A Dorm in a Palace, Tests without Grades, and Immersion in ML: Studies in Armenia under an HSE Mobility Programme

© Photo courtesy of Alisher Yuldashov

Alisher Yuldashov, second-year student of the HSE University Master's Programme 'Internet of Things and Cyber-physical Systems', went to the Russian-Armenian University of Yerevan under an academic mobility programme. Alisher shared his thoughts about the educational process, the programme curriculum, and his impressions of life in the capital of Armenia.

Alisher Yuldashov

© Photo courtesy of Alisher Yuldashov

Why I Went to Armenia

Going to study in another country under a mobility programme is a unique chance for personal and academic growth, as well as part of professional development—especially for us engineering students. It is not only a way to deepen academic knowledge, but also an opportunity to go beyond your usual environment, get acquainted with a new culture and views on education, and broaden your horizons.

Choosing a country for the mobility programme was tricky, but friends and teachers (including my academic supervisor Ilya Ivanov and MIEM Director Evgenii Krouk) supported me. They advised me to choose a different cultural and scientific environment for academic development. I chose carefully and decided on Armenia and the Russian-Armenian University (RAU). It is one of the best universities in the country, and it’s internationally renowned. For me, this decision became a challenge, because studying in another country requires the ability to adapt. It teaches you to be open to new things.

© Photo courtesy of Alisher Yuldashov

Getting Settled in Yerevan

I decided to live in the student dormitory at the Vahe Karapetian Center of the Armenian General Benevolent Union. The cost of living there is about 18,000 roubles per month. This is no ordinary dorm—it’s more like a palace or at least a high-class hotel. It has spacious rooms, natural stone floors, and huge chandeliers. I share a room with two RAU students. The room has everything you need: beds, tables, wardrobes, a bathroom with a shower. You can cook in the shared kitchen, and there is a library, table tennis, a cinema, a piano, and a laundry room. Students from different universities live in the dorm, but most of them are from RAU. It helped me to quickly feel part of student life and meet new friends.

Armenia turned out to be warm and hospitable. The first day started with a sightseeing tour of Yerevan in the evening, and from that moment I felt comfortable here. Half of the cars in the city are electric. The city centre has become my favourite place for walking. I often visit the Cascade and the Republic Square, which amaze with their architecture and atmosphere.

© Photo courtesy of Alisher Yuldashov

My Studies

The study process at RAU is different from that at MIEM, and it was interesting for me to learn more about this system. I take courses in Data Mining and Deep Reinforcement Learning. There are no desks in classrooms in the new building, which creates an open and inviting atmosphere for discussions. There are tests and exams, but the test scores are not recorded in a grade book. In the middle of the semester we take tests, which are called ‘modules’. My subjects are taught in Russian. I enter the university without a student pass, and I received an email and a certificate confirming that I am a student.

The Data Mining course turned out to be one of the most valuable aspects of my studies. It is taught by someone who worked in Silicon Valley. One day he invited a friend, a YouTube developer from the USA, to give us a guest lecture. This gave me unique access to knowledge that is in demand in the market. We delved deeply into ML, studied point clustering algorithms, as well as ML learning architecture.

Some of the classes take place in the new RAU building. A company called Cast is located in this building, and it gives students the opportunity to work on fulfilling external orders. This combination builds an academic environment that is modern and classical at the same time.

Here I have an opportunity to dive deeper into machine learning, as the programme at RAU is focused on this area. Students actively participate in discussions, and the atmosphere here is friendly. During our deep reinforcement learning classes, we first studied theory, and then moved on to practice: for example, we trained a computer to play various games and prepared reports. I study some of the courses at MIEM remotely, including working on my project.

Life in the Armenian Capital

Living in Yerevan turned out to be a little more expensive than I expected: food prices are on average about 20–30% higher than in Moscow. But thanks to low inflation rates (about 1–2% per year) and a stable economy, daily life here seems more predictable. There are many offices of IT companies, including Nvidia R&D and Pixar.

I cook simple food—pasta, rice, pizza, pancakes, fish, buckwheat, semolina, sweet pies. It doesn’t take long, since I use a microwave. I have breakfast and dinner, and spend about 300–700 roubles a day on groceries. At the university, I liked the Art Lunch cafeteria in the new building: it has delicious food at low prices. The average standard of cafes is good. There are many small grocery stores, and there are also supermarkets such as Yerevan City.

I also use banking products here. I opened a bank account at Ardshinbank, which was useful for everyday purposes. In the end, I had cards from VTB for transfers via MIR and cash withdrawals, and at Ardshinbank, which makes it convenient to use both cash and cards. Transfers take a long time here. The easiest way is to go to the bank and ask to make a transfer.

In terms of the internet, I mostly use mobile broadband. Here it is unlimited, cheap, and the coverage is good.

Yerevan Culture: Museums, Cathedrals, and Theatres

In my free time, I visit cultural and historical sights and take part in interesting events. I had an opportunity to visit Etchmiadzin Cathedral (the first Christian cathedral in Gyumri, the cultural capital of Armenia), as well as the National Gallery of Armenia and the Martiros Saryan House-Museum. I often walk around the centre of Yerevan, enjoying its architecture and cultural diversity. The crime rate here is one of the lowest in Europe—you can safely walk even at night. One of my most vivid impressions was a visit to the Yerevan Opera Theatre, where I watched a ballet by Aram Khachaturian.

© Photo courtesy of Alisher Yuldashov

I like that there are always drinking fountains nearby, as I like to drink water. Many people advise me to visit the Malkhas Jazz Club, as well as visit such places as the Khor Virap monastery with its stunning views of Ararat and Lake Sevan, one of the most picturesque places in Armenia. I have an opportunity to connect with the historical and cultural heritage of the country, and I am looking forward to seeing all these places.