those first steps in a new country, an entire world of opportunities opens up, far beyond classrooms and lecture halls. Extracurricular life becomes an integral part of students’ experience, allowing them to delve deeper into the culture of the host country, make new friends, and uncover their talents. This article takes a closer look at all of these extracurricular activities.

Marina Merkucheva came to HSE University-St Petersburg as an exchange student. Her educational path is different from the majority of international students. Several years ago, Marina enrolled in the National Autonomous University of Mexico and moved from a small village next to Kirov to Mexico City. But in 2023, she decided to come back to Russia to study under the student exchange programme and became a student of the School of Art and Design at HSE University-St Petersburg. In the interview, she talks about the choice of university, explains how education in Russia and Mexico is different and shares her impressions of studying at HSE University campus in St Petersburg.

On March 15, international students from more than ten countries visited an authentic Russian village to celebrate Maslenitsa. This week-long ancient holiday is impossible not to love: delicious pancakes with dozens of sweet and sour toppings, lots of games and activities, and the epic burning of the Maslenitsa doll will not leave anyone indifferent. Let’s recall that day!

HSE University continues to develop its international relations with the best Asian universities. At the request of Thammasat University (Thailand), a special short-term educational programme in ‘Russian Language and Culture’ has been created at the HSE St Petersburg International Office.

Armine Abrahamyan studies philosophy at the Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan. She came to St Petersburg under the mobility programme to expand her horizons and live up to her motto of 'never limit yourself'. This aspiration for new knowledge and experiences led her to HSE University-St Petersburg. Armine shared her impressions of the university and explained how studies in Russia and Armenia are different.

Choosing a profession is hard, and not everyone can do it straight away. Such was the case with Taş Elif Esra, an exchange student who came to HSE University from Turkey. Esra started her education in translation studies before finding her passion in sociology. Find out why she decided to change her major and what motivated her to take part in the mobility programme in this interview.

Since her school years in Kazakhstan, Darya Bashlayeva has dreamed about HSE University. Now, several years later, her dream has come true—she came to HSE University in St Petersburg under the exchange programme. She is currently studying the Chinese language, Asian literature and Political Science. Read on to learn more about Darya's story.

There are a lot of opportunities for international students to come to St Petersburg for a semester under the mobility programme. Anh Ngo Quang is an exchange student from Foreign Trade University in Vietnam who is currently studying International Economics at HSE University-St Petersburg. In his interview, he talks about his impressions of the St Petersburg campus, HSE students and teachers, how Russian and Vietnamese education differ, and his plans for improving relations between Russia and Vietnam.

HSE University-St Petersburg actively continues to develop ties with Indian universities, expanding the pool of its partners for mobility and academic exchange programmes.

The term 'language barrier' refers to any difficulties that arise when speaking a non-native language. Almost every person studying a foreign language has experienced this unpleasant phenomenon. The reasons for this problem include a fear of the unknown, a fear of mistakes, embarrassment because of one's accent, a fear of being misunderstood and much more. All of these problems are a psychological component of the language barrier. In this article, foreign students from different countries share their experiences and help foreign applicants overcome their fears.