Q&A session: Insights from Full-time MBA students

What does an average day look like for a full-time MBA student?

Punit: You typically start your day with a lecture from 9 am to 12 pm. You get a lot of information at that time, so the lunch break is a good moment to reflect on what you learned. Sometimes you also have group assignments, so you may meet with your team to work on those. Through these assignments and being in the classroom together, your connections with classmates start to grow. You begin to notice that everyone brings amazing ideas, and you feel comfortable sharing your own, whether in class or in the study rooms. Even in this age of AI, where I could ask a chatbot for any answer, it’s the conversations with my classmates where I find the real knowledge in this experience.

From 2 pm to 5 pm, we usually have another subject or lecture. At the end of the day, there’s almost always something planned with classmates. Berlin is such a vibrant city with so many great places to visit, and you’re often out enjoying the culture, the food, and the company of friends, while also making new ones.

There are also many networking opportunities, both through the school and outside of it. For example, we recently had a session with the co-founder of FlixBus, which included external attendees, giving us the chance to meet and connect with them. There are also plenty of external events you can join on your own. Altogether, this is what an average day in the Full-time MBA looks like.

Could you tell us how Full-time MBA students work with the Career Development Center (CDC) and the career coaches?

Gloria: One of the great things ESMT offers is the support from the Career Development Center (CDC). Each student is assigned an adviser, and you can meet with them whenever you need. You simply schedule a meeting through a platform called Handshake and then meet either in the campus coffee shop or any other place you choose. These meetings are a chance to talk about your career goals outside the program, whether you’re looking for a working student role, an internship, or planning your next steps after graduation. It’s really helpful to have someone you can message at any time and say, “Hey, can we meet? I need to talk about this.” They then give you practical advice, whether that’s polishing your CV or connecting you with someone who can help.

We also have career coaches, which is another amazing resource. We meet with them four times during the program. They help guide us toward the paths we want to take after the MBA, whether that’s starting our own business, switching industries, or moving into a new role. 

Do you have a favorite faculty member or a course you’d like to highlight?

Punit: Across the entire cohort, one professor really stands out: Francis de Véricourt. He was one of the first professors who taught us—he led our Decision-Making course as part of the management curriculum. His teaching style, the way he structures his lectures, and the storytelling he brings into the classroom really inspired everyone. Even now, eight or nine months later, I still use the tools he taught us in my daily decision-making.

Leif: I’d also add our Operations class. At first it seemed very complicated and the assignments we had to solve as a group were genuinely difficult. But we put our heads together, structured the problems, and worked through them. Finding the solutions in the end felt really rewarding.

Maggie: One class I really enjoyed was Catalina’s Data course at the beginning of the program. At first, I found it quite challenging because it was very different from anything I’d done before. But once I figured it out and realized how it connected to my previous experience working with data in media like audience ratings, it all started to come together. It felt like a puzzle, and then one day it just clicked.

In the end, I really enjoyed the class. It’s a good reminder that you might start the program thinking you know exactly what you want or what you’re good at, but then you end up discovering something completely new about yourself through the coursework.

Full-time MBA students also work closely with Vali, ESMT’s Entrepreneurship Hub. Can you tell us more about it?

Leif: Yes, definitely. Vali Berlin's offerings are not part of the official curriculum, but students can choose to participate in their programs. I joined the program this summer—it ran from April to June.

In the end, we didn’t continue the project, but the experience itself was incredibly valuable. The hands-on learning was great, and the connections we made are something I can use in the future as well. It was a really positive experience overall.

Could you share your experience with the summer option you chose?

Leif: Right after we completed the program with Vali at the end of June, Sophie Schaefer, the Deputy Director of the CDC, introduced me to an ESMT alumnus who holds a senior position at Delivery Hero. The company is very global, and even though it’s not very active in Germany anymore, they operate largely in Asia, South America, and other regions.

I ended up doing a two-month internship at Delivery Hero in finance operations. It was completely different from anything I’d done before, but it was a great learning experience. It was also incredibly helpful to apply what we learned in class directly to real work. And again, it showed how valuable the CDC is when it comes to connecting us to networks and opportunities.

Punit: I took the summer German option because I really want to make the most of this experience by learning the language. I had already studied up to A1 before arriving in Germany, then took ESMT’s evening German classes to reach A2. The summer option brought me up to B1.

Honestly, it has been one of the highlights of the year. First, the location of the classes was amazing—right next to the beautiful Berlin Tiergarten. The curriculum was intensive: three hours of learning daily plus a lot of homework which really helped us polish our German skills.

Maggie: I also did the intensive German option and found it very rewarding—though definitely challenging. I actually lived in Germany when I was very young, before my family immigrated to Canada, so I had some very basic German somewhere in my memory.

The summer German option gave me the chance to really dive back in. It was a six-week intensive German language program with three hours of class each day, plus homework from the textbook and additional exercises online. It required a lot of effort; you couldn’t just show up to class and call it a day, but the progress made it worthwhile.

Gloria: I took on a project called “Sustainability in Practice”. ESMT reaches out to companies that are willing to work with students on sustainability-related projects. I ended up working with Nespresso, which was exciting because even before I knew it was an option, it was a company I had been interested in.

It’s a six-week program. My team of four met twice a week on campus, and we spent those weeks working on a sustainability challenge the company gave us. At the end, we submitted a 10-page report and presented our findings to the sustainability manager—and sometimes other stakeholders like marketing or even directors.

It was a great experience. Before this, sustainability was something I was aware of but not deeply interested in. But after working on this project, it’s an area I definitely want to explore more.

Read more about their Sustainability in Practice Project with Nespresso.

Are you involved in any extracurricular activities or student clubs?

Punit: I’m actually working as a working student at ESMT. That’s how I spend my additional time. I help organize events for students across campus, which is highly rewarding because I get to work closely with the staff. As part of my job, I also collaborate with the student clubs.

What’s great is seeing how these clubs enrich student life by creating spaces for different interests—whether it’s investing and fintech, consulting, or marketing (which Maggie heads). There are so many student-run initiatives at ESMT that are professionally managed and offer excellent experiences. It’s something that really adds value to the program.

Do you have any advice for applicants or prospective students?

Gloria: For me, the interview with Robert from the MBA team made a huge difference. Speaking with him genuinely got me excited about the school and the program. I also really appreciated how easy it was to get in touch with the Admissions Team. Communication was open and fast, so I never had to sit around waiting for answers. Everything was smooth and efficient, and the whole application process felt seamless.

Leif: One piece of advice I’d give is: study for the test. I hadn’t done finance or math-related work in seven or eight years, and my job didn’t require dealing with complex numbers. So, seeing the test at first was a bit overwhelming. If you decide to apply, take a couple of weeks to really prepare—it helps tremendously.

Punit: What I would tell anyone thinking of applying is that there’s no secret to “cracking” the application. The most important thing is to be honest. Many people think they need a crystal-clear career plan or deep self-awareness, but that’s not true. You just need to present your authentic self and be upfront about what you know and what you don’t.

In my own application, I shared the things I wanted to achieve, but I was also very open about the things I was unsure about. The admissions team was incredibly receptive to that, and they appreciated it. That honesty really helped shape a meaningful conversation in the interview.

Maggie: I think being authentic is key. In my essays, I shared very personal stories that explained my journey and why I wanted to be here. They helped me express my motivation clearly.

I also had my interview with Robert, and it was a wonderful experience—he’s warm, kind, and genuinely interested. It was a great way to learn more about ESMT and about Berlin in general.

My main advice would be: be real, be yourself, and don’t hold back ideas because you think they’re too small. If you’re passionate about something, there are no boundaries.