About Saorla: Saorla was born and raised in Ireland and earned her Bachelor of Commerce from University College Cork. She began her career as the first hire at a startup recruitment agency, where she helped build the business from the ground up. Seeking a change in scenery and new opportunities, she relocated to the Bay Area in 2024 and joined the HIVE Research Group at Stanford, where she conducted research evaluating behavioral patterns. At UCLA Anderson, Saorla is focused on pursuing marketing and brand management roles.

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As someone who hadn’t studied in the U.S. before and didn’t know many people who had pursued an MBA, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this journey. I had done my research and spoken to current students, but actually living through the process is something else entirely. In the weeks leading up to the program, it felt equal parts exciting and unnerving to await what lay ahead.

If you’re reading this in that same window of anticipation, first things first: Be proud of yourself. The application process is no small feat, and you made it through. Now comes the good part. But before it begins, there is a window, a few weeks between the life you’ve been living and the one you’re about to start. Here’s what I wish someone had told me in those two months before it all began.

If you are in a position to leave a few weeks between finishing work and starting the program, do it. If you are relocating to Los Angeles, use that time to settle in. Explore your new neighborhood, find your new favorite coffee shop, get your bearings. The city has a lot to offer, and arriving early means you get to discover it at your own pace rather than in the gaps between orientation events. If you are not relocating, that buffer still matters. Travel somewhere, spend time with family, lean into a hobby you have been neglecting. The program, while exciting and beneficial, will demand a great deal from you. This may be one of the last stretches of genuine rest you have for a while. Arrive refreshed, not depleted! 

The instinct to over-prepare is real, and I felt it too, but don’t feel pressured to cram. The program is designed with diverse academic backgrounds in mind, and you are not expected to arrive as an expert. Trust that you were admitted for good reason. My one recommendation is to complete the optional prep math course Anderson makes available to incoming students, if you have the time to do so. Personally, it helped me ease back into the rhythm of studying, and when these concepts started appearing in class, having that refresher made a genuine difference. That said, many students did not have a chance to complete the course, and things still worked out fine.

You don’t need to have everything figured out. Many incoming MBAs feel pressure to arrive with a perfectly defined career plan, and I understand that impulse. But your goals may evolve once you start, and that is okay! Exposure to classmates, clubs, and companies will shape your thinking in ways you simply cannot anticipate beforehand. Curiosity will serve you far better than certainty at this stage.

The volume of new faces in the first few weeks may feel overwhelming, but it is exciting! It may seem as though everyone is impressively accomplished and somehow already at ease. The reality is that everyone is in exactly the same position as you, eager to connect, and slightly unsure of their footing. You do not need to have your community figured out in the first week. Friendships form throughout the entire program. Clubs launch in September, new opportunities to connect keep emerging, and I am still meeting interesting people now. Let it unfold.

When you do meet people, be genuinely open to those who are very different from you. Your classmates will come from industries, countries, and career paths you may never have encountered before. Learning extends beyond the classroom. Some of the most valuable conversations I have had at Anderson happened outside the classroom entirely, over coffee, after events, in the hallway between classes. The diversity of backgrounds among students is part of what makes Anderson amazing, and you only get to take advantage of it if you stay curious.

Try not to compare yourself to others. Imposter syndrome is a real thing, and graduate school is not like undergraduate, where most people are starting from a similar point. Here, everyone around you will seem extraordinarily accomplished, and it can quietly make you feel like you do not quite belong. You do. There is a reason you were accepted, and your path is your own. People may be viewing you and your experience in the exact same way. 

The early months of an MBA are when friendships start to form, clubs take shape, and opportunities present themselves. You will not be able to do everything, but this is a genuinely rare window to experience new things, step outside your comfort zone, and discover interests you did not know you had. Attend events. Try things. Meet people outside your immediate circle. The next two years will move faster than you expect, and the mindset you bring into them will shape everything that follows.

Take a breath. Arrive open. The rest will take care of itself.

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Student Blogger: Saorla Whyte ’27
Undergrad: University College Cork ’22
Pre-MBA: Recruitment & Research
Leadership@Anderson: Director of International Outreach, Admissions Ambassador Corps; VP Events, European Business Association; VP International Relations, Sports Business Association