The MBA Student Voice

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.

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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

Anderson: U+ME = US

Logarithms? Integrals? These are not words I have frequently (if ever) used in my professional life for the past five years. Last week, Ann wrote about her experience re-learning math, and it's definitely something that most of us go through as MBAs. Even at Brown, we didn’t have those pesky “requirements,” so I managed to escape math-free. In fact, it has been since high school since I have done any calculus at all.

With that in mind, yesterday I took Anderson’s refresher math seminar, which was 8 long hours of math review: Algebra, Calculus, and Statistics. Offered by the school, it was a great way for people like me to get back into the math habit.

And to my surprise, I came out energized. I’d forgotten how fun math could be. In high school, I was actually a huge fan of math, and those feelings all came rushing back. Math is so logical, and using my brain in a way I hadn't used it in a long time felt incredible.

I was also thrilled to do a “trial run” for school. I am in the section that has 8:00am classes (Section E!), so this refresher seminar was a great way to get back into the habit of waking up early and using my brain bright and early.

With only five days left before orientation begins, I am getting pretty antsy. It’s back to school time, and I’m ready to go.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @k8eddie

Kate

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.

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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

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

LA Love

I am now officially a resident of Los Angeles. Sure, I've gotten lost every day I've been here. Sure, I can't tell the difference between the 405 and the 10 (What is a freeway?!). But thus far, I am absolutely loving my new home.

This week I moved into an apartment with two other women from the class of 2014. Our apartment is huge compared to where I lived in New York, and we are all thrilled to decorate and spend time getting to know each other. We're living in the West LA/Brentwood area, so we've already discovered that we're close to many other Anderson students, which is great for socializing and making new friends. We are only 5-10 minutes away from school, so commuting will be super simple too.

I am still overwhelmed with how much I have to do. I'm still waiting for my bed to arrive, and I have a seemingly never-ending to-do list, which includes everything from the infamous accounting assignment to buying a new car. With so much to do, I've had full days, and I have realized my lifestyle of "funumployment" has come to an end.

It has been a long time since I have experience the "first day of school" jitters, but I am already starting to feel them setting in.

In my leisure time, I have been working hard on an hours-long Spotify playlist featuring every song ever made about California, so thankfully my long days have been full of tunes that get me more and more amped up about living in this gorgeous place. If you're interested, friend me on Spotify - I'm k8eddie there too :)

More to come in the next few weeks - don't forget to follow me on Twitter @k8eddie for lots of back to school insights.

Over and out, Kate :)

Los Angeles Bound....And So Ready For It!

I am a New Yorker. No, technically I wasn't born here. I'm a transplant, just like most of us. But this city does something to me; it fuels me with an energy that tells me it is home. My love affair with New York City is the longest, most successful relationship I have ever had, which makes the transition to Anderson a big jump, an end of an era.

In my heart, I know Los Angeles is calling for me. It's the right next step, and I am thrilled to throw myself into something new. I'm a firm believer that change is a positive force in our lives, and doing something that scares you only makes you a stronger person.

This week, I returned from my European expedition and said goodbye to New York. I packed up my apartment, sorting through memories, throwing things out, and deciding whether or not it was a financially responsible decision to mail my huge bag of party costumes across the country. I decided it was worth it.

Thankfully, my Manhattan shoebox apartment contained little more than stilettos, so I really didn't have too much to move. I'm starting from scratch, and that means a completely new beginning.

On my last night in New York, I threw a rather large going away party, which was attended by the likes of my friends, coworkers, and an assortment of characters who have somehow made an impact on my life. Even my doorman came!

It was wonderful to see everyone, and it was the perfect close to the past 5 years. And now, onward and upward. Los Angeles here I come!

Over and out, Kate

Follow me on Twitter @k8eddie (Now that I'm back in the States I can actually tweet!)

Cannes....Anderson on My Mind

Since we last spoke, I've continued my trek through Spain, spent three days in Cannes, two in Nice, and four memorable days in Paris.

After our incredible time in Ibiza (pictures finally!), I left my friend Domingos and began traveling alone.

I absolutely love backpacking by myself, although I realized that now, at 27, I'm actually one of the oldest backpackers in the youth hostels. Hostel life is great - the people you meet come from all over the world, and I've learned so much living with such an international group.

I really loved Cannes. I'd never been, and I was surprised how much fun this idyllic resort town could be.

Nice was pretty great too!

In Paris, I began traveling with a group of friends I met in the hostel, and we spent the day tackling all of the requisite tourist traps. We ate baguettes in the Tuileries, and played guitar by the Seine.

Then I met up with my charming Parisian friend Martin, one of my old roommates in New York, and he spent the entire day showing me the city on his motorbike. It was so much fun that I'm trying to figure out how to get one for Los Angeles!

Despite all of my adventures, I cannot stop thinking about Anderson. While the friends I've made traveling are great, this trip has made me more excited than ever about the diverse, smart, creative, international group of people I'm going to spend the next two years with. Anderson students share my same sense of adventure, and I know we'll be having unique experiences that trump everything I've done to date.

In two days I'll be back in the States - I'm so ready to focus on getting ready for school full time!

Over and out, Kate :)

Follow me on Twitter @k8eddie

Hola Amigos!

I´ve been in Spain for six days, and I can honestly say this vacation thing is pretty great. I´ve been spending my time lazily on the beach, lounging by the Mediterranean, and perfecting my paella recipe (Yes, I throw a mean Spanish-themed dinner party for future reference).

I´m lucky enough to have a beautiful place to stay in Moraira, which is a small town on the Costa Blanca, about an hour and a half south of Valencia. I´ve been coming here my whole life, but it´s been years since I´ve been here. Working a full time job has really prevented me from enjoying this, so I figured why not take advantage of it before school starts?  

This first leg of my trip is really about relaxation. I´ve had lots of great hammock time, with - wait for it - pleasure reading. Pretty amazing. 

Yesterday, I went with my friend Domingos to Ibiza. I was a little nervous, because Ibiza is notoriously the party capital of the world (according to Wild On!E circa 1998 at least), and I actually would have to stay awake past my typical bedtime of 10:00. We took a beautiful ferry across the Mediterranean, and when we got there we realized we were crazy to land in Ibiza on a Friday night with no hotel reservation and no idea what to do. But we made friends fast, finding a great hotel on the beach, and we went to Privilege, which is by far the craziest, biggest club I´ve ever been to. Domingos and I danced for literally 6 hours and it was incredible. 

Tomorrow we´ll be headed to Valencia for some exploration and more adventures. Domingos heads home in a few days (he still has a job to get back to!) but I´ll be traveling solo in France next week. Any suggestions for where to go? I´m thinking Cannes, maybe Nice, and ending up in Paris. When it comes to school and work, I´m a huge planner, but right now I have no idea where I´ll be the next day. And that feels so very very cool :) 

I´m working on uploading some pictures to this post, but as of now I´m having some connectivity issues, but there will certainly be lots of great shots to come. 

Over and out! xoxo Kate 

@k8eddie on Twitter

Get Ready for the Good Life

Hi everyone! I'm Kate Edwards and I'm thrilled to be blogging for you this summer. Before I dive in, let me tell you a little bit about me, so you know who you're dealing with here.

I've lived on the East Coast my entire life, from DC to Providence to NYC, so the transition to Los Angeles will be a big one for me. In my head, LA is all swimming pools, movie stars, and the Peach Pit, with a little Baywatch mixed in. So I definitely have a lot to learn.

I studied International Relations at Brown, but somehow I ended up in the world of advertising. I like to tell people that it's exactly like Mad Men, except we partied a lot more. Unlike a lot of people who jump ship and go to business school, I actually really loved my job - it allowed me to be creative and artistic and analytical every day. I just knew it wasn't what I wanted to do forever.

I just had my last day of work this past week, and true to form, my coworkers threw me a "Going Back to School" going away party, complete with boxed wine and Solo cups. Good joke, right?

These are my coworkers celebrating me going back to school - they're jealous can you tell?

When you start school, they always ask you to come up with fun facts about yourself, which apparently tells you a lot about a person. With that in mind, here are a few of mine. Feel free to interrogate accordingly:

 

- I grew up on a farm raising chickens

- I'm a twin (and my sister is engaged)

- I'm obsessed with the Washington Redskins

- I'm super handy and can fix anything

- My favorite food is Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches

- I do the New York Times crossword every day

- I was locked in the New York Public Library for a scavenger hunt overnight

 

this is going to be our year I just know it...

 

So now you know a little about me. In the next few weeks, I'll be traveling in Spain and France, mostly on my own, so I'll have plenty of adventure stories to share with you. I promise to post lots of pictures so you know I'm ok :)

I'm so looking forward to sharing my Anderson experience with you - let's do this!

 

Me at sushi night with some of the other NYC admits - we're ready!!

 

Follow me on Twitter @k8eddie - Over and out!