Naja

Why did I choose my programme (and CBS)?
In the beginning, I was questioning whether to go for the Supply Chain Management or International Business programme when reading about them on the CBS website. I therefore attended online webinars hosted by students of the respective programmes and was more or less immediately attracted to SCM. This was mainly because the previous students highlighted a very practical and case-oriented approach in the lectures, but I also saw a pretty unique and relevant connection to the objectives of my bachelor’s degree (HA (fil.)).

What do I like the best?
What I like the best about SCM is definitely the social environment of the programme. People all come from different backgrounds, and I feel like there is a great sense of community. Further, I really like all the lecturers on the programme, as they are all very approachable and manage to make complicated learnings more comprehensible. The fact that I know what I can use the different theories and learning objectives for in the "real world" is also something that I want to highlight - you actually know how to contribute to practical cases.

How do I experience the difference in academic level between my bachelor and master programme?
I feel that the level of difficulty and complexity has definitely increased. The workload is larger and the exam periods have been more tightly planned. However, you also kind of learn that you don't have to read every single thing to keep up and get a good grade. For me, it has been all about understanding key concepts and theories as well as making a structured study plan, allowing myself to have some free time and take care of my student job.

What are the biggest challenges in my study programme?
One of the major challenges that I have faced on SCM was the Global Financial Analysis course on the first semester. I am for sure not a finance girl, so I spend a lot of time on the readings and exercises for this class. More generally, the planning of the exam periods have been a bit challenging for most people in the programme, as we had three exams within less than 2 weeks during the first semester. Here I would recommend getting started on exercises and readings early on in the semester to avoid work overload when exams are coming close.

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
If I should mention a few things, I think that I would have liked to know about the serious need for proper time management when facing exams. Also, as I have had a tendency to postpone solving the recommended exercises for excel-based classes, I would have liked for someone to tell me "Hey, you're really going to love yourself for doing those exercises and understanding the logic behind them early on". So I hereby pass that on.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
Currently, I am pretty open towards where I want to go after I graduate in June. Personally, I would love to pursue a career within consulting, as I believe that my acquired skills would come to a great use in this line of business. But I also think that it could be very interesting to get a job in the industry within strategic sourcing or procurement, probably within pharmaceutics or Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Or I will just travel the world for a few months in the fall, who knows.

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
I feel like it's important to remember that everyone is in the same boat as you when starting a new study programme. Don't be afraid to reach out to new people or ask "stupid" questions. People are all nice, and you will for sure make great friends! Also, it's no shame to be overly ambitious and explorative when doing projects and exam papers. SCM is in my opinion a complex field of study, but this also works as an invite to be creative and challenge oneself.