Over the past few months, we’ve had the chance to speak to numerous current Texas-McCombs Full-Time MBA students to understand their journey to Business School. We wanted to know where they came from and why they chose to attend Texas McCombs. If you aren’t familiar with McCombs, it’s in one of the hottest cities in the south, Austin, Texas. The community-like feel (less than 300 students on average per class) and proximity to desirable industries such as Technology, Energy, and Oil and Gas, make it an attractive MBA program for prospective MBA students. Not to mention, the network opens students up to make connections with the entire UT-System.
Introducing The Stories of Texas McCombs MBA Students
While researching an MBA program and learning about their resources and experiences is important, it’s also important to get to know the students and your potential future classmates! If you are a prospective student interested in McCombs, we’ve presented stories from numerous current McCombs MBA students in this article, along with their tips and best practices for applying to McCombs. You’ll want to take a closer look at these students and their stories to learn more about what the people at McCombs are really like, and why it could be a great fit for your MBA journey.
Why McCombs?
There are lots of great top MBA programs out there, but why did these students choose to get an MBA, and why did they choose McCombs?
Academics
Charles Baronette spent his last six years before UT McCombs as a technology consultant. Charles joined UT-McCombs because it offered a great total academic value, between the cost, as well as having professors who are “leading experts in their respective fields.”
Natalia Gonzalez decided to apply to UT-McCombs to strengthen her analytical skills and explore other industries. In a short few months, Gonzalez said, McCombs has “has already provided me with solid academic foundations and experiential learnings in numerous industries.”
For Career Opportunities
Carlos Balderrama, who worked as an engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, decided to obtain an MBA degree to build his business and financial knowledge. For Carlos, attending a school that was aligned to his career path (investment banking) and location (Houston) was also a deciding factor.
Angela Masciale decided to broaden her horizons after four years as a human capital consultant. She chose McCombs for the broad options of career opportunities and because she wanted a program that would allow her to be successful regardless of the career she ended up selecting.
Meanwhile, Paul Peterson served as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for eight years in the US Army, and during that time, he traveled across 30 countries. During his journeys, he got exposed to air, water, land pollution, and their disastrous effects on the planet. This drove him to change career paths and focus on clean technology to prevent and combat the environment’s misuse. Paul chose UT-McCombs as the perfect meeting point for his background and cleantech goals, which McCombs has been able to provide him with.
What Makes Texas-McCombs’ Culture Unique?
Finding an MBA program with a culture that resonates with you is important. But simply asking what the culture is like is often not enough. We spoke to a number of McCombs students and asked them to give some specifics about what the culture was like. Here is what we found.
Humility
Presney Blackman spent her time before McCombs working in sales in the chemical industry. Wanting to attend a program with a good culture, Presney chose McCombs because of it’s “humility and helpfulness.”
Carlos Baronette, also agrees. “If I had to narrow down McCombs culture, I would describe it as “Texas polite.” Students directly bring their opinions but with a humble approach.
Supportive
When asked to describe the culture at McCombs, Natalia Gonzalez said, “Supportive.” As Natalia prepared for the Consortiums Orientation Program, her classmates and the career center put countless hours prepping her and her fellow classmates so they could be set-up for success. “ I could tell how supportive McCombs’ culture is even before I started the program,” Gonzalez said.
Inclusivity
For Manolo Alvarez, going to McCombs was actually coming back home. After graduating from UT-Austin for his undergraduate degree, Manolo was excited to return to McCombs, especially because of its focus on inclusivity.
Helpfulness
After being out of school for 10 years, Erikah Abdu went back to get her MBA with the aspirations of growing into a new career. For Abdu, what stood out most about the culture was the helpfulness of her classmates. “My learning curve was exceptionally steep; however, with the help of classmates like Jo Newell and Whitney Rose, I was able to get through my Stats without exploding. This is not a unique event, McCombs is truly a collaborative environment,” Abdu said.
MBA Application Advice For Texas McCombs Candidates
Come Early and Stay Late – Manolo Alverez advises students to “come early, and stay late.” “If you’re interested in the school and the program, show up! Come to webinars, speak to students, reach out to alumni, interact with the admissions team, send email questions, and put in the effort. It will get noticed and will help you.”
Be Yourself – Angela Masciale encourages candidates to “be yourself.” My advice is to have courage and truly believe in yourself. McCombs is all about authenticity and embracing those from varied backgrounds.
Look Inward – Natalia Gonzalez encourages students to get to know McCombs as much as possible by attending events and connecting with students, but she also urges candidates to do the introspection needed to prepare a great application. “ Make sure that you do a lot of introspection and understand what drives you to pursue an MBA. Consider what you want to get from it. Two years go by so fast, so it’s better if you stand ‘ready’ to embark on this new adventure.”
The interviews above show that UT-McCombs offer exceptional resources and great opportunities for students in a supportive learning environment, while also facilitating good relationships among students and within the McCombs community.
Is Texas-McCombs on your short list of MBA Programs? Make sure to check out our interview with Stephen Sweeney, the Director of Admissions, and learn how you can prepare your application for UT-McCombs.
Are you interested in learning more about how to make the most of Your MBA Experience? Check out MBA Insider today, and learn the best practices you need to successfully navigate your MBA experience.