UCLA Anderson for Consulting/ Oil and Gas ?

Question

I am hung up on whether to apply to UCLA or not. I am interested in Consulting with a focus on Energy/Oil&Gas post MBA. 
All that is said about UCLA is in the domains of Tech, Entrepreneurship and Media. How does UCLA fare in Consulting ?
Is LA and around a good choice for energy ?

I talked to a current student at Anderson and he was not very enthusiastic about consulting and energy at UCLA campus. 
Deadline is 24th Oct and I am still in double minds.

Any expert advice ?

ebonn101 · Answer

Depends, really. There's definitely a lot of firms that come to campus and recruit for Consulting jobs. BCG and Bain both come to campus. McKinsey doesn't. Deloitte and all the other second tier firms also recruit heavily. Energy-wise, it's not a bad fit. The school's strongest areas are admittedly Finance, Entrepreneurship, Tech ,and Media, but Energy and Consulting are not bad career paths out of UCLA. If you're hell-bent on MBB, I'd look elsewhere though, because your chances at a Berkeley/Kellogg will probably be higher. UCLA is your best shot in the Southern California region.

dreamchase · Answer

Thanks ebonn. That helps.

What you said about MBB totally matches with what I have heard from others.

Further, could you put some light on LA as location ? Could LA be seen as an advantage (as NY for some schools) apart from that for the Media/entertainment function ?

craky · Answer

NYC is seen as an advantage because all the major companies from virtually all industries are located there/have major offices there. LA on the other hand offers rather limited industry offering. When your goals is to get into a top consulting firm, you should aim for the very best school you can get into. UCLA is certainly not top school, your chances would undoubtedly be higher to get a job with Berkley on your resume - M/B/B recruit there (https://mba.berkeley.edu/careers/employmentreports.html).

Admissionado · Answer

Well I agree with the idea that if the school lacks the capacity to help you reach your goals, even if it's Harvard, it's not for you. Actually you may want to look into at least two other schools: Rice and McCombs, which may be a bit lower ranked than UCLA, but have GREAT connections with the energy industry and COULD get you to your goals.

UCLA Anderson for Consulting/ Oil and Gas ?

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