Crafting a Curriculum: Lukas Hafner ’26

Hometown: Böblingen, Germany
Pronouns: he/him/his
Favorite thing about New Haven: Olmo Bagels, Sally’s, and Pepe's
Best place to study: Bass Library or Sterling Library Courtyard

How did you approach choosing your electives and shaping your customized curriculum?

I like to start by browsing all available courses at SOM and other Yale schools to find a few favorites. I look for courses that make me curious and intrigued—the kind you want to attend even if you don’t “need” to—whether they’re at the law school, the Jackson School of Global Affairs, or at SOM.

For example, I took the Yale Law School course Securities Regulation, which was all about the IPO process in the United States—an area I had no contact with before. While it was among the most challenging classes I have taken thus far, it was great to learn about this subject from a non-management perspective. Also, discussing legal vs. business perspectives with the law students gave each class session a great touch.

At the Jackson School of Global Affairs, I took a course called Crisis Leadership with Deanne Criswell, a former FEMA administrator. Learning from a public official at the highest level of the previous administration was a true one-of-a-kind experience. And even though this course was taught from a disaster-management perspective, there was still loads of learning to take with me into a management career.

What surprised you about the coursework available to you?

What intrigued me before starting the GBS program was the possibility of taking courses at other Yale schools, and in areas outside of traditional management. What I didn’t realize, however, was how many unusual courses SOM itself offers.

After studying business for my whole academic career, I thought I had experienced most courses in this field. SOM has proven me wrong with its unique approach, which is hard to appreciate until you’re part of it. The curriculum here doesn’t simply teach concepts; it compels you to defend decisions, connect ideas across contexts, and negotiate trade-offs, just as real leaders do when there isn’t a perfect answer.

I also didn’t expect how often you get access to people doing this work in the real world. Many classes bring in guest speakers regularly, which changes the atmosphere in the classroom. You get concrete opportunities to ask questions, hear what leaders think, and see how messy decisions really get in practice.

What are your favorite electives so far and why?

My favorite elective thus far has to be Leading Small and Medium Enterprises. A.J. Wasserstein has a very direct and engaging teaching style. He’s genuinely enthusiastic about what he teaches, and you can tell he knows exactly what he’s talking about. The class follows a case-study approach; in each session, we analyze and (try to) solve an actual business challenge. I highly recommend taking the class.

Another one of my favorites is Strategic Leadership Across Sectors with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Every week, there’s a panel with multiple different leaders—think CEOs, leaders of governmental agencies, and board members—followed by lively discussion. It’s rare that you get to sit in a room with that much leadership experience even once. This course basically gives you that opportunity on a weekly basis.

Other GBS electives I really liked have included Business Ethics with Corey Cusimano and Negotiations with Erin Frey. Both are great courses taught by great professors. I’ve taken classes in business ethics before, but still found this version really enjoyable without being repetitive; it was more nuanced and discussion-driven than I expected. In Negotiations, you actually practice negotiating with or against other students every week, allowing you to see pretty quickly what works, what doesn’t, and what default style you tend to drift toward.

How are you hoping to apply your coursework in your career?

I’m hoping to apply what I’ve learned at SOM in direct ways: better decision-making, better communication, and better execution. Furthermore, SOM has deepened my understanding of topics I thought I was already well versed in. I know that knowledge will come in handy in my future career.

Long-term, I want to be close to decisions that have a high impact and require understanding both the human and analytical side of organizations. The coursework at SOM has already helped me better understand the interplay between the two. In my experience, the best outcomes happen when you can combine clear thinking with real leadership—and the coursework here is designed to teach you to do just that.