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REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by post count [?]
My Anderson experience has been pretty good so far (one quarter in). What really exceeded my expectations was the focus on career services - Anderson has a class that's required for first years that takes you through everything from perfecting your resume to networking etiquette to interviewing tips, and while some of the info is not applicable for everyone, it's still extremely useful to see everything from start to finish, and it shows that the school is focused on the right thing - getting you the job you want. I chose Anderson because of its proximity to large tech companies and have been happy with my recruiting experience so far. There are a LOT of alumni in that field and tons of second years who interned at the big name companies so there are a lot of people to talk to and get information from. I did find that the first quarter was pretty overwhelming - 4 classes plus networking/informationals and prepping applications. I believe they are changing things slightly next year to reduce some of the workload so that first years can really focus on their career prospects. As far as culture goes - I love it. It probably errs on the side of being more homogeneous than other schools because a lot of people are already from the LA area, so if you are looking for a TRULY diverse class, maybe this isn't the ideal school. But I still find that everyone is extremely smart, supportive, and ambitious. The social scene is probably a little different too - you're not confined to just hanging out on campus and there are tons of opportunities to explore and check out new places, which I happen to love. I do hear that the class becomes a little fragmented by the 2nd year because everyone kind of does their own thing with their group of friends. My advice to applicants is to really think about what makes Anderson unique and figure out if those are qualities that you want in a school and a lifestyle, because although it's the right fit for me, I could easily see why it's not a perfect fit for everyone looking for the traditional MBA experience. As much as people on GMAT Club like to say that the social scene and quality of life are not as important as rankings, I think they're EXTREMELY important and should not be taken for granted.
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REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED ****@anderson.ucla.edu [?]
UCLA Anderson is an amazing bschool for those looking to enter entertainment and technology. Highlights of the program are the career services center and the amazing student body that is extremely social and truly "shares success". As one former HBS professor teaching at UCLA said, "I always have to remember that when calling on Anderson students, they will always back each other up,"
Overall Anderson will absolutely help me meet my post MBA goals with amazing help from the career services center. Coming in at 8AM and leaving well past 6PM for their everyday jobs, the staff at the Parker Career Services Center go above and beyond with ensuring students get placed at tops firms in all industries, ranging from McKinsey, Bain, and BCG for consulting to Apple, Google, and Microsoft in tech.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Anderson provided an amazing experience for me over the 2 years I was in the program. Living in LA while you are going through an experience like B-School is another huge perk that provides you with limitless opportunities to get out and explore (beach, hollywood, down town LA. rose bowl, hiking, surfing, amazing nightlife, westwood, amazing athletics, etc.) I cannot wait to get back to LA and live that life again!
The program itself is as top notch as any other top school I visited or had friends attending. Top professors who have taught at HBS, GSB, Wharton, and everywhere else, one strategy professor just took a sabbatical to serve as the chief economist at Amazon and another is leading strategy at Uber (2 companies that Anderson has direct access to). The students are world class and come from such diverse backgrounds that you will always have endless cultural learning opportunities. Career resources may not have always been amazing from what I heard btu when I was there the Parker Career Center was seen as one of the best in the country and they have only improved in the year since I left. The career opportunities are huge in tech and entertainment - think Disney, Google, Amazon, Uber, Lions Gate, Universal, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I have multiple friends at each of those companies. Even though we are on the west coast I had numerous friends heading to top investment banks in New York, as well as plenty staying in CA by choice. Consulting recruits head to MBB, Deloitte, PWC and others in very high numbers as well. From what I saw there was not any lack of career opportunities or resources to help you improve your candidacy in all ways possible. The commitment to students' success by the faculty and administration far exceeded my expectations. There is almost nothting I would change about my 2 years at Anderson other than finding a way to slow time down so I could enjoy it more!!
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Joined: Dec 11, 2012
Posts: 47
Kudos: 61
Self-reported Score:
640 Q49 V24
720 Q49 V40
As an international student making a transition in technology, Anderson gave me the support and structures to navigate that journey. The peers are super helpful and Anderson has a great representation in most tech companies in the valley.
The career center, also known as Parker has a specific advisor for technology. Not only keep my focus during recruiting but the diversity of offering in tech jobs was also very impressive.
in terms of Academic workload, its well balanced to give you flexibility to either work part-time to bridge your skill gabs, network with fellow classmates and alums and finally have some time in Los Angeles.
Speaking more on the class, people are some of the smartest yet friendly people I have met. Chill guys.
If tech, its only Anderson now.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Overall Anderson school of Management far exceeded my innitial expectations. There is a very strong emphasis on getting your desired job, by making your career transition smooth and effective. Parker CMC helped me to structure my job application process from May! starting from May here were weekly deliverables such as CV, cover letters, company research form, 45-sec pitch etc. So once got on campus, I was already prepared for job applicatoin process and knew what to expect.
In addition to that, I feel that before the next quarter 2nd year students will send me a separate bill, I am serious. They are so helpful! I am aiming management consulting career after graduation. At Anderson Management consulting Associatoin (MCA) organized ACT groups (coaching sessoins), IPTs (practice workshops), casing, etc. MCA is one of the larges and strongest clubs at Anderson.
In addition to that DOJ (career tracks - company visits) week was excellent way to connect to professionals woking at leading consulting and tech companies in Bay Area. There are Tech , Consulting and IB tracks. Most popular was Tech track during which our group of more than 100 studnets visited more than 20 companies in Seattle and Bay Area (Google, Microsoft, Facebook,Amazon, Intel, Visa Paypal, Ebay, Twiter, etc).
And 100% employment during summer intersnship (summer 2015) really speaks for itself.
About classes: I liked professors approach their job of teaching us complex concepts. Professor Hal is great in explaining marketing concepts in real life examples and is one of the most fun profs. I enjoyed Statistics class. Although not easy, I liked the way our Prof approaches explanation of difficult questions. One piece of advice, don't bet with your Stat Prof during classes, Prof knows probability and stat concepts much better than you so most likely you will not win ;).
First two quarters you will have only core courses, next four quarters (in total 6 q in 2 years) you can choose any electives you want. Currently, I have only core courses. I dont plan on taking an additional elective during my second quarter, because I want to focus more on recruiting. Btw you can ask for waiver before starting core class. I waived accounting class and will use credits to choose one or two electives later.
+see my post above about Parker, how second year students help us and DOJ tracks.
Regarding companies, there are a lot of companies coming to Anderson for company presentations, workshops and cases. In less than two month more than 6 case competition were organized by companies such as Amazon, cisco, AT Kerney, etc and I pretty much enjoyed them.
Make sure you prioritize your tasks and activities while in business school, otherwise you won't have much time for sleep. ;)
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