Texas McCombs MBA Insider

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By the Numbers: Executive MBA Class Profile

Texas McCombs had a very strong pool of applications when putting together the MBA Class of 2020, and the numbers certainly reflect that. Let’s take a look at the Executive MBA class that started this fall:

The Executive MBA program welcomed 59 top-caliber business professionals to the McCombs School of Business MBA network. These students are experienced in managing teams and decision-making, and many have their own businesses. These industry leaders will surely challenge and inspire one another to reach new heights in their careers over the next two years in Austin.

A few group photos of the Texas McCombs MBA Community

Diversity & Inclusion at Texas McCombs

September 26, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

This post was written by Jaden Felix, Senior Admissions Officer for the Full-Time MBA.

Within the MBA program at Texas McCombs, we seek out thoughtful and talented students who want to lead in ways that positively shape organizations and society. Each student’s knowledge, skills, and talents are leveraged to create a dynamic learning experience that emphasizes collaboration, authenticity, and exploration. You can see this in action within study groups, cohorts, community conversations, and in how we design our courses. Global acumen, an understanding of diversity, and how to create a culture of inclusion are important components of the learning experience. The Texas McCombs MBA community strives to create a welcoming environment where all students can clearly see themselves.

Our students strive for a better tomorrow.🙌🤘#DiversityIsStrength #DiversityandInclusion #WhyMcCombs https://t.co/KOCGiSRoFH

— Texas McCombs MBA (@UTexasMBA) September 13, 2018

The ability to succeed in business is no longer focused just on managing the diversity of teams, but on leveraging different perspectives and celebrating them. Our Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Raji Srinivasan, is leading school-wide efforts in this arena, and all departments and programs are working toward defining and sharing what Diversity and Inclusion means to us to set strategic goals that will uphold our commitment to D&I in higher education and business.
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The Non-Traditional MBA Candidate

September 25, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

The following was written by Samantha Frapart, Texas McCombs MBA ’17, and originally posted in June of 2017.

I thought I couldn’t get into business school. With my double-major in English and Ecology, five years in non-profits, and my natural aversion to words like “Nasdaq” and “synergy,” how could I convince admissions teams that I belonged in their MBA programs? Well, after graduating from McCombs in May of 2017, I’m here to happily debunk one of the greatest myths of business school: The non-traditional candidate.

Contrary to popular belief, business programs aren’t looking for human calculators. They are looking for students eager to foster strong teams, willing to negotiate & compromise, and ready to share diverse perspectives. In management classes, I was able to add a unique viewpoint to discussions on anything from government regulations to corporate social responsibility. Though I looked to my study-team for help with my finance homework, I was able to offer equally important business lessons like proper brief-structure and design thinking.

We all have something to offer, it’s just a matter of figuring out what that is and letting it shine through.

Though I assure you “non-traditional” is a thing of the past, I know this process can feel daunting. So with the Full-Time MBA application currently open for the next class, I’d like to share some helpful tips from my experience (before and during business school) in hopes that it might ease your worries about applying and prepare you for the fantastic two years ahead.

Investing in Your Future, MBA Financial Aid Options

Scholarships & Financial Aid for Working Professional & Executive MBAs

September 17, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / 2 Comments

This information comes from our Working Professional and Executive MBA Admissions team.

At Texas McCombs, we recognize that pursuing an MBA is a big investment in your future. We are proud to have been ranked among the top 10 part-time MBA programs in the U.S. for the past five years.

To make your MBA future attainable as a Working Professional (WP), Texas McCombs awards financial assistance to many students to help cover the cost of education for our Evening, Executive, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston programs. In most cases, that aid comes in the form of student loans but there other options that may help fund your MBA. We invite you to review some of these below to help you better navigate this step in your MBA journey.

Texas McCombs MBA Consortium Students at Rowling Hall, fall 2018

Meet the CGSM Class of 2020!

August 31, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

Each year, our MBA Admissions Committee is guided by the belief that success is only possible through a diverse set of perspectives and backgrounds in our classes. One of the ways we work to achieve this, is by partnering with organizations that connect top business schools with MBA candidates, companies, and community leaders that share our commitment to providing access to education and a welcoming, supportive business environment.

One of Texas McCombs’ longstanding partnerships is with the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM). The Consortium is an alliance of some of the world’s leading graduate business schools and corporate partners, with the mission of enhancing diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership. Texas McCombs has been a member of the Consortium since 1984, and each year the MBA program participates in CGSM events across the country to recruit candidates who share this mission.

This year, we welcomed our largest CGSM class ever! As a CGSM student, the first step in the MBA journey is the Consortium Orientation Program (also known as OP). The OP gives students from all of the Consortium member schools the opportunity to interact with each other, attend panels and workshops for personal and professional development, and to network and interview with corporate partners. It’s also a bonding experience for the incoming class, where they begin to form new friendships and support one another as they prepare for the start of the MBA school year.

Texas McCombs MBA students at the Consortium OP event

Texas McCombs MBA students at 2018 Consortium OP in Orlando, Florida

The Class of 2020 includes 39 outstanding Consortium MBA students from all over the U.S. and we are excited to see what they will accomplish during their two years at Texas McCombs. Four new CGSM students – Bryant Buraruk, Alexandria Moragne, Damon Reynolds, and Jackie Rojas – share their experience below, as well as their advice for future Texas McCombs MBAs interested in applying through the Consortium.

First Look: MBA at Houston Class of 2020

August 13, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

New students from all of our MBA programs recently gathered in Austin to prepare for their classes, get to know each other, meet MBA faculty & staff, and have some fun. It was especially exciting to welcome our classes from Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston to their second home here on the UT Austin campus. These students experience the same top caliber curriculum, faculty, and network as our Working Professional students in Austin, but are able to attend classes close to home on campuses in Dallas and Houston.

We had a very strong pool of applications to pull from when putting together our Working Professional MBA classes this year, and the numbers certainly reflect that. Let’s take a look at our Houston class:

The MBA at Houston welcomed 84 awesome students to the program as new members of the Longhorn family. These students are no strangers to the fast-paced, hard-working town of Houston and they are all a true testament to the institution they will come to be challenged by over the next two years.

First Look: MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth Class of 2020

August 13, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

We had a very strong pool of applications to pull from when putting together our Working Professional MBA classes this year, and the numbers certainly reflect that. First, let’s take a look at our DFW class:

The MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth welcomed its largest class ever, with 88 new students beginning their MBA journey with Texas McCombs. This is also the most international class the DFW program has ever had and the most diverse in terms of companies/organizations represented.

To work or not to work? Full-Time vs. Part-Time MBA

Deciding Between Full-Time or Working Professional MBA Programs

August 2, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

This Insider info comes from Sharon Barrett, Director of Working Professional & Executive MBA Admissions.

If you are still deciding between leaving your job to attend an MBA full-time, or continuing to work while you earn your degree part-time, rest assured you’re not alone. Here are some basic questions I ask people who are grappling with this decision:

What do you want to do with your MBA?

The answer to this question can help determine whether a full-time or part-time program makes more sense for you. The majority of Texas McCombs MBA students go into their MBA with the goal of switching jobs. Our Working Professional (WP) MBA programs – Evening MBA (in Austin), MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth, and MBA at Houston – are an excellent fit for those looking to switch to a career in consulting, or to move into a different function within the same industry (such as operations to finance, or vice versa). The strong general management focus of the curriculum in the WP programs also gives graduates the tools they need to run a company, whether it’s their own or someone else’s. And hands-on experiences through the MBA+ Leadership Program offer students the opportunity to work on a consulting project to sharpen the skills needed for a switch.

If you’re planning a complete industry switch, say from software engineering to financial services, or moving into a specialized field such as investment banking or clean tech, then you may want to think about how your past experiences are related to these goals. If they’re completely unrelated, getting exposure and experience in this field prior to beginning your job search can be important. The Full-Time MBA requires a summer internship, and the elective choices allow students to dive deep into a specific industry or area of focus to position you for a strong career pivot.

Tip: Research your target companies in advance and see if they require an internship with the company prior to full-time employment.

Student Spotlight: Pallavi Nair, Full-Time MBA Class of 2020

July 26, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

We have the privilege of welcoming Forté Foundation members into our MBA program each fall. The Forté Foundation is a non-profit consortium of top companies and business schools, working to launch women into successful careers through access to education, opportunities, and a supportive network. Texas McCombs has been a proud Forté partner since it was founded in 2001, and the MBA program participates in Forté events across the country every year.

We recently caught up with a new MBA and Forté Fellow who hadn’t always planned to pursue an MBA, but quickly realized how the Texas McCombs MBA program could help to reach her goals and foster her passion for advocating for women in business. Meet Pallavi Nair!

Hook ’em! Class of 2020 MBA, Pallavi Nair

Tell us about your background– the education, volunteer or work experience that led you to want to pursue your MBA?

My hometown is Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, and I have a chemical engineering background. I think what drew me most to engineering is the drive to fix problems and build solutions. After my undergraduate degree, I worked as a product development engineer at PepsiCo R&D, continuing to use this passion to drive new innovation for brands such as Doritos. At some point it became clear to me that while I loved engineering, I was also fascinated by the strategy behind how we innovated. What were the emerging market trends that were actually worth pursuing? How should we leverage the company’s global resources effectively while keeping our regional consumers in mind? I knew about unlocking new technologies, but how did we decide which technologies were worth unlocking? These questions made me realize that I would love to earn my MBA and spend time delving into these topics through hands-on learning experiences and interactions with not only great professors, but classmates who have experience in a variety of business-related fields. I want to keep creating solutions over the next two years and beyond, and can’t wait to start applying the knowledge I gain through my MBA to my problem-solving approach!

What was the application process like for you? Why did you choose Texas McCombs?

I think my application process was a little different than most. I did not decide until early fall that I was ready to apply to b-school; I was very happy at my current job and an MBA was not necessarily a checklist item to further my current career path. Instead, it was the realization of what truly interested me and what I hoped to learn that drove me to apply. I selected the programs I applied to very carefully, based mostly on reputation, location and program structure, and visited each of the campuses. What struck me the most about McCombs as compared to the other schools was the culture. It’s something people mention a lot, but experiencing it in person really makes a difference! I truly felt the McCombs “win-as-one” culture was very evident. The student body truly felt like a family, and the environment felt comfortable and inclusive without sacrificing motivation and a drive for success. I was also extremely humbled when I found out I had been selected as a Forté Fellow by McCombs in my offer of admittance. The desire to drive positive change for gender equality in the workplace was something I had brought up passionately in my application process, and I was very happy to know that the school saw me as a fit representative for Texas McCombs in this arena.

Choosing the Right Test for Your MBA Application

July 18, 2018 / Texas McCombs MBA / Comments Off

This MBA Insider content comes from the Texas McCombs MBA Admissions team and was originally posted in July 2017.

If you’ve decided you want to apply to the MBA program at Texas McCombs– congratulations on making a fantastic decision! But, now what? One of the first application components that future students typically focus on is the required standardized test. It can be an intimidating first step. Our MBA program accepts both GRE and GMAT. How can you know which test is best for you?

First, the Admissions Committee doesn’t have a preference on which test you take. Our article on examining your graduate test options can give you a good overview of the basic differences between the tests.

We do not believe that one test is better at demonstrating your preparedness for business school than the other. But it is important to think about what exam is best for you as an individual. In some cases, there may be a good reason to consider taking the GMAT over the GRE, or vice versa.