‘My PhD Taught Me about Life, Professionalism, Research, and Controlling My Emotions’ (original) (raw)

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Olga Volosyuk and Wai Yan Phyo Naing

Photo courtesy of Wai Yan Phyo Naing

Wai Yan Phyo Naing first came to HSE University from Myanmar to enrol in a master’s programme at the Faculty of World Economy and World Affairs in 2015. After graduation, he decided to pursue a PhD at the Doctoral School of International and Regional Studies. On February 16, 2023, he successfully defended his dissertation on ‘Evolution of Myanmar’s Policy Towards China (1988–2020)’.

Following a Childhood Dream

I heard about HSE university from my friend. I checked the university’s website and was impressed with its outstanding academic achievements and image in international university rankings. Therefore, I decided to apply to the Master’s in Socioeconomic and Political Development of Modern Asia in 2015.

Studying at a foreign university was my childhood dream. My professors, classmates and the administration teams were very supportive, charming and friendly to international students. I never lost those first impressions

After the master’s, I decided to pursue a PhD at HSE since I was delighted with the academic training here. Applying was a heart-pounding experience, since I heard that the HSE’s PhD admission process is tough, especially for scholarship students. In 2018, over 400 students applied for the PhD scholarship, and only 199 students were awarded scholarships. I carefully organised all the necessary documents for the admission process. I also closely discussed everything with the supervisor of my master’s programme and followed her advice. However, since I had finished a graduate programme at HSE, I did not have a difficult time with the interviewers and I answered all their questions.

HSE is the most outstanding academic university in Russia, and it is located in one of the world's most beautiful architectural cities. Every student can enjoy a higher education and the charm of Moscow

Life in Moscow

I was not familiar with Moscow before I applied for a Russian scholarship, so I tried to learn about Russia and Moscow before arriving. When I landed, the fresh Moscow air made me realise I was really here now. After a month, Moscow felt like a paradise for tourists.

The thing I like most about Moscow is its metro system. If I had a superpower, I would create a similar one in Myanmar. Moscow’s metro is a masterpiece of Russian architecture and world heritage. Another thing I like here is the big parks. Moscow’s parks have fresh forest air and lovely flowers in the summer, while ice skating is popular in winter.

Since I studied on an international programme, I did not learn the Russian language seriously. That was a huge mistake in Moscow.

The university provides one free semester of a Russian language course for all international students. For me, the Russian ‘r’ is the most challenging letter—I still cannot pronounce it correctly

Living Libraries

The best thing about my journey at HSE has been the outstanding, kind, and intelligent professors and lecturers. They are gurus and ‘living libraries’ in their respective fields. One professor in my master’s classes never used any books or presentations during his teaching, yet he never forgot the essential facts about his subject. We never felt bored during his class, since he used discussion methods and storytelling more than one-sided teaching.

In my time at HSE, my supervisor Olga Volosyuk is the person who impressed me the most. As a student from a third-world country, I needed to learn more than my classmates in Research Methodology and other complex subjects. She spent a lot of her own time explaining to me ‘how to do research, think and study’. When I was struggling with the PhD, she told me to think carefully, listened to my feelings, and advised me how to deal with bad feelings and unpleasant times.

I learned a lot about life, professionalism, research, and how to control my emotions during my PhD

PhD Thesis Tips

Before reaching the last defence, I had to pass many pre-defences in the department and a dissertation committee with outside experts in my field.

There is one main thing I want to share with those who are starting to write their thesis now: please do it step by step. I learnt that from my supervisor. I wanted to finish everything as soon as possible, and ended up making many mistakes with my research.

Based on my experience, I want to advise future PhD candidates at HSE to take their time with their research. If you spend at least six hours a day on research, you will see enjoyable progress within six months

Another important thing is making notes. In my experience, you cannot write anything if you don’t have proper messages for your research. If you are doing eight hours a day, you should give yourself at least six hours to read literature and make notes. You might feel that you are spending a lot of time reading and making notes, but you will find that writing a thesis is not difficult and does not need to take much time if you have good notes.

Plans for the Future

Currently, I am working as a Programme Consultant and Field Technical Officer at the Raks Thai Foundation. I am also continuing my research on Myanmar politics, Myanmar-China Relations, Southeast Asian politics, and migrant workers in the Southeast Asia region.

My life goal is simple: I want to be an international expert in my research field. I want to do research and share my research until the last day of my life

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