International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates Supported by VK and Avito

© HSE University

This year’s International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates, held in 38 subjects, have taken place. Both rounds — qualifying and final — were held in an online format. HSE University and VK Engineering and Mathematics School were the partners of the ‘Computer Systems and Networks’ category, while Avito were the partners for the ‘Applied Mathematics and Computer Science’ category.

The community of the International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates is growing every year. This year, there were over 37000 applications (last year — 31,000), more than 20,000 participants completed the tasks of the qualifying round (last year — 16,500), and more than 5,000 (last year — 4,300) – made it to the final round.

The age of the participants ranged from 16 to 59 years old, and they came from 29 countries, including much of Europe, along with 82 Russian regions. 45% of the participants are graduating this year, with a further 22% due to finish their studies next year. The number of first-year students has doubled compared to last year.

Winners receive preferential admission to HSE master's programmes: enrolment on state-funded places, discounts on tuition fees, and additional points for their portfolio. Master's students are also able to apply for a grant from the President of Russia.

 ‘I study Information Science and Computation Technology, and at the International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates I  entered in the ‘Business Informatics’ category,’ said Ekaterina Vydrenkova, second-year student at HSE MIEM. ‘For me the Olympiad means self-development, developing my critical thinking, extra points for my CV, and an opportunity to get ahead when applying for a master's programme. I think students should start participating in olympiads as early as possible in order to understand the concept and to eliminate any gaps in your knowledge.’

© HSE University

‘I’ve been taking part in student olympiads since my first year at university, and the International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates is no exception,’ says Valeria Mikhailovskaya, third-year student on the ‘Journalism’ programme at Lomonosov Moscow State University. ‘For me, this is a kind of benchmark. If my results are getting better every year, and the tasks no longer seem so difficult, then I'm moving in the right direction. And it's also a great opportunity to test your skills and knowledge, especially with those who study at higher level courses and know more than you.’

The first time Valeria participated in the Olympiad was in 2020. ‘Not everything went according to plan then, but failure during the final round of the ‘Media Communications’ category forced me to reconsider my training and educational trajectory. Next time I managed to get a decent score and receive a second-class certificate,’ she says. Now the student is in her third year, and the Olympiad has already become an integral part of her academic life.

This year, HSE University and VK Engineering and Mathematics School were partners in the Computer Systems and Networks category. As part of this project, HSE students train at practice-oriented workshops, focusing on machine learning, development of high-load systems and artificial intelligence technologies. VK organize four student practice-oriented workshops and ten authored courses.

The top 10 participants in the Computer Systems and Networks category, in addition to the main bonuses, will receive gifts from VK and the School of Engineering and Mathematics, and the top 5 participants in this field will receive an invitation to the second round of the school selection in 2023. The awards ceremony will be held at the VK office.

Fedor Ivanov, Head of the HSE University and VK Engineering and Mathematics School

The tasks in the ‘Computer Systems and Networks’ category of the Olympiad have two features: they are interdisciplinary, and as close to real industrial cases as possible. The participants of the Olympiad who chose this category had the opportunity to look at the problems and tasks from a non-trivial point of view, and then to apply non-standard solutions. We will be pleased to reward those who have been outstanding, and I hope that they will join the ‘HSE University and VK Engineering and Mathematics School’ and work on breakthrough IT solutions.

Avito, the most popular online ad platform in Russia, has become a partner of the Applied Mathematics and Computer Science category. The number of active ads is currently more than 135 million, with a monthly audience of almost 60 million users. More than eight deals are made every second, and users add more than 900,000 new ads every day. This is the second year that Avito has been a partner of the olympiad— last year the company supported the ‘Applied Mathematics’ and ‘Game Theory’ categories.

Avito prepared special gifts, including meetings with HR specialists and company analysts, and an accelerated selection process for jobs in the company for holders of first class certificates (track winners) in the Applied Mathematics and Computer Science categories. The awards ceremony will also take place at the company's headquarters.

Ilya Gurov, Head of Analytics at Avito

In order to show good results at the olympiad, participants need to find an approach to non-standard problems in a short time. In addition, a serious level of fundamental knowledge is also required. At Avito, analysts need these skills, and hence we appreciate that the International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates gives students and graduates an opportunity to develop and demonstrate these competencies.

Registration for the International Olympiad Competitions for University Students and Graduates 2023/24 opens in November-December 2023. You can sign up on the Olympiad website in order to be the first to find out about the start of registration.

Tamara Protasevich, Director of HSE Office for Gifted Student Guidance

The support of these types of intellectual competitions by partners from the business world is invaluable for participants. They receive feedback about their efforts to acquire knowledge and skills that are in demand from employers, and about the readiness of the professional community to accept them. And for partners, this is an opportunity to find the most impressive candidates, and to attract young colleagues with potential for development and professional growth.