Thursday, August 21, 2008

Anticipating Grad School - Recommended Reading: Ahead of the Curve

Well, there are just 4 more days of freedom left before my masters in taxation program kicks off. I will be honest, I am slightly nervous for the grueling days and long nights promised by my program's chair.

In order to prepare me for what grad school will bring, I have been reading a book called Ahead of the Curve, by Philip Delves Broughton.

This book centers around Broughton's personal experience as a student at the Harvard Business School. He reveals everything from his gripes with the demeanor of a class who already consider themselves the "business elite," to his struggles to keep up with the competition. He talks about the curriculum he went through and shares details of the assignments he faced.

I am only half way through reading this book, but I will tell you that so far I have been thoroughly entertained. Not to mention, I have learned interesting solutions to case studies in accounting, organizational behavior, finance, and analytics that I may never have had the opportunity to encounter had I not read this book- granted this is Harvard.

Another noteworthy attribute of Ahead of the Curve, is Broughton's recount of the invaluable anticdotes delivered in speeches to the Harvard MBAs. These words of wisdom, which Philip recorded in his memoirs, were conveyed by various celebrated personalities in the business world, such as Margaret Whitman, CEO of Ebay.

I recommend this book for anyone that is considering pursuing their MBA, or even anyone interested in the inner workings of Harvard Business School.

I should probably be charging Philip an endorsement fee for the fine marketing push am giving him here, but that's alright. This one is on me, Broughton. Pay it forward.

4 comments:

Mike said...

Great blog Michelle! Let's keep in touch!

Anonymous said...

Best of luck in Grad School Michelle ... and with your blog ! ... and thanks for the inclusion in your bloglinks.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading this book and anxiously waiting for more blog posts!

Philip said...

Hi Michelle,

Thanks so much for this. I appreciate the plug. And will pay it forward. Delighted you enjoyed the book - and very best of luck with the CPA.

With best wishes,

Philip