As I pack up for school after a fantastic summer, I see many of my friends starting at HBS in the fall have already begun arriving on campus (hi, Lisa!) I remember how overwhelming the start of business school was last year and wanted to impart unsolicited advice on those beginning the journey.

I remember receiving lots of advice about how to navigate the beginning of the first year from incoming second year students, graduates, friends who hadn’t attended business school and everything in between. I found most of it overwhelming and some of it helpful, and wanted to consolidate the best of the advice. They span the practical to the theoretical, and help with the mindset adjustment that derives from being business school.

I am trying to keep this as general as possible so this can be applicable to first year MBAs beyond the HBS community, but some of this might be HBS-specific.

Best of luck!

1. Come up with a pithy, memorable fun-fact about yourself. This becomes relevant not only on your first day in section when everyone has to introduce themselves, but also as you meet your many classmates.
2. Use one 5-subject notebook for your notes for every class, rather than 5 1-subject notebooks. It’s an incredibly random tidbit that someone imparted upon me and I found it extremely helpful. The schedule isn’t consistent and it’s annoying to have to remember to carry distinct notebooks around. Instead, easiest to have everything consolidated under one umbrella.
3. Say no to one thing on your calendar every day. You can’t do everything and you’ll find yourself overloaded quickly.
4. Don’t ignore the people outside of the bubble or the things you love to do. Call your parents. Read fiction. Go to the gym. Find time for yourself – this comes up often but it’s really important as you’re forming your identity in a new setting to maintain the things that make you who you are.
5. Don’t go overboard on signing up for clubs. It costs money for each of them and you’ll realize how little time you have in the first year to participate. Figure out what you really care about and go deep. The reasons to get involved are 1. if you’re switching industries and want to use it as a launchpad to make connections or 2. as a fun, social experience.
6. Spend time getting to know your section-mates. Attend small group dinners, sign up for offsite activities with one another, and invest in those relationships. Of course, make time to branch out when the time is right, but in the first few months it’s most manageable and effective to build deep connections with the people you spend 10 hours a day.
7. Keep an open mind about everyone and everything. The only way this experience works is if you participate in earnest and leave yourself open to meeting people from different backgrounds and industries. Everyone is there for a reason has an interesting story to tell. You don’t have to be friends with every single person, but be open to getting to know as many people as possible. And most important, be an ally to people. If you’re outgoing, be friendly and extend a hand to those who might be more timid.
8. Come prepared. Seriously – you’ve worked this hard to get there, and there were 10 other people vying for that spot. Make it count. Even if they seem casual about it, your classmates will have done all of the requisite work beforehand. You don’t want to be the only one with a disadvantage because the most important reputation you can build is with your peers. Prepared also means being punctual.
9. Don’t lose touch with your former industry and your former colleagues. Read applicable publications and materials to stay abreast of what’s going on in your universe. Email former colleagues to find out what’s happening at the office. It’ll give you a sense of grounding when you feel disoriented in your new environment. BUT: If you’re looking to switch careers or industries – take the time to start reading publications in that industry.
10. Have fun! Smile. It goes by so quickly.

We did it! 250 cases. 93 new best friends. Countless problem sets. 1 cold call. It’s funny to imagine that 9 months ago this great group of friends were all strangers wearing business casual. This week marks the end of an inspiring, enlightening, and all-around fun first year of business school.

As with everything, I ask myself “was it worth it?” After this semester, the answer is a resounding yes. This so-called “vacation” has turned out to be a marathon at a sprint’s pace, but I’m enjoying every minute. I tried to summarize the high points of the year and my favorite things that I’ve learned – nuggets from class, wisdom from section mates and general experiences that have changed my perspective. It’s challenging to collect all of these emotions and condense them to a few bullet points, but here are some scattered thoughts on why this experience has been transformative so far, and what I’ve enjoyed learning most.

• The people are the most critical part of the experience: it’s cliche, but being placed in such an intense group of impressive, type-A people can be intimidating. I have been continually blown away by the cohesion of my section, and finding a home with these compassionate, funny and impressive individuals.
• The limiting schedule : it was bizarre at first to be shepherded around, with everyone following exactly the same schedule. It felt like high school, and it was strange moving from a professional environment to feeling like my time was not my own. I’ve had to become adaptable about finding time for myself (which proved to be very important), and I’ve had to become more efficient about finding time.
• Putting yourself in the shoes of the decision-maker provides a different perspective on leadership: people often say that MBAs know how to criticize but don’t know how to do. We’ve spent the year putting ourselves in the position of being the decision-maker, which has given me profound respect and understanding for what it means when all of the choices look wrong.
• Business school is a process of self-discovery: I didn’t think that focusing my efforts on learning for 2 years would cause a serious process of introspection. Every day we are asked to come in with a stance on a particular topic, and it has pushed me to evaluate and define my values.

I can’t wait to come back next year to an entirely different set of challenges!

It was class picture day #2 this week with the Section F Foxes and it made me realize that second semester has gone by in a flash. While I felt exhausted at the end of first semester – ready for a mental break from reading cases and fatigue of social activities, it still feels as though we are just ramping up with semester two. Yet all of a sudden, it’s over.

I don’t think anything prepared me for how quickly this period of time would fly by over the last few months. The beginning of business school felt like a slow march. At HBS, we are expected to be 100% “on” all day, every day, expending every ounce of energy just getting through work, classes and the packed schedule (let alone being social). And yet much of that stress dissipated this semester. It became easier to balance the tension between being scheduled and finding time to do things for myself, figure out how to make time for friends both inside and outside of the bubble, and even think about working on unrelated projects. Oh yea, did I mention we’re required to start companies with a small project group this semester? It hasn’t been relaxing, per se, but it has been more manageable.

As a friend of mine put it, I’ve been waiting all semester for that feeling of getting started. The course material is more nuanced and complex, the friendships go a layer deeper, and the companies we’ve started have been…an experience. I think that feeling of anticipation comes from the simultaneous comfort with our surroundings and the fact that we face new challenges that exhaust us every day.

I’m not ready for this first year to be over, but I am eager to start applying this overload of information in the real world. There’s no possible method to test everything we’ve soaked up over the course of this year in one job, but I believe that joining a small, growing company in the consumer tech space is a great way to get started.

To that effect, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be joining Periscope this summer, helping them tackle a host of fun, exciting business development projects. There are few things more enjoyable than being able to mark that major task of finding a summer internship off my ever-expanding “To Do” list. I am looking forward to helping demonstrate to the tech world that MBAs can add value, and having a great time working with smart people on meaningful projects while doing it. In the meantime, I’ll be livestreaming. Onward!

A little off-brand here, but I spent last week in Cuba for Spring Break with fellow Harvard students, and wanted to share my thoughts on the trip. It was one of the most outer-worldly travel experiences I’ve had, and I feel lucky that I got to see the country at the dawn of a lot of great change it is starting to experience. Below are my unfiltered, high-level impressions of the experience: the country, ideology and the great people I met.

1. Communism objectively doesn’t work: Cuba feels like a country in a time lapse. The old cars, crumbling infrastructure, lack of cell phones and many modern amenities. It’s surprising to know that time has virtually stopped here. The country doesn’t feel destitute, but clearly is suffering from 60+ years of decline. The infrastructure is weak and inefficient and most notably the interpersonal relationships such as service suffer because these people are not incentivized to do a good job. Cubans are warm and friendly, but the standards for service are very different.

The way we are taught at HBS is through the case method – a very practical, hands on way of learning material by putting ourselves in someone’s shoes. The classroom style is rhetorical, with virtually no lectures. The idea is that we are supposed to learn from one another, and we are encouraged to embark on certain intellectual streams of thought in order to do so.

I’ve noticed that the most effective way both to teach and to learn is when asked a question, to in turn ask more questions. Not the kind of Q&A style questions you might get from someone giving a talk, but rather to probe with the right ideas in order to get other people thinking about something in a different way.  My peers and professors have employed this tactic in a way I hadn’t previously experienced in professional life, and I think I’ve learned dramatically more as a result. For example, when someone wants to know how or why something happened, instead of simply answering, ask the person why they think that took place. Alternatively, opening it up to others to enlist their ideas.

The reason this method is so effective is that it provides almost no answers, and turns the conversation back on the person who wanted to learn something originally. It pushes us to expand our minds beyond what we might have thought we were capable of comprehending. By generating an answer from within, we learn a lot more than by listening to a rote answer. I think this is a great tactic not only for self-enhancement, but as I think about advising, mentoring and managing.

Time to keep this in mind during exams…

Diving headfirst into any experience causes fatigue, and I think my most recent change has been no exception. Most of the time, we start something and invest so much time making sure we understand what is going on, that we don’t take much time to step back and reflect. But there comes a time to take stock – inventory and catalog what we’ve learned and who we’ve met, and I think that time has hit.

At HBS, we have something known as the “November slump”: the excitement of meeting new classmates is over, the frenzy of midterms is in the rear view mirror (oy), and we’re gazing toward a very long, dark winter. But on the other hand, I feel like I’ve only just started finding my groove. Here are a few thoughts on how to re-energize during the slump, and some themes that will help get over the hurdle before the end of the semester.

1. Recognize that we have just scratched the surface of getting to know one another. There’s this sense of “shiny new toys” when you meet 90 new people (or 900, depending on your scale), but we still don’t really know each other. I’m energized by the idea of going deep into friendships with so many people, and learning what makes these people tick. I’m starting to recognize the extreme value of the connections made at a place in which you are surrounded by such brilliant, disparate minds. I plan to draw energy and inspiration from the process of getting to know everyone more meaningfully.
2. Start something. The wake up –> class –> case reading –> repeat cycle is the necessary framework structuring my day, but I’m quickly learning that I need to do more than just this to keep myself fulfilled. Starting a project and solving a problem that feels meaningful and juicy keeps my mind racing and provides a nice reprieve from the daily grind.
3. Get out of the bubble. I’ve kept this running mission of meeting 2 new people a week for the last few years. I love hearing different perspectives, and so I will continue to challenge myself to do this both within and outside of the HBS community. Furthermore, I enjoy exploring new cities and I feel like I’ve barely gotten to see Boston. Whenever I feel like I’m in a rut, changing physical setting gives me perspective.
4. Connect great people. I feel as though I’m adding value when I can connect two people who would benefit from knowing one another. As small as it seems, making those introductions can be a great way to rekindle friendships and connections, while simultaneously feeling like you are giving back. Making connections
5. Keep questioning. if something feels wrong, it’s probably wrong. Challenge assumptions and be discerning. It’s ok to push back, and in doing so you are probably making your surroundings better for everyone else, too.

Theme of the week: 27!

Business school gets the reputation of being a two year holiday filled with travel, catching up on sleep and partying. But I can’t say that’s been my experience to date. Instead, I am always busy, all the time. The schedule here is very rigorous – it entails an early morning discussion group (whom I really do enjoy waking up to!), followed by 2-3 classes, coffees, lectures or corporate presentations, entrepreneurial ventures, evening activities. Somehow, we also manage case reading in between.

To that end, I have learned a tremendous amount about various subjects, myself, and how to work effectively in academia as an adult. Here are the lessons I’ve enjoyed the most from this year so far:

1. The best way to get people to like you is to get them to do a favor for you. This is hands down my favorite lesson of the semester, since it works counter to what I would have assumed. The psychology is that if you are trying to win someone over, by having them do a favor for you it allows them to think that you are the kind of person they would do something nice for, which means they must believe that they would like you in order to do that. I give Benjamin Franklin full credit for this.
2. Transparency and communication are the most effective way to get anything done. This one has come up at least once in every single course – being transparent by communicating motives, assumptions, and information unique to each person in a group can solve the vast majority of organizational and financial issues institutions face.
3. Within an organization, transferring learning is an enormous challenge. When you think about organizational states of knowledge on a scale of total ignorance to robust procedural knowledge, there is a combination of art and science required. Don’t underestimate the efficiency of structural learning and institutional knowledge as you reshape teams.
4. Know what your expected rate of return is for every investment you make, (which can broadly be extrapolated as: understand the risks and rewards over every decision, whether it is an investment of time, money or effort). This may seem obvious, but when you have as many overlapping opportunities competing for your time as we have recently, using this framework helps me assess tradeoffs every day.
5. Frequent introspection and self-reflection are critical. Take time to evaluate what you have learned, who you have met, and what you enjoy. This introspection has also enabled me to prioritize my schedule more effectively. HBS has been a great forcing function for making this a recurring practice, and I find that I’m much more self-aware than I was before.
6. Bonus: not everyone washes their hair every day (Suave case). I am honestly truly surprised to learn this!

I haven’t had much time for personal endeavors since I started school. With 6 blank hours today (a delicacy), I set out to cover much of what I’ve neglected for the last month and a half. One of those things was a long overdue revamp of this blog. I’ve made a few key changes:

First, the name. The old name was always intended to be temporary but I spent almost 3 years with something that never felt comfortable. Today I’m changing it to FrontSeat – a reflection of what this blog really is. I’m giving firsthand accounts and advice. The name plays nicely with some other things I have on my mind, but feedback is always welcome (especially if you hate it).

Second, the layout. I wish WordPress made things slightly more simplified, but this was the most bare-bones I could get. Content is key here, aesthetics secondary. Hopefully this makes it easier to consume.

(Picture day @ HBS!)

A persistent theme has arisen over the past week: in our case protagonists, simulations, and our own interactions with one another. Now that we’ve been in this mode for 4 weeks, I’ve been starting to perceive some patterns that might not necessarily be a reflection of reality.

For starters, I’m perceiving that everyone has endless energy all the time. I’m amazed by how social and engaged people are, and how they always seem to be “on”. Furthermore, everyone makes it look effortless. It’s remarkable how there’s always something going on (parties, get togethers, study groups, etc), and there seem to be a critical mass of people doing it. In my mind, I’m sure everyone also has time for all of their extra-curricular obligations – friends, family, responding to emails, reading, etc.

In addition, I perceive that everyone seems to understand the rhythm of this place flawlessly. People seem to be in a routine and have found their groove: juggling relationships, making instant new best friends, handling the case load with ease. I feel like I’m in the process of getting the lay of the land – it still takes me time to figure out where I’m going on campus or navigating the cafeteria at lunchtime. I can’t seem to find time on my calendar to do all of the activities I want to participate in, or spend time with all of the people I’d like to see. Everyone appears to be dealing with the “FOMO” pretty effectively.

The reality, I’m sure, is that everyone feels this way about everyone else. It’s easy to make things look effortless when you’re confident, but we’re all still adjusting socially, academically and even professionally. As we add more to our plate – last week it was clubs and retreats, this week it’s career and professional development – it makes the juggling act a lot more stressful. I’m impressed watching my classmates do this balancing act.

Personally, I’m trying to get my work done, stay organized, and really get to know the great people in a more 1:1 fashion. Now that the clubs have begun, it’s time to decide which of the many we’ll want to be involved with, and how to balance that with coursework. I’m also learning by example, and I’m fairly certain that soon the perception will become the reality.

Other tidbits: we had some fun section visitors this week – including case protagonists, significant others and prospective students. I’d be very curious to know what their perceptions were of our dynamic, which seems to be coming together quickly!

Theme of the weekend: beach, quiz review.

A few quick reflections on the last 2 weeks, which have been the slowest, most drawn out 10 days and simultaneously whizzed past. I think the theme of the week was summed up best by Libby: “All I do is school”

It’s impressive how quickly the 90 person section comes together. HBS talks nonstop about how instrumental the section experience is to the degree, but it’s hard to describe unless you’re actually in it. Imagine you have 90 work colleagues and you do everything together at all times. I’ve never been bound to this many people at once, but it feels as though I’ve known these people for a lot longer than 3 weeks (in fairness, I’ve known some of them since childhood). I’m already learning more from them and their perspectives than I could have hoped.

One of the best parts of the section experience is that now that we have a baseline understanding of one another (for the most part), we have an opportunity to break out into smaller groups. We had the ability to do this both in an academic setting – storytelling/public speaking practice – and in a small group social setting.

The most intense part of these first two full academic weeks has been the ramp up of the course work coupled with the introduction of clubs and the constant social activities. The triple threat of these things means you can’t do everything at once, so as the cliche goes, time management is everything. We have at least 2 cases to read and analyze every day, time for conversation with smaller groups, plus time for practical learning (FIELD). The practical elements of this course make me reflect on how lucky I was to have experienced many of these things in my own professional life, but I’m grateful to have the opportunity to reflect and learn how to do these things better.

A big highlight was the section handoff, in which the members of “Old F” (last year’s Section F) came and passed along their traditions and their advice. It’s exhilarating to be part of such a deeply rooted (f)amily, and I’m excited to get to know the ECs better.

The clubs piece to me is the most unnatural: in the “real world” we find like-minded individuals in many different ways. Shy of Meetups, there isn’t really an analogous concept. In my limited understanding, it feels like these are going to be the best mechanism to meet other people who share my interests (tech, entrepreneurship, etc) who are outside of my section or current network. The resources seem to be vast.

The thing I haven’t figured out is how to maintain my regular activities while I’m still in school. It’s been very difficult to juggle all of the current academic-related tasks with the tech functions I’d like to attend and the people in this industry in Boston I’d like to meet. I will begin working more on this next week.

Theme of the weekend: rest, and maybe some Netflix and chill.