‘In the Future, I Would Like to Become an HSE University Teacher’
Karina Kuzhanova, third-year student at the Faculty of Law, and Anna Yatsenko, second-year student at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, moved to Moscow from Kazakhstan to study at HSE University. They shared their impressions of studies and student life with the HSE News Service, as well as talking about some of the most inspirational things in the Russian capital.
Karina Kuzhanova, Satbayev
I came to Moscow from the Karaganda Region. I had completed my second year in the Law programme, and decided to apply to HSE University, since I had the opportunity to participate in the Global Scholarship Competition (GSC). It was interesting to try something new: the assignments in the competition are unusual and exciting. I was already studying at a university in Kazakhstan, but when I heard that a victory in the GSC would allow me to study in Russia for free, I decided to go to switch.
I found HSE University attractive thanks to its flexible individual curriculum, which allows us to choose our own study trajectory. The minors offer an opportunity to develop our cognitive skills and even try a subject that is different from our main specialisation. For example, I’m studying law, but also I study political philosophy. I love this concept of a wide and varied choice of disciplines.
When I was looking at undergraduate programmes, I decided that studying Law would provide me with a wide range of career opportunities, and allow me to become a successful professional after graduating from HSE University.
I believe that at HSE University, we are getting the best knowledge thanks to the renowned teachers who work at our faculty
Students of the Faculty of Law also have an opportunity to become teaching assistants. I took advantage of this and became a tutor for the research project ‘Foundations of Critical Theory’. I also work as a teaching assistant, and in addition, am involved in research (I write papers and participate in different research projects).
Speaking about everyday life in Russia, I can only say that Moscow is amazing. Life here is very different from that in my hometown, since it is very small, but here in the Russian capital, there is a lot of movement, a lot of people who you can meet and the potential for so many experiences. I am also very inspired by the architecture in Moscow.
After graduation, I would like to apply for a master’s programme at HSE University and in the future, to become an HSE University teacher.
Anna Yatsenko, Almaty
HSE University is one of the few internationally acknowledged Russian universities, despite how young it is. This is what first attracted my attention. In addition, as a prospective student I was looking at undergraduate programmes and thinking about the career opportunities they offer. That’s when I realized that an HSE degree is very well recognized on the job market: it was an essential university choice criterion for me.
This year, I completed my first year of Economics and Statistics. Why this programme? I was deciding between this one and Economics. The latter seemed comprehensive but a little abstract to me, so I went for the former. On our programme, we take a statistical approach to economic studies. In the future, I would love to work in consulting or insurance.
I really enjoy studying at HSE University. Despite the fact that I had to study remotely for the whole first year, everything was organized very well, especially if I compare our conditions with what my friends faced at other universities. They were constantly complaining that their remote studies were not organized properly. I had similar problems at the beginning of the year, but they were eliminated almost immediately, and I continued my online studies in a very comfortable way.
What I like most about HSE University is the teacher/student communication: the teachers are truly interested in giving us more, in meeting our desire for knowledge
I’ve had some very positive experiences of communication with my academic supervisor. When I was writing my term paper, I had a lot of questions related to the project, the paper design, data collection etc. My academic supervisor always provided prompt responses to all my questions and helped me enomously, which I really appreciate.
In addition to my studies, I also participate in other aspects of student life, and I am part of the international students’ volunteer force. Currently, I am on a short internship there: I assist at the admissions office, make phone calls to prospective students and help with on-site exam organization. I love being not just a student, but developing the HSE community in many ways, it feels amazing.
Living in Moscow is great, and I love everything about it. It is a big dynamic city that gives you a lot of energy. I look at people here, how they talk, how they discuss their work, and I want to become such a person as well; someone who talks with passion about their work and the projects they are involved with. I believe it is great that everyone tries to grow in Moscow, and when you are in such an environment, you start developing as well.
When I compare everyday lives, I don’t see a lot of difference between Almaty and Moscow. My home city is Kazakhstan’s biggest city, but I can definitely say that the infrastructure works very well here. The whole transportation system in the Russian capital is just awesome.
More information on international admissions to HSE University is available here.
See also:
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