‘The Process was Challenging, yet Well-Organised’
Samuel Okai, 28, from Ghana, is a master's student of Strategic Corporate Finance in his final year at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, majoring in assets pricing. In this interview, he shares his admissions experience and speaks about learning at HSE University, while offering some tips for those ready to succeed in their studies.
‘High Grades Open Up Many Opportunities for You Here’
Bai Xinyi, 24, comes from Ankang, a small city in China. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Economics and Economic Policy, with a focus on Behavioural Economics, in the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. Below, she speaks about the application process, shares some details of her favourite courses, and reminisces about talking to friendly passers-by in the streets of Moscow.
‘The Problems Are the Same Everywhere. If You Want to Bring Changes, You Have to Do It Collectively’
Kafayat Ali, from the city of Depalpur in Pakistan, is a graduate of Lahore Leads University and a current student of the HSE Preparatory Year programme. In September, he will begin his studies on the Master’s in Critical Media Studies at HSE University-Moscow. In this interview, Kafayat explains how he helps others discover HSE University, how the Prep Year programme prepares students for their time in Russia, and why studying a country’s social issues can help people all over the world.
'I Aspire to Win the Nobel Prize. It Is a Goal, Not Just a Dream'
In the 9th grade, Arslan Galiullin stopped copying other students' physics homework and became fascinated by science, eventually making it his career. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he speaks about topological insulators, the potential future transition from electronics to spintronics, and his goal of winning the Nobel Prize.
'We Are Fanatics, in a Good Sense': A Graduate from HSE University Shares her Consulting Journey
Anastasia Kalugina, a graduate of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, now serves as the Director of the Digital Finance Group at Kept. With over eight years of consulting experience, having progressed from a consultant to a director role, Anastasia shares her journey and insights at a meeting withHSE Alumni. Discover how the demands for hard and soft skills may evolve as your career progresses, learn strategies to prevent burnout, and explore whether it's true that consulting always entails overwork in this feature from HSE News Service.
‘If You Can Show that You Are Willing to Speak Russian, People Are So Friendly’
Jiayi Xu is a first-year student of the Master’s in Comparative Social Research at HSE University in Moscow. Having now spent five months living and studying in Moscow, Jiayi shares her thoughts about life in Moscow so far, her love of visiting the library, and the differences between education in China, the US, and Russia.
‘Everyone Quickly Engaged in Conversations and Demonstrated Their Creative Thinking’
The online Russian Speaking Club opened only a month ago, but has seen a rapid growth in the number of participants. Every week, the club holds free online meetings where participants and a Russian language tutor discuss various topics related to the Russian language and culture. Below, the club leaders share their impressions and plans, which include going offline.
‘When I Got Out of the Airport and Felt the Cold, I Was Like, “Oh, Welcome to Moscow”’
Ndubuisi Johnbosco Ezenwa, 28, is a recent graduate of the Master’s in Strategic Corporate Finance at the HSE University Faculty of Economic Sciences. In 2023, he won first place in the Finance category of the Student Research Paper Competition (SRPS) for his paper ‘Impact of the Target Firm's ESG Rating on the Bid Premium Paid in M&A Transactions.’ Although he returned to Nigeria in July 2023, Ndubuisi still has plenty to share about his time at HSE University in Moscow. Read on to learn why he recommends HSE University to anyone looking to seek out new knowledge.
Understanding the Educational System at HSE University
If you're planning on studying at HSE University, it is important to get acquainted with the educational system here. Many students, whether they study in Russia or other countries, find that things can differ from what they were used to in their homelands. In this article, Owen John Havercroft Reyes, a first-year master’s student who came from Mexico, reflects on the educational system at HSE University-St Petersburg and gives some tips on how to adjust to it in order to make the best of your time here.
‘Our Alma Mater Wants Us Back’
Alexander Usvitskiy, who earned his bachelor’s degree from HSE ICEF (class of 2013) and his PhD from Florida State University (class of 2019), embarked on his teaching career at ICEF this past September. Here’s how these few months unfolded for Alexander as teacher, how he feels about his student years, and what projects he is working on today.