International Students Reflect on Their Studies at HSE Moscow

HSE is a truly international university - every year it attracts students from all over the world who come to Russia on exchange or enrol in English-taught graduate or undergraduate programmes. HSE News Service has talked to some of HSE’s full degree international students about their decision to apply to HSE and their experience living and studying in Moscow.

Xiangsi Zend (China) Master’s programme in Applied Statistics with Network Analysis 

As an international student, I really like the free and supportive atmosphere at HSE. Throughout the admissions process, HSE admin staff and the programme manager were very helpful. Since this is my first time studying abroad, I had some language problems at the beginning of the semester but I’m doing much better now. My classmates are very friendly and often help me solve problems in my studies and life.

I find the programme very useful and I see that the instructors are highly professional. I must say that it was not easy for me to study at the beginning because my background is in a different field of studies, but the teacher provided a large amount of reading materials to help understand the course content better.

Seungah Lee (South Korea ) Master’s programme ‘Cognitive Sciences: From Neuron to Cognition’ 

I chose HSE because of its strong emphasis on research and methodology. The wealth of teaching and research expertise and facilities here is most fascinating. To be more specific, there are TMS, EEG, tDCS and eye-tracking devices that we can use when we conduct research projects with our supervisors.

What’s more, HSE labs collaborate with many other research institutions, which means that the students can also become engaged in various joint projects.

Claudia Santoliva (Ecuador), Master´s programme in Applied Social Psychology 

As I love to have multicultural experiences and enjoy immersing myself in foreign cultures, studying abroad was one of my biggest dreams. That´s why I applied to HSE. I have always wanted to study Applied Social Psychology and Moscow is a perfect city for that.

People in Russia are often too serious. I even researched this issue and found out that Russian people think that you may be a fool or a trickster if you smile for no reason. I decided not to hide my smile because I was used to it and I found that many people here like it

HSE has helped me a lot to adapt  – everyone is very polite and sociable, both students and professors are willing to help. There are friendly faces everywhere and there are a lot of intercultural activities. Our professors are passionate about what they do and seem very approachable.  I am happy with my experience here. I feel like I am learning how the world works, how people think and behave and so many things that I have seen around the world make more sense to me now.

Joseph Cripps (United Kingdom), Master’s programme ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’

HSE, and particularly the Public Policy Department which I am part of, gives you an amazing ability to take part in a range of high level co-curricular activities. In addition to my standard classes, I work alongside a group of professors to undertake extracurricular in-depth research. I have also worked in coalition with other students to organize various events that we, as students, feel can enhance our presence in the academic and professional field.

Xue Fu, (China) Financial Analyst Master’s programme

I’m glad that I chose ‘Financial Analyst’ Master’s programme. I’ve been able to learn how financial markets operate in Russia and abroad. I can now analyze different investments using financial models and forecast future values in economics and finance. We combine theories with practice under the instruction of our teachers.  I feel grateful to have these experienced teachers who give us professional knowledge. Besides, we have a great multicultural environment with students from different countries sharing their opinions in group projects. As a Chinese student, I believe that after completing my Master’s degree in Russia I will have a better understanding of Russian financial markets, and hope I could make some contribution to the economic development between Russia and China.

Furkan Firatli (Turkey) Master’s programme ‘Politics. Economics. Philosophy’

I have a BA in International Relations – a discipline that resembles a melting pot, into which other disciplines converge, particularly economics and philosophy. The moment I saw the programme ‘Politics, Economics and Philosophy’ at HSE, I thought that it would be the best fit for me and would allow me to broaden my horizons in economics and philosophy. The programme has also enriched my academic knowledge in political science through modern teaching methods. The academic environment, the large number of partner institutes, the enthusiasm of professors and researchers and the student life at HSE have grealy supported me so far. 

Andres Gomez (Mexico) Master’s programme in Prototyping Future Cities

Prototyping Future Cities is a programme that focuses on developing new ways to explore and approach  new technologies. What’s important, it gives students the chance to think outside the box, and challenge themselves to look for new alternatives and perspectives to solve old and new problems. This programme tries to show that urban planning is not just about building housing or creating public spaces anymore. The world needs a fresh perspective on this sphere and the challenge now is in creating a proper interaction between technology, humans and their environment.

Prototyping the future is a complicated task because nothing has been written yet, but this programme really encourages students to create better standards that can define the new era in urban planning. It is definitely for people who are willing to think ahead. The programme is one of a kind and that’s why I can hundred percent recommend it.

Admissions for HSE’s Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes are already open. You can submit your application online. Early bird applications might be eligible for full-tuition scholarships (some restrictions apply).
There is also a range of partial scholarships available for international students.

You can also enrol at HSE via ‘Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project’ – an international competition held by Global Universities association in a variety of subjects.