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Calling all Erasmus(Rotterdam) Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2017

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NewsErasmus

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24 Mar 2016, 03:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Why an MBA — do we still remember the answer?

Yes, the term-1 finished. Term 2 is getting started.

About one year ago, most of us asked ourselves “Why an MBA?” to ourselves.

For me, I had a PhD. Sitting on the pile-up of knowledge in molecular and cellular biology, I realized that beside continuing to accumulate the skills, there was not many ways that I could utilize my knowledge in research. So, I made a CHANGE. I would like to know something else, especially the knowledge and skills that deal with management and business.

That’s why I made the decision to begin the MBA. Although some friends questioned that the knowledge of management could also be learned through work, I believed for a PhD like me, it would be really great to have an overview of management and business in an organized manner, meaning the MBA program.

Now, term 1 has finished. Step-by-step, the knowledge of management and business grows. The courses basically fall into two parts: hard skills, including Management Science, Financial Management and Quantitative Platform of Business; and the other soft skills, including Business Society Management and Operational Behavior.

And I’m looking forward to the courses in term 2. Hopefully, my knowledge of management will grow up.

I want to reach the goals with the knowledges of both biology and management.

I also believe someday in the future, when I have more mangement practice in the industry, I will be able to utilize the knowledge of biology and management in an even more creative manner.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

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29 Mar 2016, 03:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Why an MBA – do we still remember the answer?

Yes, the term-1 finished. Term 2 is getting started. About one year ago, most of us asked ourselves “Why an MBA?” to ourselves. For me, I had a PhD. Sitting on the pile-up of knowledge in molecular and cellular biology, I realized that beside continuing to accumulate the skills, there was not many ways that I could utilize my knowledge in research. So, I made a CHANGE. I would like to know something else, especially the knowledge and skills that deal with management and business.

That’s why I made the decision to begin the MBA. Although some friends questioned that the knowledge of management could also be learned through work, I believed for a PhD like me, it would be really great to have an overview of management and business in an organized manner, meaning the MBA program.

Now, term 1 has finished. Step-by-step, the knowledge of management and business grows. The courses basically fall into two parts: hard skills, including Management Science, Financial Management and Quantitative Platform of Business; and the other soft skills, including Business Society Management and Operational Behavior.

And I’m looking forward to the courses in term 2. Hopefully, my knowledge of management will grow up.

I want to reach the goals with the knowledge of both biology and management.

I also believe someday in the future, when I have more management practice in the industry, I will be able to utilize the knowledge of biology and management in an even more creative manner.

dekiruzooo

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Concentration: Social Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship

Schools: Babson '18 (A) Erasmus '17 (A) McCombs (D) Sauder '18 (A) GWU '18 (M$)

GRE 1: Q161 V158 Verified score

GPA: 3.44

WE:Other (Non-Profit and Government)

Schools: Babson '18 (A) Erasmus '17 (A) McCombs (D) Sauder '18 (A) GWU '18 (M$)

GRE 1: Q161 V158 Verified score

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06 Apr 2016, 06:32

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Just applied Round 1 (April 4) and got an invite to interview via email this morning. Pretty pumped... anyone else out there applying/interviewing?

ktchavali

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Schools: ISB '17 (D) Melbourne '17 (D) NUS '18 (D)

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)

Schools: ISB '17 (D) Melbourne '17 (D) NUS '18 (D)

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

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06 Apr 2016, 06:44

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dekiruzooo

Just applied Round 1 (April 4) and got an invite to interview via email this morning. Pretty pumped... anyone else out there applying/interviewing?

All the best! I have my interview on 25th May. It's a long long wait. When and Where is your interview scheduled? Also could you briefly share your profile please?

NewsErasmus

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08 Apr 2016, 01:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: OneMBA Global Residency Europe

The second Global Residency for the 2017 OneMBA cohort took place in March. This time, Europe was the location, with Rotterdam and Warsaw as our host cities. ‘Hey, I read your blog!’ was the first thing I heard from one of my friendly peers from Brazil when checking in at the hotel. A great start to the residency on Sunday afternoon in Rotterdam. Later that evening we all met for dinner on the Speedo boat. We cruised on the river Maas, from which we had impressive views of the many 18th century windmills at Kinderdijk, and later on stunning views of the immense port of Rotterdam.. what a beautiful contrast!

Many interesting sessions were in store for us lead by renowned faculty and company speakers. Among others, Jan-Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who gave us his insights on the social, political and sustainable challenges and opportunities in Europe. He had already chatted informally with a number of students in the bar the night before.

Both in Rotterdam and in Warsaw there were a number of company visits to choose from. My group went to Ism eComany where Tim Beyer, the COO, gave an inspiring presentation about how the company manages to sustain their impressive growth. Afterwards, we were treated to a tour of the repurposed Van Nelle factory (formerly a coffee, tea and tobacco factory), a UNESCO World Heritage Building and one of the many architectural highlights of Rotterdam.

On Wednesday, we flew to Poland, where we saw a different side of Europe. There was a new line-up of top speakers that gave us different perspectives and insights into the history of Poland and the transformation Central Eastern Europe has been going through since joining the EU. Strong women speakers were well represented at this residency. Grazyna Piotrowska-Oliwa, currently CEO of Virgin mobile and former CEO of state-controlled oil and gas company (PGNiG), told us about her experiences running private and state owned companies in Poland.

On Saturday evening, we had a tour of the beautifully restored Royal Castle of Warsaw. Afterwards, we enjoyed the closing dinner in the magnificent castle vaults. Our host, the Gdansk Foundation for Management, excelled in organising a very memorable evening; tasty Polish dishes, live music and dance made for the perfect ending to an intense week.

Interesting questions again from my kids when I arrived back home: did you misbehave and get punished by the teacher (no!) and did you have gym classes like we do at school? More exercise during the residency is in fact a great suggestion, with so much good food and drinks ‘till late at night in the bar. Not much exercise, but we did all treat each other to a massage. Lucky me.. my Chinese peer turned out to be a qualified masseur!

Unfortunately, the threats and social tensions in Europe we had been discussing, became very real. On Tuesday after the residency, Brussels came under attack. As many peers were still traveling it was a relief to hear everybody had made it home safely. We will all be watching the situation in Europe closely and I hope this tragic event will not be divisive, but instead will help to bring people closer together.

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11 Apr 2016, 04:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: OLD EUROPE

Being a resident in Rotterdam I was quite excited to start the 2nd week-long Residency of our OneMBA program in my own city. As opposed to earlier years where the European Residency had taken place in Amsterdam, the RSM MBA staff was quite excited to be back in Rotterdam which was evident from the tremendous effort they has put into organising our stay in Rotterdam! We stayed at the Nhow hotel, which is located at the so-called Kop van Zuid, a nice semi-industrial /residential area in the southern part of Rotterdam, and the Nhow hotel rooms offered great views of the city and the river Maas.

After being reunited with out global team mates, our week started on Sunday afternoon with a boat tour on the Maas river that divides the southern part of Rotterdam from the rest of the city. We toasted on the hard work that we had done together in the past 6 months and were excited, and anxious, to find out what our new global teams would be…Halfway our dinner we were assigned our new global teams after which we had the opportunity for a short introduction, which was continued by many of us at the bar of the Nhow hotel after returning from a great boat tour. The hotel bar was buzzing with a lot of (jet-lagged) OneMBA participants from all over the world that were excited to be starting their 2nd residency adventure! Monday morning came way too early and many of use had to run for the buses that were taking us to the RSM campus. We received a warm welcome by dean Steef van de Velde who was happy and proud to host the OneMBA group at the RSM campus, and Academic director Marc Smelik walked us through the program for the week. After a short history class on Rotterdam city, we greatly enjoyed Martin Sutton’s and Koen Berden’s economic and broad political and economic perspectives on Europe…as it turned out many of the class members based in Europe had no idea of the existence of “Europe Day” on May 9…and had never sung the European anthem

. Great insights for all of us on the state of Europe; the affairs threatening its existence in its current form, the opportunities for enlargement by countries bordering the European Union, the enormous impact of the EU’s trade policies, but also the bureaucracy of Brussels and rising populism in various EU Member States in a response to terrorist threats. Enough food for thought when the OneMBA17 class boarded an old tram at the end of the afternoon for a tour of Rotterdam. In view of the little time we had in Rotterdam, the tour offered a perfect opportunity for our foreign class mates to see the different parts of Rotterdam, and the cold beer and some snacks made the ride even more enjoyable

We spent the next 2 days at the Nhow hotel with various interesting speakers, including female investor Hadewijch Cels and Dutch ex-prime minister Balkenende, as well as some interesting late night discussions at the bar. Company visits had been organized to Vopak, Port of Rotterdam and ISM eCompany, and upon return we shared the insights gained from the presentations made with our new team members over dinner in the neighborhood of the hotel. After checking out from our rooms on Wednesday morning and a last “how well did we really do as a global team” we left for Rotterdam airport where we would be taking a flight to Warsaw for our 2nd part of the European Residency. Rotterdam, its international appeal, the harbour, and a great stay at the Nhow hotel with a very well organized program, left a great impression on the OneMBA17 class!

Like Rotterdam, Warsaw had not hosted the OneMBA class in recent years when the 2nd half of the European residencies had taken place in Istanbul. Clearly, because of the current political situation in Turkey, the OneMBA staff had decided to divert our program to Warsaw. Lucky us! We stayed at the Sofitel which has a wonderful location near the Old Town of Warsaw. The Polish part of the program started on Thursday morning with impressive speakers from both public and private institutes, followed by various interesting company visits in and around Warsaw. The day was concluded with a performance by Polish celebrity Jerzy Owsiak who has developed a renowned annual charity in the form of a pop concert, and we enjoyed a great energetic performance hearing him speak about it! In the evening, most teams hit the old town in search of a nice place for dinner & after dinner vodkas

Our last full day of our stay in Warsaw started with interesting presentations on the history of the Polish banking system as well as a presentation by the female CEO of Virgin Mobile Polska. All presentations on the Friday were represented visually by an artist on posters, which served as inspiration for the global teams for our own poster assignment on Saturday!

The OneMBA staff made sure our last night in Warsaw would be a memorable one, and on Friday night we were all invited for a tour of the Royal Castle, the rebuilding of which was impressively financed and organized by the Polish people in the 1970s after the castle had been destroyed in WWII and left in ruins ever since. Today, it is a Unesco World Heritage site, together with the Old Town of Warsaw. Our tour was followed by a wonderful dinner and a great local dance show! It was a great end to a fully packed 2nd Residency were we caught up with old friends, made new ones and mostly enjoyed our continued OneMBA journeys! Tired but satisfied is how most of us left Warsaw the next day. Thank you OneMBA staff for another great week & we look forward to seeing everyone back in the fall in Brasil & Mexico!

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14 Apr 2016, 01:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Hult Prize Foundation 2016: Take-aways

Petar Kolev

Soon after my start as an MBA student at RSM in January 2016, I and some of my classmates had the great opportunity to participate in the regional finals of The Hult Prize Foundation, a start-up accelerator for budding young social entrepreneurs emerging from the world’s universities. My team was selected to compete in London in March 2016. The experience we had there was truly amazing. We had the chance compete with some of the most ambitious and smart people from all over the world.

The ideas and business ventures we’ve encountered during the competition were mind blowing in terms of innovation and sustainability. The most important take-away from me, however was the people I met there. During the event we had the chance to get to know students from great schools from all over the world. We had the chance to discuss issues affecting our modern world and solutions that each of us could offered as a team. We also had a great fun throughout the process which made the entire event enjoyable and simultaneously educational for all of us.

Even after leaving London, many of us exchanged contacts and stayed in touch. The world is small and we never know what door will be opened for us by the friends we’ve made during our international MBA experience.

Hala Abu-Jaber

Not only was the Hult experience insightful, it was great for establishing networks and building long-lasting relationships. It was amazing to witness how many perspectives there are to approaching and solving the same problem.

The exposure you experience from the competition is unparalleled. Not only did we meet people from different cultures, age groups, and educational backgrounds, but we also had the chance to learn about so many new and innovative solutions to the problem of overcrowded urban areas.

I would definitely do it again next year if I could. A great experience and a great way to gain better insight into the numerous possibilities of implementing sustainability and creating innovative ideas for social enterprises.

AB van der Merwe

As a multicultural RSM MBA team who’ve never met before, with members from South Africa, Brazil, India and Indonesia, we signed-up for the Hult Challenge in an effort to solve urban poverty. It was an eye-opening experience with lots of learning, connections and relationships formed.

While battling through a busy first term in our MBA programme, we had to sacrifice valuable time to brainstorm innovative ideas, critically assess concepts and compose a final solution which we as a team believed in. The process was tiresome but rewarding; we had fun as a team, built character and learned about the differences and similarities of the urban poor in our various home countries.

Participating in the London Regional Finals was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was a world-class event where top business schools and universities from around the world competed for a spot in the Hult finals. It was nerve-wrecking presenting our proposed solution to a panel of judges, who’s job it is to thoroughly scrutinize every team. We didn’t make it through to the finals, but it was a privilege to participate in Hult, being exposed to all the innovative ideas and having the opportunity to connect with inspirational people.

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21 Apr 2016, 03:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Kicked off the year with a win in Lanzarote

Little did I know when I got elected the President of the prestigious RSM Sailing Club that my first assignment would be to set sail to Lanzarote. This gorgeous Spanish island off the coast of west Africa was as alien to me as was “sailing”!

On 18 February 2016 7:00 AM, Montse Aguire (Vice President of the RSM Sailing Club) and I boarded our flight from Amsterdam on our mission “Regatta IE” (btw regatta is what they call a sailing competition with many competing schools and this particular one was organized by IE Business School, Spain). I was extremely relieved just by the thought that I could escape cold and grey Rotterdam for the next 4 days. We landed in Lanzarote at 1:00 PM, and we were greeted by our very own sailing club veterans Marco, Yadu and Yannis and also by the tempest awaiting our arrival. First day of sailing and absolutely not fun!

Yannis had a well-spelled out plan for amateurs like me: Day 1 – Training, Day 2 – Race 1, Day 3 – Race 2. Day 1 – clearly, down the drain! We did not get permission to leave the port that day as the weather was extremely contrary and it was raining cats and dogs.

Day 2 – PANIC! “What am I gonna do??? I have never set foot on a sailing boat in my life! Will I have to face the same storm in the middle of the sea? Am I gonna be sea sick?…..and did somebody mention shaaaaarks!!@@?”

We got exactly 20 minutes to get a hold on the do’s and don’ts before we set sail that day. I diligently performed the tasks assigned to me, sitting on the side of the boat and meddling with the tough ropes whenever we had to change the direction of the sail, though that entailed getting thrown out of the boat twice into the nasty ocean. I didn’t master sailing doing this, but I got pretty good at my little task and we even won the first race.

Later I saw the ugliest face of the Regatta! Until this day, I thought Crisis Management was just some fancy term in the Strategy books. Oh wait… I forgot to mention our guardian angel, Gonzalo, the professional sailor who was with us on the boat every time we ventured into the deep. If not for him, I probably would have been a good meal for a couple of innocent fishes down there. I continued with my well-schooled task, till a storm came up. The weather changed from one minute to the other. The wind was so strong that the boat turned almost 90 degrees to the side. When we changed direction and the boat turned to the other side I slipped. I almost fell out of the boat but somehow I fell directly under the ropes that hold the sail. Thanks God Gonzalo was with us. He came to my rescue, freed me and led us safe to the harbor. This was not the only situation where he was a huge help.

The next day, when I pulled the rope to raise the spinnaker (the big front sail) the safety hook broke and I just pulled up the rope to the top of the mast. I felt like I was in some Indiana Jones adventure. Gonzalo, even with the wind so boisterous, immediately climbed up the mast to bring the rope back down, fixed the hook and we could use the spinnaker. Boy ….he just became my role model! I have a lot to learn about sailing from him!

Finally, the jolly rides were over! But hey no…. it seems it was tradition to throw the new President into water on his/her first Regatta. Are you kidding me? Do you really have to do that after all the damage my poor body had gone through? Well, tradition is tradition! After my final plunge, it was time to get ready for our victory parade! It was an extremely proud moment for Montse and I because we were bringing the IE cup to RSM from our very first mission. The Regatta ended with our party and drinks as expected but most importantly by fostering valuable networks from LBS, IESE, INSEAD and whichever top notch European school you want to name.

This will be a memory I will never forget and an experience only RSM can provide!

NewsErasmus

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22 Jun 2016, 02:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Choosing an MBA is all about the people

“The people” – this is my retort if someone asks me what I love most about my job as Director of MBA Marketing & Admissions. I am privileged to have a job that surrounds me with amazing people – colleagues, industry peers, prospective students, current students, alumni… the list is endless. My most important advice to prospects is therefore always that they need to make sure the MBA they choose is a programme where they can associate with the people of the programme.

Prospects need to assess what type of people they would like to be surrounded with, ensure that they would appreciate the input these people could bring into their lives and that they feel a fit with the people the programme represents. I strongly suggest to prospects that they should choose a programme that will challenge their assumptions and stereotypes.

At RSM I have six nationalities reflected in my team of nine and our MBA has an average class intake of 97 percent international students. (I often joke and say that I feel as if RSM reflects the United Nations!) You can imagine the interesting dynamic this environment brings. I have to admit that I sometimes wish we were all the same so that we can just get the job done. But herein lies the paradox – the fact that we are so diverse actually enables us to get the job done, and to get it done in a way that people who were similar never could have.

The energy and creativity an eclectic group of people with many different opinions bring are invaluable. I urge every MBA prospect to find a programme where they can experience the same. It makes for a challenging, but truly rewarding experience. One of our application essays at RSM asks candidates about the most difficult decision they have had to make. Most of these stories leave me humbled. I am motivated by the strength so many of these candidates have shown. Be it personal or professional decisions – their stories reflect resilience to overcome adversity.

Their essays always describe the agonising process of coming to these decisions and the courage it took to action them. A common thread in these essays are “people”. Candidates think about the effect of their actions on others and the impact of their choices. This is something we actively teach at RSM so it is great to see this reflected in their personal essays. If prospects are looking for an experience that is more than just in-class academics, I urge them to look at programmes where the stories of people are more important than only paper credentials.

I attend MBA events all over the world and we always have alumni turning up to support us and to catch up with the school. This means I get to engage with the people of our MBA long after they leave the campus. My wish for every MBA graduate is to be able to have a network like this, which is why I urge prospects to reach out and speak to alumni before they choose a school.

At a recent alumni dinner attended by about 20 people, I realised that we had a mini-UN reflected right there. We had six couples from mixed backgrounds: Indian and Czech, South African and Dutch, American and Peruvian, Russian and German, German and Chilean, Portuguese and Belgian. This just showed me again how an experience like the MBA can bring people together. The idealist in me also left hopeful for the future, because if this group of people could find ways to look past differences and work (and live!) together, surely the rest of the world can do the same?

Being surrounded by ambitious and enthusiastic people all looking to better themselves and, ultimately, those around them, brings me hope. Hope that if you work hard to reach your goals, you will. Hope that if you are open to those different to you, you will find common ground and learn much more than you can imagine.

Hope that many different people can work together on one cause with energy and commitment. And, ultimately, hope that we can move to a society where it is all about “people”. My wish for any MBA student is that, when asked what they love most about their MBA experience, their retort too will be “the people”.

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22 Jun 2016, 02:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Halfway through the journey and still a lot to discover

Finishing the last papers for Term 2 gets you into thinking. After the blazing fire of intense work dies out, you actually get some time to reflect on what has been going over the past few months. Father’s day especially reminded me of how similar my dad’s and my journeys are. Bilbo Baggins once said: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door, you step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to.” We both stepped out of our comfort zones searching for that spark which was missing in our lives. In his youth, my dad got on a train to Mexico City without the blessing of his father in order study at one of the best schools in Mexico and become a doctor.

His adventures in the asphalt jungle were amazing. With a limited budget he managed to sneak into talks held by great writers, met friends with a different life perspective and had some of the best years in his life .

It’s eerily similar to the things I’ve experienced so far here. I’ve seen a lot of a city in which I feel at home. Vibrant, interesting and full of little gems to discover. The people I’ve met are a little bit weird, but weird in the good sense of the word… I’ve always liked to say that if you’re the most accomplished guy in the room, you’re in the wrong room. My classmates come from so many different places and have so many accomplishments under the belt; the learning you can take from this experience is exponential. The mix of cultures, different ways of looking at life and the sheer intensity of the way everyone experiences this year is life-changing.

You learn that you can’t accomplish great things if you’re alone. That boldness pays off only if you’re prepared for the next step. You learn that you don’t always have the right answer; that you need to trust your teammates and that no one is going to force you to learn. You have to want it and want it badly.

Looking back at these months of enjoying life to the fullest, I have to say that following my own path was the best decision I could have ever made. When the time comes, I will be able to say that I did everything in my power to live the life I wanted to live.

Just like the journey my father took, learning and living in a completely different environment opened me up to things that I never expected to find. If he hadn’t taken that decision many years ago, I wouldn’t have been writing here. Who knows what’s next to come in my journey! I’m looking forward to all of it!

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08 Jul 2016, 08:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Help me find the break of this amazing roller coaster, please!

It’s real: time is going by too fast. I still remember some alumni of the previous promotions prevented me about this – it was 2015 and I thought “let’s see what happens next year”. The roller coaster started to move on January 6th, when I left Lima and took my flight to Madrid. Twelve hours crossing the Atlantic and almost 4 more hours to reach to Rotterdam, my new hometown received me with the heaviest rainstorm of my life… so far – I was inexperienced in Dutch weather at that moment. Next day was drier so I decided to walk around.

Monday came, and it was the day for collecting our books for Term 1, receiving our welcome packs, and meeting the campus through a guided tour given by Eva (our mother-to-be from the MBA office). It was also the day that I met everybody from our “batch” – as we call to every year’s promotion. And it was magic, because although we were looking to each others eyes for the first time, we already knew each other more that one could imagine at that stage – of course, it was the result of months of 24/7 Facebook and WhatsApp messages where we shared our traveling experiences, our last days in our jobs, and how were Christmas and New Years Eve celebrated in our cities. However, that was not the only thing that happened that day – I already had a meeting booked for that afternoon with Hala, Mike, and Elda to work on our Hult Prize project. It was very cool to finally meet together live after our previous Skype calls!

The PLD week went through very fast, but the best thing was that I had the opportunity to meet our teammates, which were going to be my new siblings for the following 8 weeks. That’s how I met Andrea, Mary Ann, Andy, and Chulho – Kofi joined us after a couple of days. I was very amazed to be part of a truly multicultural team and very glad to be part of the “B2-Bombers”!! Then, came the weekend, and we were ready to “play hard”. We were able to explore a couple of local bars and clubs and I had my first after-party-kleine-Kapsalon! Suddenly it was Monday again and the Term 1 started with QPB… Uhhh Statistics!

I don’t know how, but I blinked and I was already studying for the finals. I’m pretty sure that week went a bit slower than the previous ones, but that Thursday night I was already flying to Dubai with Mike, Hala, and Elda. That international experience with the Hult Prize was very cool, we met really interesting people from other schools, and even shared a meal in front of the Burj Al Arab with the CEO of Dubai Trade! Then came a short vacation period when I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul, and after another blink, I was sitting in the J1-49 classroom starting a new PLD week… it was the last week of March. It was a mixed-feelings week – I was sad because they were the last sessions with the B2-Bombers as a team, but at the same time very expectant to know my new siblings, with whom I was going to share Term 2 and the Living Management Project in late June. And that is how “A7-Kebab&Waffles” was born! I was really lucky to be part of a team with Ale, Jefnie, Ngozi, and Taku, my current family from which I’ve been learning so much, both professionally but overall, personally.

And that brings me to the present, finishing the Advanced Course as part of first section of the Term 3 and expecting with a lot of enthusiasm the beginning of the Living Management Project, which is going to be my first “real-work experience” since last September, when I quit my last job in Peru.

I didn’t mention the Sailing Club, the Marketing Club, the Entrepreneurship Club, the MBAT, the first career panels – on the “official side” – nor all the birthdays that we have already celebrated, the “extracurricular” activities prepared by Lorilea, our Culture & Social event-planner, and so many parties in which the celebrations seemed like more birthdays. Definitely, a post is not enough to describe all that I have been experiencing up to date. I must confess that now I’m already worried because everything is going so fast and I wonder… where is the break of this roller coaster car!?

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10 Aug 2016, 07:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Notes from EMBA’s Cape Town Study Trip

As part of the Executive MBA program at RSM, our class had to attend a study trip. Half of the class went to Cape Town and the other half went to Johannesburg for a week-long trip. I joined the group which went to Cape Town from 4 July till 8 July. After the longest flight of my life, I arrived on Saturday the 2nd and left Cape Town on 10 July.

I enjoyed the trip a lot; we learned plenty of new things about South Africa during the guest lectures, visited different companies and all in all had an amazing experience. Here, I’ll share some notes and reflections from the study trip:

The Graduate School of Business (GSB) in Cape Town hosted our sessions. GSB has its home in the breakwater prison. The building still has the old “charm” of the prison with the prison cells acting as break-out session rooms. We stayed at the breakwater lodge, conveniently located on the campus of GSB. I read a lot of “OMG South Africa! Dangerous!” and other shenanigans on the Internet. But in reality, it felt as safe as visiting any other country.

We had a packed program from Monday 8am till Friday 11pm. Before the trip, we had to investigate and submit a report on a South African company in order to understand the economic, political, and business landscape there. Our team researched and prepared a report on RCL Foods.

We had several engaging lectures by various professors and interesting panel discussions during the week.

Monday

Monday started with two sessions by Professor John Luiz who gave a comprehensive picture of Africa, touching upon history, economics and political landscape. Later in the afternoon, Associate Professor Mills Soko from GSB gave his personal and emotional account of his struggles during the Apartheid Era, and explained the political scenery of South Africa from his point of view.

Monday evening we went to a cooking workshop hosted by the South African celebrity chef Jenny Morris. We cooked food in her studio and I got to work with dough and dessert! I enjoyed making Koeksisters with my EMBA mates.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we started with a session by Nkosinathi Solomon, CEO of SLG in South Africa. Nkosinathi gave his views on starting and running a business in South Africa and Africa in general. Professor Nick Binedell gave the second session of the day. Professor Nick, a well-known academic and founding director of GIBS, flew in from Johannesburg. His lecture was one of the best ones during our visit, giving insights into personality development and leadership. He reflected upon his personal interactions with Nelson Mandela, which was one of the highlights of his lecture.

Before heading to our first company visit, we had dinner with “Women in Engineering” and had fun chatting with a couple of the program participants.

In the afternoon we went to First National Bank to meet with the Head of Innovations, Yolande (van Wyk) Steyn. In most people’s perception innovation and technology adoption at banks and financial sector goes at glacial pace. Yolande gave a good impression on how FNB focuses on innovation and encouraging it within the bank with various programs. Overall, they have impressive initiatives like hackathons, new idea-sharing platform, annual innovation prizes etc. We did get to peek into their beautiful tall office building with nice views over the Cape.

Wednesday

Nearly 36% of the African population lives with less than $2 per day known as Base of the Pyramid in emerging markets. We got a glimpse of the “underground” economy of African townships and people living at the base of the pyramid. On Wednesday we got to see the other side of South Africa, the townships and low-income areas and meet some of the local entrepreneurs.

In the morning we had a quick briefing by Nicolas Pascarel and his team of volunteers. With them we visited Philippi village and a small day care run by the local woman. They explained the difficulties and challenges in running a Crèche for low income groups – such as acquiring the land, building a decent secure day care, getting enough money to pay the teachers. We discussed some options on how to improve the conditions. But as with many situations, coming up with a solution to complex problems without having sufficient knowledge seemed incredibly difficult.

During the visit, we had a nice African lunch with the locals at Philippi village!

After the trip, we all gathered together to share our experiences focused on the four A’s of Business at the Base of the Pyramid – Acceptability, Affordability, Accessibility, and Awareness.

Thursday

On Thursday Melani Prinsloo, helped us dig deeper into Business at the Base of the Pyramid. During the session she questioned the role of capitalism and rethinking business, especially in emerging markets. She tried explaining the difference between formal and informal economy, and creating a sustainable business on “the capability Approach“, proposed by Amartya Sen et. al, going deeper into the philosophy of business ethics.

Before heading to our second company visit, we had a fun session by Dave Duarte, an entrepreneur and “marketing geek”, in which he explained more about the mobile revolution in Africa. We went to Mezzanine, a mobile software startup funded by Vodacom. While the products sounded promising, I felt a bit underwhelmed by the solutions they have built. They showcased their solution for school principals – a mobile app to manage the school efficiently, like teacher attendance and other metrics. Using the app they can also report infrastructure issues to the authorities etc. They explained that availability of skilled software developers posed an ongoing challenge for the software development in South Africa.

Friday

Friday was the final day of activity and time for putting our heads together to come up with solutions. We had a business pitch competition to come up with solution that applies to South African context. The teams came up with following ideas:

Brainyapp – App for improving the education in SA
EPAM SA plans – Expansion to South Africa for EPAM
Green Electricity – Portable electricity generation from biomass
Pharmafilter – Water cleaning, recycling technology product for hospitals.
T3 Teachers to Teachers – A platform for training teachers
TomTom – A GPS solution for Feature Phones
Tyco expansion in Africa – A fire prevention company’s expansion plans to Africa
Ubunye – A neighborhood daycare managed by locals
And our very own idea : Vuber ?

We proposed a new startup idea Vuber – pitched as Uber for Virtual Reality viewers, where people get “on-demand” Virtual Reality shows broadcast by Vuber Scouts.

After the group presentation we headed out in the “wilderness” to have dinner at a beautiful countryside restaurant the Table. After tasty lunch, we visited the Villiera wines to checkout out the winery and their sustainability initiatives. We had a tour around a small game reserve nearby!

The super busy and fun week came to an epic conclusion at the Gold restaurant with some great African food and music, where Paul Maughan presented the coveted Griaffe rolling trophy to the winners. Obviously our idea has worth of billion dollars

, but we didn’t win the the prize, which went to Green Electricity folks.

The trip to South Africa proved to be an exciting learning opportunity and provided us with incredible insight into how different economies work, challenges for businesses in emerging markets etc. Through the great lectures by eminent professors and company visits, we gained a lot of understanding in just a week. This certainly stands out as a highlight of the EMBA programme so far.

Key takeaways

* Africa is big – really, really, really big ?

* The opportunities for entrepreneurs are abundant.

* Africa has a complex business and political climate.

* Great food.

* Southern winter isn’t much cold.

* Each of the country in Africa is unique, yet carries some unique african spirit.

* Other Africans suffer the consequences of Xenophobia in South Africa.

Other highlights

I had some incredible interactions with the people who worked at the university café. They had incredible stories about living in townships, ambitions and energy. I also spoke to a couple of über drivers, first driver worked as a driver for gang before, and the other, a Rwandan gentleman, driving everyday and studying for his MS in quality control.

On Saturday, I had a chance to meet a fellow clojurian and CTO of Cognician, Robert Stuttaford. We had breakfast together discussing all things clojure.

A Special Thanks

GSB’s Senior Lecturer Paul Maughan who lead the agenda of the sessions during the week. Along with Marjolijn, from MEA Global, everyday he brought incredible energy to boot us up in the morning and helped us in keeping the levels up until the last event on Friday. And of course, our very own Gea Tromp made the trip more wonderful!

I have never traveled to South Africa, for that matter to Southern Hemisphere. So I used this chance to confirm that water doesn’t actually spin different in the Southern Hemisphere.

The epic first term of EMBA came to an end with an equally epic trip to South Africa. Our second term starts on 9 September, I can’t wait for it!

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21 Sep 2016, 02:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: THE MILAN EXPERIENCE

The MBA Study Trips are a great opportunity provided by RSM to get to know how business is done in other parts of the globe. From United States, to Costa Rica, to Europe and China; every one of us had a great opportunity to experience first-hand learning on different approaches. I was really happy to be a part of it, and decided to choose the Milan study trip, because it would offer me access to a world that I have never particularly identified with – the world of luxury.

Being so far from home, I’ve never thought I would encounter such a similar culture to mine. At first I thought everything in Milan would scream “Fashion!”, but after walking through the city I can safely say Milano cannot deny its Latin roots. Streets where we have clashes of poverty and extreme luxury, stores that cater to the highest earners and stores full of graffiti owned by people struggling to pass by. The clash of banality and excruciating need, stirred in warm weather and diverse people. It’s a very familiar combination, powerful.

After taking an amazing class in RSM about Customer Development, the knowledge I received in that week proved to be invaluable… It made me realize that for those people who buy a $30,000 bag, the job to be done is never about the bag. It’s about what a bag can say about them to the people who actually understand its statement. It also gave me a newfound sense of respect for the people in the fashion industry, because it’s just another code of communication that enables them to survive in their social circle.

The lessons by our lecturers were nothing short of amazing. Overlooking the history of a country means also to overlook their culture, their industries and their approach to life. Learning how Italian self-relying culture spurred a competition to create goods of the highest quality is fundamental to understand why tons of luxury brands like Lamborghini and Ferrari were created in such a small geographical area.

Most of us even had a few days to relax and enjoy the hot Italian weather before heading back to the MBA with renewed spirits and lessons learned. For me the biggest lesson was that there’s always something to discover, something exciting even in the places you least expect it. And you have to face it with an open mind and understanding to appreciate its beauty.

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30 Sep 2016, 02:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: London calling…

After Term 3 and the long summer holiday, it almost felt like the MBA experience had finished. Yet, we still had the London Study trip ahead of us (finance focused). Even for a single week, I had a great time and I would like to share my takeaways from that journey.

We visited many companies and that was helpful to understand how banks and other financial institutions are organized and structured inside and what capabilities and processes are involved in supporting them. For many of us who are willing to join the financial sector (career shifters), that part of the journey helped us understand how we can use our past experience to come up with a stronger strategy for our job applications. Appreciating companies’ business models can tell how our past experience, even from another sector, can add value to the financial institutions.

The dinner with the alumni was another great experience in my opinion. Many of us had the opportunity to speak with alumni that work in the sectors that many of us want to join. I personally had the chance to speak with an alumnus that works for a company I am targeting and after the dinner, he offered his help in pushing my CV to the right people in the organization. Having the chance to talk to these people, getting to know what they do and having their support in our job seeking was a priceless opportunity for me.

We also had the chance to work together with the Executive MBA classmates. Most of them have more experience than us and working with them was a great learning curve. We have also built strong connections with some of the Executive MBA students and we still keep in touch after the trip. The MBA experience for me is a personal development journey and surrounding yourself with people who have achieved what we are currently trying to achieve is a great way to accelerate our professional and personal development.

The study trip in my opinion was a unique experience. It added a distinctive elements to our MBA journey and will definitely be appreciated in our post-MBA adventure.

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31 Oct 2016, 09:11

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03 Nov 2016, 08:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: Erasmus Beer is ready!

Our MBA program at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) stands out worldwide because of the entrepreneurial mindset of our students. We have a creative and fun approach to our ideas, and are dead serious when it comes to tackling business challenges. An idea like crafting a beer with the name of your university to remind you of all the fun and challenging times you experienced is definitely somewhere out of the box, but that’s exactly what Guillem, Elba, Rients and Sandip thought about.

In the meantime, why not also help local breweries creating products with high brand awareness? The idea of creating Erasmus Beer was born after this team of entrepreneurs realized that there was no local craft beer available at any university event… and they wanted to change that!

Their unusual journey started at the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) during the RSM Entrepreneurship Club Startup-Bootcamp. They spent long hours trying to figure out a business model behind the idea, and the goal was clear: provide great beer for great students! And it was the right move!

These 4 entrepreneurs ran a very successful first tasting in July, and the students loved the flavor and the idea of rallying behind a brew that represented them. Since then, they have been brewing and experimenting with the next batches; getting more microbreweries excited with the concept. The community of microbreweries in Rotterdam, while small, comes from a long tradition and we are happy that Erasmus Beer is now a part of it!

To serve the demand of the upcoming events, they brewed their own beer and created collaborative craft beers in alliance with local microbreweries. The results were astounding! If you would like to try the next legendary batch of Erasmus Beer, feel free to drop by Maria’s Cantina, at Bayle (J) Building on Friday, November 11 at 5pm.

RSVP on Twitter by tweeting: I want #erasmusbeer #rsmmba17. If you’re a MBA student, you can also register on Campus Groups!

Cheers from Guillem, Elba, Rients and Sandip!

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10 Jan 2017, 03:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: A year in the making

Last year this time, I was on my way back from a coastal summer holiday in the beautiful Western Cape province of South Africa. My GMAT appointment, application essays and the uncomfortable wait that comes after were the primary thoughts on my mind. The sun and sand I had left behind was a close second…

Despite the inherent uncertainty and stress, I was very optimistic and excited to start my application. The MBA application process is an opportunity to challenge and rediscover yourself, verbalise your goals and the values that underline them and a chance to do something for your future self. Although challenging, the application process is enriching.

I was particularly excited to apply to the RSM International MBA. The programme with its strong focus on addressing development and sustainability through business in an international setting is very much aligned with my personal ethos and life goals. Apart from offering a large variety of courses, internships at reputable companies, exchange programmes and a leadership retreat, RSM is situated in the awesome port city of Rotterdam!

The city is modern and accessible. You can use the metro, bus or tram system to discover every hidden gem Rotterdam has to offer – that is assuming your bicycles tyres were flat that morning since it is a city made for cycling. I arrived here a week ago and it has been tonnes of fun exploring my new surroundings.

The RSM administrative team was amazing in their willingness to help me. Whether one of the million questions I asked pertained to financing my MBA, applying for a VISA and residence permit, finding accommodation or figuring out the school IT service, someone always had an answer. Apart from the RSM team, my future classmates have been very optimistic in their efforts to help… We are all on a huge WhatsApp group where all advice, insights and excitement is shared.

This year I am in the fortunate position of looking forward in excitement.

I look forward to a challenging and fulfilling MBA course, classmates who enrich the experience and personal growth.

I look forward to exchange programmes, internships, day trips and the annual MBAT competition.

I look forward to experiencing a new city and discovering its markets, museums and neighbourhoods.

I even look forward to sharing these adventures with you in this blog every now and again.

Until then, good luck and enjoy 2017!

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16 Jan 2017, 01:01

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: The inevitable question – “Why RSM?”

Photo taken by me my first day at RSM.

Why RSM?

I was on a plane headed to the Netherlands when it occurred to me that I knew no one there except someone by the name of Tinka Broeders, who I had met briefly in 2014 when I interviewed for a spot on the Global OneMBA Program at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

It was my first time to Europe, and I couldn’t help the flare of trepidation as I wondered about the reception I would receive as a first- time visitor. Turned out that my fears were unfounded.

I now travel from Canada to the Netherlands on a regular basis to attend classes, and every time it is a new experience, and confirmation that I made the right choice. Each person I meet on the course of my journey inevitably ask the same questions, “Why RSM?” and “What’s the OneMBA?”

Nestled in the city that houses the largest port in Europe – Rotterdam, RSM offers the impressive 21-month Global Executive OneMBA Program. Having always wanted to travel the world, I gravitated towards this program primarily, because of the sheer magnitude of the connections scattered across the globe. The program’s selling point is: Five schools. Four continents. OneMBA. Collaborating universities located in the US, China, Brazil, Mexico, and the Netherlands colluded to create this ‘out of the box’ concept to address the rising need for global leaders. As such, there is not just one international trip – the norm with most MBA programs, but four!

Choosing RSM fulfilled three personal drivers:

my need to travel the world;
my desire to immerse myself in a culture different from mine,
and more importantly, to learn how to tackle tough global issues by partnering with brilliant problem solvers in the form of my cohorts.

During the first residency at RSM, some moments felt surreal. I couldn’t believe I was finally pursuing a lifelong dream, and at one of the top schools in Europe too. When not actively participating in group discussions and assignments, I spent my time in introspection, aided by the program’s Personal Leadership Development sessions. This time further helped to strengthen my resolve to savor every moment of this once in a lifetime experience.

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FROM Erasmus(Rotterdam) MBA Blog: On the road to my MBA

With my kids at the Vienna airport before I am off to Rotterdam

My road to MBA started somewhat ten months ago. I was already working as a Finance Controller at the brewery and the more I was involved in the business process on a daily basis the more I had the feeling that I wanted to further continue my education in business and management.

Many of us who have considered to pursue an MBA degree have faced similar obstacles on their roads. When you are returning to full time studies as a mature student there are a lot of aspects to consider. It is a huge commitment that, if taken, would make you leave behind many things that are dear to you: your family, work, friends and for many of us even change country.

Besides the obvious, i.e. which school to choose, there are a lot of aspects to be considered as well.

My aspects were the following:

Geographical

I wanted an English speaking country to improve my language skills but I was also looking for another European language to learn. Eventually I chose RSM because I learned quite well about the Netherlands during my numerous business trips and felt very comfortable here already. I was always amazed by the fact that many of my Dutch colleagues spoke several languages and the diversity of people’s nationalities working at our offices in Amsterdam and Kijk.

Financial

When it came to find a suitable payment plan I was quite pleased to find out how many different options for the financial support there is out there. I managed to find a good plan for me, it was quick and easy. I managed to find everything I need on the RSM website, it is very informative and easy to follow. On top of that I received Dean’s scholarship. This, at the end, was the actual deal breaker in my decision making process. This when I definitely decided to join the RSM!

Academic study period

I was also looking to start studying in January rather than sometime midyear. Many schools I was considering start their programs in September or October. This wouldn’t be suitable for me as I had some commitments to my former employer and would have had to complete projects by December before I leave. One year full time program is what I was looking for. I was not willing to take a bigger break from work and , perhaps, to increase my living expenses.

Looking for a suitable accommodation, reasonably priced and within a walking distance to the university campus, was the most difficult task of all. An apartment in Rotterdam in the selected areas were out of my budget. Roommates in shared houses were mainly looking for a professional female. Luckily, I was put on RSM list for Rotterdam2stay accommodation in September but that wasn’t confirmed until December. This made me feel very uncertain. Rotterdam2stay is a new and modern building just minutes away from the university campus, very reasonably priced and provides studio apartments for students or professionals. On a first come first serve basis the competition was fierce. I was able to book my studio online on a given date and time competing with other 50 candidates. Experience to remember!

Now, after first week in Rotterdam I must admit, I am very pleased. I met all the fellow students, the teaching personnel. Already getting very busy with my first assignment.

So far I only had a chance to look around Rotterdam from my big glass window in my studio but proper tour around this wonderful city is yet another step to make on my road to MBA.

Looking forward to it!