Mays Vs. McCombs -- Time to Decide?

Nxt · 06-21-2009, 04:11 PM

Major in Finance and Minor in MIS

Where should I go ? Where will I get better opportunities after graduation? How easy is the transition to a top tier graduate school for MBA ? like NYU Princeton USC U Penn. etc

Coming for a low class family and living average, I have no desire for parties or other sort of horrayyyy's...I am a transfer student accepted to both but have a tough time deciding.

Be Honest. Thx

Shane22 · 06-21-2009, 04:36 PM

there is no comparison. mccombs is compared to business schools like wharton, ross, and haas business schools. mccombs has the better opportunities in texas and is also well recognized outside of texas.

Nxt · 06-21-2009, 04:45 PM

Ty. Ill consider that but just curious to hear other opinions

Swimmingjew552 · 06-21-2009, 05:56 PM

May's has the Aggie network. McCombs may be more widely recognized, but If you plan on settling in Texas May's is also definitely a good choice.

agfa · 06-21-2009, 06:26 PM

McCombs all the way. The Aggie network is great, but having a tier 1 school's name behind your degree is much better in this job market.

T1 MBA program admission is mostly passed on your GMAT scores and work experience. Any T1 school will require 3-5 years of progressive work experience and excellent GMAT scores in addition to a good undergrad GPA but not so much where you received your undergrad degree.

mcalvelloxx · 06-21-2009, 06:28 PM

McCombs is probably top in Texas but I like the environment at A&M more than at UT.
That's why I'm going for Mays.

I think both schools will give you great opportunities in Texas.

Remember, it's not all about what school you get your degree from.
It's also about what you can do with it.

gstein · 06-21-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

McCombs all the way. The Aggie network is great, but having a tier 1 school's name behind your degree is much better in this job market.

USNWR Rankings-

McCombs MBA: 18
Mays MBA: T-33

McCombs Undergrad: T-6
Mays Undergrad: T-18

Mays is also a "Tier 1 business school" and is really not that far behind, in rankings, from McCombs.

There's no lieing, McCombs is ranked better, and may give you better opportunities upon graduation. I have heard from friends at UT though, about how they hate the size of their classes and how they dislike many profs because they seem to not care about teaching their classes (strictly speaking on undergraduate McCombs). Mays is smaller, and that could be better for the prospective student. That's about all I can say as I'm not a business student.

agfa · 06-21-2009, 10:47 PM

Quote:

USNWR Rankings-

McCombs MBA: 18
Mays MBA: T-33

McCombs Undergrad: T-6
Mays Undergrad: T-18

Mays is also a "Tier 1 business school" and is really not that far behind, in rankings, from McCombs.

There's no lieing, McCombs is ranked better, and may give you better opportunities upon graduation. I have heard from friends at UT though, about how they hate the size of their classes and how they dislike many profs because they seem to not care about teaching their classes (strictly speaking on undergraduate McCombs). Mays is smaller, and that could be better for the prospective student. That's about all I can say as I'm not a business student.

In the world of college rankings, that's a big difference. Also, depending on specialty UT is the way to go. Their accounting MBA is #1 in the nation and has been for 3 years. In reality, Mays class sizes aren't that much smaller. We use "breakout" sessions to flub the numbers and lower our class sizes.

In the end, it really comes down to which school fits your personality and learning style better. Visit each campus. Talk to the professors and advisors and then see where you are more comfortable.

Shane22 · 06-21-2009, 11:24 PM

mays might have the aggie network but UT has better business connections and better job placement. Austin is a lot better environment for things like internships and connections than college station is.

and i don't really like to talk about rankings but since someone brought it up i will talk about it. here are the mccombs rankings for most popular majors in business.
#1 Accounting
#3 Marketing
#3 Management Information Systems (MIS)
#3 Management
#4 Finance
#5 International Business

also mccombs is ranked #6 overall.

idk where mays stands but im sure it is no where near mccombs in most of those departments.

mcalvelloxx · 06-21-2009, 11:53 PM

Don't base your decision on stats.
Go where you think you fit in/feel good.

Just crossed my mind: A friend graduated from a random school in Canada. He went to China and met the CEO of an Austin-based company while touring Beijing. He currently works for the company and his income, right after he graduated, was around $56.000. Sounds good to me..

ResurgamBell · 06-22-2009, 07:39 AM

you shouldnt think that undergrad business is a requirement for an MBA!

MBA really cares just about GMAT and Work Experience!

agfa · 06-22-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

you shouldnt think that undergrad business is a requirement for an MBA!

MBA really cares just about GMAT and Work Experience!

Undergrad GPA also plays a part. Your choice of undergrad major does not though. Someone could have a degree in underwater basket weaving with a 4.0 from a liberal arts college and a engineering degree from A&M with a 3.1. Everything else being the same, the person with the basket weaving degree would likely be admitted first.

Nxt · 06-22-2009, 09:50 PM

Thanks for all the great responses. Now there are a few replies that concern me a little. If I could rather be doing my bachelors in "underwater basket weaving' (for example), then what good do I have in majoring in Finance/Accounting and minoring in MIS before grad school (In other words, what advantage do I have over others who won't have a degree in business related field at the time of grad school application process and during grad school. Go ahead and list as many as you can think of, so I can really weigh in those next three years of hard work I am about to start this fall). Now to the other point: 3-5 years of experience before Top Business Grad Schools (really) .. no that I didn't knew it before but 3 years minimum just sounds enough to get me off track and lower chances of going back to grad school for MBA (any tips / A way I can get into MBA school earlier than that). I have also heard that getting an MBA and mastering in Finance are two different things and I can go into mastering in finance right away after my bachelors (is that true?). Now my second plan was to get a business related full time internship for the summer of my 3rd & 4th year..so I can go ahead and try to get into Grad school without that 3-5 yrs of work experience or at least lessen the number of years post work experience before Grad school.

& I am heavily leaning over attending U.T as I hear more responses from relatives and other classmates about better opportunities (+ "I" being an Asian also piecing into the whole decision-making story ...now please don't bring up the race issue on this thread & everyone knows the race ratios at both universities). lol I really shouldn't be putting this up on A&m discussion forum but juts be nice

Also, just for the ones who replied and were wondering, this is just an update to how far I've gotten.

agfa · 06-22-2009, 11:38 PM

There is a difference between an MBA and a masters in finance. You should do the research to see which one suits your career goals better. Which one you decide on is based in part on where you want your career to go. As I said, for an MBA, undergraduate degree doesn’t really matter. The top tier b-schools want diverse candidates that come from a range of backgrounds who are a good fit for their school. The interview/application process all helps determine that. Finance/accounting is different due to the knowledge set required for those advanced degrees. MBA’s are based on theories where a masters in finance/accounting are based on facts.

UT looks for at least 2 years work experience. More experience is even better. They want to see you advancing in a corporation with increasing responsibilities.

Pre-Enrollment Requirements - Texas MBA - McCombs School of Business - The University of Texas at Austin

Wharton wants 5-6 years experience for their MBA.

Wharton MBA

Now, nothing says you can’t get an MBA right after completing your undergrad. Most tier 2/3 schools will accept anyone, but the highly competitive schools with great job placement all require the experience. There are things you can only learn on the job in the corporate world. These ideas and skills are all built upon in a great MBA program.

There is lots of great info available on the web about different MBA programs and the admissions process. Do some googling and you will find a wealth of information.

I agree McCombs provides better opportunities. A lot of that also depends on where you want to work. Houston companies recruit heavily at A&M while Austin/DFW based companies recruit at UT. If you want to work in Houston, I’d say A&M has an edge. As you said, UT has a large Asian population which may make you more comfortable. They also have Din Ho Chinese BBQ which College Station can’t touch. Lol If you do end up going to Austin, stop in and order some muc rang muoi for me.

Nxt · 06-23-2009, 02:19 AM

& whats the room # you want it delivered to lol..I thought about it and after thinking a while, I've decided on an MS degree in Finance (most likely). If I start working after bachelors, considering the joint family system I have, I'll have to be more than dedicated to be able to go back and do my MBA in 3-5 yrs. I think an a 1 yr MS after my bachelors will get my foot in the door at least and get me a slightly better paying job then if i would leave off at bachelors degree (since I'll have in-depth knowledge of financial markets). I've tried to Google some top Masters programs but MBA's keep coming up (do you know a good site?) and it'd be helpful if the site could list possible opportunities salary and other statistics.