Category Archives: Mexico City

Takeaways

Posted on by
Reply

This post is courtesy of David Marcos, a member of the Texas Executive MBA at Mexico City class of 2013.

The Executive MBA program has a lot to offer. Even though classes are spaced apart, you end up receiving huge chunks of information, most of which seems to elude your brain a couple of hours (or beers) after the exams.

As managers, or executives, we always want to hear the takeaways, what will stay with you forever, and most importantly, what will pop out in business meetings or late at night when you’re trying to unravel some problem.

I couldn’t possibly write all I’ve taken away from the EMBA in just a couple of lines, but I will try to lay some of it on the table; make what you want of it. Continue reading →

Will I Have Time For An MBA?

Posted on by
2

This post is courtesy of Haig Hanessian, a member of the Texas Executive MBA at Mexico City class of 2014.

Hanessian Family

The Hanessian Family

When I first started talking about business school with my closest friends, we were all very excited about the doors that an MBA from a top school could open for us. We had talked about these dreams together since we were in high school, wondering which business school to choose and looking for teachers who could help us prepare to get the highest scores on the GMAT. Then, the interviews came. And even then, once the exams and interviews had passed, some of us started to wonder how we would get the money for our MBA. After clearing all of these hurdles, or at least I thought, one more factor came up that many people might not consider – TIME. How much time would I have to invest?

You see, most of my friends are not married, have no kids, and since I got married at 25 and soon realized that all of the expenses that come with a marriage are always underestimated, had been able to save more money than me. Continue reading →

Global Trip To Austria Exceeds Student Expectations

Posted on by
Reply

This is a guest post by Israel Contreras, a member of the Executive MBA at Mexico City class of 2012. Last month, Israel took part in a global trip to Austria as part of the Texas MBA Program. He recounts the experience in the post below.

It had only been a few hours since we had our last exam that I took the plane to Vienna, simply for an 8-hour stop before touring to Prague, Berlin and Budapest (so I practically was not in Vienna until I got back one week later for the Seminar).

By the time I arrived to Vienna (again), I was already amazed by the charm of Eastern Europe, but this city totally exceeded my expectations. Not only because the beautiful palaces and gardens everywhere, but also because the cultural ambience and cosmopolitan lifestyle. If that was not enough, the academic and professional experience we had, made it an invaluable and unique experience for me and my classmates.

Group at welcome dinner

Welcome dinner at Salm Bräu

It all started with a welcome dinner at Salm Bräu, a traditional and historic brewery, distillery and restaurant (all in one!) where we had the opportunity to share local dishes (and beer of course). Then, during the following four days, we spent the morning at IMADEC University (our academic host in Vienna), enjoying very interesting lectures from prominent businessmen and politicians in the region, as well as from the Mexican ambassador in Austria (being that Mexicans make up 88% of the class, we were curious about what an ambassador does – living from our taxes!).

Students at the Austrian Parliament

Austrian Parliament

One of the most fascinating speakers was Karl Von Habsburg, an Austrian politician and the current Head of the House of Habsburg, and the Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is also the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I (If Austria was still an Empire, he would be the Emperor!). He shared with us his opinion about the current economic turmoil in the Euro zone and the consequences after the presidential election in France (which had occurred just few days before).

During the last day of the seminar, we went to the Austrian Parliament for a guided tour, where we also had the chance to talk with Andreas Schieder, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance. It was a great opportunity to hear directly from an authority with an active role in the current situation, his thoughts about how to address the economic crisis in Europe and the future for the European Union.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace

After the sessions at IMADEC, we spent the rest of the day visiting the city’s downtown and its multiple landmarks. Whether it was an impressive palace (Schönbrunn or Belvedere) or a music/opera venue (the Staatsoper or Musikverein), Vienna had something spectacular to offer every single day.

Finally, we celebrated the end of the Seminar with a dinner at Wiener Rathauskeller, another stylish and traditional restaurant in Vienna, where we toasted to our future and for the great experience the program was. After the dinner, everybody took diverse routes to continue their own trip in Europe (in my case, I went to Holy Land). After all, we still had one week for the MBA Convocation!

I have to recognize that this trip definitely exceeded our expectations. And I want to take the opportunity to thank all the program staff and my classmates for making this journey an amazing life experience.