Consortium Students at McCombs: Brian Williams

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Purva Upasak

Hello everyone. Diversity is taken pretty seriously at McCombs, and the diverse culture and experiences make classrooms in McCombs very interesting and insightful. One great resource for people thinking about McCombs and an MBA in general is the Consortium Graduate Study in Management, the country’s preeminent organization for promoting diversity and inclusion in American business. McCombs is one of the Consortium member schools and today, I want you to meet one of the Consortium students here at McCombs, Brian Williams. Brian is a first year Texas MBA from Erie, Pennsylvania, who before coming to McCombs to get his MBA, worked as an industrial engineer for BAE Systems outside of Houston. He recently caught up with us to talk about his experience as a Consortium student at McCombs.

Why did you apply through the Consortium?

I applied through The Consortium, because I saw it as a vast resource in several ways. It gave the opportunity to handle my MBA’s tuition. It provided a network to help me transition into graduate school, which I knew I needed. Consortium Orientation Program, or OP, was a fantastic exposure to companies, and other Consortium members from other schools which helped me build a national network of friends and future business partners.

Tell us about the Consortium Orientation Program (OP).

OP is a fantastic experience for Consortium admits! It’s a multi-million dollar conference held to introduce top companies to the best diverse MBA students available. The companies really put their best foot forward to encourage your interest in their firm, and consortium members get the opportunity to network with companies they are interested in. There are informational sessions focused on industry, company specific sessions, school specific sessions, and plenty of time to meet and greet with your new Consortium friends from other schools, which is the best part.

How did McCombs prepare you for OP?

McCombs had weekly sessions with all of the Consortium admitted students, complete with webinar presentations, assignments, and first-hand accounts of what happens at OP such that you can be the most prepared for taking full advantage of the opportunity. Different schools do this differently, and to a more or less extent. Texas Consortium preparation is amongst the best, so much so, until many of our students had internship opportunities before school even began due to their OP preparation.

Can you give some advice to Consortium applicants who are considering Texas for their MBA?

All consortium schools are of the very best, so ensure that when you choose a place to get your MBA and spend the next two years of your life, you choose a place where you know you can thrive, be happy, be comfortable, and gain the most from your experience. By and large, the University of Texas is that place!

How do you like Austin?

Austin is a mixture of just about everything you want to do. It’s the city when you want that atmosphere. It’s outdoorsy when you want that experience as well. The city is full of health conscious people who love music, good food, and having a good time. It’s really like no other place. I am a city guy, so for me it has just enough of what I like about the city, but introduces me to things I may have never been exposed to. If you are bored in Austin, you MUST be doing something wrong. It’s a fun place.

What other organizations or activities are you involved in at McCombs?

I am president of Black Graduate Business Association; I am a Venture Fellow, Consortium Students at McCombs, and a member of the Graduate Finance Association.

Leadership at McCombs

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Purva Upasak

Often times, I have been asked how are you improving your leadership skills at school. With coursework, tests, job hunts and just the general madness of school, it is easy to understand why this question is asked. But business school gives ample opportunities to learn how to lead – be it cohort reps, the Graduate Business Council or the Student Organizations.

I asked some of the student leaders what inspired them to take on the added responsibility of being a leader at a student organization and here are their responses:

Dan Amodio
President: Sports and Entertainment Management Association

“I wanted to lead the Sports, Entertainment & Media Association because the organization’s mission fits well with where my career is headed. I’m planning to switch careers into the world of sports business and working with SEMA has been a great way to get to know some people working in the industry as well as some classmates who have the same goals. Plus, the previous leaders hosted some awesome events! I took that as a challenge to keep raising the bar so if we can provide our members with some memorable experiences this year, I’ll feel like we did our job.”

Lakshmi Gupta
President: Graduate Marketing Network

“I am passionate about marketing and wanted to be a part of cultivating that interest and skill set at McCombs through the Graduate Marketing Network. GMN’s primary goal is to provide members with the opportunity to develop the tools and frameworks necessary to flourish in their marketing careers. McCombs is fortunate to have direct access to the industry’s top CPG firms, but I was aware that many of my fellow classmates were interested in learning about marketing’s role in various sectors outside of CPG. My goal with GMN is to promote a greater variety of cross industry educational events and recruit a spectrum of companies to visit campus. McCombs also has incredibly strong student organizations and I want to leverage those organizations to promote more joint programming. Finally, I want to take advantage of being in Austin. We are surrounded by successful start-ups and entrepreneurs and I hope to focus on establishing relationships with these innovative business leaders.”

Dorine Serrano
President: NetImpact

“I wanted to lead Net Impact because I feel strongly about the mission of the organization and wanted to be highly involved in setting the direction of the group while I am a student. Not only does it provide leadership experience but it gives me the opportunity to work with great people who are just as committed as I am to seeing the organization thrive and get better year after year. It’s also really interesting to get to know the members and find out the different drivers behind their interest in Net Impact. We are all interested in many different things but at the end of the day, we all want to use our business skills to make a positive impact on our community and environment.”

Maris Lallana
President: IMBASA

“As an international student, I know it can be difficult to transition into a new country and culture. I wanted to lead IMBASA so that I can help create a supportive environment for my international student friends and provide them with the tools for career success. Each member comes with a different background, and so we as an organization have a lot of fun getting immersed in the US culture. We also love sharing our experiences (and food!) with non-internationals.”

Kiley Baker
Co-President: Graduate Women in Business

“I chose to run for co-president of Graduate Women in Business because I think the organization adds a lot of value in facilitating network creation amongst women students. At the same time, however, I viewed the opportunity to lead a student organization as a chance to test out my leadership skills. The opportunity seemed like a great way to figure out my strengths and limitations as a leader, while having the chance to become heavily involved in an organization that I’m passionate about. While it’s a lot of work, I have enjoyed this aspect of the MBA program more than any other and feel good about the fact that I’m making an impact on the McCombs community!”

Eric Brewer
President: Graduate Consulting Group

“I wanted to lead GCG because I felt a lot could be accomplished. McCombs has roughly doubled the number of graduates it sends to the big strategy consulting firms over the last few years, but I believe that with a few improvements to the way GCG prepares 1st-year MBA’s, that we could double this number again over the next 2-3 years. McCombs has also expanded the overall number of consulting firms that recruit at the school, and this should continue as well given our natural advantage with firms’ Houston and Dallas offices, as well as our competitive advantage in energy-focused positions. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Graduate Consulting Group! I hope to build on our past successes and establish a truly national renown in the consulting world for McCombs graduates.”

Each one of these leaders has to make time outside the everyday busy schedule. The common theme is not just about making the school a better place, but also helping the classmates learn and learn from them! With such dedicated leaders, it is no surprise that not only are these organizations providing a building block for the future McCombs students, but are also helping the school in the process.

MBA+ Coaches

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Purva Upasak

Wow! It has been a long time since I last posted! Everyone told me that second semester would be easier, but with recruitment in full swing, it has been super chaotic.

I wanted to talk about the MBA+ communication coaches that McCombs students have access to. One of the tenets required of any good leader if to be able to communicate easily with others. Not all of us are born with that ability and have to cultivate it. Even though class presentations and listening to others helps, nothing quite beats expert opinion. And that is where the communication coaches come into play. A part of the MBA+ Leadership program, the various coaches – communication, specialty, executive – provide one-on-one interaction with students in areas of the student’s choice – be it interviewing, public speaking, interpersonal skills. Further, the MBA+ coaches also help during the various case competitions – they come and talk at ungodly hours like 4 am when your brain is fogged up and help you get over the slump by providing an objective opinion.

Every MBA student is provided up to 4 hours of free coaching time with the coaches. I have used their expertise in preparing for interviews and for the case competitions. These coaches are very easily accessible and we can book a session with them via Blackboard – the UT internal student portal. There is a listing of the various coaches available and we can pick who we want to work with.

The MBA+ coaches are one of the many reasons McCombs is great place to be. Not only are we getting a world class education, we are also learning how to communicate effectively. I highly recommend everyone at McCombs and the incoming classes to take advantage of this great resource!

International Night 2011

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Purva Upasak

If you were to walk in the McCombs School of Business the second and third week of November, you would have been confused. There were dance practices, there was music and there were a lot of MBA students enjoying themselves (not that we don’t do it regularly, but this was a lot more fun!). November 18th was the International Night – a celebration of the many cultures that form the diverse McCombs family. It was organized at the Frank Erwin Center, across the main campus.

The International Night is an annual event that brings together the international students from different parts of the world and gives them a chance to showcase their culture. This event is organized by the International MBA Student Association (IMBASA) and the MBA+ Leadership Program.

There were booths by Global African Culture, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. There were also performances by Chinese folk dancers, a Brazilian capoeira group, and Mexican mariachis. For children there was a balloon artist, juggler, clown, face painter and Amy’s Ice Cream (do try it, it is one of the many amazing things about Austin!). In short, there were booths, there was food, and there was music! There was also an international fashion show and dance routines performed by the students.

If you are a part of the McCombs family, this is one event I highly recommend! It is not just a great way to learn about other cultures, but it is so much fun that missing it is simply not worth it!

The amazingly hilarious Sumo dance!

The winning Korean booth

* All photographs courtesy Fernando Gonzalez, MBA ’12

Austin Startup Trek, Texas Venture Labs Expo and Gary Kelly

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Purva Upasak

One of the advantages of being in school is the diverse experiences I get exposed to everyday. Take Thursday, October 27, for example.

In the morning, we went to the Austin Startup Trek. It was a chance to go visit HomeAway and Bazaarvoice.We got to school early and bright and then took the bus to Homeaway. The office was amazing!. It was decorated with many mini home models decorated in many different ways as well a snow globe collection from across the world. We got to tour the office and the most impressive part was the roof patio. We also got to talk with Carl Shepherd who told us the story of Homeaway’s growth as well as answered our questions.

The next stop was Bazaarvoice. It is one of the faster growing Austin startups that works with user generated content and analyzes it to provide customer insights. We got a quick tour and conversed with the recruiting team there. We were also fortunate enough to get one-on-one time with Mark Piening, the VP of Business Development.

After the company visits, we returned to the AT&T Conference Center for the Texas Venture Labs (TVL) Expo. This was a showcase for the Office of Technology Commercialization and the TVL deals. The entrepreneurs discussed what they were working on and how the TVL members helped them solve the problems that they faced. TVL was one of the reason I came to McCombs and I am excited to be a part of the TVL class for Spring 2012. It will be a great experience to understand startups and address their issues. The expo was a showcase for the entrepreneurs as much as it was for the TVL. The hard work and the bright minds put together created some great startups like Ordoro, Zilker Motors, Vocal Media etc.

Dr Rob Adams at TVL

The same evening we got a chance to hear Gary Kelly, CEO and Chairman, Southwest Airlines. The event was hosted by Dean Thomas Gilligan. One of the things that really stuck by me was how Mr. Kelly acknowledged that the company is not run by the C-suites, but by the people on the ground. He also mentioned how important employees were for Southwest and how the company is driven by its emloyee-centric culture. There was a Q-and-A session which followed the conversation between Dean Gilligan and Mr. Kelly.

Dean Gilligan Talking With Mr. Gary Kelly

Thursday was a great day – we not only got to visit two startups making waves, we also got to attend the TVL expo and had a chance to listen to Gary Kelly. It is days like these that remind me why I came to school. Not only was there a lot to learn, we also got a long weekend. So we put it to good use and went and played paintball on Sunday. A week well spenT I say. On Thursday, we visit Google. Stay tuned for an update on that!

Career Fair and Cloud Computing Symposium

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Purva Upasak

Hello Everyone

It has been a long two weeks. And the next week will be busy too. Super busy.

Last week was the career fair week. The official career fair was on Friday, September 23. On Thursday, September 22, we had the chance to talk with the company representatives. We talked with them about the company cultures and the opportunities available with the many companies who came to McCombs to hire top talent. The next day, we had the chance to submit our resumes and talk more with the companies.

The Graduate Business Technology Group also organized a Cloud Computing Symposium on Friday Sep 23. There were representatives from Google, Cisco, PRGX, Infochimps, Ravel, Deloitte, Bazaarvoice, Cloudmasons and Everest Group to talk with the students. There were three panels to select from: “Hybrid Clouds and Other Shapes of the Future”, “Cloud Infrastrucure, Storage and Application Deployment” and “Data Organizing, Analyzing and Comparing Structured and Unstructured Information During the Data Explosion”. During the Cloud Computing panels, the panelists talked about real time issues being faced by companies in the market today. They also discussed possible solutions and the practical real life hurdles that come in the way of implementation. In the Data Panel, we got an overview of big data, how companies are using these data sets, and the technical innovations and the limitations being faced by the companies in analyzing the data.

After the panels, there was a Networking Fast Chat which gave everyone the chance to talk with the representatives from the many companies present at the Cloud Computing symposium. The chance to interact with the top executives from different companies and learn about their real life concerns made the event very interesting.

We have finals for our first mini-semester next week. I can’t believe it has been two months already. We have already gone through the basics of finance, macro-economics, accounting and statistics. The next mini-semester starts October 10.

There is also the Global Case Challenge being organized by the Latin American and Hispanic MBA Association. It starts tomorrow. We will be getting a case in the evening on Thursday Sep 29. My team and I get to work on it over the night and present it on Friday, Sep 30. We are excited! Wish us luck.

Texas MBAs Talk

Straight from the students

Author Archives: Purva Upasak