First, the backdrop: the grading system at HBS is very “corporate”, using the same sort of system that GE (and my former employer) use to bucket employees.  They award a “1″ to the Top 15%, a “2″ to the Middle 75%, and a “3″ to the bottom 10%.  The idea being that you recognize the top performers, eliminate the worst performers, and keep it such that it doesn’t interrupt or distract the vast middle majority.

Grading at HBS is not designed to be incredibly transparent — although class policies differ slightly, the vast majority keep it at 50% class participation and 50% final exam.  So, how do you optimize your time to maximize your grade?  Do you go for the highly variable (and seemingly random) top quality comments?  Or do you place all of your hope on a single 4 hour final exam at the end of a semester?  It’s not an easy puzzle to figure out — I kind of just gave up and went back to playing Guitar Hero (don’t tell)!

And… surprisingly!… my lack of focus seems to have paid off!  I ended up receiving all 1 s!  I think this is relatively rare, so I’m very excited.  Of course, I can’t actually tell this to anyone.  Mentioning it to my sectionmates would make me seem like an overconfident jerk, and talking about it in an interview would probably be perceived as arrogant.  Ahhh well…

1. Classmates make 2+ comments per class.
2. They take minutes to say something that could be summarized in five words.
3. Oh, and you know it’s going to be bad when they preface it by saying “I think X for three reasons…”
4. It’s also a little amusing that people always seem to preface comments by saying “I completely disagree…” like the fact that they disagree has some inherent content to it.

On the other hand, I find that my behavior isn’t exactly optimal either:

1. I take more controversial and dogmatic positions than I otherwise would… because it draws a passionate response from others, which in turn, makes it a “Category 1″ comment.
2. I also find that I tend to “check out” after making a comment.  I don’t want to be one of those impolite people who monopolizes class time with 2 comments, and the incentives to actively listen drop dramatically when your grade isn’t on the line.
3. I sometimes have problems timing comments, too.  I like to think I’m pretty-forward thinking, but I get excited and offer my (obviously) groundbreaking insight too early in class.  Even though it might be a central principle, the professor brushes over it and doesn’t return to until later.

In spite of all that, I talked to someone the other day whose partner goes to MIT Sloan.  It sounds like they have to hammer out problem set after problem set.  Compared to that, I think I definitely prefer the HBS method…!

You’re forced to constantly pay attention, to continually integrate everything that’s been said, and to try to think one-step ahead of the discussion.  All while being prepared at-any-moment to jump into the conversation and communicate a relevant, timely, and insightful comment in an entertaining and clear way.  Believe me, it’s even tougher than I can make it sound!

One professor says the only true take-away from HBS is that it teaches you to become good at multitasking.  You have to listen carefully, follow the discussion, and craft a defensible theory / point all at the same time.  That’s not too far from the truth… and it’s one of the things I love about HBS.  So much of “academia” seems to be about dumping thousands of facts into your head.  How much of that is retained?  How much of that is useful?  The case method understands that education is about teaching and reinforcing behaviors.

A Classroom in Hawes

I could go on about the case method for hours.  I’ve really become a convert after seeing it in action here.  However, I am a bit skeptical on the grading portion.  Especially after receiving feedback from a couple professors this past week.  Now, I know I haven’t contributed the most brilliant comments in class, but I still think the evaluation of one professor was a bit off-the-mark.  But that just brings up the whole subjectivity of the whole process.  How can I defend my position?  I can’t.

At HBS, 50% of your final grade is from “class participation”.  What does that mean?  After each class, the professor takes time to record every single comment that was put forth during the 80 minute class.  Then he grades the comments, 1 to 3, based on how good he thinks they were.  Can a professor remember every comment given during a class?  More importantly, can he assign them to the correct person?  Further, can he remember their relative importance and weight them accordingly?

These are all difficult tasks for one person… let alone the person who’s already under so many stresses to lead a group of 90 people through a complex conversation!  Like I said, I’m a a bit skeptical on how accurate this all is…