What is Harvard or Bust?
Harvard or Bust is a three year journey chronicling my return to academia after a ten year hiatus, where I have been living and working in Los Angeles, CA.
In 1996 I graduated high school from The McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD and went straight to New Orleans, LA to attend Tulane University as a Computer Science major. There I proceeded to discover the power of jazz music, voodoo, and bars that never close, but not the importance of homework. After three mediocre semesters at Tulane, family problems brought me back to Maryland where I transferred to University of MD, Baltimore County to get a degree in Film and Digital Arts. After completing one semester at University of MD I took off across the country to Los Angeles for a summer internship at Sony Pictures. It took just one month of the sun, easy going lifestyle, and the taste of adventure for me to decide to stay in LA and not go back to school.
Around my ten year anniversary of moving to Los Angeles (June, 2008) I have found myself questioning what my true path is. Currently, I run a small multimedia consulting and production firm called Nine Grounds Inc. We build and maintain websites, act as producers on TV and event productions, and offer consulting services for new media projects.
The idea of getting an MBA is a new one. One that I never really thought about since I hadn't graduated college. However, I think now is the time to put the gears in motion and get back on the academia track. The plan is to finish my undergrad and then go straight into my first choice, the Harvard Business School. [Update 05/01/2009: I am going to see if I am a qualified candidate to pursue the Harvard 2+2 program.]
It will be a tough road ahead as statistically the odds are stack against me. I realize that the competition to be one of the 11% accepted into HBS is incredible strong. I have no prior business education and my business knowledge has all been self taught.
This blog will serve to track my progress along the way and to research what is possible with a degree from one of the best known universities in the World.
Time line of best possible scenario:
In 1996 I graduated high school from The McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD and went straight to New Orleans, LA to attend Tulane University as a Computer Science major. There I proceeded to discover the power of jazz music, voodoo, and bars that never close, but not the importance of homework. After three mediocre semesters at Tulane, family problems brought me back to Maryland where I transferred to University of MD, Baltimore County to get a degree in Film and Digital Arts. After completing one semester at University of MD I took off across the country to Los Angeles for a summer internship at Sony Pictures. It took just one month of the sun, easy going lifestyle, and the taste of adventure for me to decide to stay in LA and not go back to school.
Around my ten year anniversary of moving to Los Angeles (June, 2008) I have found myself questioning what my true path is. Currently, I run a small multimedia consulting and production firm called Nine Grounds Inc. We build and maintain websites, act as producers on TV and event productions, and offer consulting services for new media projects.
The idea of getting an MBA is a new one. One that I never really thought about since I hadn't graduated college. However, I think now is the time to put the gears in motion and get back on the academia track. The plan is to finish my undergrad and then go straight into my first choice, the Harvard Business School. [Update 05/01/2009: I am going to see if I am a qualified candidate to pursue the Harvard 2+2 program.]
It will be a tough road ahead as statistically the odds are stack against me. I realize that the competition to be one of the 11% accepted into HBS is incredible strong. I have no prior business education and my business knowledge has all been self taught.
This blog will serve to track my progress along the way and to research what is possible with a degree from one of the best known universities in the World.
Time line of best possible scenario:
- November - March 2009 - Attend California Comminity College to pick up transfer classes and improve my grades. Also apply to Universities.
- June/July 2009 - Make a decision on which school to attend [Update 05/01/2009: I will be attending University of California, Davis.]
- July 2009 - Move me, my wife and our two dogs across the country from Los Angeles to our new home for two years [Update 05/01/2009: We are moving to Davis June 1, 2009, however, then going to South East Asia for three weeks before school starts.]
- September 2009: Start class as a Junior.
- July 2010 - Apply to Harvard Business School's 2+2 Program
- September 2010 - Learn admission decision from Harvard
- September 2011 - Start necessary two year work experience
- September 2013 - Start at Harvard Business School
- May 2015 - Graduate from the Harvard Business School, thus earning me an MBA
