After completing a Bachelor in Business Psychology, 23-year-old Anna Wannhoff decided to pursue a Master in Management at ESMT Berlin, the most international business school in Germany. She told MASTERGRADSCHOOLS about the international opportunities at ESMT Berlin, the variety of extracurricular student-led activities, and how the school’s Career Services team helped her land an internship at Microsoft.
With a faculty pool that is 80% non-German, ESMT Berlin is the most international business school in Germany.
Originally from Germany, Anna chose to study at ESMT Berlin because of its strong international reputation. “After my [undergraduate studies], I really wanted to go International,” she says. “I decided to go to ESMT because there are a lot of great networking opportunities with international professors, students, and staff. This is a really great opportunity to expand our knowledge internationally.” (01:06)
The Master in Management (MIM) program at ESMT Berlin also offers the possibility to study elective courses abroad, at one of ESMT’s many international partner institutions – at no additional cost!
Anna will be doing an exchange semester at IE University in Madrid. “This is a great possibility for us to expand our network and also to engage with other universities,” Anna says. (15:09) ESMT Berlin’s international exchange partners include Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), Bocconi University (Italy), the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden), and the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University (Canada).
Anna decided to pursue a Master in Management to expand her management knowledge in order to take on leadership positions in the future.
“What we learn at ESMT is not only the skills we need for management, but also the skills we need for being a leader,” she explains. “In the end, we’re prepared so that we’re able to manage, but also how to be a good leader for a company or for a small team.” (05:12)
At ESMT Berlin, Anna has had the opportunity to put her leadership skills into practice by joining different student initiatives. For example, she is the Co-Chair of the DigitalFuture Summit, a networking event organized by entrepreneurial Master in Management students. Anna is excited to step into her first leadership role, leading a team of 48 students.
“This is the most important part of ESMT. You have your studies, your student initiatives, your network, your workshops, and the skills that you learn. In total, you have a full bubble of all that you need,” she says. (06:46)
“What impressed me is that [ESMT has] a lot of programs besides the real study program,” Anna tells us. (13:06)
ESMT Berlin’s student clubs and associations include the DigitalFuture Summit, the Innovation and Tech Club, the Net Impact Club, and most recently, the ACI Consulting Club. Founded in 2020, the ACI Consulting Club is “where students come together to build consulting projects with real companies and to really experience how to be a good consultant.” (14:14) Since its inception, the ACI Consulting Club has worked with clients such as Solarisbank, climateers, and promiseQ.
“We have so many great clubs and initiatives that all of us are able to support. This is what impressed me the most and I didn’t expect there [to be] so many possibilities next to the real study program,” Anna says. (13:44)
With a strong background in the mobility sector, Anna wanted to try something new. The Career Services team at ESMT Berlin was instrumental in helping her identify new sectors and opportunities.
“Career Services are a really important part of ESMT because [they] offer us the possibility to really brainstorm with them together on our own career,” she explains. “I discussed with them: what are my possibilities? Which sector could be interesting? Which company could be interesting? We quickly found Microsoft.” (03:17)
Anna recently completed her internship at Microsoft, which ESMT Berlin helped her find as well as prepare for. The Career Services team helped Anna prepare for her interview, including her elevator pitch and improving her CV. She is now working with the team on long-term career planning.
As the most international business school in Germany, ESMT Berlin has provided Anna with extraordinary opportunities to expand her international network, enhance her leadership skills, and pursue her various interests outside of the regular study program. With the help of ESMT’s Career Services team, Anna has also been able to discover new sectors and make a long-term plan for her career future.
