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
Comments