IMONEBIRKEBÆKAGGER

SWhat are you doing on your 5th semester?

In the middle of July, I’m saying adios to CBS and Denmark and boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, where I will be studying during my 5th semester! The university I am studying at is called Monash University Malaysia, which is an Australian university, explaining why the semester starts and ends early to keep up with the Australian long “summer” vacation from November to January. It is located just outside of Kuala Lumpur in a university town called Sunway. I will live at the one of the school’s dorms (where exchange students are guaranteed a spot), which has excellent facilities including a pool, gym, and tennis court and local food markets and shopping centers close by.

Why have you chosen to do that instead of other possible options?

I haven’t considered electives at CBS for the 5th semester, mainly because the semester for me is an amazing opportunity to explore potential career paths, foreign countries and cultures, and different ways of learning than what we are exposed to at IBP. I briefly considered doing an intership in Denmark with super cool company to boost my CV but the heart wanted otherwise. Graduating from high school during Covid, I never had the classic self-reinvention backpacking trip, and I have a deep desire to see the world before real adulthood hits me hard. Going on exchange is such an extraordinary chance to explore a different country (or multiple if you travel while abroad), learn to live on your own for a lon er period of time and meet people who can change your perspective on life - while you’re in a safe space, guided by the school and won’t have to take half a year out of your life when you one day have a full time job, a family, etc.

What are you looking most forward to on the 5th semester?

Oh where to begin... I have reached a point in my studies where I look so much forward to some change academically, and the fact that grades from your exchange are merely transferred as passed/failed gives us a well-deserved break from stressing about formal academic achievements. Also, I have chosen some courses which I find truly interesting and look forward to experience whether my academic motivation improves given that courses are chosen 100% based on my own interests. From a personal perspective, I can’t wait to explore an entirely new country which I know practically nothing about, and probably would never have visited if I wasn’t doing my exchange here. I loooove the Asian kitchen, so eating my way through Asia for 10-20 DKK per meal won’t be so bad either! Finally, I am so excited to travel around Malaysia and other Asian countries and live my best life with a coconut in my hand and sand between the toes. I plan to do quite a lot of traveling during the semester and a whole lot more after the semester has ended - Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos and Cambodia are merely some of the bucket list destinations I hope to cross out during the semester.

How did you decide on a location for exchange?

I spent most of first year thinking that I would go on exchange to exotic Hawaii, but it is quite expensive, so my eyes opened for Malaysia when a fellow IBP’er had a takeover of the cbs exchange Instagram account (big shoutout if you want inspiration for exchange destinations!) where I was intrigued by the exotic nature, colorful culture and extremely cheap prices in Malaysia. I wanted to get far away from Denmark, experience a true culture shock and soke up some sunshine in beautiful surroundings without ruining my bank account, and Malaysia suddenly appeared as the perfect destination for me!

What practical advice would you give someone who was about to apply for exchange?

My number one advice when applying for exchange is to think extremely carefully about your list of priorities when applying. In the first round, you can list 4 partner universities in prioritized order, and depending on the popularity of your priorities, you can most likely not be sure that you are offered your first priority. Fun fact: I was actually accepted to my second priority in New York City, which I only later realized was a mistake after contacting the international office. While NYC would have been an amazing destination, I instantly regretted not listing other universities in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc. as my following priorities, since I really wanted to go to South East Asia, but took for granted that I was offered my first priority... So make sure that you would be (almost) equally thrilled to get accepted to your second, third and fourth priority as your first! If you’re not accepted in the first application round, don’t worry, there are loads of cool places still available in the second and third round - but if you snooze, you might miss outdoor on your dream destination. I also want to highlight the importance of student citizenship points for your exchange application. While your application is highly assessed based on your first year GPA, it would be a shame to underestimate the im- portance of student citizenship points. Loads of students with high GPAs have experienced to “lose” a spot to other students with significantly lower GPAs but who instead did student citizenship generating activities. A rule of thumb is that your GPA will be deducted by 15%-points when you apply, e.g. if you have a GPA of 10, your application without student citizenship would basically say 8.5. You can do a maximum of three activities which each will make you “regain” 5 %-points of your GPA, so the impact of the points can be quite large. You can see at CBS’ portal which activities grant you student citizenship points - they include being part of our lovely IBP Union, being a study start guide, mentor, buddy, course representative, etc.

What should one be aware of when looking into applying and going on exchange?

I think a main concern of many students is the budget affiliated with exchange, and I definitely recognize that feeling. I have spent many hours applying for scholarships to limit the damage the exchange will do to my wallet, but of course you shouldn’t count on scholarships financing your entire stay, but it might indeed be worth the while to apply anyway. Most student rent out their rooms/apartments to limit the fixed costs back in Denmark, and if you go on exchange within Europe, you can get the +Erasmus scholarship, which will cover some of your expenses abroad. Not to mention that if you are eligible for SU in Denmark you of course take it with you as well. But if you are feeling dubious whether you want to spend all the money on exchange, remember how extraordinary an experience exchange will be for you as a person, perhaps a super high reward investment in your happiness, future studies and career even! When you are 40 years old, sitting on your balcony with your fat IBP paycheck;) I am absolutely sure that you will look back at your exchange thinking it was worth every single penny! Other people might refrain from applying to exchange because they are overwhelmed by the workload when applying. And honestly, it can be a lot.

If you are accepted to go on exchange by CBS, the following application to the partner school, finding accommodation, insurance, visa, potentially scholarships, etc. is surely time consuming. But it’s part of the process and once we arrive to our exchange destinations and settle in, the fun begins and it will be worth it! But it’s definitely something to think about when planning your time throughout 4th semester. Finally, a part of the worries and overthinking for me has been the thought of being away from the safety net of living close by my friends and family in a honey jar like Denmark. Being a self-proclaimed security junkie, this is probably the most challenging part for me, and I probably didn’t make it easy for myself by choosing a destination so far away all by myself. But look at it like this - what’s the worst that can happen? You get super homesick, you go home, take summer school courses at CBS, and still get your degree. Not that bad, right? But what’s the BEST that can happen? You might end up having the journey of your life and come back a new person with completely refilled batteries, a newfound laissez faire mentality, and memories you can talk about for ages... I hope you will do yourself the favor and consider applying for exchange - I doubt you will regret it!

What are you doing on your 5th semester?

For my 5th semester I am taking a bunch of electives at CBS. I’m taking mainly poli-sci courses, business in China and the US, and marketing, mainly just to get a break from the very math heavy classes. I’m also doing an international finance course, I feel like it sounds interesting, might regret it, we’ll see.

Why have you chosen to do that instead of other possible options?

There are a couple reasons why I chose to stay. Firstly, I’ve already tried studying abroad, in the US specifically, and it just wasn’t for me, I find the culture shock difficult in combination with all the learning, I like to take things one at a time. Secondly, I have an awesome network of friends and family in Copenhagen that I love, so staying close for a while is very appealing to me. Lastly, there’s a bunch of practical stuff, I have a nice apartment and a nice job, so keeping those things will be great too. I think the academic internship option soundssuper interesting, but honestly it seems like a lot of work and I want to just focus on school for now.

What are you looking most forward to on the 5th semester?

I honestly just love Copenhagen, I think it’s one of the best cities in the world to be young in, so I’m looking forward to spending time with my favorite people in my favorite city. I’m planning on taking a trip with some friends to visit some people who are on exchange, so that’ll be great too. I’m very much a comfort person, so life “as-is” seems pretty good to me. Overall, I think it’s super important to remember all the options for the 5th semester. Sometimes, especially IBP’ers can get very dialed in on exchange, which for some is great, others not so much. Do whatever makes you happy, all the options are going to get you through.

What are you doing on your 5th semester?

On my fifth semester, I will be taking two electives at CBS and possibly two electives at KU. Though, I may decide to not take the two electives at KU, and instead use them for summer classes next year or an internship in the fall next year. Everything is all still a bit up in the air, and I will see where the wind takes me.

Why have you chosen to do that instead of other possible options? Well, I was actually supposed to go to Paris on exchange at Sciences Po in the fall. But I was unexpectedly called in for a job interview at the Danish Foreign Ministry as a student assistant, and I ended up getting the job. The job was simply an offer I could not refuse, so I accepted the position and let go of my spot at Sciences Po. It was the right decision for me and I cannot wait to learn about the work in my department of multilateral collaboration and development banks. I have found that work experience provides me with the idea and toolset of how our academic theory may be put into practise. It puts an action element into what I find to sometimes just be words. I have lived abroad before and am sure that I