Welcome to the HBS partners, who worked harder than anyone, even you, Collin.
As campus comes alive with a new class of bright-eyed students, The Harbus would like to offer a hearty congratulations to those who have worked tirelessly to get here: the partners.
“It’s fantastic to see my hard work pay off,” says an incoming partner from Australia. “Ever since I found out about the Harvard Business School Partners Club, I have worked so hard to get here.” For this partner, that work has included a regimented schedule of dinner group practice, group chat drills, and nodding knowingly when acquaintances talk about the trials of polishing slide decks.
“My red pen ran out of ink during essay editing time,” reports a husband from New York. “It almost derailed my goals entirely.” Fortunately, he was able to pivot to using a purple pen just in time for the final edits. It’s this kind of resilience and tenacity that sets HBS partners above the rest.
Some partners are still recovering from the work they put in during application season. “It was an emotional rollercoaster every night,” says an RC partner from Arizona. “My emotional pep talks had to hit the perfect chord of sympathy and motivation, every single time. Did you see Top Gun: Maverick? Tom Cruise only had to run his mission once. I had to do it every night. So who’s the real hero?”
With all of this exhausting work, it is reasonable to ask why partners are so motivated to gain admittance to this storied club. “It’s almost insulting the assumptions people make,” says a newly-married husband of an incoming RC. “Some people think I wanted to marry an HBS admit for all the friends I’d make.” When this reporter asked if these people also assumed he’d married his spouse for the Harvard prestige and promise of a lucrative income, he rolled his eyes. “No, that’s not insulting. That’s true.”
But for most partners, the prestige of a Harvard degree had nothing to do with their goal of reaching the most storied club in the world. It didn’t even have to do with the friendships, the resources, or the iconic view of the Charles River. So what was it?
“Spangler,” the partners nodded in unison. “That salad bar. You can’t beat it.”
Brynne Gosch is an MBA RC partner. She is thrilled to be here.
