Samuel Okai, 28, from Ghana, is a master's student of Strategic Corporate Finance in his final year at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, majoring in assets pricing. In this interview, he shares his admissions experience and speaks about learning at HSE University, while offering some tips for those ready to succeed in their studies.

There are numerous opportunities to participate in cycling races in Russia, but many of them are primarily for athletes. However, if you are keen to cycle just for fun along Moscow’s central streets, which are closed to traffic for the event, join the Moscow Cycling Festivals! There will be three of them: Spring Festival on May 18, the Summer (Night Race) on July 6, and the Autumn Festival on September 14.

On March 22, the Atrium on Pokrovsky Boulevard turned into a venue to celebrate ‘Holi: the Festival of Colours,’ organised by the Department of Internationalisation. The festival was put together on the initiative of the HSE Indian Club in cooperation and with the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre of the Embassy of India.

Bai Xinyi, 24, comes from Ankang, a small city in China. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Economics and Economic Policy, with a focus on Behavioural Economics, in the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. Below, she speaks about the application process, shares some details of her favourite courses, and reminisces about talking to friendly passers-by in the streets of Moscow.

Dolls are not just children's toys, but also an art form that can reflect feelings, thoughts, and deep reflections of the author. See it with your own eyes at the Philosophy of Reflection exhibition, which is open until March 29. Admission is free of charge.

Maslenitsa Week, the last week before Great Lent, is one of the most joyful Slavic holidays, and this year it runs from March 11 to 17. If you are in Moscow, you have a chance to take part in various activities in different parts of the city. During the festival, you will be able to take part in master classes, watch fairy tale and choir performances, and try pancakes—the main attribute of this holiday.

Moscow is a huge city, and in everyday life, all we see around are stone buildings, subways, and roads. If you are missing the sight of green leaves and flowers at the end of the long winter, we recommend visiting one of the city's greenhouses.

The ancient town of Klin, located on a river bank 85km from Moscow, stands out because of its associations with Tchaikovsky and Gaidar, its Christmas tree decorations, a famous old shopping arcade, and its parks. Any weekend in the approaching spring offers a great opportunity for a trip here, with the roundtrip journey taking no more than 5 hours.

Anastasia Kalugina, a graduate of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, now serves as the Director of the Digital Finance Group at Kept. With over eight years of consulting experience, having progressed from a consultant to a director role, Anastasia shares her journey and insights at a meeting withHSE Alumni. Discover how the demands for hard and soft skills may evolve as your career progresses, learn strategies to prevent burnout, and explore whether it's true that consulting always entails overwork in this feature from HSE News Service.

The freezing cold of winter is coming to an end, nature is slowly waking up from its slumber, and the weather is getting better every day. We encourage you to come out of your ‘winter hibernation’ by attending some exciting FREE events in March. Check out the list below for more information.