Student Perspectives: Making The Most of Your Time At UCLA Anderson

This post is a part of the Student Perspectives series - each post is written by a current UCLA Anderson student, and provides first-hand perspectives and experiences about being an MBA student at UCLA Anderson.

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I was recently hosting a prospective student in my finance class and he asked me what the biggest surprise has been since I started Anderson. My immediate answer: how busy I am! There are countless amazing opportunities at Anderson but only so many hours in the day and the biggest challenge for me has been balancing everything - academics, recruiting and social life. While everyone has a unique Anderson experience, I have heard many of my fellow classmates echo the same sentiment. Here are tips I have for coming in prepared and balancing everything once you get here. 

1) If you can take some time off before business school to relax or travel it will help you come into the school year refreshed. In addition to relaxing, try to reflect on your career aspirations. The Parker Career Center is an amazing resource at Anderson and will help you think through a lot of the career decisions you will have to make but the earlier you know what you want to do the better. Anderson starts in early August and I remember thinking it was crazy how early they made us get to campus but in retrospect I am so appreciative of the head start we had on recruiting and academics. 

2) Reflect on the skills you want to gain while at Anderson and prioritize the extra-curricular activities you want to dedicate your time to. There are countless clubs, speaker events, conferences and trips you can join but you have to remember you don't have time for everything. I decided to take on a Director position in one professional club, get involved with Admissions and join the Anderson Venture Impact Partners which is a student-led venture capital fund focused on social impact. I have joined as a member of other clubs and go to events when I can but I am sure to be selective about the leadership roles I commit to. 

3) Dive into the social activities as soon as you get to campus. The summer session feels busy but it only gets busier so it is great to spend the first couple of months meeting people and saying yes to everything. When recruiting gets hectic you will have to say no to more social events but remember that you have two years and it is a marathon not a sprint. I have also found joining clubs and group projects to be a great way to meet people. 

It has only been 3 months but I can already confidently say that this experience has pushed me to grow in ways I could not have imagined. At times I feel overwhelmed but ultimately I am grateful for each opportunity at Anderson!

 

-- Iman Nanji MBA/MPP '20

 

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Student Blogger:  Iman Nanji '20 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Undergraduate Studies:  Columbia University, B.A. Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Pre-Anderson: Policy Analyst, Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Budget and Innovation Post-MBA Goals: Consulting/Impact Investing Activities@Anderson:   - Director of Alumni Relations, Anderson Student Association  - Director of External Affairs, Management Consulting Association  - Director, Anderson Venture Impact Partners  - Director, Admissions Ambassador Corps

 

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