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&lt;p&gt;Congratulations: not only did you get into business school; you are actually ready to &lt;i&gt;go&lt;/i&gt; to business school.  You&#39;ve talked to your boss, filled out all the paperwork, and written that first tuition check.  But there&#39;s one more thing for which you have to prepare before you waltz into your first class: gossip.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://content.screencast.com/users/cwisevault/folders/Default/media/a46f3eea-d747-4aee-8387-63f70fc2e3a7/YellowLockersLeft.png&quot; alt=&quot;Lockers aren&#39;t just for high school, business schools have them too!&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; width=&quot;294&quot; height=&quot;224&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s one of the few similarities between high school and business school (including lockers for students): anything you do, especially in the first weeks, can haunt you for years.  While the &quot;I was a college freshman&quot; excuse forgives almost anything short of a felony, &quot;it was my first week of B-school&quot; won&#39;t get you off the hook.  Like high school, incoming MBA classes are relatively small.  Like high school, most first-year MBA candidates take the exact same courses.  Unlike high school, after which most people lose track of their classmates, you will still be in touch with your B-school cohorts long after you re-enter the professional world.  With that in mind, here are the top three action plans to avoid in those first weeks of classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Top 3 ways to avoid ruining your business school reputation in the first week&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Don&#39;t be too, too, too anything.&lt;/b&gt;  As I said before, if you get hammered your second night, you&#39;ll always be known as the drunk--even as an alum.  Don&#39;t get stoned, because then you&#39;ll always be known as the stoner.  Even on the more legal side of things, if you&#39;re too friendly, gregarious, arrogant, etc.--even if it&#39;s just first day jitters--that adjective will stick for a loooong time. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Don&#39;t be the first student-student couple.&lt;/b&gt;  An MIT Sloan alumnus mentioned this one a few weeks ago.  Everyone talks about the first class couple.  A lot.  This phenomenon is further amplified if everyone lives together on a residential campus like at HBS.  That&#39;s not to say you can&#39;t ask that handsome (or pretty) new stranger out on a date or two.  What it does mean, however, is that you should probably wait until someone else takes the plunge; and even then, be discreet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Don&#39;t mouth off to anyone&lt;/b&gt;, at least not yet.  Does &quot;free square in a*hole Bingo&quot; mean anything to you?  If not, this is the quickest way to learn.  Whether it&#39;s the cashier at the dining hall or the soon-to-be student body president, you never want to be &quot;that guy.&quot;  Because you would be.  &lt;i&gt;Forever&lt;/i&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So keep it clean, keep it cool and you&#39;ll be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;--Written by Madison Priest&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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