“I See ICEF as a Strong Brand Name and Gold Standard”
Elena, you integrated well into HSE as its bachelor’s student and were able to use many of its opportunities. What made you decide to do your master’s at ICEF?
English-medium instruction. Teachers coming from the world’s top universities. The availability of second language courses. The brandname of ICEF that stands for top quality education in finance, economics, banking, strategic consulting and IT.
I wanted to get a more in-depth experience with economic models and finance – exactly what ICEF’s MSc programme offers. I missed this part of knowledge as a bachelor’s student and am catching up on it now.
What also contributed to my choice of ICEF was my IELTS certificate and the experience of working as an IT consulting analyst at Accenture (renamed AXENIX in 2022). My English skills were good enough to do well in this programme and, given my previous work experience, I knew what new hard and soft skills to expect from it. I was going to study in a programme that ranks among the world’s QS Top 100 Finance degrees!
Did this master’s programme live up to your expectations? Is it as good as you imagined it to be?
Absolutely. At first I feared it’d be difficult to adjust to its rigour, but things turned out easier than I thought. Just don’t let yourself slack off here. Find time to study on your own.
In my first year here I took courses that I thought were useful and interesting to follow – mathematics, statistics and econometrics. I’ve always had a passion for them, even though I sometimes had to step it up. My most challenging class was Financial Economics: Asset Pricing. All other courses, I coped quite well with them.
My second year turned out a whole lot easier. I got used to handling larger bulks of information, but I still find it difficult to do term papers. To write a good term paper, you are expected not only to be knowledgeable about the issue but to come up with something new. This, on the other hand, works as a signature moment and a huge advantage: by giving room for independent work ICEF teaches you independent thinking.
The class I love best of all my current courses is Investment Management. It has a very nice teacher and a winning atmosphere.
It’s nice to be taught by good-natured people who maintain a humorous spirit in class. And it’s great that teachers here can patiently explain time and again and are always willing to meet students halfway by moving deadlines.
I myself always try to meet deadlines and I give myself enough time to prepare for exams. It takes me an average of a day and a half to prepare for each, but it's better to allow more time, of course.
Studies, exam preparation, student work. If you know how to intelligently organize your day, can you still have time for anything else?
Sure. I am a jogger and have run two half marathons. I became a class in short distance. So I usually do 2 or 3 running workouts a week and a couple of total body strength workouts in the gym. Last year I started reggaeton and hip-hop classes. I get to train for as many as 15 to 20 hours a week in total. And I sometimes even manage to squeeze in snowboarding, climbing, and motorcycling – the sports I have become a great fan of.
My other passion is languages. I’m currently learning German and Spanish, and I’m especially thankful to ICEF for having this opportunity to learn Spanish at no cost to me.
Sports and languages seem to help you keep your travel vlog lively.
Nothing gives more energy and inspiration than the anticipation of new travel. I travel with friends. We aren’t great fans of beach holidays, we prefer sightseeing tourism and active adventure.
I travelled to Kazakhstan in 2023, even twice, to climb in its canyons and practice horse-riding and snowboarding. And we also travelled to Turkey, where we explored the heritage of Istanbul and went on a hot-air balloon ride in Cappadocia.
Last summer I was lucky to join a group of ICEF students bound for SWUFE University in China’s Chengdu. We did a very interesting course there – Corporate Green Innovation and Sustainability – and used our time to explore the area and visit the Chengdu panda base.
What advice or personal lifehack would you share with ICEF’s future graduates?
I cannot promise that it will be easy. Being a student of HSE, and especially of ICEF, takes a lot more energy and time than you can think. I would say the most important thing is to be mentally ready and to remember why you are here. ICEF graduates are in great demand in banking, finance, consulting and other sectors. You are here for career success.
One proven lifehack I can share is onboard a team of responsible students to do teamwork projects with. I’ve been on multiple teams and know how relieving it feels when you are with people who won’t let you down and will always deliver their parts of the tasks on time.
My other advice is make friends with senior students. You will find many of them willing to offer help and prompt what to concentrate more on or explain what you have difficulty understanding but don’t want to ask your teacher to explain.
My message is simple:
- network outside your group;
- get involved in a student organization. HSE offers a variety of activities to suit any interest;
- join case championships or conferences;
- contribute to a student club.
All this offers a great opportunity to expand your network and meet people with interesting personalities. Many students tell themselves, “I will get to it later when I’m not so busy studying.” From my own experience, you won’t. There will never be time or the right moment. Therefore, if you want to do something, go for it right away. There is a whole lot of opportunities at ICEF.
