I've recently had the pleasure of chatting with prospective candidates at The MBA Tour fairs in New York, Boston and Washington DC. It's always interesting to see the types of questions that pop up at these events, and I thought I would post a few FAQs that seem to be on people's minds at this stage in the admissions process.
Q. When is the best time for me to visit campus?
A. Prospective candidates are welcome to visit campus at any time of the year. Thanks to our lovely LA weather, the UCLA campus is a beautiful place to visit all year round. We hold Group Information Sessions (GIS) on campus year-round. However, if you do have flexibility in your schedule and can visit between mid-October and April, we will have class visits available for you to sign-up for. At the moment, classes are not in session, so it may be best for you to wait until we have some additional offerings for you to get the most out of your campus visit. Schedules for class visits are typically posted in late September/early October, so please keep checking our website for updates.
Q. Is it to my advantage to apply far in advance of a round deadline?
A. Our application rounds are not rolling. So, if you decide, for example, you're going to apply for Round 1 (deadline: October 24th), you are at no advantage if you apply on September 1st or October 24th. Admissions officers typically start to review applications after the deadline has passed. However, it might be wise for you to click "submit" a day or two before the deadline just in case you run in to technical problems. Of course, we always recommend that you start working on your application far in advance of the actual round deadline.
Q. Am I at a disadvantage if I'm applying with a non-business undergraduate degree?
A. UCLA Anderson reviews applications from candidates with all different undergraduate majors. In fact, there isn't really a "typical" degree from which we admit candidates, and we like to have representation from all different backgrounds. For candidates who do not have a lot of quantitative coursework in their degree, we do tend to rely a bit more on the GMAT exam to assess your ability to complete the rigorous quantitative coursework in the first year of the program.
Please be sure to check our events schedule for opportunities to meet our admissions officers in person in a city near you. If we're not in your region this year, don't forget to check out one of our weekly webinars. We're happy to answer any questions you may have about the admissions process and our program!
Lindsay-
Thanks for the FAQ post. It was great meeting you in DC. I hope to follow up soon.
Posted by: Warren Rizzi | August 06, 2012 at 02:19 PM