Where did you study before coming to Bucerius Law School?
I studied at ESCP Business School which is one of the leading French Business Schools in Europe.
How is studying different here?
I studied “Business Management” before, so the subjects at ESCP were quite business related whereas at Bucerius, we have a good combination of legal and business subjects.
At ESCP Business School, I was studying in three capital cities of Europe, meaning that the setting, campus, culture, and people changed every 8-9 months whereas at Bucerius, I really enjoy being in one place for the duration of the program giving me sufficient time to explore the city and building up a network besides my studies.
Why and how did you decide to do the MLB program?
After my Bachelor, it was clear to me that I do not want to pursue a Master in the exact same direction as my Bachelor was. I really wanted to broaden my horizon, learn about new topics, and meet people that might have a quite different background and mindset than me.
Since I was always interested in law and also choose law electives in my Bachelor, I looked for a Master that is offering a combination of both subjects. After doing extended research, I figured out that Bucerius’ MLB is quite unique as not many universities offer an interdisciplinary Master in this area.
Finding out about how international the program is, I decided that this would be the perfect Master for me as I want to pursue an international career. In a nutshell, I decided for the MLB Program because of its unique and excellent academic, interdisciplinary program and its international spirit and people.
How do you think that your business degree offers you a different perspective?
The mindset of business students and law students is, at least from my perspective, quite different. You can feel that lawyers approach topics quite differently than business students. At the beginning, this was quite unfamiliar because it required a change of thinking. After some months in this program – and all my friends being lawyers – it showed me that you can’t approach a topic only from solely one perspective.
It showed me how successful heterogenous teams can be – especially having lawyers and businesspeople at one table made us much more successful. This program showed me the importance of considering various aspects before arriving at a solution.
Do you see that as a challenge or rather a benefit?
In my opinion, being “limited” to one subject or only considering one perspective can be seen as a challenge in today’s complex world. It is only natural that I might not become an expert in a law matter, and we need experts in different areas but for the people who are participating in this program, it is rather important to understand different topics and to rather be generalists in diverse fields than specialized in one specific area.
That’s why I choose the MLB program – I see bringing together these two rather divergent mindsets of business and law people as a major benefit and competitive advantage for our futures being able to make a positive impact in this world.
Why is the law and business connection important in the future?
For me, bringing together these two subjects is the ideal combination for being more successful and persuasive. In my previous work, I have often experienced that the sole “business” perspective is not enough in nowadays complex world.
In times of great uncertainty and complexity, it gets more and more important to understand the bigger picture and consider challenges and solutions from different angles. In a nutshell, this interdisciplinary Master will not only benefit our personal careers, but it will also help us making a positive impact in an increasingly complex and unsteady world.
Do you see yourself working in that field in the future?
Definitely! I love having touchpoints with both the law and business world. An intersection between both worlds like in the M&A field would be the ideal job for me.
How do you like living in Hamburg?
What I like mostly about Hamburg is that it has so much to offer and is very diverse while you can reach almost every area within max. 30 minutes. You have everything from the nice districts around the Alster or the Hafencity where you can just take a break from everyday life to Hamburg’s bar and club districts Schanzenviertel and Reeperbahn.
What stood out was that it is a way cleaner city than all the other cities I’ve lived in before like London, Paris, Berlin, etc.
Were you able to continue rowing in Hamburg?
My plan was to join the Bucerius Rowing Team before I arrived. However, in the first weeks, I got to know so many nice people that were all so outgoing and wonderful that I decided to use my free time to rather meet them or train together with them.
In a nutshell, I didn’t join the team in the end because the schedule is quite intense, and I enjoy meeting my friends from the program in the free time. However, as my intention is to stay in Hamburg after my Master, I will definitely join a rowing team soon again.
