Welcomed new NHH students: Be Curious. Be Critical. Be Kind.
They have fought their way through some incredibly narrow bottlenecks to get here. But when nearly 1,000 NHH students were welcomed to campus, the message from the top was clear: put away the sharp elbows.
Hair frizzes in the humid air. Pressed trouser legs cling to calves. Students hurry in short, quick steps to find shelter from the rain. A voice in the crowd puts words to what many are thinking:
'They weren't kidding about the rain in Bergen!'
But nobody seems bothered. Not today. In fact, the weather helps break the ice. Just ask Even Trømborg and Eskil Heien. A few minutes earlier, they had never heard of each other. Now they are standing shoulder to shoulder, chatting among a sea of brand-new NHH faces outside the auditorium.
'He offered me some space under his umbrella,' says Heien.
Neither of them knew it at the time, but that small act of kindness in the rain foreshadowed the message that would later be delivered from the stage inside NHH’s main auditorium.
A Ceremonial Beginning
More than 500 new bachelor's students and 350 master's students were welcomed to NHH during Monday's matriculation ceremony.
One of them was Camilla Broch-Austvoll from the city of Stavanger on the sout eastern coast of Norway. Her face lit up with a broad smile as she received confirmation that a new chapter of her life had officially begun.
'I think it's great that the occasion feels ceremonial. It's a celebration of a new beginning.'
What are you expecting from your time at NHH?
'A few great years! My first impression is very positive,' says Broch-Austvoll.
Many of the new students are used to being among the very best in their class. To secure a place on their dream programme, they have had to outperform thousands of others.
Show Consideration
Many of the new students are used to being among the very best in their class. To secure a place on their dream programme, they have had to outperform thousands of others.
But both Rector Helge Thorbjørnsen and Chair of the Board Martin Skancke stressed that student life is not about beating other people. It is about showing consideration, seeing others, and helping them succeed. Like offering someone room under an umbrella on the very first day of studies.
'Karma is a b***ch,' Thorbjørnsen said.
'If you take credit for other people's work or exclude someone, people will remember.'
Reputation, he added, compounds, just like interest rates
'The best leaders are not only smart. They make other people better.'
Skancke also warned students against turning life into a competition. Drawing smiles from the audience, he offered a memorable metaphor:
'The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.'
Signs of a Celebration Ahead
The speakers left students with a number of principles to remember. One of them was critical thinking. Do not become a passive follower in the face of confident answers generated by artificial intelligence.
'The future belongs to those who combine knowledge with judgement, technology with responsibility, and ambition with time for others,' said Thorbjørnsen.
Then the students left the auditorium to put the rector's final three words into practice: time for others. It seemed like a good place to start.
The buzz of conversation quickly grew louder. Orientation groups were calling. The rain showers paused. Plans were made. Phone numbers exchanged.
Welcome Week was just getting started.