‘We Recommend That Students Attend Mobility Programmes Remotely’
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HSE Vice Rector Ivan Prostakov talks about spring 2021 international mobility programmes
Over 300 HSE students have been accepted to international academic exchange programmes for spring 2021. At present, HSE University’s ban on student mobility under exchange agreements with international partner universities has been lifted, and HSE University does not intend to reinstate strict restrictions.
Despite positive news about vaccines, infection rates are still high in most European countries, where HSE students mainly plan to go. Italy, France, and the Czech Republic have instituted lockdowns, and Germany has introduced stricter restrictions.
Nevertheless, academic life continues: all partner universities, as well as HSE University, now offer online classes. This allows students to study almost anywhere in the world without putting themselves and others at risk.
In this regard, we recommend that students refrain from traveling to the host countries for their mobility programmes and attend programmes remotely instead.
More than 20 HSE students and almost 100 international exchange students have already tried online learning in the first semester.
Online mobility will help you avoid unnecessary risks, protect yourself and your loved ones from additional worries and financial expenses, and provide the same credits and qualifications that you would have received studying on-site. All grades and credits successfully earned at a partner university will be recorded on the transcript with the name of the university specified.
Students who are currently studying remotely at HSE University and international partner universities share their impressions:
Juliette Torres, an exchange student from Université Paris Est Créteil UPEC
'At first, I was a little bit afraid of how my online Russian language class would go, but actually I find it great. It’s very interactive. There are only seven students in the group and each of us has plenty of time for speaking practice.'
Célia Castaing, an exchange student from the University of Bordeaux
'So far, this online semester is going well for me. My teachers are very nice, I can contact them easily by e-mail or in class if I have a problem or questions. My HSE study manager helped me in the beginning with my learning agreement. We also help each other a lot between students in groups on social media because we have a lot of group work to do.'
Mark Shalygin, student of HSE's Faculty of Law, exchange student at EBS Universitat fur Wirtschaft und Recht (Germany)
'My experience with online mobility at EBS University from September to January 2020 showed that it is possible to study at two universities at once, getting the best from both! You get a lot of interaction with international students, new views on familiar things, and a great learning experience from multidisciplinary lecturers — all these things definitely make it worth participating in online mobility programmes.
Pros: you can study from home and get the same knowledge that you would get while studying abroad, combining studies at HSE and the international university. You save time, effort, and money, as you don’t need to apply for insurance and documents for a visa, search for housing, or move to another country.
Cons: you’ll miss live communication and the opportunity to live in another city, you will not be able to fully immerse yourself in the student life of an international university.'