HBSpeak
October 21st, 2008
HBS is full of euphemisms and politically correctness. So this time, when HBSers say X, they actually mean Y:
Recruiting
| They say… | They Mean… |
| The recruiting process was a humbling experience | The recruiting process was a humiliating experience |
| There wasn’t a cultural fit | I didn’t get an offer |
| I wouldn’t have gone back anyway | I didn’t get an offer |
| How’s the lifestyle at your company? | Will I have a life or will I work 19 hours a day? |
| I had a great summer at Lehman and plan on going back | I’ve been smoking something really strong in the last few weeks |
| It’s a competitive offer | I’m getting tons of money! |
| I’m trying for consulting, I think it’s a good fit for me | Finance is gone and I have no idea what I wanna do with my life |
| I applied to all strategic corporate rotational leadership development programs | I have no freaking idea what I wanna do with my life |
| I’m considering canceling my hell week interviews and accepting the McKinsey offer | There are awesome deals to the Bahamas |
| Dedicated Interview Period | Hell Week |
HBS
| They say… | They Mean… |
| HBS is a transformational experience | Mainly for my liver |
| HBS is like drinking from a fire hose | HBS is like drinking |
| Grades don’t matter anyway | I got five 3s |
| I’m highly leveraged | I have $150K in student loans |
Student Body
| They say… | They Mean… |
| She’s intense | She’s a bitch |
| I was attacked by the HBS turkey | She’s a bitch |
| African-Americans | All black people, include those born & raised in Ethiopia, who never set foot in the US |
| The Middle East | Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Egypt. Not Israel. |
| High net worth individual | Filthy rich bastard |
| I was underwhelmed | It was crap |
| I am traveling this weekend | I am “traveling” this weekend |
Gotta love it!
Cheers from rapidly-freezing Boston.
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October 21st, 2008 at 11:49
enjoyed reading it
October 23rd, 2008 at 19:41
I’ll admit, when you said HBS speak, I was thinking of something else, but this was highly entertaining. The worst is when we start talking in class terms at the bar. Seriously, who does that?? At least I feel I’ve retained something at Darden. Though I’m sure the alcoholic beverages consumed at both schools impair that retention.
November 10th, 2008 at 03:11
Thanks Haya :)
JulyDream – no, the worst is when you start talking in class terms to people who don’t go to b-school. :)
January 7th, 2009 at 13:24
Great post! You should post a complete dictionary for the “English MBA” language :)
January 12th, 2009 at 18:27
mba972 – thanks! regarding your suggestion, as we say in Hebrew – “katonti” :)
great website btw…
January 24th, 2009 at 01:16
Hey CS it’s Jan,23,2009…vacation is over….time to do something important, and update your blog !!!!! =)
On the serious side, I hope you have a fantastic semester…so what course did you chose? take care, keep safe, Andy
May 10th, 2009 at 15:51
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