UCLA received 3,423 applications for the Class of 2020. The class size is 360. The average undergraduate GPA of students was 3.6, and their GMAT scores averaged to 719 with a middle 80% range of 680 to 750. The average work experience was 5 years. Thirty-three percent of the class is made up of international students.
By industry, Anderson drew the highest percentage of its students from high tech, 26% total. The finance and consulting industries closely followed with 25% and 20% of the Class of 2020, respectively. 10 %of students had previously worked in the healthcare/biotech sectors and 7% in the consumer goods sector. The remaining students were from public and non-profit, entertainment and media, and real estate sectors.
UCLA accepts applications on their online system only. The form includes questions regarding the applicant’s personal and professional background. Applicants should also be prepared to submit GMAT results and TOEFL or IELTS scores if applicable, two letters of recommendation, an essay, a short answer question, and copies of academic records.
Interviews are mandatory for admittance and are conducted by invitation only. Those applicants invited to interview may do so on campus with a current Anderson student. Applicants may also opt for an off-campus interview, and these are conducted via Skype.
Interview – 1
The interview was quite relaxed. It was a blind interview, as the interviewer only had access to the resume. The interview began with the interviewer detailing some of his background – he had a CS degree, worked in tech consulting and was attending Anderson to move to Project Manager role.
He asked the following questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why an MBA?
3. Why now?
4. Why Anderson?
5. What do you want to do after the MBA?
6. What other paths have you considered if your first path isn’t available?
He then went into some behavioral questions.
7. What would you say is your greatest
accomplishment?
8. Give an example of when you’ve worked on a team.
9. Tell me about a time when you’ve failed.
He then gave me an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview. In total, it was about what I expected. He was very receptive of my responses and I felt well prepared for his questions.
UCLA Interview – 2
The student asking me to walk through my resume and asked why questions (i.e. why an MBA, why UCLA, why now, why your current career, etc.). We spent about 20-25 minutes on my profile and spent the last portion of the interview asking him questions about the program. The Skype session was very easy to set up and the process was very professional.
Interview FAQs
- What other schools did you apply to?
- If you got into all your schools, why would you pick UCLA over those schools, which are higher ranked?
- Which personal accomplishment and which professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- Tell me about any instances where you showed leadership or worked in a team.
- Tell me about a time when you received constructive criticism
- Has anyone ever been critical of you in a work setting? How so? What do you now do to avoid doing it again?
- What was your biggest setback in life?
- What will you contribute to the Anderson community?
- What do you like about your current job?
- What types of clubs or organizations would you join at Anderson?