Section mates take their first-year classes together, sharing cases, classroom facilities, and their own dedicated team of faculty. Section faculty teach and manage the learning environment, using their own research and real-world experience to introduce innovative ideas and approaches to learning. In turn, students exercise their team-building and management skills to develop protocols for effective learning and shape the distinctive norms and personality of their sections. Through FIELD projects and global immersions, first-year students enrich their section experiences by participating in small, cross-section teams that change throughout the year, connecting participants to the broader HBS community.
Students quickly discover that the section experience gets them fully engaged during their first year at HBS and beyond, helping to forge lasting friendships and invaluable contacts for life. In effect, the section becomes a safe and intimate haven where, under the encouragement of mutual support, students can apply newly acquired skills and leadership abilities. It's one of the most formative and defining experiences at HBS.