Who: Jens Robatzek
Age: 23
School: CAS'07, SMG’07
Major: economics and finance
Hometown: Stralsund, Germany
Sport: captain, varsity men’s crew
Why the dual degree?
I started with economics, but I had trouble applying it to the real world. There was a lot of theory that I couldn’t connect with what a company bases its decisions on. I figured if I do both, I will get an understanding of the macroeconomics of what a business faces and the microeconomics. And I’m really interested in financial markets, especially corporate finance.
Where do you hang out?
The BU Pub or the Dugout to meet with friends. When I’m on my own, I like to read in the café at Barnes & Noble. I like to go to Quincy Market with my girlfriend.
What are your post-college plans?
The national crew championships in June, then two or three weeks in Quito, Ecuador — my girlfriend is from there — then to New York in July for a full-time job at Deloitte.
What was the hardest thing about adapting to life in the United States?
The language and the culture. It was culture shock. People behave differently. In Germany you have schedules for everything, the subway, the bus. I remember waiting for the T in the cold and saying, where’s the train?
How long have you been on the crew team?
Since freshman year. I was rowing for the German national team, and I was recruited to come here.
What do you enjoy most about rowing?
The tradition is 150 years old. That’s what I really like about it. Other sports look for acknowledgment of spectators, but we don’t. We do it because we love it.
How do you like getting up at 5 a.m.?
You get used to it. That’s why we have a Starbucks in SMG.
