Malou

Why did I choose my programme?
After finishing high school, I was determined to learn to speak French, I had no idea what to use it for at the time. While getting to know the culture and the language closer I knew I wouldn’t give it up so easily and that I might want to use it for something in the future. I enjoyed the quantitative aspects of studying and found BLC the perfect mixture of both worlds. The program gave me the opportunity to combine language, culture, and quantitative subjects. It also opened the door for interesting job opportunities with a clear international advantage. 

What do I like the best?
I appreciate having the best of both worlds. So being able to use the language skills and having more “soft” subjects about social science, politics, or ethical business behavior and in the meantime acquire some important “hard” skills to strengthen these. I personally enjoyed the subjects International Research methods, Statistics, and French the most. All very different subjects, but when writing some of the big assignments I realized how well the contrasting subject also can interplay.

What do I think is difficult?
I think one of the biggest challenges is the language subjects. It is extremely important to keep oneself motivated to maintain a foreign language when not being in the country of its origin. Since one is autonomous when studying at the university, it is your own responsibility to proactively develop the vocabulary instead of lacking behind by not participating.

I think since the bachelor’s degree is very broad and diverse, it can take some time to figure out study approaches for the broad segment of subjects. It can require a very different approach to studying for a macroeconomics exam than studying for a cultural analysis exam. 

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
I would have like to realize the importance of not comparing myself too much to others. Business schools often get quite competitive in many ways, and it is important to learn to distinguish your own performance from others. This took me quite some time to realize. You can easily become quite quantified if your personal focus is on grade comparing, internship comparing, job comparing etc.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
I graduated the BSc BLC (French) this summer and will continue with the MSc in BLC - Business and Development Studies from September. Through the bachelor I have developed a strong interest in the Maghreb countries and would potentially like to take an exchange semester at one of the embassies. Besides my studies, I am working for a French established company called EcoTree.

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
Don’t compare yourself too much with others, focus on your own personal development. It is incredible how much you develop academically and personally during the three years of a bachelor’s program.