"Participating in the mobility programme has given me new knowledge, insights, dreams, confidence, independence and friends"

"If you have a dream of going to study abroad, don't give up and strive for your goal! It's worth it!". Evgenia Savelieva has been aspiring to study abroad for five years, and now, after many rejections, she has managed to fulfil her dream. 
Evgenia Savelyeva, 2nd year student of the Master's programme ‘Strategic Management and Consulting’ at the HSE Graduate School of Business, visited the University of Pécs, Hungary. She got on the mobility programme after five years of trying to get on a study abroad programme and a large number of rejections.

The dream of studying abroad has been on my mind for five years. The main motivation for me to enrol in the Master's programme at the GSB was international exchange opportunities. Previously, I had received many rejections: at my previous university where I applied for an exchange programme, at Work and Travel, Youth Environmental Exchange Programme and also once at the HSE University. The reasons were different every time: from the level of English and average score that was not satisfying the organisers, to the insufficient amount of financial support. And now, after so many attempts, I succeeded — and I am very happy about it and immensely grateful to the GSB!

Preparing for an exchange

When you study in a Master's programme, you are offered three options for which semester to go on the mobility programme: 2nd semester of the 1st year — especially relevant if you studied at the HSE University, as your grades can be re-credited from the previous year, you can participate in the competition right from the moment of admission; 1st semester of the 2nd year — the most comfortable for studying, as you can calmly prepare documents and study without racing; 2nd semester of the 2nd year (which I went to) — the most complicated in terms of organisation, as you have to move the presentation of the Final Thesis. It is necessary to postpone the presentation of the Final Thesis to autumn, to pass practice remotely, to write a term paper. But in the latter option there are no special problems with the choice of courses, as all the main disciplines are usually completed in the 1st semester of the 2nd year. 

I applied for participation in the mobility programme twice: for the 1st and 2nd semester of the 2nd year. The first time I was rejected. After the rejection, I requested a consultation with the International Office, after which I realised that I needed to get serious about my studies, as grades were the most important factor. The second time I raised my GPA to 8.93, was first in the ranking and took a more responsible approach to collecting documents.

Visa formalities

When applying for a visa, it was required to provide proof of financial guarantee. Here I encountered problems with paperwork in non-sanctioned banks — it took a lot of time and nerves.

For the visa, I needed a statement of funds flow for the last six months. I submitted certificates from MTS Bank and Tinkoff, but the Hungarian embassy did not accept them and recommended opening an account in a non-sanctioned bank. I ended up having to open a new account with OTP Bank, which took several weeks. At first they sent me a certificate with mistakes, and only from the fourth time I received the correct document. It was a real stress, but in the end the visa was issued on time.

Searching for travelling companions

Before I left, I asked for contacts of other students who were going to Pécs. I was given the contact of a girl from the GSB, with whom we contacted and bought tickets. Also after some time another student found me on my channel on Telegram, where I was talking about the mobility programme. 

Advice to everyone who is going: look for travelling companions, because it's more fun and easier together. We had a chat where we discussed everything from travelling to paperwork, shared our experiences and supported each other in difficult situations.  

Adaptation and first days

When I arrived in Hungary, I immediately felt the difference in culture and lifestyle. The first days were difficult: adapting to the new environment, the language barrier, and the desire to be left alone. In such a situation, it is important to be ready to step out of your comfort zone and communicate with people, look for friends. On the second day we met girls from different countries who also came for the exchange, and this acquaintance helped me to adapt quickly, not to feel lonely and to join the international culture.

We spent the whole semester in this company — we travelled together, went to events, watched films, played games. We still have the chat where we now send each other videos from home and send warm greetings.

Academic life

Studying in Hungary was different from the Russian mode. There was more freedom there, less demands. The lecturers actively supported the students and encouraged their participation in various projects and activities. On each of the courses we worked in a team. It was not easy, and because of the difference in understanding of the quality of work (and we, GSB students, must have our work done 100%) there were many conflicts. 

One of the most memorable projects was working on a startup. Together with the team we developed a plan for our own business. We had several presentations, and the result of our work was an EXPO — an event in the format of a competition. We won the prize — we came 3rd and received gifts from our partners and a grant for the team — 50 thousand forints.

Travelling

Travelling became an integral part of my semester in Hungary. During my exchange I managed to visit eight countries. I travelled both alone and with friends.

Pécs is not a very convenient city in terms of travelling, as to get somewhere you first have to get to Budapest — 3 hours by train. If you've never travelled alone, definitely give it a try! The experience will change you and you'll realise how awesome it is! Some of the best trips have been solo trips. 

I especially loved Switzerland. I love mountains, and in this country they are everywhere, and different — snowy, green, with and without ski-lifts, with panoramic views of lakes or the valley of the mountains. Switzerland is beautiful and the people keep it beautiful: they take care of nature, the cities are clean, everything is laconic. Quality is sewn into the cultural code: you realise this when you encounter Swiss service and products. 

Meetings and cultural exchange

In addition to travelling, the most impressive thing about the mobility programme was getting to know people from different countries. We danced kalinka-malinka with Indians, made Russian cuisine evenings, went to country presentations and learnt more about other cultures. Together with other students we explored new places and supported each other in difficult moments.

I didn't have a list of expectations from participating in the programme, I was going for a new experience. These were the insights I took away for myself:

— The world is bigger than one country. When you communicate only within Russia, you don't think about how big and diverse the world is. So many countries and cultures! In Hungary, I was able to touch it and feel like a person of the world.

— When travelling, the scenery changes, but the essence remains the same — people with similar problems and hopes live everywhere. There is no perfect place because everywhere has its own peculiarities. Some countries are hotter and more fun, some are dirtier and poorer. But behind all this there are people just like you and me.

— A happy person is happy on his own and does not need to change the outside world to be happy. An unhappy person will compulsively travel, learn, win, make acquaintances, move from city to city, but nowhere will he find peace and joy in life.

Participating in the mobility programme in Hungary was an important stage in my life. It gave me new knowledge, insights, dreams, self-confidence, independence and friends. I hope my experience will be useful to those who are just starting to plan an exchange experience. If you have a dream of going to study abroad, don't give up and strive for your goal! It will be worth it! Thank you, Vyshka!