Jonna

Why did I choose my programme (and CBS)?
I chose the IBP programme because of its unique combination of business and politics. Even after having finished my bachelor’s in IBP as well, I’m still curious about the intersection between business, economics and politics. I am a naturally curious person and fascinated by the world around us. I think that if you want to (attempt to) try to understand it, understanding economic and political motives is probably the place to start. CBS is a great university in my opinion because of the academic standard as well as the student life.

What do I like the best?
My favourite part must be the people I am surrounded by in IBP, which inspire me on a daily basis. Many of them have an international background and plenty of interesting stories to tell. I highly appreciate being in an environment, where people are ambitious in their (school) work but also incredibly collaborative and social - and always up for a discussion. 
Of course, I also enjoy the contents we study on an academic level, and IBP challenges me to rethink my worldview.

How do I experience the difference in academic level between my bachelor and master programme?
I think there has definitely been an increase in the academic level, however, I don't think it was a major problem. The amount of self-learning prior to showing up in class increased. Class is more like a discussion rather than a lecture now. However, being someone that enjoys academic challenges and a bit of a competitive environment, I still feel like the level is manageable. Also, IBP presents an environment where people are collaborative and help each other out. One of the IBP slogans is "sharing is caring", and we really live by that.

What are the biggest challenges in my programme?
I think the reading load can be quite a lot, however, I am fortunate enough to have a great study group, so that we can share the workload. Many of us, including myself, also have student jobs as well as extracurricular engagement, so you become very good at scheduling and time management.

I also think that the first-semester exam season was just incredibly long (more than 2 months), which was quite stressful for me. I am thankful to be back in the quarter structure this semester.

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
Having graduated from the IBP bachelor programme, in addition to being friends with students from higher years, as well as being a farsighted and well-researched person in general, I think I had a very good idea of the programme prior to starting. 

One thing I didn't expect was to find so many new friends on top of my friend group that continued from the bachelor’s. The people coming in from other CBS programmes as well as outside made for an amazing addition to the programme and were integrated within no time.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
I will take a gap year first, where I will need to do an internship (which is needed for me to complete my CEMS MiM double degree) and where I want to travel. 

After that, I want to work in sustainability consulting. I think that IBP provides an amazing basis for that, not only because it teaches you to think through complex systems in a very structured way, but also because you learn to be a good mediator between the business and the policy side. This is highly needed in the complex regulatory environment around sustainability governance.

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
Be open-minded, be curious and never stop asking questions. Also, don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone looks like they have it figured out, however, in the end we're all sitting in the same boat. 

I also think that you should join a student organisation at CBS, which is where I made a lot of friends. Being an international in the Danish social culture is not always easy, but in IBP, you're definitely lucky as everyone is by default a bit more open-minded and internationally interested.