What did you do before the Master in Management?

I am Gianna, born in Germany and raised in Spain in an Italian family. I come from a psychology background and discovered my love for Human Resources related topics during my bachelor studies which is why I decided to gain some experience in a Personnel Consulting company during my bachelor studies.

Before I came to ESMT I decided to live in Canada for a year and started working in a Leadership Training Centre as well as for an environmental/climate change focussed online magazine.

While living in Canada I noticed how much fun it was for me to work in international teams, apply my psychological knowledge in a business setting and be involved in projects with a social impact with an entrepreneurial spirit. All this led me to my MIM at ESMT.

Why did you decide to participate in the ESMT MIM program?

Very early in my undergrad I already knew I wanted to gain more profound business knowledge to combine my psychological point of view with the one of an entrepreneur. And so, I happened to find the Master in Management at ESMT with the possibility to focus on innovative management and especially entrepreneurship as a specialization – all this at the #1 Business School in Germany. ESMT is known for its international community that still closely connects graduates many years after they finish their studies. For me it was clear that I needed to be part of this community. I wanted to get the chance to learn from people coming from so many different cultures with so many different professional backgrounds.

How was the application process?

So, I set out to gather information about the application process. Right away I got the chance to talk to a student ambassador from the MIM program who answered any possible questions. We talked about the program, about life on campus and about the courses and extracurricular opportunities. She also supported me in preparing for my application process and gave me valuable tips. In the following weeks I prepared for my TOEFL exam as my first studies had been delivered bilingually (German and English) and I wanted to prove that I could study purely in English as well.

Furthermore, I spent a lot of time sitting in cafes by the Canadian oceanside writing my motivational essays and explaining why I was so keen on being part of the ESMT community and what I planned to do with all the knowledge I would gain. I experienced this time of self-reflection as extremely interesting and fun and was thankful for the chance ESMT had given me to reflect on myself.

I sent my TOEFL score, my motivational essays, and my bachelor certificate to ESMT and was surprised by their super quick response time. After just a week I was invited to an interview which was a very friendly talk with the admissions team where I could further elaborate on my background and motivation. Just another week after that I got a confirmation email and finally knew that I’m accepted into my dream program.

Every incoming student was given access to connect with future peers on the ESMT connect platform and we started networking way before the program even started. Another question that comes up often, of course, is how I then planned to finance my studies. First, I applied for a scholarship within my motivational essays which helped me fund my program partially. Also, I am currently financing it through my savings from past jobs as well as through support from my family. There are many other great opportunities to finance the tuition fees as well, for example using the “brain capital” option (you can find more about it on the ESMT website).

How was the first week in the program?

Finally, the program started. In mid-September I attended the orientation week and got to meet all my new classmates that I had been virtually in touch with now for such a long time. We were engaging in team-building exercises, information sessions and after class we all met up with our newfound friends. Everyone was able to experience first-hand what it feels like to be part of the ESMT community that we were all so excited about when applying to the program - and it did not disappoint, in fact, it is better than I could have ever imagined. Over the next weeks our courses started, and teamwork was in the focus which allowed us all to form strong relationships with our peers and share the exciting period within the first weeks of a completely new student life.

Feel welcome to contact me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianna-di-lorenzo-72a598165/