Spring Break
50 Reasons HBS is Better Than Real Life
Alex Godden (OJ), Ex-Viewpoints Editor
Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: Viewpoints & Humor
In counterpoint to my other, uncharacteristically sentimental, article looking back on my time at HBS, I feel the need to lighten the atmosphere by taking a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at all the things about HBS that right now look infinitely preferable to the big, cold, scary world out there.
So, here are the things that really make HBS better than "real life"
-Having to attend four hours of class and run a DCF analysis that afternoon is considered a really tough day
-Ninety people clap when you make a particularly funny comment
-Nobody cares if you decide to take a nap on a couch at lunchtime
-You can walk into any one of the nearest five bars to where you live and be pretty much guaranteed to find friends in there
-There is always someone nearby to borrow a laptop charger from, as we all bought the exact same IBM Thinkpad before we arrived
-It is possible to stay in bed until 11am and still make it to class on time if you put enough thought into your EC course picks
-The only times you have to wear smart clothes are to steal the canapés at recruiting events
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Monday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Tuesday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Wednesday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Thursday night
-You can turn up hung over every day for a week, and not only will you not get fired, people may not even notice
-In the real world people don't have to put up their hand before they interrupt you
-Taking a ten hour flight to Munich for four days for Oktoberfest is considered perfectly reasonable
-You can make jokes about accounting terms and (some) people will find them funny
-Trying to figure out whether the sushi line or the pasta line is longer is often the hardest decision you'll have to make all day
-It is possible to go for a lunch date, coffee meeting, squash game, wine tasting, birthday dinner and karaoke night all on the same day
So, here are the things that really make HBS better than "real life"
-Having to attend four hours of class and run a DCF analysis that afternoon is considered a really tough day
-Ninety people clap when you make a particularly funny comment
-Nobody cares if you decide to take a nap on a couch at lunchtime
-You can walk into any one of the nearest five bars to where you live and be pretty much guaranteed to find friends in there
-There is always someone nearby to borrow a laptop charger from, as we all bought the exact same IBM Thinkpad before we arrived
-It is possible to stay in bed until 11am and still make it to class on time if you put enough thought into your EC course picks
-The only times you have to wear smart clothes are to steal the canapés at recruiting events
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Monday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Tuesday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Wednesday night
-You can always find people to go drinking with on a Thursday night
-You can turn up hung over every day for a week, and not only will you not get fired, people may not even notice
-In the real world people don't have to put up their hand before they interrupt you
-Taking a ten hour flight to Munich for four days for Oktoberfest is considered perfectly reasonable
-You can make jokes about accounting terms and (some) people will find them funny
-Trying to figure out whether the sushi line or the pasta line is longer is often the hardest decision you'll have to make all day
-It is possible to go for a lunch date, coffee meeting, squash game, wine tasting, birthday dinner and karaoke night all on the same day
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