Meet UCLA Anderson’s MBA Class Of 2022

AN “ANDERFAM”

That fits with the Anderson culture. After all, the school targets students who fit the school’s three pillars: Think Fearlessly, Drive Change, and Share Success. The Class of 2022 particularly embodies Share Success, says Garima Narang. Both in-person and online, she notes, Anderson MBAs have operated as a team, friendly and kind, always looking to elevate and support.

“The second-years went above and beyond in helping our class transition into the currently remote program and engaging the class in innovative ways throughout orientation and summer term; subject-area experts readily offered help to the rest of the class taking accounting; and people are constantly reminding each other about program application and assignment deadlines. I am thrilled to be a part of a class that exemplifies these values.”

That’s one reason why UCLA MBAs have described themselves as the “AnderFam” – a class that looks out for their peers while giving them the space to develop their voice. “Before starting class, I worried that everyone would be eager to practice “being a leader,” and it would result in competition and conflict when it came to group exercises and projects,” admits Lincoln Sedlacek. “Fortunately, that hasn’t been my experience at all. My classmates and I have been working together to ensure we all develop our leadership skills, in class and out. I think UCLA Anderson’s first course, Leadership Foundations, helped establish that mindset.”

Just don’t think of Anderson MBAs as chill party-goers looking to break into the entertainment industry. That said, the school does tend to attract more laid-back professionals who aren’t afraid to savor the moment, says 2020 grad Dani Ebersole. “I have to admit, we do have a lot of fun. For example, the Surf Club and the Outdoors Adventures Club organize an annual day trip where we ski in Big Bear in the morning and surf in Venice in the afternoon. But my classmates and I also work very hard. We have several leadership roles, are engaged in academics, and invest our time in initiatives that have an impact, such as launching a new medical device, managing social ventures, and organizing week-long conferences to celebrate diversity.”

BIG JUMP IN FEMALE STUDENTS

By the numbers, the Class of 2022 closely resembles the previous year’s cohort. This past cycle, UCLA Anderson received 2,866 applications, up slightly from 2,817 in 2018-2019. That said, the class size shrunk slightly from 360 to 352 students.

The same could be said for average GMATs, which slid from 719 to 707, though scores spanned from 660-740 in the mid-80% range. Undergraduate GPAs averaged 3.49 (3.1-3.8 mid-80%), while GRE scores came in at 163 (Quantitative) and 162 (Verbal). Just 19% of the class took the GRE. Demographically, the big change involved the percentage of women, which rose from 34% to 41%. On the downside, international student representation dropped from 33% to 27%.

Academically, the class hails from 157 different undergraduate institutions. 23% of the class majored in Business as undergrads, edging out Engineering (22%) and the Humanities (17%). Economics and Math and Science majors also make up 15% and 10% of the class respectively. Looking at the Class of 2022’s professional experience, first-years average 4.5 years in the workforce, including 14% who’ve spent six years or more there. Overall, the largest segment of the class – 26% — worked in High Tech. Finance and Consulting account for 22% and 15% of the class respectively. Consumer Goods and Public and Non-Profit Institutions hold 10% of the seats each, followed by Healthcare (6%), Real Estate (6%), and Entertainment and Media (5%).

AN INTERVIEW WITH ASSOCIATE DEAN ROBERT WEILER

What are some of UCLA Anderson’s biggest strengths? Academically, according to business school deans and MBA directors surveyed by U.S. News, the full-time MBA program ranks among the ten-best for Real Estate, Marketing, and Finance. The program also devotes heavy resources to Entrepreneurship. 29% of all electives involve Entrepreneurship, with the school budgeting over $688,000 to MBA startups – one of the highest allocations among American MBA programs. The area where UCLA Anderson shines, however, is career services. In the most recent Economist student and alumni survey, the school notched the 2nd-highest scores in both Career Services and Opening New Career Opportunities. As a result, UCLA Anderson ranked 5th in the world according to The Economist.

What can MBA students and applicants expect at UCLA Anderson in the coming year? This fall, P&Q reached out to Robert Weiler, Associate Dean of UCLA Anderson’s Full-Time MBA program. In this interview, Weiler shares new developments on campus, as well as provides a deeper look at what’s behind the success of the career team and three pillars.

P&Q: What are the most exciting new developments at your program and how will they impact and benefit incoming MBA students?

Weiler: “First, I have to mention our STEM designation, which is for our entire MBA program (including our Fully Employed and Executive MBAs). This means that anyone completing our MBA programs will graduate having taken an array of quantitative and data-oriented classes, skills many employers view as essential.

Most exciting to me is the Strategic Plan that is being developed at Anderson. This is the most sweeping and thorough plan I have seen, and it comes at a critical time for business school education. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are among the most important ‘pillars’ of this plan, and we have examined all aspects of the Anderson experience—from admissions to graduation and beyond and are now developing specific actionable items to create the most just, inclusive environment we can. Another important part of the plan is a review of the MBA curriculum. In conjunction with students, employers, faculty, staff and alumni, we will examine what we teach and how we teach it. Instead of only learning the academic material (which is important!), future students will better understand how what they learn applies to their post-MBA careers, how to make business decisions through the lenses of access, diversity, inclusion and ethics, and how to practice decision-making under uncertainty and with imperfect information—skills MBA employers tell us they value highly.”

P&Q: What are the two most unique or differentiating features of our full-time program?  How do they enrich the program?

Weiler: “Our culture is most certainly one of the most obvious and important differentiators. We are known as a student-centric and student-led school, filled with ambitious but caring students who prioritize the success and achievement of the collective student body as opposed to the individual.  Examples of this abound—our Anderson Career Teams (ACT) are industry- and/or function-specific groups, led by our second-year students, that guide first year students through the internship search process (in partnership with our Parker Career Center). The student leaders of these teams devote their time and energy in a classic pay-it-forward mentality—it was done for them, and they will do it for others.  The entire career search process is collaborative—our students prepare with each other and operate under the philosophy that overall greatness is achieved when as many of us succeed as possible—not when a select group of individuals does well at the expense of others.

The second feature is obvious, but cannot be overlooked, and that is our location. Los Angeles is the most diverse city in the world, with businesses of every type, an incredibly robust technology scene referred to as Silicon Beach, and so much more. Of course, the lifestyle is wonderful, but it really is about UCLA and its proximity to business. This affords Anderson students opportunities both in and outside the classroom—whether it is engaging with a legendary business leader as a guest speaker in class or having the chance to intern during the academic year at a tech start-up, UCLA Anderson puts students in the middle of all that is happening. That immersion in this center of innovation and creativity is invaluable.”

P&Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your business school?

Weiler: “Well, how hasn’t it, is really the question. Aside from the obvious impacts on in-person learning and the ability to make deep personal connections, the pandemic has crystalized the resilience of this community. Faculty, staff, students and alumni have come together to make the best of a really challenging situation. Along with all other schools, we were forced to alter delivery of the entire program in a very short period, and we also needed to recruit a new class virtually, and hold important conferences and events online. We developed best practices that can be continued when we resume in-person programming. A great example is our recent Embracing Diversity Conference. Although we could not be together in person, we were able to reach a much wider audience and engage participants who might not otherwise have been able to attend. Those lessons will serve us well as we think about engagement in the future.”

P&Q: UCLA Anderson is founded on Three Pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change.  How do these pillars reflect the culture of Anderson and how are they integrated across the programming?

Weiler: “The most obvious reflection of our culture is Share Success. As mentioned earlier, this idea of working together to elevate one another is woven through everything at Anderson. Whether it is in the job search process or our “One Anderson” philosophy across programs, we collaborate for the common good.  Classroom learning is team-oriented – it makes great sense to learn from one another, especially when students come with such interesting experiences and varied backgrounds.

There is also a palpable undercurrent of innovation and fearless and creative thinking at Anderson—many students aspire to start their own companies, either while in school or down the road, and there is a thirst for developing the skills that can facilitate that. The UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator has become the center of this entrepreneurial spirit at Anderson and it offers aspiring entrepreneurs the tools to take their ideas to the next level.  In recent years, Anderson’s Business Creation Option (BCO) for the capstone experience has also risen significantly in popularity among students, a direct result of our students’ desire to learn the skills to affect change and think outside the box.”

Page 3: In-depth profiles of 10 members of the Class of 2022