'I Fell in Love with HSE University at First Sight'

© HSE University

HSE University offers a wide range of online and in-person preparatory programmes for international students, including various Russian language courses for future Bachelor’s and Master’s students, intensive Maths training in Russian, and an English-taught course in Economics. Students come from all over the world, drawn to HSE by the strength of its international reputation and education quality. Several students of this year’s cohort have shared their impressions of the Prep Year programme.

Teodora Daničić, Serbia

I decided to study at HSE because I heard that it is one of the best universities in Russia and that it also has one of the best programmes for foreign students who want to learn and study in Russian. One of the main reasons was also my love for the country, people, and literature. It so happens that Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky is my favorite novel that I read in high school.

During our preparatory programme, we have online classes every day, from Monday to Friday. On Mondays, we have one class of General Russian and after that we have two classes of Russian Language for Special Purposes depending on the track that we chose. The rest of the week, we have regular Russian classes.

Every day, we have homework, which is great for learning, practicing, and memorizing the language. The great thing about our classes is meeting and making new friends and learning new words and phrases. My Russian teachers are Olya Plotnikova and Maria Grabovskaya and my Russian teacher for special purposes is Ekaterina Kornakova.

They are all great teachers with a lot of patience and they are always there to help us

The hardest thing is the grammar, but I am slowly getting used to it. In two months, I have already learned a lot of grammar—all the cases—and a lot of new words and phrases because I love the language and it is also similar to my first language.

I still do not see clearly where will I be ten years from now but I definitely know that I will use the Russian language and that it will help me a lot in my work and life. My nearest plans for the future are to work hard to continue my studies in Russia, at HSE University, to make new friends, and have fun.

 

Pamela Puglieri, Brasil

My go-to criteria when picking a University are the prestige of the institution and the availability of a study programme that is aligned with my interests and long-term plans in life. For that reason, HSE was my first choice, since it's ranked among the best universities for Political Science not only in Russia, but in the world. Plus, it's offered in Moscow, and that's where all the opportunities are.

All our Russian language classes are currently online due to COVID restrictions. There is a fair amount of homework, but it is just about right so we can achieve excellent results in a reasonable time span.  

What I love the most about our language classes is that I have the opportunity to practice conversation in the classes with no fear of making mistakes. It's helped me a lot to improve my Russian after 4 years of study. I love Polina Veselova's classes: she makes our everyday studies dynamic and fun. Russian language is and will always be challenging for me.

As a native Portuguese speaker, coming to terms with the fact that it takes a lot more effort to learn Russian than any other language I've ever studied is an essential part of this journey and, even though it's hard, I'm ready to face it

I've learned a lot and, to be honest, it's hard to put it all into words. But what is more meaningful to me is that I'm getting better in using motion verbs in Russian. It can be tricky, but after two months of classes I can definitely see a lot of improvement and I'm super excited about it. In 10 years, I see myself with a PhD and ready to become a diplomat in Brazil. So, Russian language will be a staple.

In the near future, I see myself focusing on my master's in Political Science at HSE University to get the most out of my studies. I also want to embrace all the opportunities Moscow offers. I'm all open for anything that eventually crosses my path. 

We have this amazing collective Instagram project in my language classes in which we make posts about our lives, dreams and world views as a means to practice Russian Language. It's worth taking a look

Ahmadi Marjan, Iran

I want to be an economist, and I want to be able to benefit person for everywhere that I will work there. I got my Bachelor’s in Business Management and now I want to do a Master’s in Economics at HSE University. I choose HSE because it has a high quality of teaching in the field of economics.

Russian language is very interesting for me but frankly I find it quite hard. Learning Russian is my biggest challenge at the moment. But I hope I will be able to speak it well as soon as possible. My Master’s programme is taught in Russian, so I will need to have a good knowledge of the language. I love all my teachers, especially Ms. Alina Sherstyuk.

All our teachers do their best to teach me and my friends. So, I’m determined to make the most of my time at HSE University.

Nagham Ali, Syria

I graduated from the Media Faculty of Damascus University but now I'm based in Moscow. I arrived here two months ago to take the preparatory year, then study in the Master's programme in Media Communications at HSE university. 

I really want to speak Russian and be involved more in the Russian culture and society, since in Syria the Russian culture is popular because there are a lot of Russians. Since I was 13, I was going to the Russian Culture centre in Damascus to attend events. When I got older, I decided to get closer to this rich culture and complete my studies in Media Communications in Russia because we don’t have this field of studies in my country. Maybe in the future I will work as a journalist in Russian and Arabic languages.    

Last summer, I was searching on Google where to study and one of the results was ‘HSE’. When I looked at the university’s website, I really liked how the university presents itself

Since my work is in the social media, I was impressed by how university presents detailed information about different aspects such as education, students, knowledge, and departments and how the university has clearly organized syllabi for online and offline courses. 

The other reason for my choice is how university uses practical educational methods, which in my opinion are one of the professional tools. I see that these methods are constantly updated to fit the current situation.  I can say that I fell in love with the university at first sight.

And I'm in love with the Russian language even though it's hard like my mother language, Arabic. But I believe that the more we practice speaking, reading, and writing, the more we are learning, especially when the teacher only speaks Russian to us. From my experience, it is more useful, and this is what my teachers do, which I really appreciate. Since I came to Russia and started learning with them, I've become much better at my language skills.

I'm interested in how repeating each detail helps students understand it. It was the first time I really understood how to use noun cases [‘падежи’] in a really good way. Plus, our teachers use various entertainment tools. Ms. Olga Plotnikova is amazing in using online methods like learning apps and games, which really teaches us grammar NOT in a boring way.

Initially, I was scared because of the online classes—since the lockdown everything has moved online and usually it is boring—but at HSE university I found online classes great and very impressive

We have learned grammar and a lot of new words, and a lot of daily speaking. In addition to that, we are now getting closer to Russian culture, which is great because I love different cultures—food, music, traditions, lifestyle, literature, etc.

HSE University welcomes applicants from all over the world and offers not only different levels of study, but also different formats in English and Russian, online and on campus. International applicants can apply for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in a separate admissions process for foreign applicants and receive scholarships with full or partial tuition fee coverage.

When applying to a Bachelor’s programme, including five English-taught programmes in Moscow, it is possible to submit international certificates you have received in English and mathematics, such as IELTS, TOEFL, A-Level and other international exams and they will be recognized by HSE University, so taking entrance exams in relevant subjects will not be required.

Undergraduate applicants can test their chances of admission now by taking mock tests. Master’s applicants also have the opportunity to get a preliminary assessment of their portfolio and communicate with their programme of choice online.

To learn more about HSE University, its admission process, or life in Moscow, please visit International Admissions website, or contact the Education & Training Advisory Centre. The staff are happy to advise applicants and their parents via e-mail at inter@hse.ru, by phone +7 (495) 531 00 59, or WhatsApp +7 (916) 311 85 21, as well as on social media in Russian and in English: Vkontakte, Facebook, Telegram and Instagram.