Portrait of First-Year Graduate Student Veronika Livintseva in the Interiors of Academia and Science
Meet Veronika Livintseva, a first-year graduate student of ICEF and a research intern at the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS). Veronika holds an honours degree in World Economy (HSE) and a medal from the World Economy section of the student contest Higher League, ranking number one among 123 students in 2023-24. Here’s how Veronica’s chosen field of study inspires her to be creative, how she manages to excel in studying while working a job, and how projects and conferences can benefit a student’s life.
Veronica, what motivated you to pursue your current course of study at ICEF? What makes it an attractive choice?
The number one thing that motivated me was my desire to learn corporate valuation and performance and be able to manage corporate funds professionally in the context of the sanctions.
As someone with a background in economics, I have assimilated quite enough of concepts to be able to analyze the macroeconomic processes quite easily and produce what we call expert judgement. I expect my current course of master’s study to complement my background by giving it a more practical touch. Otherwise I can’t be a pro in strategic consulting, my chosen career field.
The second thing is more of academic nature. In my course of bachelor’s study, the focus was mostly on the interpretation of relationships within and among the economic processes. Here at ICEF, I can expand my knowledge through a line of studies that are fundamentally quantitative and can be used in testing and validating my hypotheses on a more profound level.
Third, this master’s programme is fully in English, presenting both a challenge and new opportunities to those who want to test and prove themselves. Some people in my group are natives of Peru, Vietnam, Africa, and near-abroad countries. We use solely English as we study and communicate throughout the day.
And, finally, ICEF’s long-established ties with universities abroad and impressive opportunities for academic mobility. They’d played a role, too.
Can we go back to the second thing you mentioned that attracted you? What courses were you most interested in?
Mergers and Acquisitions, Financial Economics: Asset pricing", Financial Derivatives, Debt Financing Instruments, Investment Analysis – these courses form core part of financial economics, I wanted to learn them in the first place. Also Corporate Finance, Financial Market Microstructure, and Asset Pricing. Risk Management, too, is a very useful course.
What are your first impressions? How does it feel to be a first-year graduate student of ICEF?
ICEF welcomed us with highly intensive courses in fundamental math – Mathematical Analysis, Linear Algebra & Probability Theory, and Statistics.
It’s a very high-paced learning environment. We have as many as 14-16 classes of math per week. And we only have three weeks to brush up on our skills for the three math courses I have mentioned, they took me a huge amount of time to learn as a bachelor’s student. We actually need to brush up on even more over these three weeks – a huge challenge but I’m completely into it. I am eager to do the test in late September and know my result.
ICEF uses every way it can to demonstrate to its new students it’s not going to be easy here, what to expect and what it takes to complete its programme.
Here, the students face a lot of deadlines and have short timelines to cover extensive pieces of information. They share this sense of unity that makes them a close-knit group of people to tackle academic tasks together and helping one another with explaining theorems.
All ICEF teachers know how to present a complex material in an understandable way. The people in my group come from diverse backgrounds including economics, math, IT, etc. Those with little background in economics do have difficulty understanding the concepts of microeconomics and advanced econometrics. Therefore, the teachers try to do their best to explain in the simplest of the terms. Professor Alexander Zasorin, who teaches mathematics for economists, never loses patience to explain again and again and with great enthusiasm. Professor Anna Yurko, our Microeconomics teacher, sticks to the same approach, as does Professor Dmitry Mikhailov, who teaches Microeconomics seminars. The teachers here are really making every effort to ensure that their students can assimilate the material. This inspires enthusiasm in us students.
Veronika, you seem all ready to take this challenge. You are working hard to prepare for your math test and have joined an economic forum. Can you tell more about it?
I spent the first week of September at the Eastern Economic Forum on Russky Island as an expert representing the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies. My task there was to follow the expert discussions and afterwards present a position paper based on the discussions held. I chose to focus on the topic of Special Administrative Regions (SAR) and ways the Russian economy can use to operate under the anti-Russian sanctions and return its capital from abroad. The sessions I was following were two – “SAR: Reversing Capital Outflow” and “Russia’s Logistical Connectivity and How Transport Corridors Can Impact Economic Development”.
My interest in “SAR: Reversing Capital Outflow” comes from my specialization on the Eurasian integration. As for Russia’s logistical connectivity, it is now being re-oriented towards the East, raising my interest as a sinophile and a speaker of Chinese.
The Eastern Economic Forum is not the only venue you attended this past September. You have also been to the VII HSE EAEU International Forum, held September 16 -18, 2024 in Moscow.
This forum brings together the early career scientists who explore the issues of Eurasian integration. We worked in teams of ten on the concept of a stock aggregator of the EAEU, an initiative to facilitate the Eurasian integration. The idea we proposed involves the development of a high-tech platform where the EAEU member countries could trade in export-oriented agricultural produce, as well as a clearing center to facilitate that trade.
Participating in such a major economic venue – and not on its sidelines – is quite an achievement. Tell us your secret, Veronica. How can a student get there?
Two things. Stay proactive about the upcoming events and gain experience through projects, they are a great way to network. While an undergraduate I earned 60 credits by doing studies for a whole range of projects, exploring, among other things, Cote d’Ivoire’s pork market and a luxury brand’s potential of breaking into the markets of the Trans-Caucasian Region. One of those projects involved me in elaborating the Digital Data Card of Zimbabwe.
Still, my major focus is on special administrative regions. One such region is Kaliningrad. I went there to do a research into its performance under the current economic sanctions. Another special economic zone I’ve been to is Alabuga, near Kazan. Also, I am currently learning Chinese and was able to join The Shanghai Summer School BRICS Programme. And I generally take an interest in Central Asian studies. It led me to apply to Astana’s School on Central Asia, which I did and got accepted.
One of those projects got me a research intern job at CCEIS. But, make no mistake about it, no project will bring you any tangible results right after you join it. I think it was my tenth one that I finally got a job through. But in every project that I did before it there were many useful skills to learn that helped me identify my research interests.
Where do I look for projects? In HSE newsletters and on channels dedicated to academic mobility.
Let me give you some of them, you might find them useful:
- Monthly global economic monitor GlobBaro HSE
- Academic Mobility Centre
- StudyQA
- OpenRussia
Where do you find time to do all that you do?
A change is as good as a rest. Mathematics still feels like a splash of cold water, like flipping over in a kayak. Work is more clear, giving greater comfort. I work 20 hours a week at CCEMI.
On weekends I often join my friends for a Golden Ring tour or go to see a theatrical performance or a musical. But most importantly, there is still time for family and friends. My family is my greatest source of inspiration. My dad and granddad had been through radical changes in their lives and are both men of purpose. Professionally they come from backgrounds different from mine, but for me they are perfect role models for their attitude to life, work and challenge.
Also, I run for charity. I’m not a professional athlete, but have run a five-kilometer distance twice and am thinking about doing ten soon. Running a semi-marathon seems a way too challenging.
And my other passion is painting. I like to paint with oils, although I must admit I no longer have the time for this. I’ll try to do my best to keep practicing.
What to expect when you are an ICEF student?
You can be absolutely sure to expect to work hard. And my advice here is don’t follow trodden paths, stick to things that really interest you. This will help you find the people to be friends with and work together.
But most importantly, try yourself is as many fields and projects as you can. HSE and ICEF can open up a world of opportunities for you!