The MBA Student Voice

Snapshots of my life at Anderson

Hello friends!

I am sorry for being MIA for the past weeks, but I am excited to give you a quick walk through of my highlights at Anderson so far. I hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

1. First Case Competition ever

I was lucky to have been chosen to represent UCLA Anderson at the National MBA Human Capital Case Competition sponsored by Deloitte and GE. As I have told you before, my main area of focus within consulting is Human Capital, hence this was an amazing opportunity to get some hands on experience on what it is like to be in an engagement in this practice. For those of you out there who are interested in Human Capital, I have an amazing tip for you: When you are solving a human capital case, do not forget that the business objective drives the solution.

Kudos for my classmates Lindsay Meyer and Tyler Smith for their support and enthusiasm and a big standing ovation to the second years, Jessica Mowry and Richard Wang, who led the team and made this competition an amazing learning experience. 

2. First UCLA Football Game

I have been learning about football for quite some time now and attending this game and actually understanding what was going on was the perfect proof that I am right on track! Unfortunately, the Bruins lost the game against Arizona State. Either way, it was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to attend another game.

3. I am part of the best section of the class of 2017: SECTION D

During orientation the whole class was split into 5 sections and I was blessed with being part of one of the most united, collaborative and creative sections of our class. From producing a Grease spinnoff called Andergrease for our orientation skit to killing it in sports during Game day, people in this section will do great things during the next couple of months! Big thanks to our section leaders, Meredith and Joel, for helping us survive orientation!

 

So far, Anderson is going great! If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out!

Culture shock!

 

 

Culture shock!

Culture shock is an all too familiar experience for international students that visit the United States for the first time. Although most cultures have mass consumed the culture of United states via Social media, television and various other avenues nothing prepares you for the real deal.

I have spent most of my adult life in the US when I came here at the age of 17 and have been meshing with the US culture ever since. I have spent the last six years working for a Fortune 200 company where I have experienced these differences first hand. So when I decided to spend my summer working for a company in India I started to notice the miniscule differences in my country’s work culture and my findings both delighted and intrigued me. In this context the findings of social psychologist Geert Hofstede are mentionable.

Hofstede laid out what he calls 5 dimensions on which you can compare the national culture of two countries. The three key metrics that stand out are Power distance, Individualism and Indulgence,

• Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. A higher power distance number means that indicates an appreciation for top-down hierarchy. For instance, unlike the United states where you can relate to your boss on a first name basis it would be considered disrespectful in India to do so. 
• The Individualism dimension represents the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members.The United states scores high in this regard. In combination with the Power distance metric this means that in the US employees are expected to be more forthcoming and to seek out new opportunities. 
• Finally the Indulgence dimension shows the extent to which an individual can display restraint. A higher score in this regard would demonstrate low level of restraint.

It is important to be mindful of such differences as you try to navigate the hiring process and network with students, alumni and recruiters alike. The Dashew center at Anderson provided ample resources to international students to get them prepared and polished prior to recruiting season. Even before school starts international students are on-boarded by a Parker CMC advisor (shout out to Qilin He!) and we are signed up for mandatory iStart sessions along with international orientation sessions. 

Prepare yourself for the corporate culture in the US. Find out how your country’s culture compares to the United States? Check out today at http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

 

 

Diversity @ Anderson

One of the main reasons I chose UCLA Anderson was the diversity of its student body. Anderson’s admissions committee truly does a great job in building a class filled with candidates with different professional backgrounds, life experiences, and interests. This helps to make our MBA journey a lot more enriching as we learn from one another. In this post I wanted to introduce three of my future classmates to give you an inside look into what the Class of 2017 has to offer.

Iacopo Giuliani, Italy

I worked for almost five years at Commerzbank in London. I was a member of the EM Structured Credit Trading team as an EM Repo trader. My job was to price and structure financing deals with various counterparties across the globe. After I resigned, I embarked on an adventurous and extremely rewarding two-month travel that started in LA with A-days and ended up in Peru. I travelled throughout Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru. The highlight was a 4-day trek that brought to me to the incredible Machu Picchu. Apart from the amazing things I saw, the best and most enriching experiences were meeting fellow travelers and locals and learning about their different values and thoughts.

California, here I come!

March 8^th about 3pm in the afternoon, after reading that there was an admit wave on the “Calling all UCLA Anderson Applicants” thread on Beat the GMAT, I got the call. I was IN!

My name is Lucerna, and I am from Lima, Peru. I will be a full-time MBA student at UCLA Anderson and I am very thrilled to have the opportunity to share my story with all of you and, of course, to connect with you if you have any questions about my experience with the admissions process, relocating to LA from abroad, and about being a student at Anderson.

I graduated from the University of Missouri-St Louis with a degree in Business Administration, and have dedicated myself fully to marketing, brand management and sales ever since.

I am currently leading the marketing and sales department of the family business, a manufacturer and retailer of maternity clothing and baby accessories in Peru.  Managing these two departments made me realize that I was passionate about two aspects of my work: problem solving and human capital management. Therefore, at Anderson I will pursue a switch in careers and focus on Management, Human Capital Consulting, and Human Resources.

Anderson offers a great array of clubs to join. From a career standpoint, I will definitely be involved in the Management Consulting Association and the Strategy and Operations Management Association, and for some fun I am still undecided since there are a lot of options and they all sound great.

Above all, I am excited to meet all of my brilliant and incredibly helpful future classmates. The class of 2017 has been very active in setting up ways to connect with one another and to help each other through all sorts of topics: visa issues, housing, career, and more.  

Outside class, I plan to attend as many sporting events as I can and explore the city and state.

I hope you enjoy reading about my future adventures and please do not hesitate to connect with me via e-mail at [email protected] or you can follow me on twitter.

Lucerna

 

Ready to go back to the US and not have to suffer from extreme weather (Me in St. Louis)

It only took me 3 years to learn about Baseball, so now I am so ready to root for the Dodgers all the way! And hang out with my BFF Yasiel Puig

 and enjoy beautiful sunsets 

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Why Anderson? (Part 2)

This is somewhat of a continuation to my previous post.  As an applicant/prospective student, I know how valuable it was in my decision making process to hear why people decided to attend a particular school.  As a way to pay it forward, I decided to ask some recent graduates, current students, and fellow incoming members of the Class of 2016 the question, “Why Anderson?”  I just wanted to thanks to everyone that responded!  So, here it goes.  (WARNING: This is a beast of a post)

One recent graduate, who played a huge part in me deciding on Anderson said, “I had a great career in New York, and I wasn't sure I needed to go to business school, and if I did, I thought I wanted to go to one of the top five schools. When, I was introduced to Anderson, however, my perspective changed completely. The students were ambitious but supportive of each other, and were the happiest people of any business schools I had visited. From Ivy Leaguers to Iraq War veterans to former male models, the class was more diverse than I thought possible, and I knew I could learn a lot from these people. I decided to go to Anderson over other, higher ranked schools, because it simply felt right. I have never once regretted that decision.”  She continued, "Anderson has been nothing short of a transformational experience. I became incredibly involved early on in my first year, and I have most enjoyed getting to know every one of my classmates through student government, professional organizations, and fun Anderson traditions like football tailgates, C4C Charity Weekend, and Lit Club. As I graduate, I feel lucky to have made such incredible new friends, and I know it is a network of impressive people that will help me for the rest of my life."

MBA Orientation 2015: We Belong Here

Four days ago, we stepped foot on the UCLA Anderson campus with a few friends, some butterflies, and buckets (briefcases?) full of questions. Who knew in such a short time, we would already feel right at home?

Four days of Orientation in, two weeks until classes, we can already feel that we belong here.

I belong at UCLA Anderson because…

Aimee Musil: I belong at Anderson because, even though my classmates are amazingly diverse, we’re already showing signs of the engaging, supportive, collaborative, and open-minded community they talk about in those shiny admissions brochures.

What exactly does that mean? As for engaging, over the past four days we’ve spent more than 9 hours watching presentations on what some might consider dry material - ethics, technology services, and the Anderson library (I apologize in advance to my mom, former librarian). However, from Jackie Reynolds, the Chief Technology Officer (and Anderson alum!) who had us cracking up to the saucy Angela Horne, newly appointed head of the Rosenfeld Library, the staff consistently impressed with their charm, wit, and genuine interest in helping us succeed during our time here.

Our collective open-mindedness came into play later, during our class photo scavenger hunt, when the accomplished and successful professionals of the class of 2015 literally ran around campus sweating profusely, planking, twerking, and screaming at tour guides/undergraduates, “Where’s the tree of knowledge?” All in all, I’ve been so impressed by the people I’ve met both on the staff and student side, and am excited to spend the next two years with this great group of people.

5 Application Fallacies

The original title of my blog post was going to be "5 Application Fallacies That I Straight Up Debunk Cuz That's How We Roll at Anderson", but the more conservative "me" took hold and I went with the plain vanilla title.  There is a latin phrase "res ipsa loquitur" which means "the thing speaks for itself."  This blog post hopefully does just that and helps all of you out there to approach your applications with correct expectations.

1.  If I don't get a 700 on the GMAT I have no chance and should lock myself in a dark, damp closet as punishment.

Have you ever seen those "Keep Calm and..." signs?  They should make one that says "Keep Calm and Be Happy with Your 690."  Let me qualify this.  If you have taken the GMAT multiple times and you max out in the 670-690 range, calm down and realize that the GMAT is but one of many measurements the admissions committee takes into consideration when evaluating your candidacy.  Here is some basic information about how the adcom looks at the GMAT.  The more balanced the score, the better.  If you have to be better off in one section, be better in quant.  Why?  They want to make sure you don't have a nervous breakdown when you dive into the very quantitative courseload.  If you only take the GMAT once and your high score is 670, take it again.  The adcom will appreciate that you attempted improving your score, even if it goes up a mere 10 points.  If your GMAT is a 590, you're in trouble.  However, each top business school admits someone with a very poor GMAT score, but that's probably because they had an AMAZING story to tell in their essays, work experience, or recommendation letters (i.e. you were a member of Seal Team Six, you made a career out of saving stray animals and turning them into trained acrobats, etc.).  Here's the bottom line--remember that the GMAT is but a piece in the puzzle.  Don't let it discourage you.

10 Unobvious Things Incoming Students Can Do Before School Starts

Hey people!  Whether you are trekking through a jungle in Asia, packing your moving truck, or sitting at work (still???  I applaud you!), I hope you find yourself getting more excited for the MBA journey to begin!  We all have long lists of "things-to-do" and I don't want anyone of us to miss anything important.  I've compiled a list of 10 unobvious things we can do before school starts to make the transition smoother.  Enjoy!!!

1) REST!!!  It sounds weird, right?  We don't need no sleep!  We're still young!  Although it's true, you definitely may want to consider building up those energy reserves for the onslaught of orientation, first quarter classes, and endless meet-and-greets.  Come to school fresh and only burn the candle at both ends a few nights a week.

You don't want to end up like this...

Live to Eat or Eat to Live?

Sure we all joke about taking a vow of poverty by returning to graduate school, but let's be honest--most of us will have a bit of coin to spend on some good eats that will satiate even the most finicky foodie.  Although up for debate (a debate I will strategically avoid in this post), Los Angeles is without a doubt one of the most recognized cities in the world for diverse, delectable, and delicious cuisine.  So, for your viewing pleasure, let's dive in to my top 10 eateries in the LA area!!!  Take copious notes.

Guest Post - The Consortium OP Experience

Today, we have a guest post from Jessica Kimball, Class of 2015 and one of our incoming Consortium students.  Jessica recently attended the Consortium Orientation Program (OP) which took place in New Orleans this year.  We're fortunate to have a front-row perspective on this amazing experience, so please read on to learn more!

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As a native Los Angelino, my first impression of New Orleans after stepping out of the Louis Armstrong airport was, “Wow, it’s hot.” My second impression in the cab to the Riverwalk Hilton with 4 other Consortium Fellows I had met upon arriving in New Orleans: “Wow it’s even hotter here in the cab!”  Then, after further introductions with my cab-mates, all thoughts and wonder regarding my Consortium classmates that coursed my mind over the past few months were confirmed: Consortium Fellows are truly brilliant.  In our taxi alone, we had two entrepreneurs, one in education and one in tech; a brand manager looking to transition into the entertainment industry; an investment banker; and an electrical engineer whose job description both impressed and confused me, and I still have little understanding of what he actually does other than “working with circuits.”  These would be the first of many amazing stories I would get the chance to hear over our five-and-a-half days at the Consortium Orientation Program, known to us students as simply “OP.”

The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is the largest MBA diversity network in the US and focuses on augmenting the number of underrepresented minorities within business.  As a half-black, half-Mexican gay woman, the Consortium’s mission is one I value dearly, and yet every portion of OP still managed to challenge me and my classmates and push our thoughts regarding professional diversity even further.

 

The Diversity Theatre our second day presented an hour-long, interactive workplace skit covering some of the biases and prejudices, both conscious and subconscious, that many of us see every day in the workplace: a female associate promoted over her male peers and their attitude towards her afterwards; an international junior associate called onto an account primarily because of her ability to speak the client’s native language and really not given much other responsibility beyond communication; and even blatant race discrimination and sexism.  The audience’s reactions and comments both during and after this presentation showed that even our diverse group of multi-cultural leaders still maintained certain unfortunate stereotypes. When it comes to improving workplace interactions, we all still have a long way to go, but we will get there.

Career services accounts for the other main focus of OP.  Our Parker CMC team fully prepared us for OP with a series of webinars, 30-second pitch practice, and mock interviews all in the weeks leading up to OP.  Even then, OP was networking and interviewing at the highest level. From the second you stepped out your hotel room door, to the second you returned and shut your door behind you, recruiters were everywhere.  We quickly learned to always be on our A-game, especially since we never knew who might be sitting next to us in any of the events.  This also means the chances to make a great impression on a company representative are even more varied than usual.  I personally started an amazing connection with one of the sponsoring companies by mentioning how much I love my car, which they happen to make.  Thanks to our Parker CMC team and the additional career training we received at OP, I feel significantly more confident regarding my networking and interviewing skills, and I haven’t even stepped foot into my first class at Anderson. 

caught off-guard while posing for a group photo!

At OP, the Consortium Executive Director and CEO, Peter Aranda, often led us in a class chant.  He would ask a series of short questions, and we would respond as loudly and resoundingly as we could: “I am proud.  I am humble.  I am gracious.  I will be ready.”  Even though our UCLA Anderson Class of 2015 has not officially started class, we can always abide by these words, even now.  I am proud to be an UCLA Anderson Bruin, and I know come this September, we will all be ready to begin our MBA journey.

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To learn more about the Consortium and its mission, please visit their website.