Sunday, February 12, 2012

HBS Military Prospective Students' Day

Just a heads up that HBS is holding its second annual (not actually sure if it's going to be annual, but it's a good bet it will be) Military Prospective Students Day on March 5th, on the HBS campus. This event is meant to introduce future applicants to HBS and to the benefits of an MBA.

I highly recommend that prospective military applicants attend this event if they can make it. The school really goes out of its way to introduce prospective students to the program and answer common questions such as life on campus, career opportunities post-MBA, and financing your education. This is also a good opportunity to meet some current former military students who can help answer and maybe even guide some of your application in the future. HBS military members are extremely helpful - just like most HBS students - and you should definitely introduce yourself and make some connections.

Time to sign up may be running short. Go here: http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/events.html and click on "On campus" at the bottom of the screen to open a list of events. You can register by selecting "Military Prospective Students Day." If for some reason you are not able to register in time, contact the AFAA (Armed Forces Alumni Association) on campus, or the school directly to see if they can still squeeze you in.

I was honored to help lead the inaugural Military Prospective Students Day last year, and am very glad to see the tradition continue. I also noticed that Wharton started doing the same thing this year as well. Good talent is always in demand!

As a side note, I would also recommend reading this interview with Dee Leopold. It's not a new article, but it does help provide more transparency and insight into the application process. If there's one takeaway I would take from the interview, is that admissions is highly driven by applicant profile - and less by what some applicants may feel is their individual achievements. One's upbringing, demographic background, undergraduate school, and place and type of employment, and to a much more subjective level - temperament - tend to dominate the selection process.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Business February 8th 2012, "Andy Haynes & Katie Compa" Edition


The Business has no Alex Koll this week, but we've made up for it with two very special guests: Andy Haynes and Katie Compa!

Andy Haynes was raised in the shadow of Mt. Rainier on a diet of fresh salmon, wild berries, and lots of coffee. Now based in Los Angeles, Andy's diet mostly consists of stacks of money - because he's a wildly successful stand up comedian that makes so much money he doesn't know what to do with it! You may recognize Andy from his stellar stand up performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the prestigious Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and from walking around Hollywood Blvd with dollar bills coming out of his mouth.

Katie Compa was raised in DC, started comedy in SF, and now lives in NYC. That's a lot of places and a lot of initials! Katie was a finalist in the 2007 Battle of the Bay Comedy Competition and a semifinalist in the 2009 California's Funniest Female Competition. We're happy to have her back in town.

We also have Business regulars Bucky Sinister, Caitlin Gill, Chris Garcia, Chris Thayer, and Sean Keane rounding out the line up. That's 7 comics for just $5. What a deal!