‘I Always Dreamed about Studying at Cambridge’

Natalia Sarana, doctoral student of the School of Philology, told us about her internship at the University of Cambridge.

— Tell us about your internship at Cambridge. How did you prepare for it? What did you have to do to make it happen?

— I can say that I’d been preparing for this internship for many years. Of course, I had always dreamed about studying at Cambridge. This was a huge dream, and Elena Penskaja, my academic supervisor, helped me to believe in it. I wouldn’t have had the strength to turn this dream into a plan and then to realize it without her support.

When I was enrolled in the advanced doctoral programme, I knew about the opportunity to have an internship at a university abroad, and of course I hoped to go to Cambridge. I found out that in order to go for an internship I had to apply to the University of Cambridge, pass an English exam and an interview. The English exam turned out to be rather difficult, even though I have high TOEFL scores and a CPE certificate. I had to pass an internal exam, and it happened to be one of the most difficult exams I’d ever taken. After successfully passing it, I had to present my bio and research proposal before a committee at the chosen department, to pass an interview, and then wait for an answer from the university.

When I got a positive response, I was very happy!

Then I had to organize the trip on behalf of HSE. In this, I got help from Elena Viktorova, manager of the Advanced doctoral programme, who explained all the details to me.

— What does your internship consist of? Do you attend courses or mainly work on your thesis?

— Of course, my internship largely consists of working in the university library. The main Cambridge library possesses unique resources that can be accessed only by those working or studying here. This is a unique opportunity for me, and I try to use it to the fullest extent possible.

I also attend lectures read by incredibly interesting speakers, renowned specialists in their fields. In addition to this, I have an academic supervisor at Cambridge. I regularly talk to him and discuss my research with him.

One of my key activities at Cambridge is meeting people. I meet my supervisor and other researchers who are studying the topic of my interest not only at Cambridge, but also at other universities around the country. These meetings take place as mini lectures read personally for me, where I can learn more about the things I’m keen on, to ask questions and discuss some important issues.

— Please tell us about the topic of your thesis. Is it related to your previous studies?

— I’m writing a thesis on the tradition of the English bildungsroman in the Russian prose of 1850-80s. It is related to the time periods and genres studied in my previous research, but, as with any new research, includes many areas I haven’t studied before. And this is what makes it interesting for me.

— Have you had an internship in Britain before?

— Yes, I went on short-term internships in Britain during my undergraduate and master’s studies. In particular, I spent one semester at the University of Essex during my master’s course. This was a fascinating experience, since I took several courses and passed them along with the other students. These courses were not always directly related to my master’s research, but they became an essential part of my master’s study. But when I came to Cambridge, I immediately noticed how this internship was different from my previous experience. The University of Cambridge has a much higher level of teaching, learning and requirements than the other English universities I’m familiar with.

— What advice could you give to those who also want to go for an internship?

— First, don’t be afraid to dream. Second, you must clearly understand what you want to get from this internship, the experience of studying in an international university, or, for example, the opportunity to do research at a specific university that is focused on your topic. As soon as you understand the purpose of your internship, it will be clear how and where you should do it.

Interviewed by M. Krivosheina