Knut Mehl

"During and after the case competitions, I have spoken with a lot of people who have decided to join the case clubs at BI and other business schools. All of them are very happy that they decided to spend some of their time on case activities."

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
I was a student at the BI Oslo campus between 2015 and 2020.

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
I decided to join the case club to practice my presentation skills, to get a taste of what it is like to be a consultant and to strengthen my CV.

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
Our team was named Blue Consulting and was formed as a group of four friends (friends long before we joined the case club) who had similar motivations for getting involved with the case activities. In a case context, I think that’s a bit unique. Many of the other participants join without their friends.

Did you have a specific role on your team?
We varied the roles in our team, but I was typically in charge of financial modeling and risk management.

Which case competitions did you take part in?
With Blue Consulting, I participated in the SDS International Business Case Competition (Queenstown, New Zealand), the NHH International Case Competition, the BI International Case Competition, and the BI National Case Competition.

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
It is rather hard to pick one memory as the best. Going to New Zealand with my case team and the BI representatives for almost two weeks was a great experience. The NHH competition was also a great experience, perhaps a bit influenced by beating the NHH team. The very well-organized competitions BI hosted are also great memories to me.

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

1. First, case competitions have been important for my professional career, giving me a special opportunity to test what it’s like to be a consultant (in a “safe environment” as a student) and giving me something to put on my CV that most applicants do not have.
2. Second, during the intense practices and competitions, I have learned things that would have taken several weeks (if not months) with regular lectures and homework.
3. Third, getting to know the case participants at BI, NHH, and international schools have been a joy!

What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?
I have learned a lot from participating in the case competitions. If I were to pick one thing, it would probably be the presentation skills. A regular bachelor student does not get many opportunities to work on his/her presentation skills. A case participant does.

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
Give it a try! During and after the case competitions, I have spoken with a lot of people who have decided to join the case clubs at BI and other business schools. All of them are very happy that they decided to spend some of their time on case activities. I think the fact that many of the case alumni from BI (myself included) are still involved in the activities is proving that!