4 Best Events in ITMO University This Year

Every year, ITMO University hosts a variety of events related to various aspects of student life. For example, sports, scientific, social events. I would like to mention some events, in which I was fortunate enough to participate in one way or another.

1. Attending sports matches

The student’s sports club at ITMO "Kronbars", twice awarded the title "Best Student Sports Club in Russia", organizes visits to sports matches in St. Petersburg. The structure of the sports club includes fan clubs of St. Petersburg teams, such as Zenit football club, SKA hockey club and Zenit basketball club. Fan clubs are given a number of tickets, which they give out in their Vkontakte groups for free. I believe that this is an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the sporting life of the city, the teams and stadiums, where the matches are held, or simply enjoy a good match.

I managed to attend several matches of Zenit FC in different tournaments. I first visited the new St. Petersburg stadium on March 3, 2018 at the match against Perm’s "Amkar" team, which ended in a goalless draw: 0:0. From the point of view of a fan, I can say that in terms of capacity, convenience and opportunity to have a snack during the match, the stadium exceeds the previous stadium of "Petrovskiy" team. The move to the stadium was justified by the popularization of football before the 2018 World Cup. My second visit to the stadium was for the second match of the 1/8 finals of the Europa League against the team "RB Leipzig" on March 15, 2018. Unfortunately, for Zenit the game ended in a draw, which meant departure from the tournament. But even despite the departure of the St. Petersburg team, I managed to enjoy this match, an abundance of scoring chances and to feel all the emotions of the fans who are cheering for their teams.

However, counting the success of our national hockey team, many people prefer hockey. Having won a ticket to the match of the Gagarin Cup SKA — Severstal, which was held on March 5, 2018, I happily went to the stadium "Ledoviy". Matches of SKA in such tournament always mean a full stadium. This time the teams exchanged pucks, having organized scoring extravaganza. The match ended with a score of 7:4 in favor of the St. Petersburg team.

2. Mini-football ITMO League

Of course, I want to not only watch sports events, but also participate in them. And ITMO provides such an opportunity. In particular, I can say about the mini-football ITMO League. The competition is held twice a year: during the autumn and spring semesters. Teams are divided into several groups, where they find out who is stronger. The first two teams, who scored more points, make it into the playoffs of the tournament. Having already played a few seasons, I want to mention that there is a good level of tournament organization. At each match there is a doctor who is ready to provide medical assistance, photographers, who cover events in university media and, of course, a qualified referee.

3. Congress of Young Scientists

ITMO University is also famous for its scientific activities. The annual Congress of Young Scientists (CYS) helps students get involved in research and development. Not only ITMO students can take part, but also students from other universities and schools. This year I decided to participate in the CYS. The participants made presentations in the different sessions, that are divided by certain scientific fields. In each session the best presentation was chosen. My presentation was included in the "Sensors and Sensor Networks" session and was recognized as the best. Of course, I was very happy with this outcome. At the closing ceremony of the Congress of Young Scientists, diplomas were awarded for the best presentations in each session and each winner was also given ITMO University branded umbrellas. Participation in the CYS helped me enter the Master’s program that I will soon start.

4. Graduation at ITMO University — ITMO.Live 2018

This is the most joyful event for all bachelor’s, specialist and master’s students who have been working on their final thesis. It took a lot of time and effort to write and defend the thesis work. Being a graduate, I could not miss this event. The graduation was held on Hare Island. Graduates wore special graduation robes during the event.

The territory was divided into zones. In one zone everyone was treated to soda and ice-cream, music and dance groups and comedians performed on stage. Several photobooths and places for taking photos were prepared. All graduates were given gifts with ITMO symbols on them.

I consider this graduation a great event for graduates, their parents and friends. At such an event you can listen to good modern music, enjoy some stand-up comedy and take a lot of memorable photos. Having received the coveted diploma, I was extremely happy with everything that was going on.