Meet UCLA Anderson’s MBA Class of 2020

Sam Kirtner

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Lover of learning, always trying to figure out how things work, lifelong runner, never late.”

Hometown: Eugene, OR

Fun Fact About Yourself: I ran 102 miles in a week my senior year of college. I was on the track and cross country teams and was home over winter break putting in my base mileage to prepare for the spring track season when I cracked 100 for the first time in the dreary Oregon winter.

Undergraduate School and Major: Yale University, Political Science

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Consultant, Semler Brossy Consulting Group

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I had the chance to help design and implement a new compensation program for an enterprise software client. I worked on a cross-functional team that fully redesigned the program across the salary, bonus, and equity dimensions, starting with philosophy and first principles. I had the chance to work directly with and present to C-suite executives throughout the process, and it was incredible to see the impact my work could have on an entire organization.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My MBA classmates are incredibly friendly. It is easy at Anderson to walk up to a group of classmates I haven’t met yet, introduce myself, and strike up a conversation. The class is eager to get to know each other and develop lifelong friendships, which has made the start of the school year very enjoyable.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The key differentiating factor for me was the strength of the Parker Career Management Center. While Anderson highlights Parker in its materials and presentations, the fact that all the students I talked to also sang Parker’s praises made me realize the career center really is special at Anderson. At the admitted students weekend the energy and passion that the Parker leadership and advisors exhibited confirmed that Anderson was the right choice. I came to business school as a career switcher, so an excellent career center was important to me. Parker also has strong ties to technology companies, a target industry of mine.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking forward to joining the Outdoor Adventure Club, Anderson’s outdoor sports and activities club. I’ve lived in Los Angeles the past three years, but there are many hikes, especially around Malibu, that I haven’t explored yet. Beyond hiking, I’m excited to go camping and backpacking, which I did a lot growing up in Oregon and would love to do with Anderson classmates.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I’ve taken a somewhat winding path to my MBA. I did a lot of math as a kid, then started college as a chemistry major, switched to political science and thought about going to law school, and then transitioned to consulting. Moving from consulting to an MBA was the first time I truly sat down and tried to identify the best way to build upon my career to date. I want to transition to an internal strategy or operations role, and an MBA was the best way to further develop the skills I gained working in consulting to switch careers. An MBA would also expose me to important areas I have little experience in, like marketing. Finally, I viewed an MBA as an excellent way to learn and develop leadership skills that I can later apply in the workplace.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I came at this from a couple angles. On the financial side, I looked at post-MBA outcomes, both immediately and 5, 10, or 15 years after graduation. I tried to compare that to my prospects without an MBA. Ultimately, even if I wanted to make a decision purely based on financial outcomes, there was too much uncertainty to do so. More important for me than the financial aspect is the importance of a fulfilling job. So I also came at the investment question from that angle. I looked at what jobs MBA graduates held in industries and functions I’m interested in and talked to current MBA students and alumni of my target programs. The fact that most alumni I talked to loved their jobs – and told me how much they enjoyed business school and how they made lifelong friends – made the decision relatively easy.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, UVA Darden, Yale SOM

How did you determine your fit at various schools? In terms of fit, the factors I prioritized were culture, location, and career opportunities. Although I spent time looking through various message boards to get an idea of cultural fit, the most productive research was to visit schools and talk to current students and recent alumni. Sometimes, small things can have a big impact. For example, the fact that my tour guide at Anderson was wearing flip flops gave some insight into the school’s culture! It can be hard to research culture, but I would recommend that prospective MBAs pay attention to whether or not students and alumni they talk to actually mention the school’s culture. In terms of location, I received a good piece of advice that while the top business schools all offer the ability to recruit nationally, my network would generally be centered in the city where I do my MBA. Finally, on the career front, I found the tables and charts that schools provide showing the industries that graduates go into to be particularly helpful, and easily comparable across schools.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My college graduation. It was both scary and exhilarating to go from a very defined path for the first 22 years of my life to, suddenly, life being almost completely open and undefined. This freedom and uncertainty drove home for the first time the fact that life is what you make it, and no one will be holding your hand. While these are certainly clichés, this was the moment in my life I first experienced them in a real way.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to work in a strategy or operations role or a leadership development program after graduation. I am targeting the technology industry and looking at some great companies outside technology as well.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself at a fulfilling and exciting job working for a company whose mission I believe in and where I am planning to build a long-term career. I’ll be taking on more leadership roles and will be viewed as a leader in informal ways as well. I see myself identifying and pursuing new strategies and opportunities, and working in high-functioning teams with motivated teammates to make them happen.

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.