Felipe Cerón (MBA ’22) writes on how Covid-19 has transformed day-to-day campus life and how the HBS community is trying to adapt. What on Earth happened in the last few weeks? Cases and traces going wild, people quarantining all over, and consequently, administration taking more restrictive measures. Goodbye to hybrid classes; it was nice meeting…
As HBS hunkers down for winter vacation during a global pandemic, members of the community share why and how they plan to spend their holidays on campus. Most years, the winter holidays are a time for HBS students to unwind from a hectic first semester with many choosing to spend time with family or travel…
Poornima Hanumara, an HBS partner, reports on how some members of the HBS community celebrated a very unusual Diwali at HBS. It was an unexpected and pleasant 70 degrees in November, and we had the good fortune of having a space to gather safely during times of Covid-19. This was the perfect setting for Diwali—the…
Three ECs report on their experience of being part of the pioneering Dean’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (DART). The murder of George Floyd sparked national outrage and critical conversations about race and systematic racism in the U.S over the summer. It was also a wake-up call for HBS to put renewed focus on addressing racial equity “both…
Five women in the class of 2022 share with us their stories of leadership. There are so many different ways to welcome the class of 2022 and introduce them to the HBS community. We could talk about challenges, uncertainty, connectedness or innovation, but in the end, it all comes down to leadership. Sheryl Sandberg (MBA…
Israt Tarin (MBA ’22) reports on how the first ever virtual RC Olympics was organized and discusses the historic levels of participation by the RCs. An important component of section learning is to quickly break the ice and create a sense of camaraderie. It is no small feat in a normal year, and this year…
Rebecca Braun (MBA ’21) reports on the concerted efforts by the HBS Community to improve civic engagement and voter turnout in the upcoming presidential election. U.S. voter participation is low by both international and historical standards, and the youth of today are less likely to vote than both the Boomers we mock and our peers…
Project Lead Cray V. Noah (MD/MBA ’22) details the rallying effort that turned a grassroots response to the need for granular Covid-19 policy data into a nationwide endeavor and a federally endorsed research tool. When Covid-19 cases in the U.S. began to spike in March, the question “What is being done to stop the spread…
Tanishq Bhalla (MBA ’21) reflects on the “Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic” symposium and shares key takeaways from the day. “This is really a horrific time we are in.” Ken Chenault (JD ’76), former CEO of American Express, quickly set the stage for Harvard Business School’s “Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic” Symposium. He confirmed a…
MBA students issue a sincere plea to Fortune 500 CEOs: “Your decisions today matter.” As the COVID-19 crisis developed, we began hearing stories from front-line workers in our communities about the fear they felt when going to work. Many of these workers are our grandmothers, neighbors, and friends. What saddened us most was that their…
Tanishq Bhalla (MBA ’21) applies classroom lessons to reflect on the effects COVID-19 has had thus far on HBS and the global economy. What started as a mild inconvenience to a select group of RC students bound for FGI in China escalated within three weeks to a campus-wide shutdown and global pandemic. COVID-19 has shaken…
The Student Association is focused on increasing campus activation through new events and programming. SA Chief Events Officer, Rachel Brown (MBA ’20), gives insight into the makings of ‘SNL’. The night before students returned to class for Spring 2020, multiple calendar requests hit their inbox with the titles “SNL presents…”. Flash forward one week and…
Singapore, by Deborah Tan (MBA ’21) I miss Singapore most during Lunar New Year (LNY). Old Chinese songs warble from loudspeakers in wet markets, homes are alive with people visiting kin, and the color is red everywhere—fresh outfits, red packets, calligraphy signs adorning doorways. It feels like Thanksgiving and Christmas combined but better, because you…
To the Women Who Aim for Progress Rather Than Perfection As we celebrate International Women’s Day this month, I’m once again struck by how lucky we are to be surrounded by such a high density of remarkable women around us—women who inspire us to push through and be better versions of ourselves. I’ve been lucky…
A pocket-sized run-down of some of the best in Arts and Culture happening at HBS, at Harvard, and around town this month. 1) From the Student Association (SA): The SA teamed up with ArtRoom to host the Sheila Del Bosque Trio on March 2 for a night of jazz, refreshments, and conversation in…
Over 250 students insist that the incoming Dean of HBS commits to examining capitalism’s blindspots: climate change, inequality and the erosion of democratic institutions. There are many factors that should go into the appointment of a new Dean. Chief among them are virtues such as honesty, empathy, a respect for diversity, and an ability to…
Starting the New Decade, with Hopes and Reflections As we stepped into the new decade, I couldn’t help but think of last fall’s welcome address to RCs from HBS faculty. We were reminded that our time at HBS was not just an opportunity to gain the insights and skills to lead in the year of…
119 EC students traveled to the Middle East this winter break to learn about the changing economy of Saudi Arabia. The date was January 4, 2020 and the air outside King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was dry and crisp. In just a few minutes, the first of 119 EC students from Harvard…
Findings show how prospective students utilize rankings publications. As reported in the October edition of the Harbus, HBS Marketing and Communications, along with Admissions, surveyed all current MBA students to gauge the role of various independent MBA rankings in their application decision-making process. The survey focused on the most highly visible rankings, asking respondents which…
To many, it was a game to remember for years to come. John Geagea (MBA ’21) reports. While the 136th edition of The Game did not bring the outcome we were hoping for, it did bring excitement and drama that will be the talk of years to come. The second-oldest rivalry in college football had…
Rachel Drapper (MBA ’21) reports on HBS Ladies’ first touch rugby tournament victory on November 3. The HBS Women’s team awoke on Saturday to perfect rugby weather, sunny skies, crisp leaves underfoot, and barely a breeze to be found. Despite discovering there had been some pilfering of the team’s packed lunches, spirits remained high and…
RC Students start a podcast to have conversations with folks who have been on audacious journeys starting meaningful ventures, to get the “Story Behind the Story.” They’ve interviewed entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 CEOs and built a “Pod Family” along the way. Alex Spencer and Bryce DeFigueiredo, both RCs, have earned a new nickname amongst folks…
RC students embark on an excursion to New England’s 101-year-old furniture company. Jiyoon Han (MBA ’21) reports. Professor Michael Toffel and 20 Required Curriculum (RC) students embarked on a Technology and Operations Management (TOM) field trip to Jordan’s Furniture in Reading on October 3, 2019. Jordan’s Furniture is a furniture retailer founded 101 years ago…
Women make up 80% of RC Section Presidents; Poorvi Vijay (MBA ’21) and Anoothi (MBA ’21) discuss the importance of having women in leadership positions. Before many of us could even figure out the blistering pace of RC year, someone posted on Slack, “8/10 section presidents are women this year,” and suddenly everything from ❤️…
Cases conversations and lectures can only take us so far: we need to go out into the world and see it for ourselves. Over Veterans’ Day Weekend, a group of 20 HBS and HKS students did just that on a trip to West Virginia. Picture this: a first-year public policy student raises his hand, inquiring…
Learning and Responsibility Spoiler alert for our RC readers: EC year feels very different from RC year. Okay, that’s perhaps not much of a spoiler; you have probably heard it by now. But I would like to share a bit about how it feels different. I am conscious of the difference because, like many ECs,…
Over 350 students and professionals attended the 16th Annual Energy Symposium to discuss the role of businesses in transitioning to a lower-carbon future. How do countries and companies work to achieve their carbon reduction goals? Is a Green New Deal necessary to transform the United States economy? These were just a few of the questions…
Harsha Mulchandani (MBA ’21) reports on the project looking at alumni contributions with a broader lens. A clip of Gordon Gekko proudly announcing, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works,” in a recent FIN class got me thinking. It’s not uncommon to use greed as a synonym for…
When Carolina Perry and Mafalda Hipólito (MBAs ’19) heard that some of their peers were hesitating to start a family while at HBS because of how it might affect them in school, they knew it was time for action. “You never recover lost time, and time is the most precious resource we have—it’s irreplaceable,” Perry…
Ryo Takahashi (MBA ’20) speaks with Professor Michael Sandel. Bracing for a Brave New World Scenes of genetic selection in Gattaca (1997), the telescreen surveillance state depicted in Orwell’s 1984 (1948), and the apprehension of criminals before they commit a crime as depicted in Minority Report (2002) may seem like distant dystopian science fiction. Until…