How HiTA assisted me throughout a Real Estate Financial Modeling Class
When I enrolled in Professor Lebret's Real Estate Financial Modeling course, I knew that I was embarking on one of the most challenging and time-consuming classes in the Baker Program. Other students warned me that while the class demands complete focus and time, it is absolutely worth the work, especially for someone headed into an internship or full-time job in the investment or asset management side of the industry. The real challenge is not primarily the level of complexity, even though it is not an easy topic, but the pace. Staying on track with the content is essential to get the most out of this class. HiTA really helped me to achieve this.
I always liked Excel and modeling. This class was not my first on the topic, and I already had a strong basis before starting, which definitely helped me succeed. The early tasks and assignments were easy for me, and I didn't need to use HiTA or ask the TAs before weeks 5-6. Things changed, though, when we reached Problem Set 3. At this point, we began accumulating a large number of tasks, including self-guided activities, speed modeling, and assignments. HiTA became very useful for me to stay on track by consolidating the content we have seen in class and developing my knowledge.
Here are some of the concrete ways in which HiTA assisted me along the way:
- Assisting me to check if I had grasped important concepts before using them.
- Guiding me through financial model concepts like waterfall distributions, IRR hurdles, and capital accounts.
- Responding to conceptual questions—like why IRR logic does not work with imperfect timing of cash flows.
- Providing context and deeper explanations of the assignments, which enable me to start them properly without rushing into the problems.
- Providing suggestions and hints (without giving actual answers) when I was stuck somewhere
This approach helped me address challenges more constructively and develop long-term modeling intuition, a skill that will benefit me throughout my career.
When I first encountered HiTA, I thought that it was going. To be a shortcut. I expected it to provide the answer, like any other AI technology, without requiring thought. When it did not, I was frustrated. Then I realized that HiTA is even better, as it allows students to think about their problems and understand them by themselves, which is way more productive and instructive. Instead of generating direct answers, HiTA provided examples, suggestions, a nod to classwork, and linked to class materials, which will lead students to address their specific problems. It was not here to teach me but rather to enrich my learning. Once students understand this, they are ready to use HiTA in the way it was supposed design to be. Because I was debugging and refining my own models, I ended up learning the content more effectively. I found myself not viewing HiTA as a shortcut to instant answers but rather as a “thinking tool” that forced me to engage, reason through, and construct my reasoning.
Therefore, I started asking tougher questions. As an example, instead of sending "What's the answer?" I would send more precise questions about my problems. That shift changed my method of approaching not only HiTA but financial modeling in general.
Additionally, I still want to mention that our TAs were very helpful, responsive, and kind. But of course, it is not always available (especially in the second part of the semester). At such times, HiTA was the perfect solution. One of the strategies I highly recommend is using HiTA before going to office hours. It helped to pinpoint the problem so that when I did go see a TA, we could bypass the “what’s the hell is the bug phase” and get right to structure and reasoning rather than throwing away precious time doing that. HiTA supplemented but did not replace human support.
I have taken other financial modeling classes—through school and online platforms. Most of them follow a passive format: watch a video, download a template, plug in the formulas and numbers, check your answers, see the solutions (if needed). This class is completely different, and that’s the huge value of it. It makes students work on their own, make mistakes, and instead of giving the answer right away, make the students think and spot the error themselves.
And HiTA was there to help students achieve this. It was interactive. I was able to ask follow-up questions and clear up difficult concepts. It guided me through modeling as a process, not just a formula. And it was low stress, I did not have to worry about asking "obvious" questions, which made learning more efficient and effective.
HiTA did not just help me pass one of Cornell's most challenging courses—it helped me shift the way I learn. Compared to other model classes I have taken, which were more about passively repeating and reusing tried templates, this experience was more active, dynamic, and personalized. At times, it was frustrating—but that frustration led to real learning.
What made it stand out most was the focus on critical thinking. HiTA never replaced human interaction but instead supported it—urging me to be better prepared, to question better, and to think more. It gave me space for mistakes, tools for improvement, and the assistance to make my own models from scratch without giving me a template.
From that experience, I would like to see HiTA applied to future technical courses—specifically those that involve building models and open-ended problem-solving. In a career where you are constantly tackling new challenges, having an instructional aid that shows you how to think—not what to do—makes all the difference.
About The Author
Colin Herrmann