From Dave Jackson, Senior Admissions Officer, Texas MBA Dallas/Fort Worth Program:
It’s Good to be Back
Texas MBA Senior Admissions Officer, Dave Jackson
Hi everyone. I’m the new MBA admissions officer for the Texas MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth, but I’m no stranger to the program. I graduated from the DFW program in 2010. The two years I spent in the program were a transformative experience for me, providing me with the broad business exposure to enhance my career in corporate communications. I was excited to return to the McCombs School of Business to help give similar opportunities to others. And I have spent my first month on the job immersing myself in the admissions cycle – recruiting prospective students at both university and company-sponsored events, reviewing applications and interviewing candidates – to shape the Class of 2017 here in DFW.
Several things have changed in the five years since I left the program. Most notably, the campus and the residency hotel are both different. The curriculum has undergone a significant review, with changes made to allow working professional students to graduate at the same time as our full-time MBA students. We have greatly expanded the MBA-Plus programs to broaden students’ skills outside the classroom.
But many things have not changed. The faculty is still top-notch, with many of the professors the same ones who taught me and the new ones of the same high caliber I remember. The curriculum challenges you to bring your best effort to each class and project, and provides you with information and inspiration to apply when you return to work on the Mondays after class weekends.
And the students continue to bring a blend of diverse work and academic backgrounds and a collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit that enables everyone to maximize the value of their MBA experience. They seed the relationships that become their personal and professional network for many years to come. The Texas MBA is about what you put into the program, and in return you get much more than three letters.
As I get to know the Classes of 2015 and 2016 and as we build the Class of 2017, I’m confident the program’s most important component – its people – remains its best component. Getting to know them has been my greatest reward in returning to McCombs.
