Mohamad became interested in business administration whilst taking elective courses in upper secondary school.
“I studied the Natural Science Programme in upper secondary school and did business administration courses as my individual choice, that’s when I really took notice of the subject,” he says. “When it came time to apply for university, I looked around and read up on various programmes. The Swedish Bachelor’s programme in Business and Economics at LUSEM felt like a programme that matched my interests.”
As he grew up in Malmö, Mohamad had heard many good things about both the education and student life in Lund.
“I’m from Malmö and have heard great things about Lund University from friends, family and former employers alike – that it’s highly ranked and internationally recognised. That was important to me,” he says.
Lund’s student life was also appealing.
“Another thing I like about Lund is the student life,” says Mohamad. ”It’s fun to study in a city full of other students with whom you have a lot in common; you become part of a unique community.”
Opportunities to specialise within the programme
In the first year of the Bachelor’s programme in Business and Economics, you learn the basics of business administration, economics and subjects such as commercial law and statistics. In the second year, you choose either business administration or economics as your major and then each major offers its own specialisation options, such as finance, accounting, marketing, organisation and entrepreneurship within business administration, or macroeconomics, international economics and public economics within economics.
Mohamad appreciates the structure offering many choices:
“I think the very best thing about the programme is that you start by learning the foundations in different subjects and then get the chance to specialise in what you find interesting. I’ve chosen to focus on accounting because I’m analytical by nature and enjoy working with numbers. It suits me well.”
Internship at Nordea gave practical experience and network opportunites
The fifth semester of the Bachelor’s programmes at LUSEM is elective, giving students the opportunity to study abroad on exchange, do an internship, or take elective courses.
“I considered an exchange semester abroad but felt that an internship suited me better,” says Mohamad. “I wanted to gain practical experience and network.”
Through its partner companies, LUSEM offers students the opportunity to gain internship experience during their studies.
“I applied for and secured one of the internship placements at LUSEM’s partner companies, an internship at Nordea,” says Mohamad. “It was a great experience where I got to put what I’d learnt during my studies into practice. During the internship, I got to act as a real consultant and analyse lost mortgage customers. I handled large amounts of data and really benefited from having learnt to use Excel during my studies.”
Mohamad’s advice for prospective students: Choose based on your interests
For those considering applying for a course, Mohamad wants to emphasise that you don’t need to study the same subject as in upper secondary school. Instead, he recommends basing your choice on your interests.
“First and foremost, I want to stress that what you studied in upper secondary school doesn’t have to determine what you study later,” he says. “I studied the Natural Science Programme and gained good math skills, which has been useful in my university studies. The most important thing is to think about what you’re interested in and find an education that suits your interests.”
Another tip is to explore the specialisation options offered within different programmes.
“The Bachelor’s programme in Business and Economics offers opportunities to specialise in what you find most interesting,” says Mohamad. “My tip is to read up on the different specialisations, areas and subjects offered within the programme. Business and economics is a very broad subject – many people think it’s just about money, but there is so much more to it than that.”
You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do after graduation; the most important thing is that you have an interest in what you’re studying.
Mohamad also points out that you don’t need to have a fixed career plan when you start studying; rather, it’s something that can become clearer as you go along.
“You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do after graduation; the most important thing is that you have an interest in what you’re studying. I think you get to know yourself and what you like doing as your studies progress,” says Mohamad, continuing:
“Before I started the Bachelor’s programme in Business and Economics, I thought I knew which major and specialisation I would choose. But after the introduction courses during the first year, I chose business administration and accounting. I didn’t think I’d choose that at all when I started, but now I’m very happy with my choice.”
Mohamad’s final advice to prospective students is to not give up on their first choice of education even if the entry requirements are high.
“When I decided to study at Lund University, I knew the entry requirements were high,” he says. “My advice is to not give up and to take the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (högskoleprovet). I took the exam several times before I reached my goal, got the result I wanted and got into my first choice.”
