I was nervous when I first shared my plans to pursue an MBA with my parents and colleagues. Traditional wisdom had me believe a wide chasm existed between the MBA and nonprofit worlds. I was worried that those closest to me wouldn’t understand my decision.
The reaction I expected: “You’re going to do what?!”
The reaction I got: “That’s great! How can we help?”
Their support was a relief, but I was sure the UCLA Anderson community would be a tougher sell. --- I was so wrong.
A few weeks back I met up with some other Class of 2015 admits. We shared food and drinks, told stories and talked about campus life. We joked around, made plans for orientation and learned a few secrets to winning in Hong Kong casinos.
What didn’t we talk about? My business inexperience. My “weird” nonprofit background. All the reasons I don’t fit in at Anderson.
I left the meetup downright impressed with my future classmates. Of course, they were all smart and successful. But they were also simply one of the nicest groups of people I had met in long time. They were warm and open-minded. Friendly and genuine. And they made me – and my nonprofit background – feel right at home at UCLA Anderson.
Daniel Genter, MBA '15 - Follow UCLA Anderson on Twitter.
