Day in the Life

“The most incredible self discovering experience of my life” is how I would describe the one-week I spent at Harvard Business School 's Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). SVMP's challenging environment induces a passion and desire to succeed. The resources and relationships you are exposed to will provide many fond memories and an eagerness to attain an MBA.

My name is Oscar Olivas and I am a senior double majoring in Business Administration and Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley . I would like to share with you my first instructional day of SVMP so you can see what led me to recognize my ability to be a leader in today's rapidly changing global business climate.

The excitement and nervousness I felt in anticipation of the first day of instruction did not allow me to fall asleep until Monday, at 4a.m. in the morning. Of course covering about 80 pages of material that included competitive analysis, market forecasts and a “Self-Test for Social Anxiety Disorder” also kept me up. I awoke at 6:30a.m., without the aid of an alarm clock in my room, full of euphoria for the day's scheduled events. My room, E1-2, located on the bottom floor of Morris Hall where all the 63 participants were housed in, was a single bedroom with a private bathroom and Internet access.

As I walked by the beautiful Class of 1959 Chapel on my way to Spangler Hall, the true achievement of attending the SVMP began to set in. Spangler is where all the participants would meet regularly for breakfast, lunch, dinner and group sessions. The continental breakfast, like all of the week's meals was delicious. Breakfast was also a good time to discuss the case readings interesting points, plan an outing, or set up a game of basketball at Shad Hall, the School's fitness center.

The group sessions are where we have the opportunity to discuss the case study in depth and learn from other extremely bright SVMP students from schools such as, Dartmouth College , Cornell University , Harvard University , and Johns Hopkins University . Our group of six met in a small meeting room and worked together to prepare for the three cases studies. We initially decided that one of us would give a quick synopsis of the case and then go straight into the case study questions. We quickly realized that we could debate for hours whether or not Federico Minolo should take Ducati into the cruiser market and compete directly with Harley Davidson. With two cases yet to be discussed, we decided to limit ourselves on the amount of time we would discuss each question and case. The early group session served as both a stimulant for intellectual thought and as an opportunity to refine our listening skills.

Finally, the moment I had envisioned when I began the SVMP application process arrived: Sitting in the classroom waiting to be ‘cold called', which means being randomly chosen to give a synopsis or response to the case study. What I gained from the class was an hour and twenty minute long educational experience that changed the way I viewed learning. Being taught by the case method is different from a lecture class because you can't doze off and you have to be ready to participate at any moment, which keeps you very attentive.

The next case was also an intellectual, roller coaster ride that was led by Youngme Moon. Her marketing focused, Prozac and Paxil case study was the most exhilarating of the day because she never let one explanation of the case dominate the lecture. Instead she was able to introduce many methods of analysis by asking simple questions that would, after student interaction, lead us to a totally different perspective of the situation.

After a much needed lunch break we tackled the final and most difficult case of the day, Airbus A3XX. Professor Ben Esty, who teaches in the Finance Group and is the Faculty Chair of SVMP, led the case. The case was demanding because we had to incorporate our knowledge of the airline industry and the impact financing a multibillion-dollar project had on politics and the world economy. Ben challenged us to make a decision on whether or not to move forward with the A3XX project. He forced us to justify our recommendation and the ramifications of our decision.

The first day of instruction was over and served as an introduction to both the curriculum and the teaching styles of HBS. Afterwards, all the participants had some free time to eat ice cream sundaes and explore the HBS campus and Harvard Square . There was a good balance of academics, free time, and insightful workshops. The evening's current MBA Panel served as a source of honest and insightful advice on the daily routines and struggles of MBA life I was able to hear genuine perspectives of being a minority student and parent at HBS that made me believe I too could thrive on campus. By the end of the day my body was exhausted and demanding sleep, but reading the next day's three cases kept me up until 2 am . With sacrifice comes rewards and for me, it was in the form of self-discovery that I ended each day with.

SVMP was a great place to meet individuals like Kayode Ogunro from Harvard who went out of his way to tour me and others around his amazing campus and Harvard Square . Our conversations about his aspiration to pursue a career in venture capital or consulting that would eventually lead to a business development career in Western Africa, is what inspired me to continue my investment management career path and that well eventually lead to a business development career in Latin America .

I began the week confused about my career path and walked away an enlightened leader eager to explore the endless opportunities in life. Being accepted into SVMP revitalized my desire to excel academically and continue in my leadership endeavors on campus. I never before felt so confident in my abilities to make a positive impact in the world by listening and acting in the best interest of everyone. At HBS it is not about ‘I', it is about what I can do for my community. I left valuing my family, principles, and accomplishments a million times more because I realized that I am an example others can follow. That in itself is a success. The relationships I started with both SVMP administrators and participants will last a lifetime but the realization that one must become a leader will last an eternity if I pass that philosophy on to others.

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