The MBA Insider's Blog

Admissions update - small batch of decisions released

Hello everyone!  The MBA Admissions team recently revisited our waitlist and admitted a small batch from this group earlier this week.  Waitlisted candidates who have not received a decision at this time will remain on the waitlist for now, and an update on the status of your application will be sent no later than the Round 3 decision deadline of June 6th.  Please feel free to send updates to your file as outlined in our waitlist guidelines post (remember all updates are completely optional).  We will continue to revisit the waitlist periodically throughout the summer. 

Our office is still very busy evaluating Round 3 candidates, and as always we thank all of our applicants for your continued patience, enthusiasm, and courtesy as we get through the home stretch of Fall 2012 applications in the next several weeks.

Remaining Round 2 Decisions Released

The MBA Admissions Office released our remaining Round 2 decisions yesterday morning.  The number and quality of our applicants was so high that it was difficult to select our admits from the variety of great folks we got to know on-screen. 

Candidates who are on the wait list should check their emails for a status update request.  Submitting additional information for the admissions committee's consideration is possible, as explained in the waitlist guidelines blog post with details on our waitlist policy. Applicants waitlisted without an interview have been notified via email to schedule an interview with us shortly.

To all our applicants, we want to thank you for your spirit and for sharing your stories with us throughout this process!

Another batch of early Round 2 decisions released

The MBA Admissions office released another small batch of decisions earlier this morning.  We are continuting to interview candidates and evaluate files and at this point do not plan to release any more decisions until the notification deadline of Wednesday, April 4th.  Again, we are working hard as we wrap up our remaining Round 2 applicants and thank you for your patience!

Early Round 2 decisions released

Happy Friday!

The MBA Admissions office released an early batch of decisions late yesterday afternoon.  Please note that this was a relatively small group and that we are still evaluating files, conducting interviews and sending out interview invitations as we speak.  Some, not all, admits also received fellowship offers, so be assured that upcoming Round 2 admits will definitely be considered for fellowships as well.

As I mentioned previously, we are still sending out interview invites, and plan to do so for the next few weeks.  We are doing our best to evaluate all files as quickly and carefully as possible and really appreciate your patience as we process our biggest round of the year.  Our office plans to release another small batch of decisions in the next week or two, but expect that the vast majority of Round 2 applicants will get their decisions on the final release deadine of April 4th. 

Waitlist Guidelines

Our remaining Round 1 decisions were released last week, and we’ve received a number of questions from candidates who were placed on the waitlist.  For clarification on our waitlist policy this year, please read on.

• Your name will remain on the waitlist until a final decision is made on your application or you request your application be withdrawn.
• Waitlisted candidates (excluding those who withdraw) will be reconsidered for admission in subsequent rounds. 
• Specifically, Round 1 applicants will receive an update on your application status by the Round 2 decision deadline of April 4, 2012.  Some candidates may be offered the option of remaining on the waitlist for consideration in Round 3.
• Waitlisted candidates may send in updates to their application since the Round 1 deadline to wlmgr@anderson.ucla.edu.  This is completely optional.
• We ask that you use your personal judgment and discretion in submitting information that is relevant to your application.  Some examples include (but are not limited to): updated GMAT scores, promotions at work, and recent extracurricular accomplishments.
• We cannot give individual feedback to waitlisted applicants.
• Chances of being admitted off the waitlist are difficult to predict since the number of students admitted from the waitlist varies from year to year depending on the size/strength of the admit pool, number of admits who enroll, and other factors.

Before you rush to submit additional information to the waitlist manager, please keep in mind that:

• Every interaction we have with you moving forward can be a data point on your file – make sure your interactions are targeted and value-added
• This is the busiest time of year for most admissions offices
• Quality of information/communication count more than quantity

As always, we appreciate your continued enthusiasm for UCLA Anderson and thank you for your patience as we craft the Class of 2014.

Mid-January admissions update

Our office is on the home stretch finalizing Round 1 decisions, and we are also polishing up our iPad screens to gear up for some intense Round 2 file reading.  The next several months are going to be extremely busy for us, especially given that applications for the full-time MBA program are up again this round!  Not only are the numbers looking good, but the quality of the pool continues to impress us, and we're definitely looking forward to meeting more outstanding candidates as we craft the Class of 2014 . 

On that note, here's an update on what our applicants can expect over the next few months:

- Round 1 decisions: The rest of our R1 decisions will be released on the morning of Wednesday, January 25th (Pacific Time).  You can log into your online application for a status update then.  Admitted students will also receive a phone call from the admissions office (or an email if we are unable to reach you).

- Round 2 applications: The vast majority of R2 files will be released to the admissions committee after round 1 decisions are out.  Although the application deadline was a week ago, we want to make sure each R1 application gets adequate evaluation time by the admissions committee before focusing on R2.  Which takes us to our next item...

- Round 2 interviews: Interview invitations will be sent via email starting next month.  We anticipate most will take place throughout February and March, depending on how quickly the admissions committee can evaluate applications.  Please note that R2 is our heaviest round by volume, so even though we will devote our time and resources into file reading, it will still take time to go through each one.  We thank you in advance for your patience through this process!

- Cool happenings: We have some amazing executives coming up on campus this year, such as Vice-Chairman & CEO of McDonald's Corporation Jim Skinner and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki.   Off-campus, faculty member Jim Stengel will be a featured speaker at this year's TED Conference in Long Beach.  Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for updates on these and other upcoming events.

Hello 2012!

A happy new year to our readers!  2011 was an exciting year for us with lots of great changes, and 2012 is already off to a wonderful start.  The admissions team was busy reading files throughout the university closure period, and we arrived back in the office today ready to release many more round 1 interview invitations.  We are wrapping up our round 1 files and will continue to invite applicants to interviews over the next few weeks. 

With the Round 2 deadline just about a week away, we're also gearing up for the busiest time of the admissions cycle, as this is typically the round in which we receive the greatest number of applications.  Layer on top of these impending files all of our upcoming admit events, winter admissions events with Inside the MBA and The MBA Tour, plus tons of other ongoing projects and you can see that the life of an admissions officer is never boring.  But hey, that's what we love about this job :)  Remember to check Facebook and Twitter for quick application tips and updates in the days leading up to the deadline.

One last update - class visits for winter quarter will begin on Tuesday, January 17th and registration is now open.  Click here to sign up (select Category 04. Full-Time MBA: Class Visit and search in the date range desired).

As always, feel free to send us any questions/thoughts via the comments section below, email, or phone.

Holiday update from the MBA Admissions team

Happy holidays to all our readers!  We have a couple of updates to share with you:

Update #1 - Early decision release: The admissions office released a batch of admits earlier this morning.  We are still working hard reading round 1 files and interview invitations will continue go out until mid-January.  Applicants who interviewed but have not received a decision yet may still need to go through a post-interview evaluation by the admissions committee.  At this point, we are not planning to release many more early decisions, but all our remaining round 1 applicants will definitely hear from us no later than January 25th. 

Updates will be posted on the blog and our other social media channels, so please stay tuned!

Update #2 - University closure: The University, including the MBA Admissions & Financial Aid office, will be closed starting Thursday, December 22nd through Monday, January 2nd.  However, you can stay in touch with us during this time via:

- Email: Our team will respond to email inquiries at mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu, though responses may be delayed a day or two. 

- Social Media: We will continue to post news and updates from our staff and current students on Facebook, Twitter, The Student Voice blog, and the admissions blog so please check back often.

- Signing up for future events: Please sign up for a webinar or group info session, or meet us on the road in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco next month.

The admissions committee will continue to read files throughout this time (no break for us but that's okay :))

As always, we're happy to answer any questions you have - feel free to post a comment or shoot us an email.

Admissions Interviews

Can you believe we're approaching the end of 2011?  Admissions interviews have been taking place over the past several weeks, so I thought now would be a good time for a blog post on this topic.  UCLA Anderson's interviews are by invitation only, and we will contact you via email if selected.  Our website has detailed information on the admissions interview, and below I've addressed some common questions we receive about the process.

- When will the admissions office let me know if I'm selected for an interview?   We've prioritized file reading to get invitations out as quickly as possible.  Interview invitations will go out regularly until mid-January except during the university-wide campus closure from December 22-January 2.

- Where do interviews take place?  Either on-campus with current students or admissions officers, off-campus with alumni in cities around the world, or virtually via Skype with students or admissions officers. All interviews regardless of location are weighed equally, as all interviewers are trained on the same evaluation metrics.

- What sorts of questions should I be prepared for?  Questions revolve around your reasons for an MBA, career goals, interest in UCLA Anderson, and professional/personal experiences as outlined in your application materials.  As an interviewee, you should be prepared to provide insightful responses showcasing strong communication skills, demonstrating knowledge of our program, and ultimately expressing why you are a great fit for UCLA Anderson.  Also, remember that this is also an opportunity for you to learn more about us, so arrive with thoughtful questions for your interviewer too!

Receiving an interview invitation indicates that you made a pretty compelling case for yourself on paper, so continue the positive momentum by making an equally strong case in person. 

I hope this helps to clarify the interview process for our readers. Feel free to leave any questions or thoughts in the comments section below.   

iPads bring a paperless world to MBA Admissions

Our application process has gone completely paperless now, as we started evaluating candidates on our iPads.  Using new software from Matchbox we can zoom in on PDF's of everything submitted on-line to rate candidates on our metrics including academics, leadership, focus and personal skills.  It's fun to highlight evidence that proves the high quality of our applicants.

E-reading came along just in time to help us with our big increase in applications this year!

So far we have focused our reading on certain geographic areas and now we are turning our attention to the whole wide world.  Interview invitations will follow fast in the next few weeks as we read our way through the applicant pool.  No more piles o' files here though -- everybody just gets their turn on-screen.

Speed and depth in our evaluations are both enhanced with the new iPad tool.  Our admission committee members can share insights more readily than ever as we find the best people to join the UCLA Anderson family.  Brave pioneers are welcome here to help us shape this brand new era.