Poets & Quants recently selected 100 “MBAs To Watch” from the Class of 2017 and UCLA Anderson is proud to have some of our students included as a part of this prestigious list! Here is an excerpt of a profile on one of our esteemed alumni selected, Corey McMillen!

---

Below is an excerpt of the Poets & Quants Q&A interview profile

---

Corey McMillen – Poets & Quants MBA To Watch

BACKGROUND:

• Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Undergraduate: University of Central Florida – Criminal Justice
• Pre-MBA Career: United States Marine Corps – Director of Logistics, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendelton
• Summer Internship: Bain & Company
• Post-MBA Career: Bain & Company – Consultant
• Honors@Anderson:
  • John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow
  • MBA of the Month (December 2016)
• Activities@Anderson:
  • President – Class Section (1st Year)
  • Vice President of Education – Management Consulting Association
  • Vice President of Corporate Outreach – Anderson Veterans Association
  • Interview Preparation Team Coach – Management Consulting Association
  • Anderson Career Team (ACT) Coach – Parker Career Management Center
  • Orientation Section Leader
  • Helping veterans transition to private sector

---

INTERVIEW:

Q. Why did you choose UCLA Anderson?

A.There are four key reasons I chose Anderson:

1. Academics – Attending a top business school with rigorous academics was very important to me since I have a non-traditional background.
2. People & Culture – Starting my career surrounded by the right people was paramount. You don’t have to spend much time at Anderson to observe the vibrant and collaborative nature of the student body. The collaborative part was especially important because I knew there would be a lot of intelligent and competitive people in business school, but Anderson really differentiates by harnessing that energy to elevate the group rather than individuals.
3. Location – After being stationed in Southern California with the Marines, I knew this is where I wanted to build my network and start my career.
4. Veteran Friendly – After eleven years in the military, it was critical for me to transition at a business school that understands and appreciates veterans. Anderson has more than lived up to this reputation.

Q. What did you enjoy most about business school?

A. It’s really the people I’m around every day who have made business school so enjoyable. Not a class or project goes by where I don’t learn something new from a peer or have an idea pressure-tested as part of the group decision-making process. Plus, Anderson’s admissions team does a great job picking people who are both smart and fun to work with.

Q. What was the most surprising thing about business school?

A. I was really surprised by the number of people in the class above mine who were willing to go out of their way to invest in me. When I arrived at Anderson, most of the second-year students had just returned from summer internships with great job offers in hand. Instead of relaxing and celebrating, they immediately started investing in my class. I couldn’t believe the time commitments they made, even on weekends. Since then, I’ve learned that this is at the center of what it means to be an Anderson student, and it has been a pleasure to pay it forward now that I am in a position to help others reach their goals.

Q. Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?

A. I’m extremely proud of my contributions to Anderson’s Veterans Association, namely the networking events we put together this year. Networking is one of the greatest challenges for transitioning veterans, and we were able to host several events that brought companies and veterans together. The first event we hosted at the start of the school year was a veterans-only career night, which enabled top employers and students from across the region to start building relationships early in the recruiting cycle. The event was a huge success with over 50 veterans attending from across five business schools. In addition to the career night, I set up separate networking events with every major consulting firm that recruits at Anderson. These events ranged from office visits to case interview workshops to happy hours, and they provided an opportunity for Anderson’s first-year veterans to strengthen their relationships with each firm. The reason I’m most proud of these contributions is that we impacted veterans well beyond the walls of Anderson. There are talented veterans looking for jobs all over the country and there are great employers who want to hire them. I think these events provide a good example of how we can strengthen relationships between the two groups.

Q. What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school?

A. While it is cliché, just be yourself through the application process and during business school. It is so easy to get caught up in GMAT scores and GPAs that you forget how valuable your background and experience really are to the people around you. At Anderson, I learned that a team generates its strength from diversity of experience and thought, along with hard work. That is why it is so important to be yourself.

Read more of Corey’s answers in his
Poets & Quants MBAs To Watch profile!

---

Stay in Touch: Introduce Yourself
Follow the Admissions Team @uclaMBA:  Twitter and Instagram
Questions? Contact us at mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu