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Aug 18, 2008

Stuart rated it:

I have read four “insider” accounts of life at top business schools, three written by Harvard MBAs, the fourth by a Stanford graduate. I read two of these: Peter Cohen’s The Gospel According to Harvard Business School and Peter Robinson’s Snapshots from Hell about the Stanford experience prior to going to business school. I read the third: Robert Reid’s Year One: An Intimate Look Inside Harvard Business School five years after I finished my MBA. Now I’ve read Philip Delves Broughton’s Ahead of More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jul 02, 2011

John rated it:

I read this book for the fourth time. As I have matured in my business knowledge, focused on my upcoming transition into the business world, determined what I want out of my life, and seen the disastrous effects of the financial crisis, the more this book resonates. I recommend this book for everyone.

Great book that will be read by business students for decades. Raises serious questions about the role of business schools, capitalism and business leaders in society. Very surprising how More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2011

David rated it:

pretty good memoir of the author's time at Harvard Business School. He was a few years older (early 30's) than most of his classmates and had spent his time since college as a journalist rather than doing investment banking, consulting, etc. as many of them had, so a lot of the book is about his feeling out of the group and questioning whether he has what it takes to succeed in the ways prized by the business school.

Another sub-plot is his questioning whether he even wants to do so -- More...

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May 11, 2011

Robyn rated it:

Overall, I think this book is a good description of one person's experience at HBS. Like all memoirs, this is a tale of one person's experience, formed by his own expectations, personality, and mindset. HBS, like everything else in life, if what you make of it.

I don't agree with many of the author's opinions - I had a great time at HBS despite entering with the lowest of expectations and serious dread of spending 2 years surrounded by arrogant a**holes, and I enjoyed the digression b More...

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Apr 12, 2009

Dave rated it:

Excellent Read.

Impressive read by an interesting guy who was born in Bangladesh and grew up in England.

After working as a journalist for many papers and in many cities the author decided he wanted to expand his opportunities and got into HBS. He effectively brings the reader on his journey through the business school and profiles a good deal of his classmates and professors in a way that lets you relate quite well. The book isn't too heavy on cramming business terms and More...

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Sep 09, 2009

Arabella rated it:

Business School is on my mind with my 10 year reunion on the horizon (hard to believe). This book is a student's description of his time at Harvard Business School, back in the good old days of 2004-2006 before the business world (and the financial world in particular) got turned upside down. I identified with Broughton on many levels, not least because he was an Englishman immersed in the strange business school experience, much as I was when I moved to the States to study for my MBA. Many o More...

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Aug 05, 2009

Shannon rated it:

I loved Broughton's first-hand account of his experience at Harvard Business School. It was real and raw and I appreciated that he shared his experience of the chasm he felt between success and happiness and the emphasis that is so often placed on monetary gain as the ultimate grade of success. I think this excerpt from the book sums up the in-depth thesis of this experience:

"How can I succeed financially without losing my soul? How can I work at a company without becoming a More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Matt rated it:

A great account of two years at Harvard Business School from a former journalist. The perspective of a mid-30's professional with a wife and kids getting thrown in to classes with early/mid-20's ex-bankers and consultants adds a lot to the character of the book. The most interesting theme for me was the author's constant back-and-forth trying to go into an engaging and sustainable job vs the temptation to compare himself to his class-mates, overwhelmingly going off to make enormous salaries in More...

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Sep 21, 2009

Evelyn rated it:

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, but then it resonates with so many areas of my life how could I not? Prior to 2002 I was seriously considering leaving my journalism career to get an MBA, and my first choice of schools? Harvard. In 2002 I discovered I was pregnant with twins, so I put the MBA idea away and instead, and purely by coincidence, after giving birth, took a part time job at Harvard Business School Publishing where I worked until 2006. I know this school well, know many of the 'players' an More...

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Feb 12, 2010

Michael rated it:

Very interesting read about the Broughton's experience in the Harvard MBA school. Provided both insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the program. The impact on our society by the situational ethics being taught is still being felt today. This book exposes the shortcomings of the case method of teaching business with the jabbering of intelligent students who are inexperienced and clueless but think nothing of wasting class time by ensuring their voice is heard. The case study method More...

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Jul 04, 2009

Aichi rated it:

Some good quotes to summarize why I like this book:

Hank Paulson:

“Professional happiness would come from being very good at something difficult.”

“The victors are those who made change their friend. (1) Resist the temptation to be a short-termist; (2) Be honest with yourself about what jobs are the right ones for you; (3) Keep your moral compass; (4) Maintain the proper balance between your professional career and your personal life. Do not be career-engine More...

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Sep 10, 2011

Emilia rated it:

First and foremost, the worst offense of business school and its offspring, to me, is their relentless, unapologetic abuse of the English language. You cannot make yourself more important by using big words incorrectly, and you do not have a sense of higher purpose just because you say you have one in 7 different poorly-put-together-ways. It makes me want to stab myself in the eye.

Which is the main reason why I liked this book. PDB is a journalist by previous career, and writes like More...

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Jul 25, 2011

Errol rated it:

3.5 actually, mostly because reading this tale of a former journalist at Harvard Business School was so soothing for me as an Arts & Letters type about to take a similar plunge (not Harvard, but a top-20ish b-school).

Here are ways in which I could connect to the author:

1) Seeing the MBA not so much as a path to riches, but as a way to "understand the world better", and also perhaps some financial stability for one's family.

2) Being somewhat quantita More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Karen rated it:

Largely enjoyed the author's description of his experience as a journalist/career changer/family man now trying to move into the business world at HBS. On one hand, the book demistifies parts of the HBS experience. For that, it provided a good slice of insight into parts of campus culture, lectures, discussions and the course work. Throughout the book, the author deeply struggles with moving into an MBA career and the business world at large. His distaste for the business world creates a story a More...

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Feb 11, 2009

Brian rated it:

A thoughtful exploration of the culture and people at Harvard Business School, their motivations, and the positives and negatives of a business mindset. From the perspective of a mid-career journalist with a family who wants a new career and new opportunities, we get to experience the high-pressure coursework and the struggles to find the "right" summer internship and the "right" job on the outside. The book motivated my entrepreneurial spirit (while I was reading it), and I More...

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Sep 11, 2011

Amanda rated it:

This was an easy read with two distinct parts. One was a story of a fish out of water at a prestigious business school and his search to answer life's big questions. The second part was a review of key business principles taught at school. The first part was fine. The second part wasn't totally necessary. Lots of the experience is similar in lots of business schools, and I was disappointed there wasn't more menpaningful socializing that wasn't class driven but it seems that could be because the More...

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Nov 10, 2011

Michael rated it:

Since I'm interested in business, I thought Ahead of the Curve would be a good read, and I was not disappointed. This is the tale of one man's experience earning an MBA from Harvard Business School. The author comes from a background that's different than most of the other students in his class (i.e., he's a family man and former bureau chief of the London Daily Telegraph). This is a book filled with insightful reflections, great writing (it helps to come from a journalist background), and l More...

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Oct 23, 2011

Eveline rated it:

This wasn't as juicy/entertaining as I thought it was going to be. Nonetheless, it's definitely useful for anyone undecided about whether to go to business school.

There are a lot of things I take for granted about any educational institution in America, like getting-to-know-each-other games and binge drinking, that the author found really strange. Partially it's because he's a lot older than most of his classmates (apparently the average age at HBS is 27 or 28) but ultimately I view More...

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Oct 21, 2008

Alana rated it:

As a person considering business school, this was an obvious read for me. A timely insider account is worth quite a lot -- and given the current economic crisis, people definitely want to examine the worth of a Harvard MBA and its role on Wall Street.

Philip Delves Broughton wrote Ahead of the Curve to chronicle his two years at Harvard Business School. He didn't come from a finance background -- in fact, he was Bureau Chief for The Daily Telegraph in Paris -- and he insists t More...

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Nov 12, 2008

James rated it:

Good descriptions of the reasons why people look to go to Business school. The book was written from somewhat of an outsider's perspective, as the author did not consider himself the average HBS student. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the pressure to conform to Investment banking and Consulting careers, and the author shares his understanding of private equity, consulting and venture capital.

I also was impressed on the running commentary on the sacrifices that one is requir More...

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Sep 26, 2008

Adam rated it:

If I didn't work at HBS I wouldn't have touched this book with a 10 foot pole. But I do work at HBS and I know many of the players mentioned in this book and I was there for the stir this book created when it was released. Needless to say the institution was less than thrilled. However, I found the narrator, whose writing a memoir of his experience as a HBS student, very credible and honest. He's willing to admit his own flaws and his own struggles as much as he is willing to expose the percei More...

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Sep 13, 2008

Sunil rated it:

The beginning of the book started fairly well, at least enough to pique my interest enough to purchase the book. PDB does a good job of chronicling his classes and experiences at HBS, but I thought it was a little too cursory. There were many characters introduced, but not a lot of depth to any one of them. This book read more like a series of anecdotes than something with an overall storyline.

Still, there were a couple of things about this book that I liked. PDB was an atypical More...

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Mar 03, 2009

Elaina rated it:

This is interesting and well written, but I am not going to finish it. For one thing, its on a 2-week loan and I'm not even halfway through, but the biggest reason is that it's stressing me out a bit. I read at night before bed, and there is something about all the deadlines, business issues and consultant-speak that reminds me of work, and I can feel my blood pressure rising as I read it.

What I like most about it is that it is written from both the "inside" and the " More...

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Dec 11, 2009

Anita rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 03, 2009

Daisy rated it:

Harvard certainly is not how I imagined it to be after I read this book. I found that it gives me hope as much as disappointment. I feel hope because apparently I can be Harvard MBA students' boss if I can. It does not really matter which college you are truly from, so many Harvard MBAs are having hard time finding jobs at google, yet my high school friend who is currently in pursuing of her San Diego State University Business bacholar degree is able to get the job with google. Just because you More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2009

Noah rated it:

This book felt like it ended too soon. There were a lot of things I would have liked to see Broughton go into, but he kept the parameters of the story pretty narrow. That being said, this book is a smooth read with a good structure and lots of interesting stuff (no surprise, since Broughton was a newspaper journalist for many years before going to HBS). Anyone who's curious about the business school experience and the type of people it attracts will like this book.

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Jan 15, 2012

Vivek rated it:

I enjoyed this book about the author's time doing an MBA at Harvard Business School. It was interesting learning something about how HBS works, especially through the voice of the author, who had a career as a journalist before going to business school.

Business school was something I was curious about before I read this book. Afterwards, I'm even more convinced that its critical to spend time working and having a good idea of what you'd want to use an MBA for before going into it.
More...

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Jun 27, 2010

Aaron rated it:

This book was, unfortunately, rather disappointing. As a graduate of the University of Denver's MBA program, I was excited to read this book because I'd hoped it would glean some insight into the highly selective, greatly sought after experience at HBS. Although Broughton gave a fair amount of that, it was often punctuated by long stretches of academic material that seemed ripped from a business textbook. I suppose that one should expect some material like this, given that Broughton is recoun More...

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Jun 26, 2010

Josh rated it:

This is the authors account of his two years at Harvard Business school (HBS). He has many interesting things to say about HBS (quote: "if more than 30% of HBS graduates go into finance then that is a strong sell signal, 45% went into finance in 2006). Also, he paints MBAs as a largely unhappy lot who work way too much and get paid way too much. The author himself had trouble finding a job, so maybe he is bitter.

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Jan 31, 2009

LeAndra rated it:

Having gone through the experience of business school as a non-traditional business student myself, I related to a lot of what the author wrote. I don't know that someone who hadn't gone through this shared experience would find the book quite as funny as I did. The book has relevance to what drives the thinking behind a lot of business leaders' decisions, and that is something that definitely affects us all (i.e. the current state of the financial services industry).

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