Now instead of taking five classes right away, as was customary, new HBS students take one class on business history, one on ethics and decision-making and one on quantitative methods.

Clark and other professors hail the new classes as making the HBS education more complete than it had been before. They also claim the classes make the transition to case-based education easier for students.

Students say they agree that the Foundations program makes coming to HBS easier by lowering competition at the beginning of their time there and, as many observed, "leveling the playing field" by ensuring that all students have the same corpus of basic skills.

"It's good for practicing the way you study cases, analyze cases and participate in class," says Brigitte G. Godi, a first-year student. "Not everyone is familiar with the case method, and [the Foundations program] is a good way to get your feet wet."

Most students' first reaction, however, is not to praise the program itself but one of its side benefits--the opportunity to better network with their classmates. In the past, students were segmented into sections of 90 and stayed together for their two years. In the Foundations program, though, they get to interact with a much larger number of students than before.

"Foundations has been outstanding in meeting my peers," says first-year student Conn P. Jackson.

As for the actual course-work, students are often less enthusiastic. While they acknowledge it is usually interesting, many complain that it often doesn't teach them anything they don't already know.

"I think it is valuable for some more than others," says first-year Brian E. Krim. "Quant is great for those with no quantitative skills, but I know it's not valuable to a good portion of the class."

Harding Professor of Business H. Kent Bowen says the explanation for the varying usefulness of the Foundations program is that the school now admits--and as a result of the program will be able to admit--a far greater variety of students than it did in the past.

"One of the exciting things is the incredible diversity of students," Bowen says. "One of difficult things in teaching is the incredible diversity of students."

Information Technology

Clark lists the increase in the use of information technology first among his ideas about the direction of the business school.

"We are very strongly committed to bringing information technology into the heart of the school," Clark says.

The business school has a long history of emphasizing technology, including being the first business school in the country to require students to own a personal computer, Clark says. Computers have long been required for statistical analysis and exam-taking in some classes.

"It's not like we woke up on October 1st and discovered the computer," Clark says.