The Students Who Keep HSE Running After Classes
HSE students reflect on their study and interest outside University.
Anatoly, Deputy Group Representative: My name is Tolik, and I am from group BRO2308. In my third year, I became the deputy group representative. My role is closely connected with student life beyond regular classes: together with the group representative, I pass information from professors and the Academic Office to my groupmates.
When necessary, I also communicate with the Academic Office and professors, and help my groupmates with organizational and academic questions. In essence, I am the person who keeps a finger on the pulse and makes sure no one misses anything important.
I got into this role after the previous group representative suggested it to me. I had always been good at staying aware of everything that was going on, so I was confident I could handle it. But honestly, when I agreed, I had no idea what was really behind the position. I thought it would mostly mean forwarding messages. It turned out to be much deeper than that.
Akim, Teaching and Research Assistant: For me, there are actually two tracks: teaching assistance and research assistance. I first became involved through Data Analysis. I was studying at MIREC, and our program included courses across different areas of economics, including data-related subjects. Data Analysis was the course that really caught my attention. I would not say that all programming immediately felt natural to me, but Data Analysis made me think: “Wow, this can actually be interesting.”
Later, an older student I knew, who had already graduated from my faculty and was working as a seminar instructor, suggested that I try assisting with Data Analysis. That is how I entered teaching assistance. Since then, I have also assisted with other disciplines, including World Economy, International Finance, and macro- and microeconomic courses.
There is also research assistance, which is a different story. That usually grows out of strong academic performance, mutual trust, and a working relationship with a professor. In my case, it developed through my research supervisor. I helped with academic work: checking materials, working with data, making calculations, and contributing to research-related tasks. So gradually, one thing led to another.
Anatoly: What surprised me was that almost anyone who wants to can become a deputy group representative. It is enough to be responsible and to attend classes regularly so that you have up-to-date information.
But there is an important nuance: being a deputy group representative or a group representative means constantly helping your groupmates. Even when you have already reminded people in every possible way, someone may still miss the details. It is not because they are inattentive — everyone has their own rhythm of life, their own concerns, and sometimes information simply gets lost in the flow.
That is why you have to be ready to explain the same thing several times, always patiently and without irritation. The group representative and the deputy constantly monitor updates: schedule changes, new deadlines, professors’ requirements, and important announcements from the Academic Office. We coordinate the group on all kinds of issues, and we also represent and defend its interests. And that can be difficult. Thirty people means thirty different personalities and thirty different expectations. You have to find a balance between what the group wants and what professors or the Academic Office require. It is a kind of diplomacy in miniature.
Akim: I would not say that the inner workings of it really shocked me, because I had already been around the university system for some time. I had worked with professors, academic projects, and research tasks before, so I more or less understood how things functioned from the inside.
What can be surprising from the outside is how many processes depend on communication, timing, and sometimes very ordinary sources of information. In economics, for example, students often imagine that forecasts, reports, and institutional decisions are based on something almost inaccessible. But when you see the process from inside, you realize that a lot of work is built on open data, careful analysis, and constant checking of information. So for me, it was not something supernatural. It was more a feeling of: this is how the system actually works, and now I am part of the mechanism that helps it function.
Anatoly: I have not had any real emergencies, but sometimes the group representative cannot attend every class. In those cases, someone still has to record students’ attendance and activity, and then send everything to the professors. In moments like that, you do not expect to have to react quickly. You are sitting in class, focused on the material, and suddenly you realize that you need to switch modes: take the group list, fill everything in, and send it. It requires instant concentration and the ability to adapt quickly.I would not say it is a catastrophe, but it is definitely a test of stress resistance.
Akim: Things go not according to plan all the time. Often you are told: “Do it the right way, and do not do it the wrong way.” You do what seems right to you, and then it turns out that this was exactly the wrong way. Then you have to redo everything quickly, often while also studying at the same time. This is especially true when you assist with an educational process. There is always a human factor: it is not just you and a professor, but you, the professor, and a large number of students. Someone forgets something, someone misunderstands the instructions, someone tries to find a shortcut, and something can always go wrong.
One example was a course where the LMS system failed. A student’s automatically assigned grades were not recorded properly, and this affected the final grade. The problem was noticed only near the end, when something already had to be done urgently. In such moments, an assistant often becomes the person who pushes the process forward: searching for instructions, contacting the relevant university units, clarifying what should be done, and passing this information to the professor. People sometimes forget that an assistant is formally there not only for students, but also for the instructor. If the instructor does not have time, misses something, or needs help navigating a process, the assistant is there to support that as well.
Anatoly: Over time, I noticed that my worldview was changing quite seriously. The position turned out to be extremely responsible. If you do nothing in this role, then you simply have no right to hold it. It is not about a formal status; it is about real work. I finally started being responsible not only for myself, but also for other people. Every time I do something — or, on the contrary, do not do something — I understand that it affects the whole group. This changes your attitude toward your own actions.
The key thing is to find a common language with every student. Some people need to be reminded three times, some only need one message, and with some it is better to talk in person. You have to feel what kind of approach each person needs. And when you find those keys to different people, the group starts working as one mechanism. That feeling is worth all the effort. Every day, we receive many questions, and we are expected to know the answers. Of course, students can write directly to the Academic Office, but it physically cannot divide itself among hundreds of students. So we become the link that helps the whole group feel more confident and not get lost in the flow of university life.
This experience is not about status or a line on a CV. It is about responsibility, communication, and always being ready to stay in touch. Yes, it can be difficult. Sometimes you want to exhale and say, “Guys, figure it out yourselves.” But when you see that, thanks to you, someone did not miss an important deadline, understood a difficult situation, or simply stopped panicking, you realize that it is worth it. I am grateful to HSE for this experience. It was here that I understood that real responsibility begins when you stop thinking only about yourself. Perhaps this role made me not just a student, but part of something bigger.
Akim: My attitude toward the university probably changed in a positive way. When I compare this experience with what my former classmates have at other universities, I realize that not everyone has opportunities like this. At HSE, a student can become involved in teaching processes, help with course materials, work with professors, and sometimes even contribute to research. That is valuable.
Assisting also changes how you understand the material itself. When you support the same course for several years, its structure settles in your head in a completely different way. You are not just taking the course once — you keep returning to it, seeing how it works, how students respond to it, and where difficulties appear.
It also changed how I see professors. When you are only a student, it is easy to perceive a professor as someone who simply gives grades — sometimes grades you are unhappy with. But when you sit next to a professor and check other students’ work together, you start seeing the human side of it. You realize that grading is also work: tiring, repetitive, sometimes difficult, and often much less dramatic than students imagine. So the experience made the university feel more open to me. It showed me that there are many processes behind the classes we attend, and that students can actually become part of those processes.
Interview by
Sofia Kostiukhina
