Rashida Mingo's Harvard Business School Journey Begins, My First Visit!

OMG! Where, oh where, do I START!?! So, I took a trip to Boston, MA, for the 1st time in my life April 1st-3rd 2010. And, I absolutely love Boston. I must mention the Departure of my Armani shades while going through checkpoint:(. But, my flight with Jet Blue ws amazing. I meet a really great business man on the way there who was from New Hampshire. I got in Boston around 10:55pm. I took a cab to the hotel. It took about 15 mins. The people were sooo nicccee:), which made my reasons for being there that much better. I originally planned to go to HBS, BC, & BU to visit the business schools. Well, the guy I met at the Phd Project who is working on his Doctorate from Boston College ended up going out of town that weekend, which kind of threw a loop in his, "if you re ever in Boston let me know, i'll show you the campus & connect you to some faculty members...", awesome invite, if he had actually been in the city that weekend, lol. Anyway, I decided to focus all of my energy on getting to know HBS the best way I could while I was there.

So, Friday Morning, I caught the bus from Le Meridien, my chic & trendy hotel in Cambridge to Mass. Ave. on Harvard's Square. I asked a girl on the bus who was getting off at my stop if she knew where the Bschool was? She pointed me down JFK Ave. So, I got to truckin', in my 2 Piece Suite & ADiDas:). I walked about a mile over the Charles River to the school & the Campus was breathtaking. I mean, I thought to myself, "this is the cradle of academic intellect & vigor....the best institution in the world....Wow! The sun gleamed down, shining happily & brightly, I knew it was going to be an amazing day. I got on the Bschool Campus at 9:30am. I had plenty of time...since I am known for setting the late records on showing up, I figured I needed to be as early as I could to start with a good impression. The campus was quiet. I asked a couple of people for directions & they pointed me to Dillon House & said "Good Luck" (w/ a smirkish laugh)...after the third person said that, I said, "what's up with the smirkish laugh after the comment?" I shrugged it off & sat on a bench to rest my feet to get ready for my heels. 10 till, I Head for the Dillon House. I get there & check in there are 3 more people sitting there. I tell the lady I am here for a visit....I kid you not, Ya' girl begins feeling the nervousness....I begin to shake mildly, but not enough where anyone could see it (lol). I get my info & ask for the restroom. She tells me around the corner. I turn around to walk out the office, lmbo. She calls my name & says, "Rashida, it's to your left." I said, "oh". And, I get there & immediately say, "WOOOOHHHA(quietly)" I am relly shaking by this point. I picked up the phone to text my friend Reg', who is in his 2nd yr at the School...."I AM SOOO Nervous!" He says, "why"? I say, "don't know." He says, "shouldn't be". I say, "ok". At that point, I begin to calm down. Reg' is my friend, turned x boyfriend, turned friend that I hadn't seen in 6 yrs. I ended up seeing him for like 30 mins (lol).

Anyway, It's time to go to class. We get BGIE (Business Govt. & Int. Economy). Our Student rep. is way cool. I mean unbelievably cool. I started to get the point that my perception of this place was totally wrong. We get into the class, meet the professor. They introduce us. And, the class gives us a round of applause. Cool! HBS's learning method is centered strictly round The Case Method. So, basically, the classes are interactive debates between you & your section mates about what the best strategy is for the case & how you would go about make the decision to deal with the situation hand. IT IS INVIGORATING! PASSIONATE STRATEGIC DEBATE...I LOVEEEDDDD IT! The case was about China's Exchange Rate (to float or not float the rate). I wanted to jump in the debate & I had never read the CASE! Long Story Short, I was very comfortable in their classroom setting. I could see myself in the students shoes participating in Section. I thought to myself, "this is it...this is what I have been looking for to complete my educational training."

I want to speak specifically to HBS's Diversity....while I was at Vanderbilt, in class I always felt like the minority, which bothered me for a while, b/c I was less likely to offer my opinion b/c of that fact and the TA's always expected me to speak as if I was speaking on behalf of every minority throughout the country. It pissed me off, but I learned how to make the classroom work for me. At HBS, 36% of the class is minority....36%....& 32%women. I felt at home in this classroom b/c there were so many names like mines. I think having that comfort level that I am welcome here also is very important. Especially, since I am a double minority. Well, I am going to end on that note. I have to go to bed and get up and do it The Wells Fargo Way in the morning. But, I'll post again soon!

As always, Be Luv, Rashida