‘The Greatest Reflections Often Come in Conversations with Classmates over Tea’
Ahead of the holiday season, the HSE News Service talked to some international students about their reflections on the past year, expectations of the year to come, and plans for the winter break. Below, Hasnain and Syed, both from Pakistan, talk about their experiences as international students in Moscow, share their tips for successful personal growth, and send wishes to their fellow classmates.
Hasnain, student of the Master's in Science of Learning and Assessment
Reflecting on the Past Year
Reflection is the soul's way of learning, and as a psychology student, I've made it both a personal practice and an academic interest. This year (2025), my reflections have been deeply coloured by the contrast between educational systems: Pakistan's rich communal learning traditions and Russia's rigorous academic excellence at HSE.
I keep a ‘learning journal’ where I note not just what I've studied, but how I've grown in understanding different perspectives on assessment and learning science
The greatest reflections often come in conversations with classmates over chai, where our diverse backgrounds create a tapestry of insights.
Expectations for 2026
Each New Year feels like turning a fresh page in life's most important book. Coming from Pakistan to study at HSE, I've learned that expectations should be like compasses rather than maps, guiding direction while allowing for discovery along the way. I enter 2026 with curiosity about how psychological science can transform education across cultures and excitement about applying what I'm learning at HSE to bridge educational practices between our countries. The new year represents not just time passing, but wisdom accumulating.
The Main Lesson of 2025
The most profound lesson in 2025 has been that ‘learning’ and ‘belonging’ are intertwined. Initially, I focused on academic adaptation, understanding Russian approaches to psychological research and assessment science. But I discovered that true learning happens when you also adapt your heart. The lesson? Knowledge becomes wisdom only when filtered through the experience of being ‘other’ and finding your place anyway.
HSE has taught me that the best assessment tools measure not just performance but growth; not just answers but the courage to ask new questions across cultural boundaries
Celebrating the Holiday
For me, the New Year is a beautiful synthesis of celebration and reflection, like the psychological concept of ‘integration,’ where separate elements create a more complex whole. We celebrate with warmth in Pakistan, often with family gatherings and traditional foods. Here in Moscow, I've discovered new celebrations while maintaining my reflective practices.
The holiday season becomes particularly meaningful when you're between cultures; you celebrate the connections you've made while reflecting on the journey that brought you here
At HSE, I've learned that in psychology, as in life, celebration and reflection aren't opposites; they're complementary processes that enrich our human experience.
My Wish for HSE Students
My wish for every HSE student is that you discover the ‘third space,’ that creative intersection between what you study and who you're becoming. May your academic pursuits be illuminated by personal growth, and may your challenges become the very materials from which you build resilience. In 2026, I hope we all learn to assess ourselves not by grades alone, but by the depth of our curiosity and the breadth of our empathy. May 2026 bring you not just knowledge, but the wisdom to use it generously.
Syed Muhammad Ali Shah, student of the International Preparatory Year
Lessons of 2025
Since this is my first time outside Pakistan, the biggest lesson has been learning how to adapt to a new culture, new language, and new people. It taught me to be more independent and confident.
Reflections and Expectations
I always take a moment to think about what I achieved and what I still want to achieve in the upcoming year.
I hope for growth, stability, and to become a better version of myself in the coming year
Plans for the New Year
I will be staying in Moscow during the New Year period.
I’m planning to spend time relaxing and hanging out with my friends, enjoying the holiday atmosphere, cooking food together, and making some good memories
For me the New Year holiday is more about reflection. I enjoy the celebrations, but the quiet moments mean more.
My Wish for HSE Students
I wish all HSE students a year filled with good health, motivation, and opportunities to grow.
See also:
‘Growth Often Happens Quietly, When No One is Watching’
The end of the year is a natural time for reflection on the past and planning for the future. With the winter holidays almost here, the HSE News Service has been asking international students to share their experiences and take stock of the year gone by. In this instalment, master’s students Raihanulla Moghmand and Isaac Sarfo talk about traditional New Year celebrations in their home countries, explain what they’ve learned from life in Russia so far, and share some warm wishes for their fellow students.
The New Year Tree of Wishes: A Beacon of Kindness and Light
On the eve of the New Year, HSE is once again helping make the dearest wishes of less-fortunate children come true. For several years now, the New Year Tree of Wishes charitable initiative has brought together students, lecturers, and university staff who want to spread a little magic during the winter holidays.
‘Employers Know That HSE Graduates are Well-Prepared, Analytical, and Adaptable’
Warda Tariq, from Pakistan, completed her Master’s in Data Science at HSE University–Moscow in 2024. She is now undertaking a PhD at the Faculty of Computer Science while working remotely as an AI/ML developer. Warda spoke to the HSE News Service about blending theory and practice, what an HSE education provides apart from academic knowledge, and her advice for making the most of university.
‘Everyone Who Sees HSE University on My CV Says: “You Must Be So Smart!”’
On October 9–10, the first-ever HSE International Alumni Reunion brought together graduates from various cohorts and programmes—now working in Russia and abroad—along with representatives of HSE University and its industry partners. The event included a tour of the campus, a business game, and a cultural festival. The participants exchanged experiences, reflected on their career paths, and discussed labour market challenges.
Faculty of Economic Sciences Wishes Colleagues and Students a Happy New Year
As we look forward to 2025, FES professors have prepared a video message for students and colleagues. In this heartfelt address, they convey their warmest wishes, congratulations, and aspirations for a year filled with fruitful endeavors and remarkable accomplishments.
‘Everyone Here Is Eager to Connect and Collaborate’
Syed Zeeshan Raza Zaidi is a 23-year-old international student from Karachi, Pakistan. He is currently a first-year master’s student in Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE University in Moscow seeking to explore the complexities of human behaviour and cognition from a multidisciplinary perspective. Syed spoke to the HSE News Service about why HSE is the best place to realise his potential, what makes Moscow and Karachi so similar, and why he misses home-cooked food most of all.
‘This Night Is One Minute Longer Than Other Nights of the Year’
Eating fruit, wearing traditional outfits, and surviving the Moscow cold: Prep Year students from Vietnam, Iran, and Ghana talk about the New Year traditions in their countries and their plans for the celebration in Russia.
HSE University-St Petersburg Holds Pakistani Culture Night
On November 9, the building on Kantemirovskaya Street hosted Pakistani Culture Night. More than 80 people attended the event, including students and alumni of St Petersburg universities as well as Raja Qadeer Ahmed, a representative of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The event was organised by Syed Junaid Abbas, an international student of HSE University-St Petersburg.
Diversity of Cultures, Values, Traditions: Orientation Session for International Students
At the end of August, HSE University held orientation events for first-year international students. Nearly 800 students from 70 different countries attended sessions at the HSE Cultural Centre to learn about the visa and migration processes for staying in the Russian Federation, the opportunities at HSE and the student life there. They also took a tour of the Pokrovka campus.
‘The Problems Are the Same Everywhere. If You Want to Bring Changes, You Have to Do It Collectively’
Kafayat Ali, from the city of Depalpur in Pakistan, is a graduate of Lahore Leads University and a current student of the HSE Preparatory Year programme. In September, he will begin his studies on the Master’s in Critical Media Studies at HSE University-Moscow. In this interview, Kafayat explains how he helps others discover HSE University, how the Prep Year programme prepares students for their time in Russia, and why studying a country’s social issues can help people all over the world.