CHARLOTTE SCHEFE

I believe that pursuing a Master’s at HEC truly prepares you for your future career, whether it be in France or anywhere else in the world. 

 

After graduating from High School in Germany and having gathered some international work experience in Canada for a year, I decided to pursue my International Bachelor’s in Communication and Media at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. During and after my Bachelor’s, I gained invaluable practical experience during internships in Public Relations at Weber Shandwick and Hill+Knowlton Strategies as well as in Digital Ad Traffic Management at the Walt Disney Company.

Throughout my academic and professional experiences, I have developed a passion for Marketing and its dynamic nature that is increasingly developing through digitalization and realized that I would like to pursue a career in this field. I therefore decided to take on the MSc Marketing at HEC for several reasons, including the university’s top position in the league tables, my enthusiasm for French culture and most importantly of all, HEC’s practical approach and the integration of digital in all aspects of the Master’s.

Acquiring practical experience

It was the practical approach that made this program so effective as well as enjoyable – from the beginning, we actively created marketing campaigns for big companies who we would go on to pitch in front of. This helped significantly in complementing the theoretical knowledge I acquired during my undergraduate studies as well as that during my Master’s at HEC, with actual practical experience that I will be able to apply when I start my career in Marketing. 
These projects as well as other opportunities offered by HEC allowed us to network with executives from many well-known companies stemming from all industries. The university further offers many career coaching workshops for students that are very helpful in preparing for interviews and networking events. This helped me greatly in finding out exactly what career path I wanted to take, mastering interviews in French and finally in finding an internship at BETC in Paris.

Taking part in marketing challenges

HEC offers various exciting extracurricular activities, which enabled me to participate in Enactus as well as the LVMH Challenge. For the former, we created an entrepreneurial project for sustainable development in Africa in an interdisciplinary team, while the latter challenged us to redefine Christian Dior Parfum’s customer experience.

A case study trip to one of the most well-known Bordeaux chateaux

A definite highlight of the course was the case study trip to Bordeaux at the end of the year. Not only were we encouraged to address marketing-related challenges in the wine industry and pitch our ideas at Chateau Gruaud Larose, but we were also invited to experience the field first-hand through tours of the vineyards and wine tasting courses. It was a great way to learn about yet another industry that is very special in its way of business and also to travel as a group, combining education with fun.

I believe that pursuing a Master’s at HEC truly prepares you for your future career, whether it be in France or anywhere else in the world. More so, I fully immersed myself in the French way of life, made lifelong friends and created unforgettable memories.