Spring Break
William Fung, drunken shrimp, midnight karaoke, rows of empty glasses of Chivas & green tea, and venture capitalists - what do these all have in common? These were just a few of the highlights of this year's China Trek. For nine days, starting in Beijing and progressing south to Shanghai before culminating in Hong Kong, trekkers were treated like imperial royalty as they partied at the hottest nightspots, feasted on amazing (and at times, exotic) culinary treasures, and gained exclusive access to senior corporate executives and well-connected local financiers.
January is here and so starts the winter semester - and for half of us, it'll be the last. But for RCs, the worst is behind you. You survived your first cold call, a gauntlet of final exams, and surely cut down on the number of wrong turns you'll take navigating the HBS tunnel system in the rest of your time here.
Compared to its competitors in the fast-food industry, Chick-fil-A is considered a little bit of an oddity. Not only is it the only privately held, family owned national restaurant chain in the country, its restaurants are closed on Sundays and it spends little on advertising (its advertising-to-sales ratio is 0.
This winter break offered me the unique opportunity to become more involved in the HBS community. Arriving as a partner in the second year, the Austria trip with the HBS Ski & Snowboard Club was the perfect time and place to make new friends. As one of the organizers, I was able to show my home country to over 40 students and partners which was an exciting thing to do.
Mario Schlosser (NB) found a niche job during winter break. He served as a cross between a city tour guide, nightclub promoter and the ultimate host. Two HBS treks, each with approximately 15 students, headed to South America over the holidays. Why the need for two treks? One trek originated in Uruguay while the other began in Rio de Janeiro.
The past couple of days leading up to my pilgrimage to Omaha had been some of the most unusual in my life. Wednesday began with an early wakeup, followed by my four-and-a-half hour Technology and Operations final exam. (Actually, not nearly as much fun as it sounds).
The mission of Harvard Business School (HBS) is to educate leaders who will make a difference in the world. That mission was put to work in New Orleans, La., in early January. During a trip that was the first step of a long-term, student-led relief initiative, a group of 57 MBA students, administrators and faculty traveled to New Orleans January 3 to contribute their efforts and expertise to the city's rebuilding and resurgence.
