Peter Robinson left his job as a presidential speechwriter to pursue an MBA at Stanford Business School. He had a diverse educational background including law, poetry, and mathematics. At business school, he struggled with statistics, computers, microeconomics, and financial accounting. Through intense study and solitary preparation, he was able to pass his midterms, ranking 8th from the bottom in statistics. By the end of his first year, he began to understand business situations better and see the value of an MBA, but still questioned whether it was the right path for him and what challenges life after his MBA might bring.

1. The making of an MBA
Book Overview By
AmritPal Singh Bedi

2. Goodbye Mr. president
• Peter Robinson-left presidential office in
1988 as speechwriter to the then
president Reagen to persue MBA from
“Stanford business school”
He was having background in:
LAW

3. MBA college- Inferno begins
POET
Mathematics
Essentials of
Accounting
OB
Surrounded by

4. Maths Activity- love maths with practical examples
 If you fold single piece of paper in half, folded it again in
half and keep on folding it in half a total of thirty-two
times, how thick would the sheet be?
Answer: 271 miles

5. Orientation- journey continues
Initial Computer Camp: making of excel spreadsheets
Introduction to college, classmates, environment
 Students with Rich and Poor family backgrounds.

6. Inside classroom: Snapshots from “HELL”
Decision
making
Under
Uncertainty
Statistics
Computer
Modelling
Micro-
economics
Financial
Accounting

7. Question in his mind
I do not understand-
• Statistics
• Computers
• Micro
• Accounting
I do understand OB, but I don’t like it. So,
What am I doing in a B-school?

8. Student life: More Snapshots from Hell
Restless
nights
Painful
subjects
Difference
in thoughts
No/little
time
For family

9. Midterms: the Horror
2 phases:
The week
before exams The week of
exams
Being student VS Being exam takers

10. Glimpse of Midterm conversation

11. Result of Midterm
Passed
Accounting
Computers
Micro-eco
“H” in OB
Among 333
students,
ranked 8th * in
“Statistics”
*(from the bottom)

12. Stockholm Syndrome
named after Stockholm bank robbery incident
“I am responsible for my failure, not Stanford”

13. Finals
Preparation
Day start at 6:30
followed by light jog &
balanced diet in menu to
ensure good
mental/physical health
Group study NO MORE-
solitary study
Outcome
Change from
“Nothing about
business”
to
“Face complicate
business situations”

14. Shopping with girlfriend
Party with colleagues
Now more Business minded
It’s party time now- Christmas break

15. Party over- Back to Hell, Back to Inferno
Endless looking chain of Case studies, Mathematical formulaes and
long unreadable books.
Numbers Numbers Numbers
Interesting Operation VS painful Cost Accounting
Case study-Japanese
Car Manufacturing
Definition of MBA degree holder
• Luxurious cars Porsche
• High salary with glamorous jobs

16. Questions of life ahead MBA
Marriage Money
Some return to their home place for jobs, refusing offers that they got
“Even big guys like P&G make mistakes”