The MBA Student Voice

London Calling...

Fellow blogeteer Jesse Ferlianto reminded me today that it has been a long time since I've contributed to the blog, so you can thank him for the fact that I'm going to tell you all about how I spent the US Thanksgiving holiday. 

Last weekend, while most of you were enjoying the turkey and the NFL, a motley collection of 21 UCLA Anderson students went to London for the 7th annual career trek there.  This year, I organized it alongside three classmates of mine.  The trip is in conjunction with five other US MBA programs and is cut across three verticals: finance, consulting, and the newly-created sports / entertainment.  Across all of the schools, we were approximately 80 students.

The trek was a success all ways around!  Personally, I was on the sports / entertainment verticals, and the companies were extremely receptive to us being there.  We got to meet some very senior people from a variety of exciting firms, including the NBA, NFL, IMG, ESPN, Harrah's, Disney, Paramount, Fox, and NBC Universal.  Above all else, I learned that while they all work for US-based companies, they have loads of opportunities to expand their business in Europe - in many cases, moreso than their US-based colleagues, who are facing a fragmented saturation of the American sports market. 

I'm also really happy that the finance and consulting verticals came out really well, too.  On the finance vertical, we saw Prudential M&G (the asset management arm of the UK's largest insurance company), Aerium Finance, and State Street for asset management; Carlyle and Providence Equity for private equity; and Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Nomura, Credit Suisse, and Citi in investment banking.  The feedback I got was that the companies were all stellar, and within the finance industry there was a decent amount of variety as well. 

On the consulting vertical, we saw McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, as well as Deloitte, E&Y, PWC, A.T. Kearney, Roland Berger, and Gallup.  This was the longest vertical of them all: the first meeting was at 12noon on Wednesday, and the last meeting on Friday afternoon!  But the feedback I got was that it was worth it, especially given the breadth of the companies and divsions that we visited. 

I'm also very proud of how we at Anderson did in terms of setting up meetings.  We arranged all of the sports / entertainment vertical - the Anderson alums there were nothing short of fantastic for us - as well as 2-3 headliners in both of the other verticals (McKinsey, Deloitte, Prudential M&G, Providence Equity, Credit Suisse, and Aerium Finance).  Big kudos to Abhijit, Pete, and Vivek for helping me make this trip happen.

More than anything, I think we showed a lot of multinational companies that, contrary to popular belief, Anderson students are willing to seek out job opportunities outside of LA. We came prepared, had great questions, and were extremely professional as much as possible. 

One thing that US MBA programs are known for are these sort of career treks, where you get to visit a variety of companies in different verticals.  Anderson frankly has been lagging other schools in this endeavour, but hopefully as the London trip continues to expand, we will be able to catch up.  Organizing the trip is extremely rewarding because it gives you direct contact with all of the people that you want to keep up with anyway -- so now you have delivered something for them, which differentiates you from the rest of the crowd.

Bottom line: these are the trips that are so critical to the MBA experience, and this one in particular is one that you should keep in mind for next year should you get the chance to join us here in Westwood. 

Reach out to me off-line if you want more details!

-- Sreesha

Location Really Makes a Difference

Here's a tip for prospective MBA students: if you are planning to leave your dearest friends and family to relocate for business school, please do not underestimate the "destination" value of your future residence.  Think about how bad you would feel persuading your friends and family to use up valuable PTO days and shell out the big bucks to visit you in places like New Haven, CT, Hanover, NH, or Charlottesville, VA.  Let's be clear - I have nothing against these cities, or the schools in these cities, but I think we can all agree that it takes a lot less arm twisting to get people to visit you in sunny West LA.  Arm twisting hurts, and I presume that most of you don't want to hurt your friends. :)

With that said, a few weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting our dear friends from Atlanta, Alan & Libby, for 5 days.  It was refreshing to experience LA through their eyes, as they had not spent much time in LA before (I, on the other hand, grew up in LA before going to college).  Together, the four of us watched UCLA beat Oregon State at the Rose Bowl with a last second field goal, explored the Original Farmer's Market on Fairfax & 3rd, walked the Santa Monica Pier, toured the Getty Center's western art collection along with its unique architecture and gardens, and ate at a variety of restaurants ranging from all you can eat Korean BBQ at Koreatown's famous Road to Seoul to exotic grilled sausages at Wurstkuche in Downtown LA's historic art district.  While Susan and I were at work and class, Alan & Libby enjoyed a number of other LA attractions, including the Warner Bros. & Paramount studio tours, Universal Studios & City Walk, and a live taping of "#@$% My Dad Says".

Sure, there are many things I love about UCLA Anderson, but it would be misleading to evaluate the school's value proposition in a vacuum.  As a UCLA student and LA resident, I cannot ignore the fact that there are so many answers to the question "what fun thing do I want to do this weekend?"  I am so thankful that our friends were able and willing to fly across the country to visit us (without arm twisting, of course) and hope that you get to enjoy this luxury during your MBA experience as well.

-- Jesse Ferlianto ('12)

* At the Rose Bowl after the UCLA game, with our friends from Atlanta.  They come from an SEC background, a world where people eat footballs for breakfast, but to my surprise, enjoyed their first Pac-10 experience as well (yes, we're only 2-5 in the conference, but I still believe that we're more than "just a basketball school")!

 

* Susan and I enjoying a LOT of Korean BBQ (bulgogi, at the moment) at Road to Seoul. 

Incubating new ideas...

Team, I need your help!

A few weeks ago, I told you about my classmate who started edilex, a company offering professional grade business contract templates to legal professionals and business people over the web.  (My regular readers probably did this already, but if you haven't, check it out at www.edilex.com).

Well, this quarter, I'm taking a class called Business Plan Development, which is exactly what it says on the tin.  My classmates who registered for the course came with some fascinating business ideas.  The final project for the class is a fully fleshed out business plan for a new business, plus a presentation to a panel of venture capitalists.  Many Andersonians use this class as a stepping stone to launching their business!

I'm working with one of my classmates who is looking to launch a sari rentals business.  The idea is similar to tuxedos: rather than buy something that you are only going to wear a couple of times at most, you can rent them, look fabulous, then return them back at a fraction of the cost and without the hassle of having to deal with them.

The business is still at concept stage, so you can give us a major boost by filling out the survey at this link and giving us your views and opinions.  It will take you about 10 minutes, so I greatly encourage all of you to do this - men and women, South Asians and non-South Asians.  Oh and feel free to pass this is on to anyone who might help!

http://ucla.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5w2zmymvkHKnPE0

Thank you all in advance!  And your reward for this is that I will entertain you after the jump.

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Some random thoughts on the week that was:

* Our beloved Capitals are undefeated (8-0-0) when Boyd Gordon is in the lineup.  Is this just a coincidence? Or (as I believe) does he provide a consistent level of grit and faceoff expertise (the proverbial "little things), eat up valuable PK minutes, and is showcasing what made Jaromir Jagr once say that he would be a great player?

* Have to feel tough for Owen Hargreaves, who now appears to have suffered an anxiety attack during the match with Wolves on Saturday.  Oddly, I would believe that - this was his first appearance on the pitch in over two years, and there haven't been that many reports of him on the training ground.  Before his string of injuries he was a regular for England; here's hoping that he can finally get his career jump-started again.

* The top four teams in college football heading into this weekend were Oregon, Auburn, TCU, and Boise State - that's two teams not from one of the major conferences.  Could this be the beginning of the end of the dreaded BCS?  My view: not at all - the BCS is the greatest invention in the history of NCAA Football because anytime a college football fan hears "BCS", he immediately will stop watching any other sport and start talking NCAA Football - regardless of the time of year.  Instant newsmaker.  Genius.

More great ideas soon!

-- Sreesha

Have It Your Way: Customizing Your MBA Experience

Earlier this week I needed to leave a corporate recruiter's "happy hour" early in order to make a different event on my calendar.  This second event lasted much longer than an "hour" and certainly wasn't designed to make people "happy"!  The event, my friends, was a 3-hour corporate finance exam that ended at 9:30pm Monday night.

"But Jesse, weren't midterms held the previous week?"

Yes that is correct!  But this was not a compulsory course exam; rather, it was an optional waiver exam.

That evening, I turned down cocktails with classmates and recruiters for CAPM...nigiri for NPV...wine for WACC...beer for Beta...and stuffed mushrooms for sell-side M&A transaction analysis.  The idea is that passing the exam would allow me to waive out of the Corporate Finance core requirement this winter (giving me the option to choose an elective to replace the credits).  Before Anderson, I pursued a finance concentration at Emory and worked in investment banking, so the intro corporate finance class would merely be a review of information I had already learned before.  Not fun for me, not fair to my classmates.

Thankfully, UCLA Anderson encourages us to customize our curricula to meet our specific career interests and goals.  For starters, we do not have official majors or concentrations.  12 elective courses account for approximately half of the MBA curriculum, which provides us with tremendous flexibility.  We can take all 12 in one discipline, or take three or four in different business areas.  3 out of these 12 elective courses are considered "free electives" and can even be taken from graduate courses in other departments at UCLA.  Up to two courses of independent research may also be applied toward the free elective requirement.  And as I mentioned earlier, UCLA Anderson allows students to waive out of core classes, which frees up more time to take additional electives.

The UCLA Anderson class of 2012 is extremely diverse, and each person comes to campus with a unique set of strengths, weaknesses, interests, skills and experiences.  With a class so diverse, the ability to customize one's classroom experience throughout the two-year MBA journey is extremely valuable, and I am very glad that Anderson allows me to do just that.

-- Jesse Ferlianto ('12)

Laughing All the (Ooh-La-La) Time!

Mrs. V. surprised me with a belated birthday gift this weekend.  I didn't know what it was until we got there.

She told me to keep this weekend free, leaving Friday midday and returning to LA Sunday morning.  Driving distance, no passport, some general weather - that was it.  So we got in the car and headed south. 

A few hours later, we were at the Balboa Theater in downtown San Diego, waiting for none other than Craig Ferguson to appear on-stage!  He is a comedian who hosts the late-night talk show after David Letterman.  My friend Suman from New York switched us on to him (quite literally - after telling us about him, he left an episode on our DVR) and we've been avid fans ever since.  So a few months ago, she saw the tickets online for his show in San Diego and bought them.

She tried to do the same surprise in May, nearer to my actual birthday, when Ferguson was in Las Vegas, but I had planned to go to Vegas three times in May, and that was the one weekend I was planning to be in LA.  Plus, at that point I had accepted the summer internship offer to work for Harrah's, so I knew I would spend a lot more time in Vegas after that. 

Needless to say, she was extremely disappointed. 

And also needless to say, he saved my proverbial bacon last night by being at his absolute best last night. 

I was laughing so hard for most of the show that I nearly lost my breath.  His style is very similar to his monologues on his TV program, but more ebullient and with less restrictions on material.  He started off by saying he was going to tell a joke, rambled into many different topics - including a fantastic impression of Ellen DeGeneres, what it's like being a clarinet player in a heavy metal band, and a description of the sex education class he had to sit through in school ("Mr. and Mrs. Toad..."), -- and built up that one two-sentence joke which he shared at the very end.  And which was hilarious, I thought.

(No, I'm not going to share this with you now because (a) I won't do it justice, and (b) it's completely inappropriate for a blog focused on UCLA Anderson.)

(But mostly because of the former).

It was a fantastic night and a great weekend in San Diego - definitely one of the highlights of my UCLA Anderson experience.

-- Sreesha

A Warm Summer Day in Anaheim

Many people assume that I want to be in the sports business because I'm an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete.  That's not entirely accurate: I definitely am an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete, but I'm not trying to be in sports to recreate a dream that never happened.

What appeals to me about the industry is the connection with fans on an imperceptible level, a bond that unites us with a bunch of strangers who toil for an impersonal company we have no direct connection to.  Sports is one of the few markets where the end consumer actually drives the business.

We at the Sports Business Association got to see this first-hand last week when our colleagues from USC Marshall invited us to a behind-the-scenes day with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  We started with a tour of Angel Stadium by Clyde Wright, who pitched for over 10 seasons in the big leagues, primarily in Anaheim.  You could tell by his enthusiasm that Clyde had that he loved the ballpark and being a representative of the team - both on and off the field. 

Then, we spent an hour with team president Dennis Kuhl, who gave us his insights on the club, the business, baseball, and the industry.  Most interesting to me was his dedication to every detail of the fan experience.  He wanted his stadium to be the cleanest in the majors - and by my count, it was impeccable. One of his objectives was to build the brand of the club behind three logos: the name "ANGELS", the large "A" logo, and the colour red.  Every employee was dressed in all three on them in some capacity.

We wrapped up the session with Mr. Kuhl, then headed into the main part of the stadium for some Tennessee BBQ at Clyde's, which was named after our erstwhile tour guide.  Finally, we soaked in the fruit of the hard work put in by Mr. Kuhl, Mr. Wright, and the Angels organization: a big crowd out to see the Angels take on Oakland, a midweek game between two teams already out of contention.  The lower bowl was full, the upper deck was 40-50% there.  

That's what it is all about.

-- Sreesha

 

Diversity - in many ways

When we think of "diversity", we typically think of what I would call demographic diversity: race, age, gender, nationality, religion, etc.  However, during my summer internship at Harrah's, I had the chance to be a part of a diversity training program, where I learned that there are over 50 ways to measure diversity.

(Yes, I know I said this last year.  But last year I just wanted an excuse to make fun of my fellow blogeteers John Park and Matt Kerbel being fans of the Toronto Major Laughs Maple Leafs.  This time I actually have more to say.)

Applying that logic, here are a few different ways that you could measure the diversity here at UCLA Anderson:

* Career Aspirations: One of the reasons I decided to come to UCLA was that while there are healthy contingents of people looking for careers in finance or consulting, these two fields represent a much smaller portion of the total UCLA Anderson population than they do in other schools.  Nothing during my time here has dissuaded me of this opinion.  There are many other career aspirations on campus, including sports, entertainment, healthcare, non-profit, and education. 

* Entrepreneurship. I had heard a lot about UCLA Anderson's commitment to entrepreneurship, but I never appreciated that until i came here.  Many of my classmates are actively looking to start new businesses after graduation, and the school encourages and actively supports these endeavors -- as evidenced by the projects that came to fruition during the summer and in our second year. 

For example, one of my classmates has been working on edilex, a company offering professional grade business contract templates to legal professionals and business people over the web -- check it out at www.edilex.com.

* Previous work history: in my section last year, there were many different career backgrounds.  The usual pre-MBA careers of finance and consulting were present, but so were military (not just US), entertainment (including a feature film producer!), non-profit, healthcare, and energy, plus two Mormon missionaries and a published author.  And that was just within my 72-person section.

* Sport Activities: My regular readers will be forgiven for thinking that all we do here is drink, watch sports, play poker, and get into political debates.  I can't imagine a sport that isn't represented from both the fan and the spectator perspective.  And from those in the 1st year class I've met so far, that now includes cricket!

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* Yeah, I'm a little annoyed at my Steelers, who managed to terrify Tampa Bay, 38-13 last week. See, I'm annoyed because we have so many holes to fill - offensive line being the most glaring - that we need a year off, get a high spot in the draft, and rebuild.  This year seemed like a good year to do that -- no Ben, no Santonio, difficult off-season.  Instead, after beating three teams we should have beaten, we're talking about making the playoffs and I can just see that 7-9 train wreck coming.  Of course if we make the playoffs, then I'll be happy to admit I was wrong.

* Great move by the NHL to get HBO involved in the Winter Classic with its behind-the-scenes documentary of the Capitals and Penguins up to the Winter Classic.  The best part is that the NHL series is being covered by broader entertainment media, such as the Hollywood Reporter - this shows that the NHL can build on the momentum of last season, arguably the best NHL season since 1994 (the Capitals' own demise against Montreal notwithstanding).

* I've seen Chicharito's goal in Valencia several times now.  What a brilliant strike!  But I still don't understand why Macheda didn't just have a shot himself!  Macheda has a lethal strike himself, surely he would have put that in.  I complain only because of United's woeful finishing this season and last.  Macheda has either lost his shooting instinct, or has gained an unworldly sense of vision. 

-- Sreesha

 

 

 

2nd Year @ UCLA Anderson is Off and Running!

Geez, how time flies! So, I decided to look back at my old posts and made myself laugh because of all the discussion on finding an internship. Now it all seems like ages ago. Just to update you all, I had an awesome internship in the Bay Area this past summer, working for a well-known tech company in the investor relations department. I had a blast, because I got to work on many projects and collaborate with several executives. My first year at Anderson really prepared me for the internship, including how to approach a problem, prepare a well-thought/crisp presentation, and present to a room full of people with calm and poise. Things went so well that I got an offer at the company - woohoo! But, like any good pragmatist, I am planning to go through the full-time recruiting process to see what other options are out there. I must say, this year's recruiting turnout is tremendous - I've already lost count of the number of companies recruiting here. Perhaps the recession really IS over or at the least improved.

From my previous blogs you saw a taste of the frenetic 1st year life: jam-packed core courses, internship recruiting up to your neck, networking events, and the delicate art of finding time to breathe through all of this madness. And, while you're wondering how you could ever survive the demanding schedule, you are loving every minute of it (or most minutes) because you are busy in a fun way - making new friends and learning something new every day.  But, that's all over now - sigh.

So you might now be wondering what the second year is like. First, I must mention that during my first year, the second-years seemed like wise sages. They had this calm, cool demeanor. Nothing phased them, not their master's thesis or class grades. They were like James Dean on a motorcycle, man. Simply awesome. So now that I'm a 2nd year, do I feel too cool for school? Well, the fact that I just said "too cool for school" automatically makes me not cool. But I must say that I have calmed down a little from my first year. I do actually feel a bit wiser, I think because I've learned to go with the flow - enjoy rather than fear any new experience that comes along. Because believe me, at MBA school you will be operating outside of your comfort zone on many occasions. I've also decided to make the most of my time here from a non-academic point of view. I previously took guitar and dance lessons and plan to continue with the guitar and also learn drawing, archery, rock climbing, and strength training, to name a few. The sky's the limit. 

So with good ol' optimism and excitement, I am ready to face my 2nd and last year at UCLA Anderson School of Management. The master's thesis (aka Applied Management Research Program) is going to be tough, but I'm sure it will be another great experience. I have to keep telling myself to savor every moment because I know it will be over in a flash. Here I go..........

New Year, Endless Possibilities

Hope springs eternal -- first day of school and first week of NHL training camp! 

* Great to be back on campus, and now in classes that I really am excited about since they are all electives.  But the pressure is on to have a job -- and at least a shell of a career path -- lined up by end of the school year.

* Maket participants will always push the market rules to the limits for their own gain.  Thus, it is unreasonable to expect the NHL -- or any governing body in any industry -- to create rules that account for every possible circumvention attempt.  Rules must constantly evolve. 

* We've created a cohesive message and mission for the International Business Association, and are already seeing the fruits of that through increased buzz on campus and exciting new possibilities. Exciting!

* For the Sports Business Association, it was clear that we took a tremendous step forward last year, so this year we will be building on the same momentum with more events, more opportunities, and more brand recognition. Equally exciting!

* Do you know who was most excited about Dimitar Berbatov''s incredible third goal against Liverpool this past weekend?  Howard Webb.  Takes the spotlight off the fact that his two controversial refereeing decisions led to Liverpool goals. 

* Two darkhorse White House candidates for 2012 that are getting more attention lately: Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley.  Imagine having to decide between two Indian-American candidates in the GOP primary -- and then have one of them square off against African-American Barack Obama?  Never thought I would see that in my lifetime.  Sadly, despite its centuries-old heritage ties with India, I can't forsee anything remotely close in the UK.

* Controversial thought of the day: in our strive for a gender-equal world, we can all agree that women should be allowed to compete and thrive for equally successful and lucrative careers in any industry; why do we then assume that men are not as competent as women when raising children?  Why can't that job be 50/50 as well? I get the sense that most women assume that they will be "in charge" when raising kids -- in today's era, could it be that this is just an unfair sense of entitlement, or a gross underestimation of the father's parenting capabilities?

The possibilities are endless!

-- Sreesha

UCLA Anderson Entrepreneur's Conference

This Friday, May 7, UCLA Anderson will be hosting its annual Entrepreneur's Conference.  This is the 25th year of the conference, bringing together budding entrepreneurs, small businesses, financiers, and established businesses under one roof to discuss entrepreneurial ideas in various industries.  

Because so many of my classmates here at UCLA Anderson are eager to start their own business either now or in the future, this conference has become the signature event on campus each year.  There are some incredible speakers coming to the event from all angles.  It's open to the public as well -- you can get your tickets online -- so if you are planning to be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, it's definitely worth checking out. 

I'm organizing a panel focused on new media technologies in the sports business.  The panelists include folks from the NFL, ESPN, a division of CAA, plus a consultant and a digital media venture focused on the sports industry.  The other panels are also very fascinating for their industries as well, from finance to green tech to entertainment to fashion! 

As a first-year student here, there are many opportunities to be involved in organizing the conference.  It also is a great opportunity to meet people in the industry that you want to work or start a business in -- UCLA Anderson has many opportunities for that, but you can never really have too many. 

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Thank you to everyone for their kind condolence messages on Thursday and Friday.  After the Capitals lost Game 7 to Montreal and were knocked out of the playoffs, I received so many thoughtful messages from family and friends.  At some point, I had to laugh; I don't know anyone on the team, no one died...but when you are emotionally invested in something that is taken away from you, it does leave you feeling very hollow for awhile, as Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post noted on Thursday. 

Most inspiring was Brooks Laich, who stopped to change a flat tire on the way home from the arena that night.  Here is someone with so much on the line in Game 7, with so much on his mind, and he still took the time to help a stranded motorist change a flat tire.  Incredible story. 

What can I say about my beloved Capitals that hasn't already been said?  

* we desperately needed a second scoring threat so that Montreal (or any other team) couldn't focus on Ovechkin and Backstrom.  Thus, it's hard to see where Alex Semin fits into the picture when he's gone goalless in 14 playoff games.  He's the most talented player in the NHL when he's on, but when he's off it's a struggle to see why he's in the lineup.  Not sure how much more patience Boudreau is supposed to have. 

* it didn't help that Semin didn't have a proper second-line center: Morrison has looked off since the Olympics, and Belanger never gelled with Semin the way he did with Fehr and Chimera.  Laich is better suited to the wing, and Fleischman is better suited to the press box.  Compare centers with Pittsburgh (Crosby, Malkin, Staal), Detroit (Datsuyk, Zetterberg), Chicago (Toews, Sharp) ... 

* Mike Green has been awful in the playoffs in the past two years as well -- I would argue that he's been passed on the depth chart by Tom Poti, John Carlson, Jeff Schultz, and possibly even Karl Alzner.  

* Boudreau was out-coached and had no good ideas other than the obvious, of putting Semin with Backstrom and Ovechkin.  I would have used Belanger-Chimera-Fehr on the power play with the first unit struggling.  I also think Knuble needed more ice than he got. 

* the only person with a Stanley Cup ring on the team is spare part Scott Walker. (Knuble was a spare part with Detroit in 1998, so I'm not counting that one). 

In all, this clip pretty much summed up the playoffs. Absolute bummer.  Can't wait for the slate to be wiped clean in a few months!