Texas (McCombs) MBA Program

McCombs School of Business

The McCombs School of Business offers a general management program in an innovative, hands-on learning environment. The school offers no formal majors, but it does offer concentrations in the traditional business disciplines, such as marketing and finance. Students may also choose a “specialization,” which is a more focused set of cross-functional courses designed to more directly address a specific career path. McCombs offers a dozen specializations including Private Equity Finance, Brand Management, Entrepreneurship, and Social Enterprise. About half of all McCombs students choose one of these concentrations or specializations.

Teamwork is a major emphasis at McCombs, with students doing most of their work in project teams. Students also spend their entire first year taking their core classes together in “cohorts.” Naturally, the school looks for people who will thrive in this team-oriented environment, so be sure to demonstrate your experience in working with others to make things happen. McCombs is also a relatively small program compared to its peers, and boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1, one of the lowest ratios at any top school.

One example of McCombs’s innovation is its Plus Program, a series of seminars and workshops that give students intense, practical training in topics such as communications, business analysis, and venture capital. Much of the work is done in workshops and small teams, and many of these exercises use exercises and games to help you learn how to think quickly on your feet. These activities exemplify what McCombs is about, so if they appeal to you, make sure to communicate that in your application, particularly by emphasizing your teamwork and maturity dimensions, as described in Chapter 2.

Several programs demonstrate the school’s emphasis on hands-on experience, including the MOOT CORP business plan competition, the MBA Investment Fund, and the Venture Fellows program. Since 1984, the school has hosted MOOT CORP (we wish we knew why it’s in all caps), one of the oldest and largest inter-business school business plan competitions in the world. The competition now attracts teams from dozens of schools around the world, and winning teams get $100,000 and a chance to start their business in the friendly confines of the Austin Technology Incubator. Be sure to get to know this program better if you plan on applying to McCombs as a prospective entrepreneur.

Each year 20 students are selected to run the MBA Investment Fund, a $15 million fund that was created in 1994 as the first legally constituted, private investment company to be managed by students. McCombs students have an opportunity to apply growth, value, and fixed-income strategies to several portfolios. The student managers even manage a small part of the school’s endowment, getting advice from professional money managers along the way. If you have an interest in investment management—or even just like the school’s hands-on learning philosophy—you’ll want to show your enthusiasm for it in your application.

Finally, the McCombs Venture Fellows programs capitalizes on the school’s location in startup-heavy Austin, each year providing 20 students with semester-long internships with local venture capital or private equity funds. No job sector is more appealing right now for MBA grads than the venture capital and private equity fields, and this program can provide you with a great leg up in trying to land a coveted position with one of these firms. Outside of the typical finance-heavy schools, consider McCombs if you are serious about pursuing a career in venture capital or private equity.

McCombs is careful about selecting people whom it believes have a sincere interest in its program. While all schools look for this kind of interest and enthusiasm demonstrated throughout your application, McCombs specifically looks for it in essay question 2 in its application. Invest considerable time in researching the school and finding out what kind of opportunities interest you (or could be added to the program). If you’re really interested, then make sure to visit the school. Even more importantly, focus less on trying to pick out an obscure activity to impress the admissions committee, and focus more on writing about something that truly interests you and how you will pursue that interest at McCombs. If your interest isn’t currently met by one of the school’s activities, then you have a great chance to show your initiative by proposing how you would start an activity around that interest. The key is to write about something for which you truly have passion, and to show how you will bring that same passion to McCombs.

• Indiana University (Kelley)
• Vanderbilt University (Owen)

1. Please define your short- and long-term goals and objectives, your career progression to date, and how an MBA fits in at this time. What makes the Texas MBA the perfect fit for you? (900 words)


2. The Texas MBA is built around four key pillars of leadership. Describe an experience that you have had that clearly demonstrates your leadership as it relates to one of our four pillars: 1) Responsibility/Integrity; 2) Knowledge/Understanding; 3) Collaborative/Communication; or 4) Worldview of Business and Society. (650 words)


3. At the McCombs School of Business, you will be part of an active and diverse community. Referencing your personal strengths and unique experience, how will you enrich the McCombs community during your two years in the program? (500 words)


4. (Optional) Please provide any additional information to the Admissions Committee that will highlight your unique personality and character and/or address any areas of concern that will ultimately be beneficial to the committee in considering your application. (350 words)

This and dozens of other top business schools are covered in detail in Your MBA Game Plan, the definitive guide on MBA admissions, now in its second edition.