Music and art are two of Ajrin Choudhury’s biggest passions. Ask the 21-year-old Bangladeshi what her future holds. She dreams of merging these interests with a developing business acumen by starting a community space or cafe with open mic events.

At least, that’s the plan for now, and she might also consider a career in Human Resources. Both these options were shaped by Ajrin’s time in the Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) program at ESSEC. Her interest in entrepreneurship came from a class, and her interest in human resources was sparked from her interactions with her classmates—when she noticed she could “mingle with practically anyone.”

As she’s only in her second year, there is no rush to decide on her future now—in fact, it is precisely this curiosity and openness to experiences that ESSEC hopes to develop through its flexible program structure.

The myriad of classes, diverse student body, and options for exchange programs with 170 of ESSEC’s partner universities ensure that students have abundant exposure and inspiration.

Equipping Students With Relevant Skills

This choice is matched with equal levels of support. While some students are grateful for faculty members and classmates, others credit the robust ESSEC alumni network. Many more cite the ESSEC Career Services as the catalyst for their professional goals.

For example, second-year GBBA student Niklas Schmitt, who is angling for a management consultancy career, shares that ESSEC Career Services played a tremendous role in the internship preparation phase.

In particular, “learning about personal branding helped me a lot in weaving my accomplishments into a concise narrative relevant to the position at hand,” the German national says. He believes this is why his application stood out, and he scored his first internship at a consultancy firm.

Simran Hathiramani, a fourth-year GBBA student from India, adds that the resume checks and mock interviews were helpful.

“As a freshman at college, this really gave me an insight into the recruitment process in firms and how one should prepare for them,” she explains. With these tips in mind, Simran has gone on to take on six internships and counting, equipping herself well for a career in finance.

Perks of the ESSEC Culture

Being an ESSEC student certainly has its perks, Radhika Tandon, a third-year student, says. Radhika grew up in Kolkata, India, and dreams of working in France. When a French advertising company approached her for an internship opportunity—she was delighted, to say the least.

Although she has a decent command of French, she believes it was not her fluency but simply “being from a renowned French business school and having exposure to the international market” that worked in her favor.

Of course, this does not negate the efforts that got her there in the first place. True to her passion for digital marketing, Radhika differentiated herself from other candidates by setting up a three-page web resume.

“Visuals show more than your one-sheet resume does,” she explains, adding that with pictures and stories about travels and other experiences, “you can see who the person truly is.” She shared her website on LinkedIn and was pleased with the level of engagement her post generated—which eventually landed her a job.

As Niklas says, perhaps the story’s moral is: “Your degree will only be as valuable as you make it.”

As diverse as the four students are, they have one thing in common: making the most of their time, being bold and courageous, and taking on the academic, professional, and extracurricular opportunities that come their way. Let go of comfort and let ESSEC develop the potential within.