Everyone in the application process wants to get the admission letter, waits for it and counts the days till the decision date when he/she is done with apps and interviews. So, even if you are at the beginning of the application process right now, you can still be curious to unfold the veil of secrecy and look into the future period between getting the admission letter and enrolling in the program.
First of all, you will be very happy and will celebrate the admission with your friends and family the week or two following your admission. Make sure to thank all the people who helped and supported you during the application process! (and at this moment you realize that the number of people is huge and it really takes you some time to count everyone and shoot a message/make a call to everyody).
Secondly, when the euphoria comes down, you are beginning to realize what has happened and you begin to plan further steps. The question "how will I finance my studies?" arises immediately and you start to blame yourself for having saved that little! A close look at financing options brings you to the Earth; the Financial Aid office is eager to answer all your questions about financing your degree.
Then you join Facebook group of your class, ask questions, get to know your future classmates. At the beginning of April you are invited to visit A-days at Anderson to feel the sense of community, explore the housing options and make sure the program is right for you! Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to A-days myself, but my classmates who were told me that these 3 days were marvelous: the organization was perfect, people were super friendly and supportive and the majority of questions was solved. I even noticed that several people have found a roommate from the class during A-days, and I regret not going to LA in April.
The next thing I wanted to mention is the e-mails we get weekly after admission. At first the letters were mainly about admission, A-days, deposit, financial aid, housing, student visa and they were sent by the Admission office. In June our class was taken care of by the MBA Student affairs office that sends us weekly e-mails with instructions to smoothly get ready for the Orientation and the Fall Quarter. Quite recently we were contacted by the Career Services Office and even had a mini skype session about our career plans and things that need to be done before coming to LA (at least the internationals had/plan to have such sessions). So, everyone at school (Admissions, Student Affairs Office, Career Center) is concerned with my personal success and a smooth transition to the school. Be sure, you won't "get lost" at Anderson during the summer after admission!
I also wanted to devote additional bullet point to the original of the admission letter I got by snail mail( see mine on the photo): when I unpacked the envelope, I burst into tears because I was touched by this personal attitude of Alex Lawrence, Director of MBA Admissions and financial aid. I think this small handwritten note highlights the school attitude towards every single student and demonstrates the sense of community we have at Anderson!
As an international student I must admit that UCLA Dashew Center's Pre-Orientation for international students is just perfect! It helps students from different countries better and quicker integrate to the US student body and be ready for some problems that can arise during studies in a foreign country.
To sum up, several weeks after you get admitted you find yourself integrated in the business school process: you start to prepare your resume, you meet your classmates via Facebook or in person at some gatherings that happen almost every week in different parts of the world, you search for housing options, ask for advice and see responses poping-up on the Facebook post very quickly; you find a roommate and like-minded people among your classmates. By the school start you feel completely like an "Andersonian" and ready to begin this wonderful MBA journey!
Alena Kostenkova, MBA'15 at @UCLAMBA
