Meet The UT-Austin’s McCombs Class of 2017

Ruda Thales Lins P. Meireles

University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Undergraduate School and Major: UNILINS (University of Lins) – Bachelor of Civil Engineer

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation (Most Recent Last): 

Camargo Correa (Construction company in Brazil) – Planning/Production Engineer

Odebrecht (Construction company in Brazil) – Production Engineer

Construpesa (Construction company in Brazil) – Planning Engineer

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? The GMAT and GRE are standard tests, so you need to understand how they work. Time management is extremely important. Equally important is to understand when to let some questions go. If you are better in one particular area (quant or verbal), make sure to consolidate your knowledge to be at the best of your performance. Work your improvements areas as much as you can and try to define a strategy for the test. The GMAT/GRE is about persistence and practice, so don’t give up!

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? It is extremely important for you to understand what you want from a business school. Don’t think only about the degree, but about what knowledge’s (human and technical) and relationships you want to have after the program. So understanding yourself is a major step to list target schools. Some of you may not be sure what you really want for your career and that is fine, just remember to select schools that you can relate with. Schools are defined by their culture and environment. If possible, visit as many schools as you can and (more importantly) get in touch with alumni of each different school.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? The application process is the moment to show that you really understand the program that you selected. Try to expose your knowledge about the program and especially what are you going to do with that. In the essay be truthful to yourself and expose your story. All stories have amazing things to show, so write yours in the best way you can. When selecting a recommender, choose someone who knows you the best way possible, so that he/she can give the admission committee a complete view of who you are. For the admission interview, just remember one basic interview rule: Be prepared! Read again your entire application and research even more about the school. Be ready for any questions that they might ask.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?  I choose McCombs initially because of the Energy Finance program, which was aligned to my career goal. But when I started to understand better the program and its culture, I fell in love with it. McCombs has a smaller group of MBAs and that gives you a better proximity to the group, making easier to have friends and knowing you classmates. McCombs’ environment is so welcoming and opened that you feel at home from day one and you can feel this environment from staff and alumni alike. The city of Austin, where the program is located, has a great atmosphere and is full of life with opportunities spawning all around. McCombs has a combination of factors that in my perspective are essential for a professional and personal growth.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? 

Before I graduate, I want to learn as much as I can from my classmates and make as many friends as I can. We have such a diverse group that you cannot just pass by two years without getting involved in such multicultural environment. Every class discussions are so interesting and working in cohorts is such a big part of our program that you are always in touch with diversity. I also want to understand better the different areas of business to be a more complete professional so that I can achieve my dream job.