The Favorite Courses Of MBAs

“Organizational Behavior, taught my Mathis Schulte, really stood out amongst the courses during the MBA. It covered incredible insights on how teams function best, how perceptions of leaders can vary across cultures and characteristics, and how we work together for a common goal but with different sets of information. We all took part in a survey, where we explored our ties to each other as an MBA class – listing every single person as a friend, acquaintance, or someone we have a difficult time with. This provided incredible insight – not just to find out how many friends we had, but to see which cultures mixed best together. I had never before participated in such a detailed view of my community ties, and we talk about them to this day! Mathis was amazing at teaching this subject, and always bringing this insight back to relevant group activities (climbing Mt Everest, anyone?).”
Victor Heaulme, HEC Paris

“Team Building with a Purpose. During the first week of classes, every section goes for one day to take part in a community project that is completed by the end of the week. We went to a school for children with different challenges to create an outdoor classroom and garden area. It was construction work and many of us had never even drilled a hole in a wall. On top of that, we barely knew each other. We worked at completing our task for the day, helping one another and showing a glimpse of what we would be contributing to each other’s MBA experience. The project reflects IE Business School’s commitment to purpose-driven education and how we thrive in diverse community building. Plus, it was fun!”
Erica P. Santana, IE Business School

“Introduction to Strategy is my favorite course in the INSEAD MBA program, largely due to my keen interest in the strategic underpinnings of successful businesses. This course blends theoretical frameworks with practical insights, challenging me to apply strategic concepts to real-world business scenarios. Through engaging case studies and discussions, I’ve deepened my understanding of how companies navigate competitive environments and achieve sustainable growth.

The course has sharpened my analytical skills, enabling me to dissect complex business situations and craft innovative strategies. It emphasizes the importance of agility and forward-thinking in today’s fast-paced business landscape, aligning closely with my ambition to be a visionary leader who shapes the future of business.

In short, Introduction to Strategy has been a transformative experience, enriching my strategic thinking and setting a solid foundation for my career aspirations in global business leadership.”
Maria Douieb, INSEAD

“My favorite MBA course was the Global Business Experience (GBE) themed “Reinvention in Turbulent Times” in Lima, Peru. This course offered a deep dive into the dynamic changes, challenges, and opportunities in Peru by illustrating how local businesses are navigating the delicate balance of embracing change while leveraging their successes. Almost 70 LBS students spilt into smaller working groups embarked upon this intensive one-week program, which was a rich learning experience packed with organizational visits, engaging guest speaker sessions, and a live client project.

This was my first visit to South America. In just a week’s time, I gained a comprehensive understanding of Peru’s economy across a breadth of different sectors such as mining, heavy construction, banking, start-ups, and digital payments. The highlight of the GBE for me was presenting our project deliverables to the group and parent company CEO and other senior management members of our billion-dollar client organization under the guidance of our faculty advisor, Arianna Marchetti. During the visit to Peru, I also managed to tick a major travel destination off my bucket list – Machu Picchu, which made the trip even more memorable for me!”
Priyal Keni, London Business School

“Marketing Analytics for Consulting stands out because it wasn’t just theory. This is a course from the Marketing Analytics program, where we tackled real-world problems, like optimizing prices for a grocery chain using different data analysis models. We analyzed data to solve problems in various areas like advertising, market segmentation, and new product development. It wasn’t just about learning – it was about applying knowledge to real-world scenarios, which made it truly impactful. Imagine digging into data, seeing trends, and suggesting ways to boost profits – that is exciting!”
Prathiba Pandiarajan, University of Maryland (Smith)

 

“The Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) at Michigan Ross MBA Program stands out as a signature action-based learning opportunity, and it is one of my favorite classes. It is a rigorous, seven-week consulting project and it enabled me to apply the business toolkit that I developed throughout the fall semester. I was paired with Headspace, a leading meditation and mindfulness company. I was tasked with the goal of crafting a go-to-market strategy to maximize the impact of delivering their mindfulness tools to Hartford’s marginalized communities. Through this project, I consulted with a real client in a low-risk environment with support of Ross faculty. I conducted research on impact measurement, developed our theory of change, and conducted stakeholder interviews. I also played a critical role in weaving together our findings, shaping our narrative, and preparing a compelling presentation for Headspace’s executive leadership.

I also embraced the challenge of leading a diverse interdisciplinary team without formal authority. Throughout the project, we recognized and leveraged each member’s strengths and supported each other in pursuing stretch opportunities. My teammates were talented and hard-working individuals who brought their expertise in market research, education and curriculum development, and technology and design. Although I was the PowerPoint lead due to my proficiency in it, my teammates expressed their eagerness to learn from me and enhance their storytelling skillsets. Given their feedback, I took a moment to slow down in this fast-paced environment to lead “knowledge sharing” sessions, guiding my teammates through narrative building and slide structuring. I watched them gradually evolve more confident and capable of taking ownership of their own slides.

The MAP project was a once-in-a-lifetime experience in which I consulted for a high-profile company, tackled a meaningful intersection of business and social policy, and refined my ability to lead. This project culminated in a comprehensive playbook and a set of data-driven recommendations for Headspace. I not only contributed to a tangible project but also evolved in my ability to empower others, facilitate learning, and drive towards results.”
Lisa Cheung, University of Michigan (Ross)

“My favorite course as an MBA is Made in Ghana: From Cocoa to Social Enterprises. In that course, I spent half a semester learning about the many adverse ecological impacts of fast fashion and global waste management in Ghana as well as the economic disparities that exist along the cocoa value chain. These lessons painted a stark picture that culminated in a two-week trip to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever experienced: Ghana. During those two weeks, I saw how very real these challenges were but also learned a great deal about the many creative solutions being generated to address them. It was an experience packed with inspiring people and worldview-altering moments. I came away from the experience with a refreshed sense for how the tools of business can be wielded irresponsibly but also how they can be leveraged to create incredible possibilities and solve persistent problems.”
Josh Hansen-Connell, University of Minnesota (Carlson)

“My favorite course at MIT Sloan has been the Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab). Since its inception in 2000, G-Lab has provided students with the unique opportunity to work with startups and growing companies in emerging and frontier markets worldwide. This year, our team had the privilege of collaborating with Hijos de Rivera Brewery in A Coruna, Spain, for an entire month. During this time, we conducted a comprehensive consumer behavior analysis by leveraging five distinct data sources, including customer surveys, website analytics, social media data, and e-commerce purchase histories. By synthesizing these insights, we were able to deliver eight actionable recommendations for the company’s three- and five-year planning. Our team also developed innovative strategies to help the company BIGCRAFTERS increase market share, retain customers, optimize pricing, and enhance brand visibility. The hands-on experience and the opportunity to make a tangible impact on a real-world business made G-Lab an incredibly rewarding and unforgettable learning experience.”
Lili Wondwossen, MIT (Sloan)

“Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Business was one of the most challenging courses I’ve taken at UNC Kenan-Flagler, but it was the most rewarding specifically because of Professor Ringel’s teaching style. It was a class with a steep learning curve, but if you were willing to step up to the challenge and immerse yourself in the course material, it provided an immensely valuable learning experience. Professor Ringel threw us into the deep end with dense Python code from the get-go. Thanks to the extra help he provided during the course, I feel much more comfortable working with large and messy datasets, and I have a better understanding of some of the challenges firms encounter while working with data. Plus, if you’d told me a year ago that I’d be using k-means clustering and natural language processing techniques on Amazon product reviews to create behavioral customer segmentations, I wouldn’t have believed it!”
Oliver Jones, UNC (Kenan-Flagler)

“My favorite course at Kellogg has been Organizational Growth and Transformation. I have found the course to be incredibly insightful and it has provided context and frameworks that will be invaluable throughout my career. The class focuses on three main motivating questions:

1. What can we do to ensure that the organizations we care about stay healthy and relevant (vital)? How do we know if an organization is healthy?
2. How do we know if a leader is effective at improving/maintaining their organization’s vitality?
3. How can I prepare and equip myself to be highly effective in the prime leadership years of my career?

Another incredible aspect of the class is that we are learning not only from articles and case studies, but also from current leaders of some of the world’s largest organizations (e.g., CEO of 3M, CEO and Chair, Walters Kluwer, etc.).”
Elizabeth Willis, Northwestern University (Kellogg)

“My favorite course during my MBA was the TriColour Venture Fund (TCVF). Being Canada’s first student-advised venture capital fund, this unique course offered an unparalleled experiential learning opportunity. Throughout the course, I engaged directly in the venture capital investment process. This ranged from reviewing 35 startups to making an investment recommendation for the investment committee – and everything in between.

The practical experience of evaluating real ventures and the chance to invest up to $150,000 in promising companies allowed us to deep dive into the intricacies of venture capital. The course involved conducting a meticulous due diligence process, including face-to-face meetings, pitch presentations, and financial modeling, which concluded in December when we made our recommendations to the Investment Advisory Board. The board, comprised of entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists, then thoroughly examined and cross-examined us on our selection of startups; the process culminated in one company acquiring the coveted investment. This approach not only honed my analytical and decision-making skills, but also offered a real-world glimpse into venture capital. The collaboration with Canada’s leading venture capital firms and angel investors, coupled with support from our alumni, made this course an unforgettable and vital part of my MBA experience.”
Anirudh Bakshi, Queen’s University (Smith)

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