The MBA Student Voice

Settling into 2012

Winter quarter is well under way, and it is safe to say that we are now entering the "meat" of the quarter.  Most of us have completed what I like to call the "courtship" period of any new quarter - the introductory period when students attend various electives before locking down a schedule.  One thing that this "courtship" period has shown me is the extent to which my classmates seek to customize their classroom learning over this 20 month journey.  UCLA Anderson provides its MBAs with a flexible curriculum (12 electives), which provides us substantial freedom to organize our academic experiences around our specific needs and interests.  It's encouraging to see my peers take that freedom seriously.

Given the amount of time I spent recruiting last quarter, it's tempting for me to think that getting a dream job is the main objective of coming to b-school.  But with the recruiting season behind me, I have realized that I truly enjoy having more time and space to savor the academic component of b-school learning.  If all goes according to plan, I won't have to miss any more class due to job interviews.  That said, I must say that my professors last quarter were incredibly supportive of my recruiting efforts.  I appreciate the fact that the faculty and career services staff are on the same page when it comes to supporting their students' career aspirations.

As for my classes on deck for the winter quarter?  Thinking On Your Feet, Marketing Strategy & Planning, and Motivating Management.  I am also doing a Fall/Winter AMR Field Study with four of my most stellar classmates working on a marketing plan for a client seeking to launch a plus-sized women's clothing line.  More detail to come in my next post.  Should be a fun quarter.

- Jesse Ferlianto '12

Me and 2 of my stellar Applied Management Research (AMR) teammates

UCLA Anderson Pre-Orientation Trip: Big Sur

Exactly four months ago, the UCLA Anderson Class of 2013 received an email inviting us to sign up for a Pre-Orientation trip. With options ranging from rock climbing, to hiking Yosemite, canoeing in Arizona, I knew it when I saw it: “Trip #4: Backpacking Big Sur, Ventana Wilderness.”

Activity level was marked as “physically demanding” and the UCLA Recreation department was not kidding. Each equipped with a backpack that would last us 4 days in the great outdoors, we were on our way. The breathtaking beauty of Highway 1 took us to our first stop, Limekiln State Park.

We gradually began our transition to the tranquil outdoors at Limekiln. We listened to the sound of crashing waves, got our feet wet in the Pacific Ocean, and stacked stones in cairn zen-like piles. 

That first evening we got the "101" on the great outdoors: we learned to recognize poison ivy and hiked a bit to a beautiful waterfall in the state park. We then worked together to chop ingredients and cook the best Thai Fried Rice I’ve ever had. No cell phones, no currency, just a group of 12 incoming MBA students with our 2 amazing guides – about to begin our adventure.   

Laid out like sardines on a few ground tarps, every single one of us slept under the stars. There is something so zen, so amazing about waking up to droplets of early morning dew falling on your face. And once you open your eyes, you see the vast height of redwoods stretching out into the dawn-colored sky.

Filled up on hearty oatmeal and fresh fruit we packed our bags, dividing all group gear we’d carry on our backs over the next 3 days. And thus we ventured off into the Ventana Wilderness, backpacking 10 miles each way across the rolling Pine Ridge Trail. 

Our guides jokingly described the trail as “uphill both ways” and that’s exactly what it was. The hilly terrain ensured that we were always walking at an angle. I had a few moments of revelation during the trip. The most memorable was the importance of taking life one step at a time. We hiked across some very sleep hills with 30 lb bags on our shoulders. I made a point to look around, left and right, but almost never directly ahead. Uphill or downhill I walked one step at a time. Hour after hour, taking pictures, stopping for breaks, chiming in on conversations – all of this was the focus, not the hills. I wasn’t tired; I was challenged. I was happy. I never dreaded an uphill, I simply conquered it one step at a time. This was my biggest lesson and realization, something that I will definitely apply during my MBA.

That second evening, we filtered our own water, boiled sausage and cooked sweet-potato fries. We saw a baby scorpion, and deepened our respect for “leave no trace.” We were fascinated by the story of Jack English who homesteaded land in the Big Sur wilderness.

The next morning, we made our way to Sykes Hot Springs. The springs sprout earth-heated mineral water into 3 separate hot-tub-like natural pools. Despite smelling a bit like sulfur, the water was unbelievably warm with temperatures ranging between 80 and 100*F. To cool off, some of us bathed in the river underneath. 

We started making our way back on the third day. We slept that last night under the stars near a flowing river, returning to civilization the next afternoon.

Thank you to everyone for a great time and I can’t wait to see you on campus in exactly 10 days!

~Anna

UCLA Anderson takes over the Golden Gate

…well I may be slightly exaggerating but on Saturday, August 6^th, we grabbed our bikes and did our best.

Adam, Andy, Brian, Danny, Daphne, Simon and I met at the Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Center 9:30am. The meeting point: Adam’s Napa Wine Country Cycling Jersey!

We had a few route options but most of us rode between 25 and 45 miles that day. Everyone started at the south-east entrance of the Golden Gate. The fog was in; the air was amazingly fresh.

Click here to see our intended route

Usually cyclists get to use the west side walkway of the bridge during weekends, but because of construction we had the fun of sharing the east walkway with a plethora of tourists who, as usual, were unpredictable in their stopping and walking patterns.

We made our way over the bridge in a matter of minutes riding into Sausalito. Nine miles in, we approached our first turning-point: whoever wanted to could turn back and take the Ferry back to Pier 1. 

No one turned back and we headed up our first hill. This was my first hill – ever! Figures it would be a group from Anderson that pushed me to give it a try. Up to this point in my life, I’ve done my best to stick to non-elevated terrain... Making our way up was slightly painful yet definitely awesome. We all made it to the top, continued down and through more of the North Bay.

Feeling the symbolism, we stopped to capture the moment on Paradise Dr.

We had an awesome Saturday morning, each leaving with a solid workout under our belts and great memories:

 “Right after we crossed the GG Bridge, we got caught in the mix of the bike race that was going on that day. Flying down the steep and narrow Sausalito hill dodging scores of racers (and cars) was quite a rush! I also really enjoyed getting to know everyone who joined us on the trip. I hope we make this a regular event!” - Brian, c/o 2010

 “It was great to learn that the alumni community cuts across the full-time, FEMBA, and EMBA programs. All Anderson grads are one family.” - Danny, c/o 2013

 “Going downhill with about 30 other riders into Sausalito – that was mayhem. I also really liked Lakespur. That looked like a really cool town and I had never been through it before.” - Andy, c/o 2011

 “We got to Tiberon, Daphne and I missed the 12:45 ferry and they didn't run another one until 3:00pm so we decided to bite the bullet and bike back which was 45 miles in total. Long day, but good none the less.” – Adam, c/o 2009

 “The 20-mile ride turned out to be an unexpected 40ish-mile adventure (as Adam and I took the wrong turn and in the end biked all the way back to SF).” - Daphne, c/o 2012 

After riding 45 miles, Adam and Daphne are smiling!

 

UCLA Anderson Apartment Hunt: SF to LA

The San Francisco Bay Area is located around 350 miles north of Los Angeles, but that doesn’t make virtual apartment hunting any easier. Nothing beats walking down the street where you plan to live, standing in your future living room or kitchen. If the opportunity is there, the best thing is to pack and go.

A messenger bag, notebook, laptop and cell phone in hand I set off to LA. Having only been to LA a handful of times (one of which was the A-Days Orientation weekend) I had no idea what to expect, which neighborhood to live in or even whether I would be looking to live alone in a studio or with a roomate in a bigger place.

First day of the search was a complete mess. I spent 6 hours driving to LA, and once I arrived I was shocked by the absurdity of LA drivers. Everyone moved fast. Traffic was unbelievable.

I stayed on Ophir Dr. with one of the second year Anderson students who kindly took me under her wing. Ophir Drive was a 15 minute walk to Anderson. Before this visit, this seemed to be my dream location: I could walk to class in minutes! But as I spent hours perusing the neighborhood I felt as though I was back in my undergradute days. I wanted something a bit more quiet, sophisticated and removed.

The two main areas that I looked into over the next few days were: 1) Brentwood which is West of the 405 Freeway and 2) Westwood: primarily the square of streets located below Wilshire (buildings bordered by Wilshire Blvd to the North, Westwood Blvd to the East, Ohio Ave to the South, and Veteran Ave to the West).

In addition to walking around (which is THE BEST way to find a place once you select the area where you want to live), I’ve found 2 techy insights helpful. First, Padmapper.com is a great website – a genius merge of Google Maps and craigslist postings. You know that toggle between craigslist and Google Maps that we’ve been doing for ages? Antique. Padmapper takes care of that.

Second, are QR codes – especially for apartments posted by LA’s biggest apartment listing website: WestSideResidentials.com. If you have a smartphone, all you do is scan a QR code (pictured below, top left) on a sign outside a building and automatically see if the unit is still avaialable, its price, pictures and details. Use of QR codes in apartment-hunting is amazing! 

As you look for a place, know that everything will work out with housing. It always does ;) and you have the whole Anderson community to support you in your search!

Best, Anna

 

Sports!

I woke up at 6:00am on a sunday morning! We had this event organized by the running club of GS for selecting members for 5km * 4 relay corporate team event. Once all the other participants in front of me had faded into oblivion, I thought it wise to settle for a stroll and concentrate on the music on my iPod. It was time to explore the beauty of the park, primarily because I had no idea where the end line of the race was!

It was not all lost because once the main event ended it was time for Frisbee. I had no idea that this childhood pass time is a major sport now. There are clubs with a lot of enthusiastic participation. Did you know that forehand, backhand, push grip, hammer are various terms in frisbee? Or that there are competitions that are held with 7 on 7 member teams?

I am definitely going to be a part of the 'Ultimate Frisbee club' at Anderson. 

I have been a sport enthusiast all my life and have played Badminton at the National level. I am really excited to get involved in all the sporting opportunities I am reading about at Anderson - Tennis, Golf, Running, Volleyball, Soccer. There is a UCLA badminton club but no Anderson specific one. Those interested in the fastest racket sport - Badminton, please get in touch with me.

I start off with our Pre-Orientation outdoor trip - 'Kayak and Hike High Sierra'. I am definitely looking forward to C4C events as well, have heard a lot about our storied conquests (Golden Briefcase) and contributions (Volunteer hours). 

I have found many of my closest associates and friends while pursuing various sporting activities. Since networking is going to be a key skill in all our careers what better place to start than at internal sporting events. 

Cheers,

Rahul Bala,  MBA '13

UCLA Anderson at Forte MBA Women's Conference

In 2012 the Forte MBA Women's Conference is set to be held in the Los Angeles area, but this June the Forte Foundation held its Annual MBA Women’s Conference in New York. Nine UCLA women from both the FEMBA and full-time program represented the school. Most of us flew in on Thursday evening and met that night for dinner in a cute Mexican restaurant in Soho. We had diverse backgrounds – marketing, media, PR, aerospace engineering, education, economic and pharmaceutical consulting, automotive, HR and software – yet we all shared a bond through Anderson.

Over the next two days, while surrounded by other students from top business schools, we represented Anderson and interacted with key executives, asking questions and networking with 400+ women who attended the event.

On Friday, we were coached by Jodi Glickman on perfecting our 30 second pitch, sat in on industry panels and attended a Company Expo. We listened to Uta Werner (CSO at Xerox) and Kristin Peck (Executive VP, Worldwide Business Dev. & Innovation at Pfizer) share their professional and personal stories in a panel moderated by Pattie Sellers, Fortune magazine’s Editor-at-Large. On Saturday, we followed our interests attending discussions on topics ranging from Career Acceleration to Entrepreneurship.

Many of us stayed a few extra days to enjoy the East Coast vibe of New York. 

 

Just Admitted: Pre-MBA Experience at UCLA Anderson

I'm a recent admit of the full-time MBA program here at Anderson. Originally from the Ukraine and later San Francisco Bay Area, I cannot wait to make the transition down to LA and keep you guys posted on what it’s like to be a b.student at UCLA Anderson. Housing is in-the-works (driving to LA this 4th of July weekend to look at neighborhoods), first homework assignment is in hand (accounting), recruiting for 2012 summer internships is already underway and all of this is weeks before classes begin. Exciting!

 

Challenge 4 Charity Weekend = Not Overrated

This past weekend I experienced one of the perks of going to an MBA program on the west coast - Challenge 4 Charity weekend in Palo Alto, CA!  Stanford GSB hosted the incredible event - quite a logistical feat in and of itself.

The two-day event features a comprehensive athletic competition involving students from 9 west coast MBA programs.  Over 1,000 MBAs descended upon Stanford's campus to partake in 26 different events, from more traditional sports like football, basketball, tennis and soccer to less traditional events like dodgeball, dance/cheer, and bocce ball.  C4C weekend has a tradition of being an all-around fun and social event.  Everyone's in a great mood and school spirit is high.  There was lots of good-spirited cheering and a copious amount of high fives to go around. 

One of the features of the event was Battle of the Bands.  The display of talent was incredible and each of the bands brought some serious fire power.  My jaw dropped when I heard one of my classmates do a bang up job singing "Billie Jean".  He definitely brought the house down!

I know you all are wondering about results...yes, UCLA Anderson came in 1st in the sports competition!   (and USC won in the overall contest which included fundraising and volunteer hours)  I personally had a blast participating in the tennis and dodgeball contests.  3 days of full-body muscle soreness was definitely worth it.

Random side note: former LA Laker Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen is a 2nd year student at Stanford GSB.  Not surprisingly, their basketball team won the whole thing.  My guess is that he was probably playing at 30% effort too.  Definitely a nice guy - he had several opportunities to dunk, and chose not to.  If I were 6'9" and athletic, it would take a lot of self control to pass up on a dunking opportunity!

I am definitely looking forward to C4C weekend 2012 and hope to see a lot of you there next year...see below for some of our team pictures.

- Jesse Ferlianto '12

 


UCLA Anderson Dodgeball - 3rd place

 

UCLA Tennis - 2nd place

There's a First Time for Everything

Hello!  My name is Jesse Ferlianto and I will also be one of your fellow Class of 2012 student bloggers on MBA Student Voice!  This is my first post out of many, so please check back regularly and be rewarded with honest insights¹ and even saucy observations into student life at UCLA Anderson.

I am writing with a few assumptions in mind: 

1) You don't visit this site to read a paraphrase of info contained in the glossy brochures and official websites.

2) You are a busy individual, and do not have interest in me dragging you along 2,000+ words of boilerplate blogger text.

3) You have a plethora of business school blogs to choose from, and want to know what makes UCLA Anderson students unique.

Feel free to offer feedback or comments if you'd like to add considerations to the list above.  With that said, allow me to offer a little background information:

I grew up in the Los Angeles area and went to high school in Studio City (Harvard-Westlake).  For undergrad I went down south to Emory University - Goizueta Business School (Atlanta), majoring in business and economics with a minor in music.  I also enjoyed four incredible years of college tennis while I was there.  Afterwards, I worked in financial restructuring (distressed investment banking) at Alvarez & Marsal and Morgan Joseph.

I'm married to an incredible and lovely woman named Susan.  While she is working full time as a tax consultant at Deloitte, we will be riding this incredible MBA adventure together over the next 22 months.  One way for her to get plugged in is through events with other Anderson couples through Joint Ventures.  If you are married or are attached to anyone in any "significant" way, rest assured.  There is a good mix of single and married people at Anderson and integrating significant others ("Sig-O's") into the Anderson family is easy, and very much encouraged.

All right, I'm signing off for now and will be back with some more thoughts soon.  Thanks for your interest in the wonderful student life we have here at Anderson.  I look forward to continuing this dialogue with you over the course of the next year.

-- Jesse Ferlianto, Class of 2012 

* Here's a picture of Susan and me with fellow Anderson first years.  It was taken during a spontaneous game night after our first day of orientation. (Photo courtesy of Arvind Chandrasekaran)

Notes:
₁ Views expressed in this blog are mine alone and do not necessarily represent the views of my fellow bloggers or the UCLA Anderson administration.

Hit the Ground Running: The First Two Weeks

I remember starting a new year of college as a gradual immersion process, with weeks passing by while professors made multiple introductory lectures, and we students slowly sorted out which classes we were taking, and which of those we actually needed to attend.  

Business school's not like that.  From day one our classes have been fast-paced and full of material.  Plus, since before coming to Anderson I worked in marketing, the many quantitative classes in the fall curriculum are completely new to me.  

Combine the course load with clubs, of which I've joined four, and on-campus recruiting events, which began last week, and the last couple weeks have been pretty much non-stop.  I come home late and tired, with high-heel blisters and a stomachache from too much coffee.

I’ve made it harder on myself, too.  My boyfriend and I are transplants from DC, where monthly rent on a parking spot can cost nearly as much as a new iPhone.  So we moved to LA sans car, and have spent every free moment reading about car-buying, role-playing car salesman scenarios, and writing off $$ every day to the rent-a-car company. (Note to future Andersonites: move to LA with a car if you can.)

Last week, we finally bought a car.  So this weekend, I finally relaxed.  Three glasses of wine in and I started to realize, for the first time, that I’m really here and doing this.  And I started talking.  

And talking.  

About how perfectly structured all those horrible quant classes are, so that each new piece of knowledge comes coupled with cases that perfectly illustrate exactly what you need those numbers for.  

And about how much better my resume is already, after just one meeting with a counselor at our Parker Career Management Center (CMC.)  

And about how thrilling it is to flip through The Economist and realize that not only are those fancy job ads targeted at ME (well, future me & fellow MBAs,) but the companies running them are coming to campus later this year, and the full force of Anderson is devoted to making sure I put my best foot forward when they do.

I talked for 30 minutes straight, which in introvert-years is nearly a lifetime.

I’m so excited to be here.  It can be easy to forget when you’re sleepy and sore-footed, but already I can see that Anderson will offer me everything I hoped it would when I decided to move west.  I'm excited to be here, and excited to share all my new experiences as a first-year with you.

I hope I still remember to be excited tomorrow, when three 6:20am alarms and a red bull wake me up for class.

--Tara Egan