As we near the end of an incredible year, it feels fitting to sit down with Kirill Delikatnyi—a remarkable student, writer, and thinker whose boundless curiosity and dedication have left a lasting impact on those around him. We began this year together with an unforgettable hackathon, presenting Clever Magazine as a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. Over the months, we’ve achieved so much: securing places at our desired universities, creating outstanding materials for Clever Magazine, reaching new professional heights, and now closing the year in London with a space to reflect on these accomplishments.

Kirill is someone I deeply admire for his relentless drive to succeed, his intellectual curiosity, and his ability to tackle challenges with creativity and thoughtfulness. His journey—from prestigious UK schools to his current roles at the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) and Clever Magazine—serves as an inspiration for those passionate about pushing boundaries in education and beyond.

I started even before Charterhouse, at Sunningdale for my prep school, but that was quite a short period. I wouldn't say that I would have felt like there was some academic difference between what I would have been doing in Kyiv, Ukraine and here because it was just an early switch, so I didn't really know what to contrast the education system with.

I think, to me, the most impactful thing of what changed in my life was the community, probably because I was outside of that context where you live with family, and you go home, you go to school every day and then come back. It was more about living at school and forming those connections, and learning to be independent and coexist with others your age, and to add to authority, behave, set out some parameters.

As I reflect on this now with friends as well, I think it's a very beneficial step. I feel like I've matured quite early, which was an educational experience in itself because you learn a lot more about the world, and you experience more about the world. You make your own mistakes that you can learn from and grow from. And the other thing is that when you're in that space, your friends become your family. So you learn from others, and you adopt, take a little bit of style from everybody, a little bit of humor, and then also go out and make some mistakes as a group of people and then learn and grow together. And I think I've really enjoyed that and taking that home because now I feel like I'm more comfortable making friends, because I just see everybody as a family, or people to learn and grow from.

I think I was getting into an interest in cognition at around the time that I was doing my GCSEs, partially because of that independence. You are forced to reflect on yourself quite a lot, and you wonder, 'Why am I thinking this?' or 'Why am I feeling this?' 'Why are others thinking that? Why are they behaving like that?' And I think that was something that was manifesting in me.

Partially, the decision for the switch to Lancing was because Charterhouse didn't offer a psychology course for A-levels, but Lancing did, and that was a nice segue for me to go to neuroscience at Bristol in the end. By the time I was getting to Bristol, I formulated a more concrete phrasing of why I am interested in cognition. To me, it was to understand the sort of measuring instruments behind our reality. If you are trying to find objective solutions to problems, you're obviously bringing a lot of subjective opinions into the situation.

If we understand this tool that we're measuring objectiveness with and how it works, then perhaps we can be a little bit clearer in how we address solving problems. I think another thing was that neuroscience felt like it was quite a fundamental understanding that I just would not be able to learn by myself. I wouldn't watch YouTube videos or read books about it. I would need somebody to lecture me on it, and take me to the lab and show me.

That was the motivation behind the choice. And the University of Bristol has a great faculty. They are, I think, known for that because of the synaptic plasticity research that came out of it back in the '70s or '80s. That has made them quite famous. So they do have a really strong neuroscience faculty, but my academic experience there was a little bit hindered by COVID. So when I was talking about that kind of hands-on experience, going to the labs, that did not happen. The learning experience was so boring that I think it didn't serve as an inspiration or a motivation to continue doing so.

Also, the realization that neuroscience is a very narrow discipline, and if you're going to go down that route, that's how you spend your entire life with little room for interest in anything else other than academia or research labs. And that's it. It just did not seem like a work environment that fits me. So graduating, I think I would have capitalized on some of the transferable skills that I've learned there. We did a lot, Scholars UA, for example. That was a great experience for me during university as well because I got to try myself in different applications, but I wasn't focusing so much on what I learned in neuroscience, rather than interesting conversations or insights in those experiences.

I’ve been hearing about LIS for a while, but it was always at the back of my mind. Then I met a friend from prep school who graduated from LIS, and we had a chat, and he was like, ‘That’s definitely your place to go.’ So I put in the application. It was very well communicated that it’s a gamble on this degree because they have not been running it for a long time.

But they have years and years of experience behind their backs from Carl Gombrich, the dean. He was the first one to start and run an interdisciplinary course at UCL. And then after he’d established that, he left to found this school.

Interdisciplinary focuses on the synthesis of understanding from different disciplines. For example, we have a module called Complexity, where we consider complex systems in mathematical terms. We talk about fractals, chaos, and how you go about writing equations about it, drawing graphs, and quantifying it. Another module is Problem Discovery, and it’s so good. It’s about how you go about figuring out what problems are and how to define them. Already, I can see how these concepts integrate, like in urban planning—how traffic patterns could be explained by the general chaos theory of the universe. That’s what makes it interdisciplinary: not studying separate courses but using them to tackle real-world problems.

Both roles emphasize listening and amplifying student voices. As a student ambassador, I try to showcase the day-to-day life at LIS—things you won’t find in a brochure. For instance, I highlight the informal yet intellectually stimulating conversations we have at nine in the morning, or unique events like an entire week exploring the interdisciplinarity of food—from local market visits to performances by artists who create through culinary experiences. This helps prospective students, especially international ones, see what makes LIS special.

On the Board of Directors, my role is about consolidating student feedback and ensuring it leads to actionable outcomes. Whether it’s designing feedback forms, holding workshops, or simply gauging how students feel on a day-to-day basis, I make sure their concerns and ideas are represented to the faculty. It’s rewarding to see our input directly influence the university’s growth and direction.

The Game Show is designed to be engaging yet intellectually stimulating. It’s not just a quiz; it includes challenges like ‘Pseudo Concepts,’ where participants answer questions with non-factual, imaginative explanations as if they were describing phenomena in a parallel universe. We tested it during Halloween with just students, and it was a hit. This time, it’s open to faculty, students, and even prospective students.

That’s a great question, but honestly, I might not be the best person to advise because my approach often involves just diving into everything and seeing how it unfolds. I tend to take things one after another and sometimes don’t get much time to relax. Time management has become essential, though. I've started relying heavily on my calendar to allocate specific blocks of time for each task, and I stick to that schedule as much as possible.

In the past, I used to feel the need to finish one thing completely before starting another, but I’ve realized that’s not always feasible. Now, I work on tasks for a set amount of time, and if something isn’t finished, I come back to it later. This flexibility has been a game changer. Also, I wrote a blog for LIS recently about being a good master’s student, which emphasizes the importance of time management and maintaining a healthy balance. I think saying ‘yes’ to opportunities is another important lesson—don’t hesitate to jump in, even if it’s challenging.

For example, I remember one incredibly long day where we started at 8 AM on campus and ended at 10 PM at the Alan Turing Institute. The final event was a fascinating talk by a senior Amazon leader about AI, but I was completely exhausted and fell asleep during the last half-hour! Still, the experience was worth it. I networked, learned so much, and came away with a sense of accomplishment despite the exhaustion. Saying yes to these opportunities has allowed me to learn, grow, and build invaluable connections.

Absolutely, it can be hard. One thing I’ve learned is to take full advantage of the resources around you. Don’t hesitate to bother a professor for office hours or audit an extra course if it aligns with your interests. LIS, for example, allows us to sit in on bachelor-level courses, which can provide an entirely new perspective. It’s all about proactively seeking opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you.

That said, mental health is crucial. For me, relaxation and meditation are helpful strategies, but even more important is the company you keep. Surround yourself with people who don’t exhaust you, who understand when you need a break, and who can engage in meaningful conversations. A supportive and understanding community can make all the difference, especially in an intense environment.

I’ve also realized that being proactive becomes even more important in larger universities, where it’s easy to feel lost among thousands of students. At LIS, the smaller size helps create a close-knit community, but in bigger settings, you really need to make an effort to stand out and build relationships. Whether it’s pulling all the strings you can or taking advantage of every available resource, being proactive is key to thriving in a competitive academic environment.

It’s an incredibly interesting challenge. On one hand, I believe technology will inevitably shape the future of education—it’s like a wave you can’t stop, so adaptation is critical. But on the other hand, the community aspect of traditional education is irreplaceable. Technology can enhance personalization and make academia more accessible, but it hasn’t yet reached the point where it can replicate the human connection and hands-on practice that a physical classroom provides.

Right now, the digital tools we have—like Moodle or virtual learning platforms—feel outdated and limited. They serve administrative purposes but don’t foster the kind of interactive and engaging learning experiences we need. In the future, as technologies like the metaverse and advanced VR become more accessible, I think we’ll start seeing digital spaces that allow for more genuine community-building. That’s when the real transformation will happen.

For now, universities need to prepare students for this shift by exposing them to emerging technologies and teaching them how to navigate the digital landscape. At LIS, for example, we learn about the ways technology is disrupting every industry, including education itself. This prepares us for a future that may not yet be fully digital but is undoubtedly on its way there. The key is finding a balance—leveraging technology while preserving the human elements of learning that make education meaningful.

Reflection often happens in those quiet moments—on a walk, during a break, or late at night when things calm down. My immediate goal is to contribute meaningfully to LIS and Clever Magazine while continuing to grow as a writer and thinker. In the long term, I’d like to shape education policy or work in consultancy, using my interdisciplinary education to address complex, real-world problems. My overarching hope is to make education more inclusive, engaging, and forward-thinking.