Bachelor in IBA at Rotterdam school of management

hey Sekski, thanks for your input. i've heard bad comments about the career services centre in RSM, hopefully that's not true! i would like to enter investment banking, therefore could u tell me what kind of investment banks do their recruiting over here, and is it difficult for intl students to get opportunities over there? Also, is the IBA any good for a career in investment banking? and/or what is the most suitable career path that the IBA prepares it's students for? Lastly, this is not related to the IBA at all, but how is the environment like in Rotterdam?? i've seen pictures of Rotterdam and it seems pretty dull and in some aspects, "ugly" as compared to Amsterdam or other parts of the Netherlands, i've also seen comments that the locals over there are pretty rude and all.

Thank you!

I think the internships they offer are good, but the services are okay, nothing special. For more info on the financial study association, who also offers the recruiting events: http://www.fsr.nl/en/home?

For careers a lot is general management I think, though there are finance courses ofc, plus I would suggest doing a minor in your second year (I did M&A). And Rotterdam is indeed ugly, but there's plenty of parties and events for international students, plus if you live near the uni it's nicer than the city centre

i see. how's the campus like, are you an intl student? how would you describe your overall experience with the IBA so far? Are you in your third year now? What do most IBA graduates pursue after their 3 years with this programme? What are my chances of obtaining an internship in rotterdam or even amsterdam if i do not speak a word of dutch?

I'll echo what someone else mentioned in the other thread. If you're are studying in UK, you're good for the employment market with 3 year bachelors degree but almost everyone ends up doing a Masters in continental Europe and it's the base standard.

why is that so? are the bachelor degrees in continental europe different from the ones offered in the uk? what if i take a bachelor's programme in continental europe and seek employment in the UK? is that going to be possible?

More of a cultural thing I guess. People don't go back to graduate school after working a few years as do they in US for an MBA. They prefer to be done with studies at once.

i see. but wouldn't having working experience in the field be pretty helpful or even needed at all, when pursuing a master's programme?

For master's you don't need any work experience. And I'm a Dutch student, but most of my friends are international. But as for the campus, it is not like an American campus where you live there and there's loads to do. You can live there, but it's only a small group of students that actually do.

And there are plenty of internship opportunities where you don't need Dutch.

As for my overall experience, I like it. It is a lot more fun in Rotterdam than I imagined it would be, the international bachelor students are quite a close-knit community, which is also nice. Furthermore, you have a lot of options available for study and other extracurricular activities.

Overall, I would suggest for an IB career to look at the English universities, such as Warwick or Bath (and Oxbridge/LSE ofcourse), as they offer more recruiting events. For other European universities, you can't go around St. Gallen or Bocconi for Finance.

i see. however due to some cost issues i would not think i will be studying in london. i hear that ESADE business school in spain is also pretty good with a great reach worldwide. just wondering if RSM's global reach and placement is good?

I think you really need to do a master's degree for a truly global reach. That said, I don't really know how well-known we are around the world+placements/internships are usually done at your own initiative. In Europe we are quite well-known I would say.

thanks Sebski. To my understanding, RSM is the best business school in the Netherlands, am i correct? However, how would RSM compare to the other business schools in the region, and amongst big names such as LSE or LBS? I hear it is quite difficult to break into london without a degree from one of their business schools.

I am definitely considering getting a master's degree, so does it really matter where i go for undergrad studies because my impression of grad school is that it supersedes the undergrad. Simply put, assuming i will get my master's in an ivy league school, does it matter what school i come from?

cruel3a, are you a 2nd year analyst in an IB?

In my opinion, RSM does have a well-respected repuration as a very good business school in Europe and it does send off a decent batch of Master students to London. However, compared to e.g. LSE the RSM (master) programmes are a bit inferior. You can always do the IBA bachelor (which is a very competitive bachelor), get good grades and pimp your CV, and afterwards transfer to a more prestigious masters programme.

I'm a current student as well..

Reputation is good, one of the best ones in Europe. Companies know the name and recruit actively from Erasmus.

On the other hand, the services they provide are shit. Well, that was if they provided ANY. Basically the only thing they give you is the name, you have to do the rest yourself. (not that that is horrible, but you should just know that upfront, with the uni name you will be able do arrange stuff yourself)

Sorry for the bump. I have been accepted at RSM, beginning in September 2015. I believe degrees such as International Business/Business Administration, need to be taken in a good uni if you want to end up having a good job. I believe RSM can offer that for sure! @cedricTCS" maybe you can share your experience with us already! :)

Hi, I know no one will read this, but anyway. RSM is a very good University. I am now in the 3rd trimester of IBA1. You'll definitely learn a lot and, if proceeds, it will help you get a good job.