Masa Haikal

Masa is clearly a person who enjoys a very wide range of experiences. In fact, IE University’s multidisciplinary approach, studying different areas over the four years of her program, is what attracted her to the Bachelor in Behavior and Social Sciences in the first place. While she respects that some people may regard this as too general, she sees it differently.

For Masa, this has represented the chance to take on different subjects, and each of them has left its own mark. This has helped her become the person she is today, as well as giving her ideas as to which career path she may choose later on.

When asked, Masa is unable even to name a favorite subject, as each semester brings exciting new topics to study. She does, however, profess a particular fondness for behavioral economics, which was introduced during the third year of her program. This has intrigued her, showing how she could help people make better financial decisions. In fact, this is an aspect of her current role in a startup investment bank in Switzerland which guides investors to avoid cognitive bias.

Covering so many subjects, it’s no surprise to hear that Masa says the Bachelor in Behavior and Social Sciences has evolved over the years she’s been studying the program. Starting with the fundamentals of the subjects, she found more specificity and more practical work as the program progressed. It has moved, she says, from providing a strong theoretical base to challenging students to tackle real-life projects that leverage that base.

Looking back at her first-year self, she would advise herself to be patient and network as much as possible. If she feels she didn’t do enough of that at first, she’s certainly catching up now. Masa is currently doing three internships! One is within IE University, one is at the Swiss bank, and the third is a customer experience internship at the Al Ameed Coffee Company in her native Jordan.

When asked about possible career paths after graduation, Masa says the multidisciplinary nature and scope of the program has left her with a great number of options. To be successful in any field today, she asserts, you need to understand human behavior. In marketing, for example, an understanding of consumer behavior is essential to influence people effectively as a market research analyst or a consumer behavior expert.

An understanding of the behaviors behind politics and policy design could open doors to multinational organizations such as the UN, the WHO or the European Commission, she says. Alternatively, managing behavior in negotiations or conflict resolution could lead to a career in HR.

But, even with as many options as she has, Masa’s passion for behavioral finance seems to be steering her future path already. Having taken additional online courses on this subject, her banking internship could well be just the first step on a long and successful journey doing something she loves.