CBS International Case Teams: The best investment I have ever made as a CBS student
After enrolling at Copenhagen Business School, I heard about the infamous International Case Teams from Anton, a good friend of mine. He told me about one of his friends, who had joined the team as he wanted to work in consulting and had found that participating had ended up being as time-intensive as taking an extra course! I vividly remember our conversation and my response to what he told me.
“Imagine spending that much time learning how to make pretty PowerPoint slides!”
The International Case Team sounded like the last thing I would bother with and at that point, I could not imagine myself ever participating in a case competition.
However, this quickly changed. On a late December night out, my friend Sam convinced me to sign up for Case Academy, hosted by the CBS Case Club. He was sure that I would love it and told me that it would be fun no matter what. To say that he was right would be putting it mildly – I loved it! I was so intrigued by the environment and the friendly competition that I even applied for the International Case Teams.
Fast forward one and a half years, and I have now competed in more case competitions than I can count, attended two international case competitions in Bergen in Norway and Vancouver in Canada, and, most importantly, learned more than I could have ever imagined. I am confident to say that the perception I had of the case team during my first time as a CBS student is far from the reality I have experienced.
Studying is great! However, it can be difficult to see exactly how it is useful in the real world.
Thomas Rald Kaspersen, Digital management student
Yes, I have spent a lot of hours attending workshops, making PowerPoint slides, and presenting my case solutions only to be beaten by a better team. Yet, looking back at the hours spent, I would not have changed them for hours spent on anything else. You might find this hard to believe, and to be honest, I would feel the same if I had been reading this a year ago – before joining CBS International Case Teams.
Here are the three reasons why you should join CBS International Case Teams.
The camaraderie and social aspects
In the first year, I made incredible friends through the International Case Teams. This includes my teammates who I have spent 24+ hours with – locked in a room on several occasions (a great way to get to know each other), but also the people I have competed against. I have gained friends across the globe after travelling to Norway and Canada. Friends whom I will be visiting and who will be visiting me as soon as we have the chance.
The opportunity to use your academic learnings to solve issues for real companies
Studying is great! However, it can be difficult to see exactly how it is useful in the real world. Solving cases has allowed me to approach complex problem-solving with the tools I have learned as a Digital Management student, combined with the tools from my teammates and their studies.
Networking opportunities
CBS International Case Teams is a great opportunity to network with talented students from CBS and other universities. However, you also meet some of the most talented consultants in the training camp, consisting of seven workshops at seven different consultancies, where you get to learn from some of the greatest minds in Copenhagen. Also, you often meet top executives from the case companies at the case competitions.
This is a unique opportunity for students to use what they learn at CBS to solve real problems in the world of business. I am thankful that CBS is providing this opportunity for students and hope that future generations of CBS students get the same opportunity.
And for any students who made it this far in the article — Apply! I cannot recommend it enough! It is by far the best time investment I have ever made as a CBS student.
Comments