The MBA Student Voice

Tweets in Class, and the 1,000th Person

Here is a unique twist: I have a class this quarter that encourages us students to use our mobile phones during class.

The class is called Brand Management and is taught by Professor Sanjay Sood and co-taught by Jim Stengel, the former Global Marketing Officer of Proctor & Gamble. It is a really exciting class because Mr. Stengel is a world-famous and highly accomplished marketing executive, Prof. Sood is renowed as being one of the best professors at UCLA Anderson for marketing and entertainment, and together they have assembled a fascinating array of guest speakers in the field.

Further, a whopping 20% of our grade will be based on "social media"; we are tasked with tweeting our reactions to the presentations by the guest speakers.  We've only had one class with this component thus far, but I thought it was a unique take.  It was interesting to see what my fellow students found poignant from the presentation, and to give and hear our reactions. 

In the first class, we mostly quoted what we felt were the highlights.  I tried to highlight some parallels to other facets of industry, and asked a question or two.  I think as we get more comfortable with the concept, we'll have a broader dialogue, where perhaps the twitter feed will be almost like a separate conversation to the presentation -- ideally an interesting debate.  Definitely a unique way to change the classroom experience!

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I need to bring up something that happened last quarter, that I should have addressed after it happened.  Better late than never, I suppose.

I wanted to shout a hearty THANK YOU to a fellow Bruin.  I don't know her name or which school she is in (she's not from Anderson, or at least, I didn't recognize her).  But I really appreciated her sentiment and would encourage all of us to follow her example.

See, what happened was, I was driving out of Parking Structure 7, which has a ramp that leads to a three-way stop T-junction with the main road.  It was relatively late -- think it was about 10:30 PM or so -- on a Monday night. 

I got to the stop sign at the same time as another car reached the stop sign to my right. I realized then that I had forgotten to plug in my iPod into my car stereo.  So I put the handbrake on (my American readers should know that I drive a manual transmission), put my emergency lights on, and quickly fished out my cord.

999 cars out of 1,000 would have driven off from that stop sign and gone on their way.  But she was that 1,000th car.  Rather than go straight and away from the garage, she turned left, pulled up next to me, rolled down her window, and asked, "Are you ok?  Is your car ok?"  I told her that I was just adjusting my iPod, she said, "great", U-turned, then carried on her way.

It occurred to me well after the fact that she's a small woman driving by herself late at night on a dark campus, yet took the time to make sure I was ok before going on her way. I was touched.  Those of us to live in the major metros in the US are so used to mis-trusting people that we forget to help each other -- or in this case, just make sure we are all ok.

To the wonderfully noble-minded Bruin from that night, thank you very much.  You made my day.

-- Sreesha

Finding your value proposition

After a fun (class trip to Breckenridge) and relaxing (making up for 10 weeks of lost sleep) three week vacation, we are back in the full swing of things at Anderson. Like in Fall quarter, the first week wasn't really a rampup/introduction to the classes - we already have group projects due next week! Also, recruiting is on top of mind for people in marketing, banking and consulting. As part of the recruiting process, we are often asked "why brand management" and "why X company." I thought I'd use this post to reflect on what I wish I knew before I came to school so that it can be of some help to all you potential admits out there as you think about the application process and beyond.

As a career switcher from consulting to marketing, I think if there is one thing I could go back and do better is really take the time to think about my value proposition. A big part of recruiting is being able to communicate what your transferable skills are and why you want to make the switch. It's super important to figure out what it was in your old job that you loved and what was missing, and how this new career is going to fill the gap. Most importantly, you have to figure out the logical connection between old and new, and what you will do to get you to the place where you can do your new job with confidence and drive results. I think same goes for applying to business school. That's why they ask you all those essay questions of why an MBA and why Anderson!

Good luck to everyone applying!

- Katie

Week of Andersonian Puckheads' Dreams

Happy New Year! 

This is week 2 of three great weeks for us Andersonian puckheads.  The Winter Classic -- where my beloved Capitals defeated the Penguins, 3-1 -- was fantastic, and the HBO 24/7 series featuring the two teams was captivating.  Tomorrow is the final installment of the series, which no doubt will focus on Eric Fehr scoring two goals for my Capitals en route to the 3-1 win.

But nothing will beat Monday late morning, when Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be on campus here at UCLA Anderson!  We at the Sports Business Association are very excited at the chance to hear insights from one of the most accomplished executives in sports. 

Then on Tuesday morning, we've been invited by our colleagues at USC to a breakfast hosted by Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League.  He surely must be thrilled at the runaway success of the sport in 2010, as well as this year's Winter Classic. 

Hockey''s resurgence has given us cause to put a greater emphasis on the sport in our programming for the SBA, which is exciting for me both professionally and personally!

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There are two myths about the Penguins that I hope are finally being exposed, either by HBO in 24/7 or by NBC in its own Winter Classic coverage. 

Myth 1: The Penguins are an offensive team. This couldn't be farther from the truth.  When they have the lead, the Penguins play the same 1-4 neutral zone trap that former -- and current! -- Devils coach Jacques Lemaire used pre-lockout en route to three Stanley Cups.  When the Penguins are ahead or at the start of games, it's chip and charge -- never carrying the puck over the blueline unless they have an odd-man rush -- and two forecheckers attacking the other team's defensemen.  Classic Lemaire!

(Saying that, while HBO has made Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau into an internet sensation with his cursing, I actually have gained an immense appreciation for the way Penguins coach Dan Byslma goes about his business.  He really has his pulse on the games, makes timely adjustments, and has great control over his dressing room.  Watching Bylsma has been a revelation for me during the series).

Myth 2: Sidney Crosby is always cool as a cucumber.  There's no denying Crosby's talent, especially this season, but on the ice, he can be angry, foul-mouthed, arrogant, whiny, and agitated, all on one shift.  And frankly he's a better player for it - hockey is an emotional game, players typically play best when their emotions are running high (so long as they don't cross the line and take penalties - or worse).  He might always say the right things off the ice, but on the ice, he's an intense competitor.  It's what sets the best players (like Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, and Toews) from other great players (like Malkin and Semin).

Time to set up the DVR for the week!

-- Sreesha

Mentor/Mentee Dynamic

First of all happy 2011 everyone! With the arrival of the new year, my mind turns to thoughts of transitions, and specifically for this post the transition from being a mentee to a mentor. As a student at UCLA Anderson, it is easy to find mentorship. Anderson alumni are always open and generous with their time and willingness to help. There are formal programs such as Vistage which is available through the EA. We have also been fortunate to have prominent business leaders come speak to us and enlighten us with their experiences. Speakers from the past quarter include Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com and Kevin Plank, CEO of Under Armour.

Finally there is also a mentorship dynamic between the first and second year students. Through club leadership, the ACT program and informal discussions, this adds to the existing collegial and supportive atmosphere at UCLA Anderson. To date I have benefitted greatly from all of the above, but now as a second year with 6 months left before graduation (wow where does the time go?!), I feel a shift in dynamic as I am in more of a position to share some of my experiences and networks I have been able to build to first years and prospective students. Being able to help colleagues and vice versa is key to any type of success and feel fortunate to to be in such an environment.

--JP

~A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. ~ Oprah Winfrey

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”~