UT Austin MBA Admissions
Interview (cont'd)
Do you require a resume in the application and what should
applicants most
heavily emphasize in their resumes?
We do require a copy of the
applicant's resume. I think that one of the main things we
like to see in the work experience via the resume is their
role in their job and their responsibilities. Many times an
applicant will talk somewhat generically about their
experiences in a department or a group and that is very
important because it shows team work and communication
skills, but we also want to know what were their specific
roles, their accomplishments, their results and for what they
were most directly responsible. It gives us an
understanding of where they fit. Is this person more
of a team leader or are they more of a supporting member?
Let’s talk about the GMAT.
Everyone wants to know how important is the GMAT?
It is an important piece in that it is the one standardized
test across all applicants. However, it is definitely one
component and it helps us understand an applicant's academic
performance.
Do you have advice to give
applicants who are struggling with the exam?
One of the main things is to
overcome the test anxiety. They should become familiar with
the test so that it is not so foreign and also the testing
environment so they become more comfortable with actually
taking the test. Also, an applicant, in order to give
themselves a cushion, should plan on taking the test more
than one time if they feel it is not a reflective score. We
take the highest test score.
Do you want to talk about the
GMAT range for the admitted applicants for this coming year?
Sure. Our scores are not
published yet, but last year is going to be very similar. I
believe our 80% GMAT range is between 620 and 730.
Let's talk about the
interview. It is a requirement at McCombs Business School before a
decision is made?
It is not officially a
requirement, but 100% of our domestic admitted students and
approximately 85% of our international students admitted
students were interviewed this year. So it has become an
increasingly important aspect of the application here at
McCombs.
Are there specific
applicant's traits that you are trying to gauge in the
interview?
Yes. We try to understand
the general aspects of communication skills and team work
skills. We are trying to flush out more about their
professional objectives, why they are interested in McCombs,
are there particular aspects of the program that they are
attracted to and to try to get an understanding of a
student's flexibility. One of the main things happening in
business schools and in the economy is how to adapt to
change. It is obviously a very dynamic economy and so we
want to get an understanding of an applicant and how they
have may have faced adversity in the past or handled
particular aspects in their previous experience and how they
have been able to adapt.
Are there types of questions
that the applicant should expect to be asked in the
interview?
I would definitely be very
comfortable asking why you are getting an MBA and that
really has multiple parts to it. It talks about your
previous experiences, what you have done, what has gotten
you here, what has made you successful and then how is the
MBA a tool to get you to that next step. What do you expect
to take from it, how do you expect it to impact your
professional development and then what are the aspects of
McCombs that will be critical to move you to that next
level.
Are the interviews that you
do conducted blind or is the applicant file always reviewed
beforehand?
It sort of ranges on the
amount of material in the file. Most of the time you might
have a limited amount of information about the applicant.
So it is not completely blind, but you will not have a full
set of information on the applicant.
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