Past Participants
Venus Miller
SVMP 2003 HBS MBA 2010
College: University of Washington, Bachelor of Business Administration
Major: International Business
Work Experience: Consulting
Interests: International travel, food and wine, movies, reading
How did you get interested in SVMP?
I heard about it through INROADS and knew I wanted to pursue my MBA. This was an opportunity to get an idea of one of the top MBA programs in the world.
Describe what the week was like?
It was amazing. I had heard about the case study method, but after a week of experiencing it hands on I knew I could only attend an MBA program where the case study method was an integral part of their teaching style. It was also a great opportunity to understand the student life (you get to live in the dorm, attend fun events and eat on campus) and meet admissions, financial aid and a few professors.
How would you describe the classroom experience?
Without experiencing it, it is very hard to articulate the case method (another reason I would encourage attendance at SVMP or Prospective Students Day). However, I think one of the brilliant advantages of the case method is that you are able to leverage the knowledge and experience of your classmates so you are an active participant in your learning. Additionally instead of simply teaching business tactics and tools, it uses those tactics and tools as a base and allows you to apply them in a number of different managerial challenges. This more appropriately imitates how you need to use this knowledge in the real world and thus is the most practical way to teach business management. Additionally after analyzing and receiving the perspectives of 90 people for hundreds of different managerial problems your ability to structure and analyze problems is considerably strengthened.
In what ways did you personally develop during that week?
That week exposed me to the reality that I too could attend a top MBA program. The admissions representatives continually reinforced that one of the barriers in increasing minority representation on campus is the fact that many minority students don’t even apply and automatically self select themselves out of the pool. SVMP made me realize how badly I wanted to attend HBS — and more importantly that I COULD attend HBS. It is the only reason I applied — and credit SVMP 100% with the fact that I am here at HBS right now.
How have you enjoyed HBS?
It has been one of the most enjoyable and transformational experiences of my life. I have met the most amazing people, and even after studying business school in undergrad and four years of consulting am blown away at how much I learn every day. There is no way to explain what it is like to have professors that have pioneered many of the critical business concepts you are studying, have class with people that have worked on many of the case issues or worked with the case protagonists, attend conferences and panels with the most influential names in businesses and know that the top names in business are anxiously recruiting you. I find myself analyzing business issues in an entirely different way and cannot overemphasize how intellectually, professionally and socially stimulating this environment has been.
