When Ole joined the Executive MBA program in Autumn 2013, Malene quickly followed suit, deciding to enroll at Hult for her Bachelor of Business Administration in 2014. We met them just after Malene graduated this summer, and asked them both a few questions about their experiences.
You took the unusual step of studying at the same school at the same time. How did you both come to choose Hult?
Ole: For me, it was time for a career change, so I started the EMBA program in the autumn of 2013. By coincidence, I spoke to a student in my class who works for EF, and he highly recommended the Bachelor program— that was how it came to be on Malene’ s radar.
Malene: I was pretty determined to go to a business school in Norway, but after my dad started studying at Hult in London, I became increasingly interested in studying abroad. I’ ve always wanted to study abroad, but I thought I would postpone it until I did my Master’ s. So when the Hult option came up, I thought it wouldn’ t hurt to apply and see what happens.
Ole, knowing Hult and knowing your daughter, what made you think they could be a good fit?
Ole: When I started studying in the EMBA program there was a lot of teamwork. It also had a genuinely international feel, as there were lots of nationalities in every class. With rotation opportunities at different campuses around the world too, I thought this would be a good way for Malene to get international experience.
You both chose to study in London, and have rotated to campuses in Dubai, Shanghai, and San Francisco. What did you both enjoy the most?
Malene: Overall, I think that the international aspect has been the most valuable part of the experience. It’ s kind of constant at Hult – whenever I meet new people from different cultures, I always learn something new. There are so many people, and it’ s just fun to engage with them.
Ole: For me too, it was getting to know a lot of people from all over the world and finding out their stories and experiences. Getting that insight was very valuable, and I still try to attend my Alumni Chapter to keep in touch when I’ m not traveling.
The fact that you are a father and daughter who studied at the same time is quite unique. Has studying in the same school brought you closer together?
Malene: Dad is in Norway most of the time now, but it has been nice to come home and share my experiences. He has had a better understanding of what I’ m going through, as he’ s done most of the same things or similar things in the EMBA course. That’ s something I appreciate.
Now that Malene has graduated, you are both moving on to new challenges. What are you doing with life after Hult?
Malene: I will attend the Masters program at Imperial College to study Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Management. I did Social Entrepreneurship at Hult, so it will be a continuation of what I have previously studied.
Ole: I now work for a company based in Norway, but our operation is biggest in Asia and other parts of the world. I try to attend my local Alumni Chapter whenever I can, and I recently attended the Ashridge Lifelong Learning Opportunities course a few weeks ago. It was great to put some theory to use again and get some ideas on how to use it in the future. I met 10 to 15 of my co-students in the same cohort, and some of the professors were quite unique and amazing.
It’ s fantastic to hear that you’ re so involved in alumni activities. As alumni, could you give us one piece of advice for new students considering Hult?
Ole: I’ d say enjoy the experience, enjoy the teamwork, and learn from it all.
Malene: Participate in as many extracurricular activities as you can, and attend speaker events as well. If I could do it again, I would do more extracurricular activities in my first year— get engaged right at the beginning!
Do you have an alumni story you would like to share with our international community? Please get in touch with us at alumnirelations @ hult. edu to tell us more about your time at Hult or your life after graduation. If you would like to recommend a family member or friend for our programs, we would also love to hear from you. Simply visit hult. edu / alumni / get-involved, and you could nominate your candidate to be entitled the alumni reward.
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