The MBA Student Voice

On the 9th week of fall quarter

Hello, everybody! I know I've been away for a looong time, and I'm really sorry. My life has been crazy hectic lately, but I wanted to share a couple of things I've been working on and events I've attended since my last post to you all:

• Video Games 101: An event in the Entertainment Management Association's (EMA) educational series, I helped to coordinate this overview of the video game industry. Our guest speaker was an Anderson alum and works as a consultant for several major companies in this area.
• TV 101: Another event for the EMA! I also worked on this one, where we brought in another alumni, who works at a market research firm, and a student in the EMBA program, who works in marketing for ABC TV, to speak to us about their experiences in the television industry.
• Disney Day-on-the-Job: A large group of Anderson students were invited to attend this on-site company visit, where representatives, including some Anderson alumni, gave us an overview of The Disney Company and their specific roles. We also got to meet and network with recruiters from most of the Company's divisions.
• AMR: My group is now planning for our primary research studies, as well as starting to delve into secondary research, to help develop a growth strategy for a local non-profit organization.
• Classes: I've been finishing up readings and working with my Entertainment Marketing group to develop a fresh marketing campaign for a film that previously did not perform well in the theatres.
• Internship: I'm almost done with my project, and hoping to finalize details with potential partners before my presentation to the division's VP in a couple of weeks.

Whew! As you can probably guess, I'm really looking forward to the next few days off. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the weekend, too!!

On the faculty at Anderson

A reader has asked: "Could you comment on the best 2 or 3 professors (your opinion or general student opinion)? What makes them outstanding?"

We've got an amazing faculty at Anderson, but I'll just mention a few here:

William Cockrum: Professor Cockrum teaches classes on finance and ethics. I'm currently taking "Ethical Considerations in Business" with him this quarter, and it's been really interesting because he brings to the discussion his many, direct experiences with major companies.

Eric Sussman: Sussman teaches real estate and accounting. I've heard he's really tough and there's a LOT of work - but his courses are amazing and you learn absolute loads. His teaching is relevant and practical, and many students say it's a must to take a Sussman course before graduation.

John de Figueiredo: For short, we call him "de Fig," and some were lucky enough to have him for Core Strategy last year. I was terrified of his cold calling during our Orientation case discussion (I didn't get called), but he definitely knows his stuff and his methods ensure that you learn.

I Took the GMAT, Now How Many MBA Programs do I Apply to?

If you are comfortable with your GMAT score and are applying to an MBA program this year, here are a few tips for selecting an appropriate number of schools to apply to.  Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion …

First, although there is no magic number, I would recommend a minimum of three schools.  Look at the class profiles from each school that you are considering, and then select a “reach school,” a “competitive school,” and a “back-up” school. 

Briefly, UCLA Anderson’s Mean GPA is 3.5, with a mid-80% range between 3.2 and 3.8; its Mean GMAT is 711, with a mid-80% range between 660 and 760; and it received about 3,700 applications for about 360 slots.  (From the Class of 2010 Profile). 

Also, apply only to schools that you would actually attend.  If you are like most applicants, your time and resources are limited.  Concentrate them on putting forth the best applications for the schools that you are seriously considering and would attend if you were accepted. 

Finally, try not to let financial aid or the cost of attendance influence your application decision.  If a school has accepted you, it wants you to attend and will likely work with you to put together a financial aid package to meet your needs.  The package may consist of fellowships, grants, and/or loans.  Again, focus on putting together the best application for the schools that you want to attend.     

Law School v. Business School

Many folks ask me how business school (b-school) differs from law school (l-school), and several of my b-school classmates at one point seriously considered attending l-school instead of b-school. So, for those of you who are considering both b-school and l-school, I thought that I would highlight a couple of big differences between the two: grading and the nature of assignments. Keep in mind that I am generalizing …

First, grading in law school is mostly (if not 100%) based on your final exam. Grading in business school is based on a combination of individual class participation, group projects, midterms, individual assignments, and finals.

Also, the assignments in law school are mostly reading (some writing) assignments. For example, in my Property class, we are generally assigned one or two cases to read before each meeting, along with some supplemental materials, and we discuss the cases as a group during the meeting.  Assignments in b-school vary widely, depending on the particular course. You may have problems sets in an Economics course and case write ups in a Strategy course.  With respect to class discussions, most l-school professors will “cold call” and use some form of the “Socratic Method.”  B-school professors are more likely to solicit class participation (but will also cold call) and to lecture.

There are some other differences that impact the overall atmosphere, e.g., average age, years of work experience, student groups, networking opportunities, etc. Overall, I really appreciate getting the benefits of both worlds.