Madeline Isacco, Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2025
Madeline Isacco, Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2025Age: 25
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Loyola University Maryland, BBA in Accounting
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Senior IT Operations Manager, United States Army, 4 years
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I wanted to attend business school to better position myself for a career in consulting as I pivoted out of the military. I owed four years to the Army, and as I was exiting and learning more about business school, I saw that it was the right move for me.
Why did you choose Texas McCombs School of Business? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Texas McCombs because it fit what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to be at a big sports school with collaborative classmates that also had a high placement rate toward consulting careers while also being in an exciting city. When making the decision, every student I spoke with was enthusiastic about school and aligned with similar values to me. The final factor that figured prominently into my decision was the Texas Veterans in Business Club. As I transitioned from the military, I knew I wanted to maintain a connection, and the people I spoke with in the Veterans Club were awesome!
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Texas McCombs School of Business Class of 2025?
My most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025 would be my perspective as a female veteran who worked in IT Operations.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
If I could eat anything for the rest of my life it would be #3 Ham and Cheese from Jersey Mike’s.
Post-MBA career interests:
Consulting in tech strategy
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk to as many current students as possible to get a feel for what your future classmates would be like. Doing that allowed me to get a better feeling for choosing the school.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would love to have started the process sooner and gone to a Preview Weekend and met some of my future classmates. I applied for round three and was a little late in the process, so I didn’t have the opportunity.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The self-recorded questions are an interesting part of the interviewing process at most schools I applied to. I would have preferred to interview with someone, but I practiced a decent amount with the practice questions on Kira.
What is your initial impression of the Texas McCombs students/culture/community?
My initial impression was collaborative, genuine, and thoughtful.
What is one thing you have learned about Texas McCombs that has surprised you?
One thing that has surprised me is how much I love being in the building. The halls, study rooms, and café are always flooded with MBA students, and I love seeing my classmates in and out of the classroom.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
One thing that I have been anxious about throughout the year that I’ve been joking about with my classmates is having to choose what to wear every day. I got used to wearing a uniform every day and not having to worry about professional clothing.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited about my classmates. Everyone comes from such different backgrounds, and I’ve had a fantastic time getting to know all of them. There is always something to do at McCombs, whether it’s professional or social, and it has been an absolute blast so far!
