2014 2015 Veritas Prep Anderson Essential Guide

EssentialGuide 2014|15
UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

WWW.VERITASPREP.COM
Veritas Prep 2014/15 Essential Guide

to UCLA Anderson School of Management
Thank you for choosing Veritas Prep to assist in your journey to business school! We know
that the application process can be a daunting and life-changing decision, so weve designed
this Guide with you in mind. Many applicants may be looking only for essay tips and tricks, but
success in business school admissions is not driven merely by a flashy essay. Conducting deep
due diligence on each of your target schools and demonstrating an academic, professional,
and cultural fit with each program will be critical in crafting the kind of personal and genuine
application that admissions officers are looking for.
This Veritas Prep Essential Guide to UCLA Anderson offers insights you cannot find anywhere else:
Insider perspectives from current students and recent alumni
Expert insight highlighting aspects that will directly impact your student experience
Data-driven analysis and comparisons to peer schools
Easily scannable headings so you can focus on what matters most
External links so you can easily explore topics in greater detail
Admissions advice from the worlds leading MBA admissions experts
Admissions Consulting Services

If you are interested in assistance in the application process, we have a number of services
to fit your needs and the most diverse and experienced MBA admissions consulting team
ever assembled. For more information, please visit our website.
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PACKAGES (most popular): Your complete, startto-finish service for everything from target school selection, resume review, essay
brainstorming, and editing to mock interviews and waitlist assistance. Only with
Veritas Prep will you work with a Head Consultant with insider admissions
experience, plus a School Specialist with firsthand knowledge of UCLA Anderson.
HOURLY PACKAGES: For applicants who seek ultimate flexibility, you may work with
an expert consultant on any aspect of the application process on an hourly basis.
MOCK INTERVIEWS: Prepare for your interview with a Veritas Prep Anderson
Specialist who has firsthand knowledge of the interview process. Your consultant will
provide feedback for improvement so that you can walk into your interview
prepared and confident.
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EssentialGuide2014|15
Whats Inside
Getting the Most Out of This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
What Should I Look For in an MBA Program? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
UCLA Anderson Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

What Anderson Is Known For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

What Makes UCLA Anderson Different . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Whats New at Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

UCLA Anderson Is a Good Fit for You If . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
UCLA Anderson at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Academics at UCLA Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

What Anderson Is Known For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

You Oughta Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Nuts & Bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Popular Professors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Similar Academic Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Employment & Careers at Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14


You Oughta Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Similar Programs for Professional Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Culture & Campus Life at UCLA Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17


You Oughta Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Similar Programs Culturally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Admissions at UCLA Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

What UCLA Anderson Is Looking For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Preparing to Apply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

You Oughta Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The Online Application Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Veritas Prep and Your UCLA Anderson Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Your Personalized Anderson Consulting Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Ultimate Admissions Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
iii
Getting the Most Out

of This Guide
Deciding Where to Apply
As you determine where you want to apply, you can use the Academics,
Employment & Careers, and Culture & Campus Life sections to explore the
school. Each section highlights differences between UCLA Anderson and its
peer schools, but the UCLA Anderson Snapshot section may be most helpful
to get a quick sense of the program and its student body.
Maximizing Your Campus Visits and Info Sessions
Although youll gain many insiders perspectives on the school throughout
this Guide, we highly recommend visiting campus if you have the means to
do so. A campus visit will open your eyes to just how different each business
school can be. Use this Guide to ask more insightful questions in your campus
visit or information session.
Discussing with Your Recommender
We suggest that you look closely at the UCLA Anderson Snapshot and other
sections of this Guide, determine your profile strengths and weaknesses, and
have a frank discussion with your recommender about why youre applying to
the school. This way, your recommender can emphasize stories and examples
that will clearly make your case to the admissions committee.
Writing the Essays
Once youve decided Anderson is the right fit for you, use the Admissions section to find our suggestions for tackling the application components, especially Andersons particularly challenging essay.
Preparing for Your Interview
If you have received an interview invitation, congratulations! Expect to field
questions about why you want to get your MBA and how Anderson can enable you to achieve your goals. Show how youll contribute to campus by highlighting the student clubs and organizations in which you will get involved.
Getting Ready for Campus Life
Were you one of the 22% of applicants to be admitted to the Anderson School?
Youve made it! Now its time to prepare for your new life in Westwood. Check
out the Culture & Campus Life section to learn where most students decide
to live and what to expect on campus. The Academics section will help you
step into class with confidence on day one. Good luck!
GET TING THE MOST OUT OF THIS GUIDE
What Should I Look For

in an MBA Program?
Many candidates simply look at one or two of the business school rankings
and decide where to apply to school. While the rankings can be a good start,
you should dive in much deeper to determine where you will ultimately thrive. We recommend that you ask the following questions as you research your target schools:
1. Am I qualified to be there? Look at class profile statistics to see how
you stack up. Be wary of full GMAT ranges, for example, because if you
are about 35 points or more below the schools average, youre going to
be in the bottom 10% of the class. You will need a dramatically compelling reason for the admissions committee to admit you over similar
candidates who are more qualified.
2. Do the schools academic offerings match my goals? Review the
Academics section to determine whether the schools teaching methods match your learning style. Dive into the course offerings to see
what interests you most.
3. Do my target industries/companies recruit at the school? Does
this program send many people into my desired field? This can
be one of the key factors in determining whether a particular program is a match for your professional goals, so dont just gloss over the
Employment & Careers section. To be honest, you can probably get a
job in pretty much any industry coming out of a top-tier MBA program.
However, more stress and legwork may be necessary to find a job in particular industries, so you should understand the recruiting strengths
and weaknesses of your target schools.
4. Im going to be living there for two years (at most full-time
programs). Am I going to thrive in the schools culture and geography? Are you looking for a large program or a small one? Urban,
suburban, or rural? U.S. or international? East Coast, Midwest, South,
or West? A school where almost everyone lives together close to campus or where the student body tends to be more spread out? An academic meat grinder or a two-year vacation? A buttoned-down or
more casual atmosphere? Check out our Culture & Campus Life section to experience the school from the students perspective.
All right. Now that you know what to look for, lets see what UCLA Anderson has to offer!
W H AT S H O U L D I LO O K F O R I N A N M B A P R O G R A M ?
UCLA Anderson Snapshot

What Anderson Is Known For
Southern California sun. Many of the nations top MBA programs are located in
cities in the Northeast and Midwest that dont have particularly great weather. At
Anderson, not only do you get a rigorous management education, but you also have
plenty of opportunities to enjoy the incredible Southern California weather! Many
students take to surfing, beach volleyball, and many other SoCal activities. The Santa Monica beach, somewhere between 15 minutes and an hour away (depending on
traffic), and many of the schools activities are located there.
Big social scene. This goes probably hand-in-hand with its location in Southern California, but Anderson is known for its friendly students, strong showing at
school- and club-sponsored activities, and strong party scene off campus.
Breadth of interests. One of Andersons challenges in marketing itself to potential applicants is that it isnt known for just one thing, such as consulting, marketing,
finance, health care, or another specialty. The school has long-established research
centers in global business; media entertainment and sports; finance; entrepreneurship; macroeconomics and public policy; and real estate. Often research centers impact students very minimally, but Andersons centers often drive courses that are offered, interact with student clubs, drive the schools reputation among recruiters in
many industries, and bring high-profile speakers to campus. As a result, the school
sends a number of graduates into each of these industries, among others.
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 schools
approach.
What Makes UCLA Anderson Different

The Anderson culture. 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 schools approach. Student collaboration and leadership within
teams are the attributes that tie everything together at UCLA Anderson, and not just
among the full-time MBA students, but across all three MBA programs (full-time,
fully employed, and executive). Most afternoon electives have a mix of both FEMBA and full-time students, all the student clubs and organizations are a mix of all
three groups of students, and the school frequently hosts All-Anderson Networking
events to promote the intermingling of its different programs.
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.
Despite the focus on teamwork at many top programs, Andersons culture is largely
unmatched, save perhaps for Kellogg. In fact, Anderson and Kellogg can often seem
very similar in this area of true collaboration and teamwork. Read more about this
aspect of Anderson in our Culture & Campus Life section.
U C L A A N D E R S O N S N A P S H OT
Sustainable business. UCLA was the first major business school to create a
special certificate in sustainability for its MBA program, and now the Leaders in
Sustainability certificate program has grown to more than 100 students each year.
Anderson is also seeking LEED certification for its building, and students often participate in the 1,000 Homes competition and the California Clean Innovation Conference, among other events.
Entrepreneurship. Other schools offer programs in 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 (AMR) requirementin which students literally start a new ventureto the multiple business plan competitions and Entrepreneurship Week, Anderson students are immersed in the mindset of entrepreneurship on campus.
West Coast finance. If youre looking for a finance job but arent the Wall Street
type, Anderson is a major feeder school to offices and firms outside of New York
City. It also sends a handful of graduates each year to the major New York offices,
although the networks of Columbia, NYU Stern, Wharton, and other East Coast
based programs are much stronger.
Whats New at Anderson

A new brand positioning. UCLA Anderson has jumped on the business school
bandwagon of adding a tagline to the school. Andersons is Think in the Next,
which we find a bit underwhelming. However, new taglines for Wharton (Knowledge for Action), Berkeley-Haas (Leading through Innovation), and Kellogg (first,
Think Bravely, and now, Inspiring Growth) seem equally unnecessary. However, the idea behind Andersons new brand positioning is that it attracts candidates
who are creative pioneers and prepares leaders whose dream careers may not have
been invented yet. This fits well with the schools strengths in technology and entrepreneurship.
FEMBA Flex is a
hybrid between a
traditional parttime MBA program
and an online
program degree.
Flex continues to
grow in popularity,
and students are
raving about their
experience!
More financial engineers. Anderson reported a significant increase in the number of applications to its Masters in Financial Engineering (MFE) program this past
year. The program saw 470 applicants for the Class of 2014, compared to 266 during
the previous year. This trend is likely a result of more big data jobs popping up
across sectors. Andersons one-year masters program targets students interested
in technical areas of corporate finance, including money management, investment
banking, risk management, and private equity or hedge fund operations. The program itself is growing with the increase in students, now offering its own dedicated
staff for career services.
A growing Flex program. Anderson developed one of the most innovative MBA
offerings weve seen in many years, called FEMBA Flex. Its a hybrid between a traditional part-time MBA program and an online program degree. Students attend class
in person one weekend per month, and they attend all other class sessions online.
Flex constitutes one section of the Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) program, and
they share a joint application. Flex continues to grow in popularity, and students
who participate in it have given rave reviews of their experience. We wouldnt be
surprised if it grows to two sections in the near future.
EDGE for undergrads. Anderson recently conducted its second summer EDGE
program, a new four-week offering designed to give undergraduates and non-business majors access to some of Andersons premier business resources. The program,
which launched in July 2013, offers classes, workshops, and lectures to students interested in learning business basics so that they may gain a competitive edge in the
business world and post-college job market. Rising college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates may apply for the program starting in the fall. There are four application rounds, and additional information can be found on Andersons website.
68% of the class

of 2013 took jobs
in California after
graduation.
UCLA Anderson Is a Good Fit for You If

Youre interested in media and entertainment. Dont be fooled by percentages: About 9% of Anderson grads go into the entertainment industry upon graduation,
but that represents more than double the proportion of students going into the field
from any other top-tier school. Few schools have the strength, resources, or connections that UCLA has in the entertainment industry. Its not just the obvious advantage of the location being 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.
Youre a techie. Whether youre coming from the tech industry or want to transition into it, Anderson has suddenly become a powerhouse, seemingly out of nowhere. About 21% of the admitted class came from tech and 26% of graduates went
into the field, whether up north in Californias Silicon Valley or locally in LA. The
areas of Santa Monica, Venice, and West Los Angeles have now been dubbed Silicon Beach, as large tech companies and new startups continue to flock to the area.
Anderson now sends more graduates into the tech sector than any other industry
including financial services or consulting!
You want to stay in California. All schools tend to send the most graduates to
companies in their own region after graduation, but few are skewed as strongly as
Anderson. A whopping 68% of the Class of 2013 took jobs in California after graduatingwith 46% staying in Southern California and about 22% moving to Northern
California. Even Berkeley (Haas), which is known for its high percentage of graduates who stay in California, cannot top UCLA. If youre looking to stay in California
after schoolwhether youre looking at consulting, finance, technology, marketing,
media, or other rolesyoud be hard-pressed to find a stronger network in this state.
Youre an entrepreneuror want to become one. The strength of UCLAs Price
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies rivals that of the best business programs around.
From the variety of business plan competitions to the innovative classes on venture
formation and growth, Anderson is a place where startups are formed.
You want a strong part-time option. Andersons Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA, pronounced fem-buh) program is often ranked among the top-five part-time
programs worldwide. Many candidates find value in the UCLA FEMBA program
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.
UCLA Anderson at a Glance

Women
Applicants by School
Percent admitted
Anderson
3,121
Anderson
Harvard
9,315
22.7%
77.3%
Stanford
7,108
Wharton
6,036
18.7%
6.8%
11.3%
16%
84%
81.3%
93.2%
88.7%
Stern
3,661
Ross
2,650
33.7%
66.3%
36%
Ross
33%
Average Age
29
28
Anderson
Haas
Average GPA
Stern
3.47 3.53 3.61 3.40

Anderson
Stern
Haas
39%
Ross
Haas
Average GMAT Scores
29%
707 721 714 704

Anderson
Stern
Haas
Ross
Nationality
32%
68%
International
Citizens
U.S.
Countries Represented
44
U C L A A N D E R S O N AT A G L A N C E
Undergrad Majors
34%
25%
STEM
Humanities/Social Science/
Economics
Anderson
43%
22%
Ross
38%
32%
Stern
Business
OTHER
27%
2 4%
United States Minorities

30%
Anderson
Class Size
40%
Haas
46%
24%
16%
Ross
Tuck
From Consulting/Finance Sector Pre-MBA

Haas
Anderson
Harvard
932
Wharton
837
Columbia
749
Kellogg
652
Booth
581
Ross
455
Duke
437
Sloan
406
Stanford
406
Stern
392
Anderson
360
Yale
291
Tuck
277
Haas
252
Stern
Consulting
14%
10%
22%
Finance
24%
31%
28%
U C L A A N D E R S O N AT A G L A N C E
Academics at UCLA Anderson

Variety of teaching methods. Some MBA programs such as Harvard Business
School and the University of Virginias Darden School are well known for their use of
the case method, but Anderson professors are given free rein to teach classes as they
see fit. Classes utilize cases, lecture, experiments, and hands-on consulting projects.
Market-focused curriculum. When Anderson redesigned its curriculum a few
years ago, the administration had one goal in mind: to prepare its students for professional careers. They brought in outside consultants, conducted numerous studies, and collaborated with major recruiters. Andersons curriculum is geared more
toward recruiting and professional opportunities than nearly any other schools, except perhaps the Johnson School at Cornell. Overall, the core curriculum is pretty
inflexible, as all students must take all nine required courses. However, the sequence
of some core courses may be tailored to ones professional recruiting goals. Electives
are categorized into three professional tracks and 10 career-oriented specializations, as we discuss in further detail in the Nuts & Bolts section.
Faculty research. Professors at Anderson tend to be engaging, although youll
probably get a dud or two at some point in your MBA experience. However, they
really shine when it comes to research. Anderson professors are published in top
journals more than almost any other schools. Students may not feel this aspect of
the university provides much value to their experience, but professors can bring
this cutting-edge research into the classroom to directly enhance the education. In
addition, some rankings include an intellectual capital component in their methodologies, which means that the strong research emphasis at Anderson boosts the
schools rank.
You Oughta Know
First-year curriculum
includes:
Financial
Accounting
Managerial
Economics
Data and Decisions
Marketing
Management
Foundations of
Finance
Operations
Technology
Management
Business Strategy
Organizational
Behavior
Communications
for Leaders
Up to three electives
Unique use of sections. At Anderson, youll have two different sections of about
70 people with whom youll take core courses. You will take six core courses with
your primary section, and three courses with your secondary section. This structure allows you to form relationships with a larger group of people than you might
at schools where you take all core courses with just one section. However, it allows
close bonds to form more easily than at MBA programs that do not utilize sections
or clusters.
Case competitionslots of them. Competitions, both at home and at other
schools, are such a large part of academic life at Anderson that the school considers them a key part of its hands-on learning opportunities. The school hosts several
A C A D E M I C S AT U C L A A N D E R S O N
10
competitions on campus, including the Knapp Venture Competition, Fink Center

Stock Pitch Competition, Legacy Case Competition, Sports Case Competition, and
Net Impact Consulting Challenge, among others. In addition, students travel to, and
often win, similar competitions across the country. Many MBA programs host and
participate in competitions, but we havent seen this level of emphasis at any other
school.
Academic competitiveness. Anderson has a traditional AF grading policy, although grades below a C are rarely given. However, unlike at many MBA programs,
recruiters may ask about grades and students may openly discuss them. Unlike
at MBA programs with grade non-disclosure policies, firms will use GPA as a key
part of their evaluative process. Anderson does not place as many students into top
investment banks and management consulting firms, such as Goldman Sachs,
McKinsey & Co., and so forth, so grades can become an important factor in securing
an interview with a top firm. This means that grades matter much more to students
at Anderson than those at most other top MBA programs, and this may become a
consideration when youre selecting Anderson among other schools.
Nuts & Bolts

Tracks and specializations. In their second year, many students choose to pursue one of three tracks in consulting, finance, or marketing. These tracks were designed with industry input to ensure Anderson graduates have the skills to hit the
ground running. In addition, students may earn specializations in accounting, corporate finance, entertainment, entrepreneurship, global management, health care,
investment management, sustainability, real estate, and technology management.
We find this a very straightforward way to guide students toward their goals. Most
schools continue to offer majors along academic departments, such as Decision Sciences, Organizational Behavior, or Operations, which offer less-clear direction for
students pursuing specific career paths.
About 20% of
the second-year
class elects to
study abroad. The
quarter system
at UCLA means
that its easier to
take advantage of
the international
exchange program.
Applied Management Research (AMR) program. 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) thats
been a cornerstone of Michigan Ross. The AMR projecta program that partners
MBA students with real-world executives to solve current business challenges
is the only prescribed course in the second year curriculum; all other coursework
during the latter half of the program is of the students own choosing. It is the hallmark of experiential learning at Anderson, and has been a part of the Anderson curriculum and experience since 1967, decades earlier than similar programs at other
top business schools. (For example, Harvard Business School finally implemented
FIELD experiential learning experiences into its core in 2011.)
International exchanges. Foreign exchange programs are extremely popular
with second-year UCLA Anderson students. Approximately 20% of the second-year
11
class elects to study abroad, and UCLA Anderson is a member of Partnership in International Management (PIM), a network of 60 international MBA programs. The
quarter system at UCLA means that its easier to take advantage of the international exchange program, since less time is spent away from your home campus than if
you were attending a business school on a semester system. The most-popular study
abroad destinations include Spain and Australia.
During these exchange programs, Anderson students literally trade places with students from the other school, which means that a number of students each term come
from these top international MBA programs to attend class in LA. This adds an additional and significant element of diversity at UCLA Anderson.
Popular Professors
Senior Lecturer Eric Sussman
In any discussion about rock star professors at Anderson, Eric Sussmans name
jumps to the top of the list. Professor Sussman has been voted the Outstanding
Teacher of the Year an astounding 13 times by Anderson students since he started
at the school in 1995, and he was ranked among the top-10 most popular business
school professors nationwide by Businessweek in 2011. He teaches courses in the
following areas: accounting, financial statement analysis, corporate financial reporting, and real estate investment. Off campus, Professor Sussman is the president
of Amber Capital, Inc., manager of Fountain Management, LLC and Clear Capital,
LLC, and managing partner of Sequoia Real Estate Partners and the Pacific Value
Opportunities Funds.
Professor Antonio Bernardo
Professor 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.
Adjunct Professor George Geis
An author of dozens of articles and six books, George Geis is a force to be reckoned
with in mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the technology industry. He has
won the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award five times, most recently in 2012.
He teaches courses in mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, entrepreneurship, and accounting. Always with his finger on the pulse of the technology industry,
Professor Geis offers many insights on his blog.
Visiting Adjunct Professor Tom Wurster
Professor Wurster is the former senior partner and managing director of Boston
Consulting Groups Los Angeles office, where he led all of BCGs West Coast oper-
12
ations. He has quickly become a student favorite at Anderson, bringing practical

insights on how to take ideas from the strategic insight level to execution in his elective course Insight to Outcome.
Lecturer Paul Habibi
For anyone remotely interested in real estate investment and development, Professor Habibi is considered must take. A successful real estate investor himself, Professor Habibi translates his success into practical takeaways for his students, who
often say they learned more in his course than any other at UCLA Anderson.
Similar Academic Programs

If the academics at Anderson are attractive to you, then youll be in good company.
Anderson has a fairly traditional core curriculum structure and uses a variety of
teaching methods common among most business schools today. Weve listed a few
programs that have particular academic features in common.
Michigan (Ross). Ross and Anderson share numerous academic similarities. A
hallmark of the Anderson experience is its AMR project in the second year. Ross
was also an early pioneer in the use of a major, real-world project to offer action
learning opportunities. In addition, Ross has strong full-time, evening, weekend,
and EMBA options. Ross also offers one-year masters degrees in accounting, entrepreneurship (jointly with the engineering school), management, and supply chain.
Anderson offers a one-year masters degree only in financial engineering.
Cornell (Johnson). After completing the traditional core requirements in your
first semester at Johnson, youll choose an immersion among marketing, operations,
investment banking, managerial finance, asset management, sustainability, consulting, or a customized option. At Veritas Prep, we really like this structure, as it
offers significant customization based on a students professional aspirations ahead
of his or her summer internship.
Dartmouth (Tuck). Tucks core curriculum is pretty standard fare, although its
varied teaching methods and strong emphasis on teamwork are quite similar to Andersons. In addition, Tuck has a first-year consulting project similar to Andersons
AMR that focuses on real-world problems with sponsor companies.
13
Employment & Careers

at Anderson
Media and entertainment. If youre looking for a business job in Hollywood,
UCLA Anderson is the place to be. With full-time, part-time, and EMBA programs
all serving students who ultimately take jobs with local film, music, television, video
game, and other digital media companies, its network is incredibly strong in Los Angeles. The industry is so insular that, outside of Harvard or Stanford grads, students
from MBA programs outside of Los Angeles can have an extremely difficult time getting jobs in Los Angeles entertainment.
Graduates entering media and entertainment jobs
Anderson 9%
Stern 5%
HBS 4%
Wharton 3%
Yale 2%
Technology. Traditionally, when MBA candidates were looking for strong technology programs, they turned to Stanford, Berkeley-Haas, and MIT Sloan. In the
past five years or so, however, UCLA Anderson has come on strong in this area. The
school takes great pride in adapting to new trends and the needs of its students, and
this strength is promoted in its new brand positioning, Think in the Next. As a result, the school has put significant resources into technology-related curriculum
and employment services. Now, more than a quarter (26%) of its graduates enter
this sector.
Graduates entering the technology industry
Haas 33%
Stanford 32%
Anderson 26%
Sloan 19%
HBS 18%
Finance. UCLA Anderson fills an important role as one of very few West Coast
based MBA programs with strength in finance. Stanford sends about a quarter of its
class into the finance industry, but the jobs tend to be heavily skewed toward highly
competitive private equity and venture capital roles. Berkeley-Haas sends just 15%
of its class into finance, so this leaves a significant opening for Anderson. One in five
graduates will take a job in the finance industry, although a third (34%) of graduates
E M P LOY M E N T & C A R E E R S AT U C L A A N D E R S O N
14
describe their role as finance-related. This means that beyond traditional investment banking roles, Anderson sends a lot of graduates into finance roles in industries such as media, technology, real estate, and others.
You Oughta Know

Extremely diverse career paths. Traditional top-tier MBA programs send as
many as two-thirds of their graduating classes into just two industries: management
consulting and finance. In contrast, Anderson sends just a third (34%) into these industries. This makes Andersons graduating classes among the most professionally
diverse of any school. Well highlight some areas of strength that may be less well
known here.
Real estate. Anderson has some amazing, hands-on opportunities for its students
interested in real estate, coordinated through the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, a multidisciplinary center of both the business school and law school. Youll find
that Anderson sends about 5% of its graduating class into real estate, which doesnt
sound like much. However, almost every other MBA program sends just 13% of its
graduating class into the field, so Anderson dwarfs them all.
Graduates entering the real estate industry
Anderson 5%
Wharton & Columbia 3%
Stanford 2%
Kellogg, Duke, & Yale 1%
Consumer products. With its strong emphasis in marketing and brand management, Kellogg is generally seen as the king of consumer products jobs, but it sends
just one percent more of its class (14%) into consumer goods or retail positions than
does Anderson (13%). Top employers tend to have Southern California operations,
such as Mattel, Nestle USA, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and the consumer
products divisions of media companies such as Disney Consumer Products.
Entrepreneurship. Although UCLA Andersons Price Center is well known in the
field of entrepreneurship, the program raises relatively few entrepreneurs immediately upon graduation. Just less than 4% of graduates start their own businesses
rather than recruiting for a full-time job, clearly surpassed by Stanford (17%), MIT
Sloan (9%), Wharton (7%), and Harvard (7%).
Graduates electing to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities
Stanford 17%
Sloan 9%
HBS & Wharton
7%
Anderson 4%
Yale 3%
15
Adapting to career trends. One thing that Anderson prides itself on is its ability
to adapt to career trends. For example, the technology boom in Southern California
has largely played out over just five years, and yet the school has added significant
resources in the area, attracting many candidates interested in tech. The school was
ahead of the curve when it came to social enterprise and will likely adapt again to the
next big trend in MBA recruiting.
Similar Programs for Professional Opportunities

Berkeley (Haas). Both Berkeley-Haas and UCLA Anderson send the majority
of their graduates to jobs within California, often to similar employers. Anderson
sends about a quarter of its graduates into the tech industry, and Haas sends a third.
However, Haas sends just 15% of its graduates into finance, the lowest proportion
of any top-10 school. It makes up for this deficiency by sending more graduates into
consulting, energy (particularly cleantech), and health care.
USC (Marshall). At 11.4%, Marshall sends more of its grads into media and entertainment jobs than any other MBA program weve seen. Marshall isnt a top-15
MBA program overall, but it typically lands in the top 25 or 30 in most rankings. The
school has an extremely strong Trojan Network in Southern California, so if youd
like to get a job in the area, you would be well-served to attend Marshall over many
out-of-state programs that are much higher ranked.
Marshall sends an even higher number of graduates into real estate than does Anderson, and it is devoting major resources to entrepreneurship with the goal of becoming the number-one MBA program in the field.
Stanford. From a surface level, Anderson and Stanford have many similarities
when it comes to recruiting trends. Both schools send fewer than 50% of their graduates into the traditional fields of management consulting and finance and high percentages of their classes into the tech sector. They each send 6% of their graduating
classes into the healthcare sector, more than the average MBA program. However, of
the people who go into the finance industry, Stanford sends far more into private equity and venture capital, with fewer going into traditional investment banking than
from Anderson. In addition, its average salary is nearly $25,000 more than the average UCLA graduates of $111,000.
UNC (Kenan-Flagler). In 2015, Kenan-Flagler is just three spots behind Anderson in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of top business schools (#19 and #16,
respectively). Kenan-Flagler is known for being a powerhouse in the real estate
industry, sending 7% of its class into the fieldmore than either USC Marshall or
UCLA Anderson. In addition, it sends about a quarter of its graduates into the financial services industry, 17% into consulting, and 14% into technology. A whopping
26% of graduates take a marketing role upon graduation.
16
Culture & Campus Life

at UCLA Anderson
UCLA Andersons friendly and collaborative culture is often a huge reason applicants choose to attend. Check out some highlights of what makes the Anderson culture unique.

Extensive student involvement. Cultures at MBA programs tend to range from
very light student involvement in clubs, conferences, competitions, peer-to-peer
mentoring, and other activities, to very heavy involvement in such extracurriculars.
Anderson definitely falls on the heavy involvement side of the spectrum, rivaled
perhaps only by Kellogg at Northwestern University. Students lead many major initiatives at the school and have driven its rapid pace of change.
Shared success. Anderson students are really big on helping one another in every
aspect of the program, including professional recruiting. Although students at Anderson may be competing for fewer spots at the most traditional recruiting companies such as Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Co., they remain extremely supportive
of one another in preparing for interviews and celebrate one anothers successes.
Robust social life. It seems that theres always a group of students headed to the
beach, going out for drinks, or hosting a party at their own apartment in the area
around UCLA. One advantage of being located in bustling Los Angeles is that there
are always major events happening locally, including concerts, shows, and other activities of which Anderson students love to take advantage.
Just as admissions
officers at Anderson
are looking for
candidates who
want to make a
difference in the
world after they
graduate, they also
seek those who
will have an impact
while at school.
You Oughta Know

Student organizations. Just as admissions officers at Anderson are looking for
candidates who want to make a difference in the world after they graduate, they also
seek those who will have an impact while at school. A significant way that students
make this kind of impact is through student clubs and organizations. Many students
will spend about 10 to 15 hours per week as club leaders and another five hours of
their week participating in club activities.
Giving back. Another key theme of the Anderson experience is giving back, and
many students get heavily involved with Challenge for Charity (C4C), which raised
more than $100,000 and volunteered more than 5,000 hours last year for Special
Olympics, Junior Achievement, and Project ECHO. As mentioned previously, this
culture emanates within Andersons walls as students support one another in academics and professional ambitions as well.
C U LT U R E & C A M P U S L I F E AT U C L A A N D E R S O N
17
Major events & activities. As you can probably tell by now, there are plenty of
events and activities at UCLA Anderson! Since there are no classes on Fridays,
a corporate or club sponsor hosts Anderson Afternoons every Thursday on the
north lawn. Its a happy hour event where students get together and where corporate
recruiters can mingle with students in a more relaxed setting. Other popular events
include tailgating parties at the Rose Bowl, which is quite a trek from Westwood to
Pasadena, where the UCLA football team plays its home games; the annual Halloween party (attended by nearly 1,000 people even though the total student body of both
classes is less than 800!); the Challenge for Charity (C4C) Casino Night fundraiser;
the C4C Stanford Weekend, where UCLA brings two to three times the number of
students as any other school to compete in athletics and raise money; and various
informal trips to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and San Diego throughout the year.
Popular hangouts. Youll find Anderson students hanging out at several local bars
in Westwood and Santa Monica, including Qs Billiard Club and Cabo Cantina on
nearby Wilshire Boulevard, and Busbys West and The Bungalow in Santa Monica.
Where to live. Nearly 95% of Anderson students live in UCLAs neighborhood
of Westwood, or nearby in Brentwood and Santa Monica. As with most things in
Los Angeles, its still a bit more spread out than the student bodies of many other
schools such as Harvard, Stanford, and Tuck, where students tend to live very close
to one another.
Nearly 95% of
Anderson students
live in UCLAs
neighborhood of
Westwood, or
nearby Brentwood
and Santa Monica.
The student body
is more spread out
than at many other
schools.
Similar Programs Culturally

Northwestern (Kellogg). Anderson and Kellogg are very much kindred spirits.
Both programs have highly engaged student bodies that are extremely friendly and
collaborative. As a result, the students tend to be extremely social and are not afraid
to party! Extracurricular activities are a huge part of the MBA experience at both
programs, and students spearhead many of the major initiatives at each school.
Michigan (Ross). Ross and Anderson share many similarities, including their ties
to large state schools and class sizes that land somewhere in the middle among top15 schools. Both parent universities have strong athletics programs that MBA students really get involved with, unlike at most other top schools. Of course, Ann Arbor
is a much more classic college town than sprawling Los Angeles, so the student
experiences are quite different in several respects.
NYU (Stern). Stern is known for its fun, engaged student body that loves to socialize and isnt afraid to party. The school tends to have more Wall Street investment
bankers than UCLA Anderson, but dont let your opinions of Wall Street impact your
perception of the school: Its students are friendly and welcoming to New Yorkers
and out-of-towners alike. Stern has just less than 400 students per class, which is
very close to Andersons class.
18
Stanford. Admissions officers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB)

look for candidates who are extremely intelligent, insightful, impactful, yet humble.
The program has a similar vibe to UCLA Anderson, which tends to have a work
hard, play hard mentality. Stanford also keeps its alums close by, with more than
half remaining on the West Coast after graduation.
Duke (Fuqua). The Fuqua class has about 80 more students than Andersons, but
its known for being friendly and tight-knit. Both programs really get behind their
sports teams (UCLAs football team and Dukes storied basketball program), providing an extra dimension to each program that you wont get at many other MBA programs other than Michigan (Ross).
19
Admissions at UCLA Anderson

What UCLA Anderson Is Looking For
The Creative Pioneer. With Andersons new brand positioning, Think in the
Next, the branding team created an archetype for Anderson students, faculty, and
alumni called The Creative Pioneer. The school looks for pioneers who challenge the
status quo, take risks, and try things that have never been done before. It seeks creative thinkers who can make new connections to find solutions.
Giving back. Admissions officers are also looking for applicants who have sufficient
humility to recognize those who have helped them achieve their successes and are
willing to give back to the communities around them. An extremely collaborative environment, Anderson relies on the willingness of students to help those around them.
An extremely
collaborative
environment,
Anderson relies on
the willingness of
Vision and impact. This aspect doesnt differ much from most other MBA pro- students to help
grams, but Anderson looks for candidates who have a clear vision for themselves those around them.
and how they can shape the world around them. In the short-term, you may have
goals that are extremely common to MBA applicants, such as going into technology
product management or investment banking. Thats fine; clear, achievable goals are
great. But be sure to also show your great passion and vision for the broader impact
you may have throughout your life and future career path.
Preparing to Apply
Reading this Essential Guide is a great first step in your preparation. Hopefully, this
insiders glimpse has been helpful in understanding the most important aspects of
Anderson. However, nothing can replace gaining firsthand knowledge and experience
yourself. Anderson estimates that about 75% of accepted candidates who come to the
school during events like Anderson Days (A-Days) ultimately decide to attend. This
means that immersing yourself in the schools unique culture makes a big difference.
Reach out to current students. Even if you dont have any personal connections
to Anderson, you can reach out to current students and get their insight and advice.
On the schools Clubs & Associations pages, youll find a list of all campus clubs. Find
a few clubs that fit your interests and reach out to the officers. Remember: These are
very busy MBA students, so you dont want to intrude too much on their time, but
you could ask for a 10- to 15-minute conversation or elicit some advice via e-mail.
If youre planning to visit campus, perhaps you might even arrange a coffee chat or
lunch, if they are available.
Visit campus. If you have the means, we highly recommend you visit the Anderson campus along with a handful of others to understand the significant differences
A D M I S S I O N S AT U C L A A N D E R S O N
20
in culture, teaching style, student body, recruiting opportunities, facilities, and so

forth. A campus visit does not directly impact your admissions chances in any way,
but you will be surprised at just how different each school can be. We encourage you
to take advantage of the formal campus visit program, including a class visit, campus
tour, information session, and student lunch, as available. However, we also encourage you to go to the Il Tramezzino cafe, grab a bite to eat, and talk to a few current
students. The formal program gives a good surface-level experience of Anderson,
but impromptu conversations can be incredibly enlightening.
Other events. We know that many applicants will not be able to fly to LA to visit
campus, but you should take advantage of other admissions events, such as information sessions, webinars, and specific-audience events. Get to know the school and its DEADLINES
culture as well as you can, because your familiarity can shine through your application and essay to help you stand out.
Round 1:
October 22, 2014
You Oughta Know
Round 2:
When should I apply? Anderson uses a standard three-round system for full-time January 7, 2014
MBA applications. This means that you may submit your application in any of its
three rounds for consideration. However, 90% or more of the class will be filled with Round 3:
the first two rounds of applicants, so we do not encourage you to wait until the final April 15, 2015
round without compelling circumstances. Round 3 candidates will be considered
alongside waitlisted candidates from the first rounds. (Waitlisted candidates from
Round 1 will be considered with Round 2 applicants, but weve seen a number of R1
waitlistees who were held on the waitlist again and admitted in Round 3.)
Traditional backgrounds. If you are a traditional candidate from the management consulting or finance industry, we encourage you to apply in the first round
(assuming you have a strong GMAT score), as youll be competing against many candidates with very similar profiles. In a later round, its possible that the school may
see you as a viable candidate to the school but may have already admitted several
other applicants with similar profiles, so it might pass on you to bring greater professional diversity to the class. (Plus, the school knows youve been planning on an
MBA since the day you graduated from undergrad, so theres no reason to delay!)
Dont rush! Please note that even though the top schools encourage you to apply in
the earliest round possible, this does not mean that you should apply with a rushed
application or a mediocre GMAT score. Theres no sense in applying early if youre
just going to be denied. A GMAT score thats above the schools average will do more
for your candidacy than applying in the first round.
FEMBA, EMBA, and other programs. While we would never encourage you to intentionally delay your application if it is ready to go, Andersons Fully Employed MBA
(FEMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Master of Financial Engineering (MFE)
21
program will admit significant numbers of candidates from all admission rounds.
Round 3 is not as limited as it may be when applying to the full-time MBA program.
The Online Application Form

Andersons online application form is pretty basic, but well offer a few tips in the
sections where we hear the most questions from applicants.
Program information. If you have applied to UCLA Anderson previously, be sure
to check the box for re-applicants. The school will pull your previous application
and review both side-by-side, so your re-application should emphasize the changes
since your last attempt. Many people worry that the admissions committee looks
down on re-applicants since they have been denied once already, but nothing could
be further from the truth. Re-applicants are often admitted at higher rates than firsttime applicants, simply because they have shown their dedication to the school and
showcase improvements in their profile.
Biographical data. By law, the University of California system may not use race,
ethnicity, or sexual orientation in admissions decisions. All of this information is
collected for statistical purposes only. Marriage status is also not considered in the
decision-making process. Generally, the sources of information you used to research
the school are also used for statistical purposes so that the admissions office may determine the most effective marketing methods. However, these can also be seen as
signaling devices to see how seriously youve researched the program and the level of
enthusiasm youve put into the application process.
Re-applicants are
often admitted
at higher rates
than first-time
applicants,
simply because
they have shown
their dedication
to the school
and showcase
improvements
in their profile.
Academic history. UCLA (along with many other schools) asks you to report your
undergraduate GPA based on whatever scale your school uses. Most students on the
UK system would mark n/a for the scale because their schools distinguish by firstclass honours (1st), 2:1, 2:2, and so on, rather than using a numerical GPA.
Other degrees or coursework. There is space under School Three and School
Four where you can add additional coursework that you completed even if you did
not pursue a degree. If you have a low undergraduate grade point average or had poor
grades in quantitative classes, you might think about taking MBA-relevant coursework, such as calculus, microeconomics, finance, accounting, etc., from a local community college or accredited online institution to build an alternate transcript. Include those courses in this section.
Academic discipline and criminal record. UCLA Anderson will conduct background checks on admitted students, so be sure to accurately report any disciplinary
action at the bottom of the academic history section. Veritas Prep has worked with
numerous candidates with disciplinary or criminal records and helped them gain
admission to the highest-ranked MBA programs. You must simply put your actions
into proper context.
22
Tests and language. Notice that you submit only one GMAT or GRE score in this
section. This is the score that your admissions reader will use to evaluate your candidacy, so dont worry about taking your test multiple times! Many applicants ask
us whether it looks bad if they take the GMAT/GRE three or more times, but it does
not matter one bit. Feel free to keep taking the exam until you achieve your greatest
possible score.
TOEFL and IELTS. If you were educated in a foreign language, then you must take
the TOEFL or IELTS exam to show English proficiency. English-language professional experience will not earn a waiver from this requirement. Anderson encourages any
international candidates to take the TOEFL or IELTS exam to prove their fluency,
even if their undergraduate or graduate education was taught exclusively in English.
Career. You may list your primary responsibilities for each of your professional positions in the online application form, so focus almost exclusively on achievements,
acknowledgments, leadership opportunities, and quantifiable results in your resume. Your resume is often the first thing an admissions officer will read, so its important to leave a strong first impression. Resumes should be kept to just one page,
so it wont include every last detail that you want to tell the admissions committee.
Be selective!
If you were
educated in a
foreign language,
then you must
take the TOEFL
or IELTS exam
to show English
proficiency.
Activities, hobbies, awards, and professional certifications. Youll have limited space in this section to list a few activities from undergrad and post-undergrad,
so prioritize and list them in order of importance to you. As weve mentioned several
times in this Guide, Anderson looks for students who will get actively involved. Be
sure to research the clubs and activities in which you want to get involved and select
them here. Selecting four to eight clubs or activities wouldnt be unreasonable, but
fewer is fine. Ideally, your selections will say something about yourselfyour passions, interests, background, or hobbies.
Family information. This section impacts your application very little, although
if you are the first member of your family to graduate from college, then things such
as your undergraduate institution or some performance measures may be put in
context.
The Essays
We like Andersons required essay question this year because it is straightforward and
tells you what the school is looking for, yet allows enough room for some creativity.
UCLA Anderson is distinguished by three defining principles: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, Drive Change. What principles have defined your
life and pre-MBA career? How do you believe that UCLA Andersons principles, and the environment they create, will help you attain your post-MBA
career goals? (750 words)
23
Show fit with Anderson. The takeaway here is that the Anderson admissions
team clearly is looking for a fit with the program. As you define your life and preMBA career, you dont need to echo Andersons same themesin fact, the question
explicitly asks what your own principles arebut here the school sends a strong signal about what traits it values in applicants. Knowing that Anderson wants applicants who are generous with others (Share Success), arent afraid to take chances
(Think Fearlessly), and make an impact on those around them (Drive Change),
what traits and experiences do you want to highlight from your career up until now?
Show, dont tell. When asked a question like What principles have defined your
life? theres a strong temptation to simply expound on your lifes principles without
providing any examples. The admissions committee wants to get to know you as a
person! We suggest that you use mini-stories from your lifeanecdotes that can be
as short as just one or two sentencesthat showcase how youve learned or exemplified certain principles. Anyone can say they share success; your personal stories will
be the evidence to back up your claims.
Provide examples of Anderson culture. The second half of this question asks
you to tie the Anderson principles and environment to your unique career goals. This
is where visiting campus and/or speaking with current students and recent alumni
can strongly benefit your application. Seek to provide a specific example along the
lines of the following:
When I visited campus, I met several students who radiated Andersons collaborative environment and spoke about their experiences with peer-to-peer
career counseling. Jeff Smith talked to me about utilizing alumni connections
in the entertainment industry to obtain internship interviews. As a career
switcher who seeks to make the difficult transition into film distribution, Andersons culture of shared success is exactly what Im seeking to join to achieve
my post-MBA career plans and help others along the way.
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Look for examples of students thinking fearlessly or seeking to driving change in

their industries, and be sure to tie those into your essay as you are able. This is another great opportunity to stand out from the crowd by showing the admissions committee that youve deeply researched the school before applying rather than simply
telling them about how certain principles fit well with your goals.
Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the
Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words)
Its really optional. We always tell applicants the same thing regarding optional admissions essays: Only answer them if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background. No need to harp on a minor
weakness and sound like youre making excuses when you dont need any. If you dont
have anything else you need to tell the admissions office, its entirely okay to skip this
24
essay. That advice especially holds now that Andersons application only includes
one essay prompt. Dont feel the need to submit extra essays simply to command a
few extra minutes of the admissions committees attention!
Recommendations
Each full-time MBA applicant must include one letter of recommendation with his
or her application; FEMBA and EMBA applicants need two. In this section we include the information your recommender will be asked so that you may select recommender(s) who can answer these questions most thoroughly and enthusiastically.
Selecting your recommender(s). Anderson looks for professional recommendations, so college professors or other academic recommenders are not advised. Ideally, theyd like to hear from your current direct supervisor, but many applicants may
not have told their current employers that they will be applying to business school
and potentially leaving the company. In this case, you should ask a former direct supervisor, a professional mentor, or another person who has personal knowledge of
your professional accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses. Some applicants
try to find a person with the fanciest title, such as CEO, even if they have little interaction with that person. This is a poor strategy. Generic recommendations offer little
insight into your candidacy and will be largely ignored by the admissions committee.
Generic
recommendations
offer little
insight into your
candidacy and will
be largely ignored
by the admissions
committee.
Should I draft it myself? Many applicants to business school are asked by their
superiors to draft the recommendation themselves and the recommender will approve it. We strongly recommend that you do not write the recommendation yourself for several reasons. First, your writing style and choice of phrasing are unique,
and admissions officers will notice if the recommendation is too similar to your essay. Second, you will tend to be too humble or generic. Your supervisor might use language such as one of the top analysts Ive seen in my entire career that you would
not dare include if writing on his or her behalf. Third, and perhaps most importantly,
the admissions officer is looking for a third-party perspective on your candidacy, so
writing a recommendation yourself is an unethical breach of trust with the school
you are looking to join.
Preparing your recommender(s). Instead of writing the recommendation yourself, you should sit down and have a candid conversation with your recommender(s)
about the reasons you want to go to business school and why youve selected your
target schools, your professional goals, and your experience together. Ask them if
they would have the time to write a strong recommendation on your behalf. (This
also gives them a nice out by telling you they are too busy rather than saying they
dont feel comfortable giving you a positive recommendation.) Bring a copy of your
resume and a bulleted list of projects that youve worked on together and accomplishments they have seen you achieve. Let them know that admissions committees
prefer to see specific, detailed examples in recommendations. Then, let them know
25
that youll serve as a project manager to follow up and ensure that they are able to
submit your recommendation ahead of the deadline.
What theyll be asked. Your recommenders will be asked to answer the following
questions:
What is your relationship to the candidate and how long have you known
him or her? (50 character limit)
Rating. This is a multiple-choice assessment on the following categories: Results
Orientation, Strategic Orientation, Team Leadership, Influence and Collaboration,
Communicating, Information Seeking, Developing Others, Change Leadership, Respect for Others, and Trustworthiness. Each skill/quality has a different description
for its 16 rating scale. For example, the scale for Results Orientation is as follows:
1) Fulfills assigned tasks, 2) Overcomes obstacles to achieve goals, 3) Exceeds goals
and raises effectiveness of organization, 4) Introduces incremental improvements
to enhance business performance using robust analysis, 5) Invents and delivers best
in class standards and performance, 6) No Basis.
Note: It would be highly unlikely for a genuine recommendation to include a perfect
5 rating on all skills or qualities. In fact, if your recommender simply marks 5s down
the page, then the recommendation may be viewed skeptically, as it provides little
information about your true strengths and weaknesses.
Based on your professional experience, how would you rate this candidate
compared to her/his peer group? [Multiple-choice: Below Average; Average; Very
good (well above average); Excellent (top 10%); Outstanding (top 5%); The best encountered in my career.]
Overall, I [Do not recommend this candidate to UCLA Anderson; Recommend this
candidate to UCLA Anderson, with reservations; Recommend this candidate to UCLA
Anderson].
Questions.
1. How do the candidate's performance, potential, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please
provide specific examples. (1,000 characters)
2. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response. (1,000 characters)
3. In UCLA Andersons school culture we share success, drive change and
think fearlessly. Please give examples where the applicant exhibited any of
all of these. (1,000 characters)
26
Optional: If you have a separate document that addresses points not covered above, please feel free to upload it here.
If your recommenders first language is not English, they may write their answers to
the questions in their native language and have a translation service provide a translation. They may upload their translations in this document. It would not be expected for a recommender to add additional information here, but if they want to write
an enthusiastic letter on your behalf, thats their prerogative.
The Interview
How many people are invited? UCLA Anderson is similar to the general business school population with its interview approach. Interviews are invite only
with about 40 to 45% of all applicants receiving an invitation 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 cookertype interviews.
We havent seen any advantage in selecting an on-campus versus an off-campus interview, so choose the option that is most convenient for you.
Interviewees should
expect to walk
their interviewer
through the resume
while explaining
the characteristics
that make them a
collaborative leader
within a team
environment.
What should I expect? In both on-campus and off-campus circumstances, the interview is blind, in the sense that the interviewer does not have access to the candidates application materials. Interviewees should expect 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 an MBA; and what are your goals? 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.
What should I ask my interviewer? We certainly encourage you to prepare
questions appropriate for your interviewer type (admissions, student, or alumni),
and avoid any questions that are answerable on the schools website. For student and
alumni interviewers, questions about their personal experiences while attending,
their goals for their MBA and whether or not they fulfilled them, and their favorite
(or least favorite) memory are all good questions. For admissions representatives,
questions around any current changes, how the school stays current with the changing needs, and how the school utilizes student feedback would be valid questions.
What if my interview goes poorly? The admissions office is surprisingly transparent about what the interview will cover, how it is weighted in the admissions
process, and what they are looking for. Their website clearly states: Interviews are
rarely the deciding factor in an admissions decision; instead they typically mirror
or round out information already provided in the application. This is typically the
27
case for any MBA program, but the Anderson committee clearly spells it out. They
specifically caution not to have prepared speeches, but instead let the conversation
flow organically. The number-one goal of the interviewer will be to get to know you
as a person and assess whether you fit with the friendly Anderson culture.
28
Veritas Prep and Your UCLA

Anderson Application
Anderson has really boiled down its value proposition into one archetype, the Creative Pioneer; three principles, Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change;
and a new tagline, Think in the Next. Anderson seeks to maintain its strong culture,
so showing fit is a key challenge. Veritas Prep has developed the most qualified and
diverse team of admissions consultants ever assembled to help. Dont just take our
word for it; check out our team yourself! If you are interested in maximizing your
chances for admission, our team will help you every step of the way.
Your Personalized Anderson Consulting Team

MBA admissions decisions are quite subjective, and no two members of the UCLA
Anderson admissions committee will view a candidate in exactly the same way. As
a result, Veritas Prep uses a unique team-based approach in our consulting to offer
multiple expert perspectives.
In your Comprehensive School Package, youll work with a Head Consultant
who has admissions experience at a top-tier MBA program to guide you through
the process from start to finish. Head Consultants have evaluated MBA candidates
themselves, so they can provide an invaluable insiders perspective to answer every
question and help you avoid common application pitfalls.
In addition, youll also work with a School Specialist, who has gone through the
Anderson MBA program and was personally immersed in the culture for two years.
This School Specialist will ensure your applications are perfectly tailored based on
the strengths, programs, and culture of the school. Youll have a different School Specialist for each school in your comprehensive package.
The Ultimate Admissions Committee

In addition to your personalized consulting team, if you have all of your application
materials ready at least two weeks before Andersons application deadline, you may
submit them to the Veritas Prep Ultimate Admissions Committee. This committee is comprised of former directors and associate directors of MBA admissions
committeesthose who have made thousands of admissions decisions on candidates just like you. The Committee will review your application and provide final
feedback before you submit.
V E R I TA S P R E P A N D YO U R U C L A A N D E R S O N A P P L I C AT I O N
29
How it Works
First, well talk with you about your profile and understand exactly what youre looking for in a Head Consultant. Based on your personal and professional background,
goals, target schools, working style, and personal preferences, well match you with
the best Head Consultant for your needs.
Your Head Consultant will assist in every step as you examine your strengths and
weaknesses, map out your ideal application strategy, select the best MBA programs
for your unique background and goals, craft your resume, brainstorm and outline essays, exchange several essay drafts, and complete your online application form.
Your School Specialist will discuss the classes, majors, clubs, conferences, activities,
and other resources available at your target school that are most relevant to your
goals and interests. Your Anderson Specialist will ensure your application demonstrates fit with the school academically, professionally, and culturally.
In addition, if youre invited to interview, your Anderson Specialist will conduct a
mock interview, often with the same questions youll face in your actual interview,
and provide feedback for improvement. If you get waitlisted, well provide tips and
advice to move into the admit column. Your success is our success!
V E R I TA S P R E P A N D YO U R U C L A A N D E R S O N A P P L I C AT I O N
30
WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES? LETS TALK.

Call or e-mail us to discuss your candidacy for top MBA programs,
or click below to receive a free profile evaluation.
1-800-925-7737
info@veritasprep.com
Free Evaluation

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UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Veritas Prep 2014/15 Essential Guide

Admissions Consulting Services

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Getting the Most Out

GET TING THE MOST OUT OF THIS GUIDE

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

What Should I Look For

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA Anderson Snapshot

What Makes UCLA Anderson Different

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Whats New at Anderson

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

68% of the class

UCLA Anderson Is a Good Fit for You If

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA Anderson at a Glance

3.47 3.53 3.61 3.40

Average GMAT Scores

707 721 714 704

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

United States Minorities

From Consulting/Finance Sector Pre-MBA

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Academics at UCLA Anderson

You Oughta Know

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

competitions on campus, including the Knapp Venture Competition, Fink Center

Nuts & Bolts

Applied Management Research (AMR) program. Further emphasis is being

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

ations. He has quickly become a student favorite at Anderson, bringing practical

Similar Academic Programs

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Employment & Careers

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

You Oughta Know

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Similar Programs for Professional Opportunities

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Culture & Campus Life

What Anderson Is Known For

You Oughta Know

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Similar Programs Culturally

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Stanford. Admissions officers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB)

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Admissions at UCLA Anderson

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

in culture, teaching style, student body, recruiting opportunities, facilities, and so

You Oughta Know

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

The Online Application Form

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Look for examples of students thinking fearlessly or seeking to driving change in

UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT