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The MBA Student Voice offers a first-hand perspective on life inside an MBA program and at UCLA Anderson directly from our current students.
Welcome to the Class of 2015 bloggers! I'm actually going to graduate with your class because of my dual degree so I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.
Been at my internship for only a week and a half, and I'm really enjoying it. It's what I wanted from a bschool internship - lots of learning (I feel like I'm drinking from a firehose) and very fulfilling too. The applications, the interviewing, the academics - all worth it.
Without further ado, some pictures.
Downtown Palo Alto! What a great location, right in the heart of Silicon Valley.
We're right next to an American Apparel. We can sometimes hear the music from the store, so I make sure to bring my headphones. I may end up buying some Dre Beats!
We're not quite Google but we've got a lot of perks. I'll never be without snacks or caffeine!
Yet again, more snacks :)
I sit on an exercise ball to engage my core. And the best part is that to be the most comfortable on it you have to sit up with your best posture. Can't put a price on good posture!
The CEO and the VP of Marketing aren't here but they sit right across from me. It's great working at a startup. It's very flat and if you want to push for something you can do so if you make a good case for it.
I love the equipment they gave me. A MacBook Pro with Retina display. (Great for watching movies at home!)
But maybe my favorite is the Mac Cinema Display. So great to work on!
Another great thing about working in the Valley is the networking. Met a friend at Google for lunch (and the stories are true about the cafeterias there - muy delicioso).
We played ultimate frisbee with Bump. It's really a small world in the Valley.
One other thing I love about the Bay Area is public transportation. I just leave my car on the street.
And I take Caltrain every day to work. It's maybe my best commute ever: 5 minute walk to station, ~10 minute train ride, 5 minute walk to work :)
I grew up in San Diego, CA. I wanted to be a filmmaker. So, I moved to LA. And there (here) my UCLA journey only just began.
While an undergraduate student UCLA, I did everything to get my feet wet in the entertainment industry. But amidst my personal and intellectual growth, I also discovered movies as a tool beyond storytelling; media could be used to change the world.
First, I needed to change the world.
I left college with a BA in American Literature & Culture and moved to Africa, where I worked with an NGO in rural Tanzania. When I returned, a changed man, and finally (finally!) ready to embark on my Hollywood journey, I discovered that Hollywood had gone on strike. (Remember that?). Broke, and without a job, I turned to my alma mater (and another passion: education).
I began working at UCLA in development and transitioned through three roles in three years, up to the assistant director of a new department focused on community engagement. I loved working for UCLA. Every day. Yet, the creative inside me yearned for more.
I left UCLA again to pursue a Masters in Technology, Innovation and Education from Harvard University, where I focused on leveraging media and technology for social change. While there, an internship with PBS affiliate WGBH in Boston led me to a small social impact consulting firm back in LA.
Since then – after a summer working for Harvard in New York City – I’ve worked for social impact consultancy ProSocial. There, I partner with nonprofits, philanthropists, filmmakers and corporations as a social impact researcher and strategist – a serendipitous blend of my passions for media, education and social change.
Business school, for me, is the next step on my journey to change the world. There is so much potential for good in the corporate world. At UCLA Anderson, I hope to gain skills that complement my eclectic background and empower me to transition into a traditional corporate role to gain valuable experience that I can leverage for social good. And I can’t wait.
Ten years ago, I started my first year as a Bruin. Since then, UCLA has defined the past decade of my life. My years here were transformational. And phenomenal. In Africa, I was a Bruin. While at Harvard, I was a Bruin. I am a hyper-involved alum, and will be a hyper-involved student once again. I’m a Bruin for life. But excited to make it even more official. #doubleBruin
While impatiently awaiting the start of my UCLA Anderson adventure, I am lucky (or unlucky, if you're my bank account) enough to work in freelance production, so I have been on hiatus (the sexy Hollywood term for unemployed) since the end of pilot season in April.
As someone with a predominantly creative/non-quantitative background, I've dedicated my hiatus to finding opportunities to prep for b-school. When furiously googling "What is finance?" proved an inadequate strategy, I signed up for Anderson's online excel and math classes. I also took a class in Film Financing at UCLA Extension--these evening and weekend classes offer affordable classes in a myriad of subjects; I highly recommend anyone spending the summer in LA or considering business school check out the pre-MBA class offerings.
To fill the rest of my time, I started volunteering, something the unpredictable schedule of TV casting never allowed. I found opportunities on Idealist, Volunteer Match, and by looking on the websites of nonprofits that matched my interests (the Getty Center and Film Independent, for example) and signed up to volunteer at the LA Film Festival. It was a great opportunity to have a behind-the-scenes view of a world-class festival. And because it takes place downtown, it was a great way to get me to cross the 405 (as I only rarely can be coaxed to venture past the westside).
Left: Me outside the "Filmmaker's Lounge"; Top Right: My very official-looking volunteer badge; Bottom Right: Tom Donahue, director of Casting By, introducing the film
Some highlights of the experience were:
1) Seeing the long-awaited Casting By documentary, a subject close to my heart after spending the last three years working for/with the "unsung heroes of filmmaking"
2) Working at the theater during a Q&A with Academy Award winning director Costa Gavras moderated by Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty screenwriter Mark Boal
3) Having Ryan Gosling interrupt the Only God Forgives after party to profess his undying love for me. Just kidding! Sadly, R-Gos was unable to attend but I did get to see Nicolas Winding Refn (the director of the film/Drive) while working the reception which is almost as exciting. Almost.
I would highly recommend volunteering with the Festival to anyone interested in working in film/producing, or to anyone who just enjoys film. Just be sure to check the Film Independent website starting in May to sign up!
Hello, UCLA Anderson web community – It’s great to
have you all here! I’m Daniel and I’m an incoming student in Anderson’s Class of 2015.
Over the next few months I’m going to share with
you each step of my journey as I make my
way from Seoul to Los Angeles and prepare for my first semester of business
school. Along the way I hope to offer some insightful commentary, share a few
interesting anecdotes and give a genuine look into what goes into becoming a
UCLA Bruin!
First, let me tell you a little more
about myself. I'm a Midwest kid through and through, which basically just means that I
sunburn easily, can recommend a good cheese and will hold
the door for you on the way out of class. I
went to college in my hometown (Madison, Wisconsin) and after graduation took
my Midwest sensibilities overseas to work with the Somali and North Korean
refugee communities. While abroad, I've had the chance to meet
amazing people (Shin Dong Hyuk, North Korean defector), do incredible
things (whale shark diving in the Gulf of Aden) and visit
beautiful places (Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque) that I never imagined possible growing up
in Wisconsin. As I look forward to starting a new chapter at Anderson, I'm sure
another world of "impossible" opportunities is
waiting.
So, how will I get from South Korea to sunny LA? In one respect,
the path is pretty clear: my
moving dates are set and flights booked. In another – housing & loan
applications, meet-ups and orientation – I have no idea what the next three
months hold. As I begin to navigate my relocation and settle into life on
campus, I hope to share with you the people I meet, the advice I receive and
the lessons I learn at each juncture.
I can't wait to begin the journey. I hope you join me and my fellow bloggers for
the ride!
Best,
Daniel
Daniel Genter, MBA '15 - Follow UCLA Anderson on Twitter.
Hello, dear future readers of my blog about the experiences of My Brightest Adventure that I will share with you! I hope the content will be very engaging and useful to you!
My name is Alena, I am from Moscow, Russia. I dedicated all my pre-MBA career to advertising sphere where I worked with small clients and huge corporations helping them create special projects on Russian TV and radio. In my free time I love to paint, go to the cinema and meet with my friends. Recently I have started running and I plan to participate in Nike Women's Half- Marathon which will take place in October, so I have been busy getting ready for this absolutely new experience for me!
In less than 2 months I will be moving to LA to get my MBA degree from UCLA Anderson as a part of Class 2015! I couldn't be more excited to get international exposure, use the opportunities of LA location, learn from excellent faculty and be a part of a wonderful tight-knit community.
I will keep you posted about my MBA journey: things that will happen to me in the summer, people I will meet, decisions I will have to make and tips I will have to share with you. One of my goals in writing this blog is to highlight the experience of an international student on the way to Anderson MBA-have a look for my perspective in my coming posts! So, stay tuned!
As I end the glorious year 1 of the best MBA program in the world, it is only fitting that I give the spring quarter a fitting tribute with a quick round up!
The quarter started on a high note. I'd signed my internship offer from Microsoft for the summer (Product Management) and from MarkedUp Inc. (a Santa Monica based startup) for the spring (Product Marketing). Yes, its very common for students here to do an internship during the school year and because the school is so well-entrenched in the Silicon Beach community (LA's startup scene) and opportunities keep coming all the time. Naturally, with the recruiting season behind me, I was relieved of so much stress. Also, while most people are confused about the difference between Product Mgmt and Marketing, I got a chance to dabble with both!!
I got to meet so many vivacious new admits from the incoming class of 2015 at the A days, where I represented the International Business Association(IBA), Anderson Creative and the International students panel.
As the first week of classes began, we started practicing for our C4C cheer, part of which we'd performed already in the Anderson Talent Showcase (February), but wanted to take it to the next level. After 3 weeks of tireless practicing, we put up a great show at the Stanford C4C weekend, which Kyle talked about earlier. You should totally watch the video below and stare at it with your jaw touching the floor (ok that part's optional). WHile the dance itself wasn't that difficult, learning to throw and catch an athletic girl took many dark turns during the practice sessions. Fortunately, everyone lived to dance the day!
Somewhere along the way, on the trip back from Stanford, we also finalized our AMR team. AMR is one of the most important parts of the second year of the MBA, and everyone therefore selects their teams and project preferences very carefully. I will be working on a new technology created by a Ph.D student at Anderson - specifically trying to establish a company and then it to market. The technology, called Mighty Mount, won the Knapp Venture Competition - another key component of the UCLA MBA. Yes, we have an amazingly entrepeneurial program here! What better way to capitalize on that by doing your second year project on building your own business? :)
Talking of entrepreneurship, I helped organize the biggest conference at Anderson - the EA Conference, which saw a huge attendence from successful entrepreneurs, VCs and students. Bill Gross, founder of Idealab, gave the most amazing keynote that I've ever heard in any conference so far and made me realize that I could just be hearing to the next Steve Jobs of the world. It was amazing to see so many illustrious people in the school at the same time. Speakers came from companies such as Google, Disney, Fox, Yahoo!, CornerStone On Demand, Riot Games, Veggie Grill and many more. A complete roundup of the conference can be read at buzzfeed.
So much going on, but was I even studying, you wonder? Well ofcourse, I took 5 classes this time and was loaded with tons of work at all times. However, I really enjoyed the classes, in particular, the Tools for Business Strategy class which had mini projects for Deloitte and PwC, and the Brand Management class which is jointly taught by Professor Sanjay Sood and Jim Stengel (ex-CMO, P&G). In the latter, we got a chance to meet some really amazing people, such as Erik Ryan of Method, Davide Grasso of Nike, and Robert Eckert, former CEO of Mattel Inc. We also visited Ogilvy's LA Office and listened to their intriguing story of UCLA Anderson's rebranding effort (see a video made my Anderson Students for the new brand). Seriously, where else could you get to meet these people? I fell even more in love with my school! :)
While we're talking of meeting famous personalities, this quarter made me completely starry eyed. A huge advantage of being inside one of the best universities in the country is that you get to be part of the larger community, where so much more keeps happening all the time. Some of us were lucky to take advantage of that and meet Josh Radnor (Ted Mosbey of How I Met Your Mother), the Hangover star cast at the premier and Owen Wilson at the premier of The Internship at the Bruin Theater. At UCLA, the stars come to you!
This isn't all that UCLA has to offer though. I started discovering really fun events organized by different departments at UCLA that are also open for MBA students. Professor McCann, who heads the Center for Global Management at Anderson, secured VIP tickets for Anderson students at the Trisha Brown Dance show at the Royce Hall (the most exhilerating dance performance I've seen) ...
and the Graduate Student Association organized a trip to the Knotts Berry Farm (awesome rides!).
We rounded out the quarter by yet another set of fun activities - first the Prom (which was also my first prom ever - you're never too old for your first prom, right?) and then the Hollywood Hike (literally ending at a high note!!)
Oh and did I tell you about the amazing beach bonfires, making s'mores ( a teaser below) and so many other things?! Phew, I dont think I can describe my adventures at UCLA Anderson in just words.
And finally the icing on the cake, or perhaps the cake itself...
You really need to be here to experience it for yourself. I heart UCLA!
It's hard to believe, but my first year at Anderson has come to a close! Well, there are a couple of take home assignments to wrap up, but as of today all of my classes and in-person exams are over.
It's been a year for the ages... I've learned a ton in the classroom, met some amazing people who I'm sure will be life-long friends, and had some memorable experiences.
Now that school is out, it's time for a week of relaxation, and then off to the San Francisco Bay Area for my summer internship at Hewlett-Packard!
I'll be working in the Workforce Strategy group at HP, and am excited to get started! I'll be sure to keep you all updated this summer as to how the internship goes.
In the meantime, here's a few photos from over the course of the year... so many memories!
Welcome to Anderson! Beautiful entrance into the complex everyday.
Well, not quite. But almost. I just have one more week left! And two finals and two final projects to go!
I'm looking forward to working again. I'm going to learn so much at Glooko. I'm looking forward to see how much I can contribute.
Though I'll have to work a lot of hours, I'll have my nights and weekends again for the most part. I'll be making money again. By the end of the summer I'll be able to splurge on a trip.
I'll be up in NorCal again and be able to meet up with old work and college friends. I'll also be able to hang out more with Anderson friends up in the Bay. There's a lot of people at Google, Facebook, and the other tech companies so we'll definitely meet up.
I'll have more time to do the activities I haven't had as much time to pursue: working out, cooking, and reading. I'm raring to go to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Napa/Sonoma wine country, San Francisco, and Berkeley.
I'll be able to go back to Berkeley and eat some Cheeseboard (only the best pizza in the world) and at Lush Gelato (only the best gelato in the world - no seriously, it's true). I'll also shop at my favorite grocery store, Berkeley Bowl. And how can I not mention Philz Coffee (only the best coffee in the world)!
Cheeseboard! They only make one pizza a day!
Lush Gelato! Sooooo good!
Berkeley Bowl! aka Whole Foods without the Whole Foods Prices
I'll be able to refresh myself for the grind of next year, although I'm hoping next year won't be as hectic as this year has been.
I'll be sure to update you over the summer for the highlights.
~Dwight Asuncion, MBA/MPH '15
About The MBA Student Voice
The MBA Student Voice offers a first-hand perspective on life inside the MBA program at UCLA Anderson. Bloggers are current students who volunteer to share their experiences with prospective students.
