AN INTERVIEW WITH RUPAL GADHIA

What can future classes expect from Harvard Business School? That’s what Poets&Quants asked Rupal Gadhia, the school’s managing director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, in a December Q&A. From new development to global education to career services, here are Gadhia’s thoughts on what’s next at HBS.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Gadhia: “We continue to prepare our students to lead in a world driven by technical innovation. We recently announced that our MBA is now STEM-designated. As a result, HBS’ international students may now reside in the United States longer to pursue additional post-graduate opportunities through Optional Practical Training. This new designation reflects our faculty’s ongoing commitment to developing courses and modules that bring the latest research and developments in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and quantitative methods into the classroom. Some examples of these new courses include Data Science and AI for Leaders, Data Visualization for Analysis, and Tough Tech Ventures.

We also remain excited about our newest joint degree programs. The MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Program builds on students’ existing biotech and life sciences knowledge and equips them with the latest business and scientific insights. The MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences Program builds upon students’ existing technical knowledge and skills and prepares them for leadership and founder roles in technology ventures.

The case method remains the fundamental learning method used in the classroom at HBS. At the same time, our faculty continue to pilot new content and delivery methods, increasing flexibility in the program. We launched Short Intensive Programs (SIPS) in 2017 as no-credit, no-fee week-long elective courses which allow students to explore topics they might not otherwise get to study. This past year we introduced Weekend Sprints, which allow students (and their partners) to explore topics such as the AI revolution and the power of well-being. This additional programming is optional, but we’ve seen incredible engagement with the students and faculty so far and plan to continue to grow these efforts into the future.

Another focus area is our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our MBA is affordable and accessible to students from all backgrounds. Our need-based scholarship program is the largest of any MBA program in the world.  Ten percent of our student body – those with the greatest financial need – receive full-tuition scholarships. We also have a need-based application fee waiver.”

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students?

Gadhia: “When I think about developing soft skills at HBS, I immediately think of the case method. The case method depends on the active participation of students who are excited to listen and learn each day. As part of this experience, you will have the opportunity to bring your perspective to light in the classroom. In doing so, you want to be thoughtful of the views and experiences of those around you. This approach will also be important in your schoolwork with the many different project groups at HBS, from your daily discussion group to your FIELD cohort. You will certainly develop your communication style, too!

Our students also have the opportunity to take courses specifically designed to build soft skills. During the first year, all students take Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Popular courses during the second year include Authentic Leadership Development and Negotiation.”

P&Q: What types of programming – through classroom instruction, extracurriculars, and treks – does your school offer to expose students to country-specific and global business practices? What have students told you were the most educational and fun aspects of these activities?

Gadhia: “Our curriculum is filled with opportunities for our students to build their global perspective. As part of the FIELD course, all first-year students travel to one of 15 international locations for 10 days to develop new product or service concepts with local companies. Our slate of Immersive Field Courses, or IFCs, give second-year students the opportunity to learn about and advise on problems in a global setting. Among many amazing IFCs, one recent highlight was IFC: Europe; Decarbonization and Sustainable Production, where students visited locations in Europe to explore environmental sustainability aspects and innovations with local companies.

Students will also gain exposure to global business practices every day in the classroom via the case method. In fact, over 50 percent of our cases have an international focus.”

P&Q: What are the most exciting new courses that your school is offering to MBAs this school year? What makes them so unique and valuable?

Gadhia: “HBS is always thinking about how we can prepare our students to lead and make an impact in the private and public sectors.  As such, it’s not surprising that we offer many courses on generative AI, technology, and entrepreneurship. New courses touching on these topics include Building Web3 Businesses and Launching Tech Ventures. HBS is also leveraging generative AI for both teaching and learning. The new elective Generative AI for Business Leaders both educates students about the business implications of this new technology and encourages hands-on experimentation. Students are also encouraged to leverage generative AI to prepare for case discussions and enhance their learning.

Also of interest are courses that focus on the intersection of business and society. Courses such as The Social Purpose of the Firm and Risks, Opportunities, and Investments in the Era of Climate Change are very popular.”

P&Q: Who are two new professors who’ve joined your faculty in the past year? What do they teach and how will they be difference-makers in your MBA program?

Gadhia: “At HBS, our students learn from both professors who come from a traditional academic background and lecturers who bring their wealth of experience in the business world into the classroom. As an HBS student, I loved getting to learn from both types of faculty members. In one class you may be hearing about leading research in a given field, and in another class, you may be learning from someone with 30-plus years in the private sector. In both cases, there is so much to learn! In that vein, I’ll highlight two new faculty members:

Continuing with the sustainability theme, Aliya Korganbekova studies the factors and the types of regulation that can drive better environmental performance of companies and sustainability-related metrics that can be helpful for stakeholders’ decision-making. Aliya will bring these insights into our first-year course, Financial Reporting and Control.

A faculty member from the practitioner track, Rob Markley, received his MBA from HBS in 1990 and went on to Bain & Company as a strategy consultant. Rob teaches Managing Service Operations in the second-year elective curriculum, drawing on his experience guiding customer-centric transformations for companies around the world. Rob co-developed the net promotor score (NPS), a formal customer metric used at over two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies.”

P&Q: What types of support does your career center and alumni provide to MBA students? How have these services and relationship made your graduates more competitive in the marketplace?

Gadhia: “We are fortunate to have a fantastic Career & Professional Development team here at HBS, including 30 career professionals and 60 career coaches who work together to guide students and alumni through their career journeys. Our students and alumni benefit from over 1,400 company partnerships and access to our exclusive alumni database, where they can search for companies, contacts, and job postings.”

CLASS PROFILES

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Lorraine Bichara Assad	Monterrey, Mexico	Monterrey Institute of Technology (Tec de Monterrey)	Microsoft
Katherine Cai	Shanghai, China	Washington University	Bain & Company
Snehal Chitalia	Foothill Ranch, CA	UCLA	Walt Disney Company
Blake Lusty	St. Petersburg, FL	United States Naval Academy	United States Navy
Rory Pannkuk	Santa Barbara, CA	Santa Clara University	Accenture
Francesca Rosas	Manila, Philippines	University of the Philippines Diliman	Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health)
Dewan Sharfaraz Ahmed	Queens, NY	Cornell University	CarMax
Molly Shapiro	Schenectady, NY	Dartmouth College	Bioworks
Stanley Tong	Houston, TX	Texas A&M University	General Motors
Diana Yurchak Ahluwalia	Donetsk, Ukraine	Donetsk National University	Ernst & Young
Allegra Tomassa Massaro	Lower Merion, Pennsylvania	Bryn Mawr College	Latham & Watkins

 

ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS

“First, orient your application around the impact you want to have in your career (and then work backwards to understand how HBS is a critical step). Second, outline the unique experiences you can bring to your classmates and what you hope to learn from the diverse student body. Third, write for yourself! If you put time into it, the application process is a neat opportunity to get clarity on who you want to be and what you want to do.”
Molly Shapiro

“Be authentic, vulnerable, and talk about the perspective that only YOU can provide to the class. As cliché as that sounds, HBS really cares about your personal growth and authenticity in the application. In addition to leaders who make a difference in the world, HBS looks for candidates who provide a unique perspective in the classroom that challenges others to think differently. If you copy someone else’s story or tell the school what you think they want to hear, then you’re approaching the application incorrectly.

What were the decisions throughout life that led you to where you are now? How does HBS help you get to where you want to go tomorrow? Start thinking deeply about these questions and ask yourself ‘why’ several times. If you can effortlessly connect the dots throughout your journey and easily communicate why HBS is the natural next step, then you’re on the right track. For me, it took months of self-reflection and outreach with peers and HBS alumni to find my why. Once I did, the application became much easier.”
Rory Pannkuk

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.