Dear reader,
There are numerous great aspects to the graduate program and many good reasons to apply to it. Besides the obvious such as the possibility to experience different parts of the organization, have a steep learning curve and build a broad network, there is one aspect to being a graduate which I personally underestimated when applying to the program. The social life as a graduate!
I have been living in many different places and have therefore also met many interesting people along the way. However, it never happened that I have met so many great people at once and I believe, every graduate would agree with me in that there is something special about the life among graduates. At first I thought the graduates are colleagues, which build a great network in the organization and with whom I will be able to exchange all work related issues and receive help when needed. However, there is much more to it.
As a graduate you find yourself among bright, international and ambitious young people. You can share with them any kind of personal interests, being sure to find someone like-minded and who understands or shares your passions and from whom you can learn and discover new areas of interests. For example, already in the introduction days a couple of us created a running group. We started to run together on a regular basis and participated in a 10k run in Copenhagen. Now we are getting ready for the next challenge, the half marathon in April! Others have started to take salsa classes together or are supporting each other in the challenging task of learning Danish.
A passion that most of the graduates this year share is cooking and good food. That is why we use every occasion to have dinners together. We have the monthly pay day dinner, where we celebrate our monthly salary by going to one of Copenhagen’s numerous excellent restaurants. Since we have so many different nationalities represented in the program, we also have cultural dinners. Each time a different person is responsible for preparing a very typical dish from her/his country. It is a very nice tradition we have built as you get to know so many different types of dishes (it is a pitty though that this year we have more danes and germans than italians and french). Last but not least, graduates like to party together. Almost weekly invitations to bars, birthdays or housewarmings prove that graduates do not only work hard but surely also know how to let go on weekends.
Get ready for a rich social life and many like-minded new friends!
Hope to meet you soon in the assessment centre,
Tatjana
Elvera, Elin and me “running to change diabetes” at the Frilobet in Copenhagen.
Traveling together
One Comment to The social life as a graduate
Dear Tatjana,
Thank you for your post. I loved reading it. For young people like us, sure it’s not only working life that’s important, experiencing life to the fullest is the goal! I think you’re doing that! Maybe we’ll meet someday in Novo Nordisk. I’m definitely going to apply.
Kind regards, Mariska