Year One: An Intimate Look Inside Harvard Business School

by Rob Reid

Book Overview

Every year hundreds of eager acolytes enter the halls of the Harvard Business School in pursuit of one of the world's most sought-after and potentially lucrative degrees, the Harvard MBA. What they find is a high-powered, high-caffeine environment where ulcers are nourished in breathtaking luxury, and where one must be smart, savvy, and somewhat insane to make it through year one.Robert Reid is a survivor, having climbed the ivy tower without falling...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380725592
• ISBN13: 9780380725595
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Quill
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Deserves MUCH More Attention

After not only getting an MBA, but teaching in business schools for nearly twenty years, I recommend this book to anyone considering an MBA. When students complained about their MBA programs, I would urge them to read this book so they'd realize Harvard isn't perfect either. Reid takes you through the day to day life of a first-year MBA student. In a microcosm like HBS, little things make the difference: "air time" in class, getting into the right study group, and more. Reid also offers some perspective that may be missed by those unfamiliar with b-schools. Clients often ask career coaches (like me) about whether getting an MBA is a wise decision. Reid shows clearly that some people and some career destinations benefit more than others. He himself can maximize the degree's value: aged 26 when he entered (he turned 27 his first year), experience with a top consulting firm, personable and friendly. Read between the lines if you can. MBAs are social. They network. Sure they have to crack the books but success ultimately depends on interpersonal skills -- fitting into section parties, ski weekends and Caribbean getaways. These folks are definitely bright and beautiful.And don't miss his irritation with Harvard: outrageous residence costs, outdated materials in certain courses, uneven distribution of tenured "name" professors across sections, and more. Yet in the end, Reid admits, the big "H" counts for a lot in the business world. I wish we could learn what happened to him and his Harvard friends. Was it all worth it? ...

A Must-have Book for all Business Graduate Students.

As a soon-to-be graduate student at a top b-school that focuses on the case-study method, I was at first rather apprehensive when I read through Reid's book. It felt that I panicked or was frustrated whenever the author panicked or was frustrated (which was a lot), but I also found that I laughed whenever the author laughed and related exceptionally well to his candor. Basically, I feel that in a small way, I have already experienced that harrowing first year. Reid's book has practically prepared me for my upcoming year by literally giving me tips on what university, the faculty, and fellow students will expect of me and what I can expect of them. A must-have, light-hearted, and down-to-earth book on a not so down-to-earth institution.

A must have handbook for business majors

This one is a must have for every business major. I liked Rob Reid's candor, his effortless writing, and most of his jokes. I believe people going into Wall Street or other financial service industries will find this book invaluable. My advise will be to read the section on interviews a coule of times. My personal favorite was "Hell!" though I loved the one in which the some prankster changed everyone's name plates. Again, this is a really cool book to buy.

Your dream will come true...

Year One was an excellent guided campus tour. The author was humble and candid, yet determined to pursue his own dream -- to work in the hitech venture capital community and he is now! I wish Rob will write another book documenting his second year and beyond. I would love to hear about the fate of all his friends and other section mates.

Nuclear Meltdown

This book, Year One, was excellent. I would recommend it to any one considered getting an MBA from any school. The author is extremely candid about his own harrowing experience with the cut-throat nature of the program, to the diverse group of students, to the unaccomodating faculty, and to the struggle to keep a sane head. Very interesting, alarming, and alluring, at times, especially for a non-fiction