Name: Lara Maier
Home country: Germany
Previous university: Maastricht University & EM Strasbourg Business School
Bachelor’s degree: BSc in International Business – Major Supply Chain Management
Master program: MSc in Business – Major Supply Chain and Operations Management
My Journey to BI – From Maastricht to Oslo
My name is Lara, and I am a first-year student in the MSc in Business program, specialising in Supply Chain and Operations Management. After completing my BSc program in International Business at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, I moved to Oslo to start my master’s studies at BI. While preparing for my second-semester exams, I am looking back on my journey to BI and am glad that I decided to come to BI.
Why Norway and why BI?
Norway is the perfect place to practice outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and dog sledding. I have visited Norway several times before my master’s studies and enjoyed the beautiful nature and cities. This sparked the idea of completing my master here. When searching for master’s programs in Business in Norway, I came across BI Norwegian Business School and started looking into what BI offers. As the only triple-accredited business school in Norway and with a good ranking in the Financial Times, BI stood out as a good choice for completing my master’s degree. 
MSc program
Since I already chose to specialise in Supply Chain Management during my bachelor, I was very interested in continuing my education in this field. However, instead of entering a completely specialised program, I was looking for a master’s degree which offers a general business education in addition to the chosen specialisation. The first semester includes more general courses such as mathematics and microeconomics, but also major-specific courses such as operations management. The second semester focuses more on major-specific courses. Since my bachelor’s thesis focused on the circular economy, I was particularly interested in specific courses of the MSc program, such as “Distribution in the Circular Economy” and “Ethics and Sustainability”. I think this MSc programme offers a good balance of courses, and I very much enjoy the general as well as major-specific courses. They include a lot of groupwork and really foster the students’ capabilities to work in teams. Another consideration point for my choice were the great additional customisation options in the degree: students can choose to do a double degree, an exchange semester, an internship, summer school or electives.
Services and facilities
During my application and preparation process before starting my studies, the communication with the InfoHub and other faculty members was very helpful, and I was able to receive support whenever needed. When exploring BI, I also came across a video of campus Oslo, and the facilities looked great, it seemed to be a good place to study at. The library is located on the top floor and offers a great view over the city. Especially when studying gets demanding, watching the sunsets from your study spot makes the day better.
Student activities
Besides that, students can join the student association BISO and BI Athletics. BISO’s associations range from BI Outdoor to BISO Media and BI Athletics offers 27 different sports. The broad range of extracurricular activities was another aspect for me to choose BI. The student bar Kroa is located directly on campus and organises events such as weekly quizzes. Students can get a free coffee & chocolate bun at Kroa twice a week, optimal for just taking a break from studying and socialising. International students can take free Norwegian language classes directly on campus. 
My studies at BI contribute to both my academic as well as personal development. BI and Norway feel like home.