This post is a part of the Student Spotlight series where we highlight a current Anderson student or alum to learn about his/her experiences at Anderson.
LAUREN WOLFEN
UCLA Anderson Class of 2019
Name: UCLA Anderson MBA Class: Hometown: Undergraduate Studies: Pre-MBA Career: Post-MBA Goals: |
Q. Introduce yourself to your classmates!
A. Hi everyone! I’m Lauren Wolfen – native Angeleno, diehard Bruin, and new member of the class of 2019! I grew up at Pauley Pavilion cheering on our Bruins, and I’m excited to finally wear the blue and gold letters as a student. Prior to Anderson, I led the LA office for a B2B wholesale marketplace in the fashion industry. Here at Anderson, I’m looking to expand upon skills acquired on the job through the incredible classes, associations and clubs, faculty, and of course my fellow Ander-classmates.
Q. Why did you decide to attend UCLA Anderson -- #whyAnderson?
A. The thing that was and continues to be unique about Anderson is the incredible Ander-family that welcomed me with open arms from the first moment I met them. When I attended Access Anderson in the fall, Jenn Hyman (’14) said “Anderson helps you build the person you want to be." I can already feel the support of this incredible team helping me shape my short and long term next steps through preliminary career workshop work and coursework. It also doesn’t hurt that Anderson is a hub for the LA business scene.
Q. What are you most excited about at UCLA Anderson?
A. I'm really looking forward to Days on the Job (DOJ). When I was an undergrad student, I loved interning at different companies to get to know what their culture was about, and Anderson's DOJs seem like the perfect way to get a taste for many companies as I take my next career steps. I then want to work with Parker and my Anderson Career Team (ACT) to learn to craft a standout resume and cover letters. It will be invaluable to learn from my peers and those who have gone before me and landed their dream jobs at companies I also aspire to be a part of some day.
Q. What are some clubs that interest you?
A. I'm very excited about joining the Women's Business Connection and Marketing Association (MA). Having attended a women's liberal arts college for my undergraduate education, I saw the importance of women supporting one another in order to achieve our goals. I hope to be able to interact with the strong network of Ander-women (both current students and alumnae) to continue to learn from and help one another. I've also started to interact with members of the Marketing Association to learn about the recruiting process for summer internships. I've been so impressed by the positions the soon to be second years are holding this summer, and I can't wait to learn more when they're back on campus in the Fall. From what I hear, the MA helps to prepare you well for brand management interviews, marketing cases, and lots and lots of informational interviews. This first hand knowledge is invaluable as an incoming first year.
Q. What was one thing that surprised you about the application process at Anderson?
A. The Anderson Admissions Committee was so helpful and hands-on throughout the process, which made it much easier to approach the application. There were many opportunities to interact with the admissions committee members at all types of events (Forte, on campus, webinars) as they helped to demystify the application process. By the time I went to complete my application, I felt well prepared for the task, and it was exciting to get to tell the admissions committee #whyAnderson.
Q. What is a piece of advice you have for a prospective applicant?
A. Start your exploration process early and take advantage of every resource possible. What do I mean by this? When I had an inkling that I wanted to attend business school, I started to get my feet wet by checking out instagram accounts for the schools I was interested in -- including UCLA Anderson's @uclamba!. From there, I found out about great events both on and off campus from webinars with admissions committee members and current students, to local coffee chats, to on campus open houses and mixers. From there, there were natural connections to current students and alumni, and I got to have informative and interesting one on one conversations with members of the community. This takes time (hence starting early); however, these experiences helped solidify my decision to pursue my MBA at Anderson!
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