Name: Jim Ryan
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Undergrad Insitution/Major: Notre Dame/American Studies
Pre-MBA Job: Sports journalism and healthcare marketing
MBA Concentration: Healthcare
Welcome to my blog! My name is Jim Ryan, and I’m a second-year student at McCombs. After graduating from Notre Dame in 2006, I worked for four years as an editor for SportingNews.com in St. Louis, MO, and Charlotte, NC. While sports journalism was fun, I wanted to put my communications skills to use in the business world, so in 2010 I moved back to my hometown of Dallas to become a marketing specialist for a company called MedSynergies that provides business services to physician practices. I found the healthcare industry fascinating and plan to pursue the healthcare concentration at McCombs and return to the industry after graduating.
I chose McCombs because it’s a top-20 MBA program in my home state, where I’d like to work long-term. But even for non-Texans, McCombs is a great place. It’s in one of the best cities in the country (Austin will defy many of the preconceived notions you might have about Texas), and it’s in the state that has led the country in job creation over the last several years.
I hope my blog will be interesting to all readers, but it could be particularly valuable for prospective students who, like me, have non-traditional (and certainly non-analytical) backgrounds. While I’ll be writing largely about my academic experience and career search, I’ll also sprinkle in some posts about all the fun things to do in Austin. And, as you might have guessed, I’m a huge sports fan, so there could be the occasional post or three about the Longhorn athletic scene.
Please don’t hesitate to comment on a post if you have any questions, or email me at jryaniv@gmail.com. Good luck with your business school research and, ultimately, your decision on where to attend.
Hook ‘em!
Jim
