CBS: everything ingenious is simple, or How I acted in a Danish university
Pleasantly surprised by the interest of the Habra community to my experience at Copenhagen Business School, I decided not to stop at the level of progress and continue the story very banal, but I want to believe, no less interesting my own history of entering a foreign university. So if you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask about the existing IT programs in CBS, the admission procedure and opportunities to grab something from the Danish taxpayers in the form of a scholarship, then welcome to cat.
To be honest, the decision to move abroad was unexpected for me. During training at the Yaroslavl State University. P.G. Demidov thoughts about distant countries almost did not arise. However, not because it was uninteresting or I was completely satisfied with the education model existing in Russia, but rather because such a project seemed unrealistic: “expensive”, “far”, “incomprehensible”. As a result, having received a “specialist” in 2009, I entered postgraduate school in my native department without incidental thoughts (unpleasantly surprisingly to the military commissar who had already assembled to send me to the troops) and went to the civil service.
')
However, less than six months, the thought of the desirability of foreign experience still visited mybright head. It is difficult to say which factor turned out to be decisive: the political situation screaming about the inefficiency of the state machine, the relative lack of prospects of a provincial city, or the desire for new experience, but after the idea was supported by the family council and among friends, I decided to take up the issue closely and I began to look for what and how to study in Europe. For free, of course, for savings that could satisfy the demands of foreign universities were not observed either by me or by my family.
The first heart-warming fact turned out to be a fairly wide variety of scholarships and grants targeted at potential students from outside the EU (EU residents do not pay for studies in Europe, at least in Scandinavia). Almost every solid university or business school had its own programs, which, however, were seriously different conditions: somewhere it was possible to cover only the costs of training (and sometimes even part of them), somewhere full socialism with monthly compensation was offered. expenses. In other words, it turned out that there were quite a lot of opportunities to fulfill theidiot 's dream of a foreign education. It remained only to use them. At least try.
However, it was not without constraints. Being a diligent young scientist and, more importantly, a potential draftee, I naturally did not think about leaving the graduate school. But to spend three years writing a dissertation and a year to defend it - and that means to postpone emigration for a substantial period - was also not particularly desirable. Therefore, having received the blessing of the supervisor for early protection, I managed, by the end of 2011, not only to collect material and write the necessary chapters, but also to go through a very nervous procedure of publicly presenting the results, becoming a “ken”.
Thus, the path from the idea to its realization took me about 2 years (from spring 2010 to spring 2012). During this time, I found the most attractive scholarship programs for me, prepared and passed TOEFL, corrected and sent all the necessary documents. It is necessary to say that, applying to more than 15 programs in different universities in Europe, I focused mainly on Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway) - albeit an expensive, but distinguished by a high standard of living, geographic area. However, I also tried the Erasmus Mundus scholarship, as well as the London School of Economics. True, to no avail.
In the spring of 2012, I received invitations from Copenhagen Business School, Stockholm University, and several Finnish universities. Joy, of course, there was no limit. Moreover, most of them included scholarships of various denominations. As a result of comparing ratings, scholarships and the content of educational programs, I decided to move to Denmark, from where, in fact, I sculpt this work. Below you will find most of the details of this project, which turned out to be surprisingly very successful.
The first stage that most potential foreign students face is choosing a program. And this, I must say, is not easy, because European universities have a wide variety of courses in their assets, ready to satisfy the most demanding student. With regard to Copenhagen Business School, I considered 2 “IT” master's programs, as well as something about innovation and entrepreneurship. As a result, there were not enough credits for IT, but innovations turned out to be very attractive. Below are descriptions and requirements for these programs (information taken from the university site ):
MSc in Business Administration & Information Systems - Information Management
The goal of the program is to provide knowledge for work related to information management, strategic development, and information design. The program teaches us to diagnose and analyze challenges in the field of information management and respond to them through a deep understanding of the relationship between information, technology, people and organizations. Potential graduate jobs: project managers, information architecture designers, corporate information managers, chief information officers. Subjects: social informatics (principles of the social web); strategy formation in an international setting; social analysis and design of IT in organizations; information systems and change management; strategic information management; leadership and communication; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 ECTS credits * in macro and microeconomics; 15 credits for the organization / management of personnel and / or strategy and / or management; 7.5 credits in information systems; 22.5 credits in computer science or information management.
* For information: 1 ECTS in Denmark is equivalent to 27.5 academic hours from a Russian diploma. Naturally, to cover certain requirements can use several courses simultaneously. Names are not fundamental. Fundamentally the content, which is described by the incoming in a separate document.
MSc in Business Administration & Information Systems - IT Management and Business Economics
The goal of the program is to equip students with skills in such areas as IT strategy, IT development, project management, and interaction design (could not adequately translate). The program focuses on complex challenges and problems associated with the design, development and implementation of IT in organizations. Potential alumni jobs: IT manager; development manager; Project Manager; IT architect. Subjects: IT management and business economics; strategy formation in an international setting; social analysis and design of IT in organizations; information systems and change management; strategic information management; information systems design; IT resource management; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 ECTS loans in macro and microeconomics; 15 credits for the organization / management of personnel and / or strategy and / or management; 7.5 credits in information systems; 22.5 credits in computer science or information management.
MSc in Economics and Business Administration - Innovation Management and Business Development
The program teaches to analyze and manage innovations, as well as their commercialization in knowledge-based companies, and also trains students in identifying and overcoming barriers to change through the development of analytical skills, teamwork and communication skills. Potential alumni jobs: business development specialist; entrepreneur; participant startup team; project and product managers. Subjects: innovation and knowledge; entrepreneurship; product development and project management; strategic finance and control; strategy and marketing; integrated project; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 credits to the organization; 7.5 credits in microeconomics; 15 credits in finance and accounting; 7.5 credits in marketing; 7.5 credits in quantitative methods / statistics; 45 credits in business administration.
Of course, given that CBS is a business school, even “IT” programs are targeted at those who are familiar with the business. However, for me it was interesting, because besides the "specialty" in management, I wanted a master's degree in IT. But, unfortunately, not enough credits.
Upon admission to CBS, an applicant can select up to 5 programs and must arrange them in order of priority. Accordingly, if the most cherished dream was in the span, there is a chance to enter the second one, and so on. Given that this year the percentage of enrolled students in the total number is about 68%, it’s not very difficult to be a CBS student. However, paying tuition and living in an expensive Copenhagen is much more difficult.
For non-Europeans (in the sense of immigrants from non-EU countries or the “Scandinavian brotherhood”), the cost of education in all the above-mentioned programs is the same - 12,500 euros per year, i.e. 25,000 for the full course of study. However, CBS provides each year about 25 scholarships, fully covering the cost of training and involving monthly payments in the amount of 5,500 DKK ( 4,800 after taxes). It is difficult to judge the competition for scholarships, but this year about 150 students came from non-European countries (at the same time Russia is ahead of everyone in the ranking with 12 students), which means that about 6 people were eligible for the scholarship.
Receipt for me began about a year and a half before the start of document acceptance - in the summer of 2010, finally deciding to enter Europe, I began to prepare for the TOEFL test, which tests English in four areas: reading, listening, conversational skills and academic a letter. To fulfill the CBS standard, it was necessary to score 80 points (now it was raised to 91) out of 120, which seemed quite realistic. However, in Sweden, the bar was much higher, and therefore the goal I set was 100 points, which at that time did not seem so simple.
As already noted on Habré, my comrades on "foreign happiness" of this kind of standardized tests are very specific. By and large, the lack of any knowledge in them is quite possible to compensate for with knowledge of the structure and content of the exam, as well as using all sorts of tricks such as the technique of eliminating incorrect answers or prepared templates of answers. If I knew English at the time of graduation, I didn’t know more than intermediate; I could read something more or less tolerably, I could write something, but there were big problems with listening and speaking. However, by the day of the exam in summer 2011, they were more or less resolved.
In the process of preparation, I used self-help books downloaded from torrents and practical tests that helped me to get around questions and introduced me to tricks. In terms of improving listening comprehension, thanks to the Voice of America Special English podcasts. Speaking in the absence of practice was difficult to improve, but again the answer templates, drawn from specialized literature, helped.
The result of the preparation in a way incomprehensible to me exceeded all expectations. I received 112 points out of 120 and therefore confidently fell under any European requirements. The first barrier was over.
Unlike many universities that I had to deal with, CBS relies entirely on the electronic filing system, which seems to be very convenient - no need to spend money on correspondence, translation and certification of additional copies. At the same time, the policy of the university is so liberal that they were on my list the only ones who did not require a notary stamp on the scans of the diploma or the signature of the translator. I do not know whether CBS had to deal with fraud by applicants, but I am very impressed with such confidence.
From December 15, 2011 to February 1, 2012, I had to prepare and upload the following documents into the system:
Actually, that's all. As you can see, with the exception of TOEFL'a (the results of which can, however, be sent, as I understood, and after the decision on conditional admission), the package of documents does not cause any particular difficulties. And this, again, characterizes CBS for the better.
The only not very pleasant fact was the need to transfer a registration fee of 150 euros. At the same time it was impossible to pay with a card - I had to organize a bank transfer, which in Russia (at least in the province) turned out to be a dreary and expensive exercise. However, now, when I entered and began to study, the contribution should be returned, which definitely pleases.
Returning to the admission procedure, I note that I finished it in early January, and therefore I was waited for 1.5 months of anxious waiting, because the results of the receipt and distribution of scholarships should have been announced on March 1. However, I didn’t have to be bored much - in January-February I actively moved to other universities (for example, in Finland).
On March 1, 2012, I learned that I had entered on the 1st priority. The decision on the scholarship was postponed to March 2. I do not remember that I was very worried about these 24 hours, but when there was a letter in the inbox with the introductory words “We are happy to inform you ...” the time stopped for a period. Two years of training and hard work were rewarded.
During the spring, similar letters came from Sweden and Finland. And although by that time I had already agreed to a scholarship at CBS (this had to be done fairly quickly), the question arose of choosing the most promising option. In Sweden, the scholarship was significantly higher, but Stockholm University was in the ranking below CBS, and even though the program was beautifully called (Strategic IT Management), it was new and did not seem very balanced. Finland, however, was not very attracted to being too close to Russia, as well as rumors about the weirdness and closed nature of the Finns. As a result, I decided not to change the horses at the crossing and, to the great surprise of the Swedes and Finns (they wondered several times if I was sure), refused all the proposed places with the exception of CBS.
In mid-August, I arrived in Copenhagen and began a new phase of my life. However, this is a different story, which I plan to tell in the next article on domestic trifles and general impressions of Denmark.
Rereading what was written, I am once again surprised at how simple my receipt seems at first glance. However, if we reject personal experiences, it really was not very difficult. And this concerns not only CBS, but also other European universities. And this leads me to a conclusion that was not obvious 3 years ago, but it has become such now: studying abroad, no matter what anyone says, is a valuable experience, and with a strong desire this experience can be obtained without any serious effort, but therefore it is necessary to try, use every opportunity. In other words, fight and search, find and not give up.
Photo source: cbs.dk
0. Introduction
To be honest, the decision to move abroad was unexpected for me. During training at the Yaroslavl State University. P.G. Demidov thoughts about distant countries almost did not arise. However, not because it was uninteresting or I was completely satisfied with the education model existing in Russia, but rather because such a project seemed unrealistic: “expensive”, “far”, “incomprehensible”. As a result, having received a “specialist” in 2009, I entered postgraduate school in my native department without incidental thoughts (unpleasantly surprisingly to the military commissar who had already assembled to send me to the troops) and went to the civil service.
')
However, less than six months, the thought of the desirability of foreign experience still visited my
The first heart-warming fact turned out to be a fairly wide variety of scholarships and grants targeted at potential students from outside the EU (EU residents do not pay for studies in Europe, at least in Scandinavia). Almost every solid university or business school had its own programs, which, however, were seriously different conditions: somewhere it was possible to cover only the costs of training (and sometimes even part of them), somewhere full socialism with monthly compensation was offered. expenses. In other words, it turned out that there were quite a lot of opportunities to fulfill the
However, it was not without constraints. Being a diligent young scientist and, more importantly, a potential draftee, I naturally did not think about leaving the graduate school. But to spend three years writing a dissertation and a year to defend it - and that means to postpone emigration for a substantial period - was also not particularly desirable. Therefore, having received the blessing of the supervisor for early protection, I managed, by the end of 2011, not only to collect material and write the necessary chapters, but also to go through a very nervous procedure of publicly presenting the results, becoming a “ken”.
Thus, the path from the idea to its realization took me about 2 years (from spring 2010 to spring 2012). During this time, I found the most attractive scholarship programs for me, prepared and passed TOEFL, corrected and sent all the necessary documents. It is necessary to say that, applying to more than 15 programs in different universities in Europe, I focused mainly on Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway) - albeit an expensive, but distinguished by a high standard of living, geographic area. However, I also tried the Erasmus Mundus scholarship, as well as the London School of Economics. True, to no avail.
In the spring of 2012, I received invitations from Copenhagen Business School, Stockholm University, and several Finnish universities. Joy, of course, there was no limit. Moreover, most of them included scholarships of various denominations. As a result of comparing ratings, scholarships and the content of educational programs, I decided to move to Denmark, from where, in fact, I sculpt this work. Below you will find most of the details of this project, which turned out to be surprisingly very successful.
1. Programs and requirements
The first stage that most potential foreign students face is choosing a program. And this, I must say, is not easy, because European universities have a wide variety of courses in their assets, ready to satisfy the most demanding student. With regard to Copenhagen Business School, I considered 2 “IT” master's programs, as well as something about innovation and entrepreneurship. As a result, there were not enough credits for IT, but innovations turned out to be very attractive. Below are descriptions and requirements for these programs (information taken from the university site ):
MSc in Business Administration & Information Systems - Information Management
The goal of the program is to provide knowledge for work related to information management, strategic development, and information design. The program teaches us to diagnose and analyze challenges in the field of information management and respond to them through a deep understanding of the relationship between information, technology, people and organizations. Potential graduate jobs: project managers, information architecture designers, corporate information managers, chief information officers. Subjects: social informatics (principles of the social web); strategy formation in an international setting; social analysis and design of IT in organizations; information systems and change management; strategic information management; leadership and communication; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 ECTS credits * in macro and microeconomics; 15 credits for the organization / management of personnel and / or strategy and / or management; 7.5 credits in information systems; 22.5 credits in computer science or information management.
* For information: 1 ECTS in Denmark is equivalent to 27.5 academic hours from a Russian diploma. Naturally, to cover certain requirements can use several courses simultaneously. Names are not fundamental. Fundamentally the content, which is described by the incoming in a separate document.
MSc in Business Administration & Information Systems - IT Management and Business Economics
The goal of the program is to equip students with skills in such areas as IT strategy, IT development, project management, and interaction design (could not adequately translate). The program focuses on complex challenges and problems associated with the design, development and implementation of IT in organizations. Potential alumni jobs: IT manager; development manager; Project Manager; IT architect. Subjects: IT management and business economics; strategy formation in an international setting; social analysis and design of IT in organizations; information systems and change management; strategic information management; information systems design; IT resource management; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 ECTS loans in macro and microeconomics; 15 credits for the organization / management of personnel and / or strategy and / or management; 7.5 credits in information systems; 22.5 credits in computer science or information management.
MSc in Economics and Business Administration - Innovation Management and Business Development
The program teaches to analyze and manage innovations, as well as their commercialization in knowledge-based companies, and also trains students in identifying and overcoming barriers to change through the development of analytical skills, teamwork and communication skills. Potential alumni jobs: business development specialist; entrepreneur; participant startup team; project and product managers. Subjects: innovation and knowledge; entrepreneurship; product development and project management; strategic finance and control; strategy and marketing; integrated project; elective courses; Master's dissertation. Entry requirements: 7.5 credits to the organization; 7.5 credits in microeconomics; 15 credits in finance and accounting; 7.5 credits in marketing; 7.5 credits in quantitative methods / statistics; 45 credits in business administration.
Of course, given that CBS is a business school, even “IT” programs are targeted at those who are familiar with the business. However, for me it was interesting, because besides the "specialty" in management, I wanted a master's degree in IT. But, unfortunately, not enough credits.
Upon admission to CBS, an applicant can select up to 5 programs and must arrange them in order of priority. Accordingly, if the most cherished dream was in the span, there is a chance to enter the second one, and so on. Given that this year the percentage of enrolled students in the total number is about 68%, it’s not very difficult to be a CBS student. However, paying tuition and living in an expensive Copenhagen is much more difficult.
For non-Europeans (in the sense of immigrants from non-EU countries or the “Scandinavian brotherhood”), the cost of education in all the above-mentioned programs is the same - 12,500 euros per year, i.e. 25,000 for the full course of study. However, CBS provides each year about 25 scholarships, fully covering the cost of training and involving monthly payments in the amount of 5,500 DKK ( 4,800 after taxes). It is difficult to judge the competition for scholarships, but this year about 150 students came from non-European countries (at the same time Russia is ahead of everyone in the ranking with 12 students), which means that about 6 people were eligible for the scholarship.
2. TOEFL
Receipt for me began about a year and a half before the start of document acceptance - in the summer of 2010, finally deciding to enter Europe, I began to prepare for the TOEFL test, which tests English in four areas: reading, listening, conversational skills and academic a letter. To fulfill the CBS standard, it was necessary to score 80 points (now it was raised to 91) out of 120, which seemed quite realistic. However, in Sweden, the bar was much higher, and therefore the goal I set was 100 points, which at that time did not seem so simple.
As already noted on Habré, my comrades on "foreign happiness" of this kind of standardized tests are very specific. By and large, the lack of any knowledge in them is quite possible to compensate for with knowledge of the structure and content of the exam, as well as using all sorts of tricks such as the technique of eliminating incorrect answers or prepared templates of answers. If I knew English at the time of graduation, I didn’t know more than intermediate; I could read something more or less tolerably, I could write something, but there were big problems with listening and speaking. However, by the day of the exam in summer 2011, they were more or less resolved.
In the process of preparation, I used self-help books downloaded from torrents and practical tests that helped me to get around questions and introduced me to tricks. In terms of improving listening comprehension, thanks to the Voice of America Special English podcasts. Speaking in the absence of practice was difficult to improve, but again the answer templates, drawn from specialized literature, helped.
The result of the preparation in a way incomprehensible to me exceeded all expectations. I received 112 points out of 120 and therefore confidently fell under any European requirements. The first barrier was over.
3. Submission of documents
Unlike many universities that I had to deal with, CBS relies entirely on the electronic filing system, which seems to be very convenient - no need to spend money on correspondence, translation and certification of additional copies. At the same time, the policy of the university is so liberal that they were on my list the only ones who did not require a notary stamp on the scans of the diploma or the signature of the translator. I do not know whether CBS had to deal with fraud by applicants, but I am very impressed with such confidence.
From December 15, 2011 to February 1, 2012, I had to prepare and upload the following documents into the system:
- scan of the diploma with the application and their translations (as I have already noted, the seals of the notary and the translator's signature were not required; the only thing is that it is advisable to send color scans);
- scan of the letter with the TOEFL test results (however, for them it is a paper certificate, for the only supporting document should be a letter from the ETS testing center, which can be ordered to be sent to this or that university when registering for the exam or after it);
- descriptions (in English) of the courses studied at the university, as well as theses of the graduation project (this is necessary for them to assess whether the applicant is suitable for the program requirements; it is assumed that descriptions of the courses can be requested from the Russian university, but I enrolled much easier - I looked for standards on the Internet and translated; limited to the most relevant items; did not put any seals);
- a motivation letter (this document is necessary only for those who are applying for a scholarship, and must disclose the applicant's motivation, his positive personality, and so on and so forth);
- self-assessment (a short document in which the applicant describes how he meets the requirements of the program in terms of ECTS, English, etc.).
Actually, that's all. As you can see, with the exception of TOEFL'a (the results of which can, however, be sent, as I understood, and after the decision on conditional admission), the package of documents does not cause any particular difficulties. And this, again, characterizes CBS for the better.
The only not very pleasant fact was the need to transfer a registration fee of 150 euros. At the same time it was impossible to pay with a card - I had to organize a bank transfer, which in Russia (at least in the province) turned out to be a dreary and expensive exercise. However, now, when I entered and began to study, the contribution should be returned, which definitely pleases.
Returning to the admission procedure, I note that I finished it in early January, and therefore I was waited for 1.5 months of anxious waiting, because the results of the receipt and distribution of scholarships should have been announced on March 1. However, I didn’t have to be bored much - in January-February I actively moved to other universities (for example, in Finland).
On March 1, 2012, I learned that I had entered on the 1st priority. The decision on the scholarship was postponed to March 2. I do not remember that I was very worried about these 24 hours, but when there was a letter in the inbox with the introductory words “We are happy to inform you ...” the time stopped for a period. Two years of training and hard work were rewarded.
During the spring, similar letters came from Sweden and Finland. And although by that time I had already agreed to a scholarship at CBS (this had to be done fairly quickly), the question arose of choosing the most promising option. In Sweden, the scholarship was significantly higher, but Stockholm University was in the ranking below CBS, and even though the program was beautifully called (Strategic IT Management), it was new and did not seem very balanced. Finland, however, was not very attracted to being too close to Russia, as well as rumors about the weirdness and closed nature of the Finns. As a result, I decided not to change the horses at the crossing and, to the great surprise of the Swedes and Finns (they wondered several times if I was sure), refused all the proposed places with the exception of CBS.
In mid-August, I arrived in Copenhagen and began a new phase of my life. However, this is a different story, which I plan to tell in the next article on domestic trifles and general impressions of Denmark.
4. Conclusion
Rereading what was written, I am once again surprised at how simple my receipt seems at first glance. However, if we reject personal experiences, it really was not very difficult. And this concerns not only CBS, but also other European universities. And this leads me to a conclusion that was not obvious 3 years ago, but it has become such now: studying abroad, no matter what anyone says, is a valuable experience, and with a strong desire this experience can be obtained without any serious effort, but therefore it is necessary to try, use every opportunity. In other words, fight and search, find and not give up.
Photo source: cbs.dk
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/152839/
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