Book Review: Ahead of the Curve by Philip Delves Broughton

Each year roughly 8,000 people apply to the Harvard Business School, and so I hope that for the next ten years Philip will be able to sell at least that many books per year, because every prospective student of HBS should read this book. I just finished reading Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton (whose website could use a little assistance–let me know if you want some Philip and I’d be glad to help out in exchange for an hour of your time and a link), and as someone who has gone through the application process once, was rejected, and who plans to try again, I found it to be an invaluable read. Not because I believe it will help me get in, although there were a few bits of information I found helpful in that regard, but because it helped me think about whether I really want to go to HBS or even get an MBA at all.

The book reads as though Philip kept a diary during this two years, and then used that diary to form the backbone of the book while adding in personal opinions here and there. That is, much of the book is made up of factual occurrences punctuated by commentary (“On such and such a day I went here and did this, talked to so and so, who said such and such, and here’s what I think of it…”). If you have any interest in attending HBS, I believe you’ll find the book as compelling as I did even if you don’t agree with Philip’s take on the HBS experience. Even removing Philip’s commentary leaves you with a fly-on-the-wall account of what it is like to live and study at HBS.

While I found those day-to-day experiences interesting, I, in fact, truly enjoyed reading Philip’s observations. His honest look at his supposed shortcomings and his insightful explanation of his insecurities and anxieties that start out with feeling lost when it comes to finance and end with him being of one the few (if not only) HBS grads to graduate from his class without a job, make the book into a fairly compelling drama.

Being an entrepreneur, I especially enjoyed reading about Philip and his friend and fellow student trying to create a start-up while at school. I also commiserated with him at the end of the book when he expresses his feeling that professors who teach entrepreneurship should have had some real life experiences with the subject.

I liked how he described his conflicting emotions about wanting to get a job making a lot of money while not sacrificing his soul to a company that would make him work 100 hour weeks and ignore his family. It was also interesting to see how many guest presenters at HBS spoke of the importance of making time for family when that was precisely not what they had done–classic cases of do what I say, not what I do. I suppose I enjoyed that part because I’ve learned that lesson firsthand and have been able to make changes in my life such that I’m financially successful while also being able to spend more time with my family than anybody who works a typical 9-5, let alone the typical HBS grad who works 6am-2am.

If you’re planning on going to a business school other than HBS, it may still be an interesting read, since I’m sure students at Stanford, MIT, Wharton, and all the others feel many of the same pressures and emotions Philip did in the book. I’m also not sure how much an HBS alum would enjoy reading the book, since people tend to be more interested in the future than the past, but for prospective and current HBS students I’d say it’s a must-read.