The 2012 Essential Guide to UCLA Anderson

2011/12 EssentialGuide to

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T H E U C L A A N D E R S O N S C H O O L O F M A N A G E M E N T

1 A B O U T U C L A A N D E R S O N

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT2011/12EssentialGuide

“If you are stimulated by joining a learning partnership to explore what’s on the horizon in business, and motivated by rigorous academics, then UCLA Anderson is the place for you. Our faculty and students are focused on the market forces and technological developments that are transforming global business today.”

Anderson Dean Judy Olian

The Veritas Prep 2011/12 Essential Guide to the UCLA Anderson School of ManagementVeritas Prep has a special affinity for UCLA Anderson, given that the school is local to us (our headquarters are in Malibu, California) and we have had a number of Anderson alumni as employees (and friends) through the years.

In our years of offering GMAT test prep and admissions consulting, we are frequently surprised by the degree to which candidates underestimate Anderson. For some reason - perhaps because it is “just” a state school - our GMAT students often feel that Anderson is a “safety school” - and that they don’t need to put much effort into an application if their GMAT is high enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. This Essential Guide was developed largely to help our clients understand exactly how competitive the application process at Anderson can be - and how valuable an MBA from this school truly is. The Veritas Prep website also contains helpful information on applying to UCLA Anderson. We hope you find these resources useful and we wish you luck!

What’s InsideAbout UCLA Anderson ........................................................................................................................... 2

What’s New at Anderson ....................................................................................................................... 7

What Makes Anderson Different ....................................................................................................... 8

Admissions at UCLA Anderson ........................................................................................................11

2011-12 Essays (for the Class of 2014) ........................................................................11

Deadlines ......................................................................................................................................11

Admissions Criteria .................................................................................................................12

Anderson Students..................................................................................................................................13

UCLA Anderson Academics & Grading Policies .....................................................................14

Notable Courses and Faculty at UCLA Anderson .................................................................19

APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................................................20

Admissions Statistics .............................................................................................................20

Visiting UCLA Anderson ......................................................................................................20

Costs & Financial Assistance at UCLA Anderson ..................................................22

Student Organizations .........................................................................................................23

Professional Recruitment at the Anderson School of Management ..........24

Employment Statistics..........................................................................................................26

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About UCLA AndersonThe UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the University of California system’s flagship programs. Innovative and prestigious, it is both highly ranked and highly respected and rates among the most desirable graduate school programs in the region, and has even been categorized as one of the nation’s “Newest Ivies” recently. With approximately 700 post-graduate students from extremely diverse backgrounds, Anderson is a business school that is often able to offer something for everyone. UCLA’s undergraduate program is consistently near the top of every imaginable ranking system for public institutions and is a major feeder into Anderson and UCLA’s other graduate programs. UCLA also has a top-tier School of Law, School of Public Affairs, School of Medicine and Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSEIS).

The heart of the UCLA Anderson experience is pragmatism within teams and leadership. This ideal is built on a foundation that prizes entrepreneurship, a commitment to community, and team-oriented leadership in its applicants and students alike, and results in one of the most hands-on management programs in the world. UCLA Anderson is one the most innovative and student-friendly business schools in the nation. The curriculum is constantly evolving right along with the current business environment and with full support of the students.

The program has taken steps to strengthen existing connections to traditional industries within Los Angeles. Electives were added to the entertainment and sports offerings that include Sports Management, Entertainment Marketing, and Entertainment Strategy. An Entertainment Management Competition was added within the last few years, further bolstering UCLA Anderson’s relevance to the Los Angeles business community. In an effort to support students’ readiness for their summer internships and short-term career goals, the curriculum became more front-loaded in nature. This shift allows students to take five courses during their first academic quarter at UCLA Anderson. In turn, this affords students the flexibility to reduce their course workload as they place more emphasis on their summer internship search efforts. This enhancement was due, in part, to student feedback provided to the UCLA Anderson administration.

UCLA Anderson has taken steps to promote its global offerings and perspective with programs like the team-based Global Business Leadership Competition (GBLC). This program piggybacks nicely onto UCLA Anderson’s existing business plan competitions that include the Deloitte Case Competition and the Knapp Case Competition.



The Anderson School on the UCLA CampusThe UCLA Anderson School of Management is located smack dab in the heart of UCLA’s beautiful campus in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Anderson’s five main buildings are located at the north-center part of the UCLA campus. This limits the amount of non-MBA related foot traffic traveling through the Anderson complex, as undergraduate students rarely share UCLA Anderson’s facilities. In fact, UCLA does not even offer an undergraduate business degree. UCLA Anderson students have the opportunity to take elective courses across a number of UCLA graduate school programs. Opportunities to engage the undergraduate community also exist with MBA students electing to take undergraduate courses.

The approach at Anderson in creating the new business school was to create a “campus within a campus,” where students could enjoy a lot of the self-contained amenities and resources of a school like HBS, while enjoying the additional benefits of the larger UCLA community, including the world-class athletic facilities and library resources. The buildings that make up the Anderson School of Management are reached by a staircase at the north end of UCLA’s Sycamore Alley, which leads to the Marion Anderson Courtyard, which is surrounded by four of the six buildings that make up the business school. The effect is to transport a student from the greater UCLA community into a tightly-knit Anderson community, by passing from one world to another.

Campus-wide social and athletic events play a lesser role in the business school experience than they do at many other campus-based MBA programs. Most notably, the UCLA Bruin football team plays in Pasadena, a community located at least 45 minutes away by car. Indeed, most MBA students commute to UCLA by car, choosing to live in the neighboring communities of West L.A., Brentwood, and Santa Monica rather than finding a place that is walking distance to the school. One recent grad calls it “a homage to the 1980s band ‘Missing Persons’ … because no one walks in LA.”

Westwood Village, where Anderson is located, has a laid back “college town” feel that sits on some of the most desirable real estate in the country, meeting at the intersection of several prestigious communities that include Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Brentwood. In fact, these tony local residents have lobbied for controls on local establishments to limit the amount of foot traffic passing through Westwood.

Understanding the complete UCLA and Westwood dynamic is an important consideration when weighing your decision to apply to UCLA Anderson.



Degree Programs at UCLA AndersonA variety of MBA programs are featured at UCLA, including a part-time program that is especially popular. Degree programs at Anderson include:

• MBAThis is the traditional full-time, two-year MBA track. Admissions to Anderson’s MBA program is very competitive. Students generally have between four to six years of work experience. Anderson has about 360 students in each full-time class. This Essential Guide was developed to guide applicants to this standard MBA program at Anderson.

• Fully-EmployedMBA For students interested in attending school part time while keeping their jobs, the FEMBA is an ideal option. Just like with UC-Berkeley Haas’s part-time Evenings & Weekends MBA, some Anderson FEMBA students commute in from neighboring regions, including the Bay Area and even Portland and Seattle. There are 270 students in each FEMBA class, with an average of five to eight years work experience. The FEMBA is usually completed in 33 months, though it’s possible to do an accelerated program in just 27 months (compared to 22 months for the standard MBA).

• ExecutiveMBAsAnderson offers several flavors of EMBA, including the typical track for mid-career managers with a minimum requirement of eight years work experience, so that students in the 22-month program are usually in their 30s or even older. Anderson also offers two variations of a Global EMBA, one focused on Asia-Pacific in partnership with NUS Business School in Singapore, and one for The Americas with UAI Escuela de Negocias in Chile. Each of these programs has its own application process and requirements, which should be explored separately.

• Master of Financial Engineering. A specialized one-year math-heavy master’s degree is offered for the “quants” of the world. This is a practical, intensive education for those looking for a specialized career in the finance industry. Like with other UCLA programs, students tend to be a little older (average age is 29) with significant work experience (usually at least four years). GMAT and GRE scores for admitted students are very high, with a perfect quant score of 50 on the GMAT being “average.” The MFE program has one intake that begins in January each year. Application rounds and essay questions are quite different from those for the MBA programs, so be sure to check the UCLA website for specifics.

• PhDprogram. UCLA has about 70 doctoral students enrolled in business studies at any time. Doctoral students dedicate themselves to one of seven research concentrations, from operations and technology management, to accounting or finance, to human resources and organizational behavioral.



Professional ProgramsProfessional programs present students with an opportunity to expand on experiential learning and research in a particular area of interest. The most popular professional programs are:

• AppliedManagementResearchProgram(AMR) - AMR is a required second-year field study project that is completed through one of three options: either a research project with a professor, the Business Creation Option, or a consulting project with real-world implications in conjunction with a sponsor organization in a team of 4 to 6 members. This project gives UCLA Anderson students the opportunity to put theory into action. Lasting a majority of the second year, AMR projects can be viewed as a thesis project and are often a test in building effective teams.

• RiordanPrograms - The Riordan program is a very notable initiative sponsored by UCLA Anderson and co-led by UCLA Anderson students. UCLA Anderson students serve as mentors to high school students, undergraduates, and recent graduates. In providing professional and personal advice to these mentees, often underrepresented minorities seeking to apply to top MBA programs, UCLA Anderson students build rela-tionships with the surrounding Los Angeles community.

• LeadersinSustainabilityProgram - UCLA Anderson is taking a leadership role in creating a curriculum around sustainability. The Leaders In Sustainability participants take core courses and choose relevant electives in sustainability, with experiential learning and training to develop skills. A relatively new offering, Leaders in Sustain-ability has grown from 20 participants to over 100. This program is an excellent op-portunity to bring a number of interdisciplinary viewpoints and skill sets into the rep-ertoire of any UCLA Anderson student interested in sustainability. Building a network with other graduate students within the schools of engineering, law, public policy and urban planning will only serve to strengthen the students’ UCLA Anderson experience.

CertificatesUCLA Anderson takes a generalist approach to academic specialization by offering optional certificates that students may pursue if desired. These are in addition to the tracks which are now an integral part of the second-year experience. This means that UCLA brings a generalist focus with a pragmatic approach to its coursework.

Certificates currently available include

• Real Estate

• Entertainment

• Entrepreneurship

• Global Management

• Analytics

• Healthcare

• Sustainability

• High Tech

Additional Professional Programs at Anderson include:• Management Development Program

• International Exchange Program

• Global Access Program

• Advanced International Management Program

• Management Communication Program

• Student Investment Fund



“[The curriculum] gives you a flexibility to prepare you for multiple careers over a lifetime, knowing that we no longer pursue one functional area or one industry for our entire career.”

Mae Jennifer Shores, Assistant Dean of Admissions, UCLA Anderson

Joint Degree ProgramsMBA/JD. One of the few elite universities in the nation to offer a four-year JD-MBA, UCLA Anderson allows students to split their time and courses between UCLA Anderson and the School of Law and graduate with their respective classes (MBA in year two, School of Law in year three). While applications to both programs must be submitted separately, MBA students may apply for the law school during their first year.

MBA/MD. The dual-degree program between UCLA Anderson and the Medical School allows students to complete courses for both programs in five years, rather than the six years it would typically take to achieve both degrees separately.

MBA/DDS. The dual-degree program between UCLA Anderson and the Dentistry School allows students to complete courses for both programs in five years and one quarter.

MBA/MSCS. The dual-degree program between UCLA Anderson and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences allows students to complete courses for both programs in three years. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science. Connecting the technical aspects of technology and information systems with management decision making, students can achieve both professional management acumen and deeper domain expertise in computer science.

MBA/MLAS. The MBA/MA Latin American Studies degree is a two and a half to three year concurrent degree program sponsored by Anderson and the UCLA International Institute Latin American Studies Program. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Latin American Studies. Individuals preparing for careers in international management with special focus on Latin America should explore this option. Connecting the language and culture with international management, students can achieve both professional management acumen and deeper domain expertise in Latin American studies.

MBA/MLIS. The MBA/Master of Library and Information Science Program is a three-year full-time concurrent degree program sponsored by UCLA Anderson and the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies’ Department of Information Studies. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree.

MBA/MSN. The MBA/MSN program is a three-year concurrent degree program sponsored by UCLA Anderson and the School of Nursing. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Individuals preparing for management careers in a hospital, consulting, or healthcare setting should explore this option.

MBA/MPH. The MBA/MPH is a three-year concurrent degree program sponsored by the UCLA Anderson and the School of Public Health. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. Individuals preparing for management careers in health care should explore this option.

MBA/MPP. The UCLA MBA/MPP is a three year concurrent degree program sponsored by UCLA Anderson and the School of Public Affairs. Graduating students receive both the UCLA Anderson MBA and the Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree. Individuals preparing for management careers in firms with strong ties to local, regional and federal governments should explore this option. Additionally, those seeking management roles in the non-profit sector should explore this option.

MBA/MAUP. The MBA/MA Urban Planning degree is a three-year concurrent degree program sponsored by UCLA Anderson and the UCLA Department of Urban Planning, School of Public Affairs. Individuals preparing for management careers in urban planning within the public and private sectors should explore this option.



What’s New at Anderson• A new curriculum.Anderson has launched an overhauled curriculum starting in

2011, with an increased focus on flexibility to, in their words, “better prepare MBA stu-dents for their chosen career tracks.” This means that students can choose to satisfy the core requirements through a variety of classes that are tailored to their interests, which is an approach similar to that at schools like Columbia and Wharton. Anderson has also added a professional presentations skills component to the first semester, in-cluding coaching for interpersonal communications in a business environment. Fur-ther emphasis is being placed on experiential learning and the real-world projects that students engage in through the Applied Management Research program during their second year. The main tracks defined at UCLA are Marketing, Consulting, and Finance, though students are not limited to only those standard disciplines, and can design their own custom track if desired.

• 75thAnniversary. 2010 was the school’s 75th birthday and included special events to honor the occasion. The school is still pushing the anniversary with prominent features on its website. As part of its new “Business Beyond Usual” messaging in conjunction with the anniversary, Anderson has been re-articulating its key themes of a practical, pragmatic MBA experience based on diversity, flexibility, and innovation.

• Anadditionalgift.UCLA was the beneficiary of a series of gifts during the anniver-sary year, including a $3 million endowment for a new professorship in the real estate division from alumni Howard Levine (MBA ‘67). Even more impressive: The namesake of UCLA’s business school, John E. Anderson and his wife Marion, acknowledged the 75th anniversary milestone by donating another $25 million in early 2011. This is in addition to the original $15 million donation back in 1987 which prompted the school to rename itself in his honor. This latest gift is the largest that the Anderson has ever received. The funds will be used for developing additional innovative programs and further research initiatives.

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What Makes Anderson Different• TheUCLAAndersonculture. The emphasis on teamwork inside and outside of the

classroom is the hallmark of the UCLA Anderson experience and the foundation for the rest of the school’s approach. Student collaboration and leadership within teams is the attribute that ties everything together at UCLA Anderson. There are several schools with great student cultures - NYU Stern is known for the way students look out for each other during the job search process and Duke Fuqua is legendary for the enthusiasm on display from the various student groups - but Anderson’s culture is largely unmatched, save perhaps for Kellogg. In fact, Anderson and Kellogg can often seem very similar in this one area of true collaboration and a spirit of teamwork that runs through the entire program.

• Realsocialventureinitiatives. Social enterprise programs have sprouted at most top business schools and “doing good” is a theme on a lot of campuses, however the wealth of on-campus activities and resources at Anderson and the number of opportunities to get involved is more extensive than at many other schools. From the standards like the NetImpact club, to Challenge for Charity, to the very unique Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Disabled Veterans and a wide range of others, Anderson students have the ability to participate in important efforts to make the most of their time at business school.

• Sustainablebusiness.UCLA was the first major business school to create a special certificate in sustainability for its MBA program, and now the Leaders for Sustainability has grown to over 100 students every year. Anderson is also seeking LEED certification for its building, and students participate in the 1000 Homes competition and the California Clean Innovation Conference, among other events.

• Entrepreneurship. Other schools offer entrepreneurship, but few have innovation and new thinking ingrained into the culture the same way that UCLA Anderson does. From the Business Creation Option of its Applied Management Research requirement, in which students literally start a new venture, to the multiple business plan competitions and Entrepreneurship Week, Anderson students are immersed in the mindset of entrepreneurship on campus.

• Diversity. Not only does UCLA Anderson have a wide mix of students across every spectrum - age, racial background, country of origin, gender - but it also attracts a very diverse mix of students by profession, both in terms of what career Anderson students pursued before getting their MBAs, and what new direction they are taking themselves upon graduation. Unlike most schools which have a high concentration of sending graduates to just one or two separate industries (usually finance or consulting leading the list), Anderson graduates disperse all across the workforce in a vast array of industries and jobs. There is not one predominant career focus at Anderson, which fosters a vibrant community and eliminates some of the cliques that can develop at other schools.

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“Prominent programs and organizations such as the Riordan Programs and Challenge for Charity offer students the opportunity to explore concepts surrounding social responsibility.”

The UCLA Anderson ApproachUnlike Harvard Business School, where the Case Study Method serves as such a clear and distinguishable backbone to the HBS approach, UCLA Anderson’s methodology is comprised of a multi-faceted approach primary delivered in a lecture format. The following are the key aspects of a UCLA Anderson education that comprise the framework of the MBA experience:

Diversity of Coursework within a Generalist Approach. The classroom approach at UCLA Anderson mirrors its general curriculum. While students may focus on a certain subset of course work, there are no declared specialties or designations. With the 10 core classes, students are expected to collaborate with other team members, each from differing professional backgrounds and skills sets. By putting everyone on the same page, the core offers a base of skills that are as much lessons in human relations and cooperation as they are on a given subject matter. Beyond the core, students will gravitate towards a multitude of electives in eight specialty areas - and the assortment of electives changes each year as the faculty evaluate and respond to what’s going on in the real world. The eight areas of focus at Anderson include Consulting, Entertainment and Media Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Marketing, Operations, and Real Estate.

Practical Approach to Learning. Many elite business schools offer its students the chance to study in the field and to get real world experience, but few incorporate the mantra of “learning by doing” to the degree of UCLA. The crux of this approach is the Applied Management Research project (AMR). The AMR project is conducted in teams of 4-6 students during the second year and represents a capstone to the UCLA Anderson experience. From the number of students who participate in business plan competitions to unique classroom opportunities to create and test new technologies, UCLA Anderson allows every student to find a way to put their theoretical learning to the real world test. The school offers a nearly unparalleled variety of courses and labs that focus almost entirely on learning by doing.

Leadership and Social Responsibility. As mentioned above, UCLA Anderson puts a great deal of focus on leadership and a commitment to community. This applies to the admissions process, but also to the coursework and educational experience as the school attempts to elevate good leaders to great ones. Specific leadership courses and a pre-term orientation course, Leadership Foundations, bring this approach to the curriculum. Prominent programs and organizations such as the Riordan Programs and Challenge for Charity offer students the opportunity to explore concepts surrounding social responsibility.

Global Perspective. Like many top business schools, UCLA can boast an increasingly global approach to its learning environment and coursework. The student body is comprised of students from 40 different countries and the school has focused coursework and experiential learning opportunities specific to the global landscape, such as the Global Access Program, Advanced International Exchange Program (about 20 students participate each quarter), and Special Topics in Management courses that focus on emerging economies.

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“There’s no such thing as a perfect MBA applicant, and if you walked on water, you would not be applying to an MBA program. There is no set profile we look for. What we really want, and what can really differentiate you more than anything, is authenticity and a sense of being genuine.”


Anderson Is a Good Fit for You If...• You’re interested inmediaandentertainment.Few schools have the strength,

resources, or connections that UCLA has in the entertainment industry. It’s not just the obvious advantage of the location in the entertainment capital of the world, but Anderson also has ties to industry that make it a natural choice for anyone seeking to enter this high-powered career.

• You’reanentrepreneur-orwanttobecomeone. The strength of UCLA’s entre-preneurship resources rivals that of the best business programs around. From the vari-ety of business plan competitions to the innovative classes on venture formation and growth, Anderson is a place where startups are formed.

• You’reinterestedinatechnologycareer. If you don’t want to start your own com-pany but you do want to build technology products or work in an Internet company, Anderson can facilitate a new career path. About 15% of graduates move into technol-ogy fields, whether up north in California’s Silicon Valley or locally in LA.

• Youwantapart-timeoption. Many candidates find value in the UCLA FEMBA pro-gram that allows them to keep their job while earning their MBA. While pursuing a degree at the same time as managing the demands of a career (and often a family) can be very challenging, it is worthwhile for those who feel that they cannot afford to take time out of their career to pursue a full-time program.

• YouareanAsiancandidatewithanexistingU.S.Master’sdegree. While Asian candidates who were not previously educated in the U.S. are definitely encouraged to apply to UCLA, the wrinkle is that they will probably need to take the TOEFL - which many other top schools do not always require. UCLA Anderson and UC-Berkeley Haas (and, starting this year, Columbia) are more strict in mandating that those educated in non-English speaking countries for undergrad submit the TOEFL as part of their appli-cation. If you’re a foreign applicant who already has a graduate degree from an English-speaking country, you’re probably exempt from taking the TOEFL.

• Youareagoodstudent-withmaybejustanaverageGMATscore. Anderson is quite similar to NYU in terms of class size and student age, and even some of their pro-grams are similarly focused (media and entertainment being the most notable). How-ever, whereas Anderson has a slightly lower average GMAT (712 compared to NYU’s 715), the average GPA of Anderson students is notched higher, at 3.54, compared to 3.42 at Stern. While candidates often drive themselves crazy slicing and dicing and overanalyzing these school statistics against their own profiles, the bottom line is that UCLA tends to accept those with stronger academic records and is a little more willing to overlook a lower GMAT score (and Stern is the opposite). This is by no means a rule of how every candidate is evaluated, and so if your numbers have a different pattern, you could still find a spot there.

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A D M I S S I O N S A T U C L A A N D E R S O N

DeadlinesUCLA Anderson has different sets of application deadlines for its different programs. The deadlines for the most popular full-time MBA are below. Keep in mind that UCLA Anderson is on Pacific time and that the online application is due at midnight Eastern (9 p.m. Pacific) time on these dates, however if any supplemental materials are submitted by mail or courier, then they need to arrive by 5 p.m. Pacific, when the admissions office closes for the day, on the deadlines below.

Round 1SubmissionDeadlineOctober 26, 2011DecisionNotificationDateJanuary 25, 2012

Round 2SubmissionDeadlineJanuary 11, 2012DecisionNotificationDateApril 4, 2012

Round 3SubmissionDeadlineApril 18, 2012DecisionNotificationDateJune 6, 2012

Admissions at UCLA Anderson2011-12 Essays (for the Class of 2014)Over the past several years, UCLA Anderson has asked essay questions that have sought to understand candidates’ backgrounds through the lens of family and community. That has changed somewhat, though the admissions committee still wants to get to know its applicants on a more personal level, outside the standard (and often stiff ) essay questions about accomplishments and failures. Anderson has just two required essays, though each is quite long, which should give you enough space to cover the most important aspects of your candidacy.

We should also note that UCLA Anderson has dropped the audio/video question that had been a part of its application for the past three years. When a school drops an essay question, that normally means that it’s not doing its job - i.e., it doesn’t help the admissions committee get to know applicants better and separate out the great applicants from the rest of the pack. Perhaps that was what happened here. Could the school have been concerned that this unusual essay was actually discouraging potential applicants from applying? Or, could someone have raised questions about how admissions can be race- or gender-blind when applicants submit video responses? We don’t know for sure, but it’s an interesting development given that one of the chief complaints we hear from MBA admissions officers these days is that the essays they read tend to sound too similar to one another. We thought the audio/video question was a novel way to try to overcome this problem. We’ll see if it makes a comeback in the future at UCLA.

Required Essays

1 What events or people have had the greatest influence in shaping your character and why? (750 words)This question has been slightly reworded from last year. With this essay, the admissions committee is trying to dig deep into who you are and what makes you tick. We prefer this new wording, since last year’s version seemed to put extra emphasis on a single event, which may have created some pressure in applicants’ minds to come up with a dramatic single incident. In reality, in may be multiple events or people that together shaped you the most, and this question reflects that.

Try to answer this question with your personal development in mind. Your tendency may be to tie it right back to your career and why you’re pursuing an MBA, but consider this input from the admissions office: “Please be introspective and authentic in your responses. Content is more important than style of delivery. We value the opportunity to learn about your life experiences, aspirations, and goals.”

2 Describe your short-term and long-term career goals. What is your motivation for pursuing an MBA now and how will UCLA Anderson help you

to achieve your goals? (750 words)This question carries over unchanged from last year, and should be approached the same as most other “Career Goals” / “Why an MBA?” essays. Note that the “Why an MBA?” component is very important, but you absolutely MUST demonstrate in this essay a knowledge of and a passion for UCLA Anderson. One way any school protects its admissions yield is by ferreting out those who don’t show enough enthusiasm for the program. Failing to answer the second part of the question - how will UCLA Anderson help you to achieve your goals - is a sure way to get ferreted out by the admissions committee.

Optional Essay

2 Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words)This is the standard optional essay for explaining weaknesses that most schools allow, though Anderson’s is shorter than some. Typical uses for this essay are low GPA, gap in employment history, or an explanation of why you could not get a recommendation from your current supervisor.

http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2010/09/ucla-anderson-admissions-essays-for/

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Admissions CriteriaUCLA Anderson evaluates applicants’ leadership potential based on the standard dimensions of academic strength (GPA and test scores), achievements and accomplishments, and professional readiness. The admissions committee is interested to find evidence of where an individual has had an impact in the community or at work, which should come through both on the resume and in essays as well as in letters of recommendation and college and community involvement. Diversity is a big deal at Anderson and they look for candidates who can contribute across many different angles of the community.

UCLA Anderson really zeroes in on high academic achievement, GMAT scores, and demonstrated leadership in both one’s personal and professional experiences. Accepted applicants with 99th percentile GMAT scores and undergraduate dean’s list type grades have been known to receive lofty scholarships. Although extremely important, the amount of full-time professional experience prized by the admissions committee is a lesser condition than an applicant’s role as an impactful and collaborative leader. Personal leadership experiences – be it academic or extracurricular in nature – are also weighed more heavily in the admissions process than the sheer number of work months. Applicants who demonstrate early leadership within their personal and professional lives, high GMAT scores, and undergraduate grades should take a closer look at UCLA Anderson in hopes of garnering a substantial scholarship.

GMAT accepted - but not GRE. Anderson has bucked the trend at many top programs and does not accept the GRE. Only a GMAT score is accepted as part of the application to Anderson.

Stricter TOEFL rules. Due to a university-wide policy across all graduate programs, many foreign-born candidates may discover that they need to take the TOEFL test in order to apply at Anderson, whereas they might not have to elsewhere. At UCLA (and UC-Berkeley), if the candidate’s previous undergraduate or graduate education was not at an institution located in a country where English is the official language, then the TOEFL is required. This tends to hit Indian and other Asian applicants the hardest, since many of them are applying to business school after coming to the U.S. only after finishing their undergraduate work. Their English skills are often quite good, however work experience in the U.S. is not sufficient and UCLA does not waive the TOEFL requirement.

Work experience. Professional experience is not required to apply to Anderson, yet it is somewhat unusual for candidates to receive an offer without at least a year of work behind them.

Interviews. Interviews are offered both on-campus and with alumni located off-campus. In both instances, the interview is “blind,” in the sense that the interviewer does not have access to the candidate’s application materials. Interviewees should be expected to walk their interviewer through the resume while explaining the characteristics that make them a collaborative leader within a team environment. The remainder of the interview is focused on “Why UCLA Anderson, Why MBA?” This provides the candidate with an opportunity to conclude the interview with a series of follow-up questions that demonstrate true knowledge of the program. UCLA Anderson is similar to the general business school population with its interview approach. Interviews are “invite only” with 29% of all applicants receiving an invite to interview. On-campus UCLA Anderson interviewees are generally second-year student volunteers. Off-campus interviews are generally conducted by recent alumni. The tone of the interview is casual and conversational as these volunteers have been instructed by the admissions committee to avoid conducting “pressure cooker” type interviews.

“The tone of the interview is casual and conversational as these volunteers have been instructed by the admissions committee to avoid conducting “pressure cooker” type interviews.”

“We turn down plenty of people with a 790 or 800 GMAT maybe because they just don’t play well in the sandbox.”


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Anderson StudentsAnderson students come to business school to learn, to develop careers, to lead, and to have fun. The last part of that sentence is not true at every top MBA program, but at UCLA Anderson, there is a vitality and a cooperative spirit that permeates the experience.

Pre-MBA Industries

Work Experience Percentages

0-3 years .............................................................................................21%

3-6 years .............................................................................................58%

6+ years ..............................................................................................21%

Undergraduate Majors

Economics 21%

Other SocialSciences 10%

Math/Computer Science 4%

Humanities 7%

Physical/Biological Science 4%Other 7%

Engineering 16%

Business31%

Health Care andBiotechnology 3%

High Tech 24%

Consulting 13%

Public and Non-Profit 9%

Real Estate 7%

Entertainment andMedia 3%

Finance29%

Student StatsFull-Time Program Class Size .................360

Median Age .........................................................28

Female Students ..........................................29%

Minority Students* .....................................29%

International Students ..............................36%

Average years of pre-MBA work experience .....................................5 years

*Unlike some other schools which track only black, Hispanic, and American Indians, Anderson includes those of Asian heritage in its “minority students” count.

Most Common Under-graduate InstitutionsCalifornia

• UCLA• UC Berkeley• Stanford

Non-California

• University of Pennsylvania• Northwestern University• University of Michigan• Duke University• Harvard University• Princeton University• University of Virginia• Cornell University• National Taiwan University• Boston University

“We are dedicated to cementing in our students an ethical core, and to developing their sophisticated analytical knowledge and leadership preparedness.”

UCLA Anderson School of Management

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UCLA Anderson Academics & Grading PoliciesUCLA is a program that combines theoretical, practical and experiential learning with a focus on leadership within teams, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, cultural fit, and globalization. These bedrock elements inform each and every aspect of the UCLA Anderson academic experience as well as the type of recruitment that occurs on campus.

Teaching PhilosophyUCLA Anderson’s coursework consists of three primary teaching styles to cover the bulk of the curriculum. The teaching style used with UCLA Anderson’s courses breaks out in the following manner (percentages approximate):

• Lecture (70%)

• Experiential Learning (20%)

• Case Method (10%)

Class OrganizationEach incoming class at UCLA Anderson is divided into five “sections” of approximately 70 students each. These sections, labeled A, B, C, D and E, are further broken down into teams of four to five individual student teams within the core courses. The make-up of each individual student team is deliberate. UCLA Anderson students are placed with other team members that complement and contribute to the overall academic acumen of each member and team. Specifically, each team member will most likely represent a differing professional path, academic concentration, and personal background. Additionally, these teams are considered official study groups during the core courses, where grades are often awarded to teams rather than the individual student. Sections A and B attend class starting at 8 a.m. while Sections C, D and E begin their day at 10 a.m. The earlier sections A and B tend to be more popular with married students while the later sections contain a number of members who enjoy staying up past midnight.

While students at some other business schools remain in their sections for their entire first year, UCLA Anderson’s section system really only applies to its first two quarters, after which students enroll in elective courses based on any subject matter area they choose. However, beyond the core, members of each section remain closely engaged and aligned, however they are free to form their own study groups based on their own interests.

Course EnrollmentOne market-like phenomenon that all UCLA Anderson students get to know well is its course bidding system, in which students bid on elective courses using points. Students all receive the same number of points at the start of each academic year, and must allocate their points based on what courses they want to take and the professors from which they most want to learn. If a course can fit 50 students, then the 50 students who bid the highest will all get in, at the lowest winning bid. Therefore, if 200 people bid on a class, and the fiftieth-highest bid was 140 points, then all 50 “winning” students get into the course for 140 points. If a student bid 300 points, then the other 160 points are returned to him. The bidding system forces students to make some tough choices. Oftentimes, the choices that students make are based on who’s teaching a course. For instance, should a student go with the “rock star” economics professor and make do with a relatively new and perhaps less-known marketing professor, or go for the well-known marketing professor and take their chances with the unknown economics instructor? A common saying at UCLA Anderson is, “Bid on professors, not courses.”

As a student you will almost always be able to take every course that you want, although you may not always get the professor that you want for each one of those courses.

“Andersonfeedback.com is an excellent resource for faculty and course ratings. This site is not endorsed by the UCLA Anderson administration. It that was started in 2000 by a number of students and has since taken on a life of its own. This is another testament to the student-led culture at UCLA Anderson.”

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U C L A A N D E R S O N A C A D E M I C S A N D G R A D I N G P O L I C I E S

Management CoreMany schools have overhauled (or at least tweaked) their curricular offerings lately, including Anderson’s counterpart in Northern California, UC-Berkeley Haas. The changes made at Anderson this year seem more significant than what Berkeley has done. Anderson embarked on a significant project involving consultants and studies, and came up with a more flexible design to the offerings that first-year (and second-year) students take. The biggest changes include a menu of choices that students may choose from to satisfy the core requirements. UCLA is calling this a “market-facing curriculum” to reinforce their prime purpose of better preparing students for the requirements of their future careers.

FirstYear. The new core curriculum at UCLA Anderson encompasses:

• Management Communications (new required course)

• Finance

• Marketing

• Accounting

• Statistics

• Economics

• Strategy

• Organizational Behavior

• Up to four electives

Note that this is essentially the same set of courses as you’ll take at any top business school. The main differences are that UCLA allows you to choose when to take your marketing and finance courses (first or second quarter), and gives you more electives than other schools. This lets you design your courseload according to what type of internship you plan on seeking, so that you can be a stronger candidate for the recruiting cycle. You will also have had more opportunities for a tailored education when you actually start that important job in the summer after your first year.

UCLA Anderson also has a track record of waiving courses that students have already completed in another setting. This is another indication of the student-friendly nature of the program and the school’s willingness to allow its students to dive into the subjects that interest them most and take advantage of elective courses, including the multitude of experiential learning courses and labs available at UCLA Anderson.

SecondYear. The new curriculum at UCLA has a distinct focus in the second year, when students choose one of five tracks:

• Marketing

• Finance

• Consulting

• Custom

These are functional areas, rather than majors. Students may also focus on an industry-specific certificate such as real estate, entertainment, healthcare, or sustainability, among many others.

AppliedManagementResearchprogram. further emphasis is being made within the UCLA Anderson curriculum on the second-year capstone project, which is somewhat similar to the Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) that’s been a cornerstone of Michigan Ross. The AMR project is the only proscribed course in the second year curriculum; all other coursework during the latter half of the program is of the student’s own choosing.

Anderson Strategy GroupThe UCLA Anderson administration has taken specific efforts to improve the business strategy curriculum. As Anderson is a student-led culture, second-year students have formed the Anderson Strategy Group. The Anderson Strategy Group is a management consulting firm staffed entirely by UCLA Anderson students. Student managers lead teams of MBA students in conducting pro-bono consulting work. Again, by utilizing UCLA Anderson’s pragmatic approach to education, students were recently given the chance to put newly acquired MBA skills into action for local Los Angeles for-profit and non-profit organizations.

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Leadership FoundationsLeadership Foundations is a two-unit, five-day course that immediately immerses students in UCLA Anderson’s hands-on and team-oriented approach to leadership. In introducing this approach to all students, the course feels like a team-building boot camp or an MBA pep rally rather than a traditional classroom environment. Students develop team-building tools, and establish norms that will guide their working relationships within UCLA Anderson’s core courses. Using seminars, lectures and case studies faculty introduce the necessary academic frameworks that facilitate management decision-making. By introducing the necessary methods of operating at UCLA Anderson, faculty clearly lay out the expectations for how learning is approached at UCLA Anderson.

Leadership Foundations is also part of a greater two-week UCLA Anderson orientation for incoming students. While week one focuses on teamwork, week two focuses on introducing each student to the vast number of resources available to them at UCLA Anderson. The pace of this orientation is quick, with orientation days lasting often in excess of 12 hours. Students have remarked that orientation is “like being shot out of a cannon.” Prepare yourself for everything from extreme dodgeball to assignments due on the first day of class to “Professor Introductions.”

Study Abroad OpportunitiesForeign exchange programs are extremely popular with second-year UCLA Anderson students. Approximately 20% of the second-year class elects to study abroad. UCLA Anderson is a member of Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) International: a network of international MBA programs. The quarter system means that it’s easier to take advantage of the global exchange program at UCLA, since less time is spent away from your home campus than if you were attending a business school on a semester system. Among the most popular study abroad destinations are Spain and Australia. Anderson students literally trade places with the students from the other school, which means that a number of students in LA every term are coming in from these top international MBA programs to attend class. This adds an additional and significant element of diversity at UCLA Anderson.

“Orientation is ‘like being shot out of a cannon’.”

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UCLA Anderson Business Plan CompetitionsDeloitte Case Competition

The Deloitte Case Competition is an annual event held at UCLA Anderson that provides “MBA students with a perspective of business problems beyond what they learn in a classroom.” Traditionally, more than 20 teams from the UCLA Anderson compete against each other. Bolstering UCLA Anderson’s pragmatic approach, the focus of the consulting case is centered on an actual Deloitte client with real-world financial implications.

The Knapp New Venture Competition

The Knapp Venture Competition is UCLA Anderson’s longest running, student-led initiative. For more than 30 years, this competition, held at UCLA Anderson, has been organized by the Entrepreneurship Association and the Price Center. Constructed to provide UCLA Anderson students with a hands-on experience in the venture initiation, this competition is among UCLA Anderson’s most notable.

The Legacy Case Competition

The Legacy Case Competition is an internal looking UCLA Anderson initiative. Designed to provide an opportunity for students to help strengthen the program, recent case topics have included the generation of action plans focused on a single case question; “How can UCLA Anderson increase its alumni giving to the UCLA Anderson Fund?” Started eight years ago, the case competition is traditionally sponsored by members of the UCLA Anderson Board of Visitors with a monetary award to the winning team.

Marketing Association Case Competition

The Marketing Association Case Competition, now in its sixth running year, seeks to present solutions to an actual marketing issue faced by a sponsor company. Traditionally, more than 20 teams compete in a 36-hour competition held annually by the UCLA Anderson Marketing Association. Teams are given only a minimum of information provided through a case and a Q&A session. The team is then left to their own research skill set, acumen and accord. A 20-minute PowerPoint presentation to a panel of judges followed by a 10-minute Q&A session represents the culmination of a team’s efforts. Most recently, the marketing Association at UCLA Anderson posted a case competition based on Jim Stengel’s upcoming book, ‘Packaged Good.’ Jim Stengel, the former global marketing officer for Procter & Gamble, was recently appointed as an adjunct professor at UCLA Anderson. The case competition focused on developing innovative ideas for marketing ‘Packaged Good’.

Global Business Leadership Competition

The Global Business Leadership Competition is a two-day case competition focusing on management and leadership issues within a global marketplace. The GBLC brings students from 16 MBA programs together to compete on three case studies centered on issues faced by global leaders and decision-makers. At a high-level, the competition is also a forum and open dialogue on global leadership. Students, while expected to showcase their talents and global viewpoint, are also expected to engage the global business leaders and faculty in attendance.

Net Impact Case Competition

The net impact case competition, dubbed the net impact consulting challenge, pairs a local nonprofit organizations with teams of UCLA Anderson students. This two-week case competition analyzes the unique challenges faced by nonprofit organizations from a business perspective. The competition also allows for collaboration between full-time MBA students, part-time MBA students and most recently, graduate students from UCLA’s own School of Public Affairs.

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Ziman Center for Real Estate - 1000 Homes Case Competition

The Ziman Center at UCLA Anderson has partnered with the Urban Land Institute to lead the 1000 Homes program. 1000 Homes is a phased program and approach directed at reducing rates of homelessness by providing permanent housing to this at-risk group. The first phase of this initiative kicks off with a case competition posted at Ziman Center. Lasting eight weeks, UCLA Anderson student teams are advised by a group of developers, planners and policy experts.

Grading PoliciesThe UCLA Anderson grading system is comprised of a typical A-F model, with a cumulative average of “C” required for graduation. The school also offers a pass/no credit option for experimentation with more aggressive coursework, with regard to electives. The reality of the UCLA Anderson grading system is that the top performers in a course will get the A and the lower performers will receive a B. While it is possible to receive a grade of C, this will require that the student grasps very few of the concepts taught in class. However, C grades are not without consequence. UCLA Anderson requires that their students maintain a grade point average of 3.0. Cumulative GPAs lower than a 3.0 require that a student be put on academic probation. Those students remaining on academic probation for more than two consecutive terms may be asked to leave the program. In reality, this rarely happens as the school administration works with each student to raise their GPA.

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Notable Courses and Faculty at UCLA AndersonThe UCLA Anderson faculty is populated with many prominent business leaders, researchers, and teachers. Among UCLA Anderson students, there are several professors that are considered a “must” to have for a class, due to their reputation both as educators and as experts. These notable professors include:

Antonio BernardoProfessor and Faculty ChairmanProfessor Bernardo is one of the leading minds in the area of corporate finance and asset pricing and has been published in virtually every leading academic journal. He teaches the bulk of his courses in the areas of Economics and Finance and has been at Anderson since 1994, where he has twice won the Teaching Excellence Award voted on by second year full-time MBA students.

William CockrumAdjunct ProfessorThe 1998 and 2002 winner of the Teaching Excellence Award, Professor Cockrum was also named the top entrepreneurial professor in the nation by BusinessWeek in 1996. He has created a case-study entrepreneurial finance class that he has taught for over 20 years and that is considered the benchmark for such coursework in the MBA industry. In addition to currently teaching entrepreneurial finance, business ethics, and investment management, Professor Cockrum is also a member of the school’s Board of Visitors and the Anderson Alumni Board.

Edward LeamerProfessor, Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in ManagementThe Director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast program, Professor Leamer leads the effort in producing quarterly economic projections for the nation and the state of California. Arriving at Anderson in 1990, Professor Leamer has published four books and over 100 articles. He teaches primarily in the subject area of Economics, with his courses focusing on such diverse topics as the U.S. business cycle, the impact of the Internet on economic geography, and the potential impact of the FTAA on inequality in Latin America.

Alfred E. Osborne, Jr.Senior Associate Dean, ProfessorProfessor Osborne serves in the function of Senior Associate Dean of the business school, but also is a popular professor of Global Economics and Management and the founder and director of the Harold Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA. An expert in corporate governance, Professor Osborne formed a certification program for companies to help officers and directors take their companies public. He is also an active expert in social enterprise and entrepreneurship, initiating several partnerships with major corporations through the Price Center.

Eric SussmanLecturerProfessor Sussman has been voted the Teacher of the Year an astounding eight times by Anderson students since he started at the school in 1995, and he appeared on the BusinessWeek list of Most Popular Business School Professors in 2011. He has also received two faculty awards (the Citibank Teaching Award in 1998 and the Neidorf Decade Teaching Award in 2008). He teaches courses in the following areas: accounting, financial statement analysis, corporate financial reporting, and real estate investment. Professor Sussman also teaches finance courses to both UCLA’s undergraduate students and Executive Education students. Off campus, Professor Sussman is the president of Amber Capital, Inc., a real estate investment company.

Victor TabbushAdjunct ProfessorThe winner of the 2000 Teaching Excellence Award winner, Professor Tabbush also won Outstanding Teaching Awards for his work with the Executive MBA Program and the Fully-Employed MBA program. He specializes in healthcare economics and health management and is a highly-coveted speaker on healthcare issues. Professor Tabbush has additional interests in diverse subjects such as antitrust, employment issues, pricing, and wrongful death cases.

The UCLA Anderson faculty is divided into 9 departments• Accounting

• Decisions, Operations and Technology Management

• Finance

• Global Economics and Management

• Human Resources and Organizational Behavior

• Information Systems

• Marketing

• Policy

• Interdisciplinary Group in Behavioral Decision Making

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N O T A B L E C O U R S E S A N D F A C U L T Y A T U C L A A N D E R S O N

APPENDIXVisiting UCLA AndersonOne of the best ways for candidates to truly understand if UCLA Anderson is a proper fit is to visit the campus and get a feel for the academic environment, student life, and overall campus culture. Additionally, visiting the school offers the opportunity for face-to-face contact with current students, professors, and admission representatives. UCLA Anderson offers a variety of ways for candidates to come and experience the school for themselves:

Group Information Sessions. Registration is not required to attend an on-campus Group Information Session but is strongly encouraged. These events last one hour and are primarily a Q&A session with an admissions officer or second year student. These are by appointment only and are held weekly during the fall.

Class Visits. UCLA Anderson encourages prospective students to visit to experience the creativity and teamwork of its student body firsthand. Although strongly encouraged, registration is not required for a class visit through the Office of Admissions. If not registering in advance, prospective students must stop by the MBA Admissions office for a schedule of classes that are available and that a candidate can attend. Classes are 120 minutes long and held on Monday through Thursday of each week during an academic quarter. Visitors are introduced and are often called upon to participate in the discussion.

Student Guided Visit. Class Visits are a subset of a more holistic experience, known as the “Student Guided Visit.” This program allows prospective students to meet with current UCLA Anderson students in and out of class (think “lunch appointment”). Candidates should check with the Office of Admission for scheduling.

Special Events. UCLA Anderson’s “Women and the MBA” program, is a female-centric information session staffed by the admissions committee, female alumni and current female students. Online registration is required. The “Embracing Diversity Weekend” is another specialized outreach event usually held in November. This event is co-sponsored by the Latino Management Student Association (LMSA) and African American Students in Management (AASM).

Outreach Events. Like nearly all business schools and academic programs, UCLA Anderson offers a variety of opportunities to engage with members of the school’s community outside of Westwood. Many are hosted by the business school, while others are larger events or co-sponsored events at which UCLA Anderson participates. The school offers a complete list of its events on its website event calendar.

Anderson Days. Another highly regarded special event is Anderson Days, or “A-days” for short. This event is for students accepted at UCLA Anderson. It gives all admitted prospective students a final opportunity to evaluate the school. For those applicants who have already been accepted, this provides another great networking opportunity even before school starts. Attendees meet fellow admits, engage current students, network with alumni, and get a hands-on feel for the types of resources available at UCLA Anderson. Through a relaxed, yet engaging environment, admitted students get a true sense of the resources, organizations, initiatives and community that is UCLA Anderson. A-days is held twice a year for admits, usually once in February and once in April.

Anderson Afternoons. Additionally, there are a number of more informal school-wide events every week. These often afford interested students additional opportunities to engage the community at UCLA Anderson. The infamous and long-standing “Lit Club” tradition occurs every Wednesday night at a different West Los Angeles watering hole. UCLA Anderson “librarian” students impart short readings and bits of wisdom that take the tone of a roast. Another good opportunity is the “Anderson Afternoon.” If scheduling a class visit, candidates should consider a Thursday, as Anderson Afternoons are held at 5:00 p.m. every Thursday and feature beer, wine, food, and the opportunity to socialize with current Anderson students.

Admissions StatisticsFull-time MBA Enrollment ..........About 720

Applications ................................................... 2729 (about 300 more than prior year, one of the few schools that saw applications go up)

Acceptance Rate ..........................around 29%

Interview Rate ........... usually less than 50%

Yield ........................................................about 50%

Average GMAT score .................................... 705 (down from 711)

80% GMAT score range .....................660-750

Average GPA ........................................................3.5

80% GPA range ...........................................3.2-3.9

http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27231.xml

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The Anderson School and Social MediaThe information on the UCLA Anderson website is useful once you find it. The non-intuitive dropdown menus are slightly frustrating. When checking for deadlines and admissions requirements, be very careful that you’re in the section you intend to be; the difference between the FEMBA part-time MBA and the full-time program in terms of admissions requirements is huge, however it’s easy to not notice you’re viewing a different program on the website than you had intended. UCLA Anderson is active in various channels on the following social media.

• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/uclaanderson - Anderson admissions is quite active on Facebook though much of the content is cross-posted to their website

• Twitter - http://twitter.com/uclaanderson Worth following; lots of activity across the school campus and community including academic research and media; Admissions Director MJ Shores has her own stream at http://twitter.com/mjshores

• Podcasts - UCLA has a channel on iTunes or you can listen to podcasts by faculty or guest speakers.

• TheInsider’sBlog - http://uclaanderson.typepad.com/mba_admissions/ - Includes posts about system problems in the ApplyYourself website (always nerve-wracking for appli-cants) and a new series of videos called MJ on the MBA from the director of admissions.

• TheAndersonWebsite http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/ contains a lot of information, though, as with other schools, it may require digging to find it

And of course the Veritas Prep Blog is an active resource for targeted admissions strategies, available for free and updated every weekday.

Contact InformationMBA Admissions & Financial Aid Office110 Westwood PlazaGold Hall - Suite B201Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481Phone: (310) 825-6944Fax: (310) 825-8582Email: [email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/uclaanderson

http://twitter.com/uclaanderson

http://twitter.com/mjshores

http://itunes.ucla.edu



http://uclaanderson.typepad.com/mba_admissions/

http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/

http://www.veritasprep.com/blog

mailto:mba.admissions%40anderson.ucla.edu?subject=

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Costs & Financial Assistance at UCLA AndersonAnderson does not provide as many fellowship and scholarship opportunities as other top programs such as Harvard Business School or the Kellogg School of Management, but it does feature a lower price tag, particularly for California residents.

First Year Merit-Based Fellowships. The UCLA Anderson Fellowship committee selects a number of recipients each year to receive two-year merit-based awards for varying amounts that are granted to incoming students based on overall application strength. The school does not broadcast the number of awards granted or the amount.

Second Year Merit-Based Fellowships. The school also offers a limited number of merit awards for second-year students, based on first year grades in core courses and community involvement.

Need-Based Scholarships and Grants. All admitted students to UCLA Anderson are invited to fill out a financial aid application as well as a FAFSA to be considered for need-based grants and scholarship awards.

Federal and Private Loans. As with most graduate programs, UCLA Anderson makes available a series of loan programs that comprise the bulk of each student’s financial assistance:

• FederalStaffordLoan - Available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The maxi-mum dollar amount is $20,500 and the subsidized amount can be up to $8,500, depend-ing on financial need. The federal Stafford loan comes at a fixed interest rate of 6.8%.

• FederalPerkinsLoan - An interest-free loan while in school, it is a smaller loan pro-gram available to qualified students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

• FederalGraduatePLUSLoans(“G-PLUS”) - This loan can cover cost of attendance after other assistance has been calculated, provided the student qualifies and is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. It comes with an 8.5% fixed interest rate.

• PrivateLoanPrograms - Once a UCLA Anderson student has borrowed $20,500 in federal loans, they may borrow from loan providers with which Anderson has part-nered. For U.S. citizens or permanent residents, private loans are available through Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo.

The following estimated annual costs are based on information released by Anderson for the 2011-12 academic year.

Standard ExpensesRoom and Board Expenses ............$14,040

Computer Allowance ........................$2,500*

Books and Supplies .............................. $2,400

Travel ............................................................. $2,511

Personal ....................................................... $2,556*Applies to the first year only.

California Resident Tuition .............$45,385California Resident Total ..... $69,392

Non-Resident Tuition ........................$52,580Non-Resident Total............ $76,587

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Student OrganizationsAnderson features over 30 clubs on campus, categorized as Professional Clubs, Identity Clubs, and Interest Clubs, all spearheaded by the Anderson Student Association. First-year students gain exposure to these organizations at the annual student club fair. Industry clubs such as the Investment Finance Club, Management Consulting Association, Marketing Association, High-Tech Business Association, Entertainment Management Association and Net Impact are among the most critical to the development of future professional personal goals. The school’s website includes a complete list of clubs and student organizations, however some of the most popular and important industry and professional clubs and organizations at Anderson include:

• Entrepreneur Association (EA)• Investment Finance Association (IFA)• Management Consulting Association (MCA)• Anderson Real Estate Association (AREA)• High Tech Business Association (HTBA)• Strategic Operations Management Association (SOMA)• Net Impact (NI)• Asian Management Student Association (AMSA)• International Business Association (IBA)

These organizations provide time sensitive and insider information about the industries and functions they represent. Each organization hosts sessions about specific careers within their field and how to prepare for the job interview, in addition to sponsoring recruiters and firms during Career Night’s or Days On The Job. Additionally, organizations geared more towards personal development and networking are extremely popular at UCLA Anderson. Among the most popular are:

• Challenge for Charity (C4C)• Wine Club• Ski and Snowboarding Club• Latino Management Student Association• Asian Management Student Association• Women’s Business Connection (WBC)

Challenge for Charity (C4C)

Challenge for Charity is the largest philanthropic organization at UCLA Anderson. C4C is part fund raising, volunteer hours and sports competition, all in the name of two charities:

Special Olympics and LA Works. Every spring UCLA Anderson competes against eight West Coast business schools in the annual MBA challenge for charity sports competition. MBA programs traditionally in attendance are UCLA Anderson, USC Marshall, Pepperdine, UC Irvine, Stanford GSB, UC Davis, USF, UC Berkeley Haas, and the University of Washington. Programs with the highest attendance are usually UCLA Anderson and Stanford GSB. UCLA Anderson students raise money by holding events such as the Santa Barbara wine trip, the Casino Night and Auction, the Junior Achievement bowlathon, and an annual ski trip to Whistler. All schools are competing for the coveted Golden Briefcase trophy, with UCLA Anderson bringing home this trophy for the last two years.


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Professional Recruitment at UCLA Anderson School of ManagementOne of the top reasons to attend Anderson is the plethora of career opportunities that present themselves to its graduates. Job opportunities abound in a variety of industries and arenas for students who excel at one of the nation’s most highly ranked and highly respected business schools.

Career Development ResourcesAs with most top business schools, UCLA Anderson also has a series of career resources that help first-year students in an attempt to secure the important first summer job, as well as career development opportunities to follow. These resources are spearheaded by the Parker Career Management Center (CMC). The CMC spearheads the many efforts to assist UCLA Anderson students and graduates with the job search process. It is comprised of 13 full-time professionals and features a number of programs that assist first and second-year MBA students, as well as UCLA Anderson graduates. Supplementing this, the CMC offers one-on-one appointments with an additional fifteen career counselors, access to databases containing company and industry specific information databases, interviewing skill-building workshops and podcasts covering general industry information. The CMC capitalizes on UCLA Anderson’s collaborative culture by utilizing a student-guided and proactive approach to career development. First-year students are required to submit their resume prior to UCLA Anderson’s two-week orientation. Submitting resumes up front gives students and the CMC an opportunity to jump-start the job search process while preparing those students seeking out internships within management consulting and financial services. Internship interviews for these industries occur within weeks of semester start. Resumania is also another popular student-led career event. Every fall term, first-year students can hone their resumes through a 10-min feedback session. Held over the course of eight hours, CMC career counselors and second-year UCLA Anderson students provide a strengths and weaknesses assessment tailored to the individual student. Facilitating the first-year internship search, the core course framework is front-loaded. Another testament to UCLA Anderson’s student-led culture, this design was implemented by the school’s administration as a response to student requests towards jump starting the job search process. The specific initiatives listed on the UCLA Anderson’s CMC website revolve around the following areas:

Career Counseling. Professional career counselors and second-year student volunteers assist students through the three stages of career change and progression: self-assessment, research, and implementation. Most often, this takes the form of one-on-one counseling. However, the CMC holds career counseling workshops during the year as well. This tag-team offers years of professional counseling advice and the most up-to-date career anecdotes from second-year students. These resources prepare students for the nuances of professional networking as well as interview practice and resume development. Again, with an eye towards student-led and self-directed teams, the CMC created the ACT program in 2003. ACT teams are groups of peers united in a industry and function specific job search. Meeting in the fall and winter terms, ACT includes career counseling through bi-weekly sessions facilitated by career coaches and second-year students.

Campus Recruiting Program. As with most elite professional graduate school programs, on-campus interviews are the lifeblood of the professional recruitment process at Anderson, and are hosted through the Campus Recruitment Program. Each year, the school hosts over 300 companies through this program, allowing various employers to host interviews with students during the fall quarter.

Parker CMC Classifieds. The career services offices maintains an online job posting forum that allows employers to post various jobs specific to the Anderson community. Over 3,000 jobs are posted on the CMC Classifieds each year, as postings are comprised of full-time positions, part-time jobs, project opportunities, and internships.

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Company Presentations. During the fall and winter quarters, companies are allowed to come on campus to hold Employer Briefings and Corporate Presentations. Employer Briefings are held Monday through Thursday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and consist of formal presentations with time for Q&A. Corporate Presentations are held Mondays through Wednesdays from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Pacific). These are more relaxed and are often accompanied by refreshments, allowing students to interact with recruiters.

Resumé Books and Collections. The career services office makes available to companies Resumé Books and Resumé Collections, which are compilations of first and second-year student resumés. These books can be purchased, allowing companies a way to search through the resumés of Anderson students in search of a particular fit. The CMC also will create Resumé Collections for companies seeking candidates for specific positions. This involves reaching out to students in the various programs who meet specific requirements and collecting resumés from each interested candidate.

Alumni Network. Anderson’s alumni network of over 35,000 alumni provides a career resource for current students. The Anderson Office of Alumni Relations features programs ranging from local chapters to alumni weekend to corporate and speaker events. There are also a variety of online services including an alumni website, online job postings, and e-mail lists. A very popular initiative is the Anderson Jobs list maintained by UCLA Anderson alumnus Doug Neeper. This Yahoo! Group contains several thousand members and is a popular board for posting jobs by alumni and recruiters. In fact, this board is noted for posting timelier job opportunities than can often be found on the official UCLA Anderson’s alumni job board.

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Employment StatisticsAnderson graduates work in perhaps the greatest variety of industries and functions. Due to the fact that so many UCLA Anderson students come to the MBA program with plans to go into entrepreneurial ventures and unusual career paths, UCLA Anderson does not send nearly as many students into the traditional “big three” functions (finance, consulting, and marketing). In fact, Anderson actually ranks extremely high in the number of students that go into media and entertainment as well as into real estate, making it one of the ideal elite business schools for candidates with unique career paths in mind.

Over 4% of recent graduates launched their own businesses while at Anderson. (The numbers below do not include those statistics.)

TopIndustries

Function

Location

“Over 30% of graduates perform a finance role with their employer. Marketing/sales followed closely with 28%, and management consulting continued its popularity with over 17% of students entering that function.”

UCLA Anderson

Brand/ProductMgmt 7%

InvestmentBanking 7%

Business Development 5%

GeneralManagement 5%

Real Estate Finance 5%

Corp Finance/FP&A 7%

Operations/Supply Chain 4%Research/Portfolio

Manager 3%

Consulting 15%

Other31%

Energy/Utilities 4%

Consulting 14%

Fin Svcs/InvestmtBanking 8%

Media/Entertainment 8%

RealEstate 6%

Technology/InternetSvcs 6%

Fin Svcs/AssetMgmt 5%

Healthcare/Pharma Biotech 4%

Technology/Telecomm 4%

Consumer Products 4%

Other37%

U.S. Northeast 6%

U.S. Mid-Atlantic 2%U.S. West(ex-Calif ) 5%

U.S. Midwest 1%

U.S. Southwest 1%

Asia 6%

Europe 2%LatAm/Canada 1%

California 76%

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Major EmployersMajor companies across the globe recruit Anderson graduates and many of the most common employers are similar to those that recruit at other top business schools. However, Anderson’s location in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, gives the list of common recruiters a different spin, featuring many powerful media companies. The following were some of the most common employers for graduates from the class of 2007:

• Amgen

• Bank of America

• Barclays

• Cisco Systems

• Clorox

• Credit Suisse

• Deloitte Consulting

• Diamond Advisory (PwC)

• Google

• IBM

• Kaiser Permanente

• Mattel

• Nestle

• Southern California Edison

• Walt Disney Co.

• Wells Fargo

Sources of Job OffersAs evidenced by the numerous ways in which the CMC assists its students in career management, Anderson students receive job offers in a variety of ways. For recent graduates, offers came from the following primary sources:

School-Facilitated:

Total ..................................................................... 65.5%

Summer Employer ........................................................................................23.1%

Campus Recruiting Program ......................................................................18%

Job Postings (Parker CMC Classifieds)..................................................6.3%

Other CMC resources (resumé books) ................................................1.6%

Other Anderson resources (alumni) ................................................ 16.5%

Student-Facilitated:

Total ......................................................................34.1%

Summer Employer ...........................................................................................6.3%

Family and friend network ..........................................................................6.7%

Pre-MBA employer ...........................................................................................4.7%

Other .....................................................................................................................16.4%

No Information:

Total .......................................................................... 0.4

SalariesBase Salary

Mean ......................................................... $97,191

Median ................................................. $100,000

Signing Bonus

Mean ......................................................... $21,152

Median .................................................... $20,000

Other Guaranteed Compensation

Mean ......................................................... $16,041

Median .................................................... $12,000

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Veritas Prep and Your UCLA Anderson ApplicationVeritas Prep has a distinguished track record helping our clients gain acceptance to one of the world’s most innovative business schools. Our UCLA Anderson clients go on to become leaders in their class and successful in a variety of careers, employing the teamwork and leadership principals the school is based upon.

Our TeamOur team of UCLA Anderson consultants includes former admission representatives, alumni interviewers, members of influential student groups, and, of course, accomplished professionals in a variety of fields. With multiple UCLA Anderson consultants on our admission consulting team, we are able to provide customized service to clients based on background, timing, and logistics. Our UCLA Anderson consultants have career experience in a variety of industries and functions. Each client who works with Veritas Prep on a comprehensive school package will receive a team of consultants: a Head Consultant and a UCLA Anderson Specialist.

Head Consultant. Each Head Consultant has experience as an admissions representative, which gives them a unique perspective on the applicant pool and how candidates must position themselves to express proper fit and to stand out in an increasingly competitive process. The head consultant will guide the client through every step of the process: from the initial Diagnostic Session to submission of the application.

UCLA Anderson Specialist. Every comprehensive package client will also receive input from an Anderson Specialist who is either a current student or a recent graduate. Specialists provide insider information about the program they attended to ensure that you demonstrate school fit. In addition, they offer valuable insights about how to stand out from your competition. If you select a UCLA school package or choose to work with a specialist on an hourly basis, our team will ensure that your application components are perfectly tailored to Haas.

For more on Veritas Prep’s incredible team and the individuals who serve as our Anderson consultants, please visit the Consultant Profiles page of our website.

Our UCLA Anderson ApproachThe UCLA Anderson School of Management is always one of the most popular school selections among our clients due to its reputation, approach to academics, and location near one of America’s greatest cities. However, the Veritas Prep approach is built upon identifying the right fit for each client, regardless of the generic qualities of the business school. Only once we have verified a proper match do we begin to build the candidate’s personal marketing platform and piece together the perfect UCLA Anderson application.

Diagnostic Session. Our Diagnostic Session - the first step in our comprehensive packages as well as a standalone service - assures that each client’s goals and prospects are properly aligned. Once we have helped ensure that the client is making sound choices with regard to each business school application, we start building a timeline and a strategy specifically tailored for a UCLA Anderson engagement.

Personalized MBA Game Plan. Each client’s head consultant will create a Personalized MBA Game Plan, a strategic approach based on the client’s professional, academic, and personal history. Those elements will become the foundation of the UCLA Anderson application story, allowing the client to demonstrate leadership, innovation, maturity, teamwork skills, analytical ability, and potential for academic excellence. A major component of the Game Plan is the identification of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses - as well as truly unique qualities - relative to the UCLA Anderson applicant pool (this applies to nearly all of the elite business schools). This will create an application platform from which to work and will help mold and shape the strategy of how to address application components such as the resumé, essays, and letters of recommendations.

http://www.veritasprep.com/business-school/meet-our-admissions-consultants/

http://www.veritasprep.com/select-a-package/

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Team-Oriented Collaborative Leadership. Foremost among elite business schools, UCLA Anderson emphasizes collaborative leadership within teams. UCLA Anderson views leaders as those that can collaboratively obtain agreement across a team or organization, marching them in a unified direction, towards a goal. The program incorporates this tenant into both its application process as well as its coursework. The school uses a model of teaching that places a heavy emphasis on student-led groups and organizations. Placing small, self-directed student teams of four to five team members within larger Sections of 70 students drives this point home during the core set of courses. Teams are set up to intentionally represent disparate skill sets that promote a reliance on each team members varying skill sets. These smaller teams are expected to collaborate with other teams within their Section on the overall learning experience through class discussions, presentations, and analyses. Therefore, the admissions office is in search of candidates who can display a robust and consistent history of working well and collaboratively leading within diverse and dynamic team environments. Our approach to UCLA Anderson applications is to ensure that the client clearly articulates a view of leadership that is based on their collective professional and personal experiences. Displaying a clear view of leadership within intimate groups is relayed throughout each aspect of the process – from the assertions listed on the resume to the way the essays are constructed to the reinforcement provided by the letters of recommendation. The themes of collaboration, empathy and teamwork within leadership cannot be downplayed and is the bedrock of UCLA Anderson’s congenial culture.

Entrepreneurial Spirit. Foremost among elite business schools, UCLA Anderson emphasizes the entrepreneurial spirit through its coursework and organizations. Demonstrating fit with this characteristic of the program is a high priority quality prized by the admissions office, the faculty, and the external Los Angeles business community associated with UCLA Anderson. Displaying a history of entrepreneurship or opportunities for effecting change - particularly when it corresponds with tremendous teamwork - is a key ingredient in a successful UCLA Anderson application. Your Veritas Consultant will ensure that your leadership qualities are accentuated and broadcast in clear and persuasive language.

Balance and Fit. Supplementing the themes of collaborative teamwork and an entrepreneurial spirit is UCLA Anderson’s intense focus on culture fit through a consistent balance of personal and professional values. Referencing the first application essay, the admissions committee takes a slightly unusual approach in asking about your family and experiences growing up. UCLA Anderson views their school as not just a community but an MBA family. The school wants to know that the norms you possess will truly fit in with the program. They want to see that you have balanced professional goals that combine a personal commitment for the communities that you work and play in. This is why any background you possess through extracurricular activities that hits on the themes of community, innovation and leadership are a perfect fit for UCLA Anderson. Having installed this “Balance and Fit” as the remainder your UCLA Anderson application backbone, the Veritas Prep consultant will ensure that you have addressed these themes across all essay questions, resume and total application.

It’s not easy applying to one of the most popular schools in the country, but our consulting team will ensure that Veritas Prep clients give themselves the best chance of admissions success through the most accurate, engaging, and persuasive portrayal of their candidacy that they can possibly create. This is true of our approach to all schools, but particularly at UCLA Anderson, where two critical themes - the entrepreneurial spirit and leadership within teams - must resonate so strongly and consistently throughout the application.

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About Veritas PrepFounded in 2002, Veritas Prep has emerged as a global leader in GMAT® education and MBA admissions consulting. The company’s business school team includes more than 300 graduates of the world’s elite MBA programs, managed from its headquarters in Malibu, California.

The Veritas Prep consulting model is built on adding value to a student’s application process by providing both mentorship and expertise. The business school admissions process has become increasingly competitive and applicants must do everything possible to showcase their value. Our consultants assist applicants in presenting their unique stories in the most professional and meaningful way possible. In a sense, our consultants are translators - helping an applicant discover raw materials and information and then helping that candidate articulate a unique story in a language that admissions committees understand. More than anything, Veritas Prep gives candidates a sense of ownership and control over the process. Quality of work, attention to detail, care for the student, and integrity are the lynchpins of a successful consultation.

In addition to elite MBA admissions consulting services, Veritas Prep also offers the finest GMAT preparation available in the industry, as well as admissions consulting for law school, medical school, and graduate school programs.

For comprehensive information on all of Veritas Prep’s many services, please visit our website.

“Success Favors the Prepared“

http://www.veritasprep.com

The 2012 Essential Guide to UCLA Anderson

Documents

mae jennifer

senior associate

deeper domain

deloitte case

legacy case

business plan

parker cmc

latin american