Hey HBS-ers, A lot of controversy has been caused by P with his book Ahead of the Curve. Some people say that there are a lot of truths in the book, while some say it’s a book
of lies. Well, let’s get some things straight then. Let me fill you in on what I know. Here are some of the more memorable quotes from the book:
1) “…Shad really has no place at a graduate school. It should instead be part of the US Olympic Federation’s elite training facility. – True. But I like it here, thank you very much.
2) “…FOMO was a persistent stalker on campus, sowing poison on every mind.” – True. Let’s face it, we were all hit by FOMO in some way, shape or form
3) “It felt as though HBS had two modes, deadly serious and frat boy, with little in between” – False. We all know there are a lot in between. That’s where most of us belong.
4) (On the Reflected Best Self Exercise) “…it was good to wallow in the flattery for a moment after the insecurities of those first few weeks at HBS…” – True. And that was what the exercise was for.
5) “Every club position, no matter how menial, carried the title Vice President. One day we, too, might be part of corporate America’s bulging vice-presidential class, so we may as well get used to the weightlessness of the title.” – False. Being a VP is hard work. I should know.
6) “‘We call this OCRA. It’s my favorite vegetable.’ My reverie was snapped by Ruback’s piercing voice.” – True. If Ruback said it, it must be true.
7) “Once we had discovered beta, people began bandying it around in every context.” – False. Well, except maybe for the HBS Show.
8) “Drunken shrimp, midnight karaoke, rows of empty glasses of Chivas & green tea and venture capitalists…just a few of the highlights of this year’s China trek.” – Who knows? Maybe the writer of this article for that issue of the Harbus was looking at doing this to get readers to read what he/she wrote.
9) “A good summer internship was regarded as essential for a good post-HBS job.” – True. Career Services always reminds us of that one.
10) “It’s supposed to be an open environment, but I feel like everything you say or do is being scrutinized so they know where to put you on the curve.” – False for me…but there are some people who feel this way.
11) “If you buy a car for $30,000, maybe you get an extra $30,000 in financial aid. So basically HBS buys you a BMW.” – REALLY?!?!?! Why didn’t I think of that?!
These are all I can dig in for now…feel free to add to the list. Until next time…
GG, Section XOXO
