Loads to talk about since I last posted, so let's get right to it (in no particular order):
* This past Thursday was our annual International Food Festival, which is a massive street food market as you would expect to see in Asia, with performances, dancers, and loads of food from 14 different ethnicities. Along with my classmate Anthony Barber, I was in charge of organizing the diverse cuisine.
Each food stall was either run by an Anderson cultural club or by Andersonians who wanted to highlight a culture -- and in a few cases, not necessarily their own! Our student body president, Kevin Morris, and Anthony Pu ran the Vietnamese table and did a tremendous job. Your favourite Manchester United supporter teamed up with several Canadians, including blogeteers John Park and Matt Kerbel, to run a Canadian table whilst wearing hockey sweaters -- I donned a vintage Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky shirt, a gift I received from Mrs. V a few years ago.
The dancing went on well into the night, until we were all kicked out by the Dean of Students, who we soon realized was supported by ... the LAPD. Oops.
* The hockey playoffs start today and my beloved Washington Capitals have drawn the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. I'm not sure how happy I am with this matchup: this is the first time ever that the Caps have played Montreal in the playoffs, and only the second time that the Caps have played a team based in Canada. There is some discussion on campus of growing playoff beards, where each person participating does not shave until his team is eliminated from the playoffs -- they do this for charity across the NHL, but it may end up conflicting with recruiting for us.
* Also, the LA Kings are in the playoffs for the first time in ages - I'm excited for them! The Kings have a tough draw against the Vancouver Canucks but since I live here I will be cheering for them throughout the playoffs -- unless they play Washington, of course!
* Last weekend was A-days II, where the second round of prospective admits get to visit the campus to get a taste of life here. I wanted to share my response to a very pertinent question: so far, UCLA Anderson has exceeded my expectations in almost every criteria. The alumni network has been fantastic, my classmates are extremely accomplished, and the courses -- especially the electives -- have provided me with excellent training. Plus, the balance of career and fun is the perfect for me; everyone understands why we are here, and seeks to maximize every minute of it both in the classroom and in the bar. I just can't say enough good things about my experience here.
* My only complaint is that not enough is done for significant others here. Any business school that tells you that significant others are automatically integrated into the culture is lying to you - it's hard work for the partner and for you. But business schools, UCLA Anderson included, could do more to make it an easier move for them, especially if they are moving from out of town.
* UCLA Anderson's student body is phenomenally accomplished and diverse by way of backgrounds, professions, walks of life, and passports; from my (albeit limited) vantage point, I would say UCLA Anderson is more diverse than most other American business schools. However, as Philip Delves Broughton astutely points out in his book, What They Teach You at Harvard Business School, all American business schools are glaringly deficient in diversity by business training. Example: while there are loads of different passports in my section, almost everyone is, from a business perspective, American-trained. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of people who spent more of their career outside of the U.S. than in the U.S. prior to business school -- and two of us are Americans!
* Next year, I'll be co-president of the International Business Association, with my friend and section mate Lena Zaitseva. Bringing a further global perspective to campus is extremely important to me -- especially cross-cultural perspective. In fact, the other interesting statistic I would love to see is how many people in the student body have moved across regions for work (study abroad doesn't count); I would reckon this is higher than the number of people whose careers were primarily outside of the U.S.
* Disappointing end to the Champions League campaign. The second yellow to Rafael was very harsh, and I felt United had played well enough to deserve to be sent through. It has definitely affected morale on the team, especially as we dropped three points at home to Chelsea a few days before, then dropped two more at Blackburn a few days after. Hopefully the derby match this weekend will give us focus for a last-gasp run at the only title we are still in the running for. We need a favour Bolton Wanderers and Spurs!
Till next time, ROCK THE RED!!!! And be on the lookout for the next installment of Europe's loudest ROCK THE RED party - this time from Los Angeles!
-- Sreesha
