Why I’m Glad I Chose the Yale SOM GBS Program
Members of the Master’s in Global Business and Society Class of 2019 on making the choice to follow their master’s in management degrees with a year at Yale.
When my home university, HEC Paris, announced the creation of the Yale SOM GBS program last year, I was really excited and went to the information session with great expectations. During this meeting, one sentence drove me to apply: “You will go deeper in the field of management, but also broader, by having access to courses across Yale University.” This willingness to welcome GBS students into the whole Yale community made me appreciate the goal of this program, which is to improve the connection between business and society.
When I arrived in New Haven, I quickly realized that I’d made the right decision. What really impressed me at first were the other students enrolled in the program. I have the chance to share my life with outstanding and passionate classmates who really inspire me and help me to develop not only academically but also personally. This aggregation of people with multicultural backgrounds and different experiences creates a very stimulating atmosphere that leads to enriching debates and discussions.
I also discovered a stimulating academic environment with incredible faculties and courses. The quality of classes enables me to improve my set of skills while raising issues about business and society that I sometimes did not think about in my past experience. Moreover, the access to other schools across Yale University even further expands these perspectives. While I personally decided to intensively learn Russian and discover Russian culture, some of my friends are attending philosophy, history, or astronomy classes. We keep on broadening our knowledge, and I feel that at the end of the year, we will be able to strive in complex cultural work spaces.
This feeling of perpetual self-improvement coupled with the amazing network I am building here at Yale makes me realize that joining the GBS program was one of the best decisions I have made so far. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
—Lawrence Koussa
Global Network School: HEC paris
Home Country: France
I chose GBS program because I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to have the opportunity to take classes taught by some of the best professors worldwide and composed of highly prepared and smart students. The GBS program provides me exactly this, as it is a dynamic and high-speed environment that gives me the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. The program is very well structured, and I constantly receive help and support from all of the staff at Yale. Moreover, it is amazing to share this experience with international and highly motivated people—fellow students with whom I’ve developed friendships that I know will last beyond the program. I am very grateful I chose the GBS program for the people I’ve met, the classes I’m taking, and the experience itself. Being part of Yale is a unique adventure; it feels like being part of a big family.
—Eugenia Panzeri
Global Network School: ie business school
Home Country: Italy
I had two principal motivations for applying to the GBS program: the multi-perspective framework of the curriculum and the ability to take classes throughout Yale University. I’m glad to say that my experience with the program so far has met my expectations. First, the core courses focus of the program distinguishes it from any other graduate course. In addition, the opportunity to work with students from different backgrounds and cultures enables every students to better comprehend the principal dynamics that regulate businesses and societies worldwide. For instance, the structure of the Global Business and Society Perspectives course allows students to work in different teams every week on different topics such as valuation, marketing strategy, and consumer behavior. I consider the diversity of our class a source of value; it’s allowed for individual growth both on a professional and personal level. As a student I work in a dynamic context with peers who continuously challenge my ideas. I personally believe that the GBS program is by far the best environment to develop my global leadership style.
Second, the GBS program allows student to expand their knowledge by taking any course at Yale that piques their curiosity. Yale SOM is the U.S. business school most integrated with its home university, and as a student you feel this connection on a daily basis. I’ve had the opportunity to work with MBA students in the Security Analysis and Valuation course, where we had to deliver three company reports in the first two months. It was a tremendous learning experience, especially for developing hard skills. In this course, I learned to create advanced financial and valuation models thanks to my peers, who constantly worked with me. In short, if you like to be involved in multiple challenges with the best student in the world, I strongly suggest you to consider applying to the GBS program.
—Pierangelo Raiola