Note: The 1-1 video interview is required for the Working Professional MBA program at McCombs Dallas / Fort Worth.
Prompt: Imagine yourself at the completion of your MBA journey.
Why was pursuing your MBA at Texas McCombs the right decision for your personal and professional growth? Reflect on how you made the most of your time in the program — academically, through hands-on learning opportunities, and within the McCombs community.
Highlight how you contributed to the McCombs community and used its resources to grow both professionally and personally. (250 words maximum)
You will be writing in the past tense, as if you have already attended the MBA program and are about to graduate. This is the essay to demonstrate how well you have gotten to know McCombs through research, information sessions, and talking with current students. However, because this essay is so short, you will have to be very selective in what you decide to focus upon.
Quickly describe: How did you pursue your career while at McCombs, and how did McCombs assist you? This would require describing your short-term goal(s), but in retrospect, as if you have already started achieving that goal.
This goal should go beyond more money or a better career for yourself. You should describe a mission goal. In other words, starting this new career fresh out of McCombs, how will you positively impact your organization, your industry, and/or your community?
Who have you met at McCombs? What have they said to you that two years later might still ring true? Add a quote from someone whom you have talked to at the school. (As you know, McCombs weighs whether you have taken the time to meet students and admissions officers from the school. This is especially crucial if you live in Austin!)
In describing how you contributed to the MBA program or community, you may include 1-2 of the following:
Prompt: Reflect on a core value that defines you. Share a specific example of how it has guided your decisions and actions, and explain how it will shape your contributions and growth as a McCombs MBA student.
Highlight how this value has influenced your leadership style and life path, and how it will shape your MBA experience. (250 words maximum)
Definition of values: a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
Before writing, do some brainstorming.
Define what values are important to you. Also, why are they important to you?
Then answer how have those values have influenced decisions and actions at work or in your personal life.
Choose one value that has influenced you into action. If you have not taken action, then that is not the value to write about.
In writing about this value and how it has guided you in action, be sure to explain your decision-making. Clearly, McCombs wants to understand better how you think.
Finally, answer these questions at the end:
Remember that McCombs is not only trying to find out more about why you feel driven to pursue particular career goals, but also what is most important to you. They are looking to better understand your personality and which aspects of your background are driving you in your life.
Prompt: Please provide any additional information you believe is important or address any areas of concern that you believe will be beneficial to MBA Admissions in considering your application.
Use to address:
Use this essay to turn a potential weakness into a strength. Tell the Admissions Committee what happened and why it happened. Be honest in your self-evaluation. Most importantly, tell them what you have learned from the negative experience, and how this learning has influenced future actions.
Prompt: All applicants must complete a video assessment.
Each video assessment will start with a fun, non-evaluative question that will help the admissions team learn who you are as a person, then applicants will be asked to use the video assessment tool to record responses to 4 questions, with each response lasting no more than 90 seconds each. Detailed instructions will be provided with the video assessment invitation so you know what to expect, and applicants will have the opportunity to practice as many times as they wish before completing the final video assessment.
The video assessment will help the admissions committee evaluate your career goals and the following competencies that are crucial for the fit and success of our students within the program and their future careers: