What’s it like to study in Russia? Why HSE? The answers are, of course, different for everyone. We’ve asked some of our current international students to write about their experiences, in order to give a better idea of what it’s like to study at HSE. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at inter@hse.ru.
Ali Maarouf
Syria
I am a student in the ‘Corporate Research, Development and Innovation Management’ Master’s programme. What is special at HSE University is that you can simultaneously take as many courses as you want from other programmes so, I am taking several courses from the programme ‘Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation’. This way, I can form a comprehensive approach to science and innovation in various spheres (companies, sectors, or countries).
In my programme, we could deal with many specialists, who work at important companies and organizations on the Russian market. Their experience has given me knowledge, which I hope to bring to Syria.
After two years at HSE University, I can speak fluent Russian. Academically, I presented my term paper at a conference and, most importantly, I had a chance to participate in a project at Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge which is a part of HSE University to study Science, Technology and Innovations strategies in different countries. Of course, I still need to work very hard, especially as I want to pursue a PhD at HSE University and return to my country to transfer the knowledge and experience I got here to help my country recover after the war.
Finally, I want to say that I really love HSE University not just because of the high quality of studies you get here, but also because of the huge number of opportunities, which you can get if you are keen on developing your skills and knowledge.
