If you like the programme you are enrolling in, you should not worry about a new city

Katarina Samoilova came from Ust-Kamenogorsk, a town in East Kazakhstan. She is sharing her experience of being a HSE Perm student.

“My family and I decided that I should enroll in a university in Russia when I still was a schoolgirl. What we had to choose was the city, the university and the programme. A friend of mine is now a student of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow so I knew what programmes HSE offers. I did careful research into programmes, looked at universities’ ratings and visited their websites, and chose to enroll in HSE Perm’s Bachelor’s degree programme in Business Informatics. I submitted an application letter and was admitted here.

I worked on an IT project back in Kazakhstan and I would like to develop further in this area. When I started studying here, I realized that it opens up many more opportunities than I had expected.

It is a challenge to go to another country, to a city where you have never been before and where you have neither family nor friends. But as soon as I settled in the dormitory and found new friends, I felt more at ease.

Before I came here I did not know what to expect and had to deal with the fear of unknown. Getting around the city was also a bit difficult, but now I am fine with it.

I knew very little about Perm when I came here. I had heard only about your beautiful nature and the Kama river embankment with the famous sign that reads “Happiness does not lie behind the mountains“(which means “Happiness is close at hand”). I have not seen much so far, but I like the city.

Before moving to Perm, I had hoped that my groupmates would be friendly and helpful. Actually, everything has turned out to be much better: it feels like home here. I like my groupmates, teachers, and our student sport club. I like all the events and master-classes, well, I like everything. Moving to another country makes you feel like a stranger, but this feeling disappears after a few weeks.

I do not like guessing for future and I cannot say for sure what I will do after I graduate.

If you are hesitant about moving to another country to study at the University, do not feel scared. If you like the programme you are enrolling in, you should not worry about a new city or a country.”