The MBA Student Voice

Picking Up The Slack

Most of the other UCLA Anderson students are sitting the Capital Markets final today; as my regular readers will remember, I passed the waiver exam for this course, so I'm sitting at home in my PJs with Mrs. V watching my beloved Manchester United play Wolfsburg in the Champions League, while my fellow classmates are regurgitating put/call strategies and bond pricing. 

So since they are in the exam, I'll pick up the slack on the blog.  Really, it's the least I could do. 

Offside!  Welbeck buries the ball into the back of the net, but is deemed offside.  United should be ahead 1-0!  If Welbeck is offside, it's by a foot.  Mrs. V has already learned the offside rule and determines that...she'd rather go back to bed than watch football. 

This week we have four exams in four days.  Yesterday was Economics, today Capital Markets, tomorrow Data and Decisions -- a fancy title for statistics -- and then Accounting.  Followed up by what has been billed as one of the most appealing nights at the pub, then the annual UCLA Anderson ski trip - this year, Breckenridge, Colorado. 

GOAL!  Brilliant cross by Nani and the shortest man on the pitch, Michael Owen, deposits it into the back of the net.  Perfect end to the first half.  The crowd in Wolfsburg is stunned.  I cheer; Mrs. V decides to celebrate by going to the store to pick up milk.  Must be some strange United tradition I've never heard of.  Either way, Wolfsburg need a result here or their Champions League season is over.   

I've been really impressed with the guys in the section who have kids.  I can't imagine going through this quarter as I did, then coming home to kids.  They say the MBA program is a great time to have kids -- the alumni of the International Business Association say that "MBA" stands for "Make Baby in America" -- because you have some flexibility on your schedule, especially after the intense first quarter.  

Second half underway.  Another dubious off-side call negates a great scoring chance, this time for Wolfsburg -- I'm unimpressed but will take it.  Dzezko, their main attacking threat, has been awfully quiet today.  Let's keep it that way.  On our side, Nani needs to be introduced to Welbeck over a coffee.

My classmates are out of the finance exam.  We are now halfway through exams. I know this because Ezra just sent around a video to Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer".  (Get it? "Ohhh we're halfway there | Ohhh-Oh! Living On A Prayer!").

They score.  This time Dzezko finishes off the header in the box. 1-1. Grumble. Made worse by the cheerleading announcer.  United fans are unimpressed and make loads of noise. I love the German tradition of the announcer saying the first name and the fans giving the surname, though. 

According to Google, today is the birthday of the creator of Popeye.  I was a Popeye kid; spinach is still my favorite vegetable.  One thing I am not doing a good job of is eating vegetables -- especially this week.  The goal for next quarter?  Eating healthy, learning to play golf, and six-pack abs.  

GOAL!  It all starts with Gabriel Obertan and Antonio Valencia come in for Nani and Welbeck.  Maybe now they can get that coffee together.  Obertan makes an instant impact, cuttin garound two Wolfsburg defenders, then making a brilliant pass to an unmarked Michael Owen, who calmly puts the ball behind the net.  I cheer like Alex Ovechkin after a goal.  Mrs. V celebrates by folding laundry.  I'd help but don't want to distract myself from writing this post.  Just five minutes to go! 

GOAL! Surely it's over now.  Wolfsburg are upset that no penalty was called on United after Riether was stopped by Darren Fletcher; Fletcher moved the ball quickly in transition, and Owen found himself all alone with the keeper.  Owen drops it over the keeper and into the net, calm as you like.  United take the match and are top seed out of the group to the knockout stages. Wolfsburg are done as CSKA Moscow take the second spot. 

I love football.  Now back to Accounting. 

-- Sreesha

The Calm Before The Storm

I can't think about it anymore.  

Finals start in 10 hours, 19 minutes (but who's counting?) and I've now hit the point of no return for tomorrow's final.  Which means either (a) I'm ready and confident, or (b) I'm a complete muppet.  

I'm not sure which is more likely. 

Tomorrow's exam is open book, open note, open computer, no internet.  I feel like I know the stuff well enough, and there's no point in memorizing formulas or doing any last-minute cramming because anything I don't know, I can look up.  

Famous last words.  

* * * * * *

There were two great alumni mixers last week, both of which were student-organized through the Marketing Association and the Entertainment Management Association.    

I'm continually impressed with how active the UCLA Anderson alumni are with the school.  So far, of the alumni that I have met or called, they have all seemed very open to hearing from current students and very helpful with helping us with our career search.  Last week was no exception. 

We also had two interesting speakers at the two events: Thomas Crahan, National Manager of Product Planning at Toyota, came to the MA event; John Fogelman, a board member for William Morris Endeavor, spoke to the EMA.  

Mr. Fogelman also gave us a great gift -- a NERF gun with three foam bullets, which of course meant that there was an ensuing NERF battle in the atrium of one of our buildings -- which I inexplicably missed but was clued in by my good buddy and fellow blogeteer John Park (he didn't tell me who started it, so I'm guessing the culprit was J-Park himself!).  I made the mistake of leaving my NERF gun in my flat, which of course meant that Mrs. V shot me when I got home the next night from campus.  Grumble.   

(By the way, I think she really likes how intense the business school program is.  She spent most of this evening downloading 80s television shows from Hulu.  Tonight it's 21 Jump Street, with Johnny Depp.  If I walk by and see Mario Lopez and Tiffany Amber Thiessen on her computer screen, then I should take her out someplace.)  

* * * * * *

Two non-Anderson things to bring up.  Firstly, even though I am not a Penguins fan, I do enjoy catching the Empty Netters blog hosted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Seth Rorabaugh.  Great read for hockey fans. 

Secondly, after spending Thanksgiving driving back and forth between Westwood (where UCLA is) and  Mrs. V's relatives in Burbank and Glendale (about 30-45 minutes away from UCLA), I strongly feel that the next governor of California needs to institute driving re-education in this state mandatory for all California drivers license holders.  Here's the syllabus:  

* Module 1: Manual Transmission.  After this module, students will have an appreciation for the fact that some cars require the driver to manually change gears ("Manual Transmission"); students will also understand that when on an inclined road, one should leave more than 2 millimeters of space between one's own car and one of these vehicles.  Extra Credit: Students will be encouraged to drive Manual Transmission vehicles around town (these must be purchased by students separately). 

* Module 2: Blind Spots.  After this module, students will be able to disprove the myth that if Driver A can see Driver B, Driver B can also see Driver A.  Students will also have experience with the difficulties of merging onto a motorway when another drive is in the student's "Blind Spot". 

* Module 3: Lane Management.  After this module, students will have explored how the UK's rule of banning undertaking coupled with requiring drivers to move to a slower lane if a faster car is behind, allows for traffic to flow faster, thus helping all drivers reach their destinations faster.  Students will also appreciate how the UK's motorways has fewer traffic accidents per capita than motorways in California, even though speeds in the UK are routinely 2-3 times faster.  

Failure to pass the course will require a student to sit in 100 hours of government-managed traffic for experiential learning of the three modules above. 

I bet only 20% of Californians could pass this course, and that's including 5% who are celebrities and get away with anything.  

That's all for now.  See this space for the post-finals quarter recap!   

-- Sreesha

Applied Management Research -- my project

In the second your of your MBA experience at Anderson, you will be required to complete a two-quarter thesis project, referred to as AMR (Applied Management Research). Although there is an option to create a business (aspiring entrepreneurs, email me if you'd like more information about that opportunity, and I'll put you in touch with friends who are going the BCO -- business creation opportunity -- route).

My project has been amazing. On top of getting work with four talented, brilliant classmates, I've been getting valuable real-world consulting experience. Our field study engagement is focused on improving the operational efficiency of a Ghanaian health care facility called Korle Bu. Korle Bu is the largest provider of medical services in Ghana, and is the teaching hospital associated with the University of Ghana. It's located in the capital city of Accra, and three of my teammates were there last week doing extensive research on the current practices employed by the hospital. In January, I'll have a turn to visit -- by then, we will have a set of recommendations and will take advantage of another week on the client site to test them out and put on the final touches. The project will conclude with a final presentation in early March.

Ander-flu gone; now back to work

So I'm finally recovered (I think) from the dreaded Ander-flu and can finally put up a better blog post than my last one. 

As I mentioned in my last post, the Ander-flu is actually not a flu virus, but is the bug that gives nearly 50% of the first-year class anything from a sore throat to a painful head cold.  The Royal Opera could compose a symphony with all of the coughing, sneezing, and throat-clearing.  At one point, our poor marketing professor had to stop her lecture because we were drowning her out.  

So I finally cured my Ander-flu by sleeping eight hours a day, drinking fluids, and eating vegetables.  Funny how that worked. 

* * * * * *

Time for me to come clean: I don't wear a wedding ring. 

There are two reasons for this: one, it doesn't fit; and two, I don't like rings or jewelry on my hands.  I don't wear a watch, either, for the same reason.  Somehow, I feel imbalanced.  Mrs. V is ok with this - so she says - and frankly I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm married.  

Some of my female readers think I'm a bit daft for not wearing it, and I can kind of understand why: it's all a bit suspect, isn't it?  I say I'm married but I don't wear a ring and no one has met Mrs. V yet.  Well, both of those problems will be rectified this week - at long last, Mrs. V arrives to Los Angeles on Tuesday. 

Some of my male readers think I'm a bit daft for not wearing it, as they subscribe to the theory that wearing a wedding ring helps you meet women.  I'm not a believer yet in that theory but certainly am willing to try -- especially if Leighton Meester happens to be about.

(Note to Mrs. V -- that was a joke).  

* * * * * *

I was lucky enough to pass the waiver exam for for one of our core courses, Financial Markets, which meant that I could take an elective course.  However, we have two "intensive" courses that meet four times a week for five weeks instead of two times a week for 10 weeks.  Marketing is the first one; after that's finished, Financial Markets starts in Week 6 of the quarter.  So to take this elective, I have to sit five courses when my classmates are only sitting four. 

Is it worth it?  My early prognosis is: most definitely.  I'm taking Professor Johnson's course, Media 2015, which looks at the development of business plans in the media space between now and 2015.  I've really enjoyed the readings for it so far, even the textbook, and am really looking forward to getting involved in the meat of the discussions.  Most of the people in that class are either second-years, are from FEMBA (an Anderson-ese acronym that essentially means the part-time program), or are exchange students -- in fact, my group project team involves two exchange students from London and one from Toronto. 

* * * * * *

I appreciate that it's easy to criticize maintenance and far harder to provide solutions.  So credit goes to them for (finally) increasing the temperature of our classrooms from 0 (at least it seemed to me) to a more respectable 20 degrees.  

But there's another maintenance mystery that I would love to resolve.  My section finishes classes every day at 14:30.  On some days there is another class at 16:00; on other days, the classroom is empty.  In both cases, I prefer to stay in the classroom and get some work done. 

But on three different days this week, maintenance decided to paint the room. 

I'm not entirely sure what they are painting.  The only part of the wall that is painted is one section near the door.  So why are they compelled to paint it so often? 

Certainly can't help the Ander-flu outbreak. 

* * * * * *

There are a lot of ways to measure diversity in the class, but here's a fun way: favorite sports teams.  There's another United junkie in my section, as well as a couple of Capitals fans -- well, they are from DC and are more Redskins fans, but they humor me.  Within the class, I've met Arsenal, Liverpool, and Spurs fans -- but surprisingly, no Chelsea fans.  I've also met fans of all 32 American football clubs, even Arizona Cardinals.  And I've met quite a few hockey fans, supporting Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, New York Rangers, Dallas, and of course Anaheim and Los Angeles.   

I bring this up for only reason: as an excuse to wind up my good friends and fellow blogeteers (I like that word) John Park and Matt Kerbel, who are proud citizens of Maple Leaf Nation and probably didn't enjoy very much watching my Washington Capitals take a convincing 6-4 win tonight over their Toronto Maple Leafs.

(And so it begins...) 

-- Sreesha

The Impertinent UCLA Anderson FAQ

As orientation winds down to a close here in sunny Westwood, I thought I would share some answers to some very pertinent questions you are all probably asking yourselves at this precise moment. 

Here are some real answers to some real questions posed by the members of the live studio audience in my living room. 

Q. Why did you and your section spend an afternoon with your faces painted singing Gwen Stefani songs? 

The Section Olympics were on Thursday, which were a lot of fun.  There were lots of events that I haven't played since I was a kid, like kickball, dodgeball, whiffle ball, and tug of war.  Two clear patterns emerged: (1) we are by far the biggest section in terms of height, weight, and muscle mass, and (2) it doesn't take much to get otherwise grown adults to paint their faces, make slogans, and scream like banshees. 

And we had Section B songs, courtesy of the people in our section who are far more creative than I.  We had "B is Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!", and "Who let the B's out?", and "You down with Section B? Yeah you know me."...was a lot of fun and left us all hoarse.  The other sections had their songs, too.  Of the others, my favorite was Section C's redux of the Ting Tings song, "That's Not My Name". 

OK fine, it's all a little kiddie.  But if I told you we sat around the telly watching United while singing "he goes by the name of Wayne Rooney" you wouldn't have thought twice about it.  I'm a disaster playing football and I don't even know Wayne Rooney; at least I know the people in Section B.  

Unfortunately, we came up short in the Section Olympics.  But still a few days to go before they award the Section Cup to the best section.  Cheer us on! 

Q. How many times did you dunk your section leader in the dunk tank before it was no longer funny? 

We never really reached the point of it not being funny.  As part of orientation, the second years organized a mock County Fair, replete with country line dancing, Nerf jousting, face painting, balloon animals -- and a dunk tank, which of course we used to repeatedly dunk our section leaders.  I say "we" very loosely -- my three throws consisted of two sliders and one that fits Bob Uecker's category of "juuuuuuuuust a bit outside."

Q.  Can you tell us the Tyson Beckford story? 

Some of my female readers have been unimpressed that I mention attractive celebrity females but not attractive celebrity males in my posts.  So I promised to incorporate an attractive celebrity male (other than me, of course) in this post.  Tyson Beckford was recommended to me by some -- but surprisingly, not all -- of my female readers. 

Q.  Is that all there is to the Tyson Beckford story? What an anti-climax. 

I agree.  But I don't know Tyson Beckford or any other attractive male celebrities.  

Q. How many outgoing mailboxes are on Westwood Boulevard between campus and Santa Monica Boulevard?

One.  Yours truly went wandering around for 45 minutes after school trying to put a letter in the mail and ended up a block from my apartment.   

Q.  Did you really think it was a good idea to wear a Washington Capitals Mike Green shirt in the middle of the Los Angeles summer?  

I did, but with good reason - it's freezing in the classrooms.  They are like meat lockers, especially Korn Hall, which is a beautiful, well-designed, yet blood-freezing cold hall even when filled to its 500+ capacity.  So what I need is a light sweater that I can easily take off.  And since hockey players call their shirts "sweaters", it seemed like a good idea. The fact that it was also opening day of training camp made it all the more sports-geeky.  

Q.  Did you really have a final exam during Orientation? 

Yes we did.  The school builds in a pass/fail "tasting course" for five days during orientation.  It's supposed to give us a warm-up to the real thing which starts at the end of next week, and highlights some broad concepts of leadership.  Most importantly, it gets us into the mode of thinking like students, and some practice for reading cases and engaging in classroom discussion, which are both very different from undergrad. 

Q.  Is it true that you lost your fantasy football league game by 2/100ths of a point this week? 

Who put this question in this blog?  Yes, it is true.  That "irrelevant" interception by San Diego on the last play of the last game of the week?  Not so irrelevant for me. 

Q.  Will you get up tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM to watch the Manchester derby? 

I really want to, but it's not on Fox Soccer Channel here, which means I have to nip off to one of the United pubs in Santa Monica.  Getting into a car at 5:00 AM is quite an ask, even for me.  But I'm really tempted to do it. 

Q.  Whatever happened to the idea that you would go to the gym every day? 

Point taken.  Time to get off of the couch. 

--- Sreesha

One way ticket to Los Angeles...

You have to admit, it is a fitting picture. 

Over four years ago, I arrived on a one-way ticket into London Heathrow's Terminal Four, at the time its nicest terminal.  My firm was transferring me to London; I flew business class, was picked up in a corporate Mercedes Benz E-class, then was whisked into a corporate apartment, fully kitted out including a 50-inch plasma TV. 

Now, I am sitting in Heathrow's worst terminal, Terminal Four.  My firm, Lehman Brothers, famously went bankrupt.  Mrs. V drove me to the airport in our VW Golf; I bought my own economy class ticket and will turn up in Los Angeles needing an apartment and, among other things, a new 50-inch TV. 

When I decided to go to UCLA Anderson, I knew nothing about Los Angeles.  So I bought, then binned, the Lonely Planet guidebook and decided to watch a lot of LA-based TV shows.  Research, I explained to Mrs. V.   

After marathon days of "24" and "Entourage", I confidently explained what will happen upon my arrival at LAX: I will immediately be issued loads of military gear so that I can arrest some terrorists before going to see the Lakers or Kings at the Staples Center with Emmanuelle Chriqui.  

Mrs. V was not amused. 

I'm excited to go to UCLA Anderson.  Like many others in my class, for me, the MBA course will be the start of a career change. 

I spent the past seven years trading, structuring, and selling the now-infamous derivatives known as collateralized debt obligations.  I love the energy and pace of a trading floor, where decisions that affect millions of dollars are made in an instant.  Doesn't every job involve being in seven conversations in three languages at once (two phones, chat, email, Bloomberg, your neighbor, and someone shouting at you from two rows away)?  

But after seven years, I knew it was time for something new.  Being laid off made me realize how much of a sports geek I really was - not as an armchair quarterback, but in a business sense.  After boring Mrs. V, my friends, family -- anyone who would listen, really -- about my ideas for the sports industry, it finally occurred to me to try to make a career out of it. 

For me there were many reasons to come to UCLA Anderson, but one sticks out in my mind more than any other.  It's no secret that investment banks and consulting firms recruit heavily at MBA programs; but I felt that UCLA Anderson had a great mix of other potential employers as well -- not to mention strong links into the sports and entertainment industries.  UCLA Anderson's famed entrepreneurial bent was icing on the cake.

Time to board.  Last thoughts before the flight: to London -- I love you, will miss you, and am proud to call you my adopted hometown.  

To Los Angeles -- tell Emmanuelle my flight lands at 2pm. 

Navigating the F-1 VISA

I arrived at Pearson International Airport, anxious and excited. I was off to LA! I had waited a long time for this day, and as I said my good-byes to my family, visions of sun and fun danced in my head. Alas, it was not meant to be. As I made my way through US customs, I would eventually be detained by a US customs officer, questioned, and then sent back home. My visions of sun and fun would tragically remain unfulfilled.

This happened to me in June 2000. I had applied for a summer internship with a not-for-profit organization in LA. and I was fortunate to be chosen as the first non-American to participate. However neither the not-for-profit nor I was sufficiently knowledgeable with the US customs requirements. Long story short, when asked by the US customs officer what the purpose of my trip to LA was, I said "internship". Without any documentation nor a visa for that matter, I was sunk.

Fast forward to 2009 and I was once again faced with the prospects of going to LA and navigating through US customs. Luckily this time I had the benefit of the help and resources at UCLA. First and foremost, there are the hard working people at MBA Admissions. In particular I wish to acknowledge Mr. Craig Hubbell, who is Associate Director of MBA Admissions. Craig looks after the international students admitted to the program. Over the past few months I've probably emailed Craig about, oh 1,598 times (give or take a few emails). Craig has been super helpful and the international students would be wise to make Craig your best friend.

In addition, there's the UCLA Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars which assists international students in a number of different ways. For instance, it is there to help with F-1 and J-1 visa matters, as well as help international students make cultural, educational and personal adjustments to the campus and the community. Pursuant to US customs requirements, checking in at the Dashew Center will be one of the first items of business for international students once they arrive.

Thankfully, the second time around there were no issues. In fact, things went so smoothly that I was a tad disappointed. I had all my papers organized, was mentally ready to answer some tough questions...but all for naught. So I made it to LA and am currently settling in. It was nine years in the works, but I am finally enjoying the sun and having fun. Better late than never!

~I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, "What are you?"~ Grace Murray Hopper

New Identity - "International Student"

"Canadian," "corporate lawyer," "director," "brother" - these are some of the ways in which I have been identified to date. Now I'm about to add a new one to the list: "international student." Having been born and raised in Canada, it feels a bit strange that I will be considered an international student when my UCLA Anderson adventure, as a member of the Class of 2011, begins in a few weeks. During the course of my undergraduate and law school studies, I've been lucky enough to make friends with international students from places such as Kenya, Germany and Korea. Therefore I have always associated international students as coming from far off places with different languages, cultures and experiences. Hardly the case in this instance for a guy who grew up mere hours from the US border (Toronto), followed the Lakers, watched Seinfeld and ate Big Macs.

Nevertheless I'm excited at the prospect of being an international student along with the other international students who will form 1/3 of the class. The diversity of my classmates along with the diversity of Los Angeles were important factors in my decision to attend UCLA Anderson. And with the emphasis that UCLA Anderson places on collaboration, teamwork and collegiality, I know I will have the benefit of learning from the varied experiences and perspectives of my fellow classmates from around the world. In turn I also have my Canadian experiences and perspectives to bring to the table. =D

And of course in addition to "international student," I will also be newly identified as a "Bruin" and as a part of the UCLA Anderson family and network. I have an idea of what all this will mean and am eager to get started. I look forward to sharing this and the rest of my UCLA Anderson experience as it unfolds.

~An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.~ James Baldwin

Anderson's Amazing Professors

We all have our favorite professors.  Maybe it was that great professor first quarter that changes your mind about that boring subject.  Or maybe it was that professor that was so dynamic and engaging in class that you couldn't help but get excited when you were in class.  I've had several professors that have really been incredible.  One of those is my current professor for an elective class -- Managerial Model Building. Professor Herman is doing great work in the classroom, as well as outside.  She was just honored with the 2009 Health Literacy Award for her work with the Head Start Program.  

I think this is a great example of the type of faculty at Anderson.  They are experts in their fields and are really engaged with the students.  But they also make a significant impact in the real world.  Model Building has been a great class for me and has so many applications across industries and functions.  I've already used linear programming several times for in-class work, and I am sure that I will use it this summer in my internship.  I think it's a very valuable class to take while at Anderson, and Prof. Herman is a great teacher, who also gives back to the community.

--Cheryl

Anderson goes to China!

Every spring break some of UCLA Anderson's identity clubs - like the Greater China Business Association, the Japan America Business Association, and the South Asian Business Association – plan exotic trips for first- and second-year MBA students to go on.  This year I toured Beijing and Shanghai with 15 fellow students. It was a blast; not just hanging out with new and old friends but seeing some amazing sites.

We hiked the Great Wall, survived a stampede through the entrance of the Bird’s Nest, and rediscovered our fear of heights standing on the glass floor of the World Financial Center’s observatory, 101 stories above the ground. (OK, maybe that last one was just me. But seriously, the picture above is of the 1,380 foot Jin Mao tower – from above!) Not to forget about business, we also toured Lenovo’s Beijing facility and saw some prototypes for new products slated to launch in the next couple years.

All in all, a great trip. I’m ready to try Japan next year. 
 
Linda