As part of the Places You’ll Go series, this interview with Margarita Pavlova follows a CERGE-EI student’s research stay at Yale University — a journey shaped by academic ambition, unexpected confidence, and the search for the right intellectual environment. What began as a strategic step to advance a Job Market Paper became a much broader experience of growth: from engaging with leading scholars in labor economics to discovering that top academic spaces are not only demanding, but also deeply energizing. In this conversation, she reflects on choosing Yale, navigating the road to the US, and what the experience taught her about research, collaboration, and believing in her own ideas.
Can you describe how you chose where you wanted to go, and why?
My main goal was to make substantial progress on my Job Market Paper. Yale has an absolutely outstanding labor economics faculty, but even more importantly, several scholars there have done groundbreaking work in my field – in many ways, they helped shape it. The opportunity to receive feedback from researchers whose work I have been reading and building on for years was incredibly appealing. I knew that engaging with them would not only strengthen my paper but also deepen my understanding of the broader research agenda in the field. It turned out to be an invaluable intellectual experience.
Choosing Yale and Growing Through Research Abroad
What was the process from the initial idea to actually landing in the US?
The initial stages moved surprisingly quickly. I mentioned to my advisor that I would love to visit Yale, and as it happened, he knew colleagues there. Within a week, I had an invitation letter. That part felt almost unreal in how smoothly it unfolded. The more challenging phase came afterward, with the administrative and bureaucratic steps — securing funding and arranging the visa took longer than expected and involved some delays. At times it felt frustrating, but in the end everything was resolved in time, and I was able to start the visit as planned.
“What I realized is that many projects start from very rough, even messy beginnings. The difference is often persistence and willingness to expose unfinished work — not some dramatic gap in talent.”
What expectations did you have before arriving to the US, and which ones were challenged the most?
I did not arrive with very specific expectations, my primary goal was simply to focus on my research and to have meaningful discussions with faculty. What surprised me most was how intellectually vibrant and dynamic the environment was. There was almost always something happening — workshops, seminars, informal research meetings. Because Yale has such a large and active economics department, there were multiple seminars each week, sometimes even at the same time, which meant I occasionally had to choose between events. The level of engagement and the constant exchange of ideas exceeded my expectations and made the experience far more stimulating than I had anticipated.
“I liked being in an environment where research conversations were happening all the time and across many subfields. It creates a certain momentum — you naturally think more, question more, and refine your ideas more quickly.”
Was there anything about the university environment that suited you personally better than at CERGE-EI, and why?
What suited me particularly well was the intensity. The department is large and very active, which means there is a constant flow of seminars, visitors, and informal discussions. I liked being in an environment where research conversations were happening all the time and across many subfields. It creates a certain momentum — you naturally think more, question more, and refine your ideas more quickly.
How did interactions with fellow students from diverse backgrounds enrich your understanding of economics?
What I found most valuable was how differently people framed similar problems. Students trained in different countries often have different instincts about identification strategies, theoretical framing, or policy relevance. That shows up immediately in discussions. Sometimes a question that seemed obvious to me was not obvious to someone else — and vice versa. That forced me to articulate my assumptions more clearly. It also made me realize how much of our thinking is shaped by the academic environments we come from. Being exposed to that diversity made me more precise and more aware of alternative ways to approach the same economic question.
Why Feedback and Academic Culture Matter More Than Prestige
Which skills, both academic and personal, did you develop most during your time in the US?
Academically, I would not say that I suddenly acquired completely new technical skills. The core training I received at CERGE-EI prepared me very well. What changed, however, was my perception of where I stand. Being in a top department made me realize that the gap I had imagined between myself and students there was much smaller than I thought. The main academic development was learning to be less intimidated. I became more comfortable presenting unfinished ideas, asking questions in seminars, and engaging in discussions without feeling that I needed to have a perfectly polished contribution. That shift made me more active intellectually.
“It turned out to be an invaluable intellectual experience.”
On a personal level, the biggest shift was confidence. Before going, I think I implicitly assumed that students at top departments must have fundamentally better ideas. What I realized instead is that everyone is searching, trying, discarding, refining. Many projects start from very rough, even messy beginnings. The difference is often persistence and willingness to expose unfinished work — not some dramatic gap in talent. Seeing that made a big difference for me. It reduced the psychological barrier of speaking up or proposing something ambitious. I became less afraid of being “not good enough” and more focused on whether a question is interesting and worth pursuing. That change in mindset was probably as important as any technical skill I developed.
What advice would you give to younger CERGE-EI students when considering where to apply for a study stay?
I would advise them to think strategically about how the visit fits into their research agenda. Rather than choosing a destination based only on prestige, it is more important to identify places where there are scholars working directly in your field and where you can receive targeted feedback on your work. It is also worth considering the intellectual culture of the department — whether it is collaborative, seminar-driven, policy-oriented, or more theory-focused — and how that matches your own working style. Finally, I would encourage students not to underestimate the value of reaching out. Academic networks often make opportunities possible much faster than one might expect.
