The most vivid memories I have from doing an MA in this department are connected to the acquaintances I made there and to the atmosphere at the department. My participation in this program was indeed a very family-like experience, it is the period of my life most of my close friendships stem from. The group of students was rather small and many people had very different backgrounds and yet strived to study and spend a lot of time together. Quite often the classes didn’t just stop at nine, we got together and walked to a cozy bar in Pokrovka or Arma, where the discussions continued, gradually turning into “bar conversations”. We had great two years together.
This sense of unity and engagement did not appear out of nowhere, it is intentionally maintained in the department by both the teachers and the students. The atmosphere is very egalitarian, which allows to have great discussions and encourages students to express their opinion knowing that it is respected and always taken seriously. Studying in this department was not easy: there was a lot of reading, sometimes on very different topics, and everyone was supposed to actively participate in the discussions. There was also a lot of statistical and experimental training, which was well integrated with the theoretical courses. The most impressive part of the program was a series of courses and master-classes taught by invited prominent linguists. Even though I’ve got my BA from the same department, the amount of new knowledge and skills I acquired there was considerable. These skills allowed me to put my own research, the questions I ask and the way I answer them, to a completely new level of quality.
Since the classes were very intense and required a lot of preparation, it was uneasy to combine studying with full-time work. Luckily, I worked at the same department as a teacher and in the Linguistic Convergence Lab as a research assistant. Both workplaces were in the same building, so I did not have to commute from work to classes. Even though it was rough and I can’t say that I fully recommend this lifestyle, working at the lab taught me a lot about conducting real research and teaching was a very useful experience, especially in terms of sort skills.
After finishing the MA program, I entered the HSE PhD program and then, after my first year there, the doctoral program at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, where I continued my studies. When I applied here, I was aware that HSE linguistics is well-known to linguists abroad. Professors and researchers from Jena were very impressed with the research and teaching in my alma mater and valued the applicants from this university very highly. My senior colleagues from HSE fully supported, and even encouraged my decision to do research at MPI and helped me with recommendations and even conducted test interviews for me, for which I am very grateful. I have to admit that I am where I am and do what I love doing the most only thanks to the two years in this MA program that shaped me as a researcher, to my teachers and their careful and professional guidance, as well as to my fellow students, who made this part of my life unforgettable.
