International Students

Student Spotlights: Charles Palmer Hagenfeldt

Curious about life as an international student? We asked your burning questions to current and former students!

What is your background? Where are you from and when did you arrive at CSUMB?

I was born in Sweden and did not have a perfect academic background. I decided to come to America when I was 15. The plan was to come here through a golf scholarship but it turned out that that was not the right path for me. I became interested in business and became great academically. I came to CSUMB after two years in a city college in 2015 and I graduated May 2017.

What are you studying at CSUMB, and what do you hope to gain from your degree? Do you feel that CSUMB is helping you achieve those goals?

I studied Business Administration (Management/International Business). My hope at CSU Monterey Bay was to get a great job where I could continue to get experience to later apply for a Sports MBA and a solid job within the sports and finance industry. CSUMB has helped me achieve a lot of milestones to these main goals. CSUMB taught me the thirst/need of knowledge of management and after graduating CSUMB I have never stopped learning. CSUMB taught me to set goals which have created a thirst of success in my life.

What is your favorite aspect of studying at CSUMB?

Small classrooms and study real life business cases rather than memorizing tests. I love that CSUMB has smaller classrooms that allows more interaction with teachers and students. The competency in the room increases much faster when teachers have the chance to involve more students in the classes. The business major has a unique program which is called "flipped classroom" which means that the students hold the competency in the class and the teacher directs the conversations. It is really great to be a part of a program that gives students a chance to learn how to be productive and learn how to solve real world problems. The academics were most fulfilled by case studies, tests, and projects. The case studies we had taught me much more than I would have gone to any Swedish university, and probably any other American university.

Do you have any advice for new CSUMB international students?

A general advice is to not slack, the programs CSUMB offers are fun but fun as in challenging fun. Be prepared to show up to class and be a good participant. CSU Monterey Bay is a fantastic location for studies. As a international student you will appreciate the wonderful people and culture that Monterey shares. Business students will appreciate all the classes you have to take when you get out on the job market because you are more than well-prepared to handle any kind of entry level job. CSUMB gave me the competency that resulted in having managed to jump probably 1 - 2 years ahead of my career. As a international student, I would definitely recommend to get involved in campus clubs or other activities to get the most of your experience as you can. I also suggest getting a job (if you can) at campus because having a job at campus made my time there so enjoyable and exciting.