‘Internationalization for International Students' : What Changes Have Taken Place since the Conference
In light of the latest events, we all want to receive good news sometimes. Therefore, we decided to share with you how the conference 'Internationalization for International Students', which was held on December 13, 2019, has already positively impacted students’ lives.
The conference gathered both international students and representatives of the university administration and became a platform for discussion and exchange of views. It allowed the university staff to speak about the activities of their units and explain how they might be useful to international students. Students, in turn, shared their vision of what improvements could be implemented with their involvement.
In particular students learned how the International Students Support Office might be helpful for them, what opportunities are provided by the Career Center, how to legalize HSE diplomas, how to join the activities of the ESN section and why opening a branded souvenir shop at HSE St. Petersburg is crucial for international students.
What has changed over the past 3 months?
Infrastructure
Souvenir Shop
We indeed expect a souvenir shop to be opened at HSE Saint Petersburg. There is such a project at HSE Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, and the shop will be opened by our initiative students, including international one! The opening of the shop will make it easy to buy branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs and other commemorative items. Pre-order is available now! Fill out the form and you will be contacted with the information on the cost of goods from the current assortment and clarification of the details for the order.
Psychologist's Office
The campus started to provide free sessions at the Psychologist's Office for students and staff. It is important that among the group of specialists there is a psychologist who fluently speaks English. Even under quarantine and self-isolation, you may have an appointment via Skype. The service is very popular, so do not hesitate to sign up in advance.
Dormitory
Vending machines in a dormitory on Zaporozhskaya 21 were equipped with card accepters. Students requested for an ATM, but, unfortunately, this initiative was rejected by banks due to low publicity in the dormitory. So instead we installed card accepters, since cash was mostly needed to buy snacks and drinks.
Socialization and Language Barrier
Event calendar
International Students Support Office (ISSO) has introduced its own calendar of events. Now, you can always be up to date with the planned activities of the office and look through the archive of past events. Now this section looks quite modest as all public activities are temporarily suspended, but when you return to campus there will be a lot of different options to choose from!
COVID-19 Hotline
ISSO has also launched a hotline for students. By dialling +7-911-229-4679 you may get advice on the current situation with COVID-19. The number is available for calls and messengers WhatsApp and Telegram. What is more, international students may call the hotline for advice on any other emergency situations. The pandemic is eventually going to its end, but the hotline will stay with us forever!
Extracurricular Activities
The main page of the Unit for Extracurricular Activities has been translated into English. The Documents section contains English-language versions of documents with instructions for booking rooms, printing and placing posters and other printed materials.
Student Life
In the Student Life section with the description of student clubs, you may now find notes about the language of the events and regular meetings. Several student organizations have already held their first meetings in English.
Scholarships
The Scholarships section has also recently been translated into English. It contains information about scholarships that are relevant for international students.
Forthcoming Changes
Furthermore, campus staff is currently working on the translation of the Student Services Centre and Student Council web pages. Translation of a section with instructions for creating new extracurricular organizations is also in progress. We hope that access to information from these resources will facilitate a smoother integration into student life for international students.
All these positive changes were introduced as a result of productive dialogue between the university administration and international students. If you have any other suggestions for improving student services, please contact us directly or fill in this anonymous form!
Let's make your student life better together!
Director of the International Student Support Unit
Manager of the International Student Support Unit