Quick Update on Harvard

Hey folks, just checking in after the HBS admit weekend - it was great! Saw a class in action, learned about the school, met some interesting people, and already made some great friends.

An video example of the case method at Harvard can be found here. That's what I saw in action!

Anyways, hope everyone is having a good weekend. We'll be back to our regular posting on Monday.

A bit more on the case method:

The Case Method

Although HBS uses a variety of learning techniques, our primary form of instruction is the case method, an interactive process in which students and faculty teach and learn from each other.
HBS cases are firsthand accounts of actual management problems that stem from a variety of interdependent factors and span all aspects of business. Each case is bounded by the constraints and incomplete information available when the decision in the case had to be made. Placing themselves in the role of the case protagonists (managers), students perform analyses and recommend a course of action -- without knowing the outcome of the decision at hand.

Rooted in an understanding of how managers learn, the case method is a gradual process that requires engaging in action in order to learn from experience. The facts and figures in a case are only the beginning of this process, serving as a springboard for dynamic discussion in the classroom.

As such, the case method relies on the active intellectual and emotional involvement of every student. As students derive generalizations across multiple case analyses, these generalizations are constantly explored and tested using evidence from specific cases. This in turn strengthens each student's ability to address any number of specific issues, which is the true value of this learning method.

Rather than teaching "to" students, HBS faculty facilitate shared learning by helping students teach themselves and each other -- in essence, by preparing students to take charge of their own learning and development. As a result, HBS students have a dual responsibility to both learn and teach, with the faculty's guidance and support.

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