Statistical Learning Theory Olympiad Now Accepting Applications

© HSE University

Students who wish to compete in the Statistical Learning Theory Olympiad held jointly by HSE University and Skoltech may apply until March 16. Winners of the Olympiad automatically gain admittance to the joint HSE-Skoltech Master’s Programme in Statistical Learning Theory. HSE News Service spoke with last year’s winners about their experience competing in the Olympiad and now studying in the joint programme.

The Olympiad consists of two stages. In the first online stage, applicants are evaluated and selected based on their uploaded portfolios. The second stage is conducted onsite at Skoltech in early April. In this stage, participants must take a mathematics exam, take a TOEFL ITP-style English exam, and complete an interview with the evaluation committee, which consists of faculty members from HSE’s Faculty of Computer Science and Skoltech.

Graduates, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and other related fields are encouraged to apply.

Tamerlan Tabolov
First-year master’s student, Master’s Programme in Statistical Learning Theory

My friends and I spent a long time deliberating over the right master’s programme in data science. We concluded that, out of the programmes in this field in Russia, and with an emphasis on theory to boot, there is no better programme out there than HSE and Skoltech’s joint master’s in Statistical Learning Theory. We all passed the initial qualifying stage of the portfolio evaluation. After that, the onsite portion consisted of three parts: an English exam, a math exam, and an interview. None of us encountered any problems with the English exam. And I know now that preparing for the math and algorithms exam is totally doable—all you have to do is work through last year’s problems and review material from the general courses you took in undergrad. But when I walked into the room and took one look at the test, I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to be able to solve any of these. I might as well just go through the standard admissions process.’ But I sat down, put my mind to it, and in the end I completed every problem except for one.

And then there was the interview – that was something to get nervous about. No one knew what was expected of us or what kinds of questions they would be asking. And the format itself is unusual—none of us had experience with standing about before a committee for 5-10 minutes advertising how great we are. In the end, not everyone advanced to the Olympiad, but a lot of people who didn’t have luck with the Olympiad nonetheless got into the programme through the usual admissions process.

I have really enjoyed my first year in the master’s programme. Courses are taught entirely in English, which means, firstly, you can really improve your English, and secondly, the programme has a lot of international students as well as international professors who are interesting to talk to. Since it’s a joint programme, we have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of good courses and academic advisers from HSE and Skoltech, and we also have access to two beautiful buildings in different parts of Moscow. Ideologically, HSE and Skoltech complement each other perfectly, though sometimes we run into logistical issues. But the programme is young; it is still developing and it is constantly improving.

The Master’s Programme in Statistical Learning Theory is currently in its third year. Students take courses that focus on the intersection of statistics, optimization, and machine learning. The programme is headed by Professor Vladimir Spokoiny. In addition to teaching at HSE and Skoltech in Russia, Professor Spokoiny teaches mathematics and economics at Humboldt University and is a researcher at the Weierstrass Institute in Berlin. Graduates of the programme, he says, will be well positioned to pursue careers in academia as well as the business and tech sectors. The programme combines science and the most advanced innovations in information technology.

Sofia Dymchenko
First-year master’s student, Master’s Programme in Statistical Learning Theory

Due to some circumstances at the time, I didn’t think I had time to participate in the Olympiad, and it was only at the last minute, when a fried convinced me to apply, that I decided to do it. It was the first time in my life that I wrote a motivation letter and asked for recommendation letters from my professors. As for the exams, I was least worried about the English one—I knew I would pass. I was most worried about the interview since I really don’t like public speaking. But everyone was supportive and the committee was very nice. There were some tricky questions, but on the whole, it went well.

I chose this programme, because, firstly, it’s awesome to be able get diplomas from both universities. Secondly, I like that the programme emphasizes the theoretical foundations of data science. Thirdly, I was admitted in the spring, which allowed me to just relax during the summer without having to study and take anymore exams.

I have no regrets about my decision. I like that courses I have chosen, although some of them are indeed quite challenging (such as computational linear algebra). Skoltech’s system is bit unusual—it includes practical internship work in the industry, an Innovation Workshop, a minor in the winter, and innovation credits. But, thanks to the Innovation Workshop, I am studying here at HSE’s Faculty of Computer Science and have met a lot of new people.