Joakim Myhre Rolfsøn

1.       When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?

I was an active case student at the Oslo Campus from 2019 to 2022.

2.       Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?

I decided to BI’s case activities to gain experience in applying what I was learning through my studies on practical examples provided through case competitions and learning sessions while developing my soft skills.  

3.       What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?

Our teams core lineup has gone under a few different names, most of them related to chess in some way, such as Fischer Consulting and, the latest team, Deep Blue Consulting.

I found my teammates by showing up for case trainings and by talking to both other students from my program and senior case solvers. A spot on a team had just opened up and I was invited to fill in.   

4.       Did you have a specific role on your team?

My role was mainly centered around analysis. This would often include doing company specific, market and risk research.

5.       Which case competitions did you take part in?

BINCC (2019, 2020)

BIICC (2020)

The John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (2021)

Rotterdam and Carleton International Case Competition (2021)

6.       What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?

There has been a lot of good memories throughout my case journey. From great workshops and events, with exciting companies and alumni, to competing in both national and international competitions. My best memory though has got to be from the ROCA Case Competition. Working with great teammates and having the sense of synergy within the team made the case solving so much fun in addition to achieving the great result of placing 2nd in 3 out of 3 cases in the competition.

7.       What are your top three takeaways from case training and competitions?

1. Learning. Throughout my case journey I came to realize how I was progressing at solving cases through applying what I was learning in my study program, but also how my experience with doing cases had given me perspective and insight on the things we were learning at BI.
2. Practice. Though the beginning of my case journey felt frustrating, as I didn’t know how to approach cases or even what to look for, as time progressed and I got more practice and experience with solving cases, things started to ease up. So, a key takeaway here is: if you are trying out case solving, give yourself some slack in the beginning and keep trying. Very few, if any, are good case solvers from the get-go.
3. Social. The aspect of case which I am most grateful for is the new friends and connections I’ve made throughout my case journey, some of which I studied together with throughout my bachelor’s degree.  

8.       What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?

Developing in areas such as presenting, data visualization and teamwork has definitely been useful. Looking beyond that, the ability to define the questions rather than solving premade problems is something I’m grateful to have gained experience with due to its usefulness a job setting.  

9.       Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?

I would recommend diving right into it and keep on practicing! Dare try out something which at first might seem overwhelming and you will soon see your own progression with the help of likeminded students, workshops, and competitions, all the while having loads of fun.