The MBA Student Voice

UCLA's Stature in the Entertainment Industry

One major reason I came to UCLA Anderson was the school's ability to connect with major leaders in the sports and entertainment industry.  For further evidence of this, all I had to do was check my diary over last week and this week. 

Last week Mitch Kupchak, the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, came to speak to a small group of 40 students from the Sports Business Association, as well as 30 students from USC Marshall's sports business club to attend; every year, each school puts on an event for which both clubs are invited.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mr. Kupchak and hearing about how he came to UCLA Anderson because he had a long-term knee injury that he needed to rehab and figured an MBA would give him a leg up (that's my pun; he was far more eloquent) on a career after his playing days were over.  He said two things that resonated with me.  He said that after graduating from UCLA Anderson, he gained the confidence that he could hold his own in any business negotiation.  As a career-switcher, I'm stepping into a new arena, industry and possibly location; hearing from him helped me gain some confidence in that respect as well. 

I also had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Kupchak personally after the session, where he also weighed in on a big debate happening right now in sports.  Social media has allowed athletes to strengthen their individual brands dramatically; some teams are concerned that the athletes are starting to become bigger than their teams.  Mr. Kupchak, in his usual candid demeanor, put a succint perspective on it, saying that the Lakers were around for 20 years before Magic and Kareem, and will be around for 30 years after Kobe.

Am running out of space, so I'll be quick: this week, David Geffen is speaking here on campus.  I am really looking forward to hearing the thoughts and vision of one of the most respected titans of the entertainment industry.  The Dean of UCLA Anderson herself is moderating the event.  You'll hear all about it in this space - till then, I'm going to enjoy the 28 degree sunshine! 

-- Sreesha 

  

Anderson Guide to MBA

Hi Everybody!

I'm back again for yet another delightful post - okay, I'm a little bit chipper today even though it's 11:37pm and I am catching up on some homework and also writing this blog. Now for those of you who are freaking out as to why I am up so late, let me tell you now that this is not unusual - well not for me. You see, as most of you might have read in my previous posts, I am a little unsure of what my career focus should be. Therefore, I ended up joining a ton of clubs to learn a little bit more about various industries and job functions. So, instead of having some nice quiet afternoons with my books, I've been in one company presentation after another. Don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed each and every meeting and only wish it were humanly possible to attend all of them. But the art to being successful in anything is having a good balance. So today, I decided to forgoe my club events and company meetings in order to catch up on homework.

There are still more events to come so I don't think I missed out too much. So, I'm feeling good because I have a better handle on my classes and ALSO because I just finished my ACT group meeting. ACT stands for Anderson Career Teams and is a small group that every student is assigned to based on their interests. I picked the strategic operations ACT group because I have an interest in operations and figure that this group paired with all my other clubs will nicely round out my plethora of informational sources. We just practiced our 30-second elevator pitches for potential recruiters. It was a really great session in that we discussed the pros and cons of different approaches and I received some valuable takeaways.

So back to the main goal. I laughed when I read my earlier posts because I sounded utterly lost. But surprisingly, due to the lack of time, I have quickly narrowed down my focus. There is simply no time to manage classes and eight different professional clubs. So, I've had to pick and choose which club sponsored events were more important to attend. It's amazing what you learn about yourself when you don't have a lot of time to waste making a decision. So here it is - the career options I am interested in: Strategic operations, finance, and business development (entrepreneurship). The industry I am most excited about is renewable energy - simply because it is cool to be part of the future (I got inspired during a recent club event). But I am also happy with high tech, manufacturing, or bio tech. Pretty much any industry will do.

My next task is to reach out to 2nd years and alumni for their take on the internship experience as well as any advice they might have. The great thing about Anderson is that the student body and alumni have been extremely helpful. I have not come across this degree of helpfulness in any other place - it really feels like family out here. Alright.....I'm getting a littly mushy. That means it's time to go to bed.

Until next time!

Hispanic MBAs

The 2008 National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) conference provided an excellent networking opportunity for attendees.  I attended the Conference with a group of UCLA Anderson students, including students from Latino Management Student Association (LMSA) and African American Students in Management (AASM), and representatives from both MBA Admissions and the Parker Career Management Center (Parker CMC).   

UCLA Anderson students interacted with recruiters from diverse employers, ranging from not-for-profits such as the Broad Foundations to global consulting firms such as Deloitte, as well as with UCLA Anderson alumni.  Many of our students received on-the-spot interviews for both internship and full-time positions.

Prospective students got exposure to current UCLA Anderson students as well as to MBA Admissions and Parker CMC staff.  Also, our Parker CMC staff strengthened UCLA Anderson’s relationships with numerous recruiters.

Overall, the Conference was a great success.  UCLA Anderson’s participation in the Conference is just one example of UCLA Anderson’s commitment to increasing diversity in business school.  You can learn more about diversity at UCLA Anderson by attending Embracing Diversity (11/8-11/10).  

On the alumni network of UCLA Anderson

I know, I know - all business schools boast about their alumni network. But since I've only had direct interaction with that of UCLA Anderson, I can only vouch for one. And, boy, is it strong!

You probably already know the power of networking. In today's job market, it really (really, really) helps to know someone in the company, in the division, in the department, on the team where you dream of getting employed. As an MBA at Anderson, you not only have the fantastically resourceful Parker CMC for all your recruiting needs, you also have an extensive network of highly successful alumni just at the other end of your phone or email connection.

In my time so far at Anderson, I have interacted with alumni in a number of ways: at industry/function panels organized by professional clubs; at social events organized by identity clubs; as representatives of companies at industry career nights; as guest speakers at various clubs' 101 events; as volunteers for Orientation and A-Days events; at Days-on-the-Job (company site visits); and for one-on-one informational interview sessions.

While all of these forums are great ways to meet former Andersonians, I have been especially impressed with the openness and supportive manner in which alumni have responded to requests for informational interviews. They have been consistently willing to spend (lots of) their own time to discuss their role and company with me, and best methods of how to direct my career. The alumni benefit, too - by helping us, they are often able to help themselves with the opportunity to find potential interns. (Especially for those wishing to enter the Entertainment industry, this is huge because a foot in the door can help you by leaps and bounds.)

My point is, Anderson alumni are active. Really active! They're more than happy to help out current students in any number of ways. Like I said, I don't know what the networks are actually like at other business schools, but I do know that ours is positively connected. And that's what makes the Anderson community so awesome.