Texas McCombs has released its full-time MBA essay questions and deadlines for the 2022–2023 application cycle. This year, the school has added a video assessment to its application, giving applicants the opportunity to share their story with the admissions committee in their own voice.
If you are interested in the McCombs MBA program, check out the latest class profile to assess if the program may be a strong fit for you.
The class of 2023 consists of 38% women, 37% US minority students, and 24% international citizens.
The 2022-2023 Texas McCombs Application Deadlines Are:
Round 1: October 11, 2022
Round 2: January 4, 2023
Round 3: March 28, 2023
2022–2023 Texas McCombs Essays:
Essay 1: Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your time as a Texas McCombs MBA to achieve your personal and professional goals. (500 words)
Essay 1: Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your time as a Texas McCombs MBA student to achieve your personal and professional goals. (500 words)
With this prompt, the McCombs admissions committee is asking you to imagine where you want to go after you have completed your MBA studies (in both your career and your life more generally) and explain how you used your time at the school to prepare yourself to get there. So, without using the actual words “why McCombs?” and “how do you expect to engage with our community?,” the school is nevertheless asking you for precisely this information.
The admissions committee essentially wants to know what has compelled you to choose McCombs in particular for your MBA and how you will take advantage of specific resources and experiences it offers. The assumption is that something you have learned about McCombs leads you to believe that its MBA program will provide the experience, knowledge, skills, exposure, and/or other elements you need to reach your goals. Likewise, something makes you feel you would fit well with the McCombs environment and be comfortable there. So what has given you that impression? All the top MBA programs want reassurance that the candidates they admit have not applied simply because of the school’s reputation or ranking but rather because they are truly excited to be a part of the community and to benefit from that specific learning experience. McCombs is not simply seeking warm bodies with which to fill its classrooms; it is striving to add to a long history of effective global business leaders and a network of alumni dedicated to the school and each other. Demonstrating your authentic interest in the program by offering concrete examples and drawing clear connections between who you want to be and what the school offers is key to crafting a compelling essay response.
If you have targeted McCombs because you feel it is the right program for you, you likely already have an idea of why that is true and how you would function as part of its community. If you do not yet have a handle on these points, you definitely need to start (now!) researching the school thoroughly, including interacting directly with students and/or alumni. Identify at least one (ideally more) resource, offering, or quality that McCombs has that is unique or that it excels in that directly relates to what you need to attain your post-MBA goals. And do not just offer a list—you must explain how the identified element(s) will fulfill particular needs for you.
Keep in mind that business school is not only about course work and recruiting, and McCombs specifically asks about achieving your personal goals as well as your career aspirations. While you are a student, you can (and should!) also have fun, make friends, and be a contributing member of the community outside the classroom. So you certainly can discuss more than just the academic and professional development elements of the McCombs program. Explore the school’s social events and offerings—including affinity, social, and sports clubs, for starters—to identify other aspects of the experience that you anticipate will also play an important role in your MBA journey. Although we would not encourage you to force this angle and mention something just to tick a box, so to speak, addressing these options can be an effective way of revealing more of your values and personality to the admissions committee and thereby presenting a more well-rounded impression of yourself.
Optional Statement: 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 (e.g., gaps in work experience, choice of recommender, academic performance, or extenuating personal circumstances). (250 words)
We tend to believe that the best use of the optional essay is to explain confusing or problematic issues in your candidacy, and this prompt offers an opportunity to do just that.
However, because McCombs does not stipulate that you can only discuss a problem area in this essay, you have some leeway to share anything you think might be pivotal or particularly compelling. We caution you against trying to fill this space simply because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you. Remember, by submitting an additional essay, you are asking the admissions committee to do extra work on your behalf, so you need to make sure that time is warranted. If you are using the essay to emphasize something that if omitted would render your application incomplete, take this opportunity to write a very brief narrative that reveals this key new aspect of your candidacy.
MBA/MS Application Checklist | Essay Tips
With application deadlines around the corner It is time to make your list and check it twice. While most checklists will merely cover the basics, Leap Quest challenges you to ask these 9 questions to assess whether your applications are REALLY ready!
- 1. Is your story clear? Does the reader walk away knowing who you are and what matters to you?
- Have you thought out and articulated why you want an MBA/MS? To get promoted or to gain “business skills” are NOT good enough reasons.
- Are you consistent throughout all of the application components? Your resume, essays, short answer questions and letters of recommendation should all include the same general message. Any inconsistencies are an instant red flag.
- Does your application include specific information about the target school? Admissions committee members read thousands of essays every year and it is very easy for them to determine who is genuinely interested in the school and knows a lot about the program.
- Are your letters of recommendation strong enough? Did you advise your recommenders to use specific examples and compare you to other candidates?
- Are your essays easy to read? Or do you find yourself re-reading paragraphs because you do not see how they fit into the essay?
- Did you have someone else read your essays? This will give you an outsider’s objective opinion of your accomplishments and help to ensure you are talking about your experiences with the right level of detail for someone outside of your industry.
- Do you have an MBA specific resume? For an MBA resume, you want to show how you have been successful and demonstrated leadership. You are selling your future potential. Make sure not to get too detailed here, though.
- Have you actually answered every question? It can be tempting to go off-book or include additional information but adcom members ask each question for a specific reason. Ensure you are answering the question asked and not offering what you think they want to hear.
If after answering these questions you have doubts about whether your applications are strong enough, Reach Out Today!
More Tips on MBA/MS Essays | Craft a Powerful Story
Often the hardest part of this process is simply taking the first step. What makes for a good topic? Which details can be skipped, and which should be emphasized? What are adcoms looking for? With big questions like these looming over the process, it can be intimidating to set fingers to the keyboard and start that first sentence. And to some extent, it should be! We see plenty of folks with the opposite problem: overconfident in their approach, veering off in the wrong direction from the start based on bad information and hearsay. There are smart ways to develop essay strategies before you ever commit pen to paper.
Your business school essays are about bringing your story to life and providing context to your application by connecting the dots.
You’ll want to capture an admissions reviewer’s attention with your story and authenticity, persuading them to learn more by inviting you to interview. To get there, your essays should convey a strong sense of who you are as a person and what makes you tick, up and beyond what the admissions team will glean from your academic record and work history.
If the prospect of distilling your essence into essay form makes your stomach seize (especially the quant-leaning among us), get some perspective: This isn’t an essay writing competition and you’re not trying to win the Pulitzer Prize (although admission to a top 10 program can feel that competitive). Schools care more about the substance and messages than the style.
The worst thing you can do is play it safe and write something you think admissions wants to hear (yawn). This is a medium to be courageous, although memorable cuts both ways – how well you walk the line between original (good!) and weird (lamentable) reflects your judgment.
Below are some strategies for a successful set-up, along with ideas to consider for crafting your stand-out MBA/MS essay.
- Getting started: Brainstorm, bullets, notes to self!
Before sitting down to write, consider the big picture. Your ability to be both genuine and reflective about some fundamental questions – such as your motivations, goals, strengths and career aspirations – will set you up for success. In the end, your personal motivations and future ambitions become the filter for crafting a powerful narrative about who you are and where you’re going.
Top tips:
– Brainstorm: What factors have driven your personal life and professional career?
– Reflect: What key messages do you want to convey? What are the three or so most important take-aways you want the reader to know in the context of the questions?
– Frame: Start with a bullet point version and show a logical flow in your path.
- Step back before going forward.
Think about the memorable experience and why it might have brought you great happiness, or proved to be a particularly rewarding challenge. This might be an opportunity to share an experience where you grew in confidence from a lesson in failure or went beyond yourself to succeed. Consider what you want a business school to take away from your essay before you try to capture the story in writing.
A few ideas to consider:
– What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them accomplishments?
– Does any attribute, quality or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did you develop this attribute?
– What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change because of the difficulty?
– Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you successful?
– Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?
– What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made you join and continue these activities and why are you passionate about them?
- Reverse the mirror.
Now, think about it from the program’s perspective: they want students who love the school, understand what makes it special and can explain why it’s a great fit. They also want to understand how your presence and participation will enhance the overall experience—for others as well as for yourself. Take the pulse of the program and show that you understand what the school cares about, and that its values are aligned with your own.
More ideas to consider:
– What are your dreams for the future? When you look back on your life in 30 years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What people, things, and accomplishments do you need?
– How does this particular program fit into your plans for the future?
– And, most importantly, why the MBA?
- Get inspired: Avoid working in isolation.
Especially if you’re feeling stuck, seek some inspiration or entertainment in other great writing. To this end:
– Read sample admissions essays.
– Consider your childhood.
– Consider your role models.
– Ask for feedback from supervisors, colleagues, friends, professors, relatives.
– Reflect upon self-assessment tools you might have taken in the past, such as CliftonStrengths, and how your unique set of talents and traits can be highlighted in your business school essays.
Once you’re sufficiently prepared and inspired, start to play with possibilities on the page. Dare to have a little fun here – humans respond to enthusiasm and your voice conveys your personality. Know this: There is no right story other than your own. And the person best poised to tell that story is you.
MBA/MS Application Extras:
- Many schools include optional essays: Do not feel compelled to answer these optional questions. In most instances,only candidates with extenuating circumstances should answer the optional statements. These include low GPAs, gaps in employment and unusual choice of recommenders.
- Check for additional or alternate reapplication essays: The essay analysis here included essays for first-time candidates only. If you are a reapplicant, some schools will ask you to complete an additional essay while others may have a different essay question altogether.
- Look out for follow-up videos and pre/post interview essays: It is increasingly common for schools to request video statements or followup pre/post interview essays. Our best advice here is to be yourself! You often have little advance time to prepare for these essays but do not underestimate these important additional requirements.
Remember that the MBA application process is not a storytelling contest and, even if it were, the winners would be chosen based on authenticity, originality, and integrity of the stories they tell.
How Can We Help You ?
Getting started early will greatly reduce anxiety, allowing you to maintain a balanced life while working thoroughly on each part of your MBA application. Your Head Consultant, who will work closely with all aspects of your application and with the experiences of handling many similar clients will be a great sounding board and adviser to weigh the pros and cons on these nerve-wracking Applications
Leap Quest MBA Admission service includes all elements of MBA applications that consist of:
- Shortlisting the list of target B-Schools
- Guidance in building MBA application essay write-ups (how to draft essays for MBA application)
- MBA essay editing and guidance in organizing any other aspect of MBA application.
- Guidance in preparing CV/Resume
- MBA Interview preparation service in the event an MBA applicant gets an interview call from a shortlisted B-School
- Any other related part that is inside the scope of B-School application process
- Social Media Consulting
- LinkedIn Assistance
- Drafting Scholarship letters
- Application Form Guidance
Major chunk of the MBA aspirants face a lot of dilemma in deciding whether to pursue their MBA dreams or not. There are a lot of challenges candidates face regardless of the Industry or work experience they come with. If there is something that’s stopping you from proceeding with your plans, Revert with the list of challenges and we’re pretty sure a quick discussion with our team will help you put things into perspective and take a call.
If you’re confused about the decision and want to be sure you’re taking the right decision , here’s something that may help. Drop in a email to Info@theleapquest.com for professional help
At Leap Quest, we’ve done a lot of research into this topic. Having spent several years in the industry, we’ve gathered loads of information and data.
There is a greater deal of human involvement to judge the non-objective aspects of your profile too – your clarity of career goals, your ability to connect the dots and make an overall good impression on the Admissions Officer.
We’re determined to get you the admit you deserve. Our question is, will it be yours?
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