“At Nyenrode, I learned to recognize the strengths of others”

In September 2019, the first twenty graduates of the BSc in Business Administration received their diplomas. One of them, Roderick Rutters, was unable to attend the ceremony. Even before he was officially awarded his diploma, he had already started a traineeship at a company in Singapore. He talks about his experiences.

The three-year BSc in Business Administration (BScBA) is the newest degree program from Nyenrode Business University. The internationally oriented business administration degree program of the private university is aimed at students who aspire to play a leading role in tomorrow's business.

Entrepreneurial atmosphere

As a student in the BScBA you are very active with all kinds of different things; from sports to group assignments, and from studying in the library to all kinds of social activities with classmates. "There is a very entrepreneurial atmosphere at Nyenrode," says former student Roderick Rutters. “I would describe my time at Nyenrode as very lively. You interact intensively with others. Everything is organized and arranged, and you are encouraged to participate and to organize things yourself.”

People skills

“During my bachelor study I got to know myself well. I now know what I am good at and what I am less good at, what exactly I want and who I am. By working closely together, I have also learned to recognize the strengths of others. I can adjust my way of communicating to that and adapt the way in which we work together.”

“The most important thing I brought from the BScBA is the combination of the academic program and the development of my social skills. During the study you communicate with all kinds of different people and you must deal with all kinds of characters. This way you learn to adapt, also to people from different cultures. You do need those skills if you are going to live in Asia. In addition to the theory, I also take a lot of people skills with me from my three years at Nyenrode.”

One of the lucky ones

After graduation, Roderick chose an international career. In August 2019, he joined International Hotel Supply Company, part of American Hotel Register Company. That company supplies everything you find in hotel rooms: linen, soaps, you name it. Globally, the company selects two or three recent graduates for a traineeship. Roderick was one of the lucky ones last year.

A permanent part of the BScBA curriculum is a company project. Roderick did that project at the company O'Neill. “I immersed myself in digital marketing there. That helped me a lot in my work when building the company's new website.”

New challenge

The hospitality business has since been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, which also had consequences for Roderick's job. The lockdown in Singapore was very strict. Reason for him to choose to return to the Netherlands early. But he has already found a new challenge. “I'm going to fulfill a sales and marketing role at a company that provides training in lean management. I am really looking forward to it!"