Study Tour Experience for International Master's Applicants: Immerse in HSE University Student Life

© HSE University

The Study Tour Experience is a unique project for those who want to experience HSE student life and upgrade their CVs. The international training internship by the HSE International Admissions Office has been functioning since 2020 in two formats (offline and online) and in two languages—Russian and English. In the fall semester of the 2024/25 academic year, the Study Tour Experience is planned for November 11–23, 2024.

The Study Tour Experience has been held for several years and allows international undergraduate students and university graduates from around the world to immerse in the student atmosphere at HSE University. During the free internship, participants will learn about studying at HSE not from brochures, but from their own experience: what subjects are taught here, how a practice-oriented approach is implemented and what criteria for evaluating students are applied. The project will help them decide which master's programme to choose at HSE University and how to prepare for admissions.

The main areas of the internship include ‘Business and Management,’ ‘Finance and Economics,’ ‘Social and Political Sciences,’ ‘Data Science,’ ‘Law,’ and others. International participants are selected according to their motivation letters and CVs. Each participant receives a personalised internship certificate, which they can attach to their portfolio or CV. New acquaintances and invaluable experience of communicating with experts of HSE University comes as a great bonus.

Over four years, the organisers have implemented eight internships, received 2,587 applications, including 1,170 applications from Russian-speaking and 1,417 from English-speaking students. In the autumn of 2023, more than 50 educational programmes from five HSE University campuses took part in the internship.

Alexander Deev

‘Every year we receive thousands of applications from all over the world from those who have already made their decision to study at HSE University. We offer those who are unsure of what programme to choose, to personally experience what it’s like to study at one of the best universities in Russia. For four years now, international applicants who are thinking about applying to master's programmes can become HSE students for two weeks thanks to the international Study Tour Experience internship,’ said Alexander Deev, Director of HSE International Admissions Office.

Luiza Rakhimova

‘The participants of the Study Tour Experience can really feel like HSE students and, most importantly, evaluate the quality of education, as well as communication between students and teachers,’ said Luiza Rakhimova, project manager.

The list of available areas is expanding from year to year. In the 2023/24 academic year, together with the Faculty of Creative Industries, a new ‘Media’ direction was launched. According to statistics and feedback from the participants, this area is popular.

Iliana Ismakaeva

‘This year we joined the Study Tour Experience project, and international applicants had the unique opportunity to become students of the Digital Humanities Master's Programme at HSE University in Perm for one week. The participants met the programme teachers, discussed why specialists in humanities need programming and how to analyse data during the course ‘Data Analysis in Python.’ They also took part in a discussion about the use of digital methods in the humanities at a research seminar,’ said Iliana Ismakaeva, academic supervisor of the Digital Humanities Master's Programme.

Daria Volkova is a 1st-year student of the Master's Programme 'Strategic Management: Investment and Consulting' at HSE University. November 14–28, 2022, she completed an internship in the field of ‘Business and Management’ as a bachelor's student, and now shares her experience.

‘I think an internship is a great way to try out different fields and look at the master's studies from the inside. I liked the internship, it helped me understand what I wanted to study. I knew many teachers before, as they taught various courses at my bachelor’s programme, but I liked the new lecturers, too. They taught in an engaging way and explained the material well. Most of all I liked courses in trade marketing, e-merchandising, consumer behaviour and customer experience management, as these topics are interesting to me. I think that the knowledge gained during these two weeks will be useful to me in the future for study and work,’ said Daria.

Before the offline internship, scheduled for November 2024, a competition for applicants will be held. The two winners will have all expenses paid for their trip to Moscow and back, as well as for accommodation during their internship.

Follow the link to fill out the pre-registration form by August 31, 2024. You can apply to the Study Tour Experience from September 1 to October 6, 2024.