A Shared Journey – Bachelor Kick-off at Copenhagen Business School 2024

Rap lyrics, quotes on wellbeing, and a warm welcome from the dean. The summer holiday is lacking towards the end, and despite the weather feeling more summer-y, the first day at Copenhagen Business School marks that the fall, as well as a new semester, has just begun.

For many new students, the new start may come with a great number of thoughts flying through the head, including concerns such as “Am I good enough to be here?”, “It seems everyone here has gotten their life together, and I am already falling behind”, and “My background at STX gives me a disadvantage”. These are quotes taken from research conducted by Pernille Steen Pedersen, as part of her project on Student Wellbeing, and were also presented at the Bachelor Kickoff. On August 30^th, the new undergraduate students were welcomed at CBS by Pernille, as well as the new dean, Peter Møllgaard, the Deputy President of CBS, Inger Askehave, and finally the president of CBS Students, Marco Zanoni.

During the kickoff, Marco Zanoni took the opportunity to highlight what Copenhagen has to offer as a student city. Despite his Swedish roots, he didn’t hesitate in calling Copenhagen the “cultural capital of Scandinavia” and praised the city. As president of the CBS Students association, the official representation of all students at the school, Marco supported Pernille’s statements on the importance of the student community and society.

“The journey through CBS is a shared journey”. This was highlighted by Pernille, Marco, and Inger. Several of the new students have lived through years of lockdowns, corona restrictions, and isolation. How this will affect them on a long-term scale, has yet to be determined. The question on wellbeing, however, is more important than ever, also in relation to wellbeing at higher learning institutions, such as CBS. How do we kickstart the conversation on wellbeing? How do we break the taboos? What can we, as students, do to improve wellbeing? And what is the importance of community at the school?

Being a student at CBS also means becoming part of a new community, expanding one’s network, and creating new relations. There is a certain importance, for many students, in relation to networking with peers. These networks may occur through study groups, through different student bodies/associations, or simply through just meeting new people. At the presentation, a quote from the Danish song “Ny Agenda” (transl. “New Agenda”) was presented by Pernille, in connection to the kickoff at CBS being a symbol of a new agenda, a new era, a new chapter in one’s life.

As the kickoff concluded, a new chapter closed for the new students; the first week at a new school. A new chapter kicked off the following Monday morning, and the new students can officially call themselves CBS students.

Good advice for new students at CBS

• Remember, you are all in the same boat! Sometimes we might forget that we’re not the only ones who are worrying
• Say yes! Say yes to grabbing a coffee between classes, say yes to attending student events.
• Take good care of yourself. Grades matter, but so does your mental health.
• Make good friends with the older students. Maybe you will be lucky to score some good notes from them!

// Rachel Ellebye