Texas A & M University—College Station - Mays Business School

The Mays Business School at Texas A&M University offers “a great education at a great price” through traditional Full-Time, Executive, and Professional (alternating weekend) MBA programs, with all students selecting an academic track as part of their curriculum. In the Full-Time program, small cohorts help students connect with peers and professors while assuming leadership roles; students who wish to take classes beyond the required three semesters can pursue a Fourth Semester Experience, which offers options ranging from an International Business Certificate (including a semester spent abroad at a partner school) to a certificate in Advanced International Affairs, which requires coursework in intelligence, national security, and diplomatic history. Regardless of which route they choose, all students must take part in the MBA Venture Challenge, evaluating the viability of start-up firms, as well as applying their knowledge to actual clients via a Business Consulting Project.

As a result, the program “requires a lot of its students on the front end,” as students complete three-quarters of their classwork by the time they begin their first summer internship, allowing them to go into real-world situations equipped with a majority of their learning already instilled. Coursework is designed “to take … business knowledge and strategy to the next level,” and “learning is fast-paced but not overwhelming.” To help with that, faculty “really care about you as an individual,” and the small cohorts “keep it less competitive and allow for more effective and real teamwork.” Mays students find that their classmates are “open to constructive criticism, willing to help others succeed, and … contribute well to a diverse, inclusive, intelligent classroom setting.” Additionally, the staff “match the work [students] put in, and they will continue to push,” ensuring “there is individual attention given to the success of every student.”

The Mays Career Management Center “provides more support than [you] could imagine and works tirelessly to help every student find a superior internship and job,” offering personalized coaching, “constant interview and public speaking prep,” online tools, and career management workshops. These resources lead to an average of 86 percent of Mays graduates receiving job offers before graduation. Plus, many take part in leadership rotational programs across a variety of companies while at the school. The Aggie network is pervasive—Texas A&M has many graduates serving as CEOs in the top 100 of Fortune 500 companies—and the 62,000-strong Mays alumni network can be found all over the world, including serving as guest speakers, recruiters, and student mentors. This network—as well as the school’s “location within three major job market hubs (Houston, Dallas and Austin)”—allows students “to form connections with a variety of people from all kinds of backgrounds.” As one sums it up, “Aggies really do hire and help other Aggies.”

The school is “located within two small towns that allow students to thrive academically and socially.” Those students, a “very balanced group of friendly folks,” bring “a wealth of differing backgrounds and expertise” to campus. They are “kind, social and very friendly,” and they are “all in it to win it together.” To that end, there “are a lot of activities that students can participate in,” which can be used “for personal and professional gain,” including “many social programs such as tailgates and networking events with alumni and current students on weekends and during the week.” Plus, there are babysitting resources available so that students who have children can still have the opportunity to participate (if desired). As one student describes, “When you become an Aggie, you become part of a close-knit family who is willing to remember and help you when in tough times.”