MBA Insider's Blog

What to Look For in Summer Quarter?

About Akshita: Akshita Saxena (’23) is a first-year MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson. She comes from a background in Analytics and Business Intelligence at The Coca-Cola Company. This summer Akshita will be interning at PwC as a Summer Associate in the Chicago office. Outside of school, she enjoys exploring LA’s brunches and beaches. Akshita is originally from India and received her BE in Computer Science in 2019.

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You’ve packed your bags, booked your flights, and finally arrived in LA!! Your summer is going to be AMAZING, trust me. From socializing, academics, recruiting prep, networking, exploring, and a lot of partying, there is going to be a lot happening in the Summer Quarter. Here are a few important (and definitely fun) things to keep in mind: 

Orientation Week 

The first week of your MBA life! Walk up to your fellow classmates and say hi. We have students coming in from all over the world, and some of the best friendships are made during your orientation week. This week is basically Anderson 101 - getting face time with our Dean, learning about UCLA’s academics, exploring Anderson’s facilities, and meeting everyone for free breakfast and happy hours! This is also when you take my personal favorite class “Leadership Foundations”- a fun week indeed!

Parker Summer Series 

Anderson’s Parker Career Center does a great job in preparing us for the recruiting cycle to come. This is the time you network with your fellow peers to explore the industries that interest you. During Summer quarter, you work in small groups led by a Parker advisor to refine your resume, build your LinkedIn profile, and start mapping out your personal and professional strengths. This is the most important foundational step into preparing for the recruiting cycle.

AnderEvents

An MBA is also a social program. From on-campus happy hours to section-wide dinners, there are so many ways to socialize with your peers. There are multiple student-led events happening every single day, from beach hangs and museum outings to food trails and LA touristy days. You will have tons of social events to choose from depending on your interests. Remember to use this as an opportunity to get to know one another!

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Student Blogger: Akshita Saxena - MBA'23

Undergrad: MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology ‘19

Pre-MBA: Business Analyst, The Coca-Cola Company

Leadership@Anderson:  President of Challenge for Charity (C4C), President of Creatives Club, VP of International Relations for Management Consulting Association (MCA), Director of Surf and Beach Club (SBC), Director of Marketing and Communications for Anderson Admission Corps (AAC)

The Balancing Act of Business School – Coursework, Social, Recruiting, and Everything Else

About Danielle: Danielle Truitt (’23) is a first-year MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson. She comes from a background in Sales Operations & Strategy at VC-backed companies, including Yotpo and WeWork. This summer Danielle will be interning at Bain & Company as a Summer Associate in the Los Angeles office. Outside of school, she enjoys exploring LA by hiking, playing tennis, and finding new group workout classes. Danielle is originally from Sarasota, FL and received her BBA from Emory University in 2015.

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As I reflect on my time at Anderson, I’ve realized that the last eight months have been a balancing act. First year MBAs constantly need to choose between spending time networking and preparing for interviews, meeting new people and building friendships, and actually studying. Business school has been an amazing experience, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that time is a finite resource – time spent in one area means less time in another. Over the past few quarters, I’ve learned how to balance the amazing opportunities afforded by attending Anderson and living in LA. Here are my three tips:

(1) Prioritize in short increments, whether that’s the next week, months, or quarter

Throughout your time at Anderson, you will have different priorities and areas of focus. To ensure that you are getting a balanced experience, break down your time in business school into smaller increments. This helps you stay focused on each task at hand, while also allowing you to shift your priorities. In the Fall, recruiting for consulting was my primary goal, so I focused all of my time and energy on making sure that I could be the best candidate. Once I received my offer, I used the Winter quarter to relax and spend time socializing and traveling.

(2) Give yourself breaks and time to reflect

A quarter may seem like a long time to stay focused and dedicated, especially because emotions and energy change quickly. Throughout the process, give yourself the time and space to assess what you have already done and reflect on where you want to go. For me, being outside is imperative for my mental health, so every day, I made sure to spend time outside, whether that was going for walk or working out. These were breaks that allowed me to reflect, understand how I was feeling, and formulate a plan for action.

(3) Your Anderson classmates can support and guide you 

Remember, you aren’t reinventing the wheel; countless people have been through business school before and have been in your shoes. Use your current classmates and 2nd years as resources to support you, whether that’s through bouncing ideas off one another or by discussing how they might approach a situation you’re faced with. It’s also a great way to make a few new friends 😊.

Overall, don’t forget to ENJOY your time in business school!  From traveling to cool new places (I went to Costa Rica for Spring Break) to pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, I can honestly say that year one has been a time for exploration, growth, and fun.

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Student Blogger: Danielle Truitt '23

Undergrad: Emory University ‘15

Pre-MBA: Sales Operations & Strategy, WeWork

Leadership@Anderson:  VP of Wellness, Women’s Business Connection; VP of Education, Management Consulting Association; EDI, Anderson Ambassador Corps

Advice For Consortium’s Orientation Program

About Stanton: Stanton Fields (’23) is originally from West Orange, NJ. Prior to Anderson, he worked in financial services at PGIM Fixed Income in a variety of trade support roles supporting the investment team. In his spare time, you can find Stanton playing pickup basketball at one of LA’s many outdoor courts, working on his golf swing, or running along the water in Santa Monica. 

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As a Consortium student, you have the opportunity to network and participate in early recruiting with top employers during the annual Orientation Program (known as OP). OP typically happens in June, before your 1st year. While it may be daunting to have conversations with employers before you even start your MBA journey, below I listed some advice to make the most out of the experience:

1. Use OP as an opportunity to warm-up your networking/recruiting muscles - Don’t feel pressure to secure something right away. You are way ahead of the game. Use this time to practice your 30 second pitch and get comfortable speaking to employers. All that being said, if you see a target company/role at OP that you want, go all in for it!
2. Have a game plan - While it’s great that you have access to so many companies in one spot, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Having a list of target companies/roles will allow you to better prepare and make the most of your time during the conference. When interview prepping, always have a prepared answer for “Tell me about yourself”, “Why the company”, and “why the role”.
3. Chat with 2nd years - Many have applied to the same roles you’re interested in and can give you advice when it comes to interviews. Anderson specifically has an Anderson Consortium Buddy Program where you are paired up with a 2nd year Consortium student during the summer. This will be your go-to person as it relates to questions about OP, navigating Anderson, and everything in between. When I told my Consortium buddy that I was interviewing for PepsiCo’s Brand Marketing internship, she provided me with previous interview questions people had been asked, a framework for answering certain case questions, and even put me in contact with one of her friends that was interning there for the summer. You hear it all the time, but people are REALLY about sharing success at Anderson.
4. Make the most of it - Use each program session and company interaction as a spring. Whether you come out of OP with an offer or not, there is a lot you can learn from the experience. Gain more knowledge about companies during the informational sessions. Reflect on your interview experience and where you can improve. OP is a great learning opportunity overall.

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Student Blogger: Stanton Fields ‘23

Undergrad: Boston College ‘14

Pre-MBA: Investment Operations Analyst, PGIM Fixed Income

Leadership@Anderson: Director of Business Development – Sports Business Association, Director of Admissions Ambassador Corps