Student Stories
Find out what it's like to take an HBS Online course from current and past learners.
Find out what it's like to take an HBS Online course from current and past learners.
The conversations, the dialog, and the team huddles were so enriching and engaging and exciting, really exciting.
…it was a great experience being able to interact with so many intelligent students all over the world…it's a perfect combination of teaching from the professors and help from all of your classmates.
Learning about disruption theories has proven not only applicable within a business context, but broadly as a predictive prescription toward challenges in life as a whole.
I've taken a lot of paid online courses, but the HBS Online experience was close to that of the classroom and highly immersive.
Participating in the student discussions and answering cold calls was empowering. It ignited a drive within me to learn and absorb as much as I could.
The cases were phenomenal. I got engulfed in the videos; they made you feel like you were in sort of a planetarium, right in the tea fields in Asia, learning about the dangers of palm oil. And hearing from the executives at huge companies about their strategies solving their problems was amazing.
I decided to sign up for Leading with Finance because I not only wanted a refresher on the principles of finance, but also wanted to take a more proactive and deeper approach to my company's financial positioning.
Meet Gaurang, a CORe participant and avid football fan who is applying CORe to his day job and entrepreneurial pursuits.
HBS Online has a real integration of knowledge, resources, and community. It offers immersive online learning, the best industry cases, and input from actual executives at industry-leading companies. In a nutshell, HBS Online allows us to meet our business needs in real time.
The course’s content and teaching method through case studies and practical examples was remarkable.
As always, the case studies are eye-opening. The content is superb, and the presentation of the case is superb as well.
We leverage HBS Online’s programs to reach employees and executives across our global organization. Participants develop a practical understanding of critical topics like strategic thinking, innovation, management, finance, and negotiations – all rooted in a social learning environment. This approach has made them more effective and engaged members of our organization, and eager to learn more.
The excel I learned from Business Analytics has become useful as I started working as a data analyst for an economic research firm, BMI Research. The techniques I learned make it easier to comprehend the more complex functions. In addition, the integrated learning I took from the case studies allows me to apply “total analysis” in my everyday work and assessments, which is in fact the core business of my company.
This program debunked many myths about management. I highly recommend anyone with or without managerial experience take this course. It is much more than just about managing the people.
I now have a better understanding of sustainability and which companies are doing it right. I’m armed with talking points proving that sustainability is good for business, the environment and its people.
I loved being able to learn the material through real examples and have found that this sort of learning makes the content stick much better in my memory.
But in the few years I have been out of school, I have found that being able to understand key business principles is essential, especially in the startup world.
CORe was much more than a tripod of rigorous courses. The sense of community that developed from all the various social platforms that were unique to Harvard Business School Online that provided me the platform to interact with other students from all over the world in various industries were instrumental in my application and understanding of the concepts.
I use what I learned on a daily basis. Even though I'm not in a finance role and operating in a general management position, I need to make decisions utilizing the principles we learned on a daily basis. The course empowered me to do that with confidence.
The notion that economic stability is mutually exclusive from creativity, from non-profits at large, is something I have recently committed myself to debunking. I took CORe to arm myself with the tools and language of business for this reason, to move my art forward responsibly.
Recently, I realized that I did not have the business “toolbox” and that is why, while I am still involved in this amazing project, I am reaching out to new horizons.
Reflecting on my experience, I would say my favorite part was realizing that even though I studied the arts and have picked a career where I work for cultural institutions, I am just as capable as every other person of understanding and applying the subjects taught in CORe.
Professor Sahlman’s careful observation of the best and brightest entrepreneurs over the last 30 years has given him a perspective and an insightfulness that few others can rival. He keeps his students leaned in and eager to dissect and analyze the situation and range of solutions.
The course has made me think more carefully about how I could create a competitive cost structure and make appropriate plans before entering the market. [Conjoint analysis] has also helped me think about what product features my consumers would really value and how to highlight those features. Having a better business vocabulary and understanding the underlying concepts has really helped me to contribute more productively to conversations and decisions.
While I have a deep business background, I was not well versed in several important aspects of entrepreneurship like investment structure, fundraising, and valuation. Entrepreneurship Essentials covered these topics well and I was surprised at some of the additional takeaways I had.
I would advise that you ask for help or opinions on any topic that appears murky to you.
I use my CORe training every day. Whether at work on in my private life, CORe was a paradigm-shifting event for me.
Harvard Business School Online is one of the best things I've ever been a part of. Proud to be an alumni of two HBS Online programs, and looking forward to more. HBS really got it right with this.
Economics for Managers gave me a new lens to look at the business world using common economics concepts, such as demand-supply curves, elasticity, equilibrium, markets, and pricing.
Amsterdam native Willemijn discusses the inviting and addictive nature of the CORe online course platform and how the business skills she's learned in the program are applicable to people of all backgrounds.
We are at a time in history where we need leaders now more than ever. Someone who has CORe on his or her resume is a leader, in my mind.
This course had an amazing instructor, amazing examples, and an amazing user interface that made it easy for me to grasp the material and learn simultaneously with others around the world.
I will be starting my career this summer in the fin-tech industry and I felt that this course would give me a competitive edge, and help me to better understand some of the decisions and practices that I may need on the job to better gauge my clients’ needs
Economics for Managers was immensely valuable. Hearing from founders and seeing the power of network effects through various case studies helped me see market opportunities through an entirely different lens. The market knowledge I acquired helped me refine and expertly craft research reports.
Professor Sahlman’s careful observation of the best and brightest entrepreneurs over the last 30 years has given him a perspective and insightfulness that few others can rival. He keeps his students eager to dissect and analyze the situation and range of solutions.
Additionally, the program allowed me to acquire a more holistic view of the services we provide, and it is helping me develop new ideas to innovate and generate different sources of revenue.
What I found most valuable were the methods and tools, which were useful and practical. I’ve already applied some of my learning at my job.
Thank you for explaining concepts that I thought were impossible for me to ever grasp in such simple terms. The examples that Professor Desai chose to illustrate these concepts and the industry experts who give their thoughts and opinions has me eagerly looking forward to the time I spend on the course every day.
I hope to gain confidence in conveying the fundamentals of business and a solid understanding of the application of theory to the real world in any industry.
A year after finishing CORe, all three classes have been invaluable in my first two quarters in school. I am able to get more out of class because I already have the fundamentals.
Disruptive Strategy participant Jessica Shaffer talks about the direct impact the course has had on her work at Leader Bank.
While I originally enrolled in CORe to determine if I wanted to pursue an MBA, I ended up using the knowledge I gained from CORe to interview for and land my current job.
Meet Holden, a CORe participant who took the program to help with the transition from military to civilian life.
I loved the regular use of visuals and videos to fully build up the user's understanding of a new concept.
I spent much of my college career fervently annotating novels and loved every minute of it but knew that my focus post college was going to be business.
Now that I've been exposed to these principles, I automatically approach any problem with the tools I learned as part of the course. I look at how best to approach a problem using design thinking principles to get the most innovative solution. I never forget to ask myself, 'Am I missing something key here?'
In my job at a publicly traded corporation, I have been able to change my viewpoint of daily goals and accomplishments. Instead of just completing tasks to achieve an end goal, I now look at that end goal and consider how it affects the company as a whole and if there are financial goals and benefits that will increase the value of the company.
In Global Business, we learned about currencies, exchange rates, and tariffs, and it helped a lot. It’s one of the reasons Aphrodite supports 50 currencies now.
Each course provided distinguished knowledge and presented that in a beautiful manner.
If you're looking for more information on how Harvard Business School Online programs can teach you the essential skills you need for success, request more information today.