‘I Have Big Plans for This Year’
The HSE University-St Petersburg editorial office congratulates all its readers on the beginning of the academic year. May it bring you lots of pleasant discoveries and inspiration! To mark the occasion, we talked to students and professors of the campus about their plans for the year—in science, careers, extracurricular activities and beyond.
Elizaveta Chechulina
4th-year student of International Business and Management, co-head of the SDS student organisation
The most important and biggest goal for the upcoming year is to present my thesis. As the second semester will be almost free of studies, I plan to start working as well. Thanks to my experience in extracurricular activities, I am not worried at all—only interested in how it will work out!
Now, I am one of the heads of SDS. We organise student events—some of the largest at HSE University-St Petersburg. We have traditional events which we have already started working on—for instance, a big meeting in September for those who want to know more about us, a party in October, and School of Activists, a trip out of the city for people who are interested in event management. We also recently launched a podcast and are actively working on our next episodes! The pilot episode is already available in our group.
In the upcoming year, I sincerely hope for success and strength for myself and all graduates at the end of our bachelor's studies. We have already come a long way, and we can be proud of that! I'd like to share this buzz with the first-years as well: at HSE University, everyone will be able to receive the necessary knowledge and find something to their liking outside of their studies. Do not miss these opportunities, communicate with each other as much as possible, and take the initiative—believe me, your time at the university will fly by!
Adrian Selin
Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities
The main goal for this year is not to go against yourself and the research interests you chose a long time ago and for a long time. For me, the regional topic is important—the history of Novgorod, of the east Baltic area, and of Moscow’s political culture in the 16th–17th centuries. I want to continue my project around these topics, in the framework of a bigger one which I named, in Latin, 'Novogradia inter discrimina'—the Novgorod space between the crises of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. I would also like to finish my book about the Treaty of Tyavzino of 1595. Of course, I will develop the programme, and take care of the students and professors.
Semyon Salomanov
3rd-year student of 'Philology', co-head of SHSGNIDUV (The School of Social Sciences, Humanities, Design, Legal Studies and Asian and African Studies)
There is only one plan for this year in terms of studies—enjoy them! I haven't thought about conferences yet, but I plan to participate in the olympiad and use it to apply to a master's programme in the future. But that's still a long way away!
This year, SHSGNIDUV, which I am one of the heads of, will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Naturally, we have big plans about ways to celebrate it. I won't show all our cards yet, but I will reveal everything during our welcome meeting on September 18. In general, this year, SHSGNIDUV plans to continue to perform as well as our predecessors and improve what we have for now. We have some ideas on how to improve our work: we want to run several projects at the same time so that a lot of students have a chance to show their talents and opportunities in media, design and other spheres at the same time. I really hope that we can do it! I am happy that we have such a team and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be in an organisation with such wonderful people!
I wish myself only one thing—to manage my time correctly and learn to organise all my errands in a notebook to be able to find time for myself as well. I wish that all first-years surround themselves with the right people and activities, appreciate and take care of themselves and their time at the university, take the best and not be afraid of anything. Seriously, don't be afraid—fear is the biggest barrier on your way to enjoying your studies, extracurricular activities, and life in general.
Andrey Vovk
4th-year student of 'Asian and African Studies'
There are too many plans for the next year to remember them all at once. But I have one goal which I'll try to go above and beyond to achieve—to take an internship in an Arab country. I think that the most efficient place to study a language is a country where this language is native. I dream about taking my Arabic proficiency to the highest level by practising daily with native speakers.
But of course, that is not the only thing I want to do this year. The last years of a bachelor's degree should be devoted to yourself and the development of your career. Now, I am actively trying to get an internship at research centres, particularly the HSE Centre for African Studies. In general, I actively develop myself in the research sphere and hope that by the end of this year, I will have several new publications in good journals and scientific collections.
Over the previous academic year, I realised how important it is to maintain a work-life balance. You should strive to find a happy medium in everything or simply take the middle path. Aspiring to be the best is important and honourable, but the ability to stop and think is what saves you from stress, burnout, and sadness. You can miss that if you are constantly chasing success and achievements.
Galina Shirokova
Director of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Centre at HSE University-St Petersburg
In the new academic year, the Strategic Entrepreneurship Centre (SEC) plans to continue its research in the framework of scientific projects supported by the Russian Science Foundation. For instance, we plan to finish the project 'From Start-Up to Global Innovative Company: Development of Sources of Competitive Advantage in Russian Entrepreneurial Firms', which we have been working on since 2019. In 2023, we will also continue working on the new project 'Proactive Behaviour at the Firm Level: Motivation, Opportunities, Barriers and Effects at Personal and Organisational Levels'. Moreover, we are preparing for a survey of students of Russian universities which will be held from September to December 2023. It will be devoted to studying student entrepreneurship in the framework of 'GUESSS-2023'.
In the course of our research projects, we actively work on publications. At the moment, there are 17 articles under consideration, and we expect that by the end of 2023, some of them will have been accepted for publication. It is important to note that some papers were co-written with bachelor's and master's students. This shows that students of HSE University-St Petersburg can interact with SEC while writing term papers and theses. From September 15, we will regularly hold research seminars for employees and students of HSE University who are interested in working on joint research. Moreover, starting from November, we plan to continue the work of the Young Scientists School, which helps students to talk about the results of their research and get recommendations from the lead experts.
We also planned international projects for the new academic year. SEC is already preparing documents to launch a Mirror Laboratory with the University of Tehran (Iran).
Irina Mitrofanova
4th-year student of 'Law', co-head of SHSGNIDUV
The main overall plan is to write a thesis successfully and complete my bachelor's degree! All else pales in comparison to that. As for extracurricular activities, there are a lot of ideas and plans, but the most important is the anniversary of SHSGNIDUV. Of course, we will try new formats for sure and cooperate with other student organisations—so you can look forward to a lot of interesting things!
My wish is that this year will be as eventful as all the previous years at HSE University. I hope I will be able to implement all my plans both in the Faculty of Law and SHSGNIDUV. All I can say to first-years is don't be afraid to try something new. HSE University gives you a lot of space for academic and extracurricular activities. You will definitely find something to your liking and something you will love to tell your friends about! And of course, we are waiting to see you!
Valery Terebunsky
2nd-year student of 'Media Production and Media Analysis', head of the Hermes sailing club at HSE University-St Petersburg
In a new academic year, the Hermes team will participate in several final sailing regattas of the season. First is the third stage of the St Petersburg University Sailing competition (SUS League), which will take place on September 4. From September 7–10, the final races of the Student Sailing League Cup will be held. For members of Hermes, this is the most important sailing regatta of the season.
From November 9–12, we will participate in the Gelendzhik Cup, which will take place in the Black Sea. It is another all-Russian stage of the Student Sailing League Cup. It will also be the first off-site sailing regatta for yachtsmen of HSE University-St Petersburg. We are also preparing for the city championship, which will be held on September 2 and 3.
As for regular club activities, we will have regular water training sessions until the end of October. In October, Hermes will launch another series of theoretical courses and resume training in a gym to prepare for the next season.
We also plan to hold the second part of our 'Ahead of the Wind' photo exhibition, where we will present photos of training sessions and races. This time, the photos will be exhibited in the HSE building at 123 Griboyedova Canal Embankment.
Alexey Zhukov
Head of the Department of Physics at HSE University-St Petersburg, Academic Supervisor of the International Laboratory of Quantum Optoelectronics
In the new academic year, our laboratory will continue working on several projects supported by grants from the Russian Science Foundation. In particular, together with colleagues from the Ioffe Institute, St Petersburg Academic University, and SPbU, we will conduct experimental research based on the installation 'Comprehensive Optoelectronic Stand'.
From September 4–8, Novosibirsk will host the 'PHOTONICS-2023' scientific conference, which will feature a report by leading research fellow of the laboratory Alexey Nadtochii. He will speak about the optical properties of a new type of semiconductor nanostructures InGaAs.
We are also constantly working on new articles. This year, three researchers from our laboratory—me, Eduard Moiseev, and Natalia Kryzhanovskaya—have received a huge bonus for getting published in Light: Science & Applications, a respected scientific journal.
Yana Ibrasheva
4th-year student of 'Law', creator of a podcast about law, eco-activist
I have big plans for this year! My priority is preparing for admissions to a master's programme: I plan to pass language exams, extend my academic portfolio with olympiads and moot courts, and, of course, choose master's programmes in law to apply to. I also plan to apply for a mobility programme in Spain or Germany.
At the same time, I plan to start learning Spanish and doing more sports. I like running and have been dreaming of organising a plogging run on the territory of the dormitory with my friends from Green HSE.
The podcast 'Let Me Correct You' is set to return! Our team plans to launch the second season, where we will continue to reveal the secrets of building a career in the legal field. We are also in the process of creating our own merchandise—it will remind our listeners of why they joined the world of law.
For the future, I hope to never give up, keep on thinking positively, and remember that the road is passable!
Alena Ustinova
2nd-year student of 'Public Policy and Analytics', co-creator of KrUAGSan.Media, actress in the Neverland theatre studio
This year, I haven't thought about goals a lot. I can say that I am adrift. But I know one thing for sure—I will continue participating in plays of the Neverland studio. I want to play an unusual role. Theatre gives me huge joy and support during my studies. I learned to express myself through various theatrical roles.
It is easier for me to move on and develop when there is some kind of tangible final result ahead of me, for instance, a thesis or a final play. From this point of view, it is harder to work with our internal media—the project requires a lot of attention and energy while it is difficult to assess the result sometimes.
This year, what I want the most is to identify development vectors for myself, including professional ones. I still cannot answer the question 'What do I want to be when I grow up?' So the important goal is to find myself.