I thought I should summarize what I learned about GM and consulting with respect to UCLA. As I said before, it was incredibly tough for me to give up my admit at Anderson. Some of what I write below will show why and also hopefully help future applicants.
General ManagementAnderson on campus recruiting does not include a ton of opportunities in general management programs though there are some (Harrah's Entertainment and Chevron both immediately come to mind though I know there were several others). Because training is so specific for consulting recruiting they have a dedicated organization to consulting (Management Consulting Association) that does not focus on general management, internal strategy, and operational roles. SOMA is dedicated to helping their members find jobs/internships in those areas The Parker Career Management Center also would be able to share what companies have recruited on campus in the past for GM and also what programs students/alums have gone to that don't recruit on campus.
Personally, I don't think that the percentage of people coming out of Anderson and going into General Management reflects on Anderson so much as it reflects on the number of opportunities that are out there. I know of one person who is graduating this year and going into a rotational program at Disney. There are also similar rotational programs that are focused in one area of a company rather than multiple areas (ie, Mattel plans to start a supply chain rotational program soon). But overall, Anderson does not have as many companies coming to campus offering rotational programs as Ross does.
Consulting I wanted to eventually own and operate my own business and for me consulting seemed like the best way to learn and develop the variety of skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. UCLA has a great e-ship program and a low profiled consulting program. I was concerned with the lack of consulting tradition and how it would affect my preparation for recruiting. Obviously, the more people focused on a career helps the schools and clubs develop the frameworks(educational and networking) to support students. Probably 10% of students at UCLA are focused on consulting compared to say 75% at Ross. The 10% looks like a small minority but it is an incredibly vocal, visible, and well supported group. That figure most likely only encompasses those who career switched into consulting and not those who have chosen to remain in the field. The MCA and the school does a great job supporting networking, education, and preparation throughout the recruiting process. One of my contacts successfully made the switch from entertainment to consulting at Bain.By the time interviews rolled he already had exposure to recruiters and alums at a lot of great firms (Deloitte S&O, Monitor, ZS, PRTM, Booz-Allen, Archstone, McKinsey, BCG, Mercer, and obviously Bain) and was very well prepared for case interviewing. The said contact, who is going to Bain, had this to say about his experience.
2nd year at Anderson wrote:
MCA put on a whole series of perparation opportunities including case workshops sponsored by three different firms (BCG, Bain, and Deloitte), a Strategy 101 series that met every other week to prepare case concepts and start learning how to work through a question, and the 2nd years made themselves fully available for case practice, interview practice, advice, and resume/coverletter guidance. Beyond MCA, the career center helps prepare students through ACT teams which meet regularly to discuss the logistics of recruiting such as resumes, thank you notes, as well as reviewing how to work on a case. The career center also spent quite a bit bringing Marc Constentino to campus three times to give us one on one case interviews and coach us. Anderson is quite serious about growing its consulting brand and our class is a tribute to that effort with 7 folks going to the big three this year versus 3 a year prior.
In summary, the consulting 'tradition' at UCLA is weaker than finance and entrepreneurship. Anderson is known as a finance/entrepreneurial school and have a huge track record of success in those fields. But are growing rapidly on the strategy front and the school is committed to growing this aspect of Anderson.