Josefine

Why did I choose my programme (and CBS)?
I decided to pursue a master’s at CBS after doing my bachelor’s at CBS, because this made me able to focus on the courses and learning, instead of focusing on administrative elements about how everything works, e.g., IT systems, exams etc. 

When choosing which programme I wanted to pursue, I made a clear list of the elements that I wanted to get out of my two last years of studying. The point that made FSM stand out from the other programmes was the academic profile with a mix of both strategy and finance.

What do I like the best?
As mentioned, I see the academic profile as a unique trait to FSM. I would also like to mention the social profile of the programme. There is a short introduction week when you start, and then we have the student organisation FSM Society that arranges social events, i.e. parties and dinners and corporate events, where we connect with Danish companies to learn more about the career opportunities. 

This is a great initiative since everyone gets to engage socially with other students on the programme and also network with a potential future employer.

How do I experience the difference in academic level between my bachelor and master programme?
I experience a higher academic level on the master’s than on my bachelor’s. A lot of the subjects progress on some of the basic subjects that I learned on my bachelor’s, but there is for sure a bigger curriculum and higher expectations at the exam. Especially for the financial courses, I would take more time to understand the exercises that are provided throughout the course and use my peers to study together.

What are the biggest challenges in my programme?
One of the biggest challenges I have experienced is the balance between my student job and classes. I learn a lot at both places, so it is always a trade-off between how I should spend my time. 

Another challenge is finding the right study buddies. I used my first semester, studying with a lot of different people from my programme, to find people whom I enjoyed studying with and where we all learned something and had similar academic ambitions.

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
At FSM, there is not a lot of group work before the very last project on the 2nd semester. This means that you actively have to find your own study buddies, and I would recommend you to find at least one person to discuss the courses with. 

I would have appreciated a deeper understanding of the level of the financial courses. Coming from a bachelor with a stronger focus on management and strategy, I would definitely allocate more time to the financial courses.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
Overall, I really want to work with finance, strategy and sustainability, which I think this programme enables me to do through the mandatory courses and the electives on the 3rd semester. I think FSM is a great steppingstone for a lot of different careers due to the mix of finance and strategy. I hope to start out my career in management consulting to get to know different industries and gain a professional toolbox, and then from there decide on a more specific direction later in life.

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
Make time in the beginning to make new friends from your programme and get to know the academic requirements. It will always be an advantage to have some friends you can study for the exam with, share notes with, do the business project together with etc. - it just makes it a little more fun. 

As mentioned, the academic level will increase when you go from bachelor’s to master’s, so take some time to familiarise yourself with the courses and their requirements.