Yaswanth Sanagapalli

Going to the Summer Program at HEC Paris answered a lot of the questions that I had about the institution and it gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to take up a full-time course there. 

I first heard about HEC Paris because of its high rank as a business school. That interest was amplified when I heard great reviews about HEC Paris from my professors at Ashoka University (a partner institution of HEC Paris). When I was nominated by my university to attend the Summer School Program of course I was delighted. My experience there can be divided into several parts: the classroom engagement, the student interaction and the campus experience.

The finance courses that I had taken during my undergraduate degree put me in a good position to understand the quality of the courses at the HEC Paris Summer School. In one of my first classes with Professor Patrick Legland, he wrote down a lot of formulae on the board (which I had learned in my undergraduate level finance course), erased all of them, and promised that he would teach only what was relevant and important. All the professors who teach at HEC Paris are practitioners and active researchers, which helps them to stay relevant in the classroom. A lot of the techniques or concepts which I have learned during this program are useful to understand what is going on in the financial world-- unlike a lot of theory which I learned in my undergraduate courses.

HEC Paris attracts curious learners from all around the world. A part of the assessment requires the students to work in groups, and the groups are made such that people from various nations have to work together. This helps everyone get to know more about each other and their cultures. Not only do the students come from various parts of the world, they also come from various educational and professional backgrounds. This helps people know more about other disciplines and their perspectives on the same problems while working in a group.

Overall, I would say going to the Summer Program at HEC Paris answered a lot of the questions that I had about the institution and it gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to take up a full-time program there. I have to say that my desire to attend this prestigious institution has increased manifold.