Our exchange experience in HSE Moscow by Allison and Samuel (Shanghai University, China)
What is the most striking difference between being a student in Shanghai and in Moscow?
Samuel: Student atmosphere is quite different. In China, we study, live and eat on campus. We seldom go out of the university territory. At HSE, the living space is away from the study space.
Allison: Living in a dorm is a completely different experience in Moscow. You have to travel by metro from your dorm to the faculty. It takes me quite some time every day, but Moscow metro is convenient and easy to use. At HSE, there are two students staying in one room, not four like in many Chinese universities. There is a kitchen and fitness room, but no canteen in the dorm. Unlike in China, boys and girls stay in the same dorm and there is no fixed hour when you have to be back in the dorm in the evening.
What can you say about the study process?
Allison: It was a little bit hard and It took me some time to get used to the local teaching system, when I just came here, but now everything is fine.
- At HSE, there are two separate types of classes: lectures and seminars, while in China we just have lectures and all discussions are at the lectures.
- At HSE, there is a lot of teamwork. I don’t speak Russian, so it took me some time to get to know other students. Also my study manager helped me adjust my study plan and get on some teams because we arrived after the semester started.
- In Shanghai University, there are Wechat groups and professors give info at the class. We don’t use emails that often. HSE professors use many different apps and websites, eg Telegram groups, Piazza, HSE SMartLMS etc. Our coursemates explained to us how to access all of those platforms
It’s natural to feel anxious about fitting in when you come to study in a new environment. How do you find HSE students?
Allison: I made friends with my course mates and some international students in my dorm.
Samuel: People are friendly and hospitableI made friends with some Russian students too. They are mainly from my classes and they even invited me to their home. They are really nice guys. I feel warm. I also got an HSE buddy and I have met her several times on campus, sometimes for a meal during a break. I do attend some events. In the Telegram group, they always post some events. I go to language events (tandems), where I can learn some foreign languages, like German, French.
How do you communicate with the locals?
Samuel: I often use Yandex Translate.
Allison: I took a Russian course at HSE for one semester.. It’s a bit difficult to learn Russian and my current level is basic, so I often rely on body language. And I tend to follow my friends who can speak Russian. I met some Russian students majoring in Chinese in the building where I took Russian classes and even a Chinese language professor.
Samuel: I’ve met some guys who speak Chinese too. They like to practice with me.
Many international students miss their country’s food. How do you cope with that?
Samuel: During the first weeks, we ate mostly fast food like KFC. Although Chinese restaurants often recruit some Chinese employees, the flavour is still different and they are more expensive than in China. Here we do miss Chinese food, we learn how to cook Chinese dishes.
Allison: Indeed, I can’t really get used to the local food, especially in the canteens – the cooking is completely different. We love to eat hot food in China – soups, noodles. We cook all of these in the dorm. There is a big Chinese market in Lyublino, it’s quite far, so we team up with other Chinese students and buy a of lot Chinese ingredients for cooking.