SUMMER PROGRAM REVEALS BUSINESS WORLD TO HIGH POTENTIAL COLLEGE SENIORS
Management Training Program Designed to Increase Diversity and Opportunity in Business Education
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| 2006 SVMP Group Photo: Cathy Walsh |
BOSTON - Seventy-eight undergraduate students from around the country came to Harvard Business School (HBS) this week to participate in the School’s Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). Running for more than twenty years, the program encourages high-achieving college students entering their senior year to consider business school as an option after graduation by enabling them to spend a week on campus and live the life of a Harvard MBA student.
SVMP focuses on attracting students who are, for example, from a family with little business education or experience; the first family member to attend college; or a member of a group that is currently underrepresented in business schools and corporate America, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender. Students are nominated for the program by corporations and other organizations where they have secured summer internships, including Citigroup, General Mills, Harrah's Prairie Band Casino, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Time Warner Cable. Participants are then carefully selected by HBS based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and personal characteristics.
With HBS covering the cost of tuition, meals, and housing, and sponsoring organizations providing salaries and transportation, the students are immersed in a week-long experience similar to that of a traditional MBA student. Instead of using textbooks and listening to lectures, the students work together in intensely interactive study groups and classes, grappling with real-life management situations.
Using the renowned case method of instruction, full-time HBS faculty lead class discussions on current management topics, including marketing, finance, organizational behavior, and service management. Cases cover such companies as IKEA, BMW, Airbus, and Ryanair. The program is also supplemented by presentations by HBS administrators and alumni who provide information about the effect of an MBA degree on their lives.
“The Summer Venture in Management Program gives outstanding students who might not ordinarily consider pursuing an MBA degree a taste of the excitement and rewards of graduate-level business education and the wide range of opportunities it prepares them to pursue,” said HBS Professor Benjamin Esty, faculty chair of the Summer Venture in Management Program. “It is an extremely rewarding experience to see the impact of just this one week on the way students approach complex business issues and classroom discussion. It is our hope that because of this experience, many of the participants will decide to apply to an MBA program at Harvard or another university.”
Conversations with SVMP Participants:
Charisse Arce
School: Seattle UniversityHometown: Iliamna, Alaska
What is your impression of the HBS experience? Initially I was intimidated by the idea of Harvard Business School, but when I got here, I was surprised by how easy it was to form bonds with people I had just met. It's definitely life changing—the conversations, professors, the case study method, the whole experience.
How would you advise those following in your footsteps in the program? Have an open mind and be humble. I can't stress that enough. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to share and listen and learn from the other people in this program.
Tristan Mitchell
School: Howard UniversityHometown: Marietta, Georgia
What attracted you to SVMP? I knew I would be surrounded by many individuals like myself. Even though we might not be going down the same exact career path, we are alike in that we all want to do a lot with our lives and eventually give back to our local communities and society at large.
What is your impression of the HBS experience? It provides an opportunity to learn many different ideas and viewpoints. For example, in one class we had a debate about scientific innovations and discoveries. Some students had actually worked in that field and the perspective they gave the rest of the class was very beneficial. With the case study method we are able to draw upon the talents of the many individuals in the classroom, sharing knowledge among ourselves rather than just through the professor.
Eric Torres
School: UCLAHometown: Corona, California
What is your impression of the HBS experience? I now understand why, when people say they're from Harvard, they smile. I also understand why they start talking about a transformational experience. We came here with one expectation and we leave with another, and each one of us will take this experience back to our college campuses.
How would you advise those following in your footsteps in the program? Have an action plan. You're here for less than a week, so be tough with your time. Also, talk to your peers, who are from all different areas of the nation, and learn from their unique experiences. They are very ambitious, intelligent individuals who are going to go places and you will notice their leadership qualities when you sit in the classroom.
Kiyosha Ratliff
School: University of Washington, SeattleHometown: Spokane, WA
What attracted you to SVMP? As soon as I heard about SVMP, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. A former SVMPer told me how the experience had helped him not only with critical thinking skills but with thinking about the bigger picture. I fell in love with that.
How would you advise those following in your footsteps in the program? To make the most of this opportunity, you need to dive in, have boldness, have courage, and speak up. If you're going to be a CEO, you have to be able to articulate your thoughts and be persuasive. So take advantage of SVMP to build a skill set and a network of people - and have a whole bunch of fun while you're getting it done.
Jesika Clerge
School: Mount Holyoke CollegeHometown: Cambridge, Massachusetts
What is your impression of the HBS experience? I've never experienced a learning style where I'm really listening to every word everyone is saying. Everyone in our group has something so valuable to say.
How would you advise those following in your footsteps in the program? You never know what you can do until you try, so broaden your horizons. That sounds corny, but that's what we're all trying to do here. You don't know if you'll fail or succeed until you've tried something.
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School (www.hbs.edu) is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 40 Executive Education programs. For almost a century, HBS faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who have shaped the practice of business around the globe.