The new office will work almost all through the next month, until July 25. The office is designed to adhere to the main principle of this year’s admissions campaign – “Choose ITMO and don’t choose at all!” Visitors can ask for guidance on which program to choose and which exams they should prepare for, as well as find out all about ITMO’s sports and creative clubs – all while enjoying the wonderful views offered by Sevkabel Port.
“We want everyone to understand what opportunities for creativity, learning, and self-development ITMO offers. A modern university must extend itself beyond the limits of the ordinary; it must not isolate itself and instead follow global trends. Sometimes, that must be done physically, as we’ve done here at Sevkabel port. There must be no obstacles for self-realization, self-searching, and exploration – in that sense, this space’s design is close to our own vision. We don’t want to burden anyone with the responsibility of choice, no. Quite the other way around, to choose ITMO is to choose everything and anything at once,” notes Daria Kozlova, ITMO’s First Vice Rector.
The office is designed so as to fulfill the different needs of every possible guest. Recent high school graduates can learn about the university’s programs, decide which ones to choose, and how high they need to score on their exams to do that. Then, they can submit their application right on the spot. Bachelor’s and Specialist’s program graduates can find answers to their questions about Master’s studies at ITMO: which exams they’ll need to take, which scholarships and discounts are available, and what makes the difference between a corporate and a research program.
Visitors to the admissions office can also take career guidance tests – an especially relevant feature for those who are about to start their final year of school and must make a decision on which field of study to pick in the future. Later, they can wind down and take a humorous test: guess a profession by the emoji or find out their destiny from a digital Sorting Hat.
“On weekends, we’ll be conducting workshops,” says Alyona Gupaisova, deputy head of ITMO's Department of Strategic Communications. “In the afternoon, the program will focus on children and their parents: we’ll have classes from the Life Science School and ITMO.KIDS, puzzles from the lecturers of our exam and contest training courses, performances by our robotics teams, and scientific experiments. After lunch, we’ll have events showcasing our sports and creative student clubs. For instance, there’ll be a TikTok-dance workshop, a public podcast recording session, a DJ school, and even a class in cyanotype – the art of creating photographic images without the use of the usual tools.”
Those who are simply interested in science and life at the university can explore various interactive objects: lab set-ups, dancing robots, and display pieces from ITMO’s Museum of Optics.
Finally, every adherent of the ITMO.FAMILY philosophy can grab a piece of ITMO-brand merch: a special ITMO.STORE stall will feature items from a new limited edition series. Lucky customers will get to show off their new purchases at the nearby special photo area.
“Our main goal is to introduce ITMO to as many people as possible and to show them that we’re not only about IT,” explains Alyona Gupaisova. “When you choose us, you don’t need to decide between work and studies, business or science, sports or teaching. We want people to remember us as a cool place where you can manage to do everything you love doing.”
