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(4.6) |
Whatever you have been hoping for from your MBA experience, I suggest to rethink it. I know I am an outlier with such a review in the sea of positive reviews, but keep in mind that people who write reviews are mostly current students, who don't want to "take out the dirty laundry" out in the open and that way risk tarnishing Anderson's name, while also jeopardizing their already-not-the-best employment opportunities. However, a widely known secret is that most students are very disappointed by both Anderson and their MBA experience. Where do I start.
1. Academics. Professors who teach at Anderson are overpaid lazy scholars with tenure, who don't care neither about teaching not students, OR self-absorbent retired "ex-big shots", who only come to classes to boast about their glorious past career days, rather than actually teach you something. Classes are badly organized and students are graded without any clarity into the grading criteria, as lecturers can do whatever they want. They treat students with arrogance and are often extremely rude, often to the point of racism, nationalism and sexism. Students continuously complain, but the administration is keeping it all hush-hush. The school doesn't want to do anything about it unless there's an uproar from many - and during my two years at Anderson we already had a NUMBER of those, which also speaks volumes about the school.
2. Culture. You've heard about Anderson's oh so special culture, where everyone is nice and helpful? Yes. Everyone is nice to your face, while there's the same competition as everywhere else behind your back. Just like the rest of LA, Anderson's culture is based on fakeness, that is, everyone is fake nice, fake caring, fake friendly, however, in reality, everyone is still competitive and they mostly care to get ahead. People are afraid to be themselves and to speak up, because there's this constant "networking" going on, just in case the newly met person may be useful to them in the future, so a big part of the culture is also focused on "keeping face." Certain hobbies or interests are viewed with contempt, while some others - glorified, and if you're a more unique/different person, you will likely have to face a lot of polite cold smiles during conversations.
3. Jobs and career opportunities. The most important one. Well, if you're an international student - you have to carefully consider going back home after graduation. What Anderson's promotional materials won't tell you, is that international students can apply to only 1 job out of 5 because of visa restrictions, and even for that 1 role that does offer visas, they will be competing against domestic students, whom most companies prefer. So do your homework before committing to a debt that may take a lifetime to pay back. IF you are a woman and want to go into investment banking - be prepared to face a lot of gender discrimination even during interviews. If you view Anderson as your way to get into tech, think again, as Microsofts, Googles and Facebooks will only hire people with engineering degree OR past IT experience. You dream about getting into consulting? Possible, but get ready for grueling work practicing interviews, and keep in mind that the MBB hires maybe 1-2 students from Andersonites, since they prefer Ross, Kellogg and other top schools.
4. Money. Be prepared to find yourself in a culture that expects you to already live like you're making a 6-figure salary. The main entertainment your classmates will enjoy will be eating out (which in LA can rack up quite a bill), while professors will expect you to fork out anything from $30 to $150 for each class. Add this to ski trips, beach trips and Vegas trip, all of which involve above-average priced packages, since the students who organize them don't even bother to get the best deals, and you have yourself a lifestyle that will push that debt even further up.
What about positives? There must be something great about Anderson?
Yes. The weather, the ocean, and Chris Weber. The only recruitment advisor who has any connection with what's going on in the world. Also, there is a chance to get a better job than the one you had, if you hustle - even if it will not be with your ideal company and it may not pay as much as you want right away. Sadly, that's it.
While this review is harsh, what I would also like to point out that this is not just Anderson. Very likely you will find the same situation in other b-schools, even top ones. This is just how MBA life is, which I wish I knew before applying and starting school. So consider this decision wisely and be prepared for less that amazing experience.
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Every school says they have a great culture, and I’m sure they all have unique cultures and they’re great in some senses, but UCLA just fit me unlike any other. It was a casual place where everyone was incredibly friendly, always willing to help, and it just had the feel of a community, so that really helped. I knew I was going to be going in for two years of intense work, so I wanted to make sure I would enjoy everything else around me while I was there. And UCLA definitely beat those expectations.
Finally, the Parker Career Management Center helped a lot. Each individual student is assigned a career counselor or career advisor based on the field they want to go into. If you want to switch, you can formally, but there’s also a lot of just informal talking with different career counselors and advisors throughout the process. I had started with one, Amanda Durant, who worked mainly with students wanting to go into consulting or strategy-type roles. And she knew what she was talking about. She was strict; she demanded a lot of work. The mock interviews you had with her were more frightening than actual interviews with a lot of companies.
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One of the top two/three business schools on the West coast and a "top 10" in the country - yet still underrated. Beautiful facilities, great architecture, top students, and passionate faculty. Having attended this school I can attest that the exit opportunities are equal to any other business school in the U.S. or the world - I've seen it first hand. Alumni are EVERYWHERE with respect to both location and business sector.
Anderson is one of the few truly well rounded business schools, which can be viewed as both a blessing or a curse but it's more the former than the latter. This is not a "consulting" or "finance" or "tech" school, it's truly all three. I can count on one hand how many other top business school can honestly say the same.
When you add on additional perks like great weather, proximity to the mountains and the ocean, and a fantastic cohort of students - attending Anderson is a no brainer.
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Enrolling to Anderson was the best business decision I ever made. I joined Anderson in 2016. At the time, I had barely made any money in my business and I was scared that I won't be able to pay the debt in the future but the university really help you in your financials.
Anderson filled in my major knowledge gaps and helped me understand all of the components required to market my business and earn a great living doing work I loved. It was exactly what I needed, exactly when I needed it, and I’m forever grateful for how the program helped me.
I believe this program is, hands down, the best self-paced, DIY (do-it-yourself), online business training program out there.
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Amazing school and amazing environment. The professors are really cool and they have really good CV. The location, LA, wow… the best you can find in the whole US. The student body. Very capable guys with really cool background, perfect if you are looking for a safe and diverse environment.
In terms of recruiting and alumni network, best in class over California. The recruiting service of the school is the best one all over the US.
Finally, if you want to be an entrepreneur, Anderson is the exact place you should be. A lot of money in fellowships to start your own company and really good advisors.
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UCLA Anderson is great school and will make your crazy MBA years an amazing experience.
Having one of the best Career Center in US makes a huge difference. The whole team will be there to guide you, support and coach you. Their dedication to understand what you want to do and how to work your way to get it is the best. It definitely make my experience a nice path that could have been a roller-coaster.
The atmosphere that you will see at UCLA Anderson lives by their values. Share Success is not just in a piece of paper, you will really feel it. Classmates will always help you, professors will be involved and coaches will be with you all the way.
Lastly, I must say that although I left location out of the decision process, it is something I learned to value and appreciate.
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The support from the career center far exceeded my expectations. They go the extra mile to help students as much as possible.
There are great opportunities outside the classroom such as speakers, events, and clubs to gain exposure to a diverse set of executives, entrepreneurs, and industries. The Los Angeles tech/startup ecosystem has developed significantly over the last several years and provides great internship and job opportunities. UCLA Anderson is well connected with the ecosystem and also has outstanding relationships in media, entertainment, and sports.
The student culture is very strong. It is collaborative and very supportive in recruiting.
The Southern California weather is amazing.
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Located in California, Anderson ripes the same benefits of other BSchools located in the Bay Area; that is, in case you’re looking for a career in Tech. Many alumni have landed jobs in big companies in Seattle and San Jose, and the reason is not only due to its location, but also the strength of its curriculum and its alumni network, which IMO sets apart from other BSchools. In this regard, Anderson’s community is very tight but without losing the healthy competition amongst students.
For students with families, I think there are few schools that offer such a great place to live. The university village is amazing, located just 15 minutes away from school (and the beach), is a good place to mingle with your peers and has all the amenities you’d expect from a top school: free maintenance, pool, basketball and tennis court, study rooms, and so forth.
The curriculum met my expectations, although I’d skip some of the core (mandatory) classes. There plenty of electives you can choose from and many extra-curricular activities you can enroll voluntarily (sports clubs, entrepreneur mentoring programs, etc)
Overall, I’m very satisfied by the education I received at Anderson and the impact it had on my career.
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REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by post count [?]
It’s difficult for me to successfully depict my experience at UCLA Anderson in such a limited space, but I will do my best. For me, Anderson was a place where I met amazing people, pushed myself intellectually, and ultimately transformed myself professionally and personally.
Academics
The academic experience overall was great! I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t love all my classes or professors, but on the whole, I found myself learning and challenging my own understanding of business on a daily basis. One of the things I loved most about the academic side of Anderson was the diversity of learning experiences and methods I was exposed to. It wasn’t all cases or just lectures. It was a nice balance of those two, plus a healthy amount of experiential learning. Not only were the majority of the professors solid, we also got some amazing guest speakers—Alex Rodriguez, the President of Adidas North America, one of the founding members of CAA, David Aaker, Al Michaels, and Jessica Alba just to name a few.
People
One of the main reasons why I decided to attend Anderson was the people. During the application process, Anderson was the only school where 100 percent of the people I reached out to actually got back to me. Those I spoke with were sharp and really knew their stuff. However, the thing that won me over was how noticeably happy they all were. Needless to say, I came into the program with high expectations for my peers. I was not disappointed in the slightest. Not only was I surrounded by incredibly accomplished and intelligent individuals, they were also down-to-earth and approachable. During my two years at Anderson, I made some of the best friends I will probably ever have. Simply put, the student culture at the school was amazing!
Career
Although there are many other positive aspects of my Anderson experience, the last one I will mention here is career. The Career Services Center at Anderson is second to none. I would put them up against any other school’s career center. The people I worked with not only wanted to help me get a job, they were invested in helping me better understand myself, my motivations, and my skills so that I could land the right job. I spent many hours with my advisors researching jobs, identifying target companies, prepping for interviews, etc. Without all of that, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Another big asset of Anderson on the career front is the location of the school. The business community in LA is thriving and the opportunities to work within that community to gain real experiences during school are endless. Not only did I do a full-time summer internship, I also did three part-time internships during the school year that enabled me to make the dramatic career shift that I did—operations at Goldman Sachs to marketing at Microsoft.
In the end, the 21-month experience cost me over $100,000, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The experiences I had, the friends I made, and the opportunities that have been opened up for me wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t gone to Anderson.
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REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED ****@anderson.ucla.edu [?]
UCLA Anderson has a unique culture. On one hand, it has that very laid-back California vibe. The students wear tank tops and go to the beach frequently. On the other hand, it is a somewhat academically competitive culture-not in the sense that students are competing against one another, but in the sense that the administration really pushes grades and academics. Anderson does not have a grade nondisclosure policy and seems very opposed to one, for example. When you get past the heavier than average focus on academics, you find that students are incredibly friendly and collaborative. Anderson assigns many group projects (completed by learning teams of 5-6 students) and there are multiple case competitions a month in which students can form teams. The professors have a knack for memorizing students' backgrounds and calling on them to provide insights and opinions during class. This truly helps us to learn from each other. One of Anderson's most used mantras is "Share Success." These two words are the ubiquitous fabric of the student culture.
Like many business schools, Anderson is not representative of the larger population in terms of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The school is very open and vocal about their efforts to improve the situation by balancing the genders and focusing more on the experience for students with diverse identities. At times, the "Anderbros" can say some really stupid things, but the student body holds each other accountable and the discourse about diversity in business and at school is very healthy and above average. In fact, this year the school started a new annual Embracing Diversity conference.
If you want a school that provides exceptional career services, you can't do better than Anderson. Our career services are consistently rated as the top in the country and they will be your shadow from the moment you're admitted and even after you have graduated. In my opinion, the career services are the best aspect of Anderson, even when they can get really pushy and annoying at times. Anderson's industry relationships are strongest with technology, consulting, real estate, and entertainment. A very large percentage of the class also pursues finance and banking. If you are interested in technology or entertainment, Anderson's location and relationship with these industries can only be compared to Stanford and Haas. All of the big names in technology recruit at Anderson, and at times I feel like we have an advantage by being somewhat removed from Silicon Valley.
In summary, if you get into Anderson you should give it very serious consideration. I was admitted to other schools and couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Anderson.
The school is experimenting with new styles of classes, such as the Digital Marketing Strategy course that is taught by the CMO and an executive team of Google. The idea is that a company brings in a real-world case study and teaches students their process of solving business problems. In this class, we were given data and details on unreleased Google products (under NDA) and asked to create a digital marketing strategy to help launch the products. The class gave a fascinating look into how Google product marketing operates. There is also an Entertainment Strategy course that is using a similar structure.
While we have a vast majority of the top companies recruit on campus, our location in Los Angeles provides excellent opportunities to secure academic internships during the school year that lead to full-time or internship offers. Most students pursue a combination of on-campus and off-campus recruiting, and the Parker Career Management Center is valuable in helping prepare for both.
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