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The International Preparatory Year programme held its graduation ceremony in July. This academic year, 125 students from 50 countries were enrolled in the programme. They will continue their studies at Russian universities, most of them pursuing bachelor's and master's programmes at HSE University. The graduation was organised as a quest, where the students were able to demonstrate their achievements in learning the Russian language. Graduates from Ecuador, Syria, and Mexico shared their impressions with the HSE News Service, Deputy Director Polina Shanko talked about plans for the coming year, and mathematics teacher Vladimir Gordin gave his advice to future students.

On July 3, the HSE University building on Pokrovka hosted the graduation ceremony of the Master’s in Applied Statistics with Network Analysis (MASNA). The programme, which trains students to use modern approaches in data and network analysis, is taught fully online in English. We spoke to Jiaxuan Wang, Sergio Camposortega, and Iris Cilenšek, three international students who came to Moscow for the graduation ceremony. The recent graduates shared their thoughts about the online format and finally meeting their classmates in person.

HSE University in St Petersburg continues its strategic programme to develop educational and research ties with universities in the Asia-Pacific region. At the request of Thammasat University (Thailand), a special short-term educational programme in ‘Russian Language and Culture’ has been created at the HSE St Petersburg International Office.

Wenrui Zhang, from China, is a recent graduate of theMaster’s in Economics and Economic Policy at the HSE UniversityFaculty of Economic Sciences. Having successfully defended his master’s thesis on the impact of COVID-19 on the incomes of vulnerable groups, Wenrui has set his sights on publishing his research and enrolling in adoctoral programme at the university. The HSE News Service interviewed Wenrui about his achievements so far and his goals for the future, and also spoke to Prof.Elena Kotyrlo, his academic supervisor.

Mutiu Iyanda Lasisi is a first-year master’s student of Critical Media Studies at the Faculty of Creative Industries. He chose to pursue his master’s at HSE University out of a desire to combine theory and practice and to create real solutions. Mutiu spoke to the HSE News Service about why HSE University was the right place to realise his ambitions, how theory shapes learning into frameworks for action, and how he has already put his knowledge to real-world use.

Ugo Cavitte, a 22-year-old student from the north of France, is currently in his second year of studying for a Master's degree in Pedagogy at the HSE Institute of Education. In addition, he teaches French as a foreign language at HSE's School of Foreign Languages and online. In a recent interview, Ugo shared his experience of studying at HSE and teaching French, as well as his advice for those who want to learn a foreign language better and faster. He also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of online learning, and shared his love for Russian cuisine and culture.

Choosing a profession is hard, and not everyone can do it straight away. Such was the case with Taş Elif Esra, an exchange student who came to HSE University from Turkey. Esra started her education in translation studies before finding her passion in sociology. Find out why she decided to change her major and what motivated her to take part in the mobility programme in this interview.

Xinyi Zhao, 23, is a second-year Master’s student in Comparative Social Research. Originally from Weihai, Shandong, China, she came to HSE University with a desire to turn theoretical knowledge into practical solutions. Xinyi spoke to the HSE News Service about the importance of utilising one’s learning, as well as why foreigners in Moscow shouldn’t be scared to ask for help.

Six men’s teams and two women’s teams made up of international students from 30 countries took part in the first ever HSE Inter Football Cup. The event was organised by the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni, the Department of Internationalisation, and the Department of Physical Training.

Trang Ly is a 25-year-old master’s student from Vietnam. In addition to her studies on the Critical Media Studies programme at HSE University-Moscow, she works as a composer and contributes to the Life in Moscow series on the university’s website. In her interview, she talks about the unusual events she has helped organise, the many opportunities available to foreign students at HSE, and much more.