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…
This may seem a strange time to make a case for optimism. There are so many serious issues in the United States and the wider world. It is hard to know where to start. Here is a partial list of the challenges: endless wars in the Middle East; an increasingly totalitarian China; climate change; racism;…
Students converge on Pittsburgh and realize there’s much more to see than coal, steel, and bridges. Brian Linville (MBA ’20), Frankie Costa (MBA ’20), and Eric Levine (MBA ’20) report. Harvard Business School has a long tradition of “Treks,” structured trips organized by students who come from the destinations, and alumni often count them among…
Harsha Mulchandani (MBA ’21) reports on a fulfilling visit to the Amazon Fulfillment Center. On Friday, October 4, a group of RCs visited an Amazon Fulfillment Center (FC) to witness how Amazon makes magic happen. While it had been a long week for the RCs with the TOM Quiz (yes, the first midterm exam!) and…
Raseem Farook (MBA ’21) talks to the marketing and admissions teams at HBS to understand their perspective on business-school rankings. MBA rankings have become increasingly important to business-school applicants over the last few years, as they help them compare different MBA programs. Finishing on top of these rankings sends a strong signal to the applicant…
Emily Batt (MBA ’20) gives us a primer for exploring the city. According to an old adage, Mark Twain once remarked, In New York they ask, “How much is he worth?” In Philadelphia, “Who were his parents?” And in Boston they ask, “How much does he know?” Whether apocryphal or not, Boston’s emphasis on learning…
This year’s START featured a new addition: Reciprocity Rings. Gabriel Ellsworth (MBA ’20) reports. On the second day of their MBA journey, the Class of 2021 learned a lesson that should serve them well throughout their two years at HBS and beyond: request and offer help often. They tried their hands at doing just that…
HBS Executive Education’s Nathaniel Koven reviews No Clue. The 46th HBS Show, No Clue: The Case You Can’t Prepare For, was always going to go down in HBS history as the first theatrical production in the recently-completed Klarman Hall, but what a smashing first it was. This production, which ran April 8–10, was an unalloyed…
Kel Jackson (MBA ’19) reflects on the community’s response to anonymous death threats sent to him and other black HBS students. On an afternoon in late March, an anonymous individual sent death threats to me and several other leaders of the African-American Student Union at HBS (AASU). In addition to direct threats to the recipients…