Best ICEF Students at London School of Economics Summer School

This year’s best ICEF students participated in a summer school course at the London School of Economics (LSE). Each year, ICEF students with the highest grades are given the opportunity to study on an ICEF scholarship at the London School of Economics and Political Science’s Summer School. Students Dmitry Kazantsev, Pavel Taranin, Vasily Bogdan and Ruslan Durdyev give us their impressions of the course.

What do you need to do to in order to be top in the rankings?

Dmitry Kazantsev (2nd year undergraduate)

Being first in the rankings probably should not be an end in itself. For me the motivation was the paid trip to the LSE’s Summer School, along with gaining excellent results in subjects that I find really interesting. You don’t, necessarily, have to be the best in every subject – just try to do well in the subjects you really like and make sure not to fall behind with the ones you don’t. Another important factor is exam revision, not just for the finals but also for the intermediate exams. Allocating your time well - that's what's really important!

Pavel Taranin (2nd year undergraduate)

Many will say that the basic conditions required are diligence and hard work, and this is true, up to a point: if you don’t put in the effort, it is practically impossible to do well in your exams. But to excel in your exams you will need a very good grounding in mathematics – this will significantly increase the likelihood of coming top.

Vasily Bogdan (1st year of Master’s degree)

In my opinion, this question should be answered by the person who came top in the ratings! But, on a more serious level, I believe that it is much more important to strive towards personal development rather than seeking to come first, second or third: develop your talents, overcome your weaknesses, do whatever is within your power. Not everyone can come top though.

Ruslan Durdyev (1st year of Master’s degree)

In order to pass all your exams with 10/10 you have to be interested in the subjects you are studying. On top of this, it is desirable, before you start your studies, to have a good grounding in economics and mathematics.

Why did you choose to study specifically at the ICEF? What are its plus points?

Dmitry Kazantsev (2nd year undergraduate)

My choice was between economics and mathematics, and because I had performed well in local and national competitions in these subjects, I was able to enrol in any mathematics and economics faculty. As winner of the schools’ national economics competition I was given a scholarship to study at the ICEF. I opted for the ICEF because of its international standards of education (it offers joint honours degrees), and its training courses, which are really useful later on after graduating when you are planning a career or deciding which steps to take. In my first year of studies, although I did not regret choosing ICEF as a centre for studying economics, I did often wonder whether I had made the right choice by opting for a "non-mathematical" institute for undergraduate studies. However, the ICEF really helped me with this: the Institute’s management supported our initiative (set up by a group of students interested in mathematics) and launched a new specialisation called "Mathematics and Economics". I think that now any student at the ICEF, no matter where his interests in the field of economics and finance lie, may choose a specialisation, where the fundamental and specialised courses meet international standards.

Pavel Taranin (2nd year undergraduate)

First of all, I was attracted by the possibility of obtaining a diploma from the University of London, since I plan to continue my studies for a master’s degree abroad. Furthermore, the teaching in English by international teachers and the close ties with the LSE allow for integration into the global academic arena. Now, as a student, I have pointed out the flexibility of the teaching: the ICEF administration is ready to meet the students, open new faculties and even launch new specializations, at our requests, as it did with the "Mathematics and Economics".

Vasily Bogdan (1st year of Master’s degree)

I had only two options: the ICEF and the New Economic School (NES). According to most of my friends and teachers, for those who are not sure that they will choose an academic career, there is only one option - ICEF. The master's course at ICEF is much more balanced in terms of the ratio of theoretical and practical courses. Another advantage of ICEF is the relatively small number of students, which means that each student is given a lot more attention.

Ruslan Durdyev (1st year of Master’s degree)

I wanted to change university or at least the faculty (previously I had studied at the HSE ‘s Faculty of Economics), and planned to choose finance for my master’s degree. Given these two criteria, my options were limited. I chose ICEF because the teaching here is in English, and there are many other benefits, such as a scholarship provided by VTB 24 bank; the LSE Summer School; and the opportunity to spend a year or a semester at a university abroad (although the latter is also provided by other departments in the HSE).

What are your impressions of the Summer School? What has stuck in your memory the most?

Dmitry Kazantsev (2nd year undergraduate)

I had never been to London before, so for me a trip to the Summer School was not just about studying, but also about having the chance to explore the city. I liked the London School of Economics campus right in the centre of London, with its spirit of a truly large institute and research centre with a huge library, economic laboratories and bookstores. Most of all I remember the grandeur of the British universities, and the discussions with teachers about the opportunities for applying methods and models which we had studied in practice. I was also impressed by London itself and its culture.

Pavel Taranin (2nd year undergraduate)

The Summer school was a great way of spending a vacation while doing something useful. It is difficult to learn a new subject in three weeks, but it's enough to significantly broaden one’s horizons and explore different opportunities and directions if you want to study a particular area in more detail. I was very impressed by the diversity and age of the students who attended the school. Some of them had had more than five years of work experience, or had a PhD, while others were just studying on a undergraduate course.

Vasily Bogdan (1st year of Master’s degree)

I couldn’t say that were was only one particularly memorable event. I liked everything: the atmosphere created by one of the best cities in the world and one of the best universities, experienced teachers, and the bright and interesting participants from around the world.

Ruslan Durdyev (1st year of Master’s degree)

I very much enjoyed the summer school: An excellent programme, a high level of teaching and an international environment. Interestingly, both the teachers who taught classes in our groups were from Moscow. One of them was a master’s graduate from ICEF, Milan Martinovic, and is now a PhD student at LSE.

What kind of course on the Summer School did you choose and why?

Dmitry Kazantsev (2nd year undergraduate)

I chose the "Analysis and Management of Financial Risks" course because I wanted to learn more about the application of mathematical and statistical models in finance and how they are used in practice in various financial institutions.

Pavel Taranin (2nd year undergraduate)

I chose the course "Analysis and Management of Financial Risks" for two reasons. On the one hand, I wanted to study a subject which is not part of the mandatory courses at ICEF, on the other hand, this area seemed to me "sufficiently quantitative" and interesting.

Vasily Bogdan (1st year of Master’s degree)

I chose the "Alternative Investments" course, because it seemed to have a very packed syllabus. I did not want to work on one subject in particular but to expand my horizons in the field of finance.

Ruslan Durdyev (1st year of Master’s degree)

I chose a course on alternative investments, since it covers topics that I am already interested in, and which cannot be found within the framework of the mandatory course in Moscow.

What are your plans after ICEF?

Dmitry Kazantsev (2nd year undergraduate)

I hope that my future education and career will be related, to some extent, to the mathematical modelling of financial and economic processes; the skills acquired at ICEF and the LSE Summer School will help me with this.

Pavel Taranin (2nd year undergraduate)

It's hard to say what will happen in two years, but after ICEF I plan to study for my master’s degree abroad in a field related to quantitative finance, or to find an interesting job where I can apply the knowledge gained at ICEF.

Vasily Bogdan (1st year of Master’s degree)

Lately, I've been tending more towards teaching and research work, although do not rule out the option of employment in the financial sector.

Ruslan Durdyev (1st year of Master’s degree)

After graduation, I plan to try my hand at being an entrepreneur.

Nikita Krylnikov, specially for the HSE news Service

September 26, 2014