How to get back on track in the new academic year 🔋

Just like the New Year, the start of the academic year is a great opportunity for new beginnings! If you’re feeling the need for a change as September approaches, we’ve compiled some steps to help you get out of a rut.

1. Analyzing your whys 🕵️
Does your life need putting together? Don’t rush into changes. First, try to analyze the reasons why you feel this way. You can do it in writing or as an audio recording, but talking to a friend can also be helpful. Then, based on the reasons you’ve identified, plan your steps accordingly.

2. Tending to your body 😴
Caring about your body and well-being is a solid foundation for any future steps. So don’t forget to check in on yourself:

• Are you sleeping enough?
• Have you been skipping meals?
• How often do you take a walk or stretch?

3. Cleaning spaces 🧼
Cluttered spaces – whether it’s your room, your laptop, or your mind – can add to the sense of chaos. Surprisingly, even such a small step as emptying the bin on your computer can feel like a step towards clarity. And making a mother-lode list of everything on your mind can be a detoxifying experience, too.

4. Changing your habits 📋
Remember that list of reasons from Step 1? It’s time to get back to them. Pick one or two for starters and think: can they be linked to any of your habits? Gradually, as you change your habits to work for you, you will feel more in control of your life.

For example, on your list of “reasons why life feels not together” you might have “I haven’t been putting enough time into my thesis”; a helpful habit you have may be the regular time you spend on your home assignments every day. Try adding 30 minutes of dedicated thesis work to these regular focus periods – and soon you’ll be etching at this thesis, a sentence a day.

5. Trying new things 🎾
Sometimes, testing the waters outside your comfort zone and experimenting with how you spend your time can be just what you need to “fix” your life back together. Try out a new hobby or go for a test class at an unusual fitness studio – and see where it takes you.

Back-to-school doesn’t mean the fun is over! 😁

Stay in the summer spirit with our weekly roundup of activities, featuring board game nights, sand sculpture festival, and more.

🌉 Festival: Leningradskye Mosty (Leningrad Bridges)
• Aug 23 | 6 PM | Free

The iconic music festival features live performances by local bands right on the city’s signature bridges.

🎲 Board game night by GaGa
• Aug 24 | 9 PM | 450 RUB

Liven up your Saturday night with board games, a friendly community, and a great view – perfect for fun and new friends!

🎺 Jazz Sunday
• Aug 25 | 8 PM | 700 RUB

Spend a jazz-filled evening on New Holland Island with Andrey Krasilnikov, a renowned saxophonist who has played with legends like Dave Liebman and Billy Cobham.

🗿 Sand sculpture festival
• Aug 28 | 11 AM - 8 PM | Free

End the summer of ‘24 in style by marveling at some fantastic artwork at the grand sand sculpture fest in the 300th Anniversary Park!

Hungry for more activities? Head over to our article on ITMO.NEWS 👈

#events

Attention all science enthusiasts 🔊

This October, ITMO University will be hosting the international conference Young Professionals.

We invite ITMO students and staff members to compete for the title of best young professional from ITMO or best popular-science talk in the following sections:

• Big Data Analytics
• Digital Solutions in Green Chemistry
• Bioengineering
• Infochemistry
• Applied Optics
• Machine Vision
• Technological Management and Innovations
• Data-Driven Product Development: Insights and Approaches
• User-Generated Content and Online Consumer Behavior Studies
• Interdisciplinary Research: Science and Technologies for Humans
• Practice-Oriented Scientific and Technological Creativity for Youth
• Conference-School Math on Five Corners
• Foresight session of the Student Research Association (SRA)
• Roundtable discussion Linguistics Through the Prism of Interdisciplinarity

📆 October 8-10
❌ Application deadline: August 30

🔗 Register here

#opportunities

This week, we’re busting myths, celebrating achievements, and gearing up for exciting events! 📰

📚 Discover the truth behind vitamin-enriched and magnetized water as ITMO expert Denis Baigozin debunks popular water myths.

🏆 Congrats to 8 ITMO students on winning T-Bank’s annual scholarship, with mentorship and a 25,000 RUB monthly stipend!

And now, let’s remind you of some opportunities and more 👇

🔬 This October, you stand a chance to compete for the title of best young professional from ITMO – learn more and apply by August 30 for a chance to shine!

📸 Is photography your forte? We prepared a guide to St. Petersburg’s best photo locations – especially for you!

#newsdigest

We’re sorry to remind you, but it’s the last weekend of summer 🙏

React with one of these emojis – 😢🐳👾 – and we’ll recommend some activities you might enjoy!

The choice is yours!

👾 Before diving back into your studies on that modern laptop, explore the stories of its ancestors at the small, yet activity-packed Yandex Museum of Vintage Computers.

😢 Soothe your mourning for a passing summer with a huge piece of cake! Whether you crave a classic Russian dessert or a cinnamon bun, the city’s many bakeries have it all.

🐳 There’s nothing like spending time by the water in St. Petersburg. Visit one of our top waterfronts to recall your best summer moments with a majestic view.

ITMO and Sberbank present guides for first-year students and their parents 📒

As the admissions campaign draws to a close, future students and their parents are facing a new set of challenges. How does one adapt to studies and life in a new city? How can students combine work and studies?

Discover answers to all the most popular questions about applying to Russian universities in the new project by Sberbank and ITMO 👈

#studentlife

Take a photo, have a swim, dunk a basketball, and appreciate everything beautiful around you! ✌️

That’s the philosophy of Jingsi Sun from China and we can’t help but admire it. From the historic city of Xuzhou to the sites of St. Petersburg, Jingsi’s transition has been quite dynamic.

On his life in Russia so far, he commented:

Peaceful, beautiful, and progressive. When I first arrived, I received a lot of care from senior students, whose experience made my life easier.

Read on to learn more about Jingsi’s ambitions and future goals 👈

#itmofaces

ITMO Rector Vladimir Vasilyev: Technological leadership is impossible without mathematics 🗣

At the recently concluded Yandex.Education conference in Moscow, our Rector emphasized the critical role of mathematics in training top-tier IT and AI professionals.

Catch the highlights of the entire event here 👈

#itmoinfo

Bid farewell to summer with some exciting open-air events and cool exhibitions 🎡

🎹 Piano evening at Summer Theater
• Aug 30 | 8 PM | 1500 RUB

Don’t miss what is possibly the last open-air concert this season on New Holland Island, featuring pianist Varvara Myagkova from Moscow.

☕️ International Tea and Coffee Festival
• Aug 31 | 12 PM - 7 PM | Free

This weekend, head to Moskovskaya Square for performances, food trucks, and an endless supply of coffee and tea to enjoy!

👯‍♀️ Dancing open-air
• Sep 1| 7 PM - 10 PM | Free

Celebrate the start of the fall season with a fiery open-air jive session at Nikolskye Ryady and dance your way into the new academic year.

🗻 Exhibition: New Lands
• Sep 2 | 11 AM - 10 PM | Free

ArtMuza presents an exhibition by Elizaveta Pugacheva, exploring self-discovery in new cities and countries through abstract landscapes. Her works bridge cultures and reflect how changing surroundings influence our inner world.

Read our latest article on ITMO.NEWS for more ideas 👈

#events

Who will be your first friend in Russia? 🙇‍♂️

The Buddy System is a project by ITMO University aimed at helping international students adapt to life and studies in an unknown environment. The club unites students, known as buddies, who are trained to help newcomers and simply be their first friends and mentors.

🏃 How buddies can help

• Meet you at the airport
• Assist with obtaining migration documents and visa extensions
• Help you move into your dormitory
• Show you around the campus
• Assist with passing the necessary medical examinations

👩‍🎓 Who can get a buddy

• Incoming exchange students and students of international Master’s programs are automatically assigned a buddy upon their arrival
• International students of Russian-taught Bachelor’s and Master’s programs or the Foundation Program can request a buddy through their coordinators

💃 In addition to personal support, the Buddy System emphasizes social events. Throughout the year, the club organizes various activities open to all international students at ITMO, including:

• Nationality nights
• Yagodnoe trips
• City tours
• Movie nights
• Other student-initiated activities

Join them on social media!

🔗 VK page for buddies
🔗 VK page for international students

#studentlife

First-years, are you ready to dive into life at ITMO?

If you’re already in St. Petersburg, don’t miss the activities of ITMO Enter Offline:

📆 August 31 — Meet representatives of your faculty and pick up your student ID (check the date for your program with your program manager or advisor).

📆 September 2-4 — Explore stations across the ITMO campuses to discover everything about your new university.

Stations will welcome students from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. You can create your own schedule and choose the best times to visit.

Choose your stations on August 29 and 30, from 12 PM to 9 PM at the my.itmo.ru website. Make sure to follow the instructions (in Russian).

Please note that all stations will be conducted in Russian, but feel free to ask your questions in English!

Still on your way? Don’t worry! There’s plenty of information available to help you adapt to life at ITMO before you arrive.

💌 In early September, international Master’s students will receive a guide in English from ITMO’s Student Services Office.

🗣 Later, we’ll share this guide with our followers, and next week, we’ll start posting useful information about ITMO. Stay tuned!

Unsure about what to do? DM us at @itmo_uni_dm, and we’ll do our best to help!

Before you get into the weekend mood, here’s what you need to recap about ITMO and its activities!

🧑‍💻 VK and ITMO surveyed Russian ML specialists and AI developers to uncover what drives their career choices and who they see as leaders in their industry.

🔒 The demand for AI information security experts surged by 30%, but there is a lack of trained specialists on the market. Learn more about ITMO and Raft’s jointly launched lab meant to fill this gap.

🧬 ITMO researchers have produced the first AI-driven platform to detect nanoparticles that target harmful bacteria while sparing the beneficial ones.

🗣 Ever heard of Russia’s rarest languages? Some are spoken by just one person, including a language linked to the Vikings!

And we invite you to revisit this post, one more time 🔽

📒 ITMO and Sberbank offer guides to help first-year students and parents navigate the challenges of moving to a new city and culture smoothly.

#newsdigest