The MBA Student Voice

Reflections on a Quarter Gone

Hypothetically speaking this post was supposed to be delivered at the end of Orientation, but at that point I didn't really have much to say. Or rather, I had a lot to say, but my mind was unable to coalesce all the random thoughts into articulate words. Three months later, all the random thoughts are still floating around my head haphazardly, but I have so much free time during this winter break, I thought what the hell, let's try to reminisce. 

The easiest type of post to write is a list - so here's my top 10 takeaways from my first quarter at UCLA Anderson.

1. I really like LA. Having come from a lifetime of living in Philly, there was definitely a bit of a culture shock coming out here. Yes, the driving culture sucks and traffic is as bad as they say. And even the "walkable" areas of LA aren't really that walkable. But it's a fun city. There's a lot to do. It's a diverse city. And yeah, it does have great weather. I went a month and a half before we had our first rain. In between it was literally all sunny days. One thing to note, the mornings and nights do get chilly, so bring a jacket or hoodie.

2. Anderson's orientation was fantastic. It's a lot of bonding and icebreaking exercises, but I thought they did a great job of creating an open and inviting atmosphere where you really felt like you could approach and get to know everyone. It sets the perfect tone for the school year to kick off. Eventually, cliques will form, but I think the spirit of openness and camraderie they established during orientation has still carried through and made the experience a lot better.

3. Take as many waiver classes as you can - and pass them. You'll hear this advice from every second year you speak to. And coming in, you might think, "yeah I'm gonna prepare and take a bunch of waivers". And then you get here, start meeting people, having some fun and the conversation will sort of unfold:

"Are you taking any waivers?"

"Nah. Well, maybe. I've been thinking about it. Are you?" 

"I was thinking about it too. But now I dunno. It seems like if I took the class it'd be an easy A."

BZZT. WRONG. Not that the class wouldn't be an easy A, but the workload required to get that A is not worth the hassle. I took two waivers, accounting and stats. I only prepared for one, stats. I passed that one, and it made a huge difference in making my schedule more manageable, both throughout the year and during finals week. I'm pretty sure this helped boost the grades for the other classes I did take, because I could spend more time on them. Additionally, the waiver test you take will be easier than all the materials covered in the course. If you've taken the classes in undergrad, you've probably learned everything they will teach. So do yourself a favor and prepare and take the waivers.

4. Go to Vegas. At least once a year, and ideally once a quarter. Because there's no better bonding than when you're sitting in a row with your buds at a Black Jack table just raking it in. And there's no better commiseration than when you're all losing money together at a cold craps table.

5. Try to do well in your classes. You'll often hear that grades aren't a big deal in b-school. While that's sort of true, know that 45% of a class gets an A- or above, at least in the core classes. If you're not part of that large subset, you're going to kick yourself, because it's like you finished the season with a sub-.500 record. Don't be like the 2012 Lakers. Be like the 2012 Clippers.

6. If you get sick, shut it down. And you will get sick. Because b-school is like this echo chamber of grossness - germs get in swirl about and never leave. So when you get sick, throw off your responsibilities for a day or two, shut it down and recover completely. I've seen too many people operate at 60% miserableness for 2-3 weeks at a time.

7. Go out a lot. Even before coming to b-school I was a bit skeptical about the educational value of b-school. The first quarter hasn't really allayed my skepticism. But from a social perspective, it's been better than I thought it would be. B-school, actually, is a lot like undergrad, except you're not as totally clueless. You'd be surprised at how much this adds to the experience. This is why you'll hear a lot of people say b-school was one of the best times of their lives. So go out often, because it's not often you get to hang with a bunch of people with similar goals in a similar lifestage as you. 

8. Sign up for more than you think you can do. Sort of a riff on the previous point, but a bit more academics/school centered. This is paraphrased advice from my section leader. The idea is do more than you think you can do, because you only get this one chance. So make the most of it.

9. Get to know the second years. Admittedly, I haven't done a particularly great job of this. But they're you're classmates too. A second year told me (probably also another case of my section leader's advice) that they're just as eager to meet the first years, but just as nervous, since we have our own cliques and they have their own cliques. So reach out and get to know them.

10. Aspire for something bigger. The school's job is to help us find jobs in the fields we want. They will have a narrow focus in mind. Our job is to go in with a bigger dream in mind and challenge the school every step of the way to think bigger. If you aim higher, it'll also make your job search easier, because you'll have a much more compelling story for the recruiters and interviewers.

I said I had ten. Here's a bonus eleventh. Just have fun. Business school is not srs biz. It's not Rocky vs. Ivan Drago - it won't make or break you. So have a good time with it. The time really does fly by.

Late addition - Find an awesome roommate, because going solo is an emo pity parade, while two+ is the start of an award winning lolcat brigade. Seriously, I'd only have half the fun if I hadn't lucked out with a very cool roomie. (Unfortunately, I don't have much practical advice on how to go about actually finding a good roommate, beyond talk to people and trust your instincts.)

And now... lazy picture spam...

Partying hard in Breckenridge.

My beloved Deloitte case team... we did not win. I'm still sort of pissed about this.

Finals week dinner.

Celebratory learning team... dessert?

Boarding at Breckenridge... sort of. In between falls would be more accurate.

How you stay awake when you have 8am classes every day (sucks!).

Culture.

Finally, A Break! The Holiday You Haven’t Had Since College

Greetings from VACATION! When is the last time you had a holiday longer than a couple of days over Christmas? Who needs the working world when you can be off from December 8 to early January???

My blogging skills were recently tapped by the prestigious third-party MBA Admissions website Accepted.com who interviewed me for their series about Top MBA programs. I was more than happy to provide them with my thoughts on UCLA Anderson, please check it out! (Note: I prefer the adjective “thorough” to “overshare” but there’s so much good stuff to say I had a hard time editing!)

So since that gives you more than anything you ever wanted to know about Anderson, and I’m on vacation anyways, here is my Christmas blog entry.

Usually I only get to sneak home for a few days over the Christmas holiday because of work, so it was a real treat this year to head to my hometown of Atlanta for a week and a half! This year it was especially important too, since I have this little thing called a wedding in March and there is lots to do! (Further evidence of the general over-ambition of b-school students: the wedding is in Atlanta on Saturday of Spring Break, and I will be back in class in LA on Monday!)

Although my mother has done a yeoman’s job of wedding planning this fall, I still had a few priorities of things I wanted to be involved in. Topping this list, naturally, was the cake tasting. How many weddings have you been to where the beautiful cake tastes like…. nothing? Not the case at my wedding! After much intense discussion (see below) a delicious decision was reached.

One of the most important wedding decisions is made.

My absolutely delectable Vera Wang dress, purchased this summer (described here) had also come in so I got it fitted.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that my fiancé checks this blog from time to time (I think), no pictures will be posted here except this teaser.

I modified the old adage to say “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something fabulously sparkly!”

Winter Break? Not Quite

I’d like to start this post by wishing everyone a happy holiday season. I’m especially happy this holiday season because finals are over. Not that I don’t like taking four three-hour exams in consecutive days, but…wait, yeah, I don’t like taking four three-hour exams in consecutive days.

All kidding aside, last week was finals week and it was an incredibly challenging experience. After I wrapped up my accounting exam, the final of all finals, I thought I’d want to run out of the room and be greeted by falling confetti and an overflowing bottle of champagne. Instead, I was so mentally exhausted from the week that all I wanted to do was sleep. To all of my classmates, I apologize for my zombie-like demeanor the rest of the day. 

But honestly, now that I’m a week removed from finals, I can look back on the quarter and really appreciate how much I learned. The professors were fantastic, the material engaging, and the classmate collaborators inspiring. It was an unbelievably arduous and humbling quarter, but one that I can look back on quite fondly.

You know what else I can look back on fondly? The Anderson Breckenridge Ski Trip. Yep, once finals wrapped up, I, along with 100-plus of my classmates, left on a jet plane to (John) Denver and bused to Breckenridge, Colorado. There we skied (or boarded depending on your preference), hot tubbed, enjoyed a few adult beverages and were model guests at the Mountain Thunder Lodge. Jim Mora, Jr. would have been proud.

 Sitting by the fire in Breck-not a bad way to recover from figuring out LIFO and FIFO!

But the fun didn’t end once we got back from Breckenridge. Some of us headed immediately to the San Francisco Bay Area for “Silicon Valley Days on the Job.” The High Tech Business Association and Entertainment Management Association hosted this trek and it was nothing short of amazing. In a three-day span I visited eight companies, including YouTube, Twitter, Pixar, Meebo, Yahoo!, Pandora, Ustream, and Revision3. Others made stops at Google, Visa, and eBay to name a few. I’m amazed at how much I learned in such a short time at each company. Even better, I met several fascinating people who hopefully will be great contacts down the road as I search for a summer internship and, later, a full-time job.

Pixar won these Oscars. Not me.

So winter break is underway, but it hasn’t been much of a break. I think that’s a theme here at the MBA Student Voice. But it’s better to be busy than bored, so I’ll take this hectic December. However, once the college football bowl season picks up, I'll probably revert back to my zombie-like state. Just fair warning.

 -Willem

Follow me on twitter: @willsouthwood

 

Two Thirds of the Way There

I can't believe that 4 out of the 6 quarters making up the Anderson experience are behind me.  People say that the first quarter is the most difficult, but for me, the most recent quarter was by far the most challenging.  After having the first year behind me, I must have thought to myself, "sure, I have a good sense of how things work around here, why don't I take it up another gear and take on more in year 2?".  (Jesse, what were you thinking?) 

The process of signing up for these various commitments at the end of last year went something like this:  

Career coach?  Sure.  Recruiter Relations position with the Marketing Association?  Why not.  Sussman's "Cases in Real Estate" class?  Bring it.  Net Impact Board Fellows Program?  Yes.  Peer tutor?  Yes.  AMR project?  Of course.  Classes with a lot of group projects that require more coordination?  Love it.  Recruiting for full-time positions and over 15,000 miles of travel for onsite interviews?...

...well let's just say that this last piece snuck up on me.  It was by far the most time consuming aspect of this quarter, but I had to jump in.  The window of opportunity for many of the most sought-after MBA full-time jobs is short - about 8 weeks across October thru December.  Securing a career-switching dream job was one of my main goals coming into Anderson, so this was the time to get after it.  Plus, the stakes are higher this time around since as a second year, we "play for keeps" (full-time as opposed to a summer internship).  In light of this, I took a broad approach to my search.  Unfortunately, I had already committed to a full schedule (mentioned above) and it was too late to step down and right-size my schedule.  Bye bye sleep...

Thankfully, I survived!  I completed the course work, stuck to my volunteer commitments, secured a few job offers, and didn't fall asleep behind the wheel.   

Now, I'm writing from my hotel room in Seattle, home of Amazon's headquarters and the site of the MBA Flyback Weekend for candidates with offers.  Should be a great time getting to meet more people from the company.  From now until January 9th is winter break for us.  8 hours of sleep a night never sounded so good...

-- Jesse Ferlianto '12

Tchau São Paulo - Final thoughts - Part 1 - Comida (Food)

I decided that I wanted to study abroad because I wanted to gain exposure to a new culture, try to learn a new language, gain exposure to one of the fastest growing developing nations in the world, Brazil, and live in a Metropolitan city for the first time in my life.  Check, check, check, check, and check.  Living in São Paulo and travelling to other parts of South America has been an amazing experience and I only wish I had more time (and money) to appreciate more of it.  But you may be wondering what I learned, what I liked, and what I didn't like.  So, while I do make an effort to give my blog posts a positive tone, I will be completely honest with many of my opinions of living and studying in São Paulo.

I realized after writing this first part that I have too much to include in one blog post, so I've decided to spread my final thoughts over multiple blog entries, starting with Comida (Food)

If there is one thing I learned about food in Sao Paulo, is that people here like cheese, meat, bread, and more cheese.  No question, the first food item I saw in Brazil is Pao de Quejo, or in english, Cheese Bread.  In these small bread balls it is almost impossible to tell where the cheese ends and where the bread begins.   You can pretty much buy it at any lunchonette or small cafe which are dispersed throughout São Paulo.  A popular local chain is called Case do Pao de Quejo, where you can get all kinds of cheese breads and cappuchinos.  Another popular items are empañadas, which are basically fried dough with meats and cheeses in the middle.  No question, Brazilians love their fried breads and carne, but other common dishes are rice and beans, which in many ways reminds me of living in Louisiana.  

 

One thing that is very common here is to go to buffets for lunch.  Unlike all you can eat buffets, at these buffets you weigh your food at the end and you pay for what you load on your plate, a considerably healthier approach to buffets in my opinion.  The food usually starts with some light salad fixings, followed by pastas, rice, beans, and side dishes, and then there are usually a few different kinds of meats such as salmon, beef, and chicken, or frango as I've become familiar with it.  Most lunchonettes serve very similar menu items, but I've noticed that the quality can range quite a bit.

 

Now, two things that I definitely have in common with Brazilians is an appreciation for coffee and chocolate.  Like europeans, Brazilians tend to drink strong espresso shots, and they have something here called a Brigadeiro; it's like a very sweet chocolate truffle.  I like a more bitter dark chocolate, but I won't say no if someone offers me a brigadeiro.  

Unfortunately, as someone that doesn't eat red meat and doesn't like friend foods, I found food in the south of Brazil greasy, heavy, and kind of bland; in fact, in many ways it reminded me of living in the south.  In addition, many of the lunchonettes, cafes, and even street vendors offer the exact same, or virtually identical, undifferentiated products.  I consider myself someone that appreciates food and is willing to try new things, but aside from going to the Jardins and dropping bank for a really expensive meal, I found a lot of the food here kind of bland, with not much diversity in flavors or spices.  Now, I have some theories on why this might be, which I'll get to in a post later.

On the other hand, I have heard that food is much more diverse in the northern areas of Brazil such as Salvador, but I haven't had to opportunity to try it and am mostly drawing my opinions from experiences in Sao Pualo.  However, if you're someone that loves fried food, meats and especially cheeses, then you might love Sao Paulo and southern Brazil cuisine!

Winter Break is Here!

The last time I had a winter break (or summer break, or spring break, or any kind of "break," for that matter) was a whole six years ago. Re-reading that last sentence, I'm very tempted to wallow a bit in self-pity, but fortunately--or unfortunately--for most first-year students winter break allows no time for mindless dawdling. Please allow me to elaborate:

After the crazy & hectic orientation season came the crazy & hectic recruiting season.

After the crazy & hectic recruiting season came the crazy & hectic finals season.

After the crazy & hectic finals season came the crazy & hectic resume-drop season (present time).

After the crazy & hectic resume-drop season will come the crazy & hectic interview season (January & February).

And then it's time to let out a huge sigh of relief and finally get that haircut you've been putting off for a year and see friends that you've somehow managed to raincheck into oblivion.

Now, keep in mind that folks who are looking to go into marketing, media/entertainment, real estate, or other non-traditional fields will not follow the above-schedule. But for most students who are looking to recruit for consulting or finance, this schedule will hold true. And that's exactly why first quarter of first year is likened to the saying, "drinking water from a firehose." Because it is information-overload at every turn and you have to be comfortable with the dynamic and ever-shifting gears of business school.

And that brings me to point out one of the greatest characteristics and skills to hone in business school: adaptability. We all come in possessing varying degrees of this characteristic but soon will find that we're pushed to our limits. Ultimately, the sheer willingness to change and adapt according to the situation at hand is a great advantage. And this is the overarching theme beneath all the noise.

OK, I'm off my soapbox now. So now that first quarter is over and winter break has officially commenced, what to do? For starters, many of our fellow first years and second years have gone off to ski, snowboard, and just plain lounge in Breckenridge, CO. They seem to be having a blast from all the Facebook picture postings and I feel tinges of jealousy here and there. Alas, I didn't sign up to go so now I'm missing out. But never fear, there are always more cases to practice and cover letters to polish, so the next few weeks will be busy without a doubt. I just hope and pray that by this time next year, I'll be able to bequeath more of my insider knowledge and experiences with the readers--with a job offer in my back pocket.

-- Connie Kim

[email protected]

@UCLAMBA

 

Women's Business Connection Brunch Series II: Consulting

Gopi Jayaswal & Alli Alter, both MBA class of 2013. Thank you for organizing the event!

It's that time again: another post of the Women's Business Connection brunch series! This time, we're honing in on women in consulting in the greater Los Angeles area. The event was held on Sunday, November 20th at Hotel Angeleno in West Los Angeles (yes, I am behind on my posting schedule!). Companies in attendance were Bain, Deloitte (S&O and human capital), ZS Associates, Monitor Group, and PWC. Each company brought out two of its female representatives and it was another fabulous event hosted by the WBC here at UCLA Anderson. The great thing about these events is that us full-time students can also mingle & meet the fully-employed MBA students, who usually are only on campus once or twice a week as they're working full time and going to school (the resolve and dedication of these folks are amazing!).

So we all know the drill: consulting = incessant travel and time away from home. Ever see the movie, Up in the Air? Many fear that management consulting is a job for the lonely and emotionally unavailable. And it is true that the travel naturally comes with the territory and thus can easily burn out the most enthusiastic--but uninitiated--associate. This, however, is remediated by the fact that most consulting companies go above and beyond their call of duty when it comes to career development coaching and internal HR consulting services.

What was so important about this specific consulting brunch series is that these female consultants all focused in on the obstacles they have faced--and are facing--and how each company strives to tailor to their needs and accomodate their possible family plans. These are issues that hit close to home for many of us females and it's important that we all know what we're diving into when we face a new career. And as was the case for the previous finance brunch, all the reps in attendance were frank and candid in their experiences and that made the brunch experience all the more genuine and heartfelt. I know this sounds like a thinly-disguised plug, but the Women's Business Connection at Anderson really have set up a great set of brunches and events to make the business school experience all-the-more enriching for female students. I'm definitely looking forward to attending all of the brunch series and will dutifully continue to blog about them!

-- Connie Kim

[email protected]

@UCLAMBA

Hello World

This is the most cliché phrase for a first blog post but I hope that the rest of the post is not at all cliché. My name is Babis Makrynikolas and I am a member of the Social Media Ambassadors team.

I grew up in Athens, Greece and studied finance at the University of Piraeus. After interning for the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, serving at the Greek Army, working for PwC India and co-founding a high tech startup, I decided to pursue my MBA.

UCLA Anderson was my next stop. The transition from sunny Greece to sunny California was not difficult in terms of weather, but besides that US is just another world. I am in the middle of my first quarter, enjoying my classes and trying to get the most of the opportunities. No matter what you decide to do, there is a ton of resources provided by the University, professors, the career center and student associations. If I could give you an advice it would be to focus, because unfortunately you can’t do everything.

Through this series of posts the rest of the team and I, will be willing to give you a different perspective for the MBA life here in Anderson. We will be your insiders in order to find the best fit possible and hope to see you around for a campus tour.

Stay tuned…

 

Holidays in São Paulo - Feliz Natal!

While everyone is busy preparing for the Holidays in the US, I thought I'd give you a preview of what the holidays look like South of the equator in São Paulo, Brazil.  While São Paulo is often compared to New York, there is one important difference regarding how they celebrate the holidays.  Instead of the big retail stores on Fifth and Madison Avenues putting on big displays, here the banks put on the best displays on Avenida Paulista.  

One thing that may seem strange for many people that live in the Northern Hemisphere is that the Holidays are celebrated in Summer here.  While that in itself can be an adjustment, hearing songs like Winter Wonderland and Frosty the Snowman are especially odd because they most likely haven't had snow during the holidays.

So, I'm happy to share some of the pictures I took while walking around Paulista and hope it helps you get a little more into the Holiday Spirit!

Banco do Brasil- By Day - OVER Avenida Paulisa

Bradesco

Banco do Brazil - At Night

Banco do Brazil - At Night - Opposite

Bradesco - At Night

 

Itau at Night

Itau display closer up...Sadly my head is blocking Santa..

Corn vendors are surprisingly popular on Paulista, along with the popcorn, kettle korn popcorn, hot potato chip, and Tapioca vendors.

Finals are over, and next week I'm going to be travelling to Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, Campo Grande, and Bonito.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in South America so far an in my next post will be giving some honest impressions of my time abroad and in Sao Paulo.  

If you're a prospective or a first year student that would like me to address specific aspects of the foreign exchange program, please don't hesitate to ask!

Tchau,
Matheus