‘I Wish Summer Were Quarterly’

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Practicing and teaching yoga, chilling in Moscow parks, writing academic papers, travelling around Russia, and volunteering—these are only a few of the things HSE international students have tried over their summer break. Now, as they are getting back to studies, the students reflect on their summer experiences in academic work, professional development, travel, and leisure.

Moses Oluoke Omopekunola, from Nigeria, first-year doctoral student in the School of Education

I spent my summer in Moscow, and it had two clear legs: the study part and the fun part.

After graduating in June, I set three goals for the summer: do an internship, draft a paper for publication, and submit a conference proposal. I completed an internship on a joint project between the Centre for Psychometrics and Measurement in Education and two other HSE laboratories, focused on benchmarking professional Large Language Models (LLMs) in economics and finance. My responsibilities included writing a literature review on existing benchmarks and crafting prompts to generate professional tasks for the benchmark.

It was tougher than I expected—plenty of late nights, multiple revisions, and the kind of concentrated focus that leaves your tea cold on the desk—yet it was exactly the experience I had hoped for

One day the project coordinator contacted me asking for the results of a task. I was working on a different task from the day before, but she explained that both tasks were important and we needed to present the results in a meeting the next day. We were both awake till midnight exchanging emails, files, rounds of feedback and revisions, but we finally got it sorted and met the deadline. After the meeting, she wrote me saying, ‘Moses, the experts said the results are far better than the previous ones, so let’s continue with the work.’ I was happy for a minute then started thinking about the next round of stress and work. The internship deepened my interest in task automation—an area central to my doctoral research—and exposed me to applications beyond the STEM fields where my doctoral research is focused.

To begin engaging more deeply with my proposed dissertation topic and to stay current with articles released over the summer, I started a systematic review on the topic. The scope expanded beyond what I originally anticipated, so I wasn’t able to finish it before the end of summer, but the paper is about 80% complete

I also submitted a proposal to the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) annual meeting in April 2026 in Los Angeles. I’ll be presenting our study, ‘LLM-Driven Automated Item Generation for High-Stakes STEM Assessment,’ as a graduate student, something I’m excited and a little nervous about.

All work without play makes Jack (and Moses) a dull boy. Beyond academics, I dove into fun activities. One unforgettable day was a picnic at Kashirskaya Park, a gentle slice of green in the city. Students from HSE, RUDN, Sechenov, MIPT, MISIS, and others gathered for games and food.

We had an inter-university novelty football match, relay races, rope skipping, tug of war, and an egg toss

The entertainment also included sampling foods from different cultures. The serene setting and relaxed atmosphere made every moment enjoyable—perfect for a summer postcard.

I also visited friends at other universities and soaked up cool summer evenings that felt like a gentle reward after long days of reading and writing. It was a great time to relax, do something different from the usual, and create sweet memories with people. I wish summer were quarterly.

Fan Minlan, from China, graduate of the Population and Development Master’s Programme

In the beginning of the summer I was in Moscow. The temperature was very mild—I love it so much. I always went out with my husband when it was sunny. We visited museums, concerts, and parks. Our favourite place to go in summer is the Tsaritsino park.

We took some food, drinks, and a blanket and lay down under a tree on the grass with kids running here and there and ducks and squirrels walking by. This is absolutely the perfect way to spend summer in Moscow

In August I went back to my home city. Summer there is so hot—the temperature is always above 35 degrees during the day, so most of the time I stayed at home, doing my work, enjoying my mom’s food, reading books, etc.

Shallu Tomar, from India, second-year student of the Population and Development Master’s Programme

This summer was full of learning, self-growth, and memorable experiences.

I decided not to travel back to India, since the summer there is very hot, and instead stayed in Moscow, where the weather is pleasant and lively compared to the cold winters

I divided my time between academics, personal well-being, professional work, and cultural exploration.

I spent time preparing for my second year at HSE and also focused on understanding how universities prepare research papers and which journals they publish in. This gave me valuable insights for my own academic path.

Every day, I devoted time to yoga practice, making sure my body and mind remain strong and prepared for the future. Yoga helped me balance between work, studies, and personal life. I also volunteered at the International Day of Yoga organised by the Embassy of India in Moscow and worked as a yoga instructor at an Ayurvedic clinic in Moscow.

I took part in different Indian cultural programmes in Moscow, making me feel close to my roots even while living abroad

I travelled to St Petersburg, which was one of the highlights of my summer. The city impressed me with its beauty, culture, and friendly people. The atmosphere there felt very different from Moscow, and this change of environment was refreshing. It was a joyful and memorable trip, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Overall, my summer was a beautiful mix of study, self-care, cultural exchange, work, and exploration. It was not just a vacation but also a time of personal growth, where I could contribute to the community, enjoy the Russian summer, and prepare myself for the upcoming academic year.

Raissa Mujing, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second-year student of the Master’s Programme in Linguistic Theory and Language Description

This summer, I explored different places in Moscow that I hadn’t seen before, and I also travelled around Russia—I went to Tver and Tula.

In Tver, I spent a few days at a Christian camp in the middle of a beautiful forest, which was a very enriching experience

In Tula, I visited several places, including the Tula Defence Museum, the Tula State Museum of Weapons, and the Patriotic Park of Tula. I was curious to learn why this city is called ‘the city of weapons and gingerbread,’ and it was very interesting. It is a beautiful city—very calm and clean. I also attended a gingerbread workshop in Tula, and the bread was delicious.

The trip to Tula was organised by the HSE Student Initiative Support Centre

This summer I also spent some time improving my piano skills. Although I’m not very skilled yet, I managed to get by, and I also took a training course in makeup and beauty during the summer.

This summer was valuable because I learned new skills and discovered new places. The most memorable experiences for me were learning how to make gingerbread, spending time outdoors, and learning new things about Russian culture and history. Overall, it was a summer that gave me both rest and renewed energy to start the academic year.

Celestina Adu, from Ghana, second-year student of the Master’s programme in Economics and Economic Policy 

My summer vacation began with an outing with friends at Borisovskye Prudy Park; the natural environment was conducive for relaxing and having fun. Days after the outing, I started working on my thesis and having online meetings with my supervisor, Prof. Dmitry Veselov. I had a presentation on my thesis at the V International Scientific Conference ‘Interaction. Integration. Inclusion: From Reflection to Action,’ where I presented on the topic ‘Skill-Biased Technological Change and Educational Incentives.’ In the course of the summer, I had the opportunity to work as a research intern at the Laboratory for Labour Market Studies under Dr Ilya Kukaev. During that period, I gained a lot of knowledge in research and have developed more interest in working with him as the school resumes.

I also worked a part-time job at Shokoladnitsa. Working there was fun; I had to go to different shops in different places, giving me the opportunity to travel around Moscow

Some of the places had very beautify scenery, which was a great experience. I got lost many times trying to figure out the location of a shop, but the experience was great. It gave me chance to communicate with the local people and ask for assistance.