McCombs can be whatever you make of it

Experience during the program

The Texas MBA program at McCombs was a great fit for me, not just because of the academic reputation, but also because of the culture and geographic location. Austin is a great city to spend your two years of business school, and the student population at McCombs is a fun and diverse group, making the experiences that much more rewarding.

My favorite part about the academic side of the program was the ability to customize it to my goals. I came from an undergraduate business background, so I didn't feel as much of a need to focus on a broad academic experience, and rather spent my time focusing on a deeper experience, honing my skills in strategy, innovation, and design. I don't believe I would have had the same opportunity at many other programs.

In terms of the extracurricular side, we were encouraged to participate in clubs and activities, even start our own clubs if what we were looking for didn't exist. I was able to get involved in club leadership in multiple organizations, and found that I was truly able to make an impact on the MBA experience for myself and for my classmates.

To me, that is the key hallmark of the Texas MBA program: customization. You really do have the ability to make the program whatever you want it to be: academically, socially and even professionally.

About professors, classes and curriculum

I wish the program had been a bit more progressive in terms of certain career trajectories such as technology and innovation; however, because I was able to take classes in other schools on the UT campus outside of the MBA program and qualify those toward my major, I felt that I was able to make the absolute most of my experience. It would be nice to see the program push more to make those a part of the core MBA experience, although it is understandable that there is more focus on finance and consulting coursework given the general career goals of the student body.

About job placement process

One of the biggest challenges I had was trying to find employment outside of the "typical" geographic areas for the school (i.e. Texas and Silicon Valley). I was then given little assistance outside of resume and cover letter reviews and was essentially forced to do everything myself. I knew this would likely be an issue coming in, but it definitely was a challenge.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Location

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking