When you decide to pursue an MBA, part of the decision is which business school best suits you. An MBA degree is not “one size fits all.” Each business school will equip you with a different set of skills and experiences. The best MBA degree for you fits your goals, the current skills that you want to expand, the deficiencies you need to remedy, and your personality.

In addition to studying for the GMAT exam, start studying your options. MBA admissions events are scheduled throughout Texas this summer – these are good opportunities to meet business school representatives. I’ve set out some of the events below, so press your best business suit and go.

We send reminders on Twitter and Facebook, so follow us @austinGMAT or like us at http://facebook.com/austinGMATreview.

July 2014

Yale School of Management Summer Social – Houston

Saturday, July 12

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Register: https://admissions.som.yale.edu/register/houstonsumersocial2014

Meet Yalies who are about to start their summer internships, learn about the Yale MBA, and have fun at The Heights. This event usually fills up quickly.

MIT on the Road – Dallas and Houston

Houston – Monday, July 28

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Register: https://register.applyyourself.com/?id=mit-mba&pid=889&eID=45238&rid=1

Dallas – Tuesday, July 29

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Register: https://register.applyyourself.com/?id=mit-mba&pid=889&eID=45234&rid=1

MIT Sloan School of Management is one of the top MBA programs in the U.S., and the information sessions are very popular – register early.

Kellogg School of Management Information Sessions – Houston, Austin, and Dallas

Houston – Monday, July 28

Austin – Tuesday, July 29

Dallas – Wednesday, July 30

Events Page: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/fulltimemba/admissions_events/off_campus_events.aspx

“Think Bravely” is Kellogg’s motto. To that I add, “Act Quickly.” Registration has opened in mid-July for the Kellogg information events, but they won't be available for long; register for an event as soon as you can.

London Business School 1-1 Meetings – Houston

Tuesday, July 29

8-10 AM and 5-8 PM

Register: http://forms.london.edu/form.asp?id=18000

London Business School, the top MBA program in Europe, is not in Texas every day, and LBS is offering only limited interview slots. You must act quickly to procure a meeting.

The MBA Tour – Houston

Tuesday, July 29

4:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Register: http://thembatour.com/events/houston.html

The MBA Tour is known for bringing a diverse group of good business schools. This year, the Houston MBA fair includes Georgia Tech’s Scheller School of Business (Georgia Tech); Kelley School of Business from the University of Indiana (Indiana Kelley); McDonough School of Business from Georgetown University (Georgetown McDonough); Simon School of Business from the University of Rochester; Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management (Vanderbilt Owen), Robert H. Smith School of Business from the University of Maryland; the University of California’s Davis Graduate School of Management (UC Davis), and UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Also gathered will be Texas’ own C.T. Bauer College of Business from the University of Houston, Jones Graduate School of Business from Rice University (Rice Jones), McCombs School of Business from the University of Texas (UT McCombs), and Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business (SMU Cox).

Georgia Tech MBA Reception – Houston

Wednesday, July 30

5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Register: http://scheller.gatech.edu/news-events/events/event.html?event_id=1948

The Georgia Tech MBA program is known for producing problem-solvers; about half of its MBAs come from engineering or computer science backgrounds. Meet the MBAs, and find out more.

IE Business School Breakfast and 1-1 Meetings – Houston and Austin

Houston – Executive Breakfast – Wednesday, July 30

Register: http://info.ie.edu/Request/event/fdf1de50-81e6-e311-91d4-02bf0a09015e?idioma=eng

Houston – 1-1 Meetings – Wednesday, July 30

Register: http://info.ie.edu/Request/event/20e8bb2c-81e6-e311-91d4-02bf0a09015e?idioma=eng

Austin – 1-1 Meetings – Thursday, July 31

Register: http://info.ie.edu/Request/event/7cc08fcd-81e6-e311-91d4-02bf0a09015e?idioma=eng

Meet with a representative from Madrid’s very innovative IE Business School, one of the world’s top-ranked MBA programs. (IE Business School returns to Texas in August.)

Columbia Business School Information Sessions – Houston and Dallas

Houston – Monday, July 28

6:00 PM

Register: https://apply.gsb.columbia.edu/register/houston2014

Dallas – Wednesday, July 30

6:30 PM

Register: https://apply.gsb.columbia.edu/register/dallas2014

Can you make it in NYC? Join CBS, the business school closely tied to New York City's financial, business, and media scenes, for rare information sessions held in Texas.

August 2014

IE Business School 1-1 Meetings – Dallas

Dallas – 1-1 Meetings, Wednesday, August 13

Register: http://info.ie.edu/Request/event/9735d247-82e6-e311-91d4-02bf0a09015e?idioma=eng

Columbia Business School Information Session – Austin

Wednesday, August 27

6:00 PM

Register: https://apply.gsb.columbia.edu/register/austin2014

Forté Forum for Women – Houston

Thursday, August 28, 2014

6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Register: http://www.fortefoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_ue_mba

For prospective women MBAs, the Forté Foundation event is an excellent opportunity to meet an array of business schools, and this year's event in Houston may be the biggest one yet for Texas.

Be aware that although presentations are tailored for women, attendees often include men as well. For men and women, if you have an MBA program in which you are particularly interested, I recommend contacting the business school in advance of the event, and asking if you can schedule an individual meeting.

Meet Berkeley's Haas School of Business (Berkeley-Haas); College of Business at Illinois (Illinois MBA); Columbia Business School; Duke University’s The Fuqua School of Business (Duke Fuqua); Harvard Business School (yes, you read that right, HBS will be in Houston); Indiana Kelley; MIT Sloan; Notre Dame Mendoza; Ohio Fisher; Oxford University's Saïd Business School; the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business (Chicago Booth); the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Michigan Ross); UNC Kenan-Flagler; Vanderbilt Owen; Virginia Darden; Washington State University in St. Louis' Olin; and Wharton.

Top Texas MBA programs will also be there, including Rice Jones, SMU Cox, UT McCombs, and Texas A&M's Mays Business School.

More MBA admissions events happen this fall and winter, but some of these business schools will not return to Texas this year. These events can help you make first contact with school representatives. I also recommend that you contact the schools so that you can connect with MBA students who are in Texas over the summer. Make the most of the summer before the MBA application deadlines hit in the fall.

Austin GMAT Review is the premier GMAT preparation company in Central Texas, offering structured GMAT courses to professionals preparing to enter full-time MBA or executive MBA programs. Austin GMAT Review caters to busy professionals who don't have the time to sort through masses of generic study materials. Meeting with an experienced professor face-to-face in limited-size GMAT classes, students receive the personalized coaching that they need and strategies to excel on the GMAT.