The MBA Insider's Blog

2012 Entrepreneur Association Conference - May 11th

Each year, the Entrepreneur Association (EA) Conference attracts more than 500 entrepreneurs, investors, students and faculty for a day of networking, instruction, and inspiration.

This year’s conference theme is Vision in Action, highlighting the lifecycle of an entrepreneur from idea to execution. Through a series of panels, case studies, and keynote presentations, conference attendees will share matters important to seeing and seizing new business opportunities.

Mark Suster, partner at GRP Partners and founder of Launchpad LA, and Mike Jones, entrepreneurial internet executive, former CEO of Myspace and founder of Science, Inc., will keynote the conference. A series of panels and case studies featuring local entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and industry experts are also scheduled.

The EA Conference will take place Friday, May 11. For more information and to register, please click here.

UCLA Anderson and Forte Foundation to bring "Career Lab" to LA-area undergraduate women

Forté Foundation and UCLA Anderson will host their second annual “Career Lab” in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, April 11th. The event, which will take place at UCLA Anderson, B210, Gold Hall, 110 Westwood Plaza, will present panels of career women who will share how they have benefited both personally and professionally from a career in business and an MBA . The event will also offer networking, a career workshop about breaking into different industries, and refreshments. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore their own passions and learn strategies for applying them to a professional career.

The Career Lab will present women’s perspectives on topics that are important to undergraduate women, including:
• Career Workshop with Regina Regazzi, Executive Director of Corporate Relations, Parker Career Management Center
• Women in Business / Industry Introduction Panel – Perspectives from UCLA Anderson alumnae and current MBA students from various industries
• Networking
• Business School Admissions Tips / Q&A with Admissions Officers

Undergraduates at area colleges and universities are invited to take part in all or part of the Career Lab offerings. Women of ALL majors are encouraged to attend. The Career Lab is a non-threatening yet powerful forum for young women to figure out what they want to do with their professional lives. Seats are limited, so attendees are encouraged to visit http://www.fortefoundation.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=10221 for more information and to register. The registration deadline is Monday, April 9th.

We hope to see you there!

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.

UCLA Anderson in London for an Information Evening Event

Last night, I had the opportunity to meet some really terrific candidates at the London QS MBA Fair. Tomorrow evening (Monday), we will be hosting a school presentation at 7 PM in London. If you are in town and would like to learn more about UCLA Anderson and interact with some of our alumni come join us. 

Next stops on my trip include Paris, Madrid and Barcelona. I hope to meet some of you in one of those great cities. Don't forget that our Round 2 admissions deadline is on January 11. For more information about our off campus events please visit our website.

-Adrian Aguirre
UCLA Anderson School of Management

First stop for UCLA Anderson in Latin America: Buenos Aires

As a native of Latin America, I am always thrilled to have the opportunity to travel back to South America and meet fellow Latin Americans interested in becoming part of the UCLA Anderson family.

Thursday night was the first of a series of Information Evenings--that is what we call our information sessions--I will be doing in Latin America. My next stops include Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima, Monterrey and Mexico City. During my trip, I intend to share on our blog any pertinent questions that arise during my events In Latin America that may be of interest to any prospective UCLA MBA Applicants.

One interesting questions that arose at my event in Buenos Aires was about the importance of grades (GPA’s) and whether lower grades should deter applicants from applying to top competitive schools.
At UCLA Anderson, we know that grades are important but we also know that they are only one aspect of what an individual can brings to an MBA program. We look at grades as one of the indicators that will help us predict how you will do academically.   However, when looking at your undergraduate grades, we evaluate a number of other factors.  We also look at each individual school for its academic rigor and the difficulty of your particular course load.  We also examine the progression and any improvements you may have demonstrated throughout your education.

Last but not least, we also understand that sometimes, unforeseen circumstances affect your ability to perform. That is why we look holistically at the entire application. We look to see other indications of academic performance such as GMAT scores, additional courses taken after college, professional certificates and even the nature of your work to help offset a blemish in your academic career.

We work hard at crafting a diverse class of well-rounded individuals with professional maturity and leadership potential. Grades are only one part of a larger and more complex evaluation and selection process. For more information on our evaluation process please visit our website. 

-Adrian Aguirre

Associate Admissions Director

UCLA Anderson  

 

 

 

Meet UCLA Anderson at Kaplan's Road to Business School series

Another opportunity to meet UCLA Anderson admissions staff and alumni will be at Kaplan's Road to Business School series, which kicks off tomorrow in London and continues in several cities throughout the U.S.  Various staff members will be present at all eleven cities on the tour, and I myself will be attending the Kaplan events in Chicago (8/9), Seattle (8/11), and San Francisco (8/13) - mention this blog when we meet and receive a special gift! :D

For a complete list of cities in the Road to Business School series and to register, click here.  Looking forward to meeting you soon!

-Jessica

UCLA Anderson will be in NYC tomorrow at The MBA Tour conference

Happy Friday!  Travel season is pretty much upon us, and I wanted to let our readers know that we will be at the MBA Tour conference in NYC tomorrow.  This all-day event includes two chances to sit in on UCLA Anderson-specific presentations, and you can meet admissions officer Adrian Aguirre along with Anderson alumni at the fair event.  For more information and to register, please click here.

Time to plan our fall MBA admissions events!

Many people assume that summer is a time for admissions officers to unwind and relax after a super busy admissions cycle.  As much as I wish that were the case, in reality our summer is packed with lots of planning for the upcoming year.  As the person who manages our recruiting events, I'm usually knee-deep (metaphorically) in emails and phone calls to secure venues for our information sessions around the world.  In addition to stand-alone information sessions, UCLA Anderson is also represented at various MBA fairs and events with organizations we are affiliated with, such as the Forte Foundation, National Black MBA Association, and National Society of Hispanic MBAs, to name a few. 

An updated events calendar is in the works and should be posted soon, so continue to check back on our website regularly!

Although it's not feasible to visit every city in the world to meet prospective applicants in person, we hope to connect with as many of you as possible online.  I know this blog as well as The MBA Student Voice have lots of anonymous readers, and I'm curious to know who you all are and where you're located.  So let us know in the comments - where are you?  Who knows, maybe we'll make a surprise visit to your town in the near future!

Join UCLA Anderson in New York City this Monday

Join Rob Weiler, Interim Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at UCLA Anderson this Monday, June 20th from 7 - 9 PM. The event will take place at the Kaplan Midtown Center. For more information about the event and to register please visit the event page.

This will be a great opportunity to learn about UCLA Anderson, our culture and discover how you can become a more competitive applicant to our MBA program.

- MBA Admissions and Financial Aid