Sheetal Bangalore

The combination of asynchronous and live learning allowed me to effectively follow the material and keep up with my busy schedule as a university student. 

The “Business and Geopolitics: A Global View” course offers motivated students the opportunity to understand the international business landscape and draw conclusions from this information in a scholarly and collaborative environment. I am in my final year of undergraduate studies at Princeton University, and I am grateful to have participated in this course this past winter. Last year, when I heard that HEC Paris was offering this unique course, I was eager to apply. After serving as a Summer Associate with HEC Paris in 2022, I had been looking for an opportunity to return to university, and in the end, my experience in the “Business and Geopolitics: A Global View” course exceeded my expectations.

One of the reasons why I was drawn to this course was because of the online format which allowed me to be fully immersed in the material alongside other engaged students, although many of us were thousands of kilometers away from HEC Paris. Each week, I made time to complete the assignments for this course and prepare for the weekly live sessions. The combination of asynchronous and live learning allowed me to effectively follow the material and keep up with my busy schedule as a university student. 

Reflecting on the program, I found the most valuable part to be what I learned from the discussions we had in groups. In these conversations, we were often answering a question posed by Professor Ghez, and each person in my group would have a different response which was guided by their life experiences, backgrounds, and cultures. These discussions were always shaped by several global perspectives, and exchanging examples and anecdotes with my teammates was always fascinating as I learned so much about the world – information that I would have likely not learned otherwise.

In addition to the knowledge I gained from the course, I had the opportunity to enhance my critical thinking skills. I was appreciative that both the other students and Professor Ghez would often question, in a supportive manner, what I said or challenge arguments that I made. As a result, I was encouraged to formulate my thoughts and words carefully which made my arguments more nuanced and robust, a skill that has benefited me in all areas of my life. 

Participating in this course and reconnecting with HEC Paris was an extraordinary experience – one that I cannot recommend enough. After I graduate from Princeton University, I will be working in consulting, and since I will be operating in a global business environment, I am confident that what I learned in this course will be especially beneficial. I look forward to staying in touch with my classmates from this course, watching our growth over the coming years, and hopefully returning to HEC Paris in another capacity soon!

For more information on our interactive online programs