Photocredit: daylife.com

To all you freshmen still cursing the Housing Gods for last week’s placement into – let’s be real here – anywhere that requires a UC Shuttleboy App to get to, a silver lining may come from an unexpected source.

Tyra Banks – former supermodel, current America’s Next Top Model host, and Harvard Business School Executive Education Program student – told Jimmy Fallon on his late-night show that despite having been initially “freaked out” when she learned that dormitory residence was mandatory for enrollment in her program, she now relishes living in her single-in-a-suite, describing the experience as “like summer camp.”

Her other thoughts on the HBS curriculum, a part-time, multi-year course series for executives seeking greater academic training, coming with a price tag of $31,000? As Banks pithily – and oh-so-deliciously – opined to MTV News, Harvard life is “fabulous and fierce.”

In other words, freshmen, suck it up.  If Tyra can live happily here, so can you.

Guyssss, she's one of ussss. (Photo credit: Yes, this picture is actually from cocoperez.com)

Guys. Tyra Banks is enrolling at Harvard.

OK, so it’s “only” the B-school’s Executive Education program, a one to two-week program that allows professionals to take classes at the school. Oh, and it costs $31,000. But still.

Seriously, start smiling with your eyes. Like now.

There are a frightening number of desktop wallpapers with her picture online.

Preity Zinta, a Bollywood actress, is planning to take a short executive course at the Harvard Business School.  Now, not being a huge Bollywood fan, I naturally have no idea who she is, but Wikipedia tells me she was in Kal Ho Naa Ho, which turns out to sound familiar because my half-Indian roommate has the movie.  Be excited, roommate.

Says the actress:

“Yes, I’m going to the Harvard Business School to study a short executive course in negotiating and deal-making. I thought that since I spend so much time in the US, I might as well use the experience better. I applied to Harvard and got accepted, so I’m quite kicked about going there next month.”

Personally, it occurs to me that maybe this isn’t the best time to be announcing that you studied at HBS, but more power to you, Preity Zinta.  After all, maybe all those jobless MBAs will appreciate you bringing some excessively bright and heavily choreographed dance numbers into their lives.

Oh honey, my mascara does that smeary thing too sometimes.

In weird Harvard-related news:

A man from Harvard Business School allegedly choked a cop this weekend – while dressed in drag. Naturally he was dolled up for the Priscilla Ball (as in, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) hosted by the HBS Australia and New Zealand club. We hope this all gets sorted out soon and that the officer involved was not hurt in the scuffle. And while we shake our collective heads in shame at their conduct (that’s certainly not the way a lady behaves), we can’t help but chortle a bit. Plus, the word-nerd in us is weirdly excited – ever notice that grad also spells drag?

But certainly the most entertaining/infuriating aspect of this whole affair is the comments left by anonymous users on the source site. And while we certainly agree that Harvard’s image has declined in recent times, we can’t help but ask that random people on the interwebs calm the heck down; a couple rowdy grad students ≠ the end of Harvard and the world as we know it. Read our “favorite”  comments after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »