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UCLA Anderson has a unique culture. On one hand, it has that very laid-back California vibe. The students wear tank tops and go to the beach frequently. On the other hand, it is a somewhat academically competitive culture-not in the sense that students are competing against one another, but in the sense that the administration really pushes grades and academics. Anderson does not have a grade nondisclosure policy and seems very opposed to one, for example. When you get past the heavier than average focus on academics, you find that students are incredibly friendly and collaborative. Anderson assigns many group projects (completed by learning teams of 5-6 students) and there are multiple case competitions a month in which students can form teams. The professors have a knack for memorizing students' backgrounds and calling on them to provide insights and opinions during class. This truly helps us to learn from each other. One of Anderson's most used mantras is "Share Success." These two words are the ubiquitous fabric of the student culture.
Like many business schools, Anderson is not representative of the larger population in terms of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The school is very open and vocal about their efforts to improve the situation by balancing the genders and focusing more on the experience for students with diverse identities. At times, the "Anderbros" can say some really stupid things, but the student body holds each other accountable and the discourse about diversity in business and at school is very healthy and above average. In fact, this year the school started a new annual Embracing Diversity conference.
If you want a school that provides exceptional career services, you can't do better than Anderson. Our career services are consistently rated as the top in the country and they will be your shadow from the moment you're admitted and even after you have graduated. In my opinion, the career services are the best aspect of Anderson, even when they can get really pushy and annoying at times. Anderson's industry relationships are strongest with technology, consulting, real estate, and entertainment. A very large percentage of the class also pursues finance and banking. If you are interested in technology or entertainment, Anderson's location and relationship with these industries can only be compared to Stanford and Haas. All of the big names in technology recruit at Anderson, and at times I feel like we have an advantage by being somewhat removed from Silicon Valley.
In summary, if you get into Anderson you should give it very serious consideration. I was admitted to other schools and couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Anderson.
The school is experimenting with new styles of classes, such as the Digital Marketing Strategy course that is taught by the CMO and an executive team of Google. The idea is that a company brings in a real-world case study and teaches students their process of solving business problems. In this class, we were given data and details on unreleased Google products (under NDA) and asked to create a digital marketing strategy to help launch the products. The class gave a fascinating look into how Google product marketing operates. There is also an Entertainment Strategy course that is using a similar structure.
While we have a vast majority of the top companies recruit on campus, our location in Los Angeles provides excellent opportunities to secure academic internships during the school year that lead to full-time or internship offers. Most students pursue a combination of on-campus and off-campus recruiting, and the Parker Career Management Center is valuable in helping prepare for both.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Consulting
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Entertainment, Real Estate
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