Our new cohort of bachelor’s students share their first impressions as they begin their studies at ICEF amid the buzz of excitement, embarking on English-taught courses under the guidance of tutors and meeting their classmates.
Alexander Andriyachenko, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
My first two weeks at ICEF have so far been good. I have plenty of opportunities to get to know my classmates better and have built friendships with some. Most of the guys here are motivated, goal-oriented people. They are smart and take an active life position. I’d like to get to know and talk to absolutely every one. They sound interesting and seem to be knowledgeable about so many things, and they all (at least for the time being) prioritize homework. ICEF is first and foremost a community. With people as fascinating as here, I know I’m in the right place and won’t feel bored even in Microeconomics lectures.
ICEF using English as its language of instruction is far from being a marketing ploy. Here, the English language is an integral part of the learning process. While the time needed to adjust varies with people, it took me personally just a couple of days – I’ve had the experience from before and was able to refresh my English by conversing with a classmate here who does not speak Russian. Alongside this, we have 4 classes of English per week to help us to get attuned to our new linguistic environment within the shortest time possible. These classes are also an exciting way for us to get to know each other and to hear about how we feel and what we think about what is going on the ethical and political side of things, etc.
Another special highlight is the tutors. They’re such sweethearts. There have been instances where I needed help with courses, on-campus activities, and mere understanding of a lecturer’s point, and my tutors never failed to help. They are just the right people to turn – the kind of people who are always willing to offer their own experience. When you find yourself in a new environment, having someone you can turn is absolutely essential for every freshman.
One thing that speaks to me the most at ICEF is the hands-on nature of training. Here, I have access to a diversity of courses, including optional ones, which, unlike electives, seem to be much better able to equip me with required skills. I will approach my graduation as a fundamentally trained professional with good career prospects in a multitude of fields, even those with no direct relation to finance and economics.
Ulyana Kobylkina, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
Student feedback and alumni reviews were the first thing I looked at when choosing my bachelor’s. Everyone I talked with two years before admission spoke about ICEF with great fondness, admitting it has a highly demanding curriculum. Another essential aspect was, of course, core courses and access to a wide array of optional courses, as well student societies and projects run within the HSE. Not least among these benefits is English as the language of instruction, second year specialization application, and ICEF graduates’ high international employability rate.
We started on the 31st of August. Day one was the orientation lecture followed by meeting our tutors and classmates. My group has as many as three experienced tutors. They are in the final year of ICEF and advise us on whatever seems a problem to us, freshmen.
English-taught lectures started already on day two. I personally didn’t have any difficulty attuning myself to English, but those who did were being helped by the teachers because they understand not every student comes already proficient. The most difficult part of using a foreign language in class is I think this fear of misinterpreting a term and its wrong usage, but it all goes away once you get accustomed. This is also the reason why students have as many as six classes of English in the first two weeks at ICEF.
My classmates are highly motivated people and interesting personalities. They come from different parts of Russia and abroad. I am a native of Stavropol and have met here people from Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Yakutsk, and even Japan. They have lots of exciting stories to tell and we all get along pretty well. I’m sure we’ll have enough opportunity to get to know each other better as we walk together through this exciting journey of our four years at ICEF with its challenges and wins.
Victoria Lebedeva, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
My start was more of a diving in head first. I thought we’d have a warm-up and was like, “How about we have two weeks of English first to learn the terms and everything that goes with them?” Classes, lectures, English – we had them all on day one.
It all came as a shock and complete chaos. At first I felt I’d never be able to understand what they were saying. But as days passed, I found my way and now feel much more confident understanding the language, although Calculus still remains a way too difficult.
Those first home assignments were a real doozy. Your brain is too slow, your sweet summer memories suddenly crash against a series of looming deadlines, making you feel helpless. But it all changed for me on the… initiation day. It absolutely invigorated me. It reminded me I’m a survivor and that ICEF is what many people can only dream of, whereas I’m already its student and it’s time to go full speed.
I very much like the environment at ICEF. You can feel the motivation in the air. The students are ambitious, with abilities going beyond the average level. My classmates – Julia, Artem, Daniel, Stepa, and Danya – are just gorgeous. The majority are locals, but some come from other parts, like myself.
I have three tutors – Lisa, Ilya, and Zail. They take care of me as if they were my parents, guiding my every step of the way.
Nikolai Laskin, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
My first weeks at ICEF made a very good impression. I like the atmosphere and how energetic, smart and hard-working my classmates are.
I have three tutors and I know I can address any of them with any question or issue.
Here, you start using English actually on your first day of studies, but it normally takes a couple of lectures to adjust.
The course that I find to be most difficult now is Calculus.
Economics, finance and languages have always been my passion, so I couldn’t think of a better place than ICEF.
Sofya Ushakova, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
It’s still a bit early to make conclusions because we have just started, but so far I’m quite happy with everything. We have tutors and feel absolutely free to contact them with whatever question we may have, be it a classroom number or experience-based advice.
English is used from your first day here. I have no difficulty using it, and there’s a two-week crash course for smooth transition. Besides, the English-taught programme was, in fact, key reason why I chose ICEF, alongside with its reputation as a globally recognized provider of quality training.
For now, the most difficult course for me is Calculus. I’m not a math person.
Kirill Frolov, first-year undergraduate, ICEF
My first weeks at ICEF were rather intense. Still, we’ve had enough time to explore what our curriculum had in store for us – the core courses, the optional courses, and the teachers. The people in my group have been assigned three tutors, all of whom are communicative, energetic people we can always turn to. My English skills were already fairly good when I joined ICEF, that’s why I find it easy to use English in class.
I already made friends with some people here. They are all great guys!
