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(4.6) |
It's a shame that Anderson dropped some spots in the latest US News ranking. Not sure why...I think it's the absolute best school you can go to, if you are looking to get into I banking (or even consulting) on the West Coast (given that you don't get into Stanford). Berkeley Haas' rep is better, but I don't know why. Haas is a weird b-school program that is super small, and curriculum and students are just weird. Not you're typical MBA profile. Aaaaaanyway, Anderson punches above itw eight class, especially for investment banking. Essentially any investment bank is open to you if you play your cards right. The school just got a $100 MILLION donation from the Anderson estate a couple of years ago too, so the school is going to be very well-appointed soon.
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UCLA is characterized by its people and our devotion to what we do, and that is something a student will experience even before starting school. Career services will help you all throughout the process of making the best decisions for your future, but more importantly, classmates on their second year are surprisingly eager to share with incoming students their perspectives, experiences and insights, and practice all along the way.
The environment is student driven, so even though UCLA is a huge organization, students can still create an impact and drive innovation in campus, like renewing infrastructure and organizing events in school.
Can't help but recommend UCLA Anderson
Professors are open to share their own research and consulting opportunities with students they feel are strong, which enhances the learning process and allows bonding between students and faculty.
Career services is just fantastic. The team acts as a unit, and are readily available to guide students and provide them with resources to help them achieve their goals
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I was lucky enough to have my company pay 100% for my MBA so I didn't have a lot of the pressures that many Anderson students had debt-wise, so I went in with little expectations of having to find a job immediately to repay a loan. However, the school far surpassed my expectations. The faculty was stellar. For the most part, they were sharp but also incredibly engaging. I rarely went to class because I had to, but rather because I was constantly engaged and thirsty to learn from these incredible people. The network of people that gained as friends is by far the most important part of business school, but the constant push to network is now one of my favorite skills because of the school. They also had a Global Access Program (GAP), which is a required course where you do market research for a foreign company. My company was in Brazil, and not only did I help them achieve significant value, but it got me interested in Management Consulting and ultimately the drive to get into McKinsey. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to move up in life and has a passion for business.
McKinsey recruited heavily out of UCLA Anderson. Two FEMBAs and 4 full-timers were hired in 2016. That's pretty good odds for the best MGMT consulting firm on the globe.
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Anderson has definitely been an above average experience to me. The career opportunities are abundant though some tracks are much more competitive than others. Consulting is highly competitive so keep that in mind when making your decision. I would say that the school strength is in Tech, I've been really impressed with the amount of opportunities and alumni support within the industry. The course offerings are pretty good and cover all areas of interest. I think the professors could be improved. Many of the professors of the core courses are new and don't have a lot of experience but when you get into the electives the quality of teaching improves.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
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Anderson's Parker Career Center is the best in the nation, and this shows by the number of Anderson graduates going to work at top companies (particularly in the tech sector). As a career switcher, Parker's recruiting resources were absolutely instrumental in helping me land my dream internship at General Mills.
Also, Anderson's "share success" mantra is real. I've had classmates who were interviewing for the same position as me literally come out of their interview and tell me what questions were asked, so that I could better prepare. After talking to friends in other MBA programs, I'm confident that this collaborative spirit is extremely, extremely unique.
Finally, for both professional and personal reasons, Anderson's Los Angeles location can't be beat. I have zero regrets about choosing to attend Anderson, and would recommend it to anyone looking to land their dream role at a tech, consulting, marketing or entertainment company while also having the best two years of their life.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Anderson has a very strong and supportive Alumni network. The class is pretty diverse when it comes to students from various industries and job functions. Learning experience through class participation in class is top notch because of that. Anderson also has some world class professors. Professors are really friendly and approachable. The school is taking initiative to increase racial diversity and they are also trying to increase the men:women ratio in the class. The campus is also LGBT friendly. The FEMBA administration office has been phenomenal so far. They always answer our questions and address our concerns in a timely manner.
There are a lot of electives option that you can take. But some quarters have less choices.
The On Campus Recruitment is pretty competitive. FEMBAs and Full Time MBAs attend the same events for recruitment.
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I came to the FEMBA program (3 years) at Anderson to switch careers. The first year, I focused on my core classes and surveyed the post-MBA industry landscape. My second year, I recruited for a traditional summer internship, side-by-side with the full timers via on-campus recruiting and was very competitive--I received multiple offers. If a summer internship is secured through on-campus recruiting, Anderson forces the FEMBA to quit his/her job, which is what I did. Heading into my third year, I also participated in the full-time job on-campus recruiting and received multiple offers. Also, due to the flexibility in the curriculum, I completed the FEMBA program 2 quarters early (mid-December of the third year).
My end result (summer internship and full time offer through on-campus recruiting) exceeded my expectations at Anderson. I came to business school to get paid, and I ultimately did. The FEMBA program enabled me to recruit side-by-side with the full timers, and many times my experience made me a stronger candidate (in the eyes of recruiters) than many of the other students I was competing against.
Beyond all that, the classroom experience was great. I took my core classes with my fellow FEMBAs but then also took many of my electives with full-timers and EMBAs. The networking opportunities were tremendous.
To future applicants: if you have a great job and are still figuring things out (but you know you want to get your MBA), consider the FEMBA program. You can still get paid from your current employer, survey opportunities, and figure things out towards the end of your first year. Full timers get thrust into the flames quickly--classes start in September, and recruiting for summer internships starts in October. If you have a solid background, high GMAT, earn a high GPA at Anderson, and network appropriately, you can land a top tier job post graduation in MBB consulting, a buldge bracket bank, or a top-tier tech firm. I've seen FEMBAs (and obviously FTMBAs) land internships and jobs with these prestigious firms.
The thesis for the FEMBA program is the Global Access Program (GAP) that's a team consulting engagement for a foreign company looking to enter the US market. If you don't have much experience in consulting, this 6 month project will give you that and more. This experience will put together much of what you learned in school and will serve you well in post-MBA jobs.
I work at a firm that hired recruits from other local MBA schools (full-time), and they did not do a thesis as intensive as GAP. In our jobs, there's a clear-cut difference between them and me.
You can land a job at any top consulting, banking, or tech firm coming out of Anderson, whether it's the FEMBA or FTMBA program. Obviously, the top, top firms only have 1-2 seats for internships/full-time offers (compared to the 10+ at the highest ranked schools), but if you have the right stuff, you can compete with the best of them. The same CANNOT be said for the other MBA programs in the Los Angeles area.
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Advice: Go to business school with a clear idea of what job you want when you graduate and then go after every opportunity that supports that objective while in b-school. The time goes by way to fast and there are way to many opportunities to explore and figure out your career objective while in b-school.
Experience: There seems to be a disconnect between what is taught in the class and what you are actually graded/tested on. This can be very frustrating for those driven to success in all areas and caters to those who already have experience in those class/functional areas or those with photographic memories. Additionally, all classes are graded on a curve which can be arbitrarily set by an instructor's whim. Read the teacher/class reviews and go after classes that will stretch you and inspire growth in order to maximize your return on your b-school investment.
Additionally: Focus on leveraging the connections you have with your classmates and the alumni network. These two areas of human capital are the most beneficial aspects of b-school.
Finally: HAVE FUN!!!
Try not to get frustrated at the disconnect between what is taught in class and what you are tested/graded on. Since grades largely do not matter in b-school, leverage connections with classmates and succeed at recruiting events instead.
Anderson would serve themselves better if they connect to the Global Business Economy that Los Angeles represents as well as ALL of the industries and job functions rather than a few.
Leverage the Alumni Network as much and as often as possible.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
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The full-time program offers various opportunities for student to dive in their career goals.
The school has center for Finance, Enterpreneurship, Global Career, and Technology.
Also has a very comprehensive career program for those who are seeking consulting.
The culture is very strong and our pillars of Share success, Drive change and Think fearless could be notice on the day-by-day of my colleagues, and professors.
The location, Westwood, is perfect but cost of living is high, comparing to other schools (except for San Francisco, New York, and Chicago). Most of the day are sunny and winter is not harsh as other regions.
The focus on west is more on technology and healthcare industry, if you are focusing on that, Anderson is definitely a great school to be. Moreover, other IB and consulting also has office in LA, SF and Seattle, which give excellent options after school
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Great experience overall so far. Southern California is just an awesome place to be. Beautiful campus. A LOT of sunny days.
There ARE interesting courses and professors. But be sure to learn what you want and what is available.
Career center is extremely active. There is a whole formal course about career building skills with home assignments and group exercises. You will have a lot of opportunities to have your resumes and cover letters reviewed.
2nd years put a lot of effort into helping you out. Most are willing to find the time to share their summer experience. There is a culture of paying it forward.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
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Thank you immensely for this review!
Two years later, I find this review insightful because I also plan to marticulate in the fall with Anderson's FEMBA program, then continue into a 'full time' courseload after the first year. I've read countless posts about the disadvantage of transitioning careers as a part-time student, but strongly believe nothing beat ambition backed by strong qualifications. Anderson appears to be one of few business schools that permit PTers to participate in OCR. My goal is to earn placement into an MBB, yet consider and explore IB. I hope to return with my own success story and review. Again, thanks for your insight!