"MIB provides a good combination of theory and practice in “right” proportions"

Dmitry Pozdeev and Ksenia Kireeva (alumni 2018) on their study and leisure experience at HSE.

You both studied at the bachelor’s program at HSE before. Why did you choose MIB for your master studies?

Firstly, as we both studied World Economy during our Bachelors, we realized that in order to gain some advantage while starting our careers, the choice of Masters should be made with the focus on practical skills in mind. Luckily, MIB provides a good combination of theory and practice in “right” proportions. Also, one of the key criteria of choosing the program was the ability to spend a semester abroad for personal experience, and MIB has advantages here with the variety of partnerships with multiple universities around the world.

Think back on your first day of classes. How was it? And how was your last class?

We cannot say that something was unusual, since again we both studied at basically the same faculty before and had some of our elective classes with the professors also teaching in the MIB. We remember that we were impressed with the fact that there are many practitioners in the program, and not only professors from the academia. Last classes were a bit different for us: we only attended the Master Thesis workshops because we finished the rest of our curriculum in the US. That was a bit unusual in a way that we only had one class per week.

What were the most exciting or challenging moments at the MIB program for you?

One of the most both exciting and challenging moments was the consulting project, when we were able to communicate with real companies and try to help them to solve the real problems that they had. Also, it was challenging enough to organize people for the group projects – almost everyone had a job, and it was quite tough to align the schedules of each other.

How and when did you meet? Was it hard to study in the program as a couple?

We met during the first year of our Bachelors program through common friends. It was not hard to study together, actually vice versa it was a bit easier for us. For example, when completing the group tasks together, we were able to find common language right from the beginning. At the same time, when we were dealing with individual tasks, we could always assist and help each other.

We would like to congratulate you on your marriage. What are your best wedding memories?

As the day of the wedding passed in an instant, the best memories are those of the process of preparing the venue, creating a special atmosphere, making videos, inviting guests and of course the trip we had after. During the wedding itself, everything was so quick and filled with emotion that it was hard to concentrate on something – the ceremony was probably an exception, and we will definitely remember that forever.

What are your future plans?

To keep up with careers that we started during the program, to further develop ourselves.

What would you recommend to our new students in terms of studying and living in Moscow?

Three things:

1.     Get used to the Russian mentality (we are often perceived as grumpy, since we are not used to smiling to strangers as much as foreigners are).

2.     Make friends that you are comfortable with.

3.     Try to enjoy Moscow as much as you can – it’s a wonderful city for sightseeing and any other type of leisure time, just explore the options.