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.
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.
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
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