Grant of the President of the Russian Federation. Why it is important to put aside your fears and try your hand.
This year, first-year Master's students have the opportunity to receive a Grant from the President of the Russian Federation. Daria Skhukhovtseva, a student of the Programme "Governance of science, Technology and Innovation", won the grant and told about when she decided to participate, what achievements helped her to be on the list of winners, and why failures are an incentive to move forward and an opportunity to express herself even more brightly.
Student life opens up opportunities in different areas. This can be professional development, meeting new friends, participating in interesting projects and competitions, and of course, receiving scholarships and grants.
For HSE Master's students, the choice of scholarships and grants is quite wide. There are grants aimed at encouraging the development of abilities in a particular professional field, scholarships that are awarded for achievements in scientific, pedagogical, sports or creative activities.
Grant
I learned about the grant from the newsletter of the Olympiad "I am a professional", in which I had previously participated, and decided to try it. In the process of applying for a grant, you must fill out a special application and meet certain requirements.
To be honest, I was very surprised when on December 4, I received a call from the education office and was informed that I had become a grant holder. The fact is that the official results were announced on December 1. I went to the website more than once and checked myself in the lists, but I never found it, so I accepted the loss and thought that this experience was useful in any case. As it turned out, the winners were published in several waves, and I entered the last one.
What documents do you need to collect when applying for a grant?
The main advantage that I had when applying for the grant was the title of a gold medalist in the direction of "Management", the Olympiad "I am a professional", which is held for students. By the way, it was this victory that helped me get on the budget place for my Master's programme.
Fears and failures
I didn't have any fears, because I didn't have much hope. But my wishes and attempts are not always successful enough. Relatively recently, in June of last year, I was selected for an intern position at McKinsey & Company. I trained hard with case-trainers, and solved a total of about 30 different cases, in addition to those that I counted on at the championships as part of the team. Plus, I already had a work experience. But after two interviews, when I was still waiting for an invitation to the second round, the person who conducted the last interview with me called me and said that I could not be invited further yet, because I did not have enough practical experience. Feedback came to my graduation, just a few minutes before the broadcast on which Valeryi Meladze performed. I had planned to have fun, but in reality there was self-reflection and sadness. But this experience was also valuable, despite all its pain. Then he helped me in the selection process for my current position in pharmaceutical consulting, because the selection process followed a similar pattern.
The formula for success
Of course, there is no universal formula for success for any task. But I can share what works in my case. It is important to try everything, and understand that each time you benefit from your actions. Even if it does not shoot now, it will definitely find its application in the future, and maybe even in another area. When I participated in the Olympics, I was not sure that I could win, but it was this victory that opened the doors to the next stage for me. You can set yourself big goals, but it is important to understand that the path to them is rarely easy, and the experience that accumulates with each attempt, sooner or later will definitely come in handy. You may not notice how to participate in one competition, submit documents for the second program, and a different sequence of your actions: how all this will affect your life as a result, and you as a person in the first place.
Future plans
Since I am already working at the time of receiving my education, after the graduation, I dream of taking a vacation for about a month and going to Paris. This is if we talk about short-term goals, and in the long term I plan to devote more time to my career and hobbies. Now I can't do what I want to do in my free time, because I almost always study on weekends, but this is my way and I chose it.
Holders of the Grant of the President of the Russian Federation receive an amount of 20 thousand rubles per month for the entire duration of their master's degree.
Grantees must annually confirm the right to receive a grant with good academic performance and active scientific/pedagogical/creative activity.
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