Foreign Students at the International Relations and Global Studies Programme

The International Relations and Global Studies programme is a result of a long fruitful cooperation with the University of London. The programme’s focus is to apply current international practices in education and science. Coupled with the education in English, this approach makes the programme attractive not only to Russian but also to foreign students.

Hana Djuricic, a fourth-year student, says:

"International relations is not a very popular field of study in my native Croatia. This prompted me to look for options among foreign universities offering education in this sphere. When choosing, it was extremely important to me that the educational institution and faculty were not solely financially driven. That's why I chose HSE—the only university where entrance exams were required for admission." 

Adapting to a new environment is a stressful issue for many applicants from different parts of our country, and especially for foreigners. Sometimes it's daunting to face a new city, new people, and a new pace of life. However, students even from the most distant countries demonstrate that the IRGS programme provides all the conditions for a painless start. Lucas Acolzin, a native of Brazil and a first-year student, notes:

"Moving to a new country was stressful and exciting for me, but the university staff helped me with paperwork. Moreover, I quickly adapted because my peers are very sociable and supportive. We communicate in several languages if something is unclear. The programme managers were also very helpful at the beginning of my studies, and I am grateful to them for explaining everything. <...> I chose Spanish as a second language. Despite some similarities with my native language (Portuguese—editor's note), it has its nuances, but the teacher helps me understand them, which also facilitates adaptation."

Choosing a foreign language in the programme is the students' prerogative. Many foreigners choose Russian and successfully learn it from scratch. However, some students speak Russian from childhood and choose another second language. So did a fourth-year student Madina Akhatjonova from Uzbekistan:

"Currently, I am perfecting my Spanish. Although our university days are over, I want to continue studying it on my own to not forget the language. I didn't study Russian in the programme because I attended a Russian school in Tashkent; all my friends and relatives speak Russian, as does a major part of my city. I wanted to study Korean, which was also an option; but my main subjects took up a lot of time, so I had to postpone this idea. But now I've started learning Korean on my own."

For Madina, studying international relations and foreign languages is a great passion. She has attended language courses abroad many times, dreamed of studying in the UK, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her plans. Madina and her family started considering other options and chose the International Relations and Global Studies programme. She is happy with her choice and notes:

"All my favorite subjects during my studies were related to the theory of international relations and history. I have determined the direction of my future career, but I still have much to do to complete this path. It's great that my interest in international relations has developed over the years, and I feel that all the knowledge and skills we acquired during the course will be useful in the future."

The students are reluctant to share their plans as they tend to change in the most unpredictable ways. Lucas plans to stay in Russia and study the activities of the BRICS bloc, Madina intends to take a year off and continue her studies in a master's programme. Hana has already chosen her future educational institution:

"I fell in love with Russia in general and Moscow in particular, but my stay here has come to an end. I have been accepted into a master's programme in international relations and African politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. It has always been of great interest to me, but I considered it too specialized for an undergraduate degree. Now I am determined to show London what HSE is all about! And who knows, maybe we'll meet in Moscow in a few years."

This report was prepared by students of the International Relations and Global Studies programme within the International Relations and Global Studies Press Center project: interviews by E. Gontsov, second year; editing and text by T. Petrov, first year, press center coordinator.