From Africa to Russia

A path of a foreign student in Russian.

Photo by Patrick Perkins from Unsplash

Osikani-Nyansah Stephen Kwasi

Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Your name, age, home country, the program that you are studying. You can also add some more information you’d like to share with the readers.

My name is Osikani-Nyansah Stephen Kwasi. I am from Ghana, I am 20 years old and I study Economics. I have spent more than a year in HSE. I took the Preparatory Year program last year. This year I am studying a bachelor’s program in Russian.

Thank you, Steve. Today we are going to talk about your path in studying. The aim is to tell our readers about you, your studying, to also show that foreigner students are not alone and to give inspiration.

While studying at Saint Augustine’s college, I had a chance to take part in the Sharks Quiz and the International Economics Olympiad. It was a nice experience, but my family and I had decided that I would not go to the university after school, but I would rather choose a football academy. However, my teacher, Sir Innocent Yawlui, had always told me that I would go to study after school, not playing. One day the teacher told me that a Russian university offered me a full tuition scholarship.

You have to take it, - the teacher said.

So I am here now.

How did the preparation for studying in Russia go? What did you have to do before coming to Russia?

First of all, there was work with the documents: medical tests, translation of the documents. I remember that there was a period where I used to constantly go through HSE’s website since I was so eager to come.

I also had a group for Ghanaians who planned to come and study in Russia. There was a lot of useful information. In May of 2023 I met my HSE buddy. I remember her sending me videos of the Pokrovsky boulevard campus, helping me with Russian, answering my questions; from the required documents, to what clothes I should wear in Russia. She helped me a lot.

Were you sure you would study in Russia or you had an option of staying in your home country?

In fact, I got 4 scholarships to study at a number of  universities: in Russia, Hungary and Ghana. There were many options, but I think what made me come to Russia was the conditions (the HSE offered me the best conditions for studying out of all the options), community (I had known I would not be alone if I came to Russia. My buddy was waiting for me, my friends from Ghana and even the head of the Foreign Students Department in the HSE. When I couldn’t attend the HSE the first year (due to some personal reasons), she would keep in touch with me, sending emails, asking questions and helping me. It’s about the hospitality for me and the international community in the Prep Year. All of this has made me choose the Higher School of Economics.

Did you learn Russian before coming to Russia?

Yes, I had access to different studying materials. For example, it was baby stories! “Это Дмитрий. Дмитрий любит футбол и играет с друзьями в парке” - such simple stories. I also sent some audio messages for my buddy and could hear the corrections from her. From the communication with her I had an opportunity to attend some channels from HSE students such as “Экстра. ВШЭ”, “ISN HSE”. I read a lot of articles from the HSE website, materials about the process of studying in the university, documents which need to be prepared for the university and for the dormitory. I also learnt a lot of Russian vocabulary while chatting with my buddy. It was also fun to talk about the HSE, Moscow and living in Russia. This communication made me more prepared physically and mentally for moving to Russia.

What do you think about the Prep Year program? Would you recommend other foreign students to attend it? Do you think the Prep Year studies helped you to be able to study in the Russian program?

I absolutely believe that. There are several reasons why:

1. During the Prep Year, we had lessons in different HSE campuses. That encouraged me to look, visit and get to know the other campuses.
2. I learnt to study for a long time. Before coming to Russia, I hadn’t had a duty to study a lot. However, I am now able to attend all the classes in the HSE and spend the rest of the day at the HSE library doing homework for the other day. My habit has changed, but I feel satisfied with this rhythm.
3. I got used to the weather in Moscow. The weather in my country (Ghana) and Russia is very different, but during this Prep Year in the university I prepared not only for the language, but for the living conditions as well.

I would call this as a non-language support from the program. If we are to talk about learning the language, it’s clear: I came with 0.1% knowledge of Russian and had gotten to a B1 level by the end of the year. I am thankful to my teacher Natalya Igorevna who has always given me an opportunity to practice Russian in the field of Economics: to make sentences, write essays etc. I also visited the International Scientific Conference in Tomsk during my Prep Year and it was also a brilliant experience for me.

I would recommend the Preparatory Year program in HSE to each foreign student. The group that I spent the year with was the best group I have found myself in. It was full of lovely people. You forget how complex the language can be. It was simply fun. I never felt reluctant to take a book. We would always play games in Russian and the only day that we didn’t have classes, we would still find time and meet all together. The atmosphere was the best.

What is the most challenging moment for you when studying in Russian?

I would say it’s getting used to the accents since there are lecturers, seminarists and all of them have different vocabulary. There are times when the material is given quickly and I am able to understand everything and the time when the material is given slowly, but I can’t understand it. That is why it depends on the person a lot. There is also a difficulty with work in the class. When the task is explained orally, it is hard to understand it fully and at the same time, the time is limited. As a result, I have to spend my time on getting clear instructions for the task and only then will I be ready to prepare the task. I would also say working in groups has not been easy, but I am working on it.

How do you overcome these difficulties?

Tackling the main issue, there are several factors involved. For instance, I try to find alternative solutions such as watching additional lectures in English for Mathematical analysis and Linear algebra on YouTube. It has been very beneficial. Also I have realised that asking questions personally gives a lot more understanding than asking the questions in class. If I don’t understand the explanation, I ask to try to explain again and it helps. Another point would be finding friends who can help and explain, sitting by them in the class. There are many nice people. As a result, the most important thing I would say is to learn to ask for help. This is what truly helps and starts the process of changing the situation.

Could you please share three tips to other foreign students who would like to attend the Russian studying program, but who are scared to do it?

1. Do not be afraid. The best thing you can do is to prepare and apply for the Preparatory Year program. Also make sure that you take it seriously. Every single thing, every single topic will be beneficial.
2. Do not give up. Everyone faces his or her own unique issues and challenges and you can be the example of a person who is able to study despite all the difficulties. You can be the example of a person who overcomes problems and achieves the result. You can encourage other people.
3. Trust God. There might be a time when you feel you are alone, but the motivation and hope comes from God. God helps us, but we should keep going to see the improvement.

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We wish all of the foreign students among our readers good luck. If you plan to study in Russian, we send you the courage to do so.

Interviewed by

Aleksandra Astashina