Useful Admission Tips for MSc Sustainability and Social Innovation

So you want to be a SASI? You see the world is changing, and you fully grasp the stakes of sustainability and social innovation, but you need the skills and the tools to have an impact? You’re in the right place: We welcome your application, and we look forward to reviewing it. Below we offer a few tips that we hope will come in handy as you go through the recruitment process and that will make it as smooth as possible.

First comes your application.

This first step is essential for us to assess whether you are a good fit for this program.

We will be looking for strong academics, a high level of English, and, of course, evidence that you are, or that you have the potential to be, a real changemaker.

This evidence may take different forms. It may be a position you have held in the past in an organization (a company, a governmental or non-governmental organization, or anywhere else you may have held a meaningful responsibility) that led you to change how business or activities are done. It may be an entrepreneurial endeavour (that succeeded or failed!) or an entrepreneurial idea that you would like to share with us, and that you think had or will have significant impact for a broad set of people. It may be a piece of research or analysis that you have conducted or that you would like to conduct because you believe it could have ground-breaking effects on the way we operate or we organize ourselves for instance. Or it may just be that you have a very traditional career path that frustrates you, because you believe that business could be done differently! And now, you just need the toolbox to do business differently.

There is not a single, unique way of being a changemaker: we have recruited social entrepreneurs, individuals interested in working in big companies and changing their ways, radical innovators and promising researchers. What they all share is a will to promote new, sustainable and more inclusive models that are likely to have a long-term impact on our societies.

We want to see the evidence that you, too, share that will.

Essay Questions

In addition, the essay question plays a critical role in the assessment. It helps us gauge your analytical skills, your understanding of the stakes related to SASI and your ability to develop a sound reasoning. Do not underestimate the importance of this essay.

Strong academics, a high level of English, evidence that you are or can be a changemaker and strong analytical skills are therefore the three key pillars that will get you an interview. All three are crucial, so do not neglect any of them.

Invited for an interview?

Congratulations! But you cannot be resting on your laurels at this point, thinking the interview is just a formality. It is not: it is perhaps one of the most challenging part of the process. You should first and foremost make sure that you can be in a calm place to take the interview. Make sure your Internet connection is good – we will need video connection to see you! This may sound obvious, but you would not imagine how many candidates fail to check or neglect this before.

The interview is an opportunity to get acquainted. Expect to be questioned about your previous experience. Expect to be challenged. Be prepared to show how intellectually curious and honest you are. We will be looking to test your ability to make a difference in the future. So try to blow our minds! If you feel you’ve made a mistake during the interview, do not give up. And make sure you stay true to yourself. It is hard to be a changemaker without doing that.

Good luck. And hope to see you soon.