Calling all UCLA-Anderson Applicants(2015 Intake)Class of 17

It's kind of insane to see how many really qualified people haven't received invites from Anderson, especially since my profile from a numbers point of view is less than stellar (an average-ish GMAT score of 710, no undergrad pedigree, just 2 years of work experience at the time of matriculation and a highly overrepresented Indian in IT to boot).

So all this is purely conjecture but my immediate guess would be that the adcoms think the high stat applicants have applied to UCLA as a back up option. They are trying to increase their yield, so that might have something to do with why a lot of qualified people haven't even received invites. This might be exacerbated even further if your essay for Anderson was a recycled version of your other essays or if your essay didn't scream "I am a great fit for Anderson and Anderson is a great fit for me".

I believe I only got an invite because of my essay (the three defining principles really resonated with me) and my career goals (very relevant to Anderson). That isn't to say I'm not qualified but from a purely stats perspective, I don't look very good on paper.

which is why they don't give out interviews from a purely stats perspective

Just to add my thoughts to this, there are a few of my classmates that had sub-700 GMATs, but have absolutely killed it in recruiting and have gotten offers from some of the top companies. There is so much more to an applicant than a GMAT score or GPA. Those two items don't always equal someone who will be successful in recruiting. That is why I think engaging with the school, solid recommendations, the essay, and interview are so important. It is absolutely vital that applicants be able to clearly express their career goal and really be able to answer the question "Why Anderson?" This is not to say that those out there who haven't received an interview invite didn't do these things, but that every little detail in the application matters. When less than 20 percent of applicants are accepted and I am sure over 80 percent of applicants are qualified, all the details matter.

For those of you who aren't admitted this time around, I was in your shoes just a couple years ago. If you decide to wait and reapply in the fall, take the next few months to do some introspection. Get application feedback from Admissions, and then do everything you can to reposition yourself to be successful next year. Don't get discouraged. The extra year that it took me to get into b-school was invaluable. During this time I was able to gain valuable leadership experience at work, increase my community engagement, and take time to really reflect on why I needed an MBA and what my career goals were. Now I am in a place where not only was I accepted to a school I really wanted to be at, I am in position to be much more successful in my career search post-MBA.

curious if applying to round 3 is worthwhile for me? my gmat is a tad under the average and the gpa is within the 80% range.

Round 1 waitlister here! I had an Anderson Alumni sent in a letter of support a few weeks ago. I'm crafting an update to be sent out in a couple of weeks.

I just received a waitlist status update request email from Anderson. Any others on the waitlist received the same email?

yes R1 waitlisted candidate here. Received the same mail. Will submit the update in next couple of days, was planning to that anywhich ways.

April 2nd seems so far away ugh, especially when all the other schools release their decisions by about the 25th of March

Yeah.. Especially when Anderson is on your mind constantly through the day.. And you want nothing more than that 'one' admit..

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I share the same sentiments!

I hear ya guys! For me at this point, I just want to know so that I can get on with my life. All these variables (what am I gonna do if I get in, what am I gonna do if I don't) are killing my productivity, among other things

I think that there will another round of early admits soon.

WallEE y?

I am just basing this off of what has happened in past years. There seems to be a final "early admit" round on or very soon after the R1 deposit deadline. The R1 deposit deadline is today I believe. I am guessing (yes, pure speculation) that another round of early admits could take place in the next several days.

But who knows!

Fingers crossed... Hope the wait ends in tears of joy..

All the best!

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You're right: the R1 deposit date is today-
https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/mb ... next-steps

Hope you guys are right, had my interview on the 17th of Feb and haven't heard back, very anxious but not giving up hope!