A few weeks ago, I was asked to write this blog about my experiences during my studies within the Master of Science in Management program at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. I hope that my blog entries will assist you in getting some information about the MSc program at HHL and will help to find a suitable Master program for you. In case of any questions or further information, please feel free to get in touch with me.
About me
My name is Julian Allendorf and I am 23 years old. I studied the European Business Programme (EBP) at Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany and University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom. I completed my undergraduate studies in July this year and graduated with a Bachlor of Arts EBP from Münster and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in European Business Administration from Portsmouth. During my Bachelor studies, I had the opportunity to collect international work experience in several internships. In September 2013, I have started my Master studies at HHL in Leipzig.
Why HHL
During the last year, I thought about how to proceed after finishing my Bachelor studies. After having talked to different business people, I decided to go for a Master program and started my research. I mainly searched for Master programs in Germany and United Kingdom which have an international focus while at the same time providing high quality in teaching, individual attention and having an outstanding reputation. This led me to HHL and I informed myself about the program structure and also contacted a former student of the university who also highly recommended me to apply for HHL. Moreover, I really liked the program structure which on the one hand consists of compulsory core modules as a basic component of the program and on the other hand of elective courses that allow you to specialise in the field of your interest. In addition, the chance to spend one more semester abroad in order to collect international experiences as well as the strong alumni network of HHL were crucial to my decision to finally apply for the two-year Master of Science full-time program.
Admission Process Part 1: Uploading documents
The application process at HHL can be split into two parts: First, I uploaded all my documents including my current transcript of records, CV, copy of my high school degree and certificates of practical experiences via the online application platform. Furthermore, I had to write a motivation letter in which I had to state the reasons of why choosing HHL for my Master studies. During this process, I already got in touch with staff of HHL which was very helpful and friendly when it came to answer open questions or to provide further information.
Admission Process Part 2: Admission Day
Second, I received an invitation for taking part at the admission day in June. I arrived in Leipzig the day before since the admission day started in the early morning the next day. We were first welcomed by the program director who briefly introduced the schedule of the admission day. Afterwards, each applicant had two interviews, one with a professor of HHL and the other one with an alumnus of HHL.
Interviews with a professor and an alumn
The interviewers were all very kind and I did not feel under pressure. Basically, they wanted to get to know me and see if I would be eligible for the program. Thus, they asked several questions about my personal and academic background while at the same time also seeing on how I identify, structure, analyse and communicate problems. In a next step, we had to deliver a presentation of ten minutes followed by a discussion of about five minutes in front a small group. We got the choice to select one of two topics which all referred to a business related topic. The admission day ended in the early afternoon and on the same day, applicants usually get a feedback on whether their application was successful or not.
Learning about the HHL and future classmates
Of course, I felt very happy when I received the call from HHL on my way back home. This feeling was also strengthened after taking part at the admission day as I had a very good impression of who my further classmates could be and of the pleasant atmosphere in general which the interviewers and staff created.
Preliminary acceptance without the GMAT
In my case, the acceptance to the Master program was preliminary, as I still had to do the GMAT which is required for the application. Hence, I did the GMAT in August so that I finally got accepted after having sent the GMAT score to HHL.
Welcome week
During the welcome week, I got to know my new classmates from the Master of Science program as well as the new students of the MBA program who started at the same time. It was a fantastic week full of different activities which overall created a nice atmosphere among us students. To give you some examples, there was the enrolment ceremony with the dean, all professors and faculty members. After we were welcomed by our dean, Frank Strauß, CEO of Deutsche Postbank AG gave a welcome lecture in which he highlighted the importance of quality in teaching and excellent education. In the evening, we met again at Gewandhaus Leipzig, where we had a guided tour including a string quartet and an organ concert. The next day, we did a scavenger hunt in different groups through the city of Leipzig and went out together in the evening. A workshop about Corporate Social Responsibility with multinational companies and introductory sessions to the library and IT systems concluded the welcome week.
Outlook on the Master in Management experience
At this point, I feel that HHL was a very good choice and I am excited to get started with the lectures. Leipzig itself is a beautiful city and makes it easy to settle in. Finally, I am looking forward to my next blog entry where I will tell you more about the lectures, student initiatives and life in Leipzig.
See you soon!
Julian Allendorf
Master in Management Class 2015
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
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