Julie never imagined her future would involve fertilizer. Or that she’d spend a semester skiing between business classes. Or that Madrid—a city she hadn’t spent much time thinking about—would end up feeling like home.
But then again, life has a funny way of surprising us when we step off-script.
Four years ago, Julie Louise Ekjord left Norway to study a Bachelor in Business Administration at IE University. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but she ended up finding a whole lot more than she expected: adventure, ambition and an international group of friends who now feel like family.
The rhythm of student life at IE University
Julie’s time in Madrid began like most student stories do—new city, new classmates, new nerves. But soon, life found its rhythm. Days filled with lively lectures, café cortados and late-night brainstorms. Weekends spent exploring hidden corners of the city or catching flights with friends to places that didn’t seem real until she landed.
What stood out most? The people.
“I’ve met friends from every corner of the world,” she says. “And they’ve become some of the most important people in my life.”
Her voice lights up when she talks about them—there’s no pretense here, just genuine connection.
That’s the thing about student life at IE University. It’s as much about who you sit next to as what you learn. Conversations spill out beyond the classroom and into dinner tables, group chats and metro rides. While education is important, so is the laughter, the late-night cramming and the inside jokes.
Taking the road less traveled (and covered in snow)
When it came time for her international study exchange, Julie had the entire world at her fingertips. But instead of choosing a capital city or major business hub, she pointed to a small town in the Austrian Alps: Innsbruck.
“Honestly? I just wanted to ski,” she laughs. But her semester at MCI wasn’t just about powder days and après-ski. It was a shift in pace, a breath of alpine air that reminded her learning doesn’t always need a fast-track setting. Sometimes it lives in quieter moments—in classrooms surrounded by snow-capped peaks and students who, like her, said yes to the unexpected.
From theory to action: How sustainability in business education shaped her path
During the summer of 2024, Julie interned at Yara International in Oslo—a global company best known for fertilizers. “It’s not a field I ever thought I’d work in,” she admits. “But it turned out to be one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had.”
What pulled her in was the team’s focus on innovation and sustainability. “Everything tied back to sustainability,” she explains. “And that really connected to what I’d been studying at IEU.” The company’s mission to feed the world without damaging it echoed lessons from her coursework—proof that sustainability in business education isn’t just theory here. It’s a toolkit students carry into the real world.
What comes next? Even Julie doesn’t know—and that’s the exciting part
Right now, she’s applying for jobs in marketing and event management. She’s nervous, hopeful and wide open to what’s ahead. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned at IEU, it’s that you don’t always have to have it all figured out. Just show up, say yes and see where it takes you.”
Ready for student life at IE University?
Whether you’re chasing city lights or snow-covered slopes, meaningful friendships or unexpected career paths, IE Business School offers more than a degree. It offers momentum—the kind that carries you across borders, across industries and into futures you didn’t see coming.
Apply, explore, get a little lost. You never know where you’ll end up. Sign up now.
