As I
find myself looking out the window, as the airplane leaves Boston behind, I
realize just how special the MBA experience was at HBS. Before I came here I heard
from a few people, "You probably won't learn that much from an MBA course
itself, but you will have the best two years of your life." That could not
have been further from the truth in my case.
I have been through the worst two years of my life, due to family health complications in this period, but I have also learned more than I had ever have in my entire life. As I leave Boston I can't help but feel heartbroken, as I will miss so much everyone I connected with here, but I am completely certain that choosing to pursue an MBA at HBS has been one of the best decisions I ever made.
The HBS experience is meticulously designed to maximize your personal development through the constant exchange of perspectives with classmates, faculty, and successful professionals. It allows you to reflect on your life, your career, and how you can make a difference in the world around you. And what is so remarkable is that each person will have a completely different take away, just as diverse as the many different approaches to cases we hear every day in class.
In my case, looking back two years ago, I remember how unbelievably fast my heart was pounding the first time I raised my hand to speak in class, in front of 94 brilliant students. Since then, I have overcome my fear of public speaking and recently gave the class day speech at graduation in front of thousands of people. Most surprisingly, I learnt how to be truly happy, after realizing that many times happiness is a choice that only depends on you—and not on how perfectly everything is turning out to be in your life or career.
I cannot predict what your take will be during your journey at HBS. It will not be the same as mine. I also cannot promise that it will be the best two years of your life or that you will be able to figure out exactly what your career aspirations should be. You might even leave here even more overwhelmed with the amount of possibilities ahead.
What I can guarantee is that you will have the opportunity to reflect and have fun. You’ll learn and accomplish a lot here, through amazing classes, conferences, treks, projects, and clubs—or whatever you choose to dedicate your time towards. Time, as usual, will be your most precious resource to allocate. You will feel the famous FOMO (“fear of missing out”) at least once, but you will be fine. The more deeply you decide to embrace the experience, the more you will get from it.
Finally, you will find classmates and professors that will deeply inspire you, and some of them will be your friends for life. This might be the most valuable thing you will get from HBS, and it will make worth every second and penny that you invested on this community and on this experience. I can guarantee it will be unforgettable.