Teodora Ștefan is a second-year student at Bocconi. She finished high school at Mihai Viteazul in Bucharest, then moved to Milan, where she studies Management and Economics. Before she got to Bocconi, she carried a few deeply rooted expectations.

She believed she was stepping into a world taken over by finance, that she would be surrounded only by people in suits who dreamed of working in trading.

Reality was far from those expectations.

Initial expectations about Bocconi

When people hear "Bocconi", many picture an extremely serious university full of students in suits who dream only of investment banking and spend most of their time in the library. I admit, I had the same image in my head. Bocconi has the reputation of an elite school in Milan, and rightly so, it is one of the most prestigious universities in Europe in the field of economics.

Before I started university, in 2022, I had a whole series of preconceptions about what my life as a student there would look like.

Now, after almost three years, I can say with complete sincerity that the experience I have lived at Bocconi surprised me in a positive and profound way. Many of the ideas I came in with turned out to be completely untrue.

When I enrolled, I was extremely excited, but also slightly uneasy. I imagined an academic environment dominated by a single type of interest, the one for finance, and I was afraid that, if I did not want a career at an investment bank in London, I would not have enough room to explore other directions as well.

On top of that, I had heard that it is hard to fit into the circles of Italian students, that they are more reserved and that, if you do not speak fluent Italian, you risk being left out.

It was not exactly an encouraging prospect. I also had the impression that extracurricular life is limited. I vaguely knew there were a few student associations, but I thought they were rather symbolic, without a concrete role or real impact. And as for the professors, I imagined they were rigid, distant and very hard to approach. I expected a cold academic environment, with no room for authentic interaction or personal support.

But once I got there, I realized how wrong I had been.

Diversity comes first: cultural, academic, social

The first thing that truly impressed me was diversity. Not only the cultural kind, although that is remarkable and you constantly meet people from every corner of the world, but above all the diversity of interests and personalities.

At Bocconi I met classmates passionate about the most different fields: from fashion, music and art, to programming, philosophy, international politics or machine learning. I even have a friend who teaches contemporary dance classes in English. There are also those who dream of Goldman Sachs, of course, but also those who want to work in public policy, urban development, fashion sustainability or tech entrepreneurship.

It is an environment where ideas outside the box are not viewed with skepticism, but on the contrary, they are encouraged, and you often find people willing to turn them into reality alongside you. This openness made me feel free to be myself, with all my interests and passions.

And the professors at Bocconi…?

The relationship with the professors was perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises. I expected a clear academic distance, yet most of the professors I had turned out to be not only excellently prepared, but also extremely open and approachable. Many of them send extra resources after class, talk with you about an essay idea or even share experiences from their professional and personal lives.

I had the chance to talk with some of them outside class hours, over a coffee or an aperitivo, about books, travel, music and, of course, about life.

It is no longer only about the grade, it is about curiosity and about dialogue. And that strikes me as one of the great strengths of Bocconi: it gives you access to people with an impressive professional path who nonetheless stay sincere, close and willing to help you.

Do you make friends?

When it came to international friendships, I had some fears at the start. I thought I would stay only among the few Romanians I knew and that I would not manage to get past pleasantries with my Italian or international classmates.

But I realized fairly quickly that, in fact, it all comes down to attitude. If you are curious, if you try to learn a few expressions in Italian (even with your beginner's accent), if you go to events and are not afraid to start a conversation, doors begin to open for you. I started with 5-minute conversations during class and ended up at evenings cooking together, trips around Italy and conversations about life at 2 in the morning.

Sure, at first it took patience, but now I have friends from every corner of the world that I know I can count on.

Life outside class hours

When it comes to extracurricular activities, the experience far exceeded my expectations. At first, I thought student associations were rather symbolic, but I discovered an extremely active and professional ecosystem.

There are some associations that operate like full-fledged start-ups. The application process is very competitive, with CV screening, interviews (sometimes several rounds), even case studies. Once you are in, though, you really feel that you are part of a team. Everyone has their role, you work on real projects, you organize conferences, panels, workshops with people from the industry.

But even if you are not the "corporate" type, there are clubs for fans of jazz, art, wine, fashion, hiking or gastronomy too. What I liked is that, whoever you are, you find a corner of your own at Bocconi. And if you do not find it, you can create it, I have seen classmates who founded their own initiatives and received real support from the university to put them into practice.

No matter who you are and what you are passionate about, there is room for you. Bocconi is a place that not only tolerates diversity, but values it and actively supports it.

So, I would say that Bocconi is not what it seems at first glance. It is a place that gives you the tools to grow in the direction you choose.

It is not a factory for bankers, but a space where you are allowed to explore, to make mistakes, to find your voice and your own path.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that, behind the formal and demanding reputation, there is a warm, lively and open community. Bocconi shaped me not only professionally, but also personally. And I am enormously glad that I chose to begin my university journey here, in the heart of Italy.

Tempted?

Teodora weaves her life at Bocconi together with mentoring, helping the next generations of students reach the place where she is now.