Are you working on your Texas McCombs MPA admissions essays and need some guidance? Are you thinking to yourself: What should be the focus? How long should the essays be? Do I need videographer skills to create my video essay? Here are some tips that will help you get started:
Let us know why you’re unique!
There is no “right answer” to the written or video essay questions. MPA applicants come from a variety of academic backgrounds and have diverse professional goals… exactly what we prefer! The essays can help you stand out from the applicant crowd and provide us an opportunity to learn about your strengths, skillsets, and aspirations. Avoid cliched responses and instead provide a genuine portrayal of why you are interested in the Texas McCombs MPA program. Take a moment to reflect. How will the MPA program assist you in reaching your goals? If you are a non-accounting major, why have you decided to pursue a graduate accounting degree? What has been your journey up to this point, and what have you learned about yourself along the way? How have your experiences prepared you for success in our program and the business world? What will you contribute to Texas McCombs?
Develop your ideas… but be concise.
Although you should focus more on content than length, essay #1 should be between 350-500 words, essay #2 should be between 250-350 words, and the video essay should be approximately one minute in length. Avoid repeating information that is readily available in other parts of the application. For example, rather than simply listing your experiences, let us know how these experiences helped you to grow personally or professionally. We want to get to know you from a perspective that cannot be achieved by reviewing resumes, transcripts, or test scores.
Written essays: Mind your writing technique.
The written essays capture your reasons for pursuing the MPA degree, career goals, preparedness for graduate school, and an example of your analytical aptitude. They also are a demonstration of your written communication skills. Avoid being too wordy, stay focused and organized, and proofread. The formatting of the essays is flexible (line spacing, margins, font), but we do appreciate an easy-to-read layout!
Instructions:
- Upload your essays in PDF format to your admissions application.
Video essay: Show us who you are!
The video essay helps your application “come to life” and provides you with an opportunity to showcase your verbal communication skills and personality. Be professional, try not to read off a script (we want to see you as your peers, instructors or employers see you!), and don’t worry about fancy editing techniques. Also, please do not include a link to a photo slideshow or PowerPoint presentation. Slideshows do not allow us to actually see and hear from you, which is really what we are looking for in a video submission.
Video link instructions:
- Upload your video essay to a video-sharing platform like YouTube or Vimeo or to a cloud storage site such as Google Drive. Provide the URL in the admissions application.
- Do not submit a video link from TikTok. TikTok is blocked on UT Austin’s networks.
- Review your video’s privacy settings and ensure that they are not overly restrictive. For example, YouTube videos should be “Unlisted” or “Public” rather than “Private.”
- Make sure that your link does not expire and that you do not remove your video until you receive an admissions decision.
Optional essay: Add some clarification.
If you prefer, you can submit an optional admissions essay to address address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the MPA program and contribute to the University community and the profession.
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