Speaker 1: At HBS, we teach in many different ways, from the case method and hands-on project-based learning to simulations and small group sessions. We're best known for the case method, a dynamic and engaging discussion led by student comments instead of lectures taught by faculty. Through reading and discussing 500 cases in two years, you will learn a tremendous amount from the diversity of thought, talent, and experience in the room. Let's dive into how it works. Each case is a 10-20 page document written from the viewpoint of a real person leading a real organization facing a tough, real-life challenge. Your job as a student is to sift through the information, incomplete by design, and decide what you would do if you were in their shoes.

Speaker 2: The fact that I get to sit and be the protagonist and figure out how I would approach it. I get to learn and experiment without having all the risk of being in their actual shoes.

Speaker 1: Next, it's time to discuss the case. Each morning, you'll bring your ideas to a small team of classmates from different sections and professional backgrounds. Together, you begin to see the case from different perspectives, better preparing you for class.

Speaker 3: The only reason that it's possible for us to share all these amazing ideas is because of how diverse we are, and then what kind of experiences that we've had in our prior lives, and then where we came from. And because of this diversity, only then it's possible for us to have a constructive debate like we do every day.

Speaker 4: Not only do I hear different perspectives, but I also have gotten to know myself a lot better. It is about understanding where my perspectives are coming from, what has brought me here, who I want to be.

Speaker 1: And now, we move to the classroom. Each class starts with a cold call. The professor asking someone to start by sharing what they would do if they were in this situation, and why. The highly engaged debate is facilitated by the professor, but it's driven by your classmates' comments and experiences. Be prepared to listen, speak, and most importantly, change the way you think.

Speaker 5: A great case discussion is a lean forward experience, an exercise in active learning, active listening, wrestling with new ideas in real time. Lectures in contrast are kind of lean back experiences. You lean back, you let the wisdom of the professor, you know, wash over you. A case discussion could not be more different.

Speaker 6: It's dynamic, it's fast paced, there's a ton of energy. Your ears really perked up as you're trying to capture what is it that people are really saying and how are they thinking about this issue. And so that really raises the bar for me. On the one hand, I want to make sure I'm like volleying back and forth with the other people in the classroom, but I also want to make sure I'm articulating myself very clearly.

Speaker 1: Finally, it's time to reflect. The case method prepares you to be in leadership positions, where you will face time-sensitive decisions with limited information. Reflecting on each class discussion will prepare you to face these situations in your future

Speaker 7: roles. I definitely had a voice before HBS and I think everyone comes in with a voice and a perspective. But it's definitely shifting and I think it's growing and developing and hopefully maturing in a way that will allow me to be more effective, not just in spreadsheets or analytics, but in actually leading people in real life.

Speaker 8: We live in a very complex world with pressing issues that are only going to get more and more complicated. The case method is the only method, in my mind, that's going to get students close enough to these problems that they can grapple with, that they can try to understand, that they can debate, so that when they leave, they can actually imagine engaging with real solutions as leaders that can make a difference.