For many students, a master’s degree is a chance to go deeper into a subject. For the MSc in Management (MIM) + CEMS MIM alumnus Jan Mathey, it was a chance to go visit three countries across the globe.
From the lecture halls of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to the sprawling campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, and eventually to the snow-covered grounds of Cornell University, his time in the programme reads less like an academic transcript and more like a travel diary filled with career milestones, lifelong friendships, and a few unexpected surprises along the way. We sat down with him to hear about his journey firsthand.
It was always Jan’s dream to pursue his master’s in Asia, and the MIM+ CEMS MIM programme turned out to be the perfect fit. The programme gave him the rare opportunity to study across three world-class institutions: NUS, Tsinghua University, and Cornell, spanning Asia and the United States.
His time at NUS set a strong academic foundation, but it was the community that made it truly memorable.
“I loved the diverse cohort of home and exchange students,” Jan shares. That spirit of exploration extended well beyond the classroom; he travelled to Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong with his NUS classmates, turning every trip into an extension of the learning experience.
Jan’s involvement with the CEMS Club in Singapore added another dimension to his experience altogether. As Head of Alumni Relations, he didn’t just attend events, he helped build a network of CEMS alumni both locally and internationally. That network proved to have real, tangible value: it helped him secure an internship after his very first semester.
The programme’s diversity also shone through in the classroom. Jan took courses, skill seminars, and worked on projects spanning topics as varied as Asian Business Environments, Negotiations, Marketing, Finance, Data Analytics, and even Intro to Investment Banking. Through the CEMS Club and skill seminar series, he had the opportunity to visit or engage with the likes of Mercedes in Beijing, the United Nations and DWS in New York, and Google and Henkel in Singapore, and as Jan is quick to point out, that list is far from exhaustive.
If there’s one word that defines the CEMS experience, it might be momentum.
Every six months, Jan was based in a new country, navigating a new campus, securing visas, chasing global internships, and keeping up with rigorous coursework, all while maintaining the grades required for his scholarship and, of course, making the most of student life.
The contrasts alone were striking: living with a Chinese host family in Singapore during his first semester; exploring the vast and bustling city of Beijing and the beautiful Tsinghua campus; then trading it all in for -20°C winters, demanding coursework, and spontaneous road trip planning in Ithaca. “While that seemed daunting at first,” Jan reflects, “the fast pace of the programme is what made it so special to me.”
His biggest takeaway? Confidence. “The CEMS journey ultimately gave me confidence that, with the right attitude and mindset, almost all challenges can be rewarding and fun opportunities.”
Today, Jan works in Strategy and M&A at DWS, a global asset manager headquartered in Germany. His role is deeply international, with regular touchpoints across teams in Singapore, the US, and beyond.
His final semester at Cornell stands out as a particular highlight from a career-readiness perspective. Having already secured his job offer by the time he arrived in Ithaca, Jan was able to build his coursework entirely around his future role, taking courses in Investment Banking, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Modelling, and Corporate Finance. “These equipped me with many hard skills I now use in my daily work,” he says.
Beyond the technical, it’s the softer skills that he credits the MIM + CEMS MIM programme most. The cultural fluency, global perspective, and adaptability that come from an international degree like CEMS, he notes, are simply invaluable.
Ask Jan about the most meaningful part of his CEMS journey, and his answer isn’t about a course, a company visit, or even a career milestone. It’s personal.
He met his fiancée during CEMS. And fittingly for a programme built on movement and discovery, their first year together was anything but ordinary. The two explored Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, many parts of China, South Korea, the US, Spain, and Copenhagen, with nearly every trip tied in some way to their studies.
It’s perhaps the most telling reflection of what the CEMS MIM programme truly offers: not just a degree, but a mindset — one defined by curiosity, connection, and a willingness to embrace whatever comes next.
Jan’s story is a reminder that the value of a master’s degree isn’t always found in the lecture hall. It’s found in the uncomfortable moments: navigating a new city alone, managing competing demands across time zones, striking up a conversation with a stranger who becomes a lifelong connection.
The MIM + CEMS MIM programme doesn’t just prepare you for a global career; it immerses you in one before you’ve even graduated.
For Jan, three schools, three countries, and eighteen months added up to something far greater than a qualification. And perhaps that’s the best summary of what the MIM + CEMS MIM programme truly offers: the confidence to carve your own path.
