For general admissions questions: mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu
UCLA Anderson introduces Assets Digital magazineWe are happy to announce the introduction of the new Assets Digital Magazine. Check out the many compelling stories about our wonderful community in this inaugural issue of Assets Digital. For the best viewing experience we recommend downloading it for your iPad.
To learn more visit the Anderson Digital site.
The admissions committee, in evaluating a candidate's potential for academic success and achievement in our MBA program, relies heavily on two important indicators: prior academic performance (e.g. undergraduate/baccalaureate degree, advanced degrees and post-baccalaureate coursework) and an applicant's GMAT score. The GMAT test, when evaluated along with a candidate's prior academic achievement at the undergraduate level and beyond, has been shown to quite accurately predict how a student will perform in his or her first year of an MBA program.
As our admissions officers chat with candidates on the road, we do receive a lot of questions from applicants wondering if a certain GMAT or GPA score alone prevents or guarantees them entrance to our MBA program. For example: "My GPA is below your average. Should I still apply?" We always tell candidates that the range of GMAT scores and GPAs we see in each year's incoming class really is quite broad. One of the reasons for this is that the committee weighs an applicant's GPA and GMAT score hand-in-hand and an assessment of a candidate's overall academic competitiveness is made by balancing a review of test scores with a thorough evaluation of transcripts.
It's important to note, as well, that the admissions committee takes into context not only your actual scores or letter grades, but factors such as the competitive level of your curriculum and school, the course load you chose and academic trends exhibited on your transcript. We do give applicants the benefit of the doubt for the odd "blip" on a transcript, but admitted candidates tend to show a consistent level of functioning above their peers. We see candidates from all different undergraduate majors (and love to see this academic diversity in the class!); however, in cases where we don't see a lot of quantitative coursework on an undergraduate or graduate-level transcript, we may look for indication of quantitative proficiency through a candidate's quantitative score on the GMAT. Similarly, strong performance in quantitative courses at the undergraduate level may take a bit of pressure off a candidate's quantitative score achieved on the GMAT.
The admissions committee is ultimately assessing that a candidate has the necessary preparation to succeed in our program and we really do evaluate GPAs and GMAT scores in the context of the overall application. For this reason, when determining your competitiveness as an applicant, it may be advisable to look at our GMAT and GPA ranges rather than strict averages.
For additional information on academic records including what documentation you will need to send us as part of your application, please visit: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27513.xml
For additional information on submitting your GMAT score to us please visit: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27512.xml
- Lindsay
We are in tune with changing academic systems worldwide, and we have refined our requirements accordingly as seen on our Application Requirements web page: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27502.xml
For example, we have seen more and more applicants with 3-year bachelor's degrees like the new European standard. So our standard for graduate admission remains a 4-year degree or its equivalent, but we can use our discretion to admit candidates with 3-year undergraduate degrees if we determine that that their entire academic profile and overall application are strong enough.
Similarly, our standard for English fluency still requires a TOEFL or IELTS score from all applicants who were not educated in English. But we will consider applications from those without TOEFL or IELTS scores if the candidate earned a degree where the sole language of instruction was English. This means that applicants from countries such as India and Singapore no longer have to take the language test if they were schooled in English. Naturally we will take all verbal scores, essays and other indicators into account to ensure total fluency within the incoming class. Proving proficiency with a TOEFL or IELTS score is still the best way for international applicants to ensure competitiveness in our evaluation process.
First stop for UCLA Anderson in Latin America: Buenos AiresAs a native of Latin America, I am always thrilled to have the opportunity to travel back to South America and meet fellow Latin Americans interested in becoming part of the UCLA Anderson family.
Thursday night was the first of a series of Information Evenings--that is what we call our information sessions--I will be doing in Latin America. My next stops include Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima, Monterrey and Mexico City. During my trip, I intend to share on our blog any pertinent questions that arise during my events In Latin America that may be of interest to any prospective UCLA MBA Applicants.
One interesting questions that arose at my event in Buenos Aires was about the importance of grades (GPA’s) and whether lower grades should deter applicants from applying to top competitive schools.
At UCLA Anderson, we know that grades are important but we also know that they are only one aspect of what an individual can brings to an MBA program. We look at grades as one of the indicators that will help us predict how you will do academically. However, when looking at your undergraduate grades, we evaluate a number of other factors. We also look at each individual school for its academic rigor and the difficulty of your particular course load. We also examine the progression and any improvements you may have demonstrated throughout your education.
Last but not least, we also understand that sometimes, unforeseen circumstances affect your ability to perform. That is why we look holistically at the entire application. We look to see other indications of academic performance such as GMAT scores, additional courses taken after college, professional certificates and even the nature of your work to help offset a blemish in your academic career.
We work hard at crafting a diverse class of well-rounded individuals with professional maturity and leadership potential. Grades are only one part of a larger and more complex evaluation and selection process. For more information on our evaluation process please visit our website.
-Adrian Aguirre
Associate Admissions Director
UCLA Anderson
By now, many of you have probably heard of or read about UCLA Anderson's new curriculum, set to go into effect with this fall's incoming students. We're excited with these changes as they will be even more effective at preparing students for their chosen career tracks early on, while retaining the flexibility and breadth of incredible classes that we're known for.
In a nutshell, the MBA curriculum is structured around four key components:
A comprehensive overview of these components are found in the Academics section of our website - I highly encourage you to read this when you have a chance. At this time, I'd like to address some common questions from prospective applicants about the new curriculum.
Why did UCLA Anderson decide to change the MBA program curriculum?
Our curriculum was redesigned to provide the strongest level of preparation for students' chosen career objectives. Tracks provide students the flexibility to customize their core curriculum to maximize their success in the summer internship search their first year, while certificates provide depth of knowledge in specific industries and sectors in the second year. Development of strong leadership & communication skills and completion of our capstone AMR project round out the MBA experience at UCLA Anderson.
Does the new curriculum affect any other MBA programs? (FEMBA, EMBA, etc.)
No, the changes to the curriculum only affect the full-time MBA program.
Are tracks and certificates mandatory?
Tracks will be mandatory starting with the Class of 2014. Certificates are optional.
What if I decide to switch tracks during my time in the program?
Students are not locked into a track once they begin the program, so if you decide to change your career focus from, let's say, finance to marketing, you have the opportunity to do so during your first year in the program. However, keep in mind that the new curriculum is designed to prepare you early on for summer internship recruiting, which starts the beginning of winter quarter, so it's very important to take the time to figure out what your post-MBA career goals are during the MBA application process.
Feel free to leave questions in the comments section below or email us at mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu.
2011 Entrepreneurs Conference at UCLA AndersonUCLA Anderson will hold the 2011 Entrepreneurs Conference this coming Friday, May 13! Come meet, listen to and network with a variety of professional and student entrepreneurs at the largest entrepreneurial event on the UCLA campus.
This year's theme is "It's the Journey" and will focus on the process of building a business. For most entrepreneurs, the journey is never over as they continue to grow, overcome obstacles and set new goals and priorities. The joy comes from the completion of a succession of steps, not the finale outcome. A variety of keynote speeches, panels and *new* case studies will highlight the thriving world of entrepreneurship in Southern California and beyond. Topics include fundraising, growing a local marketing presence, relationship-building as well as industry topics such as cleantech, new media, retail and mass customization, restaurants, education, microfinance, real estate and biotech. A fast pitch competition will also be held.
For details and to register for the conference please visit the event site.
-MBA Admissions and Financial Aid
UCLA Anderson Spotlight: From LA to the Rainforest - AMR Project Provides Unique Consulting Experience
When Deborah Yim applied to UCLA Anderson’s MBA program, she knew that hands-on learning was a big feature of the academic experience. Her plan was to transition from accounting to consulting after graduation so the more real-world experience she could gain in her new field the better. She particularly looked forward to the Applied Management Research Program (AMR) in which second-year MBA students can work on consulting projects for actual clients.
However, when she learned that her AMR project would be for Conservation International to help save the Amazon Rainforest, she was blown away. She had never expected to have an opportunity to work on such a unique consulting project much less conduct research in Suriname, but that is exactly where the AMR took her. Now that her project is wrapping up, we asked Yim to tell us about her AMR experience. Here’s what she said:
“Conservation International gave our AMR team a fairly broad question related to tourism in Suriname, which is a small country above Brazil mostly comprised of untouched rainforest. It wanted to know if tourism could provide the country with an alternative lucrative industry in place of ones such as mining that would be destructive to the rainforest.
“Since there is hardly any information available on Suriname on the Internet, we were fortunate that we had the opportunity to visit the country for on-the-ground research. During our team’s visits, we conducted in-person interviews, studied the current infrastructure, and even tested out tourism products such as hotels and tours. We then used our data to do a value chain analysis as well as a comparative analysis to other countries like Belize and Costa Rica.
“During my last visit, we presented our findings that tourism could be a sustainable source of revenue, but that it’s very early and they have a lot to work on. This confirmed what many involved in the tourism industry in Suriname have long believed, but now they have data from our project to back it up.
“My AMR project has been a unique opportunity to not only gain consulting experience for a real client, but to apply my business skills in such an interesting and remote setting. The project really encouraged independent, out-of-the box thinking. We pulled from various aspects of our classes into this project, making it a different and effective way of learning.
“It definitely helped me achieve my goal of gaining a broader business education to transition into consulting – I’ll be working in M&A consulting for Ernst & Young after graduation.”
- MBA Admissions and Financial Aid
UCLA Anderson Spotlight: Study Abroad Program in Brazil Gives Consultant Competitive Edge
Erica Good in Patagonia during her International Exchange
While working as a consultant in Atlanta, Erica Good saw the increasing demand for consultants with Portuguese language skills to staff Brazilian projects. Having travelled there as a tourist, she was interested in learning Portuguese and about Brazil’s emerging market in greater depth. So when she started UCLA Anderson’s MBA Program last year, she started looking into study abroad opportunities in Brazil.
“At UCLA Anderson, students have an opportunity to study at a wide range of International Exchange partner schools. The school is in a network of top business schools that promotes exchanges around the world. And because we’re on the quarter system, it’s particularly doable since students aren’t gone an entire semester – you don’t miss as much of the Anderson experience in LA,” says Good, who studied abroad last fall at COPPEAD at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro where she took classes on intercultural negotiation, international logistics, and brand management.
“It was such an amazing experience,” she says. “I really wanted to learn about doing business in Brazil and I got a strong handle on that. I also really enjoyed meeting the other Brazilian students and I got to see quite a bit of South America by travelling on the weekends to places like Patagonia and Machu Picchu.”
The biggest challenge, notes Good, was learning a new language. “I had some Spanish skills before I left and thought that would help me learn Portuguese, but they are very different languages. After being in Brazil for a quarter, I can now read Portuguese pretty well, but because of my accent I think I understand others better than they understand me.”
Since she was studying abroad last fall during recruiting season, Good had a more customized experience looking for a post-graduation consulting job. “Before I left, I did all of my networking by talking to recruiters, meeting with Anderson alumni at consulting firms, and talking to current students who had interned at those companies over the summer. In Brazil, I did the first round of interviews by phone and flew back to LA for final round. When I interviewed with McKinsey, I actually went to their Rio office and did a teleconference with their LA office,” she says, adding that recruiters were especially interested in her study abroad experience because of the demand for consultants on Brazilian projects.
Having accepted an offer to join McKinsey’s LA office after graduation, Good says that her study abroad experience has been a highlight of her time at Anderson. “It really gave me a chance to see business in practice in a completely different cultural context. I would definitely recommend that other students do a study abroad during their time at UCLA Anderson to learn about business from a different perspective and experience a new culture.”
MBA Admissions Office Early Holiday Closure at 1:00pm, Friday, December 17th.Please be advised that the UCLA Anderson MBA Admissions and Financial Aid offices will be closing at 1:00pm this Friday, December 17, 2010. We will be periodically checking the admissions mailbox during the break at mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu. Please be patient as we will not be answering within our usual 24 hour standard. The offices will resume full time hours on Monday, January 3, 2011 at 8:00am PST. Please enjoy a happy, healthy and safe holiday season! See you next year!
UCLA Anderson Ranked #1 in Best Campus EnvironmentThis past Tuesday the Princeton Review published the 2011 edition of its annual Best Business Schools guidebook, ranking UCLA Anderson as #1 among 300 outstanding institutions for best campus environment. The ranking is based on student answers to survey questions concerning the safety, attractiveness, and location of the school.
At the Princeton Review Site there is a “Survey Says” section that highlights some of the topics about which UCLA Anderson students universally agree. You can also find answers to FAQs about the book, the survey, actual rankings, and a "User's Guide to our Business School Rankings and Ratings."
