This post is a part of the Student Perspectives series – each post is written by a current UCLA Anderson student, and provides first-hand perspectives and experiences about being an MBA student at UCLA Anderson.

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When I walk into the welcoming, open courtyard at Anderson, I am inevitably greeted by section mates, group project team members, and friends who have all quickly become some of my most trusted sources of advice, suppliers of a great laugh or a good story, and certainly reliable supporters and motivators who will always go out of their way to help one another. This is my #whyAnderson – the Class of 2019. Growing up in Los Angeles and working here prior to school, I did not anticipate the tight bond that quickly forms between your Anderson peers, but these are what I will stay with me more than anything else.

It started during Orientation Week back in early August of last year when we were a bunch of people from all over the world thrown into Korn Hall together in business casual attire on our very first day of business school. No one quite knew what to expect or that we would be thrown back into the classroom so quickly and assembled into Sections and Learning Team groups that would become our families at school. I was particularly intrigued when I met my diverse learning team with members hailing from South Korea, Canada, and right here in Los Angeles. We could not imagine a more diverse bunch, but we became a unit (all it took was one complete re-write of an Organizational Behavior paper the night before it was due during Summer quarter). One team member led accounting tutoring sessions for those of us less mathematically inclined, and we were the ones who edited emails and papers.

I then think about the next phase of recruiting. One might think it would be a cut-throat time when we all vied for the same internships, but boy would you be wrong. All throughout the fall, we interview-prepped with one another –- behavioral questions, case questions, and tons of feedback. After much back and forth and uncertainty, one classmate in particular helped me distill my unique value proposition and changed the way that I interview and did not think twice about it. We are a school of collective strength.

Lastly, the Class of 2019 consists of some of my very best friends who I will know for the rest of my life. We have been through a lot already in just one year of business school, and we rely on one another through good times and not as good times. No matter what, there is always someone there to laugh with, grab a drink with, and learn from. This openness is what sets Anderson and the students here apart. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk, and we pay it forward.

It is my wish for everyone to experience this type of community. There really is nothing like it.

— Lauren Wolfen ’19

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Student Blogger: 
Lauren Wolfen ’19

Hometown:
Los Angeles, CA

Undergraduate Studies: 
Barnard College, Psychology

Pre-Anderson:
Joie, Marketing
JOOR, Regional Director, West Coast

Summer Internship:
Samsung

Post-MBA Goals:
Marketing

Activities@Anderson: 
Marketing Association, Admissions Ambassador Corps, Entrepreneur Association, Anderson Career Teams