Interesting Interview with a Freshman

A freshman Alice Fedotova talks about her new life as an HSE student.

Hello, Alice. First of all thank you for accepting my request to interview you.

Thank you. As you know already, my name is Alice. I am 18 years old. I am from a small town of Russia called Ivanovo.

When you were in high school have you ever heard about HSE? What expectations did you have?

Well I first found out about the university from bloggers and Youtubers, and my first initial thought was that HSE is a very innovative university and it differs from other universities.

As a student, can you now say that you are satisfied with your choice?

Well, I would say yes. I am satisfied and my expectations exceeded. Indeed our university has many student organizations where you can develop. However, I was a bit shocked that we had to study more on our own. I think it is because at schools, teachers explain to you everything but now that I am a university student, I have to study on my own more. I knew that this university was very modern with its finest sites and networks. I am very shocked and stunned that our university is so innovative and modern: we have online courses, projects, deadlines. The most innovative thing that we had back in my hometown was online record book. However, here everything is very technological.

What HSE activities were you introduced to?

Now I visit two dance classes – contemporary and vogue. Both groups last for two hours, which means in one week I have 4 hours of dance classes. Moreover, every Saturday we have master classes for half an hour and it can be any style of dance. I also attend lectures every now and then and I go to volleyball club.

Wow, that is amazing! How do you organize your schedule so that you can attend every one of them? Our students are usually so busy studying.

Well, I do not necessarily have schedule or something, but here is what I can say. Usually I am free on weekends and Mondays. On Sunday, I sit down and see what activities I can and want to attend this week. For me dance classes are important so they are definitely in my schedule on Friday, after classes I run to my dance class. Then I see that I have projects in my faculty and it’s on Tuesday. In addition, I search for useful webinars, which are held in Pokrovka. I usually mark attendable meetings and activities. From all the markings, I analyze which ones I have time for.

To those who do not know about these activities or where to find them can you tell where they can find all the information?

Let’s start by saying that there are many ways you can develop and join organizations, because HSE has so many of them. Even if you do drama and acting then there is definitely a drama club. We have an event called “The Day of Vyshka” and if you go there, you will find many recruits advertising their clubs, organizations, lectures and meetings. You can literally hear people talking about so many wonderful and interesting clubs. If you are searching for a certain club I advise you to do your best in searching for it on VK or find anyone who knows about it. If you are searching for sports club, look for sports complex group HSE or if you want to join dancing club – search for dance club. I myself found the group that I wanted to join on VK. Everything you need to know is already there: when will the meeting be, what you should bring, who will be teaching and etc.

Does the official site of HSE has this information?

Definitely yes, but the site itself is so big and it contains so much other information, so it will be harder. I suggest using VK. Also I advise those who are entering clubs for the first time to already know your level if you are a beginner or professional, because all the clubs have very high quality and standard.

In your opinion what are the advantages of HSE and how it differs from other universities.

First of all, this is a hard question because to answer it you must have attended other universities which I didn’t. Well you cannot fully tell about other schools unless you have been there and felt their atmosphere. But in my opinion the very first things is that you can develop in any sphere. I think no one could find university where there are so many student organizations like in HSE. It does not matter which faculty or which year you study at, you can attend dance clubs, be part of group, band. Moreover, we choose in our sophomore years ‘minors’ which are very useful. I think that our university is very modern. Many universities still use the SSSR system, I liked that our school has 10-point grade system, which others do not use. In addition, I think it is noticeable that HSE is not a single campus, but it has many locations that are placed randomly. For me it’s very cool because I feel like each campus is like a little home. Each one has its own atmosphere. Personally, I like interior designs of our university. I did not know that university could be so beautiful and amazing. You really want to learn and study in these atmospheres which I think is very motivating and important. I remember back in my school I used hate being there thinking of home all the time, but here is different I really want to learn and grow my knowledge.

So what are your thoughts about dormitory life?

I was very excited and happy to know that I was accepted to HSE and dormitory number one. I was glad that it was not in “Dubki”. Our dormitory is located in the center of Moscow which is a big plus. We have many foreigners, these people are very sweet and nice, also you can practice English. My mother told me that dorm life was very hard and I would not be comfortable. I think it’s because her experience about dorm life was horrible, but mine is different. I really like it here. People are very nice. I do not have any problems with my roommate or other people; everybody is ready to help each other. Plus you learn to be independent. Even my friends whom are located very far still like dormitory life.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Well, I like to chill when I have some free time. But I am a freshman so I barely have time to chill. If I have time, I study. Even if my parents visit me, I do not know what to show them in Moscow (laughs). However, if I have time, I like to go and see exhibitions, attend galleries or different performances. I even have a list of places I want to go and I hope I will have time to visit them in the future.

What obstacles do you face and how you overcome them?

Well, there are many difficulties, but I think every freshman feels this way. But if you get into a university, where everything is easy for you, then you should change it. Because when it is hard you strive to do better and I think it is very good. Personally, I found some hardships due as everything in our university is connected to technology. You must check your e-mails daily, meet deadlines online, online schedules, etc. It is definitely very different from school. But my classmates always help me and that is how I get through it. There are many people who are ready to help you, because of them I am learning and getting used to it.

What are your plans for future?

To graduate and have a master’s degree. I really love studying so my journey of learning will not stop at obtaining a bachelor’s degree. I would like to stay here in Moscow and find a job that I love. For me enjoying what you are doing is very important.

Text by
Siilen Purevnamsrai