...before the big move to Los Angeles! Hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since I started preparing for the GMAT, and over 4 months since that fateful R2 admit call. Anderson-related TTDs have been piling up as the Class of 2017 gets closer to Orientation... and by the looks of it, things are only gonna get crazier!
So how has Anderson kept me busy lately?
- International Preps: Being an international student adds an extra layer of moving-out stress and logistical errands--luggage, apartments, banking and phone plans, etc. First order of business after submitting my SIR to UCLA was to sort out all visa and finance-related documents. I secured my F-1 visa early in June thanks to Anderson and UCLA's Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars (DCISS). Both have been a constant presence in my inbox throughout summer with international programming updates (DCISS) and pre-departure career preps (MBA Student Affairs), among other helpful content. Students on a visa are required to take UCLA's iStart Program which is a series of online modules designed to help us transition to life in the US. Topics covered are: academic integrity, culture shock, visa workshop, and getting started in LA & UCLA. In addition to school/web resources, I found that talking to fellow international students and 2nd years has been most helpful in navigating this complex pre-MBA stage. Currently, there's even a group of us looking to set-up a family phone plan to get better deals!
DCISS' online iStart program has informational modules for international students transitioning to UCLA.
- Quant Review: Being a communication major, I had minimal exposure to quants. One thing I addressed in the optional essay was to prepare by taking Anderson's online Math and Accounting courses offered during summer. The latter is a mandatory fundamentals module to bring everyone from different pre-MBA backgrounds up to speed since we'll take Financial Accounting this Fall. We started with Professor Ravetch's Math for Management course in June, and after 10 weeks I can say that I've never found Partial Derivatives and Logarithmic Equations more entertaining. Really, Prof. Ravetch has a way of putting a comical twist into mathematical concepts which otherwise would've been daunting. The course covers Algebra, Calculus, and Statistics with business applications. Online prep aside, there's also an option for on-campus Math and Excel workshops before orientation. (I didn't join because of Parker & MCA case interview workshops happening on the same dates. Talk about multiple sign-up woes this early in the game!)
Math for Management - A look at Probability Trees
- Housing: UCLA offers several housing options near campus for graduate students. I chose this route because I couldn't visit LA beforehand and didn't want the hassle of applying at different properties. Application to UCLA Housing is pretty straightforward; internationals need not worry about credit checks and whatnot. My apartment in Weyburn Terraces is one of the more economical choices out there for a two-bedroom (shared with a fellow graduate student) or studio in Westwood. It also helps that it's a 20-min walk/10-min shuttle from Anderson and there are 30+ fellow 2017ers staying in the complex. I'm already excited to meet them at our BBQ party/ies!
Credits to Andry Pramanta '17 and Gustavo Panez '17 for our Weyburn preview!
- Career Introspection: Probably the most important prep work of all... as proven by my chats with 2nd years and constant email & Facebook reminders from Parker CMC. With Anderson following a quarterly schedule and starting a month later than most other b-schools, it’s crucial that we get a head start and be ready when major recruiters visit campus (this can happen immediately after Orientation). The folks at Parker have done a great job at keeping us on our toes over the summer. We were given access to the career portal which has a wealth of information from industry 101s on Vault and WetFeet to Day in a Life internship accounts from previous students—big help for industry switchers like myself. In addition, we’re assigned a set of weekly career deliverables which include company research and exercises to develop personal brands (hello, LinkedIn!) and perfect that 30-second pitch. My fellow blogger, Lucerna, talked about the first two deliverables in her post. The Career Leader exercise is by far my favorite as it allowed me to assess personal skills, career, and culture matches with regard to future employers and functions I'm considering. Happy to say the results were in line with my Anderson goals!
Weird things come to mind when you think deeply about your career. Image from Glasbergen.
- Bucket Lists & Extracurriculars: Okay, so this isn't really Anderson-related, but UCLA is in such a fantastic location that it'd be a waste to NOT come prepared for all the things you can do. I created a personal "MBA Bucket List" which included activities within (i.e. club mixers, DOJs, TED Week) and outside Anderson (i.e. LA food trip, Six Flags, free shows - I've confirmed slots to watch Jimmy Kimmel and looking forward to catch more). There's also a number of Pre-Orientation Trips--many of them involve camping/hiking--set-up by various Anderson clubs, and even some "renegade" pre-o's planned by my class. I hear #FOMO can kick-in pretty early in b-school! Suffice to say that despite the house-cleaning and consecutive farewell dinners here back home, I'm really looking forward to the Anderson MBA experience and spending two awesome years with a bunch of awesome people.
Next stop: Los Angeles!
