The MBA Student Voice

Anderween: Happy Halloween From UCLA Anderson

Anderson Student Association puts on a Halloween party for students to kick back, dress up and enjoy being halfway through Fall quarter.

Our section (section E!) got together to take a photo in the photobooth to wish you all a Happy Anderween:

Wow... Half way through Fall Quarter!

Somehow it's already October 30th. Which means that right around a month has passed since my last blog post. Not that there hasn't been anything to write about... there's almost been TOO much to write about. Don't worry though - you're about to be all caught up on how the first quarter has gone at Anderson. 

Last time I blogged, I wrote about the epic adventure that was the Odyssey portion of orientation. I'll pick up with the end of orientation before I dive into the actual quarter. 

(Julia Hsu, Hao Sun, myself, Howard Kim, and Kavitha Ramakrishan ready to show off our dance skills during the skit.)

Welcome to the core, the MBA core

The unavoidable toil of the first year core has just kicked off along with what is supposed to be our hardest and most time consuming quarter at Anderson. I must admit I was skeptical about how much would actually be required of us. After all, I’m theoretically leaving a job where I worked 90hr weeks to being a student where I have 15hrs of lecture, the math just doesn’t add up. Yet within my first few lectures I can already tell that I’m going to be hard pressed to keep up with all the different activities that are going to be going on.

The standard 1st year schedule is composed of Econ, Stat, Accounting, Communications, career sessions and either marketing or finance. Having studies business as an undergraduate and worked in I-banking, I was lucky enough to place out of accounting and finance which was supposed to significantly lessen the load – until I signed up for a new finance class called financing the emerging enterprise which is looking highly interesting but equally challenging.

The classes have been good so far although the amount of reading and preparation is astronomical and I’m not sure whether the professors actually mean it when they make readings mandatory. The core is designed to keep you on your feet and by itself it would probably not be doing all that good a job at it if it weren’t for its juxtaposition with constant recruiting events, study groups, club kick-offs, case-study competitions and other activities that take over your life.

The result of all this is that even after barely a week of classes I already feel overwhelmed and I’m not even recruiting actively! So here are a few organizational tips that will hopefully help you (and me) feel a little more relieved at the workload:

1. If you can place out of a class 1st quarter 
2. Manage expectations before hand – maybe make a list of priorities 
3. Set personal time aside and respect that 
4. Don’t take on too much at first, see how things go before joining 6 different clubs 
5. Settle all your administrative/moving stuff before classes start 
6. I love saying YES but know how to say NO

As I didn't have any pictures to share here's a frivolous one of section A at the 80's party

-Chris Varin, 14'

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

10 Reasons Anderson Orientation Rocked!

Top 10 things from UCLA Anderson Orientation

1. Game Day & Skits (Section Competitions)

2. Scavenger Hunt

3. Luau

4. Club outings & Social Hours

5. Prestigious speakers

 

Jim Morris, Chairman & CEO of Pacific Life

 

6. Extra curricular activities i.e. surfing

7. Leadership Foundations Rope course

8. 1st Official UCLA Anderson Football Tailgate

 

9. 80's Party Finale

10. Welcomes from Dean Judy Olean, Regina Regazzi & Parker Career Center and our distinguished professors!

 

Dean Judy Olean welcomes Class of 2014

 

 

Anderson Orientation: Surviving the B(usi)est 2.5 Weeks of Your Life

Greetings! It's been almost a month since I last posted, mainly because most of September was occupied with Orientation at Anderson! (Since orientation, I feel compelled to use more exclamation points than usual.) It's tough to describe the Anderson Orientation experience in words alone; the best I can do is compare it to a mashup of basic training, summer camp, corporate teambuilding retreat, and fraternity rush--with an actual class, final exam and all, thrown into the mix. All in all, it's pretty busy. 

If you want more details on orientation, I recommend you read Ayushman's post on the leadership aspect, Kyle's take on the Odyssey adventure, and Alejandra's description of the team-building fun times. I don't want to spoil all the fun for you prospective Anderson-ites, so I'll just offer the following bits of advice for surviving Anderson orientation with style:

1. You'll need to channel your inner (or outer) extrovert. In the last group post, I wrote that I was worried about eating lunch alone. In fact, nothing happens alone at Anderson Orientation--you are with your assigned section the whole time. The section becomes your new identity, bolstered by the spirit of friendly competition between sections for the coveted Section Cup. The Section Cup is based on the following: a scavenger hunt; fundraising; a skit; and Game Day (a.k.a. the most competitive Pictionary tournament I have ever experienced).

Scavenger Hunt Item: Find the 2nd Year Social Chairs and Dance Gangnam Style with them.

2. You'll need different outfits.  This is advice for the entire b-school experience, really, but for orientation alone you'll need the following: A section t-shirt (you'll get this on the first day); your undergrad t-shirt (for undergrad t-shirt day, of course); a UCLA t-shirt (you'll need one, trust me); a business casual outfit (for career day) and a 1980s costume (for the 80s party). Also, for business casual, the more conservative the better--for both men and women this means solid colors/no patterns, no khakis, no open-toed shoes, no bare shoulders, very little jewelry. 

Anderson Orientation: The only 3 t-shirts you'll ever need. (But you'll get more on Club Fair Day.)

3. You'll need your life in order before orientation starts. Orientation is SUPER busy. Skits, games, section cheers, voluntary and mandatory fun times, plus actual homework, means there is very little time to do anything outside of school. Only one day separates orientation from the start of classes,
and you'll need that day for group study time. So make sure you have your laptop computer configured, a place to sleep at night, and whatever else you require to make a life outside of school.

If you're using a Macbook, install Windows 7 before orientation starts!

4. You'll need an open mind. Out of a class of nearly 360, I'm certain not everyone loved the ropes course, and I'm pretty sure some secret eye-rolling happened when we had to break out the Legos (again) for a teambuilidng exercise. But like everything in life, you get out of orientation what you put into it. I advise you to check the cynicism at the door and have some fun in class, not just at the parties. Don't be afraid to try something new, like climbing a scary obstacle, improv comedy, or high-stakes dodgeball. Also, don't be afraid to be yourself. Do you have a hidden talent, like breakdancing, singing, or ukulele-playing? I guarantee you will use it during orientation.

   

Section B Dodgeball Team on Game Day. I'm not in this photo, because I was playing extreme Pictionary at the time. Note that one person is dressed like a kangaroo. You need to attend Anderson Orientation to find out why.

One last note on Orientation--my section, the amazing Section B, won the Section Cup! I'll admit, it was a pretty great feeling. We were quickly warned, however, not to let anyone with mono drink from the actual cup. That seemed to put a slight damper on things.

Section B! We felt like winners until we opened the Data & Decisions syllabus later that day.

Now, back to studying!

-Ann Ching, '14

Follow me on Twitter: @annibbler