Andy9o8 3 #1 May 29, 2006 http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513563 QuoteA 26-year-old college dropout who carries President Bush’s breath mints and makes him peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches will follow in his boss’s footsteps this fall when he enrolls at Harvard Business School (HBS). Though it is rare for HBS—or any other professional or graduate school—to admit a student who does not have an undergraduate degree, admissions officers made an exception for Blake Gottesman, who for four years has served as special assistant and personal aide to Bush. Gottesman, a Texas native who attended Claremont-McKenna College in California for one year, has long had ties to the Bush family. He dated the president’s daughter, Jenna Bush, nearly ten years ago... HBS spokesman James E. Aisner ’68 explained the decision to accept Gottesman, even though he is not a college graduate, by telling The Economist that “extraordinary circumstances will sometimes compel it to drop [its] rule” of only admitting students who hold bachelor's degrees. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #2 May 29, 2006 Clearly they have very low standards.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #3 May 30, 2006 Quote Clearly they have very low standards. but certainly they must be full of PhDs ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #4 May 30, 2006 Takes some wind out of the sails of the necons who say "How can Bush be stupid, he want to Harvard Business School!" -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #5 May 30, 2006 QuoteQuote Clearly they have very low standards. but certainly they must be full of PhDs Sure it's not MBAs?... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #6 May 30, 2006 QuoteQuoteQuote Clearly they have very low standards. but certainly they must be full of PhDs Sure it's not MBAs? A little from column A, a little from column B....... Always have to wonder about someone who decided to stay in school instead of going off and working. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #7 May 30, 2006 Quote Clearly they have very low standards. There's more to life than academia. The guy has unique experience, a hatchet job saying he carries the President's mints and sandwitches doesn't change that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,132 #8 May 30, 2006 >The guy has unique experience, a hatchet job saying he carries the >President's mints and sandwitches doesn't change that. To be fair, a guy who has lived his life as a street person in New York has some very unique (and valid) experiences as well. Should those experiences qualify him for admission? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #9 May 30, 2006 Quote>The guy has unique experience, a hatchet job saying he carries the >President's mints and sandwitches doesn't change that. To be fair, a guy who has lived his life as a street person in New York has some very unique (and valid) experiences as well. Should those experiences qualify him for admission? Valid for what? This is just another of your snow jobs where you try to pretend all things are equal. If you want to say a bum on the street has professional experience as valuable as a guy serving as an aide to the POTUS then say it. Until then you're not actually saying anything that needs to be addressed directly. American schools like to collect trophy graduates, they only hire the bums. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,132 #10 May 30, 2006 >Valid for what? Well, that's the $64,000 question. If said bum spent time talking to drunk Wall Street investment managers outside bars at closing time, or he spent his days reading books on business management, then he might well have the sort of experience that MBA programs are looking for. But that's unlikely. Likewise, if said Bush aide spent his time briefing Colin Powell on situations in foreign countries, and prepared budget analyses for White House consumption, he might well have some good experience. But dog-sitting, carrying speeches and giving the president the "two minute" signal (as described) is about as useful as panhandling when it comes to being prepared for a graduate degree in business. Everyone with a brain knows that this guy got into HBS because he was a personal friend of the president - and Harvard knows that it's better to have the President of the United States owe you a favor than the community of street people in Manhattan. His experience is irrelevant. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #11 May 30, 2006 Quote street people in Manhattan. His experience is irrelevant. I know who I'd rather hire. At some level you want to give the education to the person who is going to do the most with it. Realistically this is what drives the recruitment policy at schools where applications vastly exceed available places. This guy has shown the potential to go places and use an Ivy League education, you can pretend otherwise all day long, but his experience and a letter of recommendation from the sitting President outshines a lot of applications and it SHOULD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #12 May 30, 2006 Quote> (as described) yes, the article was certainly an objective and kindly written one, wasn't it Good for the kid. Knowing the right people certainly doesn't hurt. It's pretty normal for any of us to has a network. At a place like Harvard, I suspect, other than the admission itself, the kid will get a lot more crap from professors, just because he worked for GWB. And this prejudice will be there even if he turns out to be a good student and decent person. All 'special' treatment isn't positive. I suspect he'll get a raft of negative and petty treatment. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 3 #13 May 30, 2006 QuoteThe guy has unique experience, a hatchet job saying he carries the President's mints and sandwitches doesn't change that. You're right. He also dated Bush's daughter. Let's not engage in a sin of omission. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #14 May 30, 2006 QuoteQuoteThe guy has unique experience, a hatchet job saying he carries the President's mints and sandwitches doesn't change that. You're right. He also dated Bush's daughter. Let's not engage in a sin of omission. Or guilt by association. There's a difference between saying "I'm POTUS, here's my buddy give him a degree." and "I'm POTUS, this fine young man has served me with distinction for 4 years in the Whitehouse and I endorse his application.". Maybe you're right and we should just piss all over applicants with experience at the highest level of government and references from the most influential men in the nation & give bums & hobos equal consideration. I'm glad someone out there sees that leaving academia to pursue real world opportunities like this guy had shouldn't be a career killer nor hold you back, quite the opposite in fact. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 3 #15 May 31, 2006 QuoteMaybe you're right and we should just piss all over applicants with experience at the highest level of government and references from the most influential men in the nation & give bums & hobos equal consideration. See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #16 May 31, 2006 QuoteClearly they have very low standards. Kerry went there right? Why does everything that has to do with Bush automaticly have to be slammed by you? An aid to a President has more experience than 99% of the world in how the country actually works. While I don't agree with them just letting the guy in without a lower degree. I can see how he might be more qualified than some guy that just spent 4 years in school and has never worked. Much less worked at such a high level. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crwtom 0 #17 May 31, 2006 QuoteA 26-year-old college dropout who carries President Bush’s breath mints and makes him peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches will follow in his boss’s footsteps this fall when he enrolls at Harvard Business School (HBS). How did this guy do on his GMAT ? Or how did GWB do on his GMAT for that matter? Cheers, T . ******************************************************************* Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #18 May 31, 2006 QuoteQuoteClearly they have very low standards. Kerry went there right? WRONG - Kerry went to Yale, where he was admited on merit, as opposed to affirmative action like Bush. Quote Why does everything that has to do with Bush automaticly have to be slammed by you? An aid to a President has more experience than 99% of the world in how the country actually works. While I don't agree with them just letting the guy in without a lower degree. I can see how he might be more qualified than some guy that just spent 4 years in school and has never worked. Much less worked at such a high level. Yes, carrying the Prez's mints is a great career building move.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,132 #19 May 31, 2006 >I know who I'd rather hire. I'd rather hire the best person for the job, and I can't tell that from reading an article. If you can, well, good for you. >At some level you want to give the education to the person who is going >to do the most with it. Well, no. If you run a school, you want to give the education to the person who will do the most for the _school_. Harvard is not a charity. If someone is going to go on to become a Nobel laureate, or cure cancer, their name would become associated with the school and be a huge plus overall. If someone is going to indebt you to the president of the US, that's a huge plus too. >but his experience and a letter of recommendation from the sitting >President outshines a lot of applications and it SHOULD. No argument there. The school is better off with him there, for the reasons listed above. Heck, old Snuffy could probably get into HBS with a recommendation from the president of the US. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justinb138 0 #20 May 31, 2006 Quote Yes, carrying the Prez's mints is a great career building move. It got Clinton's intern a book deal didn't it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #21 May 31, 2006 QuoteIt got Clinton's intern a book deal didn't it? Its who you know and who you blow.... works every time in politics Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #22 May 31, 2006 QuoteWRONG - Kerry went to Yale, where he was admited on merit, as opposed to affirmative action like Bush. Sorry I thought you were bashing Yale for letting Bush in. Oh wait, you just did. Last I checked, Bush was Anglo. So how was it AA again? Not enough Texans up there? QuoteYes, carrying the Prez's mints is a great career building move. Clearly it is since the guy is now going to Harvard without a degree. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #23 May 31, 2006 QuoteI'd rather hire the best person for the job, and I can't tell that from reading an article. If you can, well, good for you. But you can tell that this aid is not qualified to go to Harvard based on that same article? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,132 #24 May 31, 2006 >But you can tell that this aid is not qualified to go to >Harvard based on that same article? I can tell that not getting an undergrad degree would _ordinarily_ disqualify him for some pretty good reasons. Having the President of the United States owing you a favor is an excellent reason to waive that requirement. You know this, and I'm pretty sure you agree with it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 3 #25 May 31, 2006 Quote[re: Bush...] So how was it AA again? You realize what a great straight line this is, right? Eh, I'll let it slide. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
