Summer before Harvard Business School... how some spend it...

Summer's is almost over!  There I said it.  Someone had to.

About eight weeks ago, I outlined  my summer plans as I prepare to matriculate at HBS this fall (Analytics starts August 18)!  I'm currently embarked on a 10 day voyage across the country from San Diego to Cambridge, so I wanted to give a mid-summer update.  As I outlined, all of my energy is focused on five initiatives.

1.  Spending time with my newly expanded family.

One of my life long dreams of being a full-time stay at home dad was fulfilled in May, when my wife went to work.  In June, she finished her last few weeks at work, and we had the opportunity to both be full-time stay at home parents.  We weren't planning on having that time together.  I originally was supposed to drill with my Marine Reserve unit for most of June, but my join paperwork got so botched that I couldn't work.  More on this topic below, but in hindsight, I'm grateful for the time.  The wife and I also took a trip (without our son, mother in law was in town) to Catalina Island, California's only island destination. 

I'm typing this article from the back seat of our car, sitting next to my son, while my wife drives through New Mexico, so I'd say that this initiative is right where it needs to be.  The focus is most obviously on Quantity of time, since we have that luxury, but we're also maximizing Quality of time.  I suspect that Quality of time will matter most, as I begin the MBA program, and resume a professional life after that.

2.  Moving from San Diego to Boston.

The military is doing heavy lifting on this one.  Well, the military is paying for this move.  Working class Americans are doing the heavy lifting!

Anyway, I'm using my end of service Home of Record move to ship my household goods to Cambridge. My home of record is New York, so I had to pay the difference between a SD to NY move and a SD to Cambridge move (about $180).  Easy decision.

Last time I wrote, I didn't have a place to live.  We now do.  We've decided on this very modern, two year old apartment complex in Somerville.  Pluses: it's over 1,000 sq ft, it's brand new, and very similar to the place we had in San Diego.  Minuses: it's about three miles from school / Harvard Square.  

To be honest, this isn't really a minus for me.  Even thought I'll be on bicycle, three miles isn't a large task in fair weather, and there's a  T stop close to the complex.  They also have three zip cars on the premises.  It's mostly a minus for my wife who wanted to be closer to Cambridge, the "action", such that she didn't have to drive.  I don't blame her, since she'll be working part-time in Cambridge.  We'll all spend a little more time commuting, and on parking costs, but the financial incentives (two months free rent, no deposit, no real estate agent's fee) at this apartment complex will more than make up for parking costs.  *Aside: I can write a whole additional post about hunting for real estate in Boston.  It's one of the few markets where the renter pays the realtor's fee, EVEN if the renter found the place and made first contact.  I won't be writing this post, but contact me for the detailed scoop.*

For several reasons, the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area is a very active market.  It is after-all the most college populated city in America.  Listings, especially prime listings, don't stay available for more than a week.   TAKEAWAY: Start looking early, to get a feel for the inventory and the area, but know that "your place" will likely not become available or post until a few weeks before you plan to move in, unless you're willing to pay rent long before you occupy.  Also, most of the great inventory is taken by late July.  There are not a lot of August 1st move-in dates available, then a decent amount of quality inventory becomes available for September 1st move-ins (if you can find temporary lodging, you'll have more pickens)  I didn't discover this on my own. I was told by a perceptive agent in the area, and can testify.

Lastly, we also sold one of our two cars, so we're down to just one! Downsize complete.

3.  Pre-MBA Coursework.

Along with about 240 of my classmates, I’ve been assigned to attend HBS’ one-week pre-MBA financial accounting / quant boot camp for incoming MBA students-Analytics.  This program starts one week prior to the school year starting.  (Many MBA programs have similar prep courses, and most of the military admits that I know going to top 10 schools, have had to complete these courses.)  Prior to starting, we have to complete two online review courses estimated to take about 25 hours total. 

As of last post, I hadn't even started any course work.  I've since completed one course, or about 10 of the 25 hours.  These time estimates so far have been pretty liberal.  The accounting course I did, took maybe four hours and that was only because I did the whole course for review.  The online course offers a pre-test that will allow you to test out of it.  As this review material covered no new ground (from the Accounting course took last fall in preparation for application season), I could've tested out of it.  It overall was a good review presented in an easy to digest format.  On to the Finance course this week.

I also have read a few popular business titles, in an effort to bridge the gap between me, the "non-traditional" b-school student, and those students coming from business fields.  I will post a short digest of my entire summer reading list but the most recent titles include: Good to Great by Jim Collins and Money Makers  by Chris Howard (which should be mandatory reading for most military b-school candidates, especially those with no background in business).

Overall, some of the very concerns veterans would have are the same some of my "non-traditional" future classmates have.  One classmate, whom I've had lunch/dinners with is an engineering major, has worked at major engineering firms, and has launched his own firm, is as equally concerned as I am about our business information absorption rate.  That is to say, will we be able to absorb the technical aspects of business as fast as our "traditional" classmates whom where either undergraduate  business majors and/or came from a business industry/position.   We consider this period, the pre-MBA summer, a critical time to play catch up.  I'd say my major concern is building financial models in Microsoft Excel, so much so that I've bought a few texts in addition to the Excel / Quantitative Analysis tutorial that HBS provided us.  

4.  USMC Reserves.

This has definitely been my nightmare this summer!  Nothing has gone as planned as far as my transition to the USMCR.  It's been an administrative nightmare.  I won't go into detail, but it's essentially all the same military administration department SNAFUs you've come to expect (lost paperwork, lack of follow through, etc), except now add an additional layer of lethargy and non-responsiveness that often comes with dealing with Reservists.  I recognize that that statement is a broad and unfair generalization, but several Reserve Headquarters and Units had a hand in this.  They all were well intentioned Marines that for the most part displayed the same core qualities of Active Marines, but they often kept weird hours and unpredictable work days.

I've had nothing but positive experiences with every Reserve Marines that I've talked to about my "joining the team", but for some reason the Marine Corps STILL doesn't have a smooth administrative mechanism to inprocess Active Duty Marines, at least pilots, efficiently.  My experience has been echoed by at least four other Marine pilots that transitioned at the same time.  All that said, I'm FINALLY joined to my unit after several emails, phone calls to Headquarters / Commanding Officers, and pleas!  

Key takeaway: if you are still on active duty, start working your transition to the Reserves (if you're going to serve) early!  And do the things we've learned to do as officers: follow up, press people when they give long protracted timelines, and research.  

I am excited to get to work and experience fellowship with young Marines again.  And if these SNAFUs hadn't happened I probably wouldn't have had many of the memorable experiences I have had with my family and friends in San Diego.  Maybe this has all just been one big lesson in trade-offs and opportunity costs.  Hard to see it, I suppose, when you're in it, fighting for your agenda.

5.  Self-Development.

Perhaps this subsection is titled incorrectly.  It's the self that can accept that there's room to grow and now is the time, but often that comes from external motivation, critique and encouragement.  I think it's a huge mistake to fool oneself into thinking he alone can sharpen himself.  As a good book says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man shall sharpen another."  That said, I've taken every opportunity I could to learn from, or with, my friends.

I continued to go on longer and longer bike rides.  This wasn't solely about health, but to build stamina to ride back and forth to school.  Truth be told, it's only 3 miles from school to my apartment in Somerville, but I want the capacity to do it in bad weather, while tired, possibly multiple times a day.  Boston is largely flat terrain and San Diego is anything but. Some rides in SD had several hundred feet of elevation change, and we went for more than 3 miles.

All this while, listing my house as my tenants of 3 years are moving.  I'm close to finding a tenant.  We're in negotiations!  Real Estate investments are a part of my planned retirement plan.  It's a strategy learned from my successful grandfather.  I'm by no means a real estate expert, nor will I study it formally at school, but I look forward to socializing with future classmates that have more real estate knowledge and experience than I.

Most of my efforts in terms have self-development have centered on strengthening my relationship with my wife and son (see above) or working to prepare for the rigors of the two year program.  I believe both of these efforts will require physical, mental and spiritual stamina.

Conclusion

My hope is that by laying out what I'm doing this summer, I can offer just one perspective and help shape expectations.  We all, of course, differ in life priorities and responsibilities.  I'm sure my summer plans would not be the same if I were single, not a parent, and not going into the Reserves.  I hope this perspective sparks some ideas and plans for you.  I know that I've learned a lot from hearing what my future classmates are doing.  With only a few weeks left until Analytics, I am motivated to use my remaining time to continue preparing for the challenges that lay ahead.

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Written by Ahron (ahron@MilitaryToBusiness.com), a transitioning Marine Officer starting HBS in the Fall of 2013