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UCLA Anderson MBA News

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Published: December 19, 2024
GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation Analysis for MBA Applicants and Recommenders
Applying to business school entails a great deal of work for prospective students – and almost as much effort for the people writing their letters of recommendation. An effective MBA recommendation provides rich information about the candidate’s strengths, key accomplishments, and leadership abilities. It’s also important that a recommendation fully address every question that is asked by the admissions committee. So, when an applicant is targeting six schools that ask different questions across their recommendation forms, this can translate to a great deal of time and effort for already-busy recommenders. To alleviate some of this pressure, Read more
Published: December 8, 2024
The Week Ahead: Many MBA Decisions & Boston Carroll Deadline, December 9-13, 2024
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Busy Decision Week Many final decisions are now being released. Monday, December 9, Rice / Jones is scheduled to release its Round 1 decisions. Tuesday, December 10, Boston College / Carroll has its Round 2 deadline. Harvard, UPenn / Wharton and Georgetown / McDonough are scheduled to release their Round 1 decisions. Wednesday, December 11, Northwestern / Kellogg, UVA / Darden, UNC / Kenan-Flagler and Johns Hopkins / Carey are scheduled to release their Round 1 Read more
Published: November 25, 2024
Real Humans of MBA Students: The UCLA Anderson Class of 2026
Get to know some new UCLA Anderson School of Management MBA students in the latest edition of our ongoing series, Real Humans: MBA Students. The UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2026 is a dynamic group of individuals from around the world, united by their drive to excel, their passion for innovation, and their commitment to collaboration. With diverse career backgrounds, unique personal stories, and bold aspirations, these students embody Anderson’s values of Share Success and Think Fearlessly. Take Brianna Rodriguez, a former teacher and college counselor who spent nearly a decade fostering college access Read more
Published: November 19, 2024
UCLA Anderson MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Interview was really informal and conversational. Structure: Introduce yourself. Why MBA? Why now? Why Anderson? How will you be immersed as an Anderson student? What are your career goals? How is Anderson going to help you get there? What are your back-up plans if you can’t get the first choice job? Tell me about a time you led a team and faced a challenge. It was conversational between the questions sharing stories and laughing. Very comfortable and my interviewer was really attentive with great follow up questions. Left time for questions at Read more
Published: November 13, 2024
Round 2 MBA Application Deadlines 2024-2025
To help you stay organized, we’ve compiled all of the Round 2 MBA application deadlines (and some Round 3 ones) all in one place. You’ll find links to our corresponding Essay Topic Analysis in the “Essay Analysis” column. School Deadline Decision Essay Analysis Application Live? INSEAD (R2 August Intake) 11/5/2024 1/10/2025 Yes Yes Michigan State Broad 11/15/2024 1/31/2025 Yes Yes Minnesota Carlson 12/1/2024 2/1/2025 Yes Yes Indian School of Business Read more
Published: November 6, 2024
UCLA Anderson MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Interviewee: 2nd-year MBA Student Interview Duration: 30 minutes Start: The interviewer started by outlining the agenda and introducing himself. The interview was more structured than previous ones I had experienced, but it was still very relaxed and casual. Interview Questions and Responses: 1. Introduce yourself (2 minutes) 2. Why MBA now? (Quickly explained career goals. Tied the timing to reasons for pursuing an MBA now.) 3. Why UCLA Anderson? 4. What are your short-term and long-term goals? (Initially surprised by the question since goals had been previously discussed. But answered it in more detail.) Read more
Published: September 29, 2024
The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines & Interview Invites, September 30-October 4, 2024
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Busy Week for Round 1 Deadlines, First Interview Invites of the Season The 2024-2025 MBA admissions season is now underway. Monday, September 30, MIT / Sloan has its Round 1 application deadline. HBS is set to release Round 1 interview invitations, waitlist and early release notifications at noon EST. Tuesday, October 1, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, CMU / Tepper, USC / Marshall, Washington / Foster, Maryland / Smith, SMU / Cox  and Minnesota / Read more
Published: September 19, 2024
Webinar: Unlock Your MBA Future: Exploring Top West Coast MBA Programs
Join us for an exclusive virtual webinar hosted by Clear Admit, where we’ll dive deep into the vibrant world of MBA programs on the West Coast! Whether you’re eyeing Silicon Valley or the scenic coastlines, this event is your gateway to discovering the unique opportunities and advantages offered by leading business schools in this dynamic region. Date: October 16th Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Event Highlights: Insider Insights: Hear directly from admissions officers from top West Coast MBA Read more
Published: August 29, 2024
A Guide to Test Waivers: Should You Request a Waiver for Submitting a GMAT or GRE Score?
It is no secret that standardized tests are not the part of the MBA application process that applicants most cherish. Some applicants simply aren’t good at standardized testing; others feel they do not have the time to invest in studying properly. Due to COVID-19 and the related impact on testing centers and availability, test waivers became a more prevalent option in b-school admissions. Whether you’re hesitant or excited about the GMAT or GRE, what are valid reasons to request a test waiver? Even if you have a valid reason, does it make sense to request a test waiver? In this Read more
Published: August 27, 2024
MBA Programs Without GMAT or GRE Requirements in 2024
Pursuing an MBA without the GMAT or GRE has become more accessible in recent years as many business schools have lifted this requirement from their admissions process. For many prospective students, avoiding the stress and cost associated with standardized testing is a major advantage. Below is a list of reputable MBA programs that do not require GMAT or GRE scores, making them ideal for candidates who excel in other areas of their application, such as professional experience and academic achievements. Quick List of MBA Programs Without GMAT or GRE: Babson College – F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business Georgia Tech Read more
Published: August 15, 2024
Famous MBA Alumni: Automotive & Energy
Below in our series about famous MBA alumni, we meet leaders in the automotive and energy industries. You can learn about other famous alumni from tech & media and healthcare & retail in our other installments. Our series on famous MBA alumni has plucked diverse and impressive names from across the world of business and traced their successes all the way back to their MBAs. In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the top names in the automotive and energy industries, detailing the educational histories of people wielding Read more
Published: August 14, 2024
MBA Degrees & Majors with a STEM Designation
The past few years have seen a surge in business schools that run MBA programs with a STEM designation. MBAs, that is, that are now classified as a science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree. The new STEM MBA designation is promising students a multitude of new opportunities – but what is it, really? Read on to find out what a STEM MBA is, which schools offer it, and what this all might mean for you.  What Is a STEM MBA? The structure of a STEM MBA is relatively simple. The foundational knowledge and core concepts of Read more
Published: August 13, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Alex Lawrence of UCLA Anderson
Alex Lawrence, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, UCLA Anderson Surf’s up! From surfing to skiing, UCLA’s Anderson School of Management provides city living and outdoor adventure along with a leading business education. Riding the wave of admissions insights from the GMAC Conference this summer, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Alex Lawrence brings 20 years of experience at UCLA Anderson to this special edition Read more
Published: August 8, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Alex Lawrence of UCLA Anderson School of Management
Join us in welcoming back Alex Lawrence, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA in this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Since joining UCLA Anderson in 2004, Alex has been pivotal in shaping the future of the full-time MBA program. His tenure as the assistant dean and director of MBA admissions and financial aid began in August 2012, and he has been instrumental in attracting and enrolling top talent. With a rich background in Read more
Published: August 8, 2024
Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms
It’s time for another Weekly Refresh, in which we list this week’s admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Rice Business UNC Kenan-Flagler Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Carnegie Mellon Tepper UCI Merage UNC Kenan-Flagler You can also bookmark our deadlines page for reference. Recommendation Questions Let your recommenders know, the following MBA Read more
Published: August 7, 2024
UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2026 Profile: Higher GMAT Scores & Women Representation
The UCLA Anderson School of Management has released its class profile for their incoming MBA Class of 2026. This year, UCLA Anderson has assembled a high-performing class of 305 out of the 3,079 applications received, a significant increase over last year’s 2,180 applicants.  Academic and Professional History The class’s mean undergraduate GPA is 3.5, in the same middle-80 percent range as last year (3.1 – 3.8). The two most common undergraduate majors are unchanged: business, in which Read more
Published: August 7, 2024
Famous MBA Alumni: Big Tech & Social Media
Are you familiar with the famous MBA alumni in tech? The names at the top of major corporations boast diverse and impressive resumes. They’ve founded companies, networked with household names and generated strategies that have changed the face of business. There is, however, one thing that these people have in common; one point that crops up time and time again amongst the lengthy lists of accomplishments.  For many of these leaders, it all started with an MBA: the degree that laid the foundations of success for some of the biggest names in business. Read more
Published: July 30, 2024
Early & Round 1 MBA Deadlines 2024-2025
To help you stay organized, we’ve compiled a chart of the earliest deadlines, including Early Action and Round 1, of the top business schools in one place. For schools that have announced their essay topic(s), you’ll find links to our corresponding Essay Topic Analysis in the “Essay(s) Released” column. We will continue to update this table as more Round 1 MBA deadlines and essay topics are announced. Deadlines are for Round 1 (unless otherwise noted). Last updated: August 19, 2024 School Deadline Decision Essay(s) Released? Application Live? Cambridge / Judge 8/27/2024 Yes Read more
Published: July 18, 2024
Ready, Set, Write!
The essay requirements of MBA applications are well documented as extremely time consuming and utterly crucial. With high effort and high stakes, it’s no wonder that many candidates spend swathes of time and effort attempting to simplify the application process, hunting for explanatory resources and poring over clarifying analysis. With some of the essay questions for the 2024-2025 season released and since analyzed, perhaps your mind has already been eased and preparation is already underway. Perhaps you feel as if you have a firm grip on what schools are likely to ask you, Read more
Published: July 9, 2024
GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation Analysis for MBA Applicants and Recommenders
Applying to business school entails a great deal of work for prospective students – and almost as much effort for the people writing their letters of recommendation. An effective MBA recommendation provides rich information about the candidate’s strengths, key accomplishments, and leadership abilities. It’s also important that a recommendation fully address every question that is asked by the admissions committee. So, when an applicant is targeting six schools that ask different questions across their recommendation forms, this can translate to a great deal of time and effort for already-busy recommenders. To alleviate some of this pressure, Read more
Published: June 20, 2024
Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms
We are back with another Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site, as we prepare for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Dartmouth Tuck Michigan / Ross UVA / Darden Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Read more
Published: June 19, 2024
The Consortium Expands to 25 Member Schools
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in graduate business education and American business, recently expanded to 25 member schools. The Consortium partners with top-ranked MBA programs across the U.S. to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities in business education and corporate leadership. Following the addition of Duke Fuqua earlier this year, Chicago Booth was subsequently selected to become its 25th member school. A Long History at Fuqua In its announcement of the nomination of Duke Fuqua, Read more
Published: May 28, 2024
Real Humans of the UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2025
We dip back into our series, Real Humans: MBA Students, to take a trip to the UCLA Anderson School of Management to meet members of the MBA Class of 2025. 300 students joined the UCLA Anderson Class of 2025. Thirty-seven percent of the latest class are women. Forty-eight percent of students in the class are international. Twenty-eight percent identify as U.S. underrepresented minorities. With respect to students’ undergraduate degrees, a quarter of enrolled first-year Anderson students pursued the field of business. Nineteen percent of students arrived in LA with academic degrees in engineering. Fifteen percent Read more
Published: May 16, 2024
UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2023 Employment Report: Rising Salaries in California and Across the U.S.
The UCLA Anderson Class of 2023 MBA employment report is out, and the cohort made some significant gains in the job market.  Out of 365 graduates, 312 (or 85.5 percent) sought employment. Roughly 75 percent of those seeking employment received job offers by graduation, and nearly 87 percent received an offer by three months of graduation. Job acceptances reached 85.6 percent by three months after graduation. Out of the 11 percent reporting not seeking employment, 4.4 percent were starting their own businesses. Read more
Published: May 12, 2024
The Week Ahead: Round 3 MBA Admissions Decisions, May 13-17, 2024
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 3 Decisions Round 3 decisions are beginning to roll out. Monday, May 13, UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Wednesday, May 15, USC / Marshall is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Thursday, May 16, MIT / Sloan and Yale SOM are scheduled to release their Round 3 decisions. Friday, May 17, Cornell / Johnson has its initial notification deadline for Round 3. Oxford / Saïd is scheduled to Read more
UCLA Anderson
Image of UCLA Anderson
Class Size: 305
Women: 43%
MEAN GMAT : 714
International: 41%
Livewire Decisionwire Interview Reports Essay Topic Analysis MBA Admissions Deadlines View Full Profile

MBA Applywire

2
December 19, 2024 4:44pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Insurance
Post-MBA Target Industry: Entrepreneurship
GRE: 318
GPA: 3.59
Years of Work Experience: 3.5
Location: Georgia
Post MBA Location: Southeast
Notes:

Looking to launch a tech startup post MBA, without any background in tech. Come from a quant heavy background and undergraduate coursework. I regularly attended admissions events, in person and online at my schools. I hope that focusing energy on my few top schools and spending a lot of time on essays will help me overcome the less than average test score (164 quant 154 verbal) and GPA.

Serial entrepreneur with a history of profitable small businesses. Was promoted twice in 3.5 years. Involved in many extracurricular activities in and outside of work. My background is very centered around financial services/insurance, is this a red flag for a pivot to Tech Entrepreneurship?

Transferred between two state schools in the southeast. School I graduated from is a top 25 undergrad business program. Obtained a few professionals designations post grad.
3
December 18, 2024 11:38am ET
Applying: Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Held various positions in Finance and Accounting in a healthcare institution
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Other Companies: BCG , Deloitte , Other
GPA: 3.0
Years of Work Experience: 11
Location: International
Notes:

I am passionate about healthcare enhancing patient quality care. So exploring in that field is what I would love. Got a 72k scholarship from Vandy and named Forte Fellow. UNC 50k. I'm having a hard time deciding though my heart is leaning towards Owen
3
December 18, 2024 10:23am ET
Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Indiana / Kelley, Ohio State / Fisher
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Facility management
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting
GRE: 309
GPA: 2.8
Years of Work Experience: 3
Notes:

Graduate GPA -3.869
4
December 18, 2024 2:57am ET
Applying: IESE, INSEAD, MIT Sloan, U. Chicago Booth
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Engineering
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Undecided Companies: Amazon
GMAT: 690
GPA: 3.26
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: Chile
12
December 17, 2024 6:19am ET
Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Registered Nurse
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey
GRE: 326
GPA: 3.5
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: Colorado
Post MBA Location: Chicago/NYC
Notes:

25F, lgbtq
Education: Bachelor's degree in Nursing (GPA: 3.5) from a top 2 nursing school
Work Experience: 3 years as a high-risk OB Registered Nurse at a major hospital, with leadership roles in various healthcare initiatives and patient care management.
Additional Experience: Currently working as a GP
Operations Specialist at an early-stage healthcare/tech-focused venture capital firm, where I optimize operational processes and support investment decisions in the healthcare sector.
I understand my background is somewhat non-traditional for an MBA program and that my stats are about average for these schools, but I believe my experience in healthcare and VC provides a unique perspective and skill set. Which M7 or T15 schools do you think I should realistically target, especially those known for strong consulting programs? With my stats and experience do I realistically have a shot at admission to a top program? I have a particular interest in Kellogg and Booth, as I'm planning on pursuing a career in healthcare consulting.
Additionally, I would love any guidance on how to present myself as a competitive candidate and effectively showcase my strengths and experiences in healthcart and venture capital. Thank you for your help!
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MBA LiveWire

December 19, 2024 10:03pm ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via portal December 19, 2024
EA: 165
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Brazil
December 19, 2024 7:32pm ET
Interview Invite to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via email December 19, 2024
GMAT: 645
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: Texas
Note:

Invited for virtual interview. Applied as part of round 1 Consortium. Had sort of written it off as a rejection after hearing nothing from them since submitting on Oct 15th
December 19, 2024 6:11pm ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via email December 19, 2024
GPA: 3.8
GRE: 329
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Marketing
Application Location: Italy
Note:

Interviewed 11/24 and got the email today. Reapplicant after being waitlisted last year. Yay!
December 19, 2024 3:42pm ET
Accepted to Yale SOM
Round: Round 1
Received via phone on December 04, 2024
GPA: 3.83
GRE: 326
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: CA
December 19, 2024 3:25pm ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 2
Received via email December 19, 2024
GPA: 3.8
GRE: 319
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Marketing
Note:

Received application status update email with link to updated portal
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