The MBA Student Voice

MBA Recruiting Season - Repost from FT

The same is reproduced on Financial Times MBA Blog - http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/2015/02/11/recruiting-season/

The winter quarter at UCLA Anderson brings On Campus Recruiting (OCR), changing the entire mood around the school. This year, a diverse set of companies started visiting, conducting internship interviews with first-year full-time MBA students. Happy hours were replaced with interview-practice team meetings and queues at the career management center seemed longer than those in food cafes.

The finance companies wrapped up their recruiting by the end of January, whereas the big tech and consulting firms are conducting subsequent rounds. Alums, career advisors and second-year coaches have been very helpful during the process, as is the internal database which helps students tap into a wealth of knowledge regarding interview questions and best practices.

What I learnt: Do not compare yourself to other candidates. Different industries have different recruiting cycles, so it is just a matter on time before you will land your desired internship. And remember – every failed interview is only practice towards cracking the job you really deserve.

Congratulations to all those who have secured their internship and good luck to everyone else.

My not-so-nervous colleagues waiting for their interviews

Tech trek week - Repost from FT

Originally posted on Financial Times MBA Blog - http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/2014/12/05/tech-trek-week/

Day-on-the-Job events are onsite visits to companies to learn about MBA opportunities and get a sense of work culture. A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit tech companies in Seattle and Silicon Valley. I was surprised by the number of companies we could visit. UCLA Anderson and on-campus High Tech Business Club (HTBA) did a great job organising this trek of more than 150 students. Below is snapshot of my tech trek week.

Orientation & the section cup - Repost from FT

Originally posted on Financial Times MBA Blog - http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/2014/10/17/orientation-week/

The first question that came to mind when I saw my MBA schedule was what will we do for almost three weeks of orientation. During my undergraduate degree at the University of Westminster, we had a total of three days orientation. But business school is a different ball game.

Section C - My assigned section

The first year class was divided into five sections and pitted against each other for the section cup, which was awarded at the end of orientation. I have highlighted a few of the activities here:

Scavenger hunt – UCLA is a huge campus and the scavenger hunt was one of the best ways to explore it and get to know my learning team. We do most of our assignments in our learning team, which comprises of five to six members. Photos here

Game day – I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun in one day. We had volleyball, Wiffle ball, dodgeball, kickball, trivia, and tug of war. The team aspect of each sport really brought the diverse people together. Photos here

Odyssey challenge – The Odyssey rope challenge was all about confronting your fears, trusting your team, and pushing yourself. One of the activities was to climb on top of a tall tree log and jump off.

By the end of the three weeks, I must have met most of my 360 classmates and made some great friends. The icing on the cake was that my team (section C) won the cup.

Please send any questions, tug of war tips, and MBA orientation ideas via the comments box below. You can also follow me on Twitter @0jain

Preparing for classes - Repost from FT

Originally posted on Financial Times MBA Blog - http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/2014/09/09/preparing-for-classes/

Although we still have 10 days before our orientation, UCLA Anderson has kept us on our toes both professionally and socially. I was accepted onto the course in May and since then have received weekly emails from admissions and student affairs teams. Some of the activities are:

1. Meets-ups – A journey is best measured in friends. Both the business school and the students organise local meets in most major US cities and international locations such as Shanghai and Delhi. Since I have arrived in Los Angeles, I have been meeting students during Sundowners, a weekly UCLA Anderson happy hours get-together.
2. Career search – Although most applicants have a strong story for business schools, they are not bound to it once they get admitted. Business schools make us aware of different industries and functions, some of which may not even be on our radar. Over the summer, UCLA Anderson has shared various career guides and alumni work profiles for us to get a sense of each industry or function.
3. Networking – The buzzword of business schools. I have been consolidating my existing network and reaching out to second and third degree connections in my industry of interest.
4. Moving in - For international students, this is like starting a whole new life. We have to apply for fresh IDs, bank accounts and a social security number. Staying in university housing is an easy option but the set-up cost is still considerable.
5. Travel – For many of us starting school, the summer was the longest vacation we might ever have. I used this time to travel within India and spend some quality time with friends and family. I also arrived early to go on a three-day pre-orientation trip near San Diego.
6. Academics – Business school can be academically challenging and we were offered maths and excel workshops over the summer. Before school starts, we also have one-day refresher workshops in different core subjects such as finance and accounting. I also enrolled onto MBAmath.com, which offers some MBA preparation material.

I will continue to expand on each bullet point above in future posts. Please send any comments, questions, excel shortcuts, yardsale locations and unheard career opportunities via the comment box below. You can also follow me on Twitter @0jain

Pre-orientation trip near San Diego

Time to move again! - Repost from Financial Times

Originally posted on Financial Times MBA Blog - http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/2014/07/28/time-to-move-again/

 

The shortest I have lived in a city is six days and the maximum is five years. I was only six days old before my parents moved from Karnal, a small town in northern India to Bangalore, also known as the Electronic City of India. 

Since both my parents were working, I would spend my day with three different families, who were speaking three different languages. Before I even knew it, I had moved to three cities in India and three countries in the Middle East by the age of 12. And that’s how discovering new places and experiencing new cultures became a passion.

Why UCLA Anderson?

Like most B-school applicants, I applied to a bunch of schools and was very fortunate to choose between top business schools both in US and India. Anderson became one of my top choices as I learnt about the school through current students, alumni, forums, admission chats and the school website.

As an international student, I was unable to visit the school but I recommend all prospective applicants to invest in this exercise. You not only experience the school's culture but also strengthen your application.

I still remember the email and phone call I received from the Anderson admissions team. I struggled to open my application on the tiny iPhone screen and read the admission offer letter multiple times before breaking the news to my friends and family.

Why UCLA Anderson?
For me, UCLA is an awesome school with a global brand and which will give me a solid general management education, not to mention its in southern California so the lifestyle and weather is outstanding. It attracts a broad array of industries in recruiting including top consulting and Fortune 500 firms.

India vs USA
You really can’t compare Indian business schools to schools in United States. The schools are catering to different markets. It’s like comparing apples to mangoes. Since I had to decide between the two countries, I did my due-diligence. India scores more on the economy growth front, job placements numbers, and cost. But, US schools such as Anderson stand out for job readiness, leadership, exposure, diversity and experience.

 

From Middle East to West Coast

"California! Here we come!" Phantom Planet - California

I can’t remember how many times I have played this song since receiving my admission offer. I am truly ecstatic to join the Anderson family as a MBA 2016 candidate and as a student blogger.

Hello everyone. Before I begin sharing about my transition from Middle East to Los Angeles, I would like to introduce myself in this post. My name is Piyush and I am originally from India. The literal meaning of my name in Hindi language is elixir of immortality. Although I am aging too, I can share some tips to live longer.

I was born in a small town in north India called Karnal, which is also home to late Kalpana Chawla, first Indian-American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. I was only one week old before I started moving because of my father's job. I’ve ventured around the world and called seven cities across five countries my home. I’ve shared rooms with students belonging to over 15 different nationalities during my university days in London. I mainly grew up in Gulf countries, which includes UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia is the only country missing on my list since my parents choose not to move there because of strict Islamic laws. I am now living in Bahrain and have seen the current Middle Eastern crisis unfold in front of my eyes.

Professionally, I am a biotech graduate with experiences in cluster development, retail, e-commerce, and oil & gas. At Anderson, I would like to explore opportunities in consulting and pharma/biotech. Outside of work, I am a big soccer fan and support local English club called Manchester City Football club (owned by UAE – that’s why affiliation). Fun for me, is spending time with friends, could be over sports or just about anything. I enjoy almost every competitive sport but personally like to play soccer and squash. 

Please send any comments, burning questions, Middle East opinions, video of great soccer goals and tips to live longer to [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter here

 Me with my brother