HBS Peek Weekend is designed for college students to gain knowledge and insight into the MBA degree. Using the renowned case method of instruction, HBS faculty lead class discussions on current management challenges and opportunities. Participants spend evenings analysing real business cases and use morning study groups and classes to examine and debate their ideas through lively interaction with peers and faculty.
Tania Mariscal from Chihuahua, Mexico is at present pursuing a double major in Finance and Accounting with a Minor in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. Writing in the HBS MBA Voices blog, she lists six lessons she learnt during the program that began in February.
The third lesson is about the power of silence. She realised that just by listening to her classmates, she could develop h entirely different perspectives, over and above her individual interpretations. By trying to absorb knowledge from others would lead to the formulation of a more balanced argument.
The first lesson is to see a particular problem from different angles and evaluate the best approach to resolving it. “The critical thinking that I needed to apply during the weekend was one of the most challenging parts of the program. I learned how to use the Case Method in a variety of ways for each scenario,” she says.
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The second lesson is about embracing differences. Tania’s first case study was about Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, the American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and businesswoman. Having taken into consideration several components of the case, she decided to stress on Queen Bey’s originality. Researching for the case study, she met several unique personalities that made her realize that differences were meant to be accepted.
The third lesson is about the power of silence. She realised that just by listening to her classmates, she could develop h entirely different perspectives, over and above her individual interpretations. By trying to absorb knowledge from others would lead to the formulation of a more balanced argument.
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The fourth lesson is about diversity and inclusion. At the HBS Peek Weekend, Tania was able to meet people from all around the world with different backgrounds and stories. “Meeting my peers gave me hope that even though there are still many people who are against diversity and inclusion, there are also forces out there that fight to create equal opportunities for all,” she says.
The fifth lesson was on perspectives from all industries. About half of Tania’s study group were majoring in Engineering and the rest were in Business, barring one who had taken up Art History. During the hour-long study sessions over breakfast, when the same question drew varied perspectives, she realised the importance of being informed about a wide range of disciplines and understanding how they impact the economy.
The sixth point is on developing a sense of empathy. “Empathy can make a difference in everything we do as humans including our professional careers. An essential part of the Case Method was to understand others people’s opinions and why they differ from our own.
Since the participants were from different backgrounds, majors, nationalities, languages, and professional experiences, empathy played a crucial role in the acceptance of everyone’s inputs, Tania says.
