Taylor Campbell, UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2025
Age: 28
Hometown: Aldie, VA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: The University of Texas at Austin, B.S., Public Relations
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Corporate Communications, Brunswick Group, 5 years
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I chose to pursue business school with the primary goal of pivoting careers. I previously worked in corporate communications and crisis management, and as I progressed through the firm, my work began to focus more on entertainment clients. This played a key role in reinforcing my passion for the entertainment industry and its mission to connect people and create emotional memories through storytelling. From this work, I realized my interest in helping entertainment companies to tell their own stories and better connect with their consumers.
Why did you choose UCLA Anderson? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Anderson because of the people. Throughout my application process, each interaction I had with Anderson students, faculty, and admissions made me more excited about the prospect of joining the community. Anderson has a unique culture that I believe shines through best in authentic conversations with the people who make up the school. What stuck out to me most during my application process was the consistency from person-to-person in how members of the Anderson community spoke about the school and its culture. The themes of collaboration, support, and shared success were present – both in conversation and in practice – across all of my interactions with school representatives. I’m happy to say that I’ve continued to experience this myself more and more each day as I’ve become more ingrained in Anderson over the past year!
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
My passion for connecting with other people. I love forming new friendships with classmates as well as getting to know our prospective students.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I love watching Texas (and now UCLA) football games!
Post-MBA career interests:
Following my time at Anderson, I plan to pursue a career in entertainment marketing. Specifically, I am focused on pivoting into a franchise management or brand strategy role within a large entertainment studio.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Networking! During my application process, I took advantage of the different events schools offered in New York City like prospective student dinners, admissions coffee chats, the Forté MBA Forum, and more to explore different programs and get to know the personality of each school a bit better. As I narrowed down the list of schools I was interested in, I also found time to visit their campuses for tours and class visits. These experiences were invaluable to my application journey and how I decided that UCLA Anderson was the perfect place for me.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
If I could go back and do something differently, I would have enjoyed the waiting process more. This felt impossible when I was actually in it, but after I was accepted, time moved so quickly. Looking back, I would tell myself to make the most of that time and worry less about my acceptance.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Studying for the GMAT was definitely my least favorite part of the application process. I found that making a study schedule that held me accountable but also had enough flexibility to account for my demanding job helped me stay on track. I also made sure to take breaks and reward myself for reaching different milestones to keep me motivated and avoid burning out.
What is your initial impression of the UCLA Anderson students/culture/community?
My initial impression of Anderson was that it is an environment centered around people and community. Its unique culture focuses on collaboration, support, and shared success, which is what initially drew me to the program.
What is one thing you have learned about UCLA Anderson that has surprised you?
I was most surprised this year by how excited all of my classmates were to meet and start our MBA journey together. Summer quarter felt like freshman year of college again, when everyone was trying to make new friends and go to all of the welcome events together.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Over the course of my first year, I was most anxious about recruiting for a summer internship. The entertainment industry can be tough to break into and given the strikes and streaming disruption, I was worried about what the internship market would look like and if I would be able to find a role I was excited about. Luckily, I had great guidance and support from current second years, Anderson alumni, and other school resources.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I started the year most excited about the people I would meet and the friends I would make. The people and the community are the top reasons I chose to come to Anderson, and I’ve definitely met some incredible people over the course of the year.
