Kristine

Why did I choose my programme?
I chose BSc in International Business and Politics because I was drawn to the unique mixture of political and business-related elements. I have also always dreamed of either working abroad or having a job involving a lot of travelling, and I felt like the fact that the BSc IBP is taught in English would prepare me for that possibility. 

What do I like the best?
I really like the more political elements of the BSc IBP curriculum and find them to be quite refreshing compared to the tougher mathematical elements. I also really like the social aspect of the programme. From what I hear from friends in other CBS programmes. It seems that the BSc IBP is a very social programme, and there are often social events. I also really appreciate my fellow students and how we all bring something unique and personal to the BSc IBP culture. 

What do I think is difficult?
I personally found the biggest and most challenging difference from high school to be the shift in how teachers teach. I really liked some teachers’ teaching methods while I found others to be less intellectually stimulating or harder to follow (at least for me). You therefore have to be aware if you are actually retaining the information being taught in the lectures or if you might benefit from spending more time studying the topic on your own.

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
I would really have liked to know that the first semester is going to be great fun but also very tiring. Not only because of the academic aspects but also because meeting that many new people, moving to a new city (or country) and having to learn the ins and outs of CBS are a lot. I would therefore have liked to be a bit nicer to myself and more realistic about what I can do in a week.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
I actually do not really know yet. The main thing I know is that I would absolutely love to be able to work abroad or travel with my work as a way to experience as much of the world as possible. 
I am still unsure whether I want to work more with the political aspects of the programme or work in the cooperate world. The good thing about the BSc IBP is that I (luckily) don’t have to decide that yet. 

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
I would give myself two pieces of advice. 1) Read up on maths. You might think that you remember everything perfectly from high school, but if you have had a gap year (or multiple) you would likely benefit from refreshing your knowledge, so you are ready from day one. 2) Be patient with yourself. Meeting new people and learning new stuff in a new way in a new place are hard. Take care of yourself and remember that everyone is likely to also be a bit overwhelmed.