hbs virtual tour

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• 10 Apr 2024
• Exploring MBA Programs

Life at HBS Chat with the Asian-Affinity Business Association

• 11 Apr 2024

Life at HBS Chat with the Israel Business Club

2+2 program application q&a, virtual forté mba forum, life at hbs chat with the women's student association.

• 12 Apr 2024

MBA Program Open House

• 15 Apr 2024

Life at HBS Chat with the Middle East & North Africa Club

• 16 Apr 2024

Entrepreneurial Insights: 20 Minutes with an HBS Founder

Life at hbs chat with the first generation students club, life at hbs chat with pride.

• 17 Apr 2024

Life at HBS Chat with Disability Advocacy and Affinity Group (DAAG)

2+2 alum insights: ama edition, life at hbs chat with the latam club.

• 18 Apr 2024

Life at HBS Chat with the South Asian Business Association and Southeast Asia Club

Life at hbs chat with the africa business club.

• 22 Apr 2024
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• Applying to HBS

Admissions Overview and Q&A

• 03 May 2024
• 09 May 2024

HBS Information Session in Austin

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Library Tours

Tours are available for the HBS and Harvard communities in different formats to meet a variety of needs. We also offer tours to other visitors on a limited basis depending on the purpose of the tour and the availability of staff guides.

Service Overview

Please allow a minimum of five business days before tour date requested.

HBS community members:   Please log into the HBS network to request a tour.

Visitors:  If the Alternative Tour Options in the menu to the right don’t fit your needs, please email [email protected]  to request a tour.

Request a Tour

Explore the ideas, artifacts, people, and places that have shaped our history for nearly 400 years.

Tour updates

Harvard visitor center tours.

All tours are 45 to 60 minutes long. Registration is required in advance for both in-person and virtual tours. Weekly tour registration will be available every Friday. You can download the Visit Harvard mobile app on iOS and Android devices. During business hours you may purchase a Self-Guided Tour Map for $3 available in multiple languages.

For information about Harvard College Admissions tours for prospective students, visit their website .

Official Historical Tour of Harvard

The free, student-led public walking tour through Harvard Yard provides a history of the University, general information, and a unique view on the students’ individual experience. 

Register for the in-person tour

Visit Harvard mobile app

Explore Harvard with our free mobile app, featuring a collection of self-guided walking tours. Whichever tour you decide to embark on, you’ll be sure to learn something new.

Download the app on  iOS  and  Android devices.

Historical Tour of Harvard

Learn the history behind well-known spots across Harvard’s campus! Each stop highlights iconic buildings, traditions, alumni, and much more.

Harvard Public Art & Culture Tour: Allston

Explore vibrant public art in Allston! You’ll encounter can’t-miss installations along Western Avenue and learn the stories behind them and their artists.

Harvard Public Art & Culture Tour: Cambridge

Discover a new side to our campus through an art-filled adventure! Explore outdoor art, famous architecture, renowned cultural institutions, and more.

Discover more Harvard tours

From nature walks to art galleries, these tour offerings include virtual options, in-person experiences, student and staff-led excursions, and more.

Tour spotlight

Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery

The Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Walking Tour Experience explores Harvard University’s entanglements with the institution of slavery through a 10-stop tour around Harvard’s campus.

Learn more about the tour

Prospective students

Harvard College In-Person Campus Visit Options: in-person, student-led

Harvard College Virtual Tour Options: virtual

SEAS Tours Options: in-person, student-led

Harvard Business School Options: in-person, virtual, student-led, mobile

Harvard Law School Virtual Tour Video Options: virtual

Arts and culture

Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Options: mobile

Harvard Art Museums: Student Guided Tours Options: in-person, student-led

Harvard Forest Field Trips & Tours Options: virtual, in-person, staff-led, self-guided

Arnold Arboretum: All Tours Options: in-person, virtual, staff-led, self-guided

Museums and libraries

Peabody Museum: All Tours Options: in-person, virtual, self-guided, staff-led

Houghton & Widener In-Person Tours Options: in-person, staff-led

Widener 360-Degree Virtual Tour Options: virtual, self-guided

Houghton Library Virtual Tour Options: virtual

Harvard Art Museums: Gallery Tours Options: in-person, self-guided, staff-led

Harvard Museums of Science & Culture: Virtual Tours Options: virtual, self-guided

Frequently asked questions

General tour information.

The Harvard University Visitor Center offers several different types of tours. For our in person tour offerings on campus, we provide the Official Historical Tour of Harvard. All tours are provided to the public for free and to private groups for a fee. Our tours typically run 45-60 minutes.

To view the schedule and register for our free public tours (virtual and in person), please visit our Eventbrite page . To request a virtual or in person private tour, visit this link .

We also offer a free self-guided historical tour through the Visit Harvard mobile app, which you can download on iOS and Android devices. You can take this self-guided tour on campus or from the comfort of your own home.

Information About Free In Person Tours

The in person Historical Tour of Harvard explores Harvard Yard. Tours depart from the Visitor Center which is located at the front desk in the Smith Campus Center. Our address is 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Registration for our in person tours must be made in advance. Registration is made available starting the Friday before your tour week. Parties of up to 14 persons can register for a free in person tour. Parties of 15-60 are encouraged to submit a request for a private tour .

Registered tour goers should arrive at the Visitor Center at least 15 minutes before your tour to check-in. Tours depart from the Smith Campus Center and end in Harvard Yard.

Information About the Visit Harvard Mobile App

Visit Harvard is a free mobile app by the Harvard Visitor Center that features a collection of self-guided tours centered around the Harvard University experience. The Visit Harvard mobile app can be downloaded by anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, to be enjoyed from wherever you might be visiting, whether it’s in-person at Harvard or from the comfort of your own home.

What tours are being offered in the mobile app? Currently on the app, visitors can take a mobile version of our popular in-person and virtual tour, the Historical Tour of Harvard.

How long is the mobile tour? This self-guided tour takes place across 14 mapped stops through Harvard’s campus. At a standard walking pace, it will take between 45-60 minutes to complete the 1 mile long tour.

Can I take the mobile tour in-person or virtually? The mobile tour is designed to be accessed in-person on Harvard University’s campus, starting at the Harvard Visitor Center, located at the Smith Campus Center in Harvard Square (1350 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA). It can also be viewed from the comfort of your own home. Simply download Visit Harvard in the app store, select the Historical Tour of Harvard, and begin your journey!

Where can I download the Visit Harvard mobile app? You can download the Visit Harvard mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play . There is also a desktop version of the app you can access here .

Learn More About the Harvard College Admissions Process

For more information about Harvard College Admissions, please visit their official website . Their contact information can be found here .

Harvard Business School (HBS) Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

When is the best time to visit harvard business school (hbs).

Visiting Harvard Business School (HBS) depends on a number of factors, including the season, your schedule, and a lot of uncontrollable variables. We recommend you visit Harvard Business School (HBS) twice if you’re serious about enrolling – at least one visit should be when students are on campus and school is in session. Be sure to take note of the town of Boston as well. Remember that Boston is also catering to students, so think critically about whether the community would feel too big or too small for your personal liking.

What do families do in Boston when they visit Harvard Business School (HBS)?

It depends but there are a variety of activities and things to do in and around Boston. We recommend using the virtual immersion tab on CampusReel to take a tour at Harvard Business School (HBS) and see for yourself how the student make use of Boston.

What buildings should I look at when I visit Harvard Business School (HBS)?

For your convenience, below is a list of all buildings that you can visit from CampusReel. We encourage you to compare you experience of the buildings on CampusReel with your in-person visit if you decide to take one.

• Harvard Business Suites at Harvard Business School (HBS)
• Harvard Business School at Harvard Business School (HBS)
• Spangler Center at Harvard Business School (HBS)
• One Western Avenue at Harvard Business School (HBS)

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Are Virtual Tours Still Worth It in Real Estate? Evidence from 75,000 Home Sales

Virtual tours helped propel homebuying through the height of COVID-19. But now that life is back to normal, new research finds these 3D tours don’t significantly boost sale prices and may even prolong a property’s time on the market.

When factoring in the quality of photos and listing descriptions, virtual tours benefit sellers less than previous studies indicate, suggests research by Isamar Troncoso, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. She studied more than 75,000 home sales to evaluate the impact of virtual tours.

“Maybe it doesn't help you to get a 5 percent sales price rise by using visual tools—but it might help sellers in many other ways.”

“Maybe in a time where you couldn't really go and see how it was in person, it seemed like having the virtual tours helped shorten time on market,” Troncoso says. “That appears to have been a short-term benefit. And once those restrictions are lifted, we come back to this world, where having this virtual tour doesn't really make a big difference in terms of sales outcomes.”

Still, some benefits of virtual tours persist for sellers and buyers alike, and knowing when to use these tools and when to forgo them is a key insight of the study, which Troncoso conducted with Mengxia Zhang, an assistant professor at Western University’s Ivey Business School. Technology continues to roil all sectors of the business world, with few areas watched more closely than real estate, an economic bellwether that remains white-hot despite high interest rates.

“Maybe it doesn't help you to get a 5 percent sales price rise by using visual tools—but it might help sellers in many other ways,” Troncoso says.

Virtual reality for house hunting

To parse selling behavior, the researchers used machine learning to sort data from the real estate platform Redfin for 75,178 houses sold in the greater Los Angeles area from March 2019 to March 2021. The time period gives a snapshot of how the effect might linger beyond lockdowns.

They combed listings for text and photos using computer vision and natural language processing. They examined each home’s sale price, number of days on the market, and initial price.

Then, they screened for 3D virtual tours, which combine images and interactive features to simulate the experience of walking through a home room by room. Depending on quality and expertise, creating a virtual tour can cost as little as $300 or less, or many thousands for realtors willing to hire a professional to photograph a large home.

Roughly 22 percent of houses used virtual tours. To break down those listings further, the authors looked at 20 standard house attributes in each, such as square footage, and whether the home needed repairs.

Researchers included walkability and bikeability scores, average number of offers homes in the area receive, and other neighborhood data parsed from the US Census via data curator SafeGraph . They also considered factors such as the neighborhood’s proportion of Black and Hispanic residents, a metric they think could be important since listings in these neighborhoods tend to feature fewer photos with lower aesthetic quality and more often are handled by smaller firms.

Location, location, location

Sellers who use virtual tours often provide longer descriptions and more high-quality photos, the authors discovered. After controlling for better photos and captions, researchers found virtual tours had an “insignificant” impact on final prices. That’s in contrast to a roughly 1.1 percent increase in sale prices from using virtual tours without those factors, or the 2 percent to 3 percent bump researchers found in earlier studies.

One possible reason for the tiny effect from virtual tours for most listings: pricing strategy of agents who use virtual tours. These sellers tend to start with a higher price, lowering it by the time a home is sold. That can mean listings linger on the market longer, the authors note.

“Maybe it doesn’t really get you to say, ‘Oh, now I really like that house,’ but it’s going to help you to be like, ‘Oh, I don’t like this one, so I won’t bother to go and see it.”

Location, though, provided another wrinkle. In areas served by smaller real estate firms and in less sought-after neighborhoods, virtual tools may help sellers. That’s because if a listing comes with a virtual tour, chances are the rest of the listing is higher-quality, too, Troncoso says.

“These are areas in which these technologies penetrated less,” Troncoso says. "So that's why you see a little bit more of a marginal effect when those sellers have virtual tours. Maybe they get more eyes on that listing.”

For buyers, there may be a bigger benefit that’s hard to nail down: Virtual tours can help screen out what a buyer doesn’t want, so they never make an offer. That may make a search more efficient in a tight housing market.

“Maybe it doesn’t really get you to say, ‘Oh, now I really like that house,’ but it’s going to help you to be like, ‘Oh, I don’t like this one, so I won’t bother to go and see it,’” Troncoso says.

Virtual tour tips

As virtual tour technologies improve—and become less expensive—smaller agents may be able to more efficiently oversee larger portfolios of homes and attract more possible buyers.

Future research areas may examine the use of virtual tours in long- and short-term rentals such as Airbnb. For now, the tours seem to be most used by buyers and sellers, and appear to be here to stay, Troncoso says.

So, when are virtual tours most—and least—useful? Troncoso offers this advice:

• If you’re working on a tight schedule, prioritize high-quality photos and descriptions for your listing, rather than virtual tours.
• When your house is in a Black and Hispanic neighborhood or one with lower average household income, consider including a virtual tour as part of your listing. That’s because virtual tours could mitigate greater uncertainty about property values in these neighborhoods, according to the paper.
• If you’re an agent or a virtual-tour creator, temper your clients’ expectations and highlight potential benefits, like their ability to reduce showings with unlikely buyers.

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Search the site, search suggestions, virtual tour, explore harvard from home.

Use our Virtual Tour to discover spaces that aren't even available on an in-person campus tour, such as classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, and more. Even better, it's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and never reaches capacity.

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After you tour our campus virtually, take the next step and join us for an online information session! In these hour-long sessions, an admission officer and a student will share information about Harvard College and answer the questions you submit through the chat. View our schedule of upcoming sessions and register today!

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Take a virtual, student-led lab tour focused on Harvard’s undergraduate programs at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences! Meet with current SEAS students and learn more about applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering sciences, and mechanical engineering. With a new campus and new facilities, the opportunities are endless.

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Creating Value through Strategic Financial Analysis—Virtual

• Upcoming Session
• Previous (1 of 1) Next
• Format: Virtual Synchronous learning at designated live online session times.

The program fee covers tuition, e-books, and online case materials.

This program includes live online classes, self-paced work, discussion groups, and virtual networking. 

"You need to understand how economic value is created in the context of your business."

• Teaching Team

To execute strategy effectively, senior executives must be able to measure outcomes and create the right incentives to drive results. To accomplish this goal in an era of increasing business complexity, executives need a solid understanding of how strategy is linked to performance metrics and value creation.

In this live online program, you and your peers—general managers and senior executives who are not financial specialists—will examine the use of financial analysis as a powerful tool for understanding and enabling the value creation process. You will acquire a deeper grasp of the relationships among business strategy, finance, accounting, performance metrics, and value creation—and emerge ready to help your organization improve performance over the long term.

Details Expand All Collapse All

Apply core concepts of accounting analysis and financial analysis apply core concepts of accounting analysis and financial analysis dropdown down.

• Leverage financial reports to analyze performance and assess valuations
• Understand activities and capabilities that generate value and shareholder value
• Assess return on invested capital and how it is impacted by operating and financing decisions
• Apply proven tools to assess strategy, forecast outcomes, value strategic assets, and evaluate restructuring opportunities

Employ the levers of value creation to enhance results Employ the levers of value creation to enhance results Dropdown down

• Understand the principal drivers of value creation and know when to utilize them
• Map strategy to performance metrics and drivers of value
• Anticipate the potential impact of various performance metrics, including unintended consequences, and apply them appropriately
• Align budgets and targets with strategic objectives
• Achieve desired outcomes
• Measure, track, and drive performance

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network Dropdown down

• Extend your network by connecting and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
• Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits Dropdown up

Key benefits dropdown down, apply core concepts of accounting analysis and financial analysis, employ the levers of value creation to enhance results, expand your personal and professional network, who should attend.

• General managers or other senior executives from any company, industry, or country, who are connected with strategic decision-making, M&A or finance, or controller functions
• Entrepreneurs or other senior executives who would benefit from a deeper understanding of financial analysis, accounting, and valuation
• Directors and senior managers who wish to tailor financial and non-financial performance metrics to analyze, motivate, and drive corporate performance
• May also be beneficial for: Investors or financial analysts interested in a valuation framework that integrates strategy analysis, accounting analysis, performance analyses, and forecasting

Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact.

Who Should Attend Dropdown up

Who should attend dropdown down, leaders in virtual learning.

This program features sessions in the HBS Live Online Classroom .

Just as HBS pioneered the case study method, we also built the first live online classroom in 2014 and have been refining and optimizing our virtual program experience ever since. In a world that is now centered around virtual connection, our programs reflect the input and experience of tens of thousands of participants.

When you participate in a virtual HBS Executive Education program, you benefit from a powerful learning experience carefully designed with a virtual setting in mind. Through live, synchronous program sessions you'll engage directly with our renowned faculty to learn from their latest research, gain actionable takeaways, and facilitate your growth. In addition, virtual discussion groups will connect you to a global group of peers and build your network.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering your questions, application submission, application review, fee, payment, and cancellations, admissions criteria and process dropdown up, admissions criteria and process dropdown down, what you will learn.

Through faculty presentations, case studies, small-group discussions, and special projects, you will learn key concepts that can help you drive performance and value for your business. Whatever your prior exposure to finance and accounting, the program's format offers ample time to absorb and practice applying principles and tools. In the process, you will dive into one of today's most important financial metrics, Return on Invested Capital (ROIC), and explore how profitability, growth, and cost of capital relate to value creation.

Program Format

This program is taught over four weeks, with three half-day sessions per week. Live online class sessions take place using the HBS Live Online Classroom , while small-group discussions will take place over Zoom.

Collaborative learning is an integral part of the experience. To maximize the benefit for everyone, you are expected to attend every session, complete all assignments, and contribute effectively in the classroom and in small groups. We advise setting aside a total of 3-5 hours per week for program work in addition to the synchronous class sessions. In addition, participants should expect to spend 5-10 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program.

Key Topics Expand All Collapse All

Financial performance metrics financial performance metrics dropdown down.

• Recognizing the importance of financial analysis and accounting analysis
• Understanding different categories of metrics and how they can be analyzed intelligently to provide insights about firm performance
• Analyzing the relationship between strategy, business economics, and accounting measurement choices in performance metrics

Drivers of financial performance Drivers of financial performance Dropdown down

• Understanding Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) and how it is impacted by operating and financing decisions
• Assessing the key tradeoffs between ROIC drivers
• Examining how accounting policies relate to financial performance metrics or ratios, and how these ratios connect to valuation
• Applying frameworks to internal/divisional analysis
• Separating the effects of financing and operating decisions

Strategy execution and relative financial performance Strategy execution and relative financial performance Dropdown down

• Evaluating relative financial performance
• Recognizing how accounting differences can distort financial metrics or result in biased analyses of performance, and how to gain more accurate results

The relationship between metrics and incentives The relationship between metrics and incentives Dropdown down

• Ensuring effective budgeting and target-setting
• Analyzing sales-based, profit-based, and ROI-based incentives and their connections to value creation
• Employing economic value added (EVA) as a comprehensive metric for evaluating corporate performance

The relationship between performance measures and value The relationship between performance measures and value Dropdown down

• Recognizing the importance of ROIC in capital markets today
• Analyzing the connections between profitability, cost of capital, growth, and value creation

Key Topics Dropdown up

Key topics dropdown down, financial performance metrics, drivers of financial performance, strategy execution and relative financial performance, the relationship between metrics and incentives, the relationship between performance measures and value, applying the learning: assessing your own company's performance and valuation.

During weeks 3 and 4, you will work in teams to practice applying the frameworks and principles you have learned as you evaluate your own company’s performance and determine its valuation.

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.

Suraj Srinivasan

Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Business Administration

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Charles C.Y. Wang

Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration

Jonas Heese

Marvin Bower Associate Professor

Joseph Pacelli

Gerald Schuster Associate Professor of Business Administration

Assistant Professor of Business Administration

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