Category Archives: Evening

To Apply Or Not To Apply

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By Debjani Panda, Texas MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth Class of 2014

May 16, 2012

“Texas MBA – Deadline approaching” the subject of the email flashed in my inbox. The mail reminded me – 10 more days to go before the final deadline on May 25, 2012.

I had taken the GMAT, filled in and saved my application, gotten my recommendations, and had a strong will to get my MBA degree from McCombs. I had done enough research on the courses, spoke to alumni, and attended information sessions to make sure it fit me. I hovered on the “Apply” button, but fell short just as I had over the last couple of days.

Mentally, I went through the same set of questions over and over again. They came in strongly without any coherent order.

“How will I make time for a time intensive course like this with a full time job?”

“How will my family survive with me being occupied most of the weekends (now I know it’s not just weekends) for two years?”

“How will I pay for my MBA, can I afford it?”

“I already am a manager, do I really need it?”

“Maybe I can give it another year and then go for it with a clearer mind.” Continue reading →

Evening And Executive MBA Women’s Forum

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By Amber Lyons, Texas Evening MBA Class of 2013

Saturday, January 26th marked the second annual Texas Evening (TEMBA) and Executive (EMBA) MBA Women’s Forum in Austin, Texas. The event was an all-day affair that drew some of the most talented business women in Austin together. The forum gave prospective students the opportunity to network with other prospects, current students and alumni. The day’s events included: a welcome by the program directors, a keynote from Laura Starks, a presentation by Professor John Daly, an MBA+ Leadership Program overview, an alumni and student panel, and a career management overview. We concluded the day with a networking reception that allowed everyone a relaxing atmosphere to interact. This year I had the pleasure of co-chairing the Women’s Forum with Jocelyn Sexton from the EMBA program.

Student Panel At Texas MBA Women's Forum

Student and Alumni Panel at Texas MBA Women’s Forum

Some of you reading this blog might wonder why it is being posted a month after the event. It is just one example of the challenges and balance required to be a full time employee and full time student. I will not call the program part time, because those of you who have balanced work and the Texas MBA program realize it is quite an amazing feat.

The past three years in the TEMBA program have flown by and it is hard to believe that I now find myself in my final weeks. It feels like only a short time ago I received my acceptance letter and sat in my first class session. Looking around the room I was a bit surprised to realize my fellow women in the class only made up about 15% of the class. Although the women made up only a small percentage of the class, they have become a large voice and hold many of the class leadership positions. Our Graduate Business Council (GBC) president is a woman, as are all of the members of GBC, including me. Also, our McCombs Admissions Committee (MAC) chair is a woman, and so are many of its members. The women of TEMBA 2013 have worked hard, become prominent members of the class, and are some of my best friends in Austin.

It has become clear over the past three years that learning in an MBA class comes in equal parts from the professors and from classmates. I am fortunate to be surrounded by a class that continually challenges each other every day. I became involved in MAC in order to give back to the program, continue to pull in the best students, and help prospective students along the application process. There is value in helping pull the best and brightest students into McCombs, because the quality of the student reflects the quality of the program. I also see value in helping McCombs grow their number of women applicants because if my class is representative of the business world, women have a voice, and even if the women make up a smaller number than men in the working world, women are stepping up in leadership positions and influencing the future. Each year the percentage of women in top MBA programs is growing and I hope that events like the Women’s Forum will help encourage more bright and talented women to continue to apply and realize the impact they can make in an MBA class and in the business world.

Thanks,
Amber

 

MBA+ Project – Buffalo Bills

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Texas MBA Student Erick LevitreBy Erick Levitre, Texas Evening MBA Class of 2015

The McCombs School of Business is known for having an excellent learning environment and one aspect that stood out to me during my first semester was collaboration. From the first semester cohort study group to the Tech/Ops Case Challenge and all of the great social events in between; there were plenty of times to share experiences with peers and learn from one another.

One opportunity that I have enjoyed thus far was participating in the MBA+ Micro-Consulting Project with several classmates. The great thing about this leadership program is the ability to customize your experience. Being a former student athlete during my undergraduate years, I have always had a passion for sports, particularly American Football. I wanted to find a way to get reacquainted with this sport in some capacity and the prospect of choosing a company in the sports entertainment industry to consult and apply what our team has learned from prior experiences towards a real business problem was very appealing to say the least.

I was granted the freedom to source my own project by choosing which company to work with. It just so happens that my brother works for the National Football League as a member of the Buffalo Bills organization. After a couple conversations with the Bills front office, we were able to determine a marketing/corporate sales business problem that the team needed assistance with, specifically related to the team’s sponsored tailgate event.Texas Evening MBA Student MBA+ Buffalo Bills Project Team

As the project lead, I was able to approach and select members from different classes in the MBA program that would make up the team. Selecting colleagues in the evening program from various backgrounds and industries, we shaped a cohesive group that brought a lot of valuable knowledge and experience to the table for this business case. We flew to upstate New York as a team during the first week of December to survey and collect information about the team’s tailgate. Our team met with members of the Buffalo Bills corporate sales and business development departments while touring the facilities and even getting the opportunity to watch an NFL game! The trip was a great success in terms of the knowledge we gained while visiting in person and the amount of fun we all had.

Currently we are preparing our presentation which will outline our recommendations to the organization. The presentation will be given later this spring to several executives and directors of the Buffalo Bills front office. We are all excited about this experience and looking forward to representing McCombs and the University of Texas. It truly is amazing to have the ability to work with fellow classmates while learning business concepts through experience in a unique industry that you are passionate about.

First Semester In The Books

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Texas MBA Student Ryan BerberBy Ryan Berber, Texas Evening MBA Class of 2015

Having just completed my first semester in the Texas Evening MBA program, one aspect of the program that really stood out is how each individual is able to have the MBA experience that suits their personal goals and needs. Given the wide age range of our class (my best guess is mid 20’s through late 30’s), people are at different stages of both their careers and lives. Some have families, even young children, and are fully committed to their studies but must find the right balance between time spent on schoolwork and with their families. As a result, they are less likely to participate in some of the social or extra-curricular activities, but are able to pursue the MBA while maintaining excellence in the workplace and as parents. Others, like me, have fewer familial commitments and have more free time to go to happy hour or play intramural sports. What I believe is unique to the Evening MBA experience is that you can decide what exactly you want from your time in the program and pursue it. Despite these differences in approach, I’ve also really enjoyed the fundamental level of respect amongst everyone in the class and, even after only 12 weeks, we’ve become really close-knit.

Texas Evening MBA Students

Another dynamic that illustrates the flexibility of the program is the study groups. Everyone is assigned to a group of 4-5, and you are responsible for doing the group project in each class together. For the first semester, you are seemingly grouped based on close geography and diversity of skill set. Again, each group took on a method for working together that fit their lifestyle. One group met every Sunday morning at 8am. They would discuss the readings for our Management class at length and carefully go through our Stats homework for the week. When it came time for group projects and exams, they would work together to study and write the papers. Conversely, our group kept in touch almost exclusively via email. Homework, readings and studying were all largely individual pursuits. When we did meet, it was to pick a general strategy for our projects and divide up the work equitably so everyone was assigned a piece that they were best fit to produce. For us, this worked perfectly. The great part of all this is, despite their differences, both group dynamics fit the work habits of those involved and everyone was satisfied. This exemplifies how each individual is able to approach the program in a way that allows them be successful during our time as TEMBA “membas”.

Hook ‘Em,
Ryan Berber, ‘15

My MBA + My Marriage

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Texas Evening MBA Student Marissa Lau GarrisonBy Marissa “Lau” Garrison, Texas Evening MBA Class of 2014

Celebrating Thanksgiving this year was quite special. No driving back to Dallas (my hometown); no watching football on TV; no gorging on food and post-turkey-meal-food-coma. Wait – so, why was it so special? Well, this would be my first Thanksgiving married to my husband, Jared Garrison. In the spirit of the holiday, reflecting on what I am thankful for, I simply cannot describe how thankful I am to have him in my life. He makes me feel so special.

We met in January 2007 on the 40 acres when both of us attended the LeaderShape Texas Conference during our UT undergrad years. I was getting my Biology and Spanish degrees, and he was finishing up his Mechanical Engineering degree. Since then, we’ve been on our journey learning each other’s likes and dislikes, supporting and motivating our dreams, and exploring the world and having fun.

Texas Evening MBA Student Marissa Lau Garrison

On May 12, 2012, halfway through my Texas Evening MBA studies thus far, we married; in fact, having our reception in the AT&T Conference ballroom above where my MBA classes are held. It was tough juggling school, work, wedding planning, and, of course, “life” in general; but, as hard as it was, I cannot help but smile at the experiences I’ve had over the last year and the person these experiences have helped to shape.

Since my high school days at Hockaday in Dallas, Texas, I’ve always pushed myself academically and socially and considered myself a confident, outgoing, and strong-willed woman. Yet, the Texas MBA has been particularly challenging to me. I admit, times have passed that I’ve pondered over and over if getting my MBA was the right choice, stressed out over re-doing the same accounting problem without avail, compared myself to classmates who were less stressed (or at least seems so), wondered if I could really have it all (especially as a woman in business), considered my career path and choices as simply luck, and even questioned my existence or simply dropping out! As overwhelming as this was and sometimes still can be, it reminds me to take a moment and step back. Being able to do complex calculations, think critically, and analyze business cases is great for my “business toolkit,” but is this really important? To me, my MBA has helped change the way I think and specifically, helped me recognize and confirm what is truly important.

Starting with Doug Dierking’s Managing People and Organizations class, he spoke of the importance of employee satisfaction – am I doing what I love? Moving on to Ben Bentzin’s Marketing class, he emphasized that failures are often the best opportunities – maybe things aren’t so bad? Furthermore, in Ramesh Rao’s Finance class, he noted one should always make investments if there is a positive NPV (net present value). Well, it’s easy to conclude that my investment in Jared is resulting in a positive NPV! Jared’s patience, understanding, and support have been keys to my success (and sanity) in the MBA program. In my moments of being overwhelmed, simply being able to talk through it with my husband is priceless. My MBA has spurred great conversations with Jared, and I’m sure has helped him develop his perspective too. We are great for each other, working and loving to make each other happier and better.

What I love about getting an MBA is that each person brings something different to contribute to the program, likewise, each person takes away something different. As silly as it may be to take my MBA’s business perspective on my marriage, I am happy I’ve done so. For me, I take away an amazing start to our marriage, eager to never take a moment with him for granted.

It’s amazing where and when you’ll apply what you learn with your MBA. What will you take away?

In Between: Moving from Engineering to Business

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I have always been in between worlds.  I spent 15 years of my life growing up in Indonesia, and the next 11 in the U.S.  And even though there’s a large Indonesian community in my college town and in Austin, I have never been able to fit back in completely.  But the experience so far has allowed me to appreciate both cultures even more, and has even helped me understand myself more.

Being in the TEMBA program, I am once again stuck between two worlds, the engineering world and the business world.  Both solve real life problems and both promote leadership abilities.  But each has their own sets of tools and their own framework to help solve problems. Engineering teaches you to see a broken machine, break it down to its components, and identify the root cause of the issue.  But business school makes you look at all of the machines in the factory, and how they interact with each other to produce quality products and achieve profitability.  My best experiences in the program so far haven’t been when I’m learning the latest and greatest business tool in class; but it is when I’m able to apply those tools in my job to see the big picture and create sustainable solutions to existing conundrums.

In the TEMBA program, globalization is a topic often discussed and argued in class.  Whether or not you are for or against it, globalization is real and it’s happening fast.  In my current company, we have construction labor flown in from Korea to help us expand our current facility.  There is not a single consumer electronic device out there that doesn’t have components sourced from Taiwan, Korea, China, or even India.  I can’t even remember the last time I bought a shirt made in the U.S.A.  Classes like Strategic Management taught by Dr. Courter, or Managerial Economics with Dr. Brandl have forced me to start thinking about the impact of globalization for modern businesses and how it impacts me personally.

So far, I’ve realized that these worlds don’t necessarily have to be separate. Much like how businesses these days cross the physical boundaries of a country – the lines between the two worlds in my personal life have blurred, and hopefully in time so will the line between my two academic experiences.