The MBA Student Voice

C4C 2012 - Bigger Than Ever

This year, demand for Challenge 4 Charity weekend tickets was overwhelming.  The 1,300 available tickets sold out several weeks in advance to the surprise of many.  As co-captain of the Anderson C4C tennis team, I was sad to hear that two of our players, Alex and Pam, were not able to secure a ticket before in time.  Last year, Stanford man-handled our tennis team up and down the line up, and we really wanted to put up our best possible team to make things more competitive.  Thankfully,  Stanford (the hosts of this widely popular event), had a secondary market in place so that people could have a second chance through the wait list.  

A few days before the event, both Pam and Alex fortunately secured a last minute ticket off of this secondary market.  With their help, I'm thrilled to say that we won the tennis event.  In fact, Anderson won the entire sporting event of the weekend, also securing 1st place finishes in co-ed football, table tennis, men's soccer, men and women's volleyball, and squash.  We came painfully close to clinching the men's A basketball title when Stanford's point guard drained an off-balance 3 with less than a minute to go.  Nonetheless, I am very proud of the way our guys stepped up and challenged the highly talented Stanford team (e.g., 2-time NBA champion Mark Madsen was their center, and Graham defended him really well).  The atmosphere in that Arrillaga gym was nothing short of electric.  Let's just say that it did not feel like an MBA event!

If there's anything I learned from that weekend, it's that MBAs love playing sports and cheering for teammates.  Thanks to all my fellow west-coast MBAs for the great memories.  Many bonds were formed and new friendships created during this epic weekend -- I'm pretty sure we all can agree that this result is a win-win for everyone.

Jesse Ferlianto '12
Twitter: @jferlianto

UCLA Anderson Tennis - C4C 2012 Champions!
(Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Mah) 

Spring Forward

As I write this, I’m sitting on a beach drinking a Mai Tai. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m sitting in my apartment watching SportsCenter. But it is spring break and that’s cause for a celebration worthy of some sort of umbrella-garnished beverage. Winter quarter is now over, which is a relief. For most of us, the past quarter was characterized by a mad dash for internships. As I previously posted, I spent much of it recruiting for an entertainment/sports internship. I’m happy to report that I’ll be working at Nike this summer. So I now have two things in common with LeBron James. We both can dunk, and we’ll both be getting paid by Nike this summer. Ok, maybe it’s just one thing in common. Still, I’m pretty fired up for my adventure in Oregon.

I’m also excited for what’s to come in the following weeks. From what second year students tell me, spring quarter is second to none. For one, we can expect beach weather every day (yes Randy Newman, I love L.A.). Also, there are several amazing Anderson events on tap this spring. Next week we have the PULSE Conference. The Entertainment Management Association, Sports Business Association and UCLA Anderson Center for Managing Enterprises in Media, Entertainment and Sports are hosting a day-long conference to address some of the biggest issues facing the entertainment and sports industries. A number of prominent industry professionals will speak, including Ron Meyer, the President and COO of Universal Studios. If you’re in SoCal on April 6th, you should come check it out.

This photo has nothing to do with this post. But I was told that the readers of this blog like pictures, so I didn't want to disappoint. Also, if you come to UCLA, you can look at views like this all of the time. Trust me, it never gets old.

The following week, more than a hundred Anderson students will head up north to Stanford for the annual Challenge 4 Charity Weekend. This weekend is a culmination of a year’s worth of fundraising and volunteering. Nine west coast business schools will compete in a variety of athletic events, including basketball, dodgeball, ping pong and dancing. I’ll be playing golf and flag football. The top-performing school brings home the coveted Golden Briefcase. There will also be a heavy amount of “socializing” going on. So it’ll provide a good opportunity to hang out with other MBA students.

Another irrelevant picture. I went to my first Lakers game this past quarter. Sat eight rows up. To quote Larry David, it was "pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good."

In addition this spring, we have the annual UCLA Anderson Fashion Show, as well as Ander-Prom. There’s nothing like reliving your high school glory days for a night. Plus we have A-Days, where we’ll wine and dine new admits. Add all of that to a full load of classes and it should be a busy quarter. But that’s the thing about business school: you’re never not busy. And as exhausting as it can sometimes get, I don’t think any of us would want it any other way.

--Willem

Follow me on Twitter: @willsouthwood

 

 

TED's Takeover of Our Campus

Today marks the final day of TED's four-day Takeover of UCLA Anderson.  This partnership was TED's first with an institution of higher education.  The "takeover" was designed to immerse the UCLA Anderson community in the TED experience, and I must say this event has to be one of the most memorable on-campus events of the quarter.  I'm sad to see the splashes of TED's signature velvet red go, but it's been quite a run.  Bold ideas, lively discussions, insightful panelists, challenging calls to action -- we students were treated to a highly concentrated dose all of these things as we wandered into the brightly decorated student lounge in between classes to see live recordings of various TED speakers from the 2012 conference in Long Beach.

One of the featured speakers was Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing Officer at Procter & Gamble and current adjunct professor at UCLA Anderson.  He made the case that we are entering an era where the narrative of business must change.  Companies must be driven by higher-order brand ideals in order to achieve truly sustainable growth.  These companies will attract the best talent and innovate in ways that make life better for the people they serve.  Without an ideal to guide an organization, people lose their passion to create and do meaningful work.  And without passion, your organization may be relegated to a future of mediocrity and underachievement.

The capstone event for the TED Takeover was an afternoon "campfire" with TED-inspired talks with some of our fellows classmates and professors.  Prof. Rakesh Sarin proposed his equation for the science of happiness, Prof. Bhagwan Chowdhry discussed his Financial Access @ Birth campaign, and fellow classmate Stephen Lehtonen challenged us to join the fight to design education around children's passions rather than standardized testing.  Class of 2013 students Stuti Goswami and Guy Holzman delivered inspired talks about the Dream Act and the need for corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.  Prof. Benartzi proposed a strategy for saving in the future by keeping a lid on your lifestyle while increasing earning potential.  The energy in the crowd was electric.  Standing ovations and loud cheering rumbled through the alumni plaza.  Great food and drinks + being surrounded by good company + bold innovative ideas = a night to remember.

Wish you all could have seen it for yourselves.

-- Jesse Ferlianto '12
Twitter: @jferlianto

 

 Stephen Lehtonen - my friend, classamate, and founder of Breakaway, giving his talk about education reform that had the entire room engrossed from beginning to end.  No joke.  That's tough to do these days, and this just gives you a sense of how gifted this guy truly is.

Guest post - Being ‘Out’ @ Anderson

Hello readers, I hope your 2012 is off to a great start!  Today I have a guest post from Joel Rosenzweig, a first year student who helped coordinate our first open house geared towards LGBT prospective students.  Please read on for highlights on the event as well as Joel's perspective on UCLA Anderson's LGBT community.  He also shares some helpful application tips for you at the end!

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On November 16th, the UCLA Anderson MBA Office of Admissions, in conjunction with Anderson’s LGBT student group Out@Anderson held our first Preview Day geared specifically to prospective LGBT students.  The turnout was impressive, with prospective students attending from around the country and world.  Candidates spent the day on campus, learning about the Anderson program, community and student life, with representation from Admissions, Financial Aid and the Parker Career Management Center.  After class visits and a campus tour guided by members of Out@Anderson, an informal reception was hosted so that candidates could mingle with staff, current students and LGBT alumni.  Dean Judy Olian even showed up to speak with prospective students, which was a treat for us all!

I am continually amazed by the passion that the administration, faculty and members of the Anderson community show towards embracing diversity.  Anderson proves to be not only a world-class institution, but also one that is welcoming to people and perspectives of all backgrounds.   Feedback from the event has been universally positive from those who attended.  We anticipate that this is the first of many such events in the future intended to build a stronger bridge between prospective LGBT candidates and the Anderson community.

One question that came up repeatedly throughout the day that I would like to personally address was most predictably regarding the admissions process.  Many candidates asked how ‘out’ they should be on their application.  Now I have to admit that at this point in my life I could not come across as “in” if I tried!  But, in all seriousness, why not embrace who you are?  After all, that is the entire point of the application- to highlight your accomplishments and shine a spotlight onto yourself.  As far as your achievements in life can be credited to your orientation, I believe it can only make a stronger case for yourself.  I, for example, am extremely passionate about serving the LGBT community and felt it was both necessary and relevant to elaborate upon this in my application.  I knew that whichever MBA program I would choose to attend I would continue to serve in this capacity.  My passion for service is a strong fit with the socially minded entrepreneurial culture that thrives at Anderson.  I am certain this is one of many elements that gained my admission to the Class of 2013.

I encourage all prospective students to spend the time learning about the school, its student body and their interaction with the surrounding community.  Is it an island onto itself or is it fully integrated into the neighborhood?  I desired the latter.  Los Angeles has historically been one of the most inclusive and progressive destinations in the world for LGBT individuals.  As the entertainment capital of the world, LGBT’s for many years have flocked to Los Angeles for jobs opportunities, a fresh start and general acceptance.  As such, I feel comfortable and welcomed being ‘out’ both on campus as well as outside of it.

Please reach out to me or other members of Out@Anderson if you have any questions about the application process, our decision to come to Anderson, or the “good life” in Los Angeles.  To me, UCLA Anderson represents a place where I can truly be my true, unabashed self. 

Cheers,

Joel Rosenzweig

joel.rosenzweig.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Finally, A Break! The Holiday You Haven’t Had Since College

Greetings from VACATION! When is the last time you had a holiday longer than a couple of days over Christmas? Who needs the working world when you can be off from December 8 to early January???

My blogging skills were recently tapped by the prestigious third-party MBA Admissions website Accepted.com who interviewed me for their series about Top MBA programs. I was more than happy to provide them with my thoughts on UCLA Anderson, please check it out! (Note: I prefer the adjective “thorough” to “overshare” but there’s so much good stuff to say I had a hard time editing!)

So since that gives you more than anything you ever wanted to know about Anderson, and I’m on vacation anyways, here is my Christmas blog entry.

Usually I only get to sneak home for a few days over the Christmas holiday because of work, so it was a real treat this year to head to my hometown of Atlanta for a week and a half! This year it was especially important too, since I have this little thing called a wedding in March and there is lots to do! (Further evidence of the general over-ambition of b-school students: the wedding is in Atlanta on Saturday of Spring Break, and I will be back in class in LA on Monday!)

Although my mother has done a yeoman’s job of wedding planning this fall, I still had a few priorities of things I wanted to be involved in. Topping this list, naturally, was the cake tasting. How many weddings have you been to where the beautiful cake tastes like…. nothing? Not the case at my wedding! After much intense discussion (see below) a delicious decision was reached.

One of the most important wedding decisions is made.

My absolutely delectable Vera Wang dress, purchased this summer (described here) had also come in so I got it fitted.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that my fiancé checks this blog from time to time (I think), no pictures will be posted here except this teaser.

I modified the old adage to say “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something fabulously sparkly!”

Winter Break? Not Quite

I’d like to start this post by wishing everyone a happy holiday season. I’m especially happy this holiday season because finals are over. Not that I don’t like taking four three-hour exams in consecutive days, but…wait, yeah, I don’t like taking four three-hour exams in consecutive days.

All kidding aside, last week was finals week and it was an incredibly challenging experience. After I wrapped up my accounting exam, the final of all finals, I thought I’d want to run out of the room and be greeted by falling confetti and an overflowing bottle of champagne. Instead, I was so mentally exhausted from the week that all I wanted to do was sleep. To all of my classmates, I apologize for my zombie-like demeanor the rest of the day. 

But honestly, now that I’m a week removed from finals, I can look back on the quarter and really appreciate how much I learned. The professors were fantastic, the material engaging, and the classmate collaborators inspiring. It was an unbelievably arduous and humbling quarter, but one that I can look back on quite fondly.

You know what else I can look back on fondly? The Anderson Breckenridge Ski Trip. Yep, once finals wrapped up, I, along with 100-plus of my classmates, left on a jet plane to (John) Denver and bused to Breckenridge, Colorado. There we skied (or boarded depending on your preference), hot tubbed, enjoyed a few adult beverages and were model guests at the Mountain Thunder Lodge. Jim Mora, Jr. would have been proud.

 Sitting by the fire in Breck-not a bad way to recover from figuring out LIFO and FIFO!

But the fun didn’t end once we got back from Breckenridge. Some of us headed immediately to the San Francisco Bay Area for “Silicon Valley Days on the Job.” The High Tech Business Association and Entertainment Management Association hosted this trek and it was nothing short of amazing. In a three-day span I visited eight companies, including YouTube, Twitter, Pixar, Meebo, Yahoo!, Pandora, Ustream, and Revision3. Others made stops at Google, Visa, and eBay to name a few. I’m amazed at how much I learned in such a short time at each company. Even better, I met several fascinating people who hopefully will be great contacts down the road as I search for a summer internship and, later, a full-time job.

Pixar won these Oscars. Not me.

So winter break is underway, but it hasn’t been much of a break. I think that’s a theme here at the MBA Student Voice. But it’s better to be busy than bored, so I’ll take this hectic December. However, once the college football bowl season picks up, I'll probably revert back to my zombie-like state. Just fair warning.

 -Willem

Follow me on twitter: @willsouthwood

 

Two Thirds of the Way There

I can't believe that 4 out of the 6 quarters making up the Anderson experience are behind me.  People say that the first quarter is the most difficult, but for me, the most recent quarter was by far the most challenging.  After having the first year behind me, I must have thought to myself, "sure, I have a good sense of how things work around here, why don't I take it up another gear and take on more in year 2?".  (Jesse, what were you thinking?) 

The process of signing up for these various commitments at the end of last year went something like this:  

Career coach?  Sure.  Recruiter Relations position with the Marketing Association?  Why not.  Sussman's "Cases in Real Estate" class?  Bring it.  Net Impact Board Fellows Program?  Yes.  Peer tutor?  Yes.  AMR project?  Of course.  Classes with a lot of group projects that require more coordination?  Love it.  Recruiting for full-time positions and over 15,000 miles of travel for onsite interviews?...

...well let's just say that this last piece snuck up on me.  It was by far the most time consuming aspect of this quarter, but I had to jump in.  The window of opportunity for many of the most sought-after MBA full-time jobs is short - about 8 weeks across October thru December.  Securing a career-switching dream job was one of my main goals coming into Anderson, so this was the time to get after it.  Plus, the stakes are higher this time around since as a second year, we "play for keeps" (full-time as opposed to a summer internship).  In light of this, I took a broad approach to my search.  Unfortunately, I had already committed to a full schedule (mentioned above) and it was too late to step down and right-size my schedule.  Bye bye sleep...

Thankfully, I survived!  I completed the course work, stuck to my volunteer commitments, secured a few job offers, and didn't fall asleep behind the wheel.   

Now, I'm writing from my hotel room in Seattle, home of Amazon's headquarters and the site of the MBA Flyback Weekend for candidates with offers.  Should be a great time getting to meet more people from the company.  From now until January 9th is winter break for us.  8 hours of sleep a night never sounded so good...

-- Jesse Ferlianto '12

School Is Cool

As the great Austin Powers would say, “Allow myself to introduce myself.” My name is Willem Suyderhoud and I am a first-year full-time MBA student at UCLA Anderson. I’m honored to be one of the school’s social media ambassadors (it sounds very regal, doesn’t it?) and I look forward to sharing my insights and perspectives with you.

I wanted to be a social media ambassador for a few reasons. For one, I’m quite interested in social media and its ability to facilitate communication and connection in a way that was unfathomable just a decade ago. So taking on this role will hopefully add to my social media education (and hey, it can’t hurt to have on a resume). But I also wanted to do this in order to share my story with prospective students.

I come from what we at school call a “non-traditional” business background. Prior to arriving at Anderson, I was a television sports anchor/reporter/producer in Butte, Montana, Medford, Oregon and San Francisco. I was on TV for five years delivering nightly sports reports, so I didn’t have much time to learn about such fun stuff as net present value and regression analysis. As a result, I was a bit insecure as I embarked on the business school application process. I wasn’t sure if my background would scare off those wonderful folks in admissions. Seeing that I’m writing this blog post in UCLA’s scenic business school library, I guess I fooled enough people. Of course, I’m kidding. But what’s no joke is Anderson’s celebration of diversity. I have classmates who are Grammy award-winning musicians, standout division one athletes, and successful entrepreneurs. And the diversity isn’t limited to professional backgrounds. I now have friends from all over the world. I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to engage with these diverse and fascinating fellow students because I get a fresh perspective every day. In other words, the education doesn’t stop when you leave the classroom.

The point I’m trying to make is no matter what background you come from or where you come from, Anderson can be a great fit for you. I’m hoping that over the course of the year I can use this outlet to prove that. 

Also, if you have any questions about the application process or the Anderson experience, please feel free to contact me. My e-mail is willem.suyderhoud.2013@anderson.ucla.edu. You can also follow me on Twitter @willsouthwood. 

 -Willem

 

Finally a Bruin! The First Week at UCLA Anderson

We are one week into our 2 ½-week Orientation, and it already seems as though Labor Day was months ago! So much has happened in a mere week! On the morning of the first day, I put on a new dress and packed up a lunchbox and my new bag with all my school books. It was like a time warp to first grade! Except the part where I drove myself to school.

When we first got to the Anderson campus, the whole class piled into Korn Convocation Hall for a welcome from the administration. There, we learned there are actually 379 of us! That was a lot bigger than I expected. But only 28% of us are female, which is a lot fewer than I thought. We also learned a few of the statistics that show just how impressive the 379 of us are. Grades, GMATs, jobs, travel, awards…. We’ve got a lot going for us.

Soon it was time to break into our sections, the group of 76 people you have most of your classes with for the Fall Quarter.  Mine is a diverse group ranging in age from 23-34, hailing from all over the world, and from the looks of it, very good at Powerpoint. We also learned who the members of our “Learning Team” are, or the group of five people from within the section that you do all your group projects with. In this small group alone, I am joined by a student from Serbia and one from Pakistan!

We are actually taking a class during this time, Leadership Foundation I, with a professor teaching us every other day. It was hard to be immediately thrown into hard work (and homework!) after not being in school for so long. Here is the final product of one of the hardest tasks he made us do.

Yes, that is a Lego Man.

I’m kidding, it was actually really challenging and an example of one of the many tasks we did to engender and practice effective teamwork. For those of us used to doing things our own way in our previous professions, the new way of thinking is going to take some getting used to! I guess that’s why we have grades, right?

We also had Undergraduate T-shirt day, which proved useful as many people who had been told by mutual friends that they had to be sure to meet me were finally able to pick me out in my very subtle undergrad garb.

This also helped me pick out my fellow Dartmouth-ites. John Hertzer (above) and I agreed that the weather in Los Angeles had it over Hanover, New Hampshire’s at least 8 months of the year!

Of course not everyone took such a standard approach to Undergrad T-shirt day.

Prof. Goldstein seems oddly unfazed by Kenny Liao’s outfit. I sure hope Kenny went to Texas!

Above all, it’s been amazing to meet so many great new people that I am privileged to spend the next two years with. It is very refreshing that everyone is so open and friendly and eager to jump right in. How many business lunches where no one knew each other at the outset look like this by the end??

On tap: another week of Orientation, including the famed “Odyssey” which is a day on the high ropes course. Sure sounds a lot more fun than the Trust Fall!

-Charlotte Baxter

Free At Last !!! Photos and commentary taken from, inspired by, and dedicated to, the newly-independent nation of South Sudan.

I hope everyone has been having an amazing summer, and, more importantly perhaps, is now fully geared up for the start of the school year.  Seriously, I can’t wait to meet all of my fellow classmates soon.

Anyway, I’ve been pursuing my global travels with a fervent passion over the last four weeks -- which explains why I’ve been absent from updating my blog, and I do sincerely apologise to all of you for that -- but, I’m now back in New York and, best of all, I can proudly say that I’ve finished my “From Extreme to Extreme” 2011 challenge.

I will now update my blog with far more frequency, and will aim to perhaps cover one country, possibly even two, within each blog update.  My first update will be on the world’s youngest sovereign nation of South Sudan, and it is attached below.  My next post will be on Burundi.

So, without further ado, I present to you: The Republic of South Sudan.

Enjoy !!! 

Graham

  

Free At Last !!!

Photos, and commentary, taken from, inspired by, and dedicated to, the gossamer administration known as GOSS, the newly‐sovereign -- and world’s youngest --nation of South Sudan, and the newly‐free South Sudanese people.

A full length of version of my photo-essay about South Sudan is available to download here: Download South Sudan July 2011

This poster pretty much sums it up.