Karen Marie Ramstad Gunnerud

"As with most things in life you should definitely check it out if you are curious."

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
BI Stavanger, 2010-2011.

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
It seemed like a great opportunity to get international exposure, and to be trained by some of the best teachers and former BI students out there.

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
At that time we actually didn`t have a specific name for the team that followed us through the competitions.

Did you have a specific role on your team?
I was in charge of market analytics.

Which case competitions did you take part in?
BI’s national case competition, The John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition and KPMG case competition.

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
We were sent to represent BI in Montreal, Canada. It was a great experience, and it`s hard to pick one favorite. However, I think what stuck with me ever since is how everyone else kind of seemed bigger, better and more talented than us when we spoke to them the first night – and how incredibly proud we were towards the end when we realized we were amongst the very few who were in the finale. Oh wow, we were just as talented as them: how I`ve tried to remind myself of that a ton of times later in life. 

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

1. I loved to see how incredible talented people were willing to invest in our success as long as we were willing to put in the work – and how much better we became at what we were working on.
2. I learned a lot about my role and effect I had on my team.
3. I have seen in real life that I can be among the best, and people will help you get there.

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

• My English language skills improved A LOT
• I got much better at identifying the essential needs and points of a challenge
• My first job was in consulting, the case competitions gave me a head start as to how to succeed with sale pitches and presentations to clients

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
As with most things in life you should definitely check it out if you are curious. The case competitions will take some effort, but I definitely think it was worth it.  It will give you practical experience with relevant subjects for your exams, and later in life.