MBA Insider's Blog

UCLA Anderson in London for an Information Evening Event

Last night, I had the opportunity to meet some really terrific candidates at the London QS MBA Fair. Tomorrow evening (Monday), we will be hosting a school presentation at 7 PM in London. If you are in town and would like to learn more about UCLA Anderson and interact with some of our alumni come join us. 

Next stops on my trip include Paris, Madrid and Barcelona. I hope to meet some of you in one of those great cities. Don't forget that our Round 2 admissions deadline is on January 11. For more information about our off campus events please visit our website.

-Adrian Aguirre
UCLA Anderson School of Management

Work experience & extracurricular activities: what's important?

Work experience and extracurricular activities are evaluated for numerous qualities, among them leadership/managerial potential, readiness and fit for an MBA, and ways an applicant can enhance the overall learning environment for their peers. 

Now when some applicants look at our class profile and see that students average 5 years of pre-MBA work experience, they automatically assume since they have less than this amount they are not competitive.  This is absolutely NOT true.  A closer look at the numbers show that 58% have 3-6 years of experience, 21% have 0-3 years, and 21% have over 6 years of experience.  So a sizeable number of students have LESS than the average (and some have more, which is great too).  What does this mean?  Quality, not quantity, is what matters when the admissions committee scrutinizes your professional accomplishments.  What makes an applicant's experience stand out includes outstanding progression and examples of strong problem-solving abilities, impact on your organization, being proactive, ability to work well in teams, and managerial capabilities, among others. 

Also important to note is that UCLA Anderson values diverse perspectives in the classroom, so we welcome applicants from both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds.  Bankers and consultants are important to have in the classroom, but frankly you won't learn much from your peers if they comprise your ENTIRE class.  So long as you articulate compelling reasons for an MBA and focused career plans (more details on essays will come in another post), those with unique backgrounds can add a distinct point-of-view that can prove to be quite valuable in classroom discussions.

Extracurricular activities (XCs), especially those in which you held significant leadership roles, can help supplement your work experience, especially for those who we call "early career" candidates with less than 2 years of FT work experience.  In addition, prior XC involvement helps us assess how you'll contribute in our network of clubs and other organizations, which is a very important part of the overall UCLA Anderson MBA experience.  XCs during and after college, both inside and outside the workplace, are all taken into consideration.

For more on work experience and XCs, please see the Application Requirements section of our website.

 -Jessica

Academic Record and the GMAT: Two indicators of academic success

The admissions committee, in evaluating a candidate's potential for academic success and achievement in our MBA program, relies heavily on two important indicators: prior academic performance (e.g. undergraduate/baccalaureate degree, advanced degrees and post-baccalaureate coursework) and an applicant's GMAT score. The GMAT test, when evaluated along with a candidate's prior academic achievement at the undergraduate level and beyond, has been shown to quite accurately predict how a student will perform in his or her first year of an MBA program.

As our admissions officers chat with candidates on the road, we do receive a lot of questions from applicants wondering if a certain GMAT or GPA score alone prevents or guarantees them entrance to our MBA program. For example: "My GPA is below your average. Should I still apply?" We always tell candidates that the range of GMAT scores and GPAs we see in each year's incoming class really is quite broad. One of the reasons for this is that the committee weighs an applicant's GPA and GMAT score hand-in-hand and an assessment of a candidate's overall academic competitiveness is made by balancing a review of test scores with a thorough evaluation of transcripts.

It's important to note, as well, that the admissions committee takes into context not only your actual scores or letter grades, but factors such as the competitive level of your curriculum and school, the course load you chose and academic trends exhibited on your transcript. We do give applicants the benefit of the doubt for the odd "blip" on a transcript, but admitted candidates tend to show a consistent level of functioning above their peers. We see candidates from all different undergraduate majors (and love to see this academic diversity in the class!); however, in cases where we don't see a lot of quantitative coursework on an undergraduate or graduate-level transcript, we may look for indication of quantitative proficiency through a candidate's quantitative score on the GMAT. Similarly, strong performance in quantitative courses at the undergraduate level may take a bit of pressure off a candidate's quantitative score achieved on the GMAT.

The admissions committee is ultimately assessing that a candidate has the necessary preparation to succeed in our program and we really do evaluate GPAs and GMAT scores in the context of the overall application. For this reason, when determining your competitiveness as an applicant, it may be advisable to look at our GMAT and GPA ranges rather than strict averages.

For additional information on academic records including what documentation you will need to send us as part of your application, please visit: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27513.xml

For additional information on submitting your GMAT score to us please visit: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27512.xml

- Lindsay