Through sharing their strengths and shortcomings with their sectionmates, students soon develop a sense of unity that celebrates success and gives support when needed. This ability stems from the program's First Year learning teams. Each entering class is divided into groups of five or six persons who meet throughout the year to analyze cases before class, and to reflect on them afterwards. Learning teams encompass a range of professional expertise and demographic diversity. Each section is represented on each team, providing the opportunity to hear how the case discussion unfolded in other classes.
Most teams meet daily in the beginning while students master the case method.
As the First Year progresses and students become better judges of the requirements of each course, those meetings may grow shorter, or less frequent as the nature of the next day's instruction dictates. Of course, learning teams don't just grow academically. As team members have different abilities and backgrounds, they also have different outlooks on how to approach cases. Sorting through group dynamics is as valuable a preparation for business as case analysis. Strong friendships develop in this context, some of which evolve into long-lasting business relationships.