Student Experience
A Texas State student takes second in an international business communication contest — and what the brief says about your English
Mel Hidrogo, a student at the McCoy College of Business, took second place in the 2026 Association for Business Communication student competition — Texas State's first podium finish in the competition's 24-year history.
We are covering this for the brief, not the trophy. The brief describes exactly the skill international students most often underrate, and exactly what an English test score cannot measure.
The brief
Competitors acted as a communications consultant to a fictional company, Irol Industries, which had just imposed a mandatory return-to-office policy that employees opposed. The task: write a persuasive cover letter and a strategic memo that addressed employee concerns while still meeting the company's business objectives.
“If I knew that whoever was making a change had reached out and wanted to make sure that it was effective for everybody and really cared about your situation personally, things would be a lot better.”
MEL HIDROGOThe faculty sponsor was Dr. Seth Frei, assistant dean at the McCoy College of Business:
“I was impressed with her ability to concisely explain her thoughts while fully explaining the reasoning behind her choices.”
DR. SETH FREIWhy this part deserves a careful read
Notice what the brief does not ask about: grammar, academic vocabulary, essay structure. It asks whether you can write a short document that makes someone who currently disagrees with you read to the end and change their mind.
That is the widest gap between "enough English to be admitted" and "enough English to do the work":
| An IELTS 6.5 demonstrates | What the job actually needs |
|---|---|
| Following lectures, reading set texts | Writing an email a busy person answers the same day |
| Writing an essay to a given structure | Writing a one-page memo your manager need not query |
| Speaking fluently for two minutes on a familiar topic | Putting an opposing view without causing offence |
Where to build it
- The business communication course in the business curriculum — not a box to tick on the way to something else.
- Student competitions like this one: open to entrants, and one entry is worth more than several lines on a CV.
- The university writing centre, which is free and which few international students use in their first year.
“It makes me realize there's so much I can do with what I'm learning… It makes me feel like more of a Bobcat.”
MEL HIDROGOSee business programmes, the TSIE and OTSIE English pathways, or check your eligibility.
Source: TXST student earns second-place finish in international business communication competition, news.txst.edu, 11 September 2026. The comparison table between test scores and workplace demands is the International Office's own assessment from advising experience, not a university statistic.
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