I’ve always been fascinated about Russia. The real awe about the country began for me in October 2014, when I started studying French at Alliance Française de Bangalore. I had a Russian classmate called Irina and our short but meaningful interaction made me more awe inspired by the richness of the country and its scientific and cultural heritage.

One day as I was surfing the net for universities abroad that offer a PhD in Psychology, I serendipitously came across some Russian universities. From that day on I vehemently started researching on the best universities in Russia. Several months later, I contacted Dr. Boris Chernyshev, a professor of Psychophysiology at Russia’s leading university, the Higher School of Economics. Our conversations about my becoming a prospective student at Higher School of Economics lasted for a year. And then, my parents told me that the entrance exam would be extremely difficult. I didn’t have enough confidence in myself so I pushed the thought aside, with great difficulty. Several others said things like, Russia is a dangerous country, there’s lot of crime, etc.  Someone even said that I would be put into a Siberian jail because I would not be polite when some Russian makes a racist remark. Yet, the thought of studying Russia would still appear during my sleep. So, I persisted, knowing that my thoughts become reality. And that was one of the secrets of The Secret.

Now in 2019, I am glad that I got accepted for Summer School at Higher School of Economics for two short-term courses. I may not have gotten the cake yet, but I have the cherry!