McCombs 2012 - Calling All Applicants

Anyone applying to Mccombs Houston weekend program?

I attended a webinar yesterday on application tips & tricks, and found out a few interesting things. One being that in the application for the full-time MBA both of the optional essays have 200-word limits. On McCombs' application essay website it still says one of the optional essays has a 350-word limit. The head of admissions said to trust the word limit specified in the application itself. I wanted to share in case you need to go back and cut some words out like I had to.

Hi everyone. I'm a first year student at McCombs, and a member of the McCombs Admissions Committee. I'll be visiting this site as often as I can to answer questions. If you want to reach out to us directly, you can email us at TexasMBA@mccombs.utexas.edu.

Here are some updated stats for the class of 2013:

Class Size: 265
Application Total: ~2,400
Average Age: 28
Average GPA: 3.43
Average Years of Work Experience: 5
Average GMAT: 691

Good luck to everyone on their applications!

I'm in for R1. UT is my top choice. I'm just a huge fan of Texas and after being in Germany for 3 years, I can't wait to get back to great weather.

In for R1..

Any thoughts about the section "List other graduate schools to which you are applying"??
What does Adcom want to judge from this information?

Hi CoffeBeans,

Many schools do this, and every school that I applied to also asked the same question. It's really just a way for the Admissions Committee to see what other schools the applicants are interested in, since all of the top business schools are competing for the best candidates. It is pretty much just a poll, and should have no effect on the actual admissions decision. Like anything else on your application, I would answer the question completely and truthfully.

Thanks brothersharp,
I was just wondering if this makes the whole "Yours is the best school for me" a little less convincing, since I am telling the committee that I am applying to 5 other schools and probably trying to convince them in the same way. Is it so?

I see what you mean, but I think if your enthusiasm for the program is evident in your essays, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, the school expects that you will probably be applying to other programs. Admissions are very competitive, so just about everyone applies to numerous programs in order to improve their chances of getting into business school.

Speaking of enthusiasm, McCombs is a school I'm super excited about. How's your first year been so far brothersharp? Anything cool you weren't expecting?

I think the most striking thing for me is the amount of student involvement in just every aspect of the school. Students organize and run, or at least heavily influence, just about everything at the school. For example, some second years felt the need for a selective, specialty organization on campus that would cater to MBA students interested in the interaction between operations, supply chains, and information management. They got support from some key faculty members in each discipline, got the Supply Chain Center of Excellence on board, and started a group called Sigma Fellows. They organized an application process, conducted interviews, and selected an inaugural class of 12 first-year students. Thus, Sigma Fellows was born just a few weeks ago as an official McCombs organization, and there's even an Operations Practicum course tailored specifically for them starting next semester. It all happened because some students saw the need, got support, and made it happen. I think that's pretty awesome, and it's the latest example of just how much you can do as a student here.

And of course, all of this is possible because the faculty and MBA program staff are really great. Everyone is very accessible, and people don't just stay in their offices. We see the MBA program director frequently walking around and talking to people. The Dean of the business school taught macroeconomics to 2 of our 4 cohorts, and the Dean of the MBA program taught my Accounting class for several weeks, filling in for our professor who was sick. He also has lunch with students on a regular basis to hear about how things are going, what we like, what we don't like, etc., and shares what his ideas are for going forward.

Another thing that really struck me was that there really aren't any people here who just go to class, work with their study teams, and then go home. Everyone is just tremendously involved in a dizzying array of activities outside of class, and it's pretty exciting. I always heard people spout the old adage, "50% of business school happens outside the classroom", but it wasn't until I started as a student that it really sank it. As first years, the core classes definitely keep us busy, but everyone takes on extra responsibilities anyway. It makes for a very busy, yet social and fun atmosphere at the school.

Another thing. Breakfast tacos. If you haven't had them before, I can promise that after the first two weeks of class at McCombs, you'll be a huge fan. It must be a Texas thing.

I have a question on re-application.
Do I need to submit two recommendations or is one sufficient?
Also, why does texas not have a re-applicant essay?

Thank you.

Friends,

The website does not talk much about how the teaching method is. is it case based, classroom teaching based, or a mix of both? Anybody has any idea on this?

Cheers,
gmatRetake.

The teaching style really depends on the preferences of the professors teaching the classes. Some classes are case-only, like Macroeconomics. Others are primarily lecture. And some are a mix, like my Marketing Management class. McCombs doesn't prescribe a teaching method, so professors are free to conduct their classes any way they see fit. It all depends on what the professor thinks is the best way to teach the material.

You will have to submit 2 letters of recommendation.

There is no required re-applicant essay, but you can certainly use the optional essay to talk about what progress you've made since your first application, and why you are a stronger candidate now.

I read on the admissions website that the school required official transcripts, but then when the application only asked for unofficial transcripts, I didn't bother requesting them. Once I submitted the application on Sunday and was granted access to the secondary UT graduate admissions website, I realized that they were indeed required. Obviously, I will rush to get these in as soon as possible, but does anyone have recommendations on how to handle with the adcom? Thanks in advance for your help.

With the application:
Education History: Upload unofficial transcripts to McCombs in this section. Be sure you have blocked out any social security numbers on these documents BEFORE uploading. You will also perform a separate upload of unofficial transcripts to GIAC after submitting your application and paying the fee. See „”After Application” section below. If documents are written in a language other than English, complete and official English translations must be sent together with the original language records. Each transcript (mark sheet) should contain a complete record of studies at the institution from which it is issued (i.e. the subjects taken and grades [marks] earned in each subject.

After app has been submitted:
Upload Transcripts to GIAC: After you have submitted your application and paid the fee, you will receive an email that contains a link to the GIAC document upload website where you will be able to upload transcripts. The uploaded transcript is considered to be unofficial but will be used to process your application for admission. Please do not mail official transcripts or paper copies of your transcripts before you are offered admission. Sending paper copies of documents you have uploaded will significantly delay the processing of your application. Former University of Texas at
Austin students do not need to upload UT - Austin transcripts.