The MBA Student Voice

Week 2/2.5 Orientation - Recap

Week 2/2.5 of orientation may have occurred about 3 weeks ago but I'm just getting around to blogging about it now. The reason for the lag? Mounds upon mounds of readings, assignments, club events, speakers, and info sessions. As soon as orientation ended, everything hits REALLY FAST. But that will be the basis of a later post. For now, we'll reminisce about the good times we had during week 2 /2.5 week of orientation. Specifically I'll highlight 2 events.

Section Olympics -

All incoming students are placed in one of 5 sections. The people in your section attend all the required classes together during first year. Section Olympics pits sections against each other in a variety of events: kick-ball, trivia, volleyball and dodgeball to mention but a few. Below is pic of Section B decked out in our theme gear (Indiana Jones) and Lena, in official mascot garb (B is BANANAS!!).

Section B either dominated or was dominated in the events and did not end up winning the Section Olympics, but good times were had by all.

The 80s Party -

Capping off orientation is the legendary "80s Party". The name pretty much sums it, as does the picture below. Pictured in order from left to right are: Edison, Nadine, Kate, me and Michi. Nadine, Kate, Michi and I are part of the same Learning Team. We work on all group assignments together in the first quarter. More on learning teams later, but the 80s Party was VERY good times.

Now that orientation is over, the gloves are fully off now and the reality of business has firmly set in. What's that like? Keep coming back to MBA Student Voice to find out.

--JP

~ Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.~ Dr. Emmett Brown, from Back to the Future

Week 1 Orientation - Recap

As promised, my wonderful blogging colleagues have been sharing their orientation experiences, so here's my contribution. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with orientation. Having gone through various "orientations" in the past, I expected a few speeches, ice breakers, tours and some free food. I understood that it was necessary but I admittedly was not overly excited.

Happily I can report that UCLA Anderson's orientation far exceeded my expectations. The first week of the two and a half week program focused on getting the incoming class to interact with each other, learn more about UCLA Anderson's program and challenge ourselves to venture out of our comfort zones.

The highlight of the first week for me was the ropes course and the improv. Both were new experiences for me, and while it was a bit of an adjustment to get into the proper mindset, I came out of it having learned something new about myself. The ropes course was facilitated by Odyssey Teams, Inc., and I was thoroughly impressed by their energy and commitment. Walking across tightropes, climbing telephone poles and figuring out challenges as a team was a great way to meet and interact with others in the incoming class. 

And as for the improv, well Wayne Brady can rest easy knowing that I'm in no way a threat to his improv reign but nonetheless it was fun and I did learn among other things to "be in the present", be an active listener, create a supportive environment and "Yes and...".

Week 2 and 2.5 were just as jam packed and I will definitely provide a recap of those as well...but not right now. As "real" school has started, real readings have been assigned and I still have to finish those for tomorrow. Therefore: to be continued....

--JP

~The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

LA County Fair

The blur that was the first week of orientation just ended. It was informative, exhilarating, challenging and rewarding. Basically it was a microcosm of what I expect the UCLA Anderson MBA program to be for the next two years. But before I, along with my awesome fellow bloggers, regale you with stories of our adventures during the first week i.e. the ropes course, improv, negotiations etc., I want to take a quick pause and tell you about a non-orientation event I attended.

This past Saturday, I went to the LA County Fair.

I love fairs/carnivals - the sights, sounds, smells and general atmosphere. As soon as I step onto the fairgrounds I'm instantly taken back to when I was 7. Fairs are one of my favorite parts of summer and I make it a point to go at least once.

Food is a big part of my annual fair experience. Normally I try and watch what I eat but all bets are off on my annual fair day. That day is by far my worst eating day of the year. It's like a cross between Man v. Food and Bizarre Foods - I try and eat the most copious amounts of weird, unusual, and usually very unhealthy food that I can. My visit to the LA County Fair was no different as you can see by the pictures below:

HUGE corndog

Deep fried twinkie with chocolate sauce

Deep fried cheeseburger

I also had some delicious BBQ corn to break-up the fried food monopoly. I considered soldiering on and eating chocolate covered bacon and meat flavored ice cream but alas while my mind was strong, the body was weak. Actually my body and I are currently not on speaking terms; it is a tad upset and rightfully so. Needless to say I'll be hitting the gym quite hard this week. =X

--JP

~Not sure I'm going to feel too good after I eat this...but I'm still gonna. ~ Me

International Student Orientation Days

Like pitchers and catchers who report early for spring training, international students are required to report early to UCLA Anderson and participate in International Student Orientation Days (ISOD). This year ISOD took place on September 3 and September 4, a couple of days before general orientation begins. It was great to meet my international classmates, and it was very cool to see all the different countries from which they originated. Especially handy was the fact that everyone wore name tags with their country of origin. Made it very easy to walk up to someone randomly and strike up a conversation.

The two day session covered issues that are relevant for international students. This included sessions on visa/immigration issues, finding a job as an international, general tips etc. Not the most glamorous topics, but all necessary and important to ensure a smooth transition into the actual MBA program. And just as important, it allowed for us to start getting to know each other.

With my appetite now whetted by ISOD, I'm excited about meeting the rest of my classmates and the orientation and Leadership Foundations that will comprise the next three weeks. I'm not exactly sure what to expect, but I already get the sense that it's going to be interesting, fun and certainly memorable. 350+ people, coming from all over the world, spending most of 3 weeks together....*woot!*

~Before beginning, prepare carefully.~ Cicero

My First Networking Event in LA

The importance of networking is something that I've heard of for a while. As a young associate making my way up the corporate law firm ranks, I was encouraged to go meet juniors at clients or potential clients. The rationale was that those juniors, while not currently in a position to retain the firm, will be in such a position sometime in the future. Therefore it made sense to start building relationships now. While I enjoyed going out for lunches, drinks and events, it was not something that I was able to make a priority. The top priority for a young associate is to meet your billable hour targets, and believe me, focusing on that makes networking and other things (like friends, family, eating etc. o_O) ancillary.

However, now freed from the shackles of billable hours, I am able to focus on networking and other things (like friends, family, eating etc. ;P). Networking is of particular importance to me considering the industry to which I am trying to transition: media and entertainment. Like most people, I've heard the adage that in media and entertainment, it's all about "who you know". Therefore, in advance of starting the program at UCLA Anderson, I undertook a networking project, in part as preparation, and in part to see if the adage was in fact true.

Prior to moving down to LA, I met as many executives in the media and entertainment industry in Toronto as I could. Ideally I would have undertaken this project in LA, however due to F-1 visa requirements, the earliest I could move down to LA was August 15. While Toronto's media and entertainment market is not nearly as large as LA's, it still has quite a presence in that area. Utilizing personal and professional contacts, I was able to arrange 30-45 minute meetings with executives in various fields related to media and entertainment ranging from production, cable TV, post-production and distribution. I learned a great deal (including that yes, to a large degree "who you know" does matter), received information of people they suggested I contact once I got to LA and overall gained a sense of confidence that I would be able to hit the ground running. In addition I was amazed at how accommodating and available they were.

My focus on networking has continued since arriving in LA. The other day a friend of mine forwarded me an email about an event held by The Asian Professional Exchange. The event was a panel discussion on the development of Asian-American media and entertainment. As an Asian, and interested in media and entertainment, it was a no-brainer to go. The discussion was extremely eye-opening and one of the panelists, a producer, also happened to be an Anderson Alumni. Needless to say I approached him after the discussion and we'll be meeting in the near future.

I know networking isn't exactly at the top of people's list of things to do, but I bet meeting people new and interesting people may. Being a people person myself, seeing networking in that light has certainly made things easier. And while I expect UCLA Anderson to provide a wealth of opportunities and I know the Parker Career Management Center is there to provide a tremendous amount of help and resources, at the end of the day my career will be what I make it, and getting to know, befriending, networking or whatever you want to call it, as many people as I can will only help. So if you ever see me at an event, remember to come say hi!

~Opportunity does not knock, and then ring the doorbell, and then knock again, and then leave a note that says, "Sorry I missed you", and then call you on the cell phone.~ Fez, from That '70s Show

New Identity - "International Student"

"Canadian," "corporate lawyer," "director," "brother" - these are some of the ways in which I have been identified to date. Now I'm about to add a new one to the list: "international student." Having been born and raised in Canada, it feels a bit strange that I will be considered an international student when my UCLA Anderson adventure, as a member of the Class of 2011, begins in a few weeks. During the course of my undergraduate and law school studies, I've been lucky enough to make friends with international students from places such as Kenya, Germany and Korea. Therefore I have always associated international students as coming from far off places with different languages, cultures and experiences. Hardly the case in this instance for a guy who grew up mere hours from the US border (Toronto), followed the Lakers, watched Seinfeld and ate Big Macs.

Nevertheless I'm excited at the prospect of being an international student along with the other international students who will form 1/3 of the class. The diversity of my classmates along with the diversity of Los Angeles were important factors in my decision to attend UCLA Anderson. And with the emphasis that UCLA Anderson places on collaboration, teamwork and collegiality, I know I will have the benefit of learning from the varied experiences and perspectives of my fellow classmates from around the world. In turn I also have my Canadian experiences and perspectives to bring to the table. =D

And of course in addition to "international student," I will also be newly identified as a "Bruin" and as a part of the UCLA Anderson family and network. I have an idea of what all this will mean and am eager to get started. I look forward to sharing this and the rest of my UCLA Anderson experience as it unfolds.

~An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.~ James Baldwin