Popular RC and winner at life shares advice on how to thrive. With summer’s lease having passed its too short a date, we are well and truly into the Fall now. Boston is taking on every shade of orange, yellow, and brown, and the weather changes more frequently than my mood. Even as turgid morbidity…
Has Covid-19 really changed the RC experience? Thanks to Covid-19, the MBA Class of 2022 had a very unusual start to their HBS experience. We interviewed an extensive number of RCs on their day-to-day experiences, trying to understand what has stayed the same, what has changed, their fears and their joys, and how they are…
It is still possible to enjoy the warm summer breeze through a face mask. To defer or not to defer? Did I already read Quarantine policy #34? Was my camera on when I screamed at my dog for peeing on the rug? Should I talk now or will I, very precisely, interrupt the host? Can…
What is the view from RC, as the class of 2022 looks to embrace the uncertain future? With a week before the official start of the term, a cocktail of eagerness, delirium, and mortal dread pervades the incoming RC camp. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on the lives and travel plans of the incoming students, exacerbating…
What is it that Dean Nohria will do with his one wild and precious life? Last November, Dean Nitin Nohria announced that he would be passing the torch and stepping down from his role at the helm of HBS. While that led most of us to reflect on his many accomplishments at the school (including…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. Transitions are sometimes difficult. As we move through life, we are constantly ending one chapter and starting another. While we eagerly anticipate what lies ahead, we sometimes mourn the loss of what we had. Class of 2020, we are flipping the page and entering…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. April is here. Good riddance to winter! This winter was pathetic in every sense of the word. We got a whopping 0.5 inches of snow in February and March. Typical conditions would have brought us close to 2 feet. Temperatures in January, February and…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. March is one of the craziest months of the year. It can be cold and snowy, or warm and spring-like, or a mix of both. Typically, the first half of March is a continuation of winter, with the second half showing signs of spring….
Co-founders recall painful early days when only income was $300K from their parents. “It was a really humbling experience.” We are sitting in their office in downtown Brooklyn in a WeWork, which, somehow, still exists. John Silva, CEO of LoveJuice, nods gravely as co-founder Alex Roberts continues. “I checked the bank account and the balance…
A look into how students really felt over winter break. Continuing a yearslong tradition at HBS, RCs and ECs handed in their travel diaries upon re-entering Spangler for the first time in seven weeks (only five short weeks for RCs). Disoriented, many thought the SAS team members collecting journals were simply there to take their…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. February is my favorite month. It’s the most blizzardly month of the year! Roughly half of the most historic blizzards in Boston have occured in February. I expect weekly threats of snow to be the norm this month and, yes, I am predicting at…
Dear Harby, My discussion group mate and I are having an intense disagreement, and I think your FIN1 and BGIE expertise could help us a lot here. He doesn’t think becoming a billionaire is worth it, because “you can’t buy anything with a billion dollars.” I said he could buy a small country with a…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. Oh, December. That great festive month. December on the East Coast means that Winter is here and that it’s officially here for the next three months (unofficially, the “cold season” in Boston lasts for one month or nine months depending on whether you ask…
In a bold revamp of the Elective Curriculum, the HBS Student Academic Committee has decided that starting in the spring semester, FIELD reflections will be mandatory following every weekend trip that EC students undertake. Students who travel everywhere from Stowe to Sweden will now be required to submit reflections on their personal journeys as they…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. When’s the last time you played jenga? Think of the descent into winter as one big jenga tower and we’re about to pull that last piece out before it all comes crashing down. Yes, we’re about to crash down right into the most dynamic…
Reggie Smith (MBA ’20) tells us what to expect this month. October is the great transition month in New England. The last warmth of summer melts away, while the first frost of winter arrives. Our campus will be overcome with beautiful fall foliage as the leaves change their colors. Of course, all this means one…
When Chase introduced a metal version of its credit card in 2016, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the card was a ground-breaking innovation in consumer credit payments. “It does exactly the same thing as my old card—just heavier,” said Marcus Peabody, RC. “Whenever I’m out to dinner with friends and I drop my card on the…
The perils of social media and university admissions … After a failed LinkedIn humble-brag announcing his HBS acceptance, admit Michael O’Connolly may not be Boston-bound after all. O’Connolly, 27, thought he’d done everything right. A self-described “risk-taker” who has “always done things my own way,” he followed in his father’s footsteps to attend Princeton before…
The shocking announcement simultaneously impacts PE and tech bros globally. In a shock announcement that has left associates worldwide concerned, the HBS Admissions Office announced that starting with the upcoming admissions rounds, they will no longer be admitting students from the investment banking and private equity industries. Instead, classes will introduce the software “BuysideBot,” which…
HBS Show’s Executive Producer Brooke Biederman (MBA ’19) talks with Executive Director Savannah Greene (MBA ’19) about her directing style, insider details from the rehearsal rooms, and the storied show’s first performance in the new Klarman Hall. “HBS Show is one of our most important traditions. It gives us a chance to laugh at ourselves,…
This month Harby helps soon-to-be-former MBA candidates confront the trepidation of graduation, with her tips for surviving life outside HBS. Dear Harby, It’s the end of EC year and with the conclusion of Bridges I’ve been kicked to the proverbial curb, left to fend for myself in the wilds of the “Real World.” I made…
Dear Harby, I’m planning to run the Boston Marathon on Monday April 16th and have already paid the $185 registration fee. I think I’m okay on the training. Here’s my question: how can I best take advantage of this social media opportunity to make my section mates envious? Best, Glam in Gallatin Dear Glam, You…
Cumnock Hall – Broken bones, bruised brains, and battered hearts – these are the injuries that have plagued the skiing and snowboarding population at HBS this year. Despite the usual hype and anticipation, record low snowfalls during peak season – especially during the official ski trip weekend – resulted in frustration, scratched equipment, and cringeworthy…
Dear Harby, After I accidentally booked coach seats for a weekend getaway to St. Barts, I’ve been officially voted out of Section X. I’m a bit lost and am wondering what I’m going to do for socializing – do you have any advice? Sincerely, Lonely in Loeb Dear Lonely, I hope you now appreciate what…
Dear Harby, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, but no one at this school seems to understand what an acceptable gesture is. Last year a classmate I was dating got me three Citigroup preferred shares and a DVD of American Psycho (I mean, really – he couldn’t have at least sprung for Bank of America?). Can…
Dear Harby, My former co-workers who are now applying to business school now want me to read their essays, but I’m lazy and don’t really like them. What should I do? -Chillin’ in Chase Dear Chillin’, Such a dilemma! I can imagine that nothing is more difficult than having to repay the favors from students…
Dear Harby, I came in wanted a run-of-the-mill job in general management, but now I seemed to have caught the finance bug from all the company presentations put on by CPD. Should I be an investment banker? -Wondering in One Western Dear Wondering, Lots of people are attracted to Investment Banking. There are the…
Dear Harby, It’s May and I still don’t have an internship for the summer. I’m getting kinda desperate. What should I do? – Procrastinator in Peabody Dear Procrastinator, That whole “get a job” thing really snuck up on you didn’t it? I mean if only HBS had a department — a “center,” perhaps — for…
It’s the final furlong of the recruitment calendar, but how does the HBS Admitted Student Welcome fare for the Class of 2019 No one told me that my first intellectual challenge at Harvard Business School would be picking the “theme tune which best describes my life” over an ice-breaking lunch with my fellow admits. Panic. What answer would make me sound sufficiently fun,…
Dear Harby, I noticed that everyone is wearing a Canadian Goose jacket at HBS but me. Did I miss the section in the pre-matriculation packet on school uniforms? What should I do? Sincerely, Bundled in Boston Dear Bundled, It’s cute that you think the brand is ‘Canadian’ Goose and not Canada Goose – we have…