As I write this, I’m sitting on a beach drinking a Mai Tai. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m sitting in my apartment watching SportsCenter. But it is spring break and that’s cause for a celebration worthy of some sort of umbrella-garnished beverage. Winter quarter is now over, which is a relief. For most of us, the past quarter was characterized by a mad dash for internships. As I previously posted, I spent much of it recruiting for an entertainment/sports internship. I’m happy to report that I’ll be working at Nike this summer. So I now have two things in common with LeBron James. We both can dunk, and we’ll both be getting paid by Nike this summer. Ok, maybe it’s just one thing in common. Still, I’m pretty fired up for my adventure in Oregon.
I’m also excited for what’s to come in the following weeks. From what second year students tell me, spring quarter is second to none. For one, we can expect beach weather every day (yes Randy Newman, I love L.A.). Also, there are several amazing Anderson events on tap this spring. Next week we have the PULSE Conference. The Entertainment Management Association, Sports Business Association and UCLA Anderson Center for Managing Enterprises in Media, Entertainment and Sports are hosting a day-long conference to address some of the biggest issues facing the entertainment and sports industries. A number of prominent industry professionals will speak, including Ron Meyer, the President and COO of Universal Studios. If you’re in SoCal on April 6th, you should come check it out.
This photo has nothing to do with this post. But I was told that the readers of this blog like pictures, so I didn't want to disappoint. Also, if you come to UCLA, you can look at views like this all of the time. Trust me, it never gets old.
The following week, more than a hundred Anderson students will head up north to Stanford for the annual Challenge 4 Charity Weekend. This weekend is a culmination of a year’s worth of fundraising and volunteering. Nine west coast business schools will compete in a variety of athletic events, including basketball, dodgeball, ping pong and dancing. I’ll be playing golf and flag football. The top-performing school brings home the coveted Golden Briefcase. There will also be a heavy amount of “socializing” going on. So it’ll provide a good opportunity to hang out with other MBA students.
Another irrelevant picture. I went to my first Lakers game this past quarter. Sat eight rows up. To quote Larry David, it was "pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good."
In addition this spring, we have the annual UCLA Anderson Fashion Show, as well as Ander-Prom. There’s nothing like reliving your high school glory days for a night. Plus we have A-Days, where we’ll wine and dine new admits. Add all of that to a full load of classes and it should be a busy quarter. But that’s the thing about business school: you’re never not busy. And as exhausting as it can sometimes get, I don’t think any of us would want it any other way.
--Willem
Follow me on Twitter: @willsouthwood
