‘Put in the Effort, and You Will Learn a Lot’

Roosevelt Ogah

Photo courtesy of Roosevelt Ogah

Roosevelt Ogah is a first-year student of the master’s programme in Economics and Economic Policy at HSE University. He studies on the research track ‘Microeconomics and Macroeconomics’ and demonstrates very high academic performance. In his interview, he shares his experience of studying abroad for the first time and some tips on how to achieve high results in studies.

Roosevelt Ogah

— What is your educational background and why did you choose to pursue a Master’s degree in Russia, at HSE University?

— I got my bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

I’ve heard a lot about Russia. I know that it has one of the top educational systems in Europe and that this system is one of the best in the world

I found information about HSE University when I was exploring where to study abroad. And I saw that HSE was one among the top. Then I read a lot about HSE, visited the programmes’ websites and found information about sports. Of all the universities I researched, this one stood out with its size and quality.

— What were your expectations about studying in Russia and did the programme meet your expectations?

— I expected that I would be taught things more advanced than I already knew and that it would be quite difficult. Russia is one of the top countries and its educational system is one of the best. If you are coming here, you have to be prepared to go through a lot. So, my expectations were to learn a lot, but I knew I would have to put forth a lot of effort.

I’ve already learnt much more than I expected. Everything we study is done in great detail. You do not stop after learning a theory. You need to understand how this theory is linked to the model and the empirics. The master’s programme in Economics and Economic Policy at HSE University has certainly met my expectations.

However, it is very stressful. You always have a deadline to meet, a presentation or an exam to write.

Sometimes you feel tired, but it is for the better. I think if this isn’t happening, you probably aren’t learning much

— Was there anything interesting that you did not expect?

The idea out there about racism in Russia. Back in Ghana, in the media, I had heard about racism in Russia. However, since arriving, I’ve never felt any discrimination. Russians are very nice. They see you on the street and they want to know more about Ghana. They want to know more about you, and this was a very different experience from what I expected.

I was not expecting people to be so nice. What I’ve seen is totally different from what was portrayed in the media

Sometimes people come up to me in a bus or in the metro, they are smiling and then they ask ‘What’s your name?’ or ‘Which country do you come from?’ There was one moment when I was speaking to a man, and when I told him I was from Ghana, he looked it up on the Internet and asked me who our presidents were and who was popular. He was really interested to learn more about Ghana. When people come to talk to me, they are interested in me and my culture, which is very nice.

— What language do you speak when people approach you on the street?

— Sometimes we speak English, but we also use translators to communicate. They type something into the translator and then I type back. That is how we communicate if the person doesn’t speak any English. As for me, I am not good at Russian, so translators really help with communication.

— Have you faced any difficulties because you do not speak Russian?

— No, usually Russians are ok with English. Young ones are very good at it. Communication is certainly not the key problem thanks to technology.

As for people inside the university, my programme is in English, so everyone there speaks English.

There are many people from India, Pakistan, and other countries at HSE University, various people from very different backgrounds and different cultures

— How do you find the weather in Moscow?

— During the winter it is very hard for the first-time traveller (it is my first time away from Ghana). You can’t just wear what you want and you are always trying to layer more clothes just to protect yourself from the cold. But now, in spring, it is ok.

— What about your student life?

— I am not a member of any student organisations yet, but I am interested in the student academic council. Maybe next year, I will apply. I think it is a good opportunity to do something apart from studies and gain some professional skills.

— What are you going to do after you graduate?

— My plan is to become a professor in economics or work in the research field. There are lots of resources in Ghana, however we’ve not been able to use them most efficiently. One of my long-term goals is to gain experience in modelling, to create models that will suit Ghana and help optimise the use of resources in my country.

Interview by Polina Sukhacheva, bachelor’s student of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication, intern at the HSE University English website team