McCombs 2021 Full-Time MBA Admissions Updates
In response to the continued global pandemic, The McCombs School of Business has made recent updates to their admissions process to provide as much support and flexibility to applicants as possible, while still maintaining our admissions standards and quality of the class. Below are key changes for the McCombs 2021 Full-Time MBA admissions updates.
All fall admissions events and interviews will be conducted virtually
With the health and safety of students and faculty in mind, McCombs has decided to conduct all fall admissions events and interviews virtually to minimize the number of prospective students and applicants on campus. McCombs will also suspend all fall admissions travel for in-person recruitment events and although many of these events will also be conducted virtually. We look forward to delivering a superior virtual experience so that all prospective students and applicants get a peek at Longhorn life.
Adding a Round 4 deadline for U.S. citizens and permanent residents
McCombs 2021 full-time MBA admissions updates include plans to continue the Round 4 deadline (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents only) for the Full-Time MBA 2020-2021 admissions cycle. The goal is to give applicantsmore time to submit an application in anticipation of potential delays caused by COVID-19. McCombs is unable to accept applications from international candidates after Round 3 due to the time it takes to process the I-20, schedule/conduct visa interviews, and the issuance of an F1 visa in time for the start of the program. Round 3 remains the final round for international applicants. More info on the application process and all deadlines: https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Full-Time/Application-Process
Petition for a COVID-19 related test waiver
Texas McCombs MBA applicants that are unable to take the GMAT/GRE and/or English proficiency exam (TOEFL/IELTS) in person or online can petition for a COVID-19 test waiver. It is important to note that if an applicant is able to take the exam in person or virtually, they are still required to do so. GMAC and ETS have introduced remote testing options for the GMAT, GRE, EA and TOEFL exams for candidates impacted by COVID-19, and the majority of testing centers have reopened globally and have added stringent health and safety precautions. However, if applicants are unable to take an exam for both of the following reasons, they may submit a test waiver petition form for consideration.
Criteria for requesting a COVID-19 test waiver:
· You are unable to take an exam online due to lack of availability in your region, technology or other test-taking requirements (e.g. device availability or compatibility, slow internet connection, testing environment).
AND
· You are unable to take an exam in-person at a designated testing center due to lack of availability in your region or because you or someone in your household is immunocompromised.
The COVID-19 test waiver is NOT available to applicants who have already sent official GMAT, GRE, EA, TOEFL or IELTS scores to UT Austin. Once McComb’s receives a test score, it becomes an official part of the candidate’s record and cannot be removed. Prospective students and applicants can learn more about the Texas McCombs MBA COVID-19 Test Waiver here.
Additional McCombs Resources
A Recommendation Revolution Is Underway in MBA Admissions: What You Need to Know
I’m busy, you’re busy, your boss is most definitely busy. Indeed, publications ranging from Men’s Health to the Atlantic, the Washington Post to Forbes are all reporting that “busyness“ has become the new status symbol for our times. Which is part of what makes asking someone to write you a letter of recommendation for business school so daunting. Now, try telling that person that you actually need five different letters for five different schools. Oy vey.
As uncomfortable a spot as it puts applicants in—it’s no better for recommenders. Even your most vociferous supporter is going to wonder what in the world she’s gotten herself into when she realizes that helping you in your pursuit of acceptance to business school means taking time away from work or play or family or whatever else to labor over leadership assessment grids, each a little different from the one before, and write 10 slightly different answers to 10 slightly different questions. Here’s hoping that your top-choice school doesn’t happen to be the last one she gets around to…
Good news. The graduate management education industry recognizes the strain that letters of recommendation put on applicants and recommenders alike and has been wrestling with ways to make the process easier for everyone involved. To this end, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) established a committee made up of admissions representatives from dozens of leading business schools to brainstorm about ways to lessen the burden while still collecting the third-party assessments of candidates that are so critical to the MBA application process.
GMAC Pilots Common MBA Letter of Recommendation
As an outgrowth of that committee’s work, GMAC last year piloted a common MBA letter of recommendation (LOR) that schools can choose to incorporate into their applications to reduce the burden placed on applicants and recommenders alike.
“The Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR) effort is intended to save you and recommenders valuable time by providing a single set of recommendation questions for each participating school,” reads the GMAC website. “This allows your recommenders to use the same answers for multiple letter submissions, alleviating the workload of having to answer different questions for each school multiple times. You benefit because it makes the ask for several different letters to be written on your behalf much easier.”
Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, NYU Stern School of Business, and Michigan’s Ross School of Business were among the first schools to pilot the Common LOR last year. In addition to a single set of open-ended essay questions, the pilot Common LOR also included a leadership assessment grid inviting recommenders to rate applicants on 16 “competencies and character traits” grouped into four main categories of achievement, influence, personal qualities and academic ability.
“At Johnson, we saw the Common LoR as a clear opportunity to improve the admissions process for candidates and their recommenders in a way that would also add value to our own assessment of applicants,” Judi Byers, Johnson executive director of admissions & financial aid, told Clear Admit. “A thorough and consistent review is important to us and the grid provides a straightforward base of insights that can be assessed and compared reliably while the accompanying letter adds meaningful detail and context,” she added.
Soojin Kwon, managing director of full-time MBA admissions and program at Ross, sees applicants and recommenders as the main beneficiaries of the Common LOR and is pleased that more schools are coming on board. “As more schools adopt it, applicants won’t have to feel like they’re burdening their recommender with completing multiple rec letters with different questions and ratings grids,” she told Clear Admit. “This year, more than a dozen of the top 20 schools are using it.”
Ross was also among the schools to first pilot the Common LOR last year, and Kwon served as part of the GMAC committee that helped craft it.
Common Questions Easy to Agree on, Common Leadership Grid Not
“What we found in using the Common LOR this year past year was that the questions gave us helpful insights into applicants, particularly on the important area of constructive feedback. The questions, however, were fairly similar to what we and other schools were using before, so it was easy for the AdCom to use it,” she notes.
Those questions are as follow:
- Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (50 words)
- How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (500 words)
- Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (500 words)
- Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)
“The rating grid was quite different from what we’d used in the past,” Kwon continued. “It was also the most difficult part for the GMAC advisory group to develop and get agreement upon. The group worked this past year to revise and simplify the grid so that AdComs could get more meaningful insights from it.”
This year, the 16 competencies and character traits from the original grid have been distilled to 12, with specific questions about analytical thinking and information seeking omitted. Johnson and Ross have both incorporated the revised leadership grid into the LOR distributed to applicants as part of their applications, as have most other schools that have this year decided to incorporate both the grid and open-ended essay question portions of the form. UT’s McCombs School of Business and Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, notably, still seem to feature the earlier version of the leadership grid in their application, the one that calls on recommenders to assesses applicants on 16 competencies and traits.
A Guide to the Best Dallas Accelerated MBA Programs
To earn an MBA you have to be committed. That means spending your time, money and your energy to attending class, completing homework and participating at all levels of the program. For some, two or more years is too much time to give when their job and family is also taken into consideration. That’s where an accelerated MBA program can be incredibly helpful. It allows you to complete your MBA as quickly and efficiently as possible—typically within one year—so you can get back on the job market and on with your career.
If you want to earn an MBA but you don’t want to turn everything in your life upside down to make it possible, then an accelerated MBA might be for you. To help, here’s our newest guide to the top Dallas accelerated MBA programs. Continue reading…
Finding An MBA In Texas: Dallas Vs. Houston
Can a full-time MBA program differ per city? While you might assume that they’re all the same, the truth of the matter is that location can play a significant role in what’s available at any given program. Different cities focus on different industries or even job functions based on the expertise and companies within the metro area.
McCombs Donations Create New Opportunities
Two recent donations to UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business totaling $7 million promise to open up new opportunities for students and professors in marketing and real estate. In both cases, the gifts will be used to improve the school and advance its programming. Continue reading…
The McCombs Scholarships You Need To Know
For many students looking to pursue a graduate business degree, the cost of an MBA can be a huge deterrent. As an unfortunate result, many qualified and ambitious student choose to not pursue the furthered education they deserve. Luckily, most business schools offer exemplary scholarship remedies to help alleviate costs. For those looking to pursue an MBA at Texas A&M University, we’ve listed the McCombs scholarships you need to know.
Continue reading…
