McCombs School of Business

-The administration is extremely responsive to student ideas, and because the program is on the smaller side, it is very nimble. For example, the Marketing Fellows program has been able to continue to expand and grow in the last two years because of incredible faculty support and assistance in new initiatives; this year, students in Fellows are managing a real live brand for Dr. Pepper and getting hands on experience that is unique to our program.

-The program can be made stronger by having the best professor's teach the core courses. In addition, the program office should standardize the course syllabuses to ensure uniformity of material covered when multiple sections of the same course are taught by different professors.

-The connections with the entrepreneurial Austin community sets McCombs apart from other business schools. There is an energy in the community and the business school has the chance to work side by side on real business problems or develop their own ideas into businesses.

-We have a completely inadequate career services for our ranking. The advice they give is average and they do not help people outside of on-campus recruiting. Although we have many great concentrations, with great professors, career services in no way supports areas such as Real Estate, Clean Technology, and anything entrepreneurial. They essentially review your resume, give you common sense tips, and then help organize on-campus recruiting (which is not hard since these are the same companies that come back year after year).

-The people who attend UT go out of their way to help each other, I have a unique bond with my classmates that will be invaluable to me going forward. Additionally, UT has unparalleled opportunities to implement what we are learning in class to real-life situations.

-The core should be either eliminated or deepened. It's too topical to be helpful to either a new-business person or someone who has already been in their field.

-The program is great because of the student's and the faculty. We have great experienced professors who are enthusiastic and deliver a fun and exciting classroom experience. The students are very diverse, friendly, and intelligent. I have definitely made some of my best friends during my two years at this program, and I've learned a lot from them outside of the classroom. Although the students are very intelligent, they are not competitive and always willing to help others and give back to the McCombs community. I feel part of the reason the program has such an incredible and diverse group of students is because of the McCombs Admissions Committee, which is comprised on 70 students (1st and 2nd years). The students love the program and work together the Admissions Directors to make sure that each class will be as good as the last.

-I would enjoy stronger career services that are more tailored to each student. Also, the electives are in high demand and so many students are unable to take their top choices.

-The culture and the location make it unique. It's the only school in the top 20 that is in Texas. Austin, in particular, is a unique city for its liberal culture within a conservative state and it is one of the popular, growing, entrepreneurial cities. Also, the students are very friendly and live balanced lives.

-The business school itself needs to be upgraded as the facility is outdated. The administration strives for excellence and mainly needs to keep striving to get better and better.

-I think that the student solidarity and unity is amazing. Students would never think of competing against each other at each other's expense. I also thing that Texas teaches students how to not only thing strategically, but also how to roll up your sleeves and do the hard work to make a business successful.

-The professors are good but not always great. Getting some professors with more recent real-world experience is always a plus.

-McCombs is smaller (260/class). I know all my classmates and our culture is very collegial and collaborative. The professors are great and very accessible and I've developed relationships with two of them. McCombs has a very strong real estate focus with great alumni support. Austin is an amazing place to live.

-McCombs could build stronger relationships with companies aside from the typical banks, consulting firms, and CPG companies. If you're pursuing something outside those types of companies, it feels like you're pretty much on your own for job placement. Even with bigger companies, McCombs could do a better job maintaining relationships and fostering new ones. Career Services needs to be more externally vocal in advocating for their students and attracting companies to campus.

-The MBA Plus program allows students, both career switchers and career advancement candidates, to get hands-on experience by consulting with local companies and Fortune 500 companies.