The MBA Student Voice

Guest Blog: Social Life at Anderson

Today's guest blog comes from David Wang, Section E social chair and my fellow section-mate. Read on to learn about his transformative experience at Anderson and his tips for how to make the most of the only two years you'll have at business school!

 

Name: David Wang

Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergrad Institution: Cornell University
Pre-Business School: Cancer Research
Summer Internship: Product Manager at Renovate America (Clean Energy)
Post-Anderson (industry): Tech

Whenever I’m asked about business school, I always describe it as being more work but also way more fun than I expected. What you will quickly learn about the MBA experience is that it’s absolutely what you make of it. That is true not only for academics and recruiting, but also your social life. One of the biggest regrets I hear from graduates, and even students finishing up their first year is that they wish they invested more time into going out to social events and getting to know the people in their class.

As a natural introvert, I knew this would be a challenge, so I put myself in a position where I would be forced to mingle – I ran for section social chair. This turned out to be the single best decision of my Anderson career. Was it a lot of work? Yes. Was I obligated to turn up on many occasions when I’d rather be in bed watching Netflix? You bet. But looking back, the benefits far outweigh everything else. From happy hours, football tailgates, section dinners, skydiving, bubble soccer, fundraisers, to a mind-blowing Vegas weekend for graduating second years, I got a chance to meet virtually every other student in the program (my future network). This was also a great opportunity to work on my leadership, teamwork, planning, and organizing skills within a diverse and amazing class.

You don’t necessarily have to run for social chair to have an incredible time. Rather, realize that building relationships within the Anderson community is an integral part of the MBA experience. As each of you prepares to embark on this life-changing journey, I hope you make up your minds right now to say yes more often than no, and to prioritize your social life amidst a hectic schedule. It may turn out to be the best decision you make in business school.

Giving

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. Inspired by the commercialization of the week after Thanksgiving (in the vein of Black Friday and Cyber Monday), Giving Tuesday asks us to donate to causes we care about, using our privilege to help organizations in need of financial support.

For me, UCLA is - and always will be - one of the causes that I care about most. Many arguments against giving to universities seem valid. For example, we pay for the service of education (it is not free), and we often spend a decade repaying debt. I argue that we must give back to the schools that made us who we are today.

As an Anderson student, I delivered a presentation arguing for giving back to one’s alma mater. Our professor made a quip in the beginning of the year about those pesky student telemarketers from university alumni associations asking for money he didn’t want to give, and the class heartily agreed. As the co-chair of the UCLA Young Alumni Development Council at the time, and an active philanthropic advocate, I took that as a challenge. 

I argue that giving back to our alma maters protects the value of an institution and concretizes a culture of paying it forward. By giving, we ensure that our degrees retain their value. And the generosity of alumni before us makes our institutions great for generations of students to come. Apparently, my classmates and professor were convinced (I was voted “Best in Room” and got an A+ on my “Take A Stand 2,” for those familiar).

I give to UCLA, and I give to Anderson, but “giving” extends far beyond donating financially. On this Giving Tuesday, in addition to donating to nonprofits, I supported a fellow alum’s crowdfunding campaign. I used my network to find a freelancer for a friend. I sent a few friendly emails to former colleagues. And I edited resumes for undergrad mentees. I also reflected on the power of the UCLA Anderson network as a power for giving of good. UCLA Anderson engenders a culture of giving - a culture that I experienced as a student, and now again as an alum.

Today is also World AIDS Day. In addition to supporting education, for over 10 years, I have committed much of my activism and philanthropy to the battle against HIV/AIDS. While in college, I helped raised over $1M for research and education to help end pediatric AIDS around the world. After graduation, I worked for an NGO in Tanzania on the ground as an HIV/AIDS educator and community organizer. Since then, I have worked with numerous organizations, most notably an arts camp for HIV+ youth.

Anderson students, alumni and Sig-O's volunteer at Camp Hollywood HEART in Malibu, CA in August, 2015.

This summer, I volunteered for the camp once again (click here to read my 2013 post about camp). In launching a new program for this year’s camp focused on college readiness and career preparedness, I reached out to the UCLA Anderson network for help.

I was truly touched (though I suppose not thoroughly surprised) by the outpouring of interest from fellow alumni - over 10 responses in the first 12 hours. Most from individuals I had never met. Ultimately, five fellow alumni, several Anderson Sig-O’s, and a current student all joined me in the mountains of Malibu to launch our new program and give back to the community. I witnessed, first-hand, our shared passion for giving.

Thank you, Anderson family, for giving. Giving Tuesday is just one day, but the Anderson culture of giving lasts all year.

Days on the job!

UCLA Anderson students storm New York's Times Square

Anderson has been keeping us busy: between on-campus company presentations, homework assignments, midterms and our upcoming finals we had to squeeze in a week for days on the job (DOJ). For the uninitiated, DOJ week is when all first-years take a week off school to visit various companies we are interested in working for. A lot of folks travel all across the country to visit potential employers, and some even travel to international locations such as Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

My trip began in New York on Monday when I flew in with six other Anderson students. We had a few hours to get settled in before our early start the next day so we made sure to visit the very famous Halal Guys food truck for a late-night dinner.

During the trip we were graciously hosted by several New York banks, the likes of which included Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merill Lynch, Citigroup and many more. We spent our days shuttling on the subway between one bank to the next while sneaking in lunches and taking in all that New York had to offer. In two days, we covered 15 banks and we were tired and exhausted — but that didn't stop any of us from sending out our thank you notes to everyone we met. On the final leg of our New York trip, we got a special invite for an alumni mixer at the Yale Club, where we reconnected with some of the alumni who took the time to meet with us.

We used Wednesday as our travel day to travel to San Francisco. After checking into our hotel briefly explored the city for the few precious hours we had to ourselves. The next day we kept our momentum from New York and visited a host of banks in downtown San Francisco. Here, too, we met at prestigious banks such as Credit Suisse, Qatalyst, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Piper Jaffray. Again we were welcomed with open arms at all these banks and at each event we had Parker representatives present to provide us with some much-needed support.

It's worth mentioning how much Parker cares about our career prospects and the lengths they go to to ensure we sustain and nurture these relationships that have been years in the making and will serve future students for years to come.

Overall, our DOJ trip was a great success and we covered about 30 banks over a span of five days. This experience could not have been possible without my fellow students who handled the logistics of the entire trip, and without the support demonstrated by our alumni who make an effort to support and hire Anderson students. I gained insights into the inner workings of various banks, got a feel for the team I could be working with and even bonded with other students who might be working alongside me during my summer internship.

 

Anderson has been keeping us busy: between on-campus company presentations, homework assignments, midterms and our upcoming finals we had to squeeze in a week for days on the job (DOJ). For the uninitiated, DOJ week is when all first-years take a week off school to visit various companies we are interested in working for. A lot of folks travel all across the country to visit potential employers, and some even travel to international locations such as Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

My trip began in New York on Monday when I flew in with six other Anderson students. We had a few hours to get settled in before our early start the next day so we made sure to visit the very famous Halal Guys food truck for a late-night dinner.

During the trip we were graciously hosted by several New York banks, the likes of which included Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merill Lynch, Citigroup and many more. We spent our days shuttling on the subway between one bank to the next while sneaking in lunches and taking in all that New York had to offer. In two days, we covered 15 banks and we were tired and exhausted — but that didn't stop any of us from sending out our thank you notes to everyone we met. On the final leg of our New York trip, we got a special invite for an alumni mixer at the Yale Club, where we reconnected with some of the alumni who took the time to meet with us.

We used Wednesday as our travel day to travel to San Francisco. After checking into our hotel briefly explored the city for the few precious hours we had to ourselves. The next day we kept our momentum from New York and visited a host of banks in downtown San Francisco. Here, too, we met at prestigious banks such as Credit Suisse, Qatalyst, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Piper Jaffray. Again we were welcomed with open arms at all these banks and at each event we had Parker representatives present to provide us with some much-needed support.

It's worth mentioning how much Parker cares about our career prospects and the lengths they go to to ensure we sustain and nurture these relationships that have been years in the making and will serve future students for years to come.

Overall, our DOJ trip was a great success and we covered about 30 banks over a span of five days. This experience could not have been possible without my fellow students who handled the logistics of the entire trip, and without the support demonstrated by our alumni who make an effort to support and hire Anderson students. I gained insights into the inner workings of various banks, got a feel for the team I could be working with and even bonded with other students who might be working alongside me during my summer internship.

Alumni Spotlight: JJ Haglund

This post is a part of the Alumni Spotlight series where we highlight an Anderson alum and learn what they have been up to since their time at Anderson. We will also get hear about their favorite Anderson memories and get their advice for current and prospective MBA students.

Today we are featuring JJ Haglund, Anderson Class of 2015.

What brought you to Anderson?

What first grabbed my attention about Anderson was the list of top employers and who recruited there. Before I even realized what career I wanted to pursue I was just impressed that so many grads went to Disney, Nike, Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and the like. Then the more I learned about the school and the culture, the more I wanted to be there. The collaborative environment and sense of community really resonated with me. 

 

What have you been up to since graduation?

Since graduation, I started working for Adobe as a PMM for the Marketing Cloud. I moved back to Utah, where Adobe's Digital Marketing headquarters is located (corporate HQ is in San Jose). I've still been able to maintain ties with my Anderfriends though - my job sends me to the Bay Area about once a month. We also took trips to Hawaii and Yellowstone this summer as a family.

 

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!

Introduction: Samantha Skarin

Hi! My name is Samantha Skarin and I’m a member of UCLA Anderson’s class of 2017.

 

 

You’ll likely see more of my contributions on UCLAMBA’s Instagram account, but I wanted to introduce myself none-the-less. I’m from Brooklyn, NY (born and raised) - hence the Dodgers reference - and I moved out to LA in August.

Some more fast facts about me:

 

 

Undergraduate School: Cornell University

Undergraduate Major: Design and Environmental Analysis: Human Factors and Ergonomics (that would be an “other” on the application drop-down)

 

Pre-Anderson Job(s): I spent my first few years after college working at a small branding and marketing firm in New York called DeSantis Breindel before moving over to a marketing technology agency called HelloWorld (formerly ePrize). My roles have primarily been in account management, project management and new business development, though because I’ve been at smaller companies, I’ve had the opportunity to wear a LOT of hats.

 

Post-Anderson job aspiration: Product management in tech.

 

What I’m most excited about: Getting out of my comfort zone and having the opportunity to try new things, explore, learn, and develop long-lasting friendships in such a vibrant and collaborative environment.

 

Why Anderson?: How do I love thee, let me count the ways (sonnets FTW!). I chose Anderson because from the moment I started thinking about my MBA and researching the programs, I was totally blown away by the resources Anderson has available, the diversity in electives, and all that LA as a city, and a business hub, has to offer. Further down the admissions path, everyone I met: alumni, professors, current students, incoming students, administration, were just so amazing, helpful, and enthusiastic about Anderson and its community, and I know I’m in for an incredible and life-changing two years (and beyond).

 

I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with you! Besides the @UCLAMBA Instagram account, you can also follow me on my personal account @samanthaes.

 

And so it begins

Tomorrow is the first day of orientation and I am still recovering from a Vegas trip organized by Anderson students with about 50 or so students in attendance. I hope that tomorrow I am not the guy in the picture above.

In the past two weeks I have travelled 8500 miles from India, moved all my stuff into boxes, shipped my 10 year old car across 4 states, fought with my movers on multiple occasions, rejoiced after touring my new apartment, hiked the Sandstone peak on a pre-orientation trip with students, attended happy your events with my classmates, experienced anxiety over my summer deliverables and worked through 40 pages of assigned readings not including 3 "optional" books. All this and school isn't even in session.

Last Friday was also international orientation, a full day of cultural onboarding solely for international students. The event gave us an overview of all the resources available on campus to us. For instance, the UCLA recreation facilities provides a gamut of facilities such as the graduate only Kinross gym, the Wooden center of recreation, and a new 14,000 square feet fitness center set to open this fall. The Dashew center for international students makes sure that students feel at home by hosting events that include LA bus tours, speed dating for internationals, food festivals and more. There are plenty of spots to eat on campus but most Anderson students usually limit themselves to the Il Tram cafe, centrally located in the Anderson courtyard and that serves an exceptional Chicken special sandwich. In summary, UCLA is pretty much a small town onto itself. 

The event ended with roundtables which were intended to mix-up the students and give everyone a chance to network with each other. We also had student panelists address the gathering and share their insights on recruiting and how to land that elusive full time job offer at companies such as BcG, Mattel, Microsoft and more. Our work is cut out for us and the key to success is to continue following the advice of our Parker Career center advisors who continue to work closely with us making sure we progress along the career search process.

No one told us it was going to be easy and going into orientation I can feel the pace quickening. We are expected to stay on top of things regardless of how the week progresses. We are already juggling multiple priorities and need to flex our time management skills constantly. The only way to keep up with all the activity is to prioritize your work. Anderson has so much going on at any given time that you could miss it if you blink. 

First Impressions of LA

Finally- the first blog post actually from Westwood! We arrived late Sunday night and spent this week getting settled in to our apartment (ie. building hordes of IKEA furniture). Here are some of my first impressions of LA: 

Anderson people KNOW their social media:

Before I came to LA, I thought I was hip to the tech scene because I used Google Drive. How foolish and naive of me! I can barely count all the different ways Anderson 2017 people communicate, socialize, and organize events with one another: GroupMe, Slack, WhatsApp, Facebook groups (probably missing a couple other platforms here). Section assignments and fall class schedules were released late this afternoon via email and within seconds the Anderson 2017 GroupMe was blowing up my phone with classmates announcing their sections and talking trash about the best section (clearly Section B- so step off, Jordan Stone from Section E whoever you are). 

Take advantage of the days before orientation starts:

Before we continue any further, let me just say that I'm an introvert. I spent the majority of my undergrad freshman orientation week squirreled away in my dorm room with the shades drawn playing online poker. And not going to lie- I enjoyed it thoroughly.

But honestly, any academic on-campus experience is at its essence about the people you meet and the relationships you build. Not taking the time to get to know my neighbors, classmates, and hallmates really set me back a ton in me getting the full college experience, and I was determined not to repeat my mistakes this time around for business school. The days and weeks before Anderson orientation starts provide ample opportunity to get to know your classmates. I would hardly say I'm a social butterfly, but I'm planning on attending / have attended a social Anderson event each day since I finished setting up IKEA furniture:

- meeting up with a group of 6-7 Anderson people at Philly West for a beer Wednesday night

- spending today at Six Flags with a group of 15 classmates and significant others and then getting ramen on Sawtelle Boulevard. Thanks Angela for organizing such a great trip and to Sicong for driving! We all learned that Andry has the ultimate selfie stick (ask him when you meet him) and that Ean and Natasha know a thing or two about cross-continental road trips. Check out this group of photogenic characters to the right at the end of a long day of riding roller coasters (also happy birthday Lucia!):

- going hiking at Sandstone Peak for an Anderson pre-orientation day trip on Saturday

- heading to Qs on Wilshere Saturday night for a meet-and-greet with more Anderson 2017 people

Indeed, if there's one thing you learn as a teacher (or any professional job for that matter), it's that a vast amount of your effectiveness as a professional depends on your ability to make and sustain meaningful relationships with the network of people around you.

The middle of America is absolutely underrated: 

We traveled through Nebraska, Iowa, and Utah on the way to California, and all three states feature breathtaking landscapes and the nicest people you will ever meet:

Looking at Ghost Rock at a rest stop in Utah. I mean seriously, this is the view from a rest stop. Imagine what it's like in a national park!

A rain shower and partial dust storm in Nebraska.

LA drivers are just as crazy as their NYC and Massachusetts counterparts:

Only with less honking. But with an equal disdain for turn signals- there, I said it.

Navigating the admissions process by failing fast

With the admission process in full swing I wanted to take a break from my usual "Why Anderson" posts and help out Anderson hopefuls. 

Planning for success seems sequential but as I recently learnt after reading the "Startup of you" that is not always true. To achieve success in our new chaotic, interconnected and increasingly competitive landscape we need to constantly evolve. Entrepreneurs have learnt this lesson the hard way and have become increasingly aware of the what-if scenarios. The What-if scenarios force you to focus on your shortcomings and prevent you from indulging in wishful thinking. 

As you navigate the admissions process embrace the new adage - "Fail fast and fail often". If you have started the process it's imperative to get a lot of feedback at this juncture so that you have a strong foundation to build upon. Start off with an initial draft of all your essays and get as many eyes on it as you can as opposed to waiting towards the end. Get your colleagues, friends and family to review your half-baked essays and keep making iterative changes. 

Use the online resume tool Vmock to upload your resume to ensure it's upto the mark. Quantify your accomplishments and showcase the results of your work. Find resume books of students at b-schools and model your resume on the acceptable format. Recommendations are another critical component that need be tackled early on. Connect with your recommenders and remind them again of your accomplishments, career growth and leadership potential before they put pen to paper. Send your recommenders a short summary of your successes, and even failures, so that they can portray you as accurately as is possible.

As a software tester I learnt the art of exploratory testing - explore a system, analyze results and create a plan of attack based on information gleaned. In a similar vein, the MBA process needs to be structured and explored because your time is finite and in order to get the best ROI on your effort it's important to address the areas that need the most improvement.

Best of luck!

8 Days and Counting

...before the big move to Los Angeles! Hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since I started preparing for the GMAT, and over 4 months since that fateful R2 admit call. Anderson-related TTDs have been piling up as the Class of 2017 gets closer to Orientation... and by the looks of it, things are only gonna get crazier!

So how has Anderson kept me busy lately?

• International Preps: Being an international student adds an extra layer of moving-out stress and logistical errands--luggage, apartments, banking and phone plans, etc. First order of business after submitting my SIR to UCLA was to sort out all visa and finance-related documents. I secured my F-1 visa early in June thanks to Anderson and UCLA's Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars (DCISS). Both have been a constant presence in my inbox throughout summer with international programming updates (DCISS) and pre-departure career preps (MBA Student Affairs), among other helpful content. Students on a visa are required to take UCLA's iStart Program which is a series of online modules designed to help us transition to life in the US. Topics covered are: academic integrity, culture shock, visa workshop, and getting started in LA & UCLA. In addition to school/web resources, I found that talking to fellow international students and 2nd years has been most helpful in navigating this complex pre-MBA stage. Currently, there's even a group of us looking to set-up a family phone plan to get better deals!

DCISS' online iStart program has informational modules for international students transitioning to UCLA.