BSc in In­ter­na­tion­al Busi­ness and Polit­ics

I was very much in doubt when I had to decide what to study, because I found so many programmes interesting – and maybe that was the reason why I ended up studying BSc IBP. 

BSc IBP is a broad programme where you gain insights into economics, the political sphere, and the corporate world and I find the interplay between the three especially interesting. 

I saw BSc IBP as an opportunity to open as many doors as possible, while figuring out if there is anything in particular I wish to specialise in at master's level.

First and foremost, it’s the people. BSc IBP students are curious, smart, kind and fun. This shows in our study environment, which is both collaborative, supportive and ambitious. People are more than happy to share notes, learn from each other’s experiences, proofread each other’s job applications, etc.

The mix of international and Danish students is super fun. You can really sense that people genuinely want to engage and socialise with each other, which keeps our social union busy planning nice gatherings outside of class. 
 

The transition from high school or a gap year can be challenging and overwhelming. Studying at university is completely different from anything I had tried before. It took me tome to adjust to a new kind of everyday life, one that came with more freedom, more responsibility and a much heavier reading load.

Finding the right balance is also a learning curve. Between lectures, readings, a student job and a social life it can be difficult to make room for everything, without feeling like something is falling behind. For me, it took some time to figure out a routine that worked and to accept that you don’t have to do everything at once. 
 

I wish I had known that it takes time to find the study techniques that work for you, and that they differ from person to person and from course to course. Knowing this beforehand would probably not have changed how I approached studying, but it might have spared me some frustration along the way.

I also wish I had known that there’s no need to fear certain courses based on how you did in them in upper secondary school. The professors and teaching assistants make sure everyone can follow along from the start, regardless of background. 

There are so many jobs and workplaces I find interesting! Since I’m very interested in international relations, I think it would be exciting to work for an international organisation like the EU or the UN. Along the same lines, working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, either abroad or in Copenhagen, could also be a great opportunity.

At the same time, IBP has introduced me to more business-related courses, and the more I’ve learned about the corporate world, the more drawn I’ve become to consulting to explore different industries and sectors. So let’s see – luckily there’s plenty of time during your studies to try out different student jobs and internships.  
 

Engage with all the exciting opportunities CBS offers outside the classroom, whether that's student organisations, events or something else entirely. It's an amazing way to broaden your horizons, meet new people and learn. 

However, while it's great to get involved, being a university student is also about finding the right balance, as I mentioned earlier. So my advice would also be to cut yourself some slack sometimes. You don't have to engage in all student organisations in your first semester, and you shouldn't feel behind if you don't. Luckily, you have five years at university to make the most of it.

You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions about the programme or student life.

I can help you with questions like:

• Is it easy to find a student job? 
• How many hours do you spend studying a week? 
• How challenging is the program? 
• What is the balance between group work and individual work in IBP? 
   

I think you can’t have business without politics, or politics without business, so BSc IBP seemed like the obvious choice. I also wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do in the future, so I liked that BSc IBP would give me a broader perspective and leave more options open than a traditional business degree. Despite everyone being ambitious, it never feels competitive.

I like the fact that it’s an international programme. A lot of my closest friends are from different countries, and people here are very open and easy to make friends with. I’d like to work in an international setting one day, so I really appreciate being surrounded by people from different backgrounds. I also really like how many social and academic opportunities BSc IBP offers through our student union. We do a lot of company visits to some of the biggest companies in Denmark, and there are also a lot of fun parties and social events organized by the IBP Union.

Some of the courses can be quite challenging. It can sometimes feel like you won’t be able to catch up if you miss just a single lecture. However, I think this has taught me to become better at self-study. Student study groups are not that common at BSc IBP, but you can always ask your fellow students for help or visit the teachers during their office hours.

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To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure. Right now, I work at a consulting firm, which I really enjoy, and I find that the work is highly relevant to many of the things we do at BSc IBP. I find fields like investment banking and asset management interesting, but I don’t see myself pursuing either of them in the long term. Ideally, I’d like to work somewhere where I feel that what I do has a positive impact on the world.

Make sure to talk to as many people as possible during your first few months. It’s easy to find a group you feel comfortable with and then stick with them because you’re worried about not having a group. But it’s so much more rewarding to get to know everyone and feel comfortable sitting with different people during lectures. It will also make your time at university much more enjoyable and interesting.

You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions about the programme or student life. 

I can help you with questions like:

• What kind of student jobs are common among BSc IBP students?
• How easy is it to get involved in student life at CBS?
• How difficult are the different courses?

My favorite subjects have always been math and social studies, so I wanted a programme that combined both. I first learned about BSc IBP through my older sister, who also studied BSc IBP. Hearing her talk about the courses made the combination of politics, economics and business sound really interesting to me. 

I also did not know what I wanted to do after university, so I liked that BSc IBP would allow me to explore different interests without having to decide on one specific career path from the beginning.

I really enjoy the subjects and the variety of what we study, but my favorite part of IBP is probably the people. It is a very international programme, with students from many different backgrounds and countries, which makes both classes and social life more interesting.

I have also found people to be very open and welcoming, and there is always something going on socially alongside the studies.

For me, one of the most difficult things has been finding the right balance between my studies, work, and social life. I have a part-time job of around 15 hours a week, and in the beginning, it was difficult for me to know how to prioritize my time. 

Over time, I have become much better at finding a balance that works for me, but it is still something I struggle with from time to time.

I would have liked to know how different studying at university is from upper secondary school. At university, you are much more responsible for your own education. In turn, that gives you a lot of freedom, but it took me some time to figure out how to use it. 

In the beginning, I often wondered whether I was studying enough, but I gradually learned to trust my own way of studying and structure my time in a way that works for me.

I actually do not know exactly what I want to do after finishing my programme, but I also think that is part of the beauty of IBP. I can see myself working with international politics and foreign policy, but I could also imagine pursuing something more economics-oriented. 

As I progress through my studies, I am discovering what interests me and, just as importantly, what does not, and slowly crossing things off my list along the way.

I would tell myself not to be too influenced by BSc IBP’s reputation. Like many others, I had heard that BSc IBP was very competitive and difficult. Of course, the academics can be challenging, and the students are very ambitious, so I can see where that reputation comes from. However, I have personally found the environment to be much more supportive than competitive. I would tell myself to keep an open mind and form my own impression.

You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions about the programme or student life.

I can help you with questions like:

• How much economics and mathematics is there in IBP?
• How do you balance studying, work and social life?
• What is the workload like at IBP?
• What is the transition from upper secondary school to university like?