The MBA Student Voice

TED at UCLA Anderson!

 

 

Hello everyone. Last week we had a very exciting event at UCLA Anderson, the second annual TED Live Streaming! TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is an annual set of global conferences about "ideas worth spreading". The topic can be anything as long as it is an innovative idea and they last at most 18 minutes so it is a fast and fun way to learn something very interesting. For example I got to listen to a talk about how music should be free and another about how the best experiences and products are those that stimulate more than one of your five senses. 

UCLA Anderson has an agreement to live stream these conferences at the campus and they designed an amazing room so students could sit and enjoy the talks. Take a look here:

 

 

Doesn't it look awesome? Those bean bag chairs were very comfy! If you want to see how they set it all up you can see that in a video here. It looks much better there; my pictures don't do it justice. 

After the live stream three or four panelist comprised of alumni, students, faculty, and industry specialists would go up on stage and discuss the TED talk to provide more insight on the subject and allow guests to ask questions. 

 

Second year Ana Peña (on the left) was moderating the panel I attended.

 

There was also a campfire at the end of the event on the third day where students and faculty would go and present their own TED inspired talks. I was not able to attend but fellow blogger Ashley Mallison did and here is what she had to say:

 

 

"The campfire was a great event. The photo is of Bhavna from our year who gave an inspiring talk about changing the way we design our cities to inside healthier lifestyles! It was a fabulous event that spoke to the power of TED and the UCLA Anderson community with great drinks and food, and black light chalk wall for people to write “What would you name your own TED Talk” and truly inspiring presentations from students and professors!"

I hope this inspires you to attend the TED Live Streaming event at UCLA Anderson next year and if you are planning to visit campus make sure to ask a current student if there are going to be any events on the dates of your visit. There is always something interesting going on at UCLA Anderson! 

 

-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA

Lets talk High Tech!

It is that time of the year where a lot of you must be deciding which MBA school to go to (of course you should choose UCLA Anderson!). For those of you interested in technology or those who have not decided what they want to do after their MBAs, I want to share with you why Anderson is such a great place for transitioning to a job in the high tech industry. 

 

Location!

Anderson is located very close to Silicon Valley, the San Francisco bay area, and Seattle. You can find the headquarters of all the major high tech companies in these areas. For example Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Ebay, etc. All just a drive or a short plane ride away.

Los Angeles is also home of many startups, including those in the high tech industry, but you don't have to take my word for it, click here to read a great article from Forbes about why Los Angeles is becoming the new tech startup capital. 

Lastly, we are very close to Las Vegas which is home of the annual CES convention. Fellow blogger Kyle Forest just wrote an awesome post telling you all about it which you can find here. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend you do so! 

 

Parker CMC!

We just talked about the awesome location but how can you really leverage it? The Parker CMC , which is Anderson's Career Management Center, has a great relationship with all the high tech companies.  Most of them recruit on campus and post positions through Parker CMC. 

You can follow Parker CMC on facebook here. They do a splendid job coaching and preparing us for networking and interviews. They have a class just for this on your first quarter, they do workshops, and you can book an appointment with any of the advisors every week. Actually one of the greatest advices I can give you when you start your MBA is to meet with an advisor every week. They will do mock interviews with you, review your resume and cover letters, address your concerns, guide you on how to get your dream job, and so much more. I usually meet with Emily Taylor or Regina Regazzi, who have done an amazing job coaching me and I highly recommend both of them.  Needless to say you can't go wrong with any advisor you decide to work with, they are all great! 

This is Emily teaching us about Parker CMC during our first days of class! 

 

Alumni!

We have Alumni in almost any company you might be interested in and they are all happy to talk to you about their experience. It is actually one of my favorite things about Anderson, we have a great community where everyone helps each other out and that does not stop upon graduation. Contacting an Alumni is very easy, we have an ever growing database where you can search for them and obtain their e-mails. 

 

We have ACT Coaches!

You must be wondering what ACT Coaches are, they are second years who meet with a group of first years for an hour every week to guide and mentor them on their job search. ACT groups can be by industry or function, for example I am in an ACT group for high tech and in another one for finance. Let's discuss the high tech ACT group since this is a post about high tech. These are my Act Coaches: 

Meet Joshua Stark and Bradford Lyman from class 2013! 

Can we talk about how awesome Josh and Brad are? They keep us up to date with tech news, practice interview questions with us, and guide us all the way from how to decide what companies to target to how to get the most out of your internship. It is so nice to have a fellow second year to talk to about these things and their advice has been so helpful! I am amazed by how they know so much! 

 

We have Mentors!

If Parker CMC and ACT Coaches are not enough for you we also have mentorship programs in many of Anderson's clubs. I have a mentor from the HTBA (High Tech Business Association) and from the WBC (Women's Business Connection). When looking for a mentor in the high tech industry don't just look in the HTBA, many other clubs, like the WBC, will offer you mentors that match your function, country of origin, gender, etc. but that doesn't mean they can't also match your target industry! My mentors Daisy Chen and Shiva Ramesh from class 2012 have been providing me invaluable advice and connecting me with many other alumni. I highly recommend that you sign up for mentorship programs when you are at Anderson. 

 

HTBA and Tech Treks!

The HTBA (High Tech Business Association) organizes events throughout the year to help you meet and talk to representatives from high tech companies. Some of these events are:

-Career nights:  They are kind of like speed dating. You sit at a table with representatives from a certain company and after some time the organizer indicates that it is time to switch tables. It is really fun!

-Tech treks: The HTBA assigns companies for you to visit or you bid for them in a raffle system. You get to visit one or two companies per day and there is always an alumni networking event too. There is one for Seattle and one for the Sillicon Valley area and they usually happen during winter. 

Anderson students at Microsoft's campus in Seattle 

-Brunches: As the name implies it is a brunch with company representatives. There is going to be one this Sunday organized by the HTBA and the WBC (Women's Business Connection).

 

If all this did not convince you, I encourage you to visit our campus and talk to some current students. That played a big role for me when deciding what MBA to go to. If you can't come to campus contact some students by e-mail or phone, they are all very friendly and happy to help!

 

-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA

Starting your MBA Life Tips

First of all I would like to say I am still alive! I am very sorry for the lack of posts but first quarter has been super busy (also super fun)! Today I want to talk to you guys about some tips that might be useful when starting your MBA life. Regardless of which MBA school you go to this will be useful (Though of course you should go to UCLA Anderson!). Lets get right to it:

- Your first MBA loan check won't be ready when you arrive at UCLA. Why? As soon as you get to Los Angeles you have to go to the financial aid office and personally sign a contract and hand in some documents. Without this the loan process can't start and If I remember correctly this whole process takes about 2 weeks. The good news is the financial office will kindly extend your tuition payment deadline but you still need to pay for your living expenses so make sure you have some savings or borrow some money from a family member for those 2 weeks. 

- Don't go grocery shopping crazy. I stocked up on food and cleaning supplies as soon as I arrived at Los Angeles. BIG mistake! First of all during orientation UCLA will provide you  with breakfast and lunch. Once classes start, clubs have so many events and left over food it is not very hard to get a free lunch almost every day. Groceries will expire all the time so buy only what you think you will use in one week. 

-Using a mac laptop for class is doable. If you look at the laptop requirements for school in this page, you will see windows and office are necessary. Alot of people in our class were worried about if they should use BootCamp, Parellels, or just buy a windows laptop. I do not own a mac computer so I don't know how they solved the problem but as you can see in the following picture many people in class use a mac and they manage:

Don't they look good in orange? 

-Get a roommate, preferrably from a different country than you. Alot of people will disagree with me since they prefer to live alone or feel safer getting a roommate from their country that they can relate to. I say be adventurouse, you go to an MBA to have new and exciting experiences and UCLA is so culturally diverse it is a shame to miss this opportunity. My roommate and classmate, Nhung Phung, is from Vietnam (I am from Mexico) and it has been an awesome experience sharing a home with her. I totally recommend it! 

My roomie and friend, Nhung :)!

-Strive to do things out of your comfort zone. This is the time to experiment, really. No one here will judge you, in fact people here are so nice that they support you and help you on anything you try. Here is a picture of me and some of the friends I danced with on a play during orientation. If you have ever met me you know I am the world's worst dancer, seriously. Everyone in that picture was super supportive and patient with me!

The start of our dance routine!

-Push yourself to talk to new people every day. Once classes starts you might find yourself trying to hang out with the same people all the time, don't. Try walking up to a circle of people you have never spoken to and introduce yourself, you don't want to miss out into meeting all your awesome classmates! 

These are only the first years!

-It is true you don't need all the books. I was warned by second years to wait and see if I actually needed all the books for class and I did not listen. Now I have a $200 dollars book i bought for a class and I never even read it! 

-Listen to second years. Really they know better, I wish I had listened to them more. They are all very nice and happy to help. It is a great community so don't be afraid to ask for advice. You can always contact me, I am happy to chat with anyone interested in UCLA Anderson! 

-Have fun. The MBA life is very busy and stressful but it is also the most fun you will ever have so make lots of friends and enjoy it :)! 

A group of Ucla bruin bears I saw during a tailgate. I love school spirit!

Happy holidays!

 

-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA

First week for orientation (and my birthday)!!!

Hey everyone!! Last week orientation started and it has been awesome! The first day of orientation was actually my birthday and it just marked the start of a great week. Let me tell you all about it! 

I finally got to meet all my classmates in section A (the island section!) and our awesome section leaders Robbie and Aviva:

They are enthusiastic second years who have generously donated their time to organizing orientation activities for us, guiding us in our first days here, and making us feel very welcomed. Thank you guys for all your efforts for us, section A loves you both!!

We got a welcome from the MBA program deans, an introduction to orientation and to the Parker Career Management Center. I love how they decorated the conference room with flags from all the countries our very diverse class represents:

That evening I had dinner with some of my friends at Tomodachi Sushi in honor of my birthday. The sushi there is really nice and it is right in front of weyburn terrace. 

Back to orientation we have been taking a class called Leadership Foundations with Professor Kashkooli:

Our section is so luck to have him teach us! He makes our lessons so fun and interactive. We had a lego man building competition (You should go to Ayushman's latest post for a picture of it) and many leadership cases. I know what you must be thinking "Cases? Ew what is so fun about that?". Well these cases are! We had one that described clues for a murder case and, at the time we did not know but, there were three versions of it with different information and we got in groups to try to solve the case (our team got it right of course!).

We also had another one where we had to imagine we were stranded in a mountain during a snow storm and had to rate, individually and as a team, a list of 12 items according to how important they were for our survival. I have to tell you guys I think I had the lowest score ever on this one, I have no survival skills. I hope I never get stranded in a snow storm in a mountain and if I do then I hope one of my classmates is with me, some of them turned out to be very good at this!
Did I tell you guys that section A is the best section ever and that we are out to win the glorious and coveted section cup? We were born ready for it, just look at all this section spirit:

We all secretly decided to wear our section t-shirts on the same day and people in the other sections were so confused wondering if they had missed something! It was so much fun! If you play close attention to the picture you can see Chris Varin, a fellow blogger, right there on the bottom right. He is also a proud member of section A!

Another super fun activity we had last week was the scavenger hunt! We ran all over UCLA taking funny pictures, according to instructions on a list, while we got to know all the campus. This is me and two of my teammates planking like champions during the scavenger hunt at UCLA: 

Doesn't the picture scream fun!? If there had been a planking competition we would have won for sure! 

There is still another week and a half of orientation to come so please look forward to my next post about week 2 of orientation! A second year told me week 2 is way better than week 1!

 

-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA

Class of ‘14 insider summer scoop - PART 7 - "Start of an era"

This will be oue last collective summer post! We’re all here, orientation starts today, we’ve met a bunch of classmates, socialized and found out as much as we possibly could about what’s going to be happening to us for the next two years. We all have different first impressions but here is how we are seeing things today.

(source)

Kyle Forrest: This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made personally. When I first began thinking about an MBA, I originally thought part-time would be the way to go - let’s face it, as Dwight said in the previous group post, not having a salary is a big change, and the two year MBA experience can be quite expensive. However, in the 6 weeks I’ve spent in Los Angeles before orientation started, I’ve been able to get to know my classmates in a way that I never would have been able to do in a part-time program. The relationships are already more meaningful, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out after the next two years with everyone!

Gregory Paige: Pressing the pause button on a career is a significant risk for most people. I certainly fit into that group. But here we are at the start of Orientation, and I can already tell that Anderson will prove to be one of the best decisions of my life. You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s all about the people. My classmates have arrived from all over the country and across the globe. From every industry imaginable. And with all types of personal and career aspirations. I feel privileged to have access to such a variety of minds and experiences. Ultimately I’m not hitting pause on my career, I’m upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray!

Ashley Mallinson: I have been incredibly impressed with my future classmates, Anderson and Los Angeles. I knew that business school was the right decision for me personally and fell in love with Anderson  as early as my first campus visit, and so far the experience has surpassed my expectations in every way. I truly could not have imagined being this happy with all the dramatic changes that have taken place in my life over the last two weeks. Based on my experience so far, it is truly the people at Anderson that make the school exceptional and set the entire experience apart. It is incredible to be surrounded by such a friendly, intelligent, open-minded group of people who are each individually outstanding in unique ways. I am beyond excited to see what we, as a collaborative group, are capable of. I feel confident that I am starting a new chapter of my life with new allies, realistic goals and no limits!

Alejandra Rodriguez: It has been as awesome as I thought it would be! I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of my classmates before even coming to Los Angeles so I already knew the kind of fantastic people I was going to share my next two years with and let me tell you I was not disappointed! It has also been surprisingly easy for me to adapt to living in a new country and I believe it is because my new friends have been keeping company and helping me every step of the way. Anderson has one of the best communities you will ever find and I am delighted to be a part of it! I am very much looking forward to the first day of orientation, which also happens to be my birthday, so expect a post about it soon!  

Dwight Asuncion: Happy birthday Alejandra! How auspicious! I’m excited to start school again, but I also have butterflies in my stomach. It’s the first day of school all over again. I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous again before classes actually begin. Today I’ll meet everyone in my section and start to build meaningful relationships with them. That’s what I like about Anderson. Everyone’s in it together and willing to help each other. We’re at the start of a two-year journey that hopefully be full of personal and professional growth, and I couldn’t be happier that I’m at Anderson.

Kate Edwards: The others bloggers are correct - it is all about the people! Having spent the past two weeks spending quality funemployment time with my future classmates, I could not be more impressed with how diverse, ambitious, and thoughtful everyone is. We have organized trips to the beach, explored Los Angeles, and even attended our first UCLA football game en masse (Go Bruins!). School hasn’t started yet, but we are all so eager to get to know each other; I know these will be lasting friendships. Getting to know these people reminds me that Anderson was the right choice, and I can honestly say I am just incredibly happy to wake up every day in Los Angeles knowing I have such an adventure ahead of me.

Ann Ching: Every time I have started a new school, whether it was junior high, college, or law school, I’ve always worried whether I’d end up eating lunch alone on the first day. Sounds weird, but I think that’s where I channel my “real” anxieties about new people and a new environment. Well, this is the first time I’m not worried about that, because I already have so many new friends at Anderson. Whether through Forte Foundation, organized mixers, or informal events, I have met a lot of my classmates and they are truly exceptional. I heard that what makes Anderson unique is the incredible sense of community among students and alumni, and so far I have not been disappointed. I’m starting orientation ready to take on a new challenge (and have fun at the same time!).

Chris Varin: I just got back from sunset on the Santa Monica beach with 8 of my other new classmates and I had this moment of existential angst as I briefly contemplated what these next two years would bring. I've had a lot of great experiences up till now and while I don't really believe in fatality it all kinf of lead to this new beginning - I guess I did somewhat engineer it. After three weeks of meeting up with classmates before things start I'm completely at ease and looking forward to take the next step. These next two years are going to be special and I'm incredibly fortunate to be here.

Ayushman Jain: Having spent my first fortnight in beautiful LA and the awesome company of my Anderson classmates, I can truly say that the pre-MBA experience has taken my expectations to a much higher level, and I’m pretty sure I’m still underestimating how brilliant the next two years are gonna be. The social events and even the international students’ orientation were great opportunities to meet a large number of classmates with such diverse backgrounds. The best thing is that we blend in very well together, irrespective of geographical or linguistic boundaries. Everyone has been immensely helpful even before the program starts and I can already see the collegial culture building up amongst ourselves. I’ve also got the chance to interact with people from the Student Affairs Office, Parker CMC as well as the Financial Aid office and they have been unbelievably courteous and encouraging. Thats why, even though I know the next 3 months are gonna hit us like a ton of bricks with all the coursework and job search, I’m totally looking forwarding to starting the next chapter of my life - the MBA!

-Anderson 14' bloggers

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

Class of ‘14 insider summer scoop - PART 6 - "Biggest adjustment"

We're all basically settled in now. We still haven't officially started the school year yet, but Orientation is in a week. Here's what we expect our biggest adjustments to being a student again will be.

The biggest (initial) adjustment... (Source)

Ashley Mallinson: Moving from New York to California, I was somewhat wary of Los Angeles as I had heard many nay-sayers doubting the authenticity of the Angelos, harping on the traffic and hating on the "LA attitude". I was prepared to make a huge adjustment, however as a classmate recently announced, I have already “become one with Los Angles”. I love it after only one week! While it is inherently a pesky process to navigate a new city, settle into a new lifestyle, discover the layout and character of new neighborhoods, learn traffic patterns after years of jumping in NYC taxicabs, find the most fun nightlife and social scenes and, of course, balance beach and study time, it has been an exciting adventure so far and I'm loving every minute of it!

Dwight Asuncion: There are a number of things I’ll have to adjust to, but the biggest adjustment I can see is not having a salary. It’s not just not having a salary; it’s basically having a negative salary since I have to pay tuition, living expenses, etc. I’ve been in a couple stores and I’ve had to refrain from purchasing something or had to purchase the cheaper option to save some money. I have to think twice. I can’t spend with impunity. A couple other adjustments I’ll have to make are dealing with the LA traffic, being in sunny SoCal (won’t complain about that).

Kyle Forrest: I’d say my biggest adjustment is going to be getting back into the swing of studying. We’ve had a couple of pre-orientation assignments to do over the summer, one of which, the accounting case, has helped to a degree, but since my undergraduate experience was on a semester schedule vs. quarters I’ve been told to be prepared for a very high pace of learning.

Chris Varin: I must admit that no salary is definitely on the top of the list although I’ve been living on a bidget for the past year while travelling so I feel I’m somewhat used to that already. I guess I’m going to have to get better at time management. Working in investment banking, my days at the office all looked alike and I was basically there constantly. Now I’m going to have to work in club activities with socializing, classes, recruiting, administrative stuff and a whole lot more. While London was big, the public transport system was excellent so I didn’t need to worry or plan before going out of my bubble, here it's a whole new ball park but I'm enjoying the discovery so far. There are plenty of others adjustments I’ll have to make like wearing sunscreen, playing sports regularly and meeting new and interesting people all the time - it's going to be a hard life!

Ann Ching: For me, going back to grad school means an identity shift. For many years, my response to “What do you do?” has been, “I’m a lawyer.” For better or worse, people automatically associate certain characteristics with lawyers - authority, prestige, frivolous lawsuits - so it’s a convenient label. In the past few weeks, I’ve been adjusting to my new identity as “business school student,” which generates less predictable reactions. I’m pretty excited about student discounts, though! The commute to school will also be a big adjustment. According to a recent report, Honolulu (where I moved from) has worse traffic than Los Angeles, but that hasn’t been my experience so far.

Alejandra Rodriguez: The greatest adjustment for me has been transportation. I have been driving everywhere since 2008 and now I find myself without a car in a city that does not have efficient public transportation. To make matters worse I have no experience using buses and I gave up on trying to learn on my own so I bought an iPhone and use the map application to tell me what busses to take. I am loving the map application, it is the most useful thing ever!  I have also been walking a lot and my legs are not used to it so I feel very tired at the end of the day. If you are planning to go to an MBA, you are not very athletic, and you won’t have a car then consider walking in a park every day to train your body. Additionally I have been getting suntanned from walking in the sun so I recommend putting sunblock on frequently if you want to avoid tanning. Despite all this I adore Los Angeles, it is a beautiful city and walking long distances and riding busses is totally worth it!

-Anderson 14' bloggers

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

Starting my New Life!

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long absence. I arrived at Los Angeles a few days ago and have been so busy with the move in and meeting everyone. It has been so very exciting! 

That's me on my first day at Anderson (The best business school ever!). The picture was taken by the lovely Nhung Phung who happens to be my roommate. Here is a picture of her on our first dinner together at L.A., at Gushi, which is right down the street in front of Weyburn. The teriyaki chicken there is delicious, if you are around the area you should definitely try it. Be warned food portions are huge, expect to only eat about half unless you are starving.

We rented a car and went to Santa Barbara to visit my aunt and go to the Camarillo Outlets where I went a little shopping crazy. Ok very crazy, it is very hard to resist sales! One of the nice things about Los Angeles is that whatever you forgot to bring you can easily buy here. A part on me was hoping the airport would lose one of my bags so I could have an excuse to buy more things. Shame they all arrived safely!

On the way back from Santa Barbara we stopped at the side of the road a bit to look at the beach. Isn't it beautiful? That's one of the many perks of living here, beautiful beaches and great weather!

I had the not very smart idea of requesting Weyburn Terrace (university apartments) to give us the apartment unfurnished. We did all the furniture and appliance shopping in one crazy day. Then it took me a day and a half and a few cuts and blisters to build it all. Not to mention our apartment is up hill and on the third floor at the end of the hallway so you can imagine how hard it was to carry everything there. I am very thankful that elevators exist!  Take my advice and get the furnished apartment to save yourself the stress unless you are already bringing things with you. I even had to fix the car's trunk because we shoved so much furniture and things in there that some parts came loose. 

A tip for everyone moving to their MBAs soon (or next year), If you don't have a car and are planning to rent one to shop, take the time to research where the stores are and who has the best prices. Car rentals and gas here can get very expensive so you don't want to lose time and money. Here is what my shopping plan looked like, courtesy of my boyfriend and his awesome shopping planning skills:

After I settled in my apartment I stared going out to meet everyone I could from our class and let me tell you guys that Anderson's class of 2014 is the best!!! They are so friendly, helpful, interesting, and fun to be with. I urge all of you thinking of applying to Anderson to reach out to any of them (me included) to talk. You will be convinced to apply in no time!

These are some of my new friends and classmates Anisha, Anosh, Ayushman, Daniel, and Alessandra. Daniel should change his name to something starting with an "A" to match the group hahaha. 

I'm off to sundowners soon, Anderson's weekly get together, so I will see you guys in my next post. Go Bruins!!

 

-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA

Class of 14' insider summer scoop - PART 5 - "I gotta feelin’..."

“...that this year’s gonna be a good year” - Ok so let’s be honest, many of us are looking forward to more than just going to class during b-school.  We all come in with high expectations academically and we are here to plan for our futures, but there is so much to experience socially with our classmates as well. So here’s what we’re looking forward to...

(Above: The UCLA Bruin Theatre at Westwood Village)

Kyle Forrest: In no particular order... learning to surf, hiking, camping, my first (of many?) triathlons... and on the non-outdoors side of things, Anderson Afternoons (beer and snacks every Thursday afternoon, sign me up!), all the Anderson related parties I’ve heard about (Casino Night, Anderson Prom, etc.), road trips to Vegas!!, and of course, exploring the LA nightlife. Also, crossing Coachella off my list.

Chris Varin: Playing soccer again. I tried to keep it going while in London and in South America but it will be nice to be on a full sized pitch again! I’m generally looking forward to being in an academic environment again where there are so many types of different interactions in different settings. Club-wise there are just so many activities to choose from that the decision might be harder than I anticipated. Vegas is definitely on the cards as is a PCH trip. An alumni also mentioned to me nights spent going out in Hollywood which sounded like a lot of fun (his stories weren’t entirely PG rated).

Ann Ching: The alumni I’ve spoken to all encourage getting involved in the Anderson social scene, especially Anderson Afternoons! I also want to participate in Challenge for Charity (C4C). As for LA, I can’t wait to hike in Griffith Park, visit the Getty Museum & Huntington Library, and perhaps sneak into a movie premiere at Westwood Village.

Ashley Mallinson: There are far too many things for one post. It is the people who make Anderson awesome, so I’m most excited to meet my classmates. I’m excited for Anderson Afternoons on Thursdays, Sundowners and Lit Club, a uniquely Anderson student-run event basically have a great comedy hour hosted by the “librarians” hilarious students who roast their classmates and host sketches the event. Learning to surf is high on my list. I definitely want to participate in Challenge for Charity! A few of us from New York have talked about starting a “Brunch Club” since LA seems to be quite lacking in that NYC sport, so stay tuned on that!

Kate Edwards: I’m waiting in serious anticipation for Lit Club, because I can’t wait to see how I get roasted! I’m also really looking forward to getting involved in lots of clubs and activities, and just diving into the Anderson community. Outside of school, I’m eager to doing many of the outdoorsy activities I’ve been missing out on in New York - hiking, biking, swimming, beach volleyball, and yes, like everyone else I do think I’ll have to learn to surf. I’m not, however, anticipating I’ll be very good!

Ayushman Jain: My calendar has literally spelled Monday, Tuesday, …WTF (hoping you get the pun) since the last 12 months or so. While on the one hand I know its not gonna be any better once classes start, I’m also kinda overwhelmed with the number of social activities that are already lining up on my calendar. Getting to know all my classmates eating, drinking, and orientation-ing is gonna take the major chunk of the social time. However, I’m so excited by the fact that I’m gonna be in Hollywood so catching a movie premier and some live performances is surely on the must-do list. I’ve always wanted to live close to the sea, so now that I’ve got a chance to, I’d make the most of it by swimming and learning to surf. Although I’m sure the year ahead is gonna be chock-full of social activities such as Anderson Afternoons, my locked-in plans for September feature trips to Disneyland, Seaworld and Universal Studios as well as the plethora of activities part of the True Bruin Welcome, an annual UCLA tradition. I’m so lucky to be part of the outgoing and fun-loving Bruin family!!

Alejandra Rodriguez: I am very much looking forward to hanging out with my new classmates and friends!  It’s all about who you are with, not where! I also want to join UCLA’s tennis club, I haven’t been able to play tennis since college and I miss it a lot. Los Angeles has awesome weather for any sport that does not require snow or ice. Additionally, I am dying to go to Disneyland again, after all it’s the second happiest place on earth (UCLA is the first one of course). Last, but not least, I am very excited about all the shopping I “need” to do. Moving to a new country is the perfect excuse for a little shopping spree…or two!

-Anderson 14' bloggers

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

Class of 14' insider summer scoop - PART 4 - "Rush hour frenzy"

We’re almost all here now and everything kicks off very shortly but there is SO much to do once we get in. Here are the main things we had to settle upon arriving and what we did to make everything go smoother.

(Source)

Kyle Forrest: Outside of the typical items that go along with moving (setting up internet, utilities, etc.) most items on my to-do list involved paving the way for proving I should receive in-state tuition in year two. DMV visit for a California license and vehicle registration... changing the mailing address on all my current bills, credit cards, etc... and other items that the Financial Aid Office recommended I do to prove my intent to be a California resident and not just somebody chasing in-state tuition.

Ashley Mallinson: I’m not actually in LA yet, so my to-do list is still rather long. Top of list are changing mailing addresses, new drivers licences, establishing residence and of course, there is a huge push to be prepared academically, be recruitment-ready and ready to prioritize all the great events and club activities that we will soon be signing up for!

Kate Edwards: I just nailed down my apartment with two incredible girls from Anderson, and at the top of my to do list is to get settled! All three of us are moving with very few possessions from the East Coast, so we’re essentially starting from scratch. The decorating possibilities are endless. In addition to furnishing our empty abode, I’ll be working on finding a new car - do I lease, do I buy, and importantly - what awesome ride do I get?? There are lots of decisions to be made. And of course there is so much to do academically before school begins - I’ve been furiously working on my math skills and I even broke out my old accounting book from college. It’s been a while, so I have lots to do!

Alejandra Rodriguez: Thankfully I got an apartment at Weyburn Terrace so I do not have to run around looking for apartments when I arrive at Los Angeles in a few days. Sadly I had the silly idea of requesting the apartment unfurnished so now me and my awesome roommate, Nhung, will have to rent a car and visit Big Lots, Ikea, Walmart, Target, etc. until we find all the furniture and appliances we need. I am also ordering a Laptop to pick up at Best Buy and I am planning to go to the premiere mobile booth at UCLA where we can get discounts on mobile phone services. Finally, I need to pick up some of my belongings I sent to a Relative in Santa Barbara a few weeks ago and pick up my Bruin Card! I am attempting to do all this in three days, wish me luck everyone!

Chris Varin: If you’re international it really helps to get a place before arriving, I can’t imagine what it might have been otherwise. Also make sure that you have plenty of cash or credit available for putting down deposits for EVERYTHING. Gas, electricity, water, phone, apartment... if you don’t have a social security number your initial bill can be quite high. There is so much to get set up it’s hard to figure it all out. I still don’t have a bed to sleep on and I’ve been here 3 days, my back hurts. People are meeting up all the time and you need to be on the ball not to miss anything which you inevitably will anyway. Get a phone early as well as it’ll be useful to get in touch with people early on. Finally, getting a driver’s license is going to be a pain because to get to the DMV I need a car! I’ll probably figure that one out as I go but I want my two wheels ASAP!

Ayushman Jain: I landed here last week and what REALLY helped was the fact that I’d already rented .an apartment and my awesome flatmates Chris Varin and Daniel Kraus had already purchased mattresses. After a 30 hour excruciatingly long journey, I could sleep at my own place on a comfy mattress instead of couch-surfing and making daily trips for apartment hunting! The important things I got done were - opening an account in CHASE bank, getting my BruinCard (UCLA id card), getting a new number and phone and buying some groceries to survive on. The Dashew Center at UCLA has tied up with common service providers - banks, wireless network providers, apartment package providers, etc and all that is pretty helpful for international students, especially those who’re coming here without much preparation. I’m also slowly meeting up fellow batchmates who live close by though my jet lag did not permit me to attend Sundowners (a weekly UCLA Anderson happy hours get-together). Exploring the beautiful UCLA campus is next on my list!

 -Anderson 14' bloggers

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Tips to prepare for the move!

I am leaving for Los Angeles on Sunday morning and I have no idea how I will manage to get everything ready on time! I haven't even finished packing yet but I am very excited about moving!

According to google maps it takes 471 hours to walk from my house in Monterrey to Weyburn Terrace in Los Angeles. Good thing I am going by plane!

 Looking back there are a few tips I wish I would have known when I started preparing so I will now share them with all my lovely readers:

 - Inquire your cellphone service company about the procedure to cancel your mobile's phone number. It sounds silly but the cellphone company that provided me service required me to make an appointment to return in one month to cancel the mobile's number.

- Close all bank accounts and credit cards you will no longer be using and do so early. It's risky to even keep savings accounts open if you are not using and monitoring them because banks often change the account's minimum balance or the credit card's fees with just a small note in the account statement or e-mail. If you don't notice or are unable to act on the changes it could result in unwanted charges in your accounts. Your account's information can also be stolen and misused and it is difficult to discuss these problems with your bank if it resides outside the U.S. Some banks even refuse to cancel your accounts if you don't go to the banking center where the account was opened. Plan to do this with time because it can be a long process. I have been trying to close an account for two months and till no luck!

- For the bank accounts of credit cards you want to keep, check the expiration date on the card. You might find your card will expire soon after your arrival to the U.S. and they will probably only mail you the new card to an address in your home country. If you tell your bank you lost it they will send you a new one with a later expiration date.

- If there are funds you need to take with you to the U.S., research about banks in your home country that allow you to open a bank account in the U.S. Airports only let you take a limited amount of cash with you so this could greatly help you move your funds.

- Even if you won't pack till last minute start sorting your things early! It takes longer than you think specially if you have lived in your current place for long or if you are kind of a hoarder (like me). It took me two days just to sort through my accesories! Look at all the ones I gave away, I don't even know where all that came from:

Can you believe I used to wear that pink necklace during college? Yes believe it or not, it's a necklace! I even wore it with a tacky pink sweater and a pink hand bag! In the words of someone very dear to me "Ale, you just needed more pink".  It makes me wonder my judgement back then because I remember thinking I looked cool and stylish!

- If you are renting give proper notice that you are leaving to avoid losing part of your deposit as penalization.

- Make sure to cancel all services you have hired. Think internet, cable tv, newspaper, utilities, etc.

- For those buying a new laptop upon arrival to the U.S. move all your important documents to dropbox, a USB drive or any other storage device you prefer. I almost forgot to do this!

- Make a list of everything you need to buy when you arrive including furniture, appliances, school supplies, groceries, clothes, personal items, etc. This is especially important if you are renting a car to take care of buying these things. You are sure to forget a couple of them if you don't bring a list. It is also useful to research the prices for these items and including them in the list so you can avoid paying over the average price.

- If you are buying furnitre take a measuring tape with you, you will need to measure the space in your apartment and the furniture to know if what you are buying will fit.

- Check in google maps what stores are closest to your apartment or the school and take notes so you know where to head to when you need something. Some of you might not have a cellphone, laptop, or internet set up upon arrival so getting this information might be tricky and getting lost is not fun!


Good luck and if all else fails ask your classmates! Surely some of them are living close to you and happy to help!


-Alejandra Rodriguez '14
Follow UCLA Anderson at @UCLAMBA