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We interviewed Barbara Prevosti and Alessandra Casarico () and Julie Pinon (), representatives from leading multi-campus, multi-country business schools, to better understand what truly enables students to thrive in global bachelor programs. Beyond academic preparation, we sought to understand the interpersonal, adaptive, and intercultural qualities that define standout candidates.

Across these conversations, a consistent message emerged: success requires more than a desire to travel; it demands curiosity grounded in action, a willingness to step into uncertainty, and genuine openness to different academic systems, social environments, and market realities.

The offered by , the , and the exemplifies this trend. Casarico highlights that WBB annually brings together a diverse group of students for a “cultural whirlwind,” culminating in graduates who are citizens of a global, interconnected world with the ability to quickly adapt and absorb new experiences.

Insights from Bocconi and EDHEC Business School are separated into five core traits essential for success.

1. Global Curiosity and Adaptability

Students who flourish do not merely desire travel; they envision international careers and demonstrate curiosity toward varied business cultures, from Asia to the United States. Both institutions stress that adaptability is tested from the start.

• Bocconi’s view (Prevosti): Graduates are equipped with the ability to quickly adapt their learning to state-of-the-art management methods, a necessity when transitioning between institutions.
• EDHEC’s view (Pinon): Adaptability begins early, as each time students switch campuses or begin a new internship, they must adjust to new institutions, cultural norms, and distinct teaching philosophies (e.g., the French system with more teaching hours per week versus US-style academics, which include fewer class hours, but where “students will need to be proactive” in balancing their time between classes, student work experiences, and extracurricular activities).

2. Self-Reliance and Independence

A multi-campus path requires high levels of personal maturity and self-direction. While the first year may provide structure, later years demand increasing independence and self-direction.

• EDHEC’s view (Pinon): These qualities often show up in an application before arrival. Students who proactively engage in their community, take initiative, or contribute outside compulsory academics demonstrate potential to successfully navigate complexity.
• Bocconi’s view (Prevosti): The core is the ability to adapt and apply knowledge. The inherent challenge of the program—moving between three continents and different institutions—requires strong self-reliance and proactivity to handle logistical and social transitions.

3. Career Readiness and Global Networking

A key differentiating outcome is a mindset of confidence without borders, where graduates are comfortable seeking opportunities across industries and continents. This confidence is underpinned by early, integrated career exposure.

• Bocconi’s view (Prevosti): Graduates benefit from a tight network that thrives after graduation. They are supported by three resourceful career services, making their opportunities three times bigger. This focus on readiness translates to exceptional outcomes, with 93.3 percent of WBB October 2024 graduates employed on graduation day.
• EDHEC’s view (Pinon): Graduates don’t limit themselves to a specific industry or environment or country—or even a specific continent. For example, students who have never set foot in Asia before their final semester in Singapore will choose to remain there to work after they finish—a strong example of the confidence gained from navigating change repeatedly.

4. Intellectual Agility Over Accumulation

The greatest academic strength is not memorization, but synthesis: the ability to constantly integrate knowledge from different academic systems, regional market perspectives, and cultural lenses.

• Bocconi’s view (Prevosti): The WBB curriculum is intentionally structured to expose students to learning from a multicultural faculty with different teaching styles every year.

EDHEC’s view (Pinon): Success requires the ability to bridge disparate cultural systems and market perspectives effectively. The program will give them strength so they can be sure of themselves and ready to try something different.

5. The Hidden Soft Skill: Readiness for Applied Work

Beyond the high-level traits, both schools emphasize a concrete, practical readiness for the professional world.

• Bocconi’s view (Prevosti): The WBB program highlights that students gain accessing the best internship opportunities on each continent, demonstrating a commitment to hands-on experience as a core program feature.
• EDHEC’s view (Pinon): The program focuses on being hands-on, and Pinon identifies readiness for applied industry work and a genuine enthusiasm for entering the job market as essential soft skills; students begin working directly with partner companies beginning in their second year.

Looking Ahead: IE University’s Global Bachelor of Business

New for the 2026 intake, now offers a degree. This program, like the others, focuses on multi-campus, multi-country education to shape future global leaders.

• IE University’s Perspective: In a recent webinar on admissions updates at IE University, Irais Souto, head of undergraduate admissions and enrollment, indicated adaptability and resilience when changing environments as two key traits admissions readers will be looking for in candidates. They’ll also be asking, “Why is the applicant interested in a global education?” In short, do the applicant’s motivations for enrolling in the program match the reality of the experience?

Independent educational consultants might try to gauge if students’ motivations for enrolling in the program match the reality of the experience to determine who would thrive in this unique, challenging, and rewarding academic program.

51�Թ� member Christine Eischen summed it up: “Most of my students [who decide to pursue global bachelor programs] have attended an international school or participated in the international baccalaureate program, so they have a multicultural background. Most students grew up between two countries and found the value in a global experience.”

Parental buy-in and support is also key, according to Eischen. She continued, “One parent said to me recently: I feel the learning and skills developed by living in three countries in three years would be more beneficial to the student’s overall development and career readiness than a standard program.”

However, Pinon emphasized that it is not necessary for students to have extensive international experience before applying to these programs; rather, they should be proactive, mature, show an interest in other cultures, and be searching for a different kind of university experience.

By Quyen Nguyen, MEd, 51�Թ� (Colombia) and Kara Madden, MA, 51�Թ� (Spain)