The MBA Student Voice: Sig-O Edition!

Hello! My name is Sunny, I'm a Taiwanese-Canadian florist/calligrapher and I'm turning 30 in a few weeks! I'm also married to a 2nd year MBA student—his name is Mike, I met him in the 7th grade, he's a structural engineer & wannabe real estate developer—which is what brings me here: to share with you some of my experiences as a Sig-O ("significant other") at Anderson.

This time last year, we were walking around in Westwood looking for a place to live so that we can get settled in before orientation began. Mike was preparing himself mentally to being a student again and I was trying to come to terms with this new supportive housewife role I'd apparently signed up for. My point is, we've been there/done that, and we get what you’re going through: this whole moving to L.A. and going down to one income so your husband/wife can get their MBA thing is interesting, isn’t it?

But you know what, it is pretty cool actually. Besides the fact that you now live in Cali-freakin'-fornia where it's all sunshine & blue skies every single day, this 2-year transition period also creates one of those rare gaps in your life where you get to leave that job that you don't 100% love, start over in another city, try new things, meet people from all over, and just take some time to figure out what you want to do with your life, all while taking credit as the awesome amazing person who made these huge sacrifices so that your spouse can pursue their dreams.

Still, I know change is scary... but fret not, we are here to hold your hand—maybe not literally, that’s awkward—and share with you all the little things we learned along the way that might make the transition a bit easier for the two of you. And here's the first thing I'll say to put your mind at ease: To be totally honest with you, before coming to Anderson, I thought business school was basically filled with douchey suit types and their prissy real housewives... which can't be further from the truth, at least not at Anderson. Everyone we've met has been really down-to-earth & easy-going and there's none of that cut-throat competitive tension in the air; if anything, people go out of their way to help each other out. During recruitment, for example, Mike got several job postings from other students who were applying to those same jobs themselves and I remember thinking, "I'm so glad this is his school and these people are his classmates."

 

For me, one of the best things about Anderson is how great they are with Sig-O’s: they get that you're in this together and really try to make you feel like you're part of the famliy. (I mean, look, they've even got a Sig-O penning their student blog!) Apart from the Joint Ventures Club which connects you to other couples in the Anderson community, you are also invited to just about every event on & off campus and to sign up for any of the other professional/social clubs. I've personally sat in on special guest lectures, gone on wine/beer tasting field trips, checked in at "AA" ("Anderson Afternoons" -- you'll hear about it soon enough), and signed up for beach days, BBQ's, dances, and everything in between and it's been a blast! Seriously, it's like Sig-O's get to have all of the fun and none of the boring school stuff. ;o)

Anyways, I'm gonna wrap things up here by leaving you with this little booklet I wrote up for the Sig-O orientation back in April. It includes things like budgeting, apartment hunting, general tips & advice, and a calendar of events to help you get organized. Oh, and when you get a chance, check out this hilarious blog called "Living with a Business School Student" — I'm sure you'll get a few chuckles out of it! In the meantime, welcome to Anderson, and I look forward to seeing you around!