Jamievee Bautista (Philippines)
Graduate 2021
Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy. Ph.D. in Political Science and Sociology
When I decided to pursue my studies in Russia two years ago, I must put it straight that my main motivation was the MCSR program itself (entirely taught in English and has a huge selection of seminars), aside from my curiosity of the post-Soviet space at large. The domain of comparative social research was alien to me, but the curriculum of the program is tailored to welcome local and international students from diverse academic backgrounds. In parallel, the equally competent professors of the program who also feature a strong international profile bring their own pedagogical approaches and research works which enriched and diversified the learning process. Although the program tends to bend towards the quantitative research tradition, the options for other methodological seminars are diverse including Qualitative Comparative Analysis and of course qualitative methods in sociology. I am fortunate to have spent another academic year in EHESS Paris as a double-degree student where I further developed and conducted my research on visual sociology of social movements. The experiences from both institutions have immensely prepared me in pursuing my doctoral studies and honed me to be an engaged and reflexive social researcher beyond academia. As the MCSR program continues to hit international academic rankings, I am confident that the whole experience, albeit very demanding and challenging, will be extremely rewarding after all!
Friederike Augustin (Germany)
Graduate 2020
What I did in my Bachelor was much more Political Science-focused. The programme here is more Sociology-oriented and even more specific. This was all new to me. I had to take some crash courses in Statistics, which was a bit challenging. But I see that it’s extremely useful and I am very thankful for this opportunity because I know that my institute back in Berlin does not have the capacity to teach quantitative methods and statistics in the way HSE does. I didn’t know that but it’s been a useful surprise. The courses here complement our courses in Berlin, although the focus is slightly different here. For instance, one thing I’m glad about is that when I write my CV in the future, I’ll be able to write that I have experience working with ‘R’ statistical package, which is amazing
Marion Jacquart (France)
Graduate 2019
I joined the CSR programme in HSE in September 2018 as part of a double-track degree with the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS - Paris, France). I wished to study in this programme for different reasons, which this experience met in most aspects. Firstly, my master thesis was focusing on Feminism in Russia and I hoped to be on the field one full year to be able to investigate this topic. Secondly, I wanted to improve my level of Russian, that, despite ten years of study in school was still insufficient. Thirdly, I wished to be provided with tools, keys of understanding, new authors and theories that would be close to my research. The classes I attended really met my expectations. One of the most challenging part of writing my dissertation about feminism in Russia was to try to avoid the trap of ethnocentrism. I cannot affirm that I completely succeeded in doing so, but CSR programme really pays particular attention to this question, and it’s a topic we had the opportunity to discuss in several classes and seminars (Contemporary Sociological theory, Applied research on inequalities or Comparative Migration Policy for instance).
Daniil Kolkolenkov
Graduate 2018
After spending two years on the “Comparative Social Research” master’s programme, I can say that it has completely fulfilled all my expectations. The programme opened for me the world of quantitative methodology and data-analysis, as well as helped me to improve my academic English. Courses that were conducted by international professors introduced me to how sociological theory and methods of comparative analysis are used in different fields of social sciences in European and American, as well as in Russian schools of thoughts. It was heartwarming to see how professors and the academic supervisor strive to deliver the best experience and knowledge to students. Their dedication was evident in the quality of the courses, as well as in the multitude of extracurricular activities that were organized for us. During the course of the programme a dozen of international guest-professors were invited to hold lectures, master-classes and workshops solely for “Comparative Social Research” students.I was pleasantly surprised that a programme that was established only few years ago has so much to offer and provides full academic experience with great courses and skilled (and friendly) staff. I sincerely hope that with time the programme will become only better, and more students will be introduced to the domain of comparative social research
I graduated from Political Science Department (NRU HSE-Perm). My thesis was about the impact of parliament composition on socio-economic policy. I compared budgets of different Russian regions using econometrics. I think that is the reason I applied for Comparative Social Research Program. During the education on the program, I had a chance to know a lot of new things (including methods and theoretical approaches as well). I participated in several summer schools and conferences where I had an opportunity to presented my research. In 2016 my I became a winner of student workshop (III School of Economic Analysis ARETT).
Kirils Makarovs (Latvia)
Graduate 2017
Doing his PhD in sociology at the University of Essex.
When deciding to enter this Master’s programme, my primary expectations were to learn more about conducting the large-scale cross-national comparative surveys, as well as to acquire skills of data analysis, required to deal with this kind of data. English as a language of instruction, the possibility of academic internship and semi-annual training in Saint Petersburg came as additional bonuses. For now, I can say that my expectations were met, I’ve obtained the knowledge and skills that I wanted to get and moreover, I came up with an idea of a research that I want to pursue in further career. Perhaps the greatest experience during those two years was an internship at Tilburg University, which gave me time to write a paper which is now published in Social Science & Medicine. Starting this October, I will be doing my PhD in sociology at the University of Essex.
Gaber L. Elena (Russia)
Graduate 2016
I spent several months trying to choose the master program. Most friends who I asked for advice said that with my ambitions the only way for me is studying abroad. I were so happy when I knew about opening a new program "International Master in Comparative Social Research". I read carefully all information from the website and and met with the director of the program, spending an hour asking different questions relating to the features of the program. Then I realized that this program perfectly fits my interests. The most attractive features of it for me are: international pool of lectors, English language, priority to develop academic skills, the combination of courses relating to analytical methods and theoretical courses and an opportunity to study abroad.
Moiseeva A. Anita (Russia)
Graduate 2016
During my BA studies in NRU HSE I already obtained extensive theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of Sociology.
International Master Program in Comparative Social Research enabled me to enhance my attainments in the best possible way. I learned to be skeptical about classical and modern theories, and not to take them for granted. I advanced my qualifications in research design, got familiar with new research techniques and realized how to critically evaluate the quantitative comparative studies and social research in general. I should highlight that during my MA studies I had a lot of opportunities to communicate with distinguished foreign and Russian scholars, attended conferences, summer schools, courses, seminars, lectures on my interest, and was involved in several fundamental and applied team projects. Moreover, in the second year of MA studies I underwent the internship in National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg working in an international environment on the project devoted to firm competiveness and job satisfaction. I appreciated my time in the master program, and consider it as valuable experience in my scientific career.
Dracheva Alina (Russia)
Graduate 2016
In June 2014 I have graduated with a Bachelor of International Relations degree ( Saint-Petersburg State University) with an average score above 96% and obtained a diploma with distinction being on of the top undergraduate student at our department. My choice to study comparative social science was a conscious decision that resulted from my previous experiences. I became interested in the issues concerning the society and its problems already in high school when I felt the overall decrease in personal well being and noticed the common feeling of an "offended nation". As for the research methods, in my previous research I used mainly such methods as analysis and synthesis of theoretical literature on the issue and some data from online data bases. Unfortunately I was not familiar with rigorous qualitative and quantitative method. To learn the methodology of comparative social research was my first and foremost goal and one of the main reasons I had chosen this Master programm.
Kareem Khan (Pakistan)
Graduate 2016
The Master’s program at HSE in Comparative Social Research offered me a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and learn something novel. The program offered me a great chance to learn more about social research. The program gave me the freedom to pursue research in my area of interest, which could help me to a great deal for my further studies. After one year in the program, I am greatly impressed by the passion and zeal of the team at Laboratory of Comparative Social Research to uplift the learning environment and to publicize its excellence. I also see a quintessential drive among my fellow students and professors to have a positive impact in social research. Being an international student, I always received support from everyone in the program to adjust to the new academic and social setting.
Jacqueline Phillips (USA)
Graduate 2016
Graduate of Salem College (North Carolina, USA)
I learned about HSE and the Masters in Comparative Social Research when I read an interview with one of the professors that was posted on the HSE blog. This programme has incorporated the best of both worlds. While intense theoretical discussion is popular in US sociology, Russian academia prides itself on research. At HSE, I have already written many theoretical papers, but also worked in the SPSS, Atlas.ti, and R software packages. Right now I am exploring how the concept of culture in social science is translated into practical management applications by business consultants and the implications of this concept transformation.
Miguel Ángel Sevilla Mayol (Spain)
Graduate 2016
Works at Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, The United Nations Organization
My experience is highly recommended. First year I was living between Moscow and St Petersburg, each semester in a different city. It was an experience that helped me to undertake my professional goals. During my first year I applied for some international United Nations agencies, in order to undertake my international internship during second year. Finally, I passed all the process and I joined my internship in United Nations, at the ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), in Chile headquarters. It was a great experience, because I always was interested on gender studies, then I could develop my internship for few months at the Gender Affairs Division in Latin America and the Caribbean. After my internship I carried on my thesis, however, before it was finished I started working at the office where I did my internship, at the ECLAC-UN (it was hard, but at the same time I finished my thesis). I am working on Gender Affairs nowadays. To study at HSE was so useful: I learnt a lot, it improved my English to work in international atmosphere, as well as the other many skills that will definitely help me to develop my professional career.
