Congratulations to the graduating HBS MBA Class of 2004! We want to express our gratitude to you for running things so efficiently in this past year and we wish you good luck in your future careers.
The outgoing Class of 2004 has always been very helpful in getting the RC students over the hurdles of the first two terms, offering tea (and something stronger!) and sympathy in equal measure.
We, at the Harbus, decided we needed to get some last advice from them, some parting words of wisdom that will provide aid and support to us in our own EC year.
So we surveyed a select group of EC students. The criterion for selection of the group surveyed was extremely scientifically designed: we selected whoever was willing to lay aside papers, exams and packing their luggage for five minutes and speak to us. Their analysis of the answers was equally exacting and rigorous. We made copious mental notes of everything said and later, wrote down whatever we remembered.
The question we asked our revered elders was a simple one: for the benefit of the RCs, please tell us what helped you to emerge intact, a bonafide HBS MBA graduate, cap on head, gown on shoulders and degree firmly clutched in hand ?
In other words, what does the S in Success @ HBS stand for ?
The top five answers (quotes were given to us on strict condition of anonymity) were:
1. Shay’s – described variously as:
o “pub of Eden”
o “centre of my life, support of my soul,
blood of my body”
o “life-support for getting through HBS”
2. Shad – dear to the ECs hearts as:
o “the place to burn those Spangler pasta and quesadilla calories without which I’d have never managed to fit into my interview suits”
o “where I bash around the ball pretending it’s a recruiter’s head; immensely therapeutic”
o “the Mecca that I intended to reach for two years but never did; having a gym at the doorstep that I could potentially always go to somehow kept me feeling healthy and bright though”
3. Spangler Centre – viewed as indispensable and described thus:
o “a home away from home; I think I actually even slept there the last few weeks”
o “mom’s home cooking if Atilla the Hun was the mom – which mine is – so I felt right at home”
4. Sex – a variety of views and opinions were expressed, of which the following are the publishable ones:
o “no, no, I meant it in terms of gender – my girls’ network here was incredibly supportive”
o “sex or at least the hope of it; keeps a guy motivated, what…..H Bomb and all that……how can I impress girls with an HBS MBA unless I actually get it ?”
o “Section Love…..need I say more…gets me up in the morning…I mean, what use is Section Like….”
5. Solitaire – a staple of any successful HBS career
o “Indispensable during…er….I mean, after classes (am i going to be quoted by name – we haven’t been graded yet, I think….) ?”
o “You see we’re the best and brightest in the world, and therefore, simply deciphering the burgeoning debt problems of third world countries is not challenging enough for all our brilliant minds, we have excess energy left over and therefore, need Solitaire as an outlet”
And there you have it, folks! Sage advice to keep us going through our own EC year from the outgoing Class of 2004!
