Undergrads Descend On Business School

More than 80 Harvard undergraduates got a taste of life at the Business School during last week’s Business Leadership Program.

Created in 1997 by Harvard Student Agencies, the conference aims to teach students about the private sector through exposure to faculty members and various professionals from the business world.

Upon arrival last Sunday, participants were immersed in a crash course on accounting, courtesy of management doctoral student Ethan S. Bernstein.

“We want to prove that undergrads are prepared to sit in the seats of an HBS classroom,” Bernstein told participants. “You’re used to hearing teachers who have complete control. That’s about to change.”

Over the course of the week, participants experienced the case-study method firsthand by reading examples written by HBS professors and discussing the cases during 90-minute sessions.

Professor Rohit Deshpande led a discussion about a marketing battle in the world of imported beer. Students discussed how Grupo Modelo, which produces Corona, should compete with market-leader Heineken.

Other discussions touched on private equity and corporate law.

The undergrads met with admissions officials from Penn’s Wharton School and both the MBA and doctoral programs at HBS.

Conference organizer Elvis K. Terigin ’10 praised the participants and speakers for taking an active role in making the program a success.

“All the planning put into organizing the conference finally paid off,” he said.

“I was impressed by the great participation among BLPers in the discussions. HBS professors sacrifice a lot to teach in the BLP, and it is great to see their efforts rewarded when students read the case studies and participate in discussions.”

Terigin noted that, for many undergrads, the event represents a first in-depth look at the private sector.

“I believe that participants gained a great insight into business and B-School in general,” Terigin said.

Conference participant Jason Y. Shah ’11 said the conference gave him a look at the road to the business world.

“I decided to do the BLP to meet other business-minded students and get a feel for how HBS gets things done,” Shah said.

“During the week, I gained a sense for the rigor and...of the recruiting process for finance and consulting jobs.”

—Staff writer Prateek Kumar can be reached at kumar@fas.harvard.edu.