MBA Insider's Blog

UCLA Anderson MBA Program Cited as "Women-Friendly" by PINK Magzazine

PINK Magazine recently cited UCLA Anderson as one of its 14 favorite "women-friendly" MBA programs. We are pleased to be recognized for what we consider a key Anderson attribute. Our community is a great place for women who want to earn an MBA because of the opportunities one discovers here, including our:

• active student club: Women's Business Connection (WBC);
• participation in Forte Foundation events and career-related activities;
• exceptional diversity of career opportunities, which are well-suited to the breadth of traditional and non-traditional careers pursued by women; and
• the opportunity to attend local women's events, such as the PINK Magazine Los Angeles Conference on 29 Oct 08.

Our commitment to women is part of our overall dedication to diversity of all kinds: gender, geography, academic background, professional backgrounds, life experience(s), etc.

Russia and Turkey provide new highlights

The last legs of my big Oct. MBA recruiting trip took me to St. Petersburg then Istanbul then home.  In about 18 hours on the ground in SP I enjoyed a brief walk to the river and a whole new student recruiting model from the AccessMBA organizers.  Candidates are briefed on the programs attending then go on "speed-dates" from table to table with the right schools.  Some brilliant people there are clearly ready for their MBA's in America, and others were just exploring long-term options.  A variety of perspectives came out in the panel I did at lunchtime, on executive MBA's vs. full-time programs, and European vs. American MBA's.  We all agreed that students should sharpen their global thinking by taking a good look at all schools with strengths in resonant areas of interest and geography.

Istanbul was a first for me, and the sun shined brightly on the narrow Bosporus separating Europe and Asia.  Students at the QS World MBA Tour panel there asked what we hope Turkish students bring to each class.   I answered that it was just this crossroads understanding of interacting continents and cultures that is so important for all our students to hear.  Los Angeles is another crossroads, and we appreciate the social facilitation that the Turks always do so naturally.  There is plenty for us all to learn from each other on mixing modernism with tradition, religion with secularism, tolerance with hospitality.  Fortunately there was a big interest in our school there, as our gracious alumni and I spoke for hours with prospectives.  Many were college students planning for the future, which we always encourage, and also some good candidates are in this year's pipeline.  I think I saw one again later as we went out for dinner near Taksim Square, along with tens of thousands of others enjoying the warm evening in a happening city.   

Now after a long journey home I am starting to read Round 1 applications.  It's nice to meet some people again on paper.  Next month comes an even farther road to South Africa and the Mid-East, so stay tuned to this channel --

Craig Hubbell

It's Information Evening Season!

So far this recruiting season UCLA Anderson admissions officers have been answering the questions of prospective students at MBA fairs and special events around the world.  Right now we're hitting our peak time for Information Evenings.  These events are focused solely on the UCLA Anderson program, and highlight the comparative advantages of our MBA while allowing participants to direct questions to a panel of local alumni.

Last night I met a great crowd of prospective students at our Information Evening in Washington, D.C., where I was joined by five alumni from diverse industries including health care management, finance, and consulting.  Tonight I got the chance to conduct our first Information Evening in Minneapolis for several years, which was held at the General Mills World Headquarters.  We've got a sizeable alumni community in this city, with lots of representation from the consumer packaged goods industry that's so prevalent here.  Tomorrow night I'll be hosting an Information Evening in Chicago, so if you're located in the Windy City please come out and join us!

We may be heading to a city near you soon, so be sure the check out our events listing for all the details.  See you on the road!

Lender Information for the 2009/2010 Academic Year

Due to the current economic situation and recent changes to the U.S. immigration laws, most lenders have made a decision to discontinue providing private loan programs to the international students without a co-borrower.  We strongly suggest that you  secure funding from your home country to finance your MBA as funding sources from the U.S. lending institutions have become more difficult, if not impossible to obtain.

We are working hard to find an alternative solution to help fund our international sutdents. We will keep you posted with up-to-date information as it becomes available.

Annual Tuition and Fees 2009/2010

The annual tuition and registration fees for the 2009/2010 academic year are estimated to be $35,673* for California residents and $43,915* for non-California residents and international students.

*These figures are estimates and are subject to change without notice.

Next Steps for Round 1 UCLA Anderson MBA Applicants

All Round 1 applicants, here's some useful information for you regarding the next steps in the admissions process.

• You will be notified by Friday, 24 Oct 08 of your application status - i.e., whether or not all your materials arrived by the deadline and your applicaton is complete or there is missing information and it is incomplete. (Please note: For the vast majority of you, your files will be complete, so don't be concerned.) You will be able to view your status through a link and login id we will email to you.
• Incomplete applications will be moved to Round 2, which is still fine timing for admission for Fall 2009.
• Interviews are by invitation only and based on a full review of your application by the Admissions Committe. We will provide full instructions on how to arrange an interview at the time of invitation. Interviews are conducted on campus and with alumni around the world.
• There is no order to the release of interview invitations. No need to speculate why others who may have applied later than you received an invitation before you.

Stay tuned for more information and interview tips.

Recruiting road to Israel / Eastern Europe

I am on a 19,000-mile (30,000 km) journey to highlight our MBA program for prospective students in Israel, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.  The first stop was Tel Aviv, where we have super alumni who have helped to build our momentum as applications last year doubled from the year before.  Interest this season is strong too, as seen both at our UCLA Anderson Information Evening and at the World MBA Tour fair there.  It is always great to hear from future students who are so fluent and focused on how a UCLA MBA could change their lives!  Our alumni are a fascinating group too, and at our dinner by the sea they shared their insights on the political and economic prospects for the region from their standpoints as leading investors, high-tech managers and management consultants.

Next up was Kyiv (aka Kiev) in Ukraine where we had never gone to recruit before.  For three hours at the QS World Tour MBA fair we spoke non-stop with candidates who wanted to learn more about doing a challenging but balanced MBA in warm California.  Our alumni there are still overflowing with UCLA Anderson spirit even several years and many miles from their MBA venue.  Once again the alumni dinner was a real treat for me, as these financiers have connections in industry and government that give them keen perspectives on a world that is changing fast.  As one of them said with a calming smile, "cash is king now."

Long ago in 1986 I visited Moscow as a young traveler, so I can appreciate the explosive growth that the city has seen since the last century.  Then as now I have had fun decoding signs from the Cyrillic alphabet into some words with common roots, and there is lots more to read now in this thriving consumer society.  In a restaurant on Red Square after our Information Evening, the alumni had fond flashbacks to L.A. and two of the best years of their lives there, as well as prescient comments on the future.  Last night's MBA fair brought even more interested applicants to our table and I was grateful for alumni help to spread the good news about UCLA Anderson in compelling Russian and in English.

Now it's off to St. Petersburg and Istanbul -- may we be just as popular there too!

-- Craig Hubbell

Last Minute UCLA Anderson MBA Application Tips

All Round 1 applicants to the UCLA Anderson MBA Program: here are some tips based on phone calls we have been receiving to help guide you as you prepare your application.

Round 1 deadline: Thursday, 9 Oct 08, 9pm PST/12am EST (your application and all supporting materials must have arrived in our office by the deadline. Any hard copy materials must arrive by the close of business at 5pm PST.)

Transcripts: the file size has been increased from 500KB to 1MB for those of you with lengthier documents.

Application Submission: once your application has been submitted, we are, regrettably, unable to allow you to make further changes to it. Please do not be distressed over minor errrors or typos that you may have made in your application. If you are a great candidate, these will not impact your admissions decision.

Application Status: once you have submitted your application, you may verify that is has been successfully received on our end by checking your status through Apply Yourself, using your PIN# and logon. Please give us up to 10 business days to process all incoming materials and update your online status to verify that we have received all of your application materials or to see a list of information that is missing.

Any applications that are not complete (i.e., missing information such as recommendation letters, essays, transcripts, official or unofficial test scores) will be moved to Round 2. Round 2 is comparable to Round 1 in terms of admissibility, so you will not be disadvantaged in any way.

GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS scores: we will accept unofficial, self-reported scores in order to consider your application complete. We will need official scores at the time of admission.

Help on Uploading Transcripts

Some of you have expressed having some difficulty uploading transcripts through our online application.

If you are facing issues with the file size limit, here are some tips that may help:

• reduce the resolution of the scan to reduce the file size of the resultant image (150 dpi ought to be enough)
• break up the scan into multiple scans and upload them in separate fields (there are four upload fields).  Although the upload fields are designated for up to four schools, you may use any unused upload field if you attended fewer than four institutions
• consider scanning in grayscale instead of full color

We have increased the file size capacity from 500KB to 1MB for those of you with larger/more detailed transcripts.

As always, please be sure that the documents you scan are clear and legible.  If you cannot read them, odds are we can't either! Consider sending them to a friend or associate to guarantee their legibility.

Time flies when you're jetsetting around the world...

Buenos noches from Santiago, Chile!

For admissions officers, Fall tends to be quite busy with lots of travelling for recruiting events, on top of our regular day-to-day activities.  With this whirlwind of activity, it's hard to believe that the Round 1 deadline is only a few days away. 

Today, UCLA Anderson held an Information Evening at IM Trust, Inc, in Santiago, Chile, which included a packed house full of prospective students and some top-notch alumni with lots of great insight on our program.  Although my Spanish comprehension is rather rusty, I was able to understand enough to know that UCLA Anderson was well-represented here in Santiago tonight, with alumni ranging from high level executives in major financial services companies to those who are more recent graduates of our program in attendance.  It goes to show that UCLA Anderson is indeed a program that's well-respected and recognized all over the world, and no matter where you may end up, your degree from UCLA Anderson will definitely open many doors and forge wonderful opportunities for you.

For those of you who are applying from South America, I will be in Santiago, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Lima over the next several days - you can check our events calendar for more details.  I would love to meet you and answer any questions you may have about our program and the application process.  Other admissions officers will be in Israel, Russia, and other parts of Europe this month.  Continue to check back frequently for updates as we document our travels throughout this recruiting season...