MBA Insider's Blog

First Year Perspectives: MBA - Where You Can Learn As Much From Classmates as Professors

About Arjun: Arjun Rajesh (’23) is a true “citizen of the world” growing up in Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States.  He graduated from Babson College with a Bachelors in Business Administration and focused on corporate strategy.  Post-undergrad, Arjun worked at FedEx as an internal strategist before shifting to become a founding member of FedEx’s new data science arm, helping drive an enterprise-wide digital transformation.  At Anderson, Arjun will use the learnings he derived from transforming one of the world’s largest companies across a wider spectrum of verticals by shifting to a career in Management Consulting.

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Why should one pursue an MBA?  The opportunity to career pivot, change locations and 2x a salary are all common but very fair reasons.  Another is the vaunted “network” but what does that really mean?  Does it mean in 20 years you will have a close contact in senior leadership at most of the Fortune 500?  Sure (nah).  Does it mean you will rub shoulders with a future unicorn founder who will one day hire you as an overpaid brand consultant?  Likely for the former part, less likely for the latter.  Does it mean that you now have access to inspirational alumni who are doing incredible things in the field and will personally invest in your success?  Okay, this one’s actually pretty true, both here at Anderson and at many other programs as well.      

How about this one: one should pursue an MBA to learn.  Wait wait wait don’t click away!  I promise I have a point here.  I know between your various undergraduate degrees, Master’s programs, flight schools, culinary academies, Hogwarts, semi-supervised independent studies and schools of hard knocks you have learned plenty at this point, but I’ve got one noticeable distinction for you.  At those other institutions, you learned from a teacher (or football coach depending on what part of the country you’re from).  At an MBA program, you learn from your peers.  Think about it, an MBA program is the densest concentration of talented people in your age that you will likely ever experience.  Each of them comes with a diverse background and 4+ years of genuine field experience and you will spend a fair bit of time with them academically, professionally, and socially.

Don’t get me wrong.  You will have amazing professors too, irrespective of where you chose to enroll.  Just about all of my professors are wildly respected in their fields and the only limit to what you can learn from them is your own time and mental capacity.  But I don’t spend 8 hours straight with them working on a high-pressure deliverable.  I don’t go through painstaking details to plan club events with them.  I don’t study alongside them in preparation for their exam (if I did, someone should probably call Academic Services).  I do all that with my peers, and that is where much of the learning comes from.

At UCLA Anderson, we have operationalized the peer-to-peer learning benefit by creating designated “learning teams”: fixed teams of 6 who you will complete all of your assignments with over the course of the first year.  I know what you’re thinking - sounds like an absolute nightmare right?  I was skeptical when I found this out too, but I am happy to report that my learning team experience has been the best part of my time at Anderson!  Instead of your typical miserable group project on loop, our team spends hours together on end mostly spent laughing and somehow we wind up with a super high quality deliverable and learn plenty from each other along the way.  How’s that for networking? 

I appreciate your readership and would love to make this real for you by telling you about the five people who have taught me so much in just four short months.  Without further ado, introducing the E5 Bee-Hive! 

 

The E5 “Beehive” from left to right: Yonghwan, Tommy, Yours Truly, Emily, Karen, and Ali

 

YONGHWAN “OPPA” CHOI: 

The senior-most member of our team, our “Oppa” hails from South Korea where he previously served in the Korean Air Force and led data science efforts for the Korean Customs Office in a senior role.  Now at Anderson, he will be pivoting to a career in operations for big tech where his previous leadership experience and data science efforts will serve him very well.

What I learned from Yonghwan: Yonghwan is fluent in 4 languages: English, Korean, R, and Economics.  Everything I know about R and Econ comes from Yonghwan.  I have also appreciated his wisdom regarding matters like avoiding toxic workplaces and responding to failure.

Fun story about Yonghwan: Our team has a shared fund where we make a small dollar contribution every time we teach Yonghwan something NSFW.  We will use this fund for a team dinner at the end of the year.  We will be eating well. 

 

TOMMY “TOMTOM” JIANG:

There are a lot of people I never would have met without Anderson but Tommy probably tops the list.  Originally from Chicago, Tommy is a dual-degree MD-MBA, said differently, he’s literally going to be a full-fledged Doctor of Medicine who also has an MBA.  Smart money is on him opening up his own highly successful practice and using the business skills he picked up to complement topflight medical expertise.  I should probably mention that Tommy is going to be a urologist – yes, it is ok to laugh, we’ve made just about every joke there is.  

What I learned from Tommy: The most serious jobs require a sense of humor.  Always back a smart person who learns lightning quick even if they don’t have conventional business experience.  Also - very specific instances in which one needs to see a urologist ASAP. 

Fun story about Tommy: In a nod to his profession, our team got Tommy a certain plushie for his birthday and delivered it to him in the middle of class.  Will leave it at that.

 

EMILY “E!” HUD:

Our team’s closest thing to a native Californian, Emily has been here on the West Coast for the past 10 years.  Before Anderson, Emily was a CPA, working in big 4 accounting at KPMG and then later in corporate finance at Clorox.  With a detailed understanding of the financial levers required to operate a company and the CPG segment, Emily will likely transition to a marketing role for prominent beauty brand, combining the aforementioned financial skills with a creative lens.

What I learned from Emily: How to maximize a diverse team.  Not to rely on abstract factors and to use logic when solving complex business problems. The importance of having friends with different perspectives.

Fun story about Emily: Emily is helping me get rid of my natural discomfort around dogs with the help of her pup, Kurt.  Also, she’s the one who came up with the “Bee-Hive” name!  Royalties apply.

 

KAREN “Kay-Z” ZHANG:

Hailing from China, Karen joins us from a past-life in CPG marketing, where she was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble.  Now at Anderson, she will use her past marketing expertise and creative genes to make a pivot to tech marketing.  Her deep consumer understanding and experience with bringing new products to market positions her to be in high demand come recruiting time.

What I learned from Karen: Karen is probably the smartest person on our team and we literally have a doctor.  After countless late-night hours of arguing about accounting, I learned Karen is pretty much always right and to just listen to her.  She also joined like 10 clubs and is a fantastic reminder for me to keep trying new things and bring natural energy and curiosity. 

Fun story about Karen: I have hired Karen as my entirely commission-based agent for my dating life.  Reach out to her with any inquiries.

 

ALI “No nickname yet” AL-MOULAH:

Ali got his start in the oil and gas sector, working at Schlumberger and Halliburton across the oil fields of Texas all the way to his home country of Kuwait.  He’s going to join the good fight (no bias here) by pivoting to a career in consulting with an eye on his home market in the Middle East.  With detailed knowledge of the energy sector, Ali projects to be a really strong consultant as the industry prioritizes ESG and the needs of Middle East clients.    

What I learned from Ali: Ali went from > 300 pounds to a champion-level Iron Man.  His motivation and dedication are massively inspiring to me, and I push myself to emulate him in my life as a future consultant.

Fun story about Ali: Ali and I once won a piggy-back relay race as part of our Section Olympics.  He doesn’t talk about it much but I tell everyone I literally (physically) carried an iron-man.  Also, he once invited the rapper “Russ” to his house and the man actually showed up.

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Student Blogger: Arjun Rajesh ‘24

Undergrad: Babson College (’18) – B.S. Business Administration

Pre-MBA: Digital Transformation at FedEx

Leadership@Anderson: Director of Yield & Special Projects, Admission Ambassador Corps; Director of Days-on-the-Job & Special Events, Management Consulting Association

Student Perspectives: Moving to LA from outside the USA, an International Perspective

About Alex: Prior to Anderson, Alex Caron (‘23) lived in Montreal and worked in management consulting at Accenture. Alex is currently a first-year student at Anderson and in his free time, he likes discovering California, playing tennis, watching sports, and reading up on technology. 

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March 24th, 2021 – That’s when I received the phone call from UCLA Anderson Admission telling me the amazing news that I had been accepted at UCLA Anderson in the Full-time MBA program. My wife, who was also applying to business school with me, received the same good news just a few hours after. This was a turning point in my life, but I could not have anticipated the amount of work necessary to move my entire life from Canada to Los Angeles. In the months that followed, there was a lot of stuff to do in order to get ready for the move. Below I have divided my experiences in two parts: before moving to LA and after arriving in LA. I’ve tried to extract some lessons that my wife and I learned in both. 

 

Preparing to move to LA – Nowadays, a lot of the preparation for moving and living in a new city can be done before you actually arrive in that new city. Without a doubt, the most important part for an international student is the Visa application, which UCLA helps you obtain. Another key decision that we took was deciding to rent an apartment before arriving in LA. We were debating between renting a temporary place and visiting apartments in person for the first few weeks or simply doing virtual visits from Canada and signing the lease remotely. We decided to go for the latter as the virtual visits gave us a good view and understanding of the apartments. COVID further accelerated the willingness of real-estate agents to do virtual visits. My first takeaway from that experience was the importance of visiting the neighborhood virtually as well and understanding the surroundings as this can drastically impact your experience. While we also considered if we should ship our furniture to LA, we ultimately decided that the international shipping costs were too high and not worth it. The rest of the preparation was straightforward but I recommend waiting to get to LA to set up your finances and phone plan as it is much easier with a US address. 

 

Arriving in LA – My second lesson is to arrive in LA at least a few weeks before classes start. We arrived about 3 weeks before and took the first week and a half to set up our bank account, credit cards, phone plans and furniture for our entire apartment. Navigating the US with no credit, as you are an international student, is difficult. This means registering for a prepaid phone plan, buying your car in cash with no potential for financing, and trying (somehow) to get a credit card that does not require SSN. An additional trick for international students to get a credit card in the US is to use the Nova Credit website that allows you to use your credit file from your home country to apply for an AMEX credit card. Giving yourself time before the start of class also allows you to enjoy the onboarding week at Anderson. That first week is very busy and filled with activities that are much more enjoyable if you don’t have to build furniture when you come back home at night. 

 

Overall, my main takeaways from this experience are the following: 

• Enjoy and celebrate this amazing feeling of being accepted
• Make a list of things you have to do before leaving your home country and a list of things to do when you arrive in LA
• Try to have your housing figured out before arriving in LA (ideally)
• Make sure you enjoy the experience of moving to and discovering a new city 

 

Pictures

Our luggage at the airport on the way to LA

First few days of building IKEA furniture

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Student Blogger: Alex Caron ‘23

Undergrad: University of Toronto, ‘17

Pre-MBA: Management Consulting, Accenture

Leadership@Anderson: Section Director of Community Impact, Director of Operations for Admissions Ambassador Corps, Director of Admissions for Family Business Association, Board Fellow for the Children’s Bureau of Southern California

Instagram: @alezcaron

Student Perspectives: Attending business school with a Sig-O

About Eric: Eric Lin (’23) is a first-year at UCLA Anderson looking to enter big-tech as a product manager. Prior to business school, he was a business operations analyst at a tier-1 automotive supplier in Chicago. A mechanical engineer by education, he enjoys (not always) losing sleeping on the weekends to watch Formula 1, venturing to the SGV to try new restaurants, and swimming in the not always 70 degree and sunny Southern California weather).

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Attending business school was never something I had thought about after college, until my wife Vivian (also a current first-year) mentioned the prospect to me as a way of expanding my horizons beyond engineering and exploring a career pivot. Fast forward several years later and here we are, both starting the next step in life together at UCLA Anderson.

The application process itself was rather challenging, as we had to carefully pick and choose programs that would fit both the type of culture we enjoyed as well as the profession and industry we wanted to pivot towards. We were both accepted into several programs together and decided on Anderson because (as mentioned in a previous blog post by Meggie) of the 3 P’s: People, Parker, and Place. And thus began our westward move from the windy city to sunny Los Angeles – funny story, it rained the day we landed in LA, just as it rained on our wedding day and when I proposed…probably good for the drought situation in California though!

I’m not sure if it was on purpose (it probably was) but we were split into separate sections and initially I was a bit disappointed, but it turned out to be a great situation for both of us. One of the goals we had both set ourselves was to grow our social circles and make more friends together and being in different sections provided the perfect opportunity for that to happen. The first two quarters of school have been an amazing experience so far and we’ve gotten really close with the people we’ve met, going on trips to Sequoia and Maui to name a few.

They say a sig-o is your best support system, and that holds true especially during business school. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough – balancing class, recruiting, networking, socializing, stressing, sleeping, it all feels near-impossible sometimes. But being able to not only talk to someone about what’s going on, but actually sharing those experiences and going through everything together is probably what’s gotten me through the first few months of school. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if only one of us had attended school, as the experience is just so difficult to put into words at times.

From a recruiting perspective, since we both have different education and work backgrounds and are targeting different industries, there’s less internal competition and a lot more of leaning on each other’s strengths and past experiences to help bolster resumes, cover letters, and interview responses. I never thought I would be interviewed/grilled by my wife about how to improve Google Maps or sizing the diaper market in China, but safe to say, I’ve checked those boxes now!

The one piece of advice I’ll give is this: find a sig-o before coming to business school! Just kidding. I will say that it’s been an amazing, shared experience and if you and your sig-o are on the fence about potentially attending the same school or even applying together at the same time, don’t hesitate - do it! You’ll thank me later.

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Student Blogger: Eric Lin ‘23

Undergrad: Duke University ‘16

Pre-MBA: Business Operations Analyst, Engineer at UGN Inc.

Leadership@Anderson: Director of Admissions, AMSA; Director of Conference, ECA; Anderson Ambassador Corps

Student Perspectives: Navigating In-Person vs. Virtual Events

About Ashley: Ashley Klotz (’23) is originally from Los Angeles. She graduated from Boston College with a Bachelors in Economics. After graduation, Ashley stayed in Boston and worked for Staples Inc. as a Product Development Specialist for private label office machines, think shredders and calculators! Most recently, Ashley worked as an Associate Brand Manager at Creative Circle, a creative and marketing staffing agency, where she launched a brand refresh; managing the creative services needed. At Anderson, she seeks to continue to develop her brand management career. Ashley is interested in the learning more about general management through course classes and student clubs.

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There’s no questioning that the world has changed drastically since March 2020. Now in 2021, while we are no longer in quarantine, we are not completely back to the “normal” we knew before. And I don’t think we ever will be, for the better. As a student at UCLA Anderson, my daily schedule includes a mix of in-person meetings, classes, and events, and virtual coffee chats, panels, and presentations. This blend of the “old” way and “new” way is enabling a current student to optimize our time and schedules. 

 

What’s in-person? 

• Classes are live with professors teaching from our Anderson buildings. While if needed, we do have the option of watching a class recording or on zoom from home if sick, many students choose to go in person! 
• Many student club events are being held on campus. From the club fairs to alumni career nights, our spacious outdoor space allows for events big or small and we are taking advantage of the fresh air! 

What’s a mix?

• Company recruitment presentations are often a toss-up of in person or virtual. There are pros and cons to each. Virtual allows for greater capacity and more flexible scheduling, while in-person is great for that added element of connection. 
• Guest speakers and panels can be virtual or in-person. Virtual options give the added flexibility to the speakers to accommodate this discussion in their schedules, increasing the availability of many high-profile panelists to speak with students. Usually more intimate speaker events tend to be in person, while larger panels are on Zoom. 

What’s virtual? 

• Coffee chats with prospective employers have all been virtual! Personally, I like this format because it makes it easier to schedule in our already busy days! 
• Interviews, first round at least, are likely going to be on zoom! We are prepping the in-person and virtual interview format with our classmates to ensure success in both. 

 

How UCLA is setting us up for success with this blended format? 

• Outdoor space is ample for events that are in-person! We are in LA after all! With the weather rarely dropping below 60 degrees, we can and do use our outdoor community spaces year-round! 
• Small working rooms are available to reserve all around campus. Virtual options mean you can say yes to more opportunities, however often you are on campus because of class or a student club and so having these rooms to reserve is critical to ensure a successful zoom interaction! 
• Support for both in person and virtual formats is available. Our curriculum has been updated to ensure that each student feels successful conducting any event in either of these formats. 

Ultimately, we have the community that admires and thrives with in-person socializing with the bonus of greater access to events now virtual. However, as we have learned in the past two years, things can change quickly! So please note this reflects one student’s experience in Fall 2021, but you never know how and when the future can shift. 

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Student Blogger: Ashley Klotz

Undergrad: Boston College '17

Pre-MBA: Associate Brand Manager, Creative Circle

Best Wishes for 2022 and How to Reach MBA Admissions

As 2021 is drawing to a close, we are filled with hope that 2022 will be a good year for all. Thank you for getting to know us this year (primarily virtually!) and for sharing your stories and Anderson spirit in person, online, and in your applications. And a special congratulations to our recently admitted Round 1 students!

Please note that the MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Office will be closed during the University closure at noon on December 17, 2021 through January 2, 2022. During this time, we will check emails sent to the MBA Admissions inbox ([email protected]) but responses may be a little delayed. Regular operations will resume on Monday, January 3. 

You still have the opportunity to learn more about our MBA program throughout December directly from current Anderson students by signing up for a Virtual Student Chat.

 

We wish you a wonderful and healthy holiday season and all the best in 2022!

 

-- MBA Admissions & Financial Aid team

 

 

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Questions? Ask A Question

Happy Holidays from UCLA Anderson!

 

It's hard to believe 2017 is drawing to a close already! Thank you all for getting to know us this year, for sharing your stories and Anderson spirit in person and in your applications. 

Please note that the MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Office will be closed during the University closure from December 23, 2017 - January 1, 2018. During this time, we will check emails sent to the MBA Admissions inbox ([email protected]) but responses may be a little delayed. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, January 2. 

Coffee chats with current Anderson students are also still occurring through the first week of January all over the world -- click here for more information and to RSVP.

 

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and all the best for a prosperous 2018!

 

-- MBA Admissions & Financial Aid team

 

 

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at: [email protected]

Alumni Spotlight: Pallavi Patil '13 - Entrepreneurship @ Anderson & Lark Adventurewear

This Spotlight series highlights different Anderson students and alumni to learn about their experiences at UCLA Anderson and beyond. 

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Pallavi Patil graduated from the UCLA Anderson full-time MBA program in 2013. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pallavi received a B.S. in Finance from NYU. Prior to beginning Anderson, she was a Distressed Credit Fund Associate and entered business school to help her transition to an entrepreneurial career. Since graduating from Anderson, Pallavi has embarked on multiple entrepreneurial ventures and just currently launched her newest company, Lark Adventurewear.

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Q. What inspired you to pursue an MBA?
Deciding to go to business school was a tough decision, especially because I was interested in an non-traditional career path. Ultimately, I thought that the 2 years invested to get my MBA would be a great opportunity to develop skillsets that I didn’t possess (marketing and operations) so that I would be more equipped to start a successful venture.

Q. Why did you choose UCLA Anderson?
I chose Anderson because I was really impressed with their flexible “choose your own path” approach to getting an MBA. I had gone to an undergraduate business school with a solid reputation and majored in Finance, so I was looking for a school where I could really focus on courses and experiences in areas where I needed to build a skillset to establish a new career.

I think UCLA Anderson is such a great environment. Coming from a very competitive industry (finance/hedge funds) I was really looking for a collaborative environment where the student body empowers each other. Having a strong network is essential. While starting my newest venture, Lark Adventurewear, I’ve been overwhelmed by support by my classmates at Anderson. Regardless of the career path you choose, this supportive network will always be asset.

Q. How did the coursework help you with your entrepreneurial passions?
I loved "Business Plan Development". Not only was I able to start my own venture during business school, I also helped a fellow classmate develop his business plan during this class. Our professor, Matt Ridenour, was a Venture Capitalist so he was able to convey exactly what investors in the “real world” were looking for and how to pitch. I appreciate that the class wasn’t just an academic exercise. Our final presentations were in front of other real VCs. So again, very practical knowledge for my next career move!

Q. Outside of the classroom, how were you involved at Anderson?
I was the President of Marketing Association and also on the board of Anderson Wine Club. Although I was very focused on starting own company, it was very important that I developed tangible marketing skills to foray into a brand management position as a plan b if my own venture didn’t work out.

The Entrepreneurial Leadership Development Program (ELDP), a unique program for entrepreneurial-focused students where you visit local business leaders, was also extremely impactful. We were able to meet business owners from various industries and I think it was invaluable to learn how they were able to grow their businesses.  In one visit, a small group of about 20 students went to SpaceX to have lunch with Elon Musk. Hearing from a serial entrepreneur and visionary like him was an amazing and a once-in-a-lifetime experience which I think about often on my path as an entrepreneur.

Q. What was your favorite experience at Anderson?
For me, it was our capstone Business Creation Option (BCO) project as a part of the Applied Management Research (AMR) program. I was able to work with four classmates on my own startup Vinelust and it was amazing to have their help. I was so impressed with their energy and enthusiasm for my idea. Each of them brought something new to the table and was able to give me a different perspective on the larger strategy and business decisions I was making. It was part of their course work but I felt they went above and beyond what was required of them and it was deeply appreciated.

Q. Tell us more about the venture you launched while at Anderson?
I started Vinelust, a personalized wine club that helped connect consumers to small vineyards that made wine inline with their palate. I ended up joining an accelerator after business school to work on the company full-time. As I was trying to fundraise, I realized that there were a few strong competitors doing very similar things to Vinelust with significant traction and funding. Without a clear differentiating factor and difficult funding environment I decided to move on. I actually ended up joining a competitor, Club W (WINC) while they were growing rapidly. It was an invaluable experience to see a similar concept executed by serial entrepreneurs.

 

 

Q. What inspired you to start your newest venture, Lark Adventurewear?
I was getting frustrated after having my little boy, Vyan. We would spend so much time outdoors in the park and while I would stay dry in my workout gear, he'd be damp and uncomfortable in normal cotton clothes. It became my mission to create clothing that solves this problem so that little ones can stay comfortable, outside with their parents and explore the world around them. 

Lark Adventurewear is an idea I've been working on for over a year after I discovered that there was nothing similar in the market for infants. Adult activewear uses synthetic fabric and chemical finishes. We've created a natural, proprietary wicking fabric that keeps babies cool and comfortable day and night.

Q. How has UCLA Anderson helped you launch Lark Adventurewear?
First, through classwork and opportunities to interact with successful entrepreneurs I was able to think strategically about the best way to start my current business. A startup is always thought of as “extremely risky” and although it doesn’t have the stability of more traditional career paths, there are certainly ways to mitigate risk. Having that strategic plan and testing the market are things I learned during my time at Anderson. We are currently running a Kickstarter campaign for my new company, for example. This is a way to test the market to see what demand is for the products we are creating while also cushioning risk by securing preorders.

Second, I think the network I created with fellow classmates who were also interested in startups has been amazingly valuable. I text and call upon these friends regularly for advice as I’m launching Lark Adventurewear!

 
 

 

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]

Valentine's Day Reflections: Colombian Couple's Journey Together from Applying to Anderson to Alumni

Since it's Valentine's Day today, we'd **love** to highlight one of our "AnderCouples" Daniela Castillo ('16) and David Valencia ('16) -- this Colombian couple made the journey of applying to and attending Anderson together. Where did they meet? GMAT class, of course!

Take a look back at a blog post they wrote during their second year at Anderson about their journey of applying to business school, and then scroll down to check in on where they are now!

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LOOKING BACK...

Colombian Couple Recalls the Journey from GMAT to Anderson

The below post originally appeared on the UCLA Anderson blog in October 2015.

Recently we have received a lot of questions around applying to business school as a couple. For couples in this situation, there is a lot riding on the outcome of your applications. Daniela Castillo and David Valencia, members of the Class of 2016, were in this situation not too long ago. Here is their story in their words:

Our journey applying to business school was special. Not only because we were international applicants, but also because we had a wedding to plan. We are second-year MBA students at UCLA Anderson, and we want to share with you our experience of applying to business school as an international couple.

Taking the GMAT

Business school has been part of our relationship since the beginning. We met at a GMAT student prep center back home in Bogotá, Colombia. The MBA was part of our respective career plans, and in each other we found a study partner who shared similar professional objectives.

Anyone thinking about an MBA has to face the challenging reality of taking the GMAT. Our strategy was to study at least one hour each day after work. We say “at least” because sometimes we studied for way more than one hour. It is not always easy to say “no” to other activities, especially social gatherings, parties, dinners, and the like. But we put our MBA application goal before anything else. Actually, studying for the GMAT became a way to spend a lot of time together and we learned very much about each other.

Once we had the scores we aimed for, we had thorough conversations about where we really wanted to go for business school. We spoke about rankings, career interests and classes, we reached out to alumni, and we even thought about weather as a factor that would affect our two-year experience.

Our recommendation to couples is to talk about everything on your mind. Avoid later surprises by discussing what really matters to you and your partner. At this stage, you have to factor in everything that could help you make a decision about where to go. In our case it was not easy, we each had different career priorities; but we ended up applying to three business schools that aligned with our interests, and UCLA Anderson was one of them.

The Application Essay

When writing your essays, work individually. Bring to life your personal stories, and make sure you sound authentic and that the message comes across clearly. Your story needs to make sense and doesn’t have to be aligned with what your significant other is writing. Obviously, you can help each other review your essays, but we did that at a later stage, when we thought our essays were almost ready and only needed editing. We think the most important thing when telling your story to admissions is to answer questions such as, why do you want an MBA, why now? How do your career objectives align with your past professional experience? It really matters to admissions that you have the potential to find the job you’re looking for after graduation.

The Interview

To prepare for the interviews, we practiced together and did many mock interviews. We found it very important to travel to campus and meet our interviewers at Anderson. We believe for international students, establishing a rapport in person is easier than on the phone or video call.

We did tell the universities that we applied to that we were a couple and we wanted to go together. It worked well for us; the three universities that we applied to accepted us both.

This couple is happily halfway through our MBA experience. The people we have met, the professional growth, and the support we have had from each other to continue pursuing our dreams have made the decision to come to UCLA Anderson one of the best we have ever made. We could not be prouder of or happier about our achievements, and we are looking forward to our new lives after graduation. This is definitely a life-changing experience.

 

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW...

It's hard to believe that it's been 2.5 years since Daniela and David started their Anderson journey together, and over a half a year since they graduated from UCLA Anderson! Here are some updates on this amazing Anderson couple's journey during Anderson and beyond: 

During their second year, they co-organized a Spring Break trip to Colombia, their home country! Over 30 of their Anderson classmates attended. What does Daniela say about this trip? Simply, "it was amazing!"

 

On June 10, 2016, Daniela and David graduated together from UCLA Anderson, becoming newly minted MBAs! While they were sad to say goodbye to all of the beloved classmates, they were happy they were able to celebrate their amazing achievements of earning an MBA together!

 

After graduating, Daniela and David moved up north to San Francisco to pursue their post-MBA careers -- Daniela at Visa and David at the Smucker's company!   

 

Check out the below to see their career journeys from pre-MBA to post-MBA!

	Daniela's Career Journey:   Pre-Business School: Marketing Analyst @ Banco de Bogota Summer Internship: Client Consulting @ Visa Post-Anderson: Client Consulting Manager @ Visa
	David's Career Journey:   Pre-Business School: Procurement Project Specialist @ Unilever Summer Internship: Brand Management @ MGA Entertainment Post-Anderson: Associate Brand Manager @ J.M. Smucker Company

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We wish Daniela and David only the best for their futures together. And from the entire Admissions Team,  we send all of our love to our whole Anderson family -- past, present, and future!

 

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at: [email protected]

Instagram @uclaMBA #TuesdayTakeover: Allie Brodsky '18

Introducing you to today's Instagram #TuesdayTakeover student, Allie Brodsky! Allie will be taking over our Instagram account @uclamba for a whole day today to show everyone a "Day in the Life" of a UCLA Anderson student!

Check in throughout the day to our @uclaMBA instagram account to hear about Allie's "Day in the Life"!

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Name: Allie Brodsky Hometown: New York, NY Undergrad: Northwestern University B.A., Theatre Pre-Anderson:  Field Marketing Specialist, Red Bull

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LEARN MORE ABOUT ALLIE: 

Academic Specialization: Entertainment Marketing

Leadership@Anderson: Chief of Staff to EVP, Women's Business Connection; Director of Alumni Relations, Entertainment Management Association; Director of Career Development, Marketing Association; Marketing Representative, Admissions Ambassador Corps

Clubs@Anderson: Jewish Business Student Association, AnderTech, Anderson Wine Club, Women's Business Connection, Entertainment Management Association, Marketing Association

 

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at: [email protected]

From The Dean's Desk: Happy New Year and Thank You for a Great 2016!

This post is part of a “From the Dean’s Desk” series, where we hear directly from our UCLA Anderson leaders across the school. In today’s post, hear directly from Rob Weiler (’91), Associate Dean of the full-time MBA program.

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As I reflect on the year ending and anticipate the excitement that comes with a new year, I can’t help but feel great about all that we have accomplished at UCLA Anderson in 2016.  Given UCLA Anderson’s reputation for having an uber-engaged, energetic student body, it is no wonder so much got done this year!

Here’s just a small sampling of some of our biggest accomplishments:

• In late January, we held our PULSE Entertainment, Sports, and Technology Conference, hosted by our Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports (MEMES).  The sixth annual conference featured a conversation focused on the importance of international markets with Anderson alumnus Dan Beckerman, CEO and President of AEG, and panels debating the future of television and the comeback of the mid-budget film.   With UCLA Anderson’s position as an intellectual center and location in the geographic center of the entertainment world, PULSE 2017  (to be held on February 10^th) will again be the must-attend gathering of business professionals.

• In February, our Women’s Business Connection (WBC) and alumni group Anderson Women, brought together nearly 450 business leaders, alumni, faculty and students for the annual Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit, entitled Velocity.   The overarching topic was an exploration of how women develop momentum in their careers and proactively address challenges.  This year’s 2017 Velocity Conference will be held on February 3^rd with the theme “Empower Together”. Based on last year’s event, this year’s is sure to be another success!

• Later in the year, we hosted Embracing Diversity, a professional conference where prospective MBAs from across the country gathered to meet with current Anderson students and alumni.  The conference was the culmination of the efforts of our Black Business Students Association, Latino Management Student Association and Out@Anderson, along with many other Anderson campus partners, who brought together corporate partners like Danaher, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon who shared the importance of diversity and inclusion at their firms.  At the closing dinner, Rick Welts, President of the Golden State Warriors and the first prominent openly-gay American sports executive, mesmerized attendees with his story.
  

• 2016 also saw the ‘birth’ of Impact@Anderson, which will serve as the hub of social change here at Anderson.  We added a specialization in Social Impact, meaning students who wish to dive deep into this space will have the chance to do so.  The goal, however, is to have every Anderson student be conversant in ‘impact’ and to bring this frame of thought to whatever their post-MBA career.

• In response to the ever-changing internship recruiting timeline, our MBA students took the first week of November off from classes to focus on the job search (don’t worry, the time away from the classroom was made up later in the quarter!).  During ‘DOJ Week’ (‘Day-On-the-Job Week’), students traveled to New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle to visit companies in investment banking, investment management, technology, and retail.  While in these cities, current students were able to meet up with area alumni at evening receptions and spend the days meeting with companies they hope to secure a summer internship from.  Some students remained in Los Angeles to visit with local companies in their chosen industries, others practiced case interviews, and all took advantage of this time to work on building the skills to get the summer internship of their dreams!

• And finally, in the classroom Professor Sanjay Sood once again led the ‘Google Class’, which has proven to be immensely popular with students.  This partnership brings Google executives to Anderson each week to work with students in solving real issues that arise at the company.  Students work on a quarter-long project and present to their Google sponsor at quarter end.  This real-world educational experience is uniquely-Anderson!

 

What amazes me is that the above is only a small reflection of all of our accomplishments in 2016, and I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for us.  Thank you to everyone who made 2016 such a great year for UCLA Anderson, and I wish you all a very happy new year and all the best for 2017!

 

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Today’s post is from Rob Weiler, Associate Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program. Rob oversees everything from Admissions to Career Services to Student Affairs.  Rob is a UCLA Anderson MBA alum (Class of 1991), spending his post-MBA career working in Finance prior to returning to UCLA Anderson where he has been for nearly 9 years.

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Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at: [email protected]