“I was recently accepted to HBS. Is there anything that you know now that you wish some one had told you before you started?”

The Harvard MBA says:

First of all, congratulations.  In tough times, it becomes even harder to get into HBS.  It also takes a strong constitution to ignore the (largely undeserved) flogging that our alma mater has been taking in the media.

You ask an excellent question.  Many people view acceptance to HBS as an end, but like any other education, an HBS MBA is merely a means to greater ends.  Your time at HBS represents a phenomenal opportunity, but you must do your part to take advantage of it.

Rather than overburden you with too many points, I’ll focus on the three most important things I wish I’d heard:

1) Don’t sweat the schoolwork.

It’s almost impossible to fail, but the biggest thing that I saw affect people was worrying about their academic performance and how they’d keep up with their talented classmates.

It can be intimidating to compete for airtime with experienced management consultants and bankers, some of whom may have taken portions of the curriculum as undergraduates.  For example, one of my classmates actually helped write the textbook on valuing companies when he was at McKinsey…before HBS.

Take heart–the real world isn’t about solving academic problems.  It’s about getting things done.  And in my experience, the ability and willingness to ask the simple questions and persist until you get a satisfactory answer is more important than the ability to rattle off the “right” answer to specialized problem that is unlikely to ever present itself in such a clear manner during your career.

Moreover, the professors recognize this. They need to teach the course by conveying knowledge and providing experiences to people of all different experience levels, so the neophyte who’s willing to ask the simple questions may be more valuable than the ennui-filled expert who can’t express him or herself in a way that others can understand.  I had zero finance and accounting experience before HBS, but I got top marks in both subjects because I focused less on the minutiae and more on the broader implications of the financial or accounting situation.

2. Focus on relationships

I may sound like a broken record on this, but it’s a broken record that’s always correct.  The single most valuable resource you’ll get out of your time at HBS is a group of fellow alumni whom you can call on for knowledge, introductions, and counsel when you really need it.  It’s like having your own management consultancy, investment bank, and advisory board, all rolled into one.

With that end state in mind, you can work backwards to figure out what you should do while in school.  There are many ways to build relationships, but some are more lasting than others.  If you’re simply a good-time pal who’s good for a round of drinks, that’s nice but insufficient.  Would you recommend your drinking buddies for CEO jobs?  Would you look to your drinking buddies for advice on critical business decisions?

I’m not saying to eschew parties.  Good times, bachelor parties, debauched trips to Caribbean nations, all of these are fun activities that can help you get to know your classmates.  But you need to go beyond these surface activities and engage with your classmates in a way that conveys a positive long-term impression.  They may be grateful that you helped them to the toilet while they were alcohol poisoned, but that isn’t something they can cite to the President when she’s trying to decide whether or not to appoint you to her cabinet.

For more on developing relationships, check out this popular post on my other blog, Adventures in Capitalism:
The Secret, Foolproof, 4-Step Way To Get To Know The Important And Influential

3. Do something memorable

In a class of 880 people, it’s hard to stand out.  But standing out when you’re in school delivers disproportionate returns.  For example, I was elected one of the three co-presidents of the High Tech and New Media Club.  The position came with some fun perks, but it doesn’t have much long-term impact once you graduate (when’s the last time an employer asked about your student club activities)…with one key exception.

All the members of my class will always remember Chris Yeh as “the tech guy” or “the startup guy” for the rest of their careers.  It’s impossible to develop a personal relationship with all 879 classmates, but you can develop a reputation that allows you to reach all of them.

Investing a lot of your time and energy into doing something also has a major impact on building relationships (Point #2 above).  Whether it’s running a club, organizing a conference, or even working on a musical (all of which I did), it gives you a chance to demonstrate to others what you’re capable of, as well as helping you determine what they’re capable of.  Sure beats Scorpion Bowls at the Hong Kong for long-term value.

Conclusion:

All of this advice may sound simple, but it can have a major impact on your time at HBS.  Far too many people spend their time worrying about their schoolwork, dissipating their nights and weekends with shallow good times, and being content with the generic brand value of being a Harvard MBA.

Not that this approach precludes success; someday it might even help you become President.

Yet you’re most likely to maximize your time at HBS if you reallocate your time from academic worries and debauchery, and focus instead on a few memorable projects and activites that will give your classmates a chance to conclude, “He/she really knows how to get things done, and I like working with him/her.”