MBA Insider's Blog

On the road - a quick recap of MBA Tour events

It seems like admissions events start earlier and earlier every year - it's only July and we've already been or will be on the road in cities throughout the U.S. this month, with more travel to come from August until November.

I recently got back from Chicago and San Francisco where I attended fairs organized by The MBA Tour.  The event in Chicago was held at the Holiday Inn with a beautiful view of the city and river:

On Friday, I jumped on a plane to the Bay Area and spent a few days enjoying the wonderful weather in San Francisco before spending Sunday meeting prospective candidates at the fair.  I wish I had some pictures to share from my time there, but unfortunately my iPhone battery died!

In both cities, I met many wonderful prospective students for the Class of 2015, and truly enjoyed speaking in depth about our program, including our recently revamped curriculum, amazing SoCal location, and unique student culture.

UCLA Anderson will be at MBA Tour events in NY, Boston, and DC in the next few days - if you're currently in one of these cities, we'd love to meet you! And if not, please check out our event calendar online for more information on ways to meet us - either on-campus, off-campus, or virtually. 

UCLA Anderson kicks off the new MBA admissions season

Our MBA application for the 2012-13 admissions cycle will be available beginning August 7, 2012. In the meantime, you can get an early peek at the application requirements on our MBA website.

New Essay Questions
We require just two essays to showcase your character and goals:

• What is your proudest achievement outside the workplace, and how has it impacted you? (700 words maximum)
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from UCLA Anderson specifically help you achieve these goals? (700 words maximum)

New Recommendation Questions
We revised the questions that recommenders answer to help us identify your leadership and managerial potential:

• How strong is the candidate’s focus in terms of being results-oriented, strategically-minded, and career-driven?
• How does the candidate demonstrate leadership, e.g., by creating a vision, motivating others, managing resources, and taking risks?
• How strong are the candidate’s interpersonal skills as shown by their professionalism, teamwork, attitude, and conflict management?
• How effective is the candidate in communicating clearly, eloquently, and confidently (in written and oral form)?
• How does the candidate bring a unique perspective, and contribute to activities outside the workplace?

Updated Events and Website
We posted our complete calendar of events for the coming admissions cycle on our freshly updated website (mba.anderson.ucla.edu). Please visit our site and come meet us at an event near you or online. 

 

Meet our New Summer Bloggers on The MBA Student Voice

The MBA Student Voice has a fresh group of incoming students blogging about their adventures before starting UCLA Anderson this fall!  Meet these nine amazing students below, and get to know them by following their weekly posts. 

Ann Ching '14
I'm transitioning from a career as an active-duty Army officer and lawyer to life as a full-time student (again!). This summer, my dog Huxley and I will be moving from the beaches of Honolulu to the beaches of Los Angeles; I'll also be re-learning math and figuring out Excel. In my free time I enjoy swimming, running, music, and freelance writing. I can't wait to meet my fellow classmates and see all that Anderson has to offer!

 

Alejandra Rodriquez '14
Hi everyone, my friends call me Ale and I am from Monterrey, Mexico. I majored in accounting and finance and have worked as an Internal Control Auditor. I am so excited to join the SMA team as blogger, expect to hear from me soon!

 

 

 

Chris Varin '14
I'm French and Swiss but was brought up in Belgium before doing my undergraduate in the United States. I spent two years working in mergers and acquisition in London before spending several months working in social enterprise in Peru. I'm a huge football fan (the European kind) but generally love everything about sports.

 

 

 

Kyle Forrest '14
Hi everyone, my name is Kyle Forrest. I'm leaving Houston after 8 years, where I worked for Deloitte Consulting (Human Capital) and attended Rice University, to join the UCLA Anderson class of 2014. The things I can't wait to experience at Anderson are - LA (of course), C4C (Challenge 4 Charity), better men's football and basketball teams, meeting all my classmates, and either learning to surf or training for an Ironman... or both!

Ayushman Jain '14
Currently an MBA candidate, class of 2014 at UCLA Anderson, I've previously worked at IBM as a software developer in the Eclipse Java compiler project(called JDT) and as a Social Media Marketing Lead. I describe myself as a social geek, rebel dancer, bathroom singer, versatile saggitarian and an eternal optimist!

 

Gregory Paige '14
I grew up in the Philadelphia area (go Eagles) and attended UNC-Chapel Hill for my undergraduate studies. Since then, I've enjoyed a six-year career at advertising agency CP+B. As a journalism major, I'm excited to write for the MBA Student Voice blog to share experiences and advice with prospective applicants. The ad guy in me is equally eager to help promote UCLA Anderson and the MBA in general. I also enjoy 5k running, playing piano and keeping up with technology and social media. Finally, I'm a college sports junkie who's looking forward to the resurgence of UCLA basketball.

Ashley Mallinson '14
Hi, I’m Ashley Mallinson, a member of UCLA Anderson Class of 2014. I am moving to LA from New York City, NY, where I live in the West Village and run a small business for a celebrity stylist. I was born in Toronto, Canada to English parents, but am a Southerner at heart having grown up in Jackson, MS and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. I moved to New York immediately after college and fell in love with the city, working at start-ups within Conde Nast and Penguin Books. For the last six years I managed a small company for a celebrity stylist, working in the fashion & design industry creating new marketing platforms, events, sponsorship initiatives and working with social and new media development. I’m extremely excited to learn to surf in LA and to be attending UCLA this fall!

 
Dwight Asuncion '15
Hi everyone! I'm Dwight Asuncion. Originally from SoCal, I moved up to NorCal when I attended UC Berkeley and I've been in the Bay Area ever since. I'm looking forward to pursuing an MBA/MPH at UCLA.

 

 

 

Kate Edwards '14
As a lifetime East Coaster, I could not be more excited to embark on this new journey across the country at Anderson. After graduating with a degree in International Relations from Brown, I worked for creative advertising agencies in New York with clients like Johnson & Johnson, Royal Caribbean, and Procter & Gamble on marketing strategy, digital and traditional advertising, and creative execution. In my free time, I love dancing, writing, crossword puzzles, trivia nights, being a foodie, and above all, trying new things. I’m looking forward to sharing my UCLA Anderson experience with all of you!

Another Successful OP Experience

It's been a few weeks since we returned from this year's OP in Minneapolis and our students are keeping busy building a relationship with the company representatives that they met. For those of you who don't know, OP is the Consortium's week long Orientation Program that brings students of the seventeen member schools together. Not only does OP bring the students together but it also gives them an opportunity to participate in workshops, work on professional development, and explore recruiting opportunities.

The 15 students in our newest Consortium class and two second year school liaisons represented us proudly in their UCLA Anderson vests.