Hey guys,
While I know the Businessweek rankings are being bashed left and right (understandably so), one thing I appreciate about the rankings is that they publish 10 insightful comments that students made when filling out the survey.
The 10 comments are:
Quote:
There are vast opportunities to learn from others, especially your classmates, both in classes and in extracurricular activities. The school really promotes student-driven activities that enable you to sharpen your leadership skills in an environment where tolerance and understanding are highly valued.
The people are wonderful. The students are very focused and accomplished. The admissions committee takes great care to ensure only those who are naturally collaborative and team players get in. The faculty is committed to the learning process, well prepared and always available. The administration actively engages the student community, acts quickly on feedback and makes best efforts to create a sense of community.
The students at Anderson are energetic and friendly. There is competition, but the atmosphere is supportive and that supersedes all issues of competition.
The environment at UCLA Anderson is unmatched. The administrators, faculty, students and alumni are all genuinely interested in seeing each other succeed. This type of culture is contagious, inspiring and a pleasure to be a part of.
The academic program could be a little more flexible in terms of the core courses and their scheduling.
The worst thing is the lack of minorities at UCLA Anderson. However, the school has been working hard to improve this by becoming a member of the Consortium and making strategic new hires such as Diversity officer and adding a VP of Diversity/Inclusion position to the student board.
There are fewer financial resources than available at big players like Harvard and Stanford.
The program is very flexible. I was able to complete my MBA and MPH within three years while also taking a leave of absence to have a baby. I also worked part-time for a startup while in school, and began working for my full-time employer before graduating. UCLA offers so many class times that it is possible to do all of this. I couldn't have done it at a smaller school.
Anderson is a community. We cheer wildly when someone gets a job that they have been looking for, and everyone looks out for each other when on the job search. It is more of a family than anything else and the energy is infectious.
The collaborative culture is sincere. Anderson is all about co-opetition. We push each other to achieve great things, whether its inside the classroom, securing jobs, or extracurricular activities. People here realize that success is not a zero sum game, and we can all be super successful together by forging great relationships.