The MBA Student Voice

Class of ‘14 insider summer scoop - PART 7 - "Start of an era"

This will be oue last collective summer post! We’re all here, orientation starts today, we’ve met a bunch of classmates, socialized and found out as much as we possibly could about what’s going to be happening to us for the next two years. We all have different first impressions but here is how we are seeing things today.

(source)

Kyle Forrest: This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made personally. When I first began thinking about an MBA, I originally thought part-time would be the way to go - let’s face it, as Dwight said in the previous group post, not having a salary is a big change, and the two year MBA experience can be quite expensive. However, in the 6 weeks I’ve spent in Los Angeles before orientation started, I’ve been able to get to know my classmates in a way that I never would have been able to do in a part-time program. The relationships are already more meaningful, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out after the next two years with everyone!

Gregory Paige: Pressing the pause button on a career is a significant risk for most people. I certainly fit into that group. But here we are at the start of Orientation, and I can already tell that Anderson will prove to be one of the best decisions of my life. You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s all about the people. My classmates have arrived from all over the country and across the globe. From every industry imaginable. And with all types of personal and career aspirations. I feel privileged to have access to such a variety of minds and experiences. Ultimately I’m not hitting pause on my career, I’m upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray!

Ashley Mallinson: I have been incredibly impressed with my future classmates, Anderson and Los Angeles. I knew that business school was the right decision for me personally and fell in love with Anderson  as early as my first campus visit, and so far the experience has surpassed my expectations in every way. I truly could not have imagined being this happy with all the dramatic changes that have taken place in my life over the last two weeks. Based on my experience so far, it is truly the people at Anderson that make the school exceptional and set the entire experience apart. It is incredible to be surrounded by such a friendly, intelligent, open-minded group of people who are each individually outstanding in unique ways. I am beyond excited to see what we, as a collaborative group, are capable of. I feel confident that I am starting a new chapter of my life with new allies, realistic goals and no limits!

Alejandra Rodriguez: It has been as awesome as I thought it would be! I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of my classmates before even coming to Los Angeles so I already knew the kind of fantastic people I was going to share my next two years with and let me tell you I was not disappointed! It has also been surprisingly easy for me to adapt to living in a new country and I believe it is because my new friends have been keeping company and helping me every step of the way. Anderson has one of the best communities you will ever find and I am delighted to be a part of it! I am very much looking forward to the first day of orientation, which also happens to be my birthday, so expect a post about it soon!  

Dwight Asuncion: Happy birthday Alejandra! How auspicious! I’m excited to start school again, but I also have butterflies in my stomach. It’s the first day of school all over again. I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous again before classes actually begin. Today I’ll meet everyone in my section and start to build meaningful relationships with them. That’s what I like about Anderson. Everyone’s in it together and willing to help each other. We’re at the start of a two-year journey that hopefully be full of personal and professional growth, and I couldn’t be happier that I’m at Anderson.

Kate Edwards: The others bloggers are correct - it is all about the people! Having spent the past two weeks spending quality funemployment time with my future classmates, I could not be more impressed with how diverse, ambitious, and thoughtful everyone is. We have organized trips to the beach, explored Los Angeles, and even attended our first UCLA football game en masse (Go Bruins!). School hasn’t started yet, but we are all so eager to get to know each other; I know these will be lasting friendships. Getting to know these people reminds me that Anderson was the right choice, and I can honestly say I am just incredibly happy to wake up every day in Los Angeles knowing I have such an adventure ahead of me.

Ann Ching: Every time I have started a new school, whether it was junior high, college, or law school, I’ve always worried whether I’d end up eating lunch alone on the first day. Sounds weird, but I think that’s where I channel my “real” anxieties about new people and a new environment. Well, this is the first time I’m not worried about that, because I already have so many new friends at Anderson. Whether through Forte Foundation, organized mixers, or informal events, I have met a lot of my classmates and they are truly exceptional. I heard that what makes Anderson unique is the incredible sense of community among students and alumni, and so far I have not been disappointed. I’m starting orientation ready to take on a new challenge (and have fun at the same time!).

Chris Varin: I just got back from sunset on the Santa Monica beach with 8 of my other new classmates and I had this moment of existential angst as I briefly contemplated what these next two years would bring. I've had a lot of great experiences up till now and while I don't really believe in fatality it all kinf of lead to this new beginning - I guess I did somewhat engineer it. After three weeks of meeting up with classmates before things start I'm completely at ease and looking forward to take the next step. These next two years are going to be special and I'm incredibly fortunate to be here.

Ayushman Jain: Having spent my first fortnight in beautiful LA and the awesome company of my Anderson classmates, I can truly say that the pre-MBA experience has taken my expectations to a much higher level, and I’m pretty sure I’m still underestimating how brilliant the next two years are gonna be. The social events and even the international students’ orientation were great opportunities to meet a large number of classmates with such diverse backgrounds. The best thing is that we blend in very well together, irrespective of geographical or linguistic boundaries. Everyone has been immensely helpful even before the program starts and I can already see the collegial culture building up amongst ourselves. I’ve also got the chance to interact with people from the Student Affairs Office, Parker CMC as well as the Financial Aid office and they have been unbelievably courteous and encouraging. Thats why, even though I know the next 3 months are gonna hit us like a ton of bricks with all the coursework and job search, I’m totally looking forwarding to starting the next chapter of my life - the MBA!

-Anderson 14' bloggers

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

A Story About Networking

During the final evening of MLT's Career Transition and Leadership Seminar (CTLS) event, I found myself with a hundred-plus other Fellows in the Citigroup building at 388 Greenwich St. in New York. Deloitte Consulting was hosting this particular reception. I had spent the past six years in advertising, and even on client visits I had never been in a place so... corporate. Nor did I have much detailed knowledge about consulting (and I had yet to begin my House of Lies marathon). As instructed, I came prepared with some light background info on Deloitte, but my uneasyness was a sure sign that I should have read up even further. More on that below.

The view from 388 Greenwich St.

Twenty minutes and a few appetizers later, I was sitting at a roundtable with a few of my closer Los Angeles-based MLT Fellows. As we talked amongst ourselves, a tall, elegant lady walked to up to the table and introduced herself as a consultant from Deloitte. We quickly racked our brains to think of smart questions to ask, but she instead requested that we introduce ourselves. Soon, she was giving us the inside scoop on management consulting, from the hours and lifestyle to the variety of projects in which she had taken part throughout her career. Merging a U.S. company with a Japanese counterpart. Improving customer service via digital technology for an airline. At one point I asked the most embarrassingly basic of a question about consulting, which she answered fully and respectfully. Very cool.

 

The conversation was still going strong thirty minutes later when a guy approached the table and tapped her on the shoulder. It was time for her speech. She excused herself from the table with a smile, and stood three feet away, facing a podium. Another gentleman took the podium and summarized some very impressive career accolades before introducing our new friend as Principal and Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting NY, Terri Cooper.

Now, there are a few practical networking lessons that you may have picked up in this little anecdote, including:

• Be prepared. Particularly for pre-planned networking events, you should be ready to engage in at least a basic professional conversation with anyone in the room.
• Be proactive. Despite this story, having Principals approach you is actually quite rare.
• Be yourself. It's a cliche for a reason. Initial conversations will be more interesting and sustained relationships will be more authentic and rewarding.

My true purpose in sharing this story, however, is to remind us all that networking is about people. Throughout business school we'll learn countless rules and tips and tidbits about how to approach corporate representatives, how to ask for business cards, how to gracefully exit those awkward little career fair circles, how to be memorable, how to follow up, how to prioritize and cull contacts based on personal goals. Et cetera.

Ultimately, it's still all about interacting with another human being. I have no interest in consulting. I may never see Terri Cooper again. But I learned more about an entire industry in that thirty minutes than I had in my entire life. Simply by enjoying a good conversation with an open mind.

Always be networking.

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)

Embracing Diversity - MLT & the Consortium

The statistics are staggering. When Don Thompson assumed his new title as CEO of McDonald's a couple months ago, he became only the sixth active African-American CEO at a Fortune 500 company, according to CNN. A 2011 report from Catalyst exposed that women held only 16.1% of corporate board seats, while women of color held only 3%. And this 2010 report from the Alliance for Board Diversity notes that together, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders and Hispanics represented 33.7% of the total U.S. population, and that until U.S. companies "begin to reflect their shareholders, markets, and employees, they will fail to reach maximum potential as leaders in the global economy."

On the heels of Ashley's great post about the Forte MBA Women's Conference, I'd like to introduce two programs that champion diversity and inclusion in MBA programs: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium.

MLT is a career development organization for underrepresented minorities, providing skills training, one-on-one coaching and unbelievable access to admissions officers and corporate recruiters alike. Aspiring b-schoolers will first go through the MBA Prep program, during which you'll spend time (lots of it) figuring out and learning to articulate your story. Short-term goals, long-term goals, why MBA, why UCLA Anderson? Upon submitting applications, fellows transition into the Professional Development program, which trains you to put your best self forward for summer internship and full-time recruiting. Fair warning: MLT was at times a lot of work! But it pushed me to a level of introspection and self-awareness that I wouldn't have reached otherwise. Nineteen months, sixteen assignments, four seminars and countless coach calls later, I can attack class and recruiting with confidence and the support of a phenomenal network that's only getting stronger.

Likewise, the Consortium promotes diversity and inclusion in American business in conjunction with member schools and sponsor companies. Prospective students can apply to their choice of seventeen member schools via a common application, though which the Consortium also awards merit-based fellowships. This past June, all c/o 2014 Consortium students convened in Minneapolis for Orientation Program, known affectionately as OP, for five really intense days of skills development, interviewing, networking and, of course, partying. Personally, my favorite part of OP was getting to know my Anderson classmates. Sounds mushy, but it's real. See, we even recently reunited in Manhattan Beach for some fun in the sun.

Soon we will bury our heads in textbooks and cases. But not today.

One of Anderson's fall application events is called Embracing Diversity. I'm proud to see the school live up to those words by embracing partnerships with organizations like MLT, the Consortium and Forte Foundation.

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)

Touring Tokyo

After a phenomenal eight days in Japan, I’m back in sunny Los Angeles and ready to get down to business preparing for Anderson. But first, a quick recap of the Tokyo chapter of my trip (see previous post for Part 1). My brother and I left Kyoto on a high note, meeting up with family friends from Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe for dinner and sake—really good sake. I probably learned more of the Japanese language in those few hours than ever before, including the most relevant word of the week, “atsui,” to describe the hot weather.

Great food, great sake... and peace signs!

The next morning we rode the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo and searched out our ryokan (Japanese-style inn) in a quaint section of town called Yanaka, which is known for it’s more traditional lifestyle and slow pace amid the hustle and bustle of the largest metropolitan area in the world. With home base established, we spent the next few days riding back and forth on the JR Yamanote line checking out each of the famous, and infamous, districts of Tokyo.

In Ikebukuro we found our favorite kaiten-zushi joint, where little plates of sushi move through the restaurant on a conveyor belt. Akihabara was an overload of electronics, arcades, comics and toys. The red light district of Shinjuku was wild, but that's another story for another blog! Harajuku lived up to its billing as a fashion and street style capital of the world. And we snapped a few photos at the famed Shibuya crossing, supposedly the busiest intersection in the world, before checking out the nightlife in that area.

 

Overlooking the city from the Tokyo Skytree.

Although I was unable to meet a couple Anderson alumni due to conflicting schedules, their advice was invaluable as we planned our days; it’s great to see the network in action. I’m particularly excited to get to know some of my international classmates from Japan and elsewhere. One of the great virtues of a business school like Anderson is the variety of backgrounds and diversity of experiences within the program... things you simply cannot replicate by Googling.

And speaking of diversity, in my next post I’ll share a little bit about two amazing programs with which Anderson has partnered to promote diversity and inclusion in MBA programs: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium. These two organizations have helped me immensely in many ways, and I hope to pass on just a sliver of what I've learned.

Thanks for reading!

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)

Class of 14' insider summer scoop - PART 3 - "Back to school! What’s in my backpack?"

What am I packing? - It may have been a long time ago but we’ve all had to pack for school before. But we’re adults now, we’ve worked, we may or may not have a better sense of style and we actually know what we want and what we’ll need so what are we going to be taking with us?

(Source)

Alejandra Rodriguez: I have never had to pack for school before since my college was a fifteen minute walk from what has been my home all my life. I have twenty seven years worth of memories that I have been trying to sort through for the last few months. To make matters worse I love buying clothes, shoes, accessories, and makeup.  I have way more than any normal person needs. So what am I doing? Being impractical of course!!! I am taking all of it to L.A.! I already sent five bags to a relative who lives two hours away from UCLA and I am taking three more with me when I move to Los Angeles. I even sent seven pairs of boots already and L.A. is so sunny! I will have to do a massive project to fit all my stuff inside my small room at Weyburn Terrace (which I will of course blog about). I wonder if I will be able to even fit a bed in my room but who cares, style is more important than silly things like sleeping!

Dwight Asuncion: I already did some back to school shopping. :) Bought myself a North Face backpack to carry my laptop, Sperry shoes to walk around campus looking stylish, a Hugo Boss suit for interviews (will still need to get it tailored though). Of course, since I’m going to be a student, I bought everything on sale or at an outlet. For those of you willing to make the hour or so drive, the Camarillo outlets are nice. Other than some minor school supplies, I have everything else I need: clothes, electronics, etc. Trying to keep everything simple and low-cost (aside from my splurges mentioned above).

Kyle Forrest: My main purchases for school were a new personal laptop (Lenovo T420s) since I no longer have a work one, and updates to my casual wardrobe (only two pairs of shorts won’t cut it in LA now that I don’t have to wear business clothes 5 times a week). I’m also trying to figure out whether I’ll need to fit my motorcycle with some saddlebags or additional storage, or whether I’ll truly need a backpack or a locker at school.

Ann Ching:  I have actually carried a backpack to work every day in lieu of a briefcase, so I’ll continue to do so once I’m back in school. I have to buy a lot of civilian clothes because I have been wearing a uniform for so long. When I get to LA I plan to visit Santee Alley to shop for some interview suits at discount prices. Another thing I plan to purchase is a bigger lunch cooler to bring food and snacks for school. I’ve heard the days are long and eating out (on or off campus) can be expensive and high in calories!

Ashley Mallinson: I work in the Fashion Industry in New York City, so as far as wardrobe is concerned I’m going to have to invest in a more buttoned up look than I am used to for “business casual” affairs. I was nervous I might have to leave my fashion-forward footwear behind, but was thrilled when I heard that dean Olean says, “the higher the heel, the better” so one thing I will not surrender to the more casual laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle is my heels. I’m currently suit shopping, and will fill you all in on the blog as to my findings once that mission is accomplished.

Chris Varin: After having rotated 5 t-shirts and 1 pair of pants for the past year, I returned home to find that my closet is essentially works suits and shirts so shopping was in order. I went bulk shopping sales and despite some gaps I can now go a week without laundry which is a big step up. I still haven’t bought my laptop although I'm looking at some of the Dell deals offered at the UCLA computer store. I received an ipad for my birthday/going away present which will be really handy (it already somewhat took over my life). I’m also trying to figure out whether I should pack my four different pairs of soccer cleats in my bag as I’m going to be arriving in LA with one big suitcase, one small one and a backpack - I'm thinking of building an optimization model to figure this one out...

Ayushman Jain: Its been only three years long since i passed out from my undergrad university and having stayed away from home since the last 7 years, I have a fairly good idea of what I need and what I don’t. I have been self-sufficient with whatever stuff I have had till now and I’ve changed my address 7 times in the 7 years, so I also pretty much know in how many bags all my stuff fits. For LA, I’ m gonna carry more or less the same things. Of course, for a change I’m carrying some new formal clothes and a couple of suits (being a software engineer I’ve always worn jeans and sneakers to office, so my wardrobe really needed less of that and more of formals). Apart from clothes, I’m carrying a whole bunch of groceries, spices, utensils, etc. that I’ll need to cook (I’ve heard one doesn’t get too much time in the first quarter, but I’ll make sure I atleast cook 2-3 times a week and save my useful gastric bacteria from working overtime on cheese and bread!). The only thing I’m really sad about not carrying is a laptop! This is probably the first time ever that I’m travelling without one - and that’s because right now I have my office laptop which is soon gonna be taken away from me and I plan to buy a new personal laptop only in LA, with the cool back to school offers there. The UCLA store also offers some great deals so I’ll have plenty of options!

Gregory Paige: Like Ann above, I wore a backpack to work, so I’ve essentially worn a backpack nonstop since kindergarten! One aspect of preparing for Anderson that worried me was the single most important item in that backpack, the laptop. Should I buy a new PC, or take the necessary steps to run Windows 7 (read: Excel 2010) on my MacBook Pro? With a bit of hesitation, I chose the latter option. But the entire process couldn’t have gone any smoother. I purchased and installed Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac, Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 in that order. Now I can switch back and forth between OS X and Windows 7 with ease, and the Anderson laptop configuration process was flawless, Excel add-ins and all. A highly recommended option for the Apple fans out there.

-Anderson 14' bloggers

Follow UCLA on Twitter @UCLAMBA

Buddha and Bullet Trains

Ohayou gozaimasu (good morning) from Kyoto, Japan. My brother and I are perched in the lobby of our phenomenal bed & breakfast, Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura, before heading out on the town to meet some family friends. Our journey from Los Angeles to the Land of the Rising Sun was long and tiresome, but even more so fun. I successfully slept through more than half of the 11-hour flight en route to Haneda Airport.

When I visited Japan as a kid, all I wanted to do was ride the bullet train. Not much has changed.

Upon landing, we immediately hopped on the Monorail to Hamamatsucho Station to transfer to the JR Yamanote line bound for Tokyo Station. Here we picked up our Japan Rail Pass, a highly recommended ticket providing foreign visitors access to a wide range of trains. Which leads me to the Shinkansen, Japan's famous line of bullet trains. Since visiting Japan as a kid, I've maintained a mild obsession with the Shinkansen, so it was only fitting that we ride it from Tokyo to Kyoto the same morning we landed from an 11-hour flight (and two additional train rides)!

On a related note, California High-Speed Rail is fighting to stay alive, while Amtrak has a plan of its own to transform the Northeast Corridor into one giant metropolitan area via high-speed rail. With governments and supporters struggling to identify measurable benefits to support the enormous costs of building high-speed rail systems, I think it'd be fun to dig into this while at Anderson. AMR project, anyone?

Back to Kyoto, yesterday we put on our tourist hats and enjoyed a full-day historic tour of Kyoto and Nara, both of which are former capitals of Japan. From the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Great Buddha Hall, the history and architecture was awe-inspiring. It's been extremely resfreshing to immerse myself in such a unique culture, still so different from the U.S. despite the many traces of westernization. I believe this experience will prove to be a valuable taste of what's to come at Anderson, given approximately one-third of my class is international. I can't wait to learn from and with them.

Me and Daibutsu in the Great Buddha Hall at Todai-ji.

Next we return to Tokyo to explore the massive city through the weekend, so I'll be sure to follow up with some good stories. And once I'm back stateside, it's all about preparing for Anderson and summer internship recruiting. I'll be sharing my MBA application thoughts and experiences in more detail, so stay tuned for juicy behind-the-scenes info you can only find at the MBA Student Voice.

Jaa mata (see you later),

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)

Airplanes, Apartments & Anderson

Can you spot the UCLA campus?

I am fascinated by air travel. In addtion to my little-kid-type awe of airplanes, I find commuter airline operations beyond impressive. Until something like the following happens:

1. Board airplane #1
2. Sit on airplane #1 thirty mintues past departure time
3. Deplane airplane #1 due to maintenance issues
4. Board airplane #2
5. Sit on airplane #2 thirty minutes past delayed departure time
6. Deplane airplane #2 due to maintenance issues
7. Board airplane #3 and arrive at destination 3.5 hours late

Because, yep, that's exactly what transpired during my return trip from Seattle to LA. Now don't get me wrong, I'd much rather experience delays than be 30,000 feet in the air in a faulty aircraft. And any worries that I had about my future Anderson roommates, Mike and Reggie, were put to rest when those guys napped in a rental car in the airport garage waiting for me to arrive. Thanks, y'all.

Lease signed. First thought: Housewarming party?

By the next day, I had forgotten all about my travel drama because our housing search couldn't have gone more smoothly. We had identified a promising three-bedroom apartment near the intersection of Wilshire and Bundy via Westside Rentals. Upon visiting the property, we were excited to see that the unit was even nicer and more spacious than expected. We immediately submitted our applications for approval and signed the lease the following day.

Now that I've secured a roof over my head for the next year, I'm beginning to get really excited about my upcoming trip to Japan. In the meantime, Anderson is doing its best to keep me busy. I recently completed the Academic Readiness Quiz, which is designed to highlight the quantitative areas in which I should brush up my skills before class begins. Despite my limited quant experience since college (high school, really), I scored surprisingly well on the quiz. Except for that calculus section... that might as well have been an alien language. But I'll soon be starting my MBA Math lessons to ensure I'm better prepared.

Before I sign off, a couple miscellaneous items:

The UCLA athletics site has conveniently listed out all of the Bruin athletes participating in the London Olympics. Be sure to cheer them on.

UCLA Anderson's admissions team has gone paperless, thanks to the Matchbox iPad app. I love to see the school embrace technology while saving a few trees. This video summarizes the benefits and (shameless plug alert) includes some awesome clips of our amazing campus.

Thanks for reading!

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)

48 Days of Summer

Greetings from the Starbucks on the 40th floor of the Columbia Center in Seattle, WA. My name is Gregory Paige, and I'm honored to contribute to the MBA Student Voice blog as a proud member of UCLA Anderson's class of 2014. Please bear with me as I utilize this first post to share some introductory details. I promise we'll get to the fun stuff soon enough.

I was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in the area, attending the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey before heading down south to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for my undergraduate studies. Upon graduation I continued my southward journey, driving twelve hours to Miami to begin what would be a six-year career in account management at advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Fifteen months ago, I moved out west to help the agency expand its now flourishing Santa Monica office. Leaving CP+B was bittersweet to say the least, but I'm extremely excited and equally humbled to begin the Anderson chapter of my life.

I must admit, however, that I've enjoyed these past few weeks of "funemployment." I recently returned to Philly (for the first time in a long time) to see family and friends. Naturally, I acted like a complete tourist despite growing up in the area. Cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell... the whole nine. Next stop: Seattle, where my parents and brother currently reside. I've been particularly observant here because Seattle is a potential summer internship destination. So far, so good. When the sun is shining, I'm not sure there's a more beautiful city in the country.

Philadelphia. This isn't the real LOVE Park sculpture, but it'll do!

When I return to LA this week, I'll have approximately six days to meet up with my future roommates (Reggie Hall '14 and Michael Leyva '14), find a house and move into said house. Good times. I'll have to unpack quickly, too. Six days later, my brother Michael and I embark on a long overdue trip to Japan. Keep an eye out for a post or two on that adventure.

I'm looking foward to sharing my stories and experiences with y'all over the next couple months and beyond. My road to business school has been long and windy, and it's amazing how much I've learned before even stepping foot in a classroom.

There are 48 days left until the start of orientation at Anderson. Let's make them count.

- Gregory Paige
  (Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)