Student Testimonial: Anke Koers

As a Bachelor student of Business Administration at the RUG, I decided I was up for some extra challenge. Not only to increase my analytical skills, but also to stand out of the huge crowd a bit, as there are so many students that graduate in Business Administration.

I joined the Honours Bachelor programme in 2008, which gave me the opportunity to be part of a small group of dedicated students, all willing to contribute to make the group assignments a success. Then I got to assist in a PhD research on Entrepreneurship in the Fashion Industry. Not only my research skills got a boost but also I got to join interesting interviews in Amsterdam with all kinds of Fashion designers! During this project I came to realize how important business sense is, in all kind of industries, also being a fashion designer or working in the creative industry.

Thanks to my extra experience in research I got the opportunity to join the International Business Research programme of the EBF as a bachelor student (2009-2010), so I went to Vietnam. Travelling in combination with doing a paid research for a Dutch company in the Oil & Gas industry of Vietnam is really something I will never forget. After coming back I was interested in external advisors and the success rate of M&A’s. Thanks to the Honours Bachelor Programme I got extra support of a professor specialized in this topic, that really contributed to the success of my Bachelor Thesis.

After my Bachelors’ graduation (2011), I decided to enter the Erasmus University to follow the Master Programme Strategic Management (2011-2012). During this Master program, I came to realize how much my extra research experience helped in successfully finishing the Master programme and my Master Thesis.

I think that the Honours Bachelor programme and the extra-curricular activities helped to be able to participate in nice business courses such as the Deloitte Consulting Business Course to Barcelona. After that week I was hired as a Consultant in Organization Design and Change management. Currently, I have worked for Deloitte for 4 years (since November 2012) where I am Senior Consultant now. Day to day I work on strategic and complex business challenges that our clients face. Being able to quickly understand the clients market and challenges is crucial to guide them to successfully implement their strategies. Hence, I am convinced the Honours Bachelor programme provided me with a profound basis to be successful in my first years in consulting.