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Student Spotlight: Nakul Shah

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Student Spotlight: Nakul Shah

NakulShahBHP senior Nakul Shah will graduate with business and biochemistry degrees this May. He has maintained a nearly perfect GPA, all while conducting research and being involved on campus and in the community. He also scored in the top one-percent of MCAT test takers. It is no surprise that Nakul has been accepted into numerous competitive medical schools. He will soon be deciding which school to attend and hopes to go on to leave his mark through Oncology research.

You are majoring in BHP and Biochemistry. Tell me about combining those majors and how difficult the workload has been.

It is difficult because both majors are focused on different things. The application of business outside the classroom is a focus in business classes, so there are frequent projects outside the classroom. Science classes are more focused on reading the material and sticking to the material inside the class. Combining both has allowed me to focus on my passion of science, but also practice case-based learning through business. Doing both has allowed me to focus on the science and find my passion for oncology, but I also got a wider view of the medical field through the business side.

What was the process of applying to medical school like?

You start early in the year you want to apply. You should start getting materials together in January of the year you want to apply. For rec letters you will need two to six, so it takes a while to talk to your professors and organize it. You have to put down references for all of the student organizations and extracurricular activities you have been involved in, and make sure those people feel comfortable vouching for you. Then there is the personal statement about why you want to be a doctor and it takes a while to write a really good, unique essay. You have to get it in early, before October. I submitted mine in July, but I recommend early June if possible because it is a rolling admissions process, so there will be less spots left the later you submit.

First you turn in primary application, then complete the secondary application that focuses on the mission of that school because they all have different missions. I was focused on those with a research mission. From there you may be asked to complete an interview on campus. Usually with two med school faculty members – one professor and one doctor. Their questions focused on science and my interest in being a doctor. For Texas schools there is a pre-match and match program so you will know as early as November or as late as January. Out of state schools let you know by the end of April.

It is very hard to balance a full school workload and manage the interviews. Students should keep that in mind when setting their course load for the fall semester of their senior year.

You were accepted into very prestigious medical schools. What do you think differentiated you from other applicants?

The main thing that set me apart in my opinion was my diverse education at UT. I had the business background, took advantage of the scientific computing program at UT and the top chemistry program. I had the whole view of healthcare – business of healthcare, big data of healthcare and the science education. I applied to 9 schools and received interviews at 7.

You scored in the top one-percent of MCAT test takers. Do you have any tips for other students preparing to take the MCAT?

One misconception about the MCAT is that you should do something else outside of studying the summer before the MCAT because it will look good on your application. Some schools will immediately reject your application if you do not make their GPA and MCAT cutoff, so make sure you spend enough time on it. It is memorization/materials based so you have to have make a lot of time for it. I spent two full months studying eight hours a day.

What are you involved in outside of school and how did you manage that with two difficult majors?

In the business school, I am involved in the Undergraduate Business Council and Undergraduate Computational Finance team. Outside of the business school, I was in Eastside Community Connection, which is a non-profit food pantry. I am also involved in research. I started researching my sophomore year and am still doing it. The College of Natural Sciences has a database of research professors, so that is how I found my research opportunities. I am currently researching cancer cells, trying to find drug targets for different kinds of cancers to try to stop tumor growth. I have been on this project since junior year. I applied to medical schools that are research focused, so my current researched was a big topic of conversation in my interviews.

What particular area of medicine would you like to be in?

Oncology is my interest. Because of the research I have been doing, I became passionate about cancer cells. There are more than 200 kinds of cancer cells, so it is very interesting and challenging research. I also want to stay in academic medicine. I will likely spend 5 years in medical school, as opposed to four, to get more research projects in. After that, the residency program will be four years, then after that I would do a research fellowship, then apply for positions in oncology at a hospital or medical school.

Does it seem overwhelming to you when you think about how many more years of learning you have ahead of you?

I have been prepared for this for a long time and it makes sense to me that if you are going to trust someone to make life and death decisions, they should spend that long in school learning and honing their schools. It is an honor to be trusted with those decisions and it takes a long time to get to that level of knowledge.

What has been your favorite class at UT?

Dr. Prentice’s LEB class. It set me up well for interviews. They will often ask about ethical dilemmas and he did an amazing job of preparing me for those questions. He makes you realize you aren’t as ethical as you think and forces you to think about how you would react in certain situations. It really prepared me to critically evaluate my actions.

What has been your most difficult class at UT?

I took a grad level class in computational chemistry, focused on advanced topics like quantum physics. It was interesting, but very difficult. It was an elective course so I didn’t need it, but I was interested in the topic and it made me a better biochemistry student.

As a senior, looking back on your four years, what do you know now that you wish you had known when you started school?

I wish I would have been open to more diversity of my education and experiences. From the start I knew what I needed to do and get involved in for med school. There were a lot of great opportunities that wouldn’t have helped my application, but would have helped me grow as a person. There are a lot of music and art opportunities that I would have liked to have done at UT.

BHP Team Participates in International Case Competition

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BHP Team Participates in International Case Competition
mcgill1

The BHP team posing with their ambassador, Caroline.

 

Over Spring Break, BHP Students Angela Morisette, David Yu, Jany Xu, and Sabeeha Islam travelled to Montreal, Quebec to participate in BHP’s first international case competition entry in several years. They participated in the McGill Management International Case Competition (MMICC), hosted by McGill University, alongside teams from 10 other international schools including Shantou University, U. of Portugal, Queensland University, just to name a few. The case competition, which was 32 hours in length, was sponsored by McKesson Canada and revolved around how to shift the strategy of their Hospital Automation Solutions to better equip McKesson for future success.

In the 32-hour case crack period, the team didn’t have access to phones, their personal computers, or any other outside help – the only resources they could use were the internet (no sites with log-ins, though) and two textbooks that they brought. The team first spent some time doing some solo research to get to know McKesson as a company and the Canadian healthcare landscape, then came together to begin creating a strategy solution. The team ultimately decided on branching into remote, home hospital visits via webcam to automate patient visits for low-grade illnesses and patients that simply required referrals to specialists. The team presented twice to a panel of about 12 judges and fielded a total of 20 minutes of questions.

“This was definitely not like a case competition I had ever experienced,” Angela noted. “MMICC really pushed our team to be efficient, smart, and strategy-oriented. I never realized how much a team of peers working together could accomplish in such a short time period!”

But MMICC was so much more than a case competition for the BHP team; it was an international experience. The moment the team arrived at the airport, they were greeted by their loving ambassador, Caroline. Caroline is a Canadian native, and she served as the team’s host for the entire week-long competition. Every night, there were activities planned that Caroline would lead the team to that fostered camaraderie among the different teams.

One night, Team Texas (as affectionately referred to by all participants) would become friends with a team through singing along to Drake with Simon Fraser University. The next day, Team Texas hiked up Mount Royal (Montreal’s beautiful nature park) and made snowmen with Shantou University. The following days leading up to the actual case crack included activities such as an across town scavenger hunt, tours of Montreal’s history museum, and wonderful dinners. The team became friends with those from all universities and learned about different cultures.

“The McGill Case Competition was more like a mini-study abroad experience. Never have I learned so much so quickly, made so many memories, or met so many wonderfully diverse people in such a short time period. This will definitely be one of my favorite memories from McCombs/BHP for years to come”, Sabeeha noted.

As the week came to an end, the team went out one last time with Caroline to Montreal’s famous “Juliette et Chocolat” dessert shop for a sweet ending to a fulfilling week. The team talked with Caroline fondly about the memories they had developed in just 6 short days, and laughs were had by all.

As Team Texas boarded the cab to head back to Austin, they were sad to leave their new friends and such a beautiful  city, but fulfilled to have been given the chance to represent UT, McCombs, and BHP. They were also pleased to have spent their Spring Breaks in such a meaningful way meeting international peers from across the world.

Alumni Spotlight – Mark Rogers, Class of 2007

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Alumni Spotlight – Mark Rogers, Class of 2007

 

Mark RogersMark Rogers, BHP ’07, followed his passions as they led him from banking in London to opening a charter school in Austin. He held on to the confidence and inspiration he received from his BHP peers as he made various career changes and has now become an award-winning teacher. Mark will deliver the keynote address at Discover BHP, an event for all newly-admitted BHP students, this coming Saturday.

Could you take me through your career path since graduation, and how you ended up teaching at Meridian World School in Austin?

I had an internship at Morgan Stanley in London after my junior year at UT. Living in Europe was a dream of mine ever since my best friend moved to Europe when I was 16. He moved to London and I visited him and became entranced by the city. My goal was to live and work there ever since I was a sophomore in high school. When internship time was coming around, I emailed various managing directors within Morgan Stanley and sent them my CV and lots of cover letters. By the end of the process, they decided to give it a shot. The summer went really well and it was everything I hoped it would be both personally and professionally. I got to travel, meet a lot of very interesting and diverse people, and I fell in love with the idea of moving abroad. I received a full-time offer, and it was only then that I began to consider what that meant – leaving all family, all friends, and being 6,000 miles away. That was very tough because I think the gravity of it never hit me until I got the offer. I accepted the job and moved, and despite how difficult the process of moving that day and saying goodbye to my family was, as soon as I landed and as soon as things started to get going, it did feel right. It did feel like I made the right choice.

The two years go by, and I’m ready to move back, and I go to a friend’s wedding and that’s where I met my wife. It was there, for the first time ever, that someone opened my eyes to education as a full-time career choice that could be so fulfilling and still economically viable. I decided to get my teaching certificate and see what happened. I did get a job in education and helped open a charter school in 2011. I still teach Calculus, Statistics, and Theory of Knowledge there today.

When you were in college, did you think this is where your career path would lead you?

No way. I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to take these risks if I didn’t surround myself with people in BHP who took calculated risks like these, and the teachers who encouraged risk-taking and creative thinking. There was a good entrepreneurial spirit about the program. Even though I left to go to Morgan Stanley, I feel like I would still be in a job that I felt like I had to be in if I hadn’t been exposed to those calculated risk-takers in BHP.

Did you experience any culture shock, starting out your post-graduate career in London

Oh yeah. Going to work at a bank, you need a suit. I had my two suits from college – one was a holdover from high school, the other I had gotten in college. I had these two suits and then I had maybe 10-11 dress shirts. I go into the office wearing my college suit and one of my colleagues says “Rogers, you’re wearing your dad’s suit today, huh?” In America, especially men wear baggier suits and so every time I came in in that suit, he called it my dad’s suit. I maybe lasted two weeks before I took my first paycheck to buy myself a suit that wasn’t baggy so my colleague would stop saying that I was wearing my dad’s suit.

How did your BHP education prepare you to succeed in such diverse industries?

The smaller class size promotes discussion, and it’s that type of exposure to different ideas and student engagement, especially, where it’s just better to learn. In classes that get above 40, it gets tough on the teacher and that type of conversational learning doesn’t scale. In small classes, you had a relationship with your peers and your teachers.

What are some of the challenges and rewards of a career in education?

The challenge is that I know exactly what an education can do for you, and on the other side of that coin, I know what missing out on education can do for you economically. So the biggest challenge for me is helping students who need significant help getting to that point where they have the skills necessary to be successful. And that’s incredibly challenging because you, at times, are making up knowledge and skills gaps that span years. I know how important it is, specifically with math, especially with their finances as they get older. I think about that when I’m working with these kids and we’re trying to close gaps. It’s on the front of my mind.

When you actually fill the gap, when they gain the skill, and when they start performing on grade level, rising to challenges, and gaining confidence, there’s just no better feeling. You get these success stories. I have students who were two grade levels behind, and now they’re performing a grade level above. It’s a two-way street. They just do such a good job of staying the course.

Do you have any advice for current BHP students?

Small changes made over a long period of time can yield the most incredible impact. I guess the advice is: think about something you want to change that’s really small, that you can tackle, but do it every single day. You’ll look back in a year or in two years, and you’ll think back to that day you decided to make the change, and it will amount to something that has greatly improved your life.

*This post was written by Rachel Solomon, a BHP senior and co-chair of Discover BHP 2015.

BHP Peer Advisor and Peer Mentor Applications Being Accepted

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The BHP office is currently taking applications for the roles of Peer Advisor and Peer Mentor. These two positions are essential to the program and are a great way to get more involved, gain skills and help others! Read more about the experiences of Morgan Lundy and Miriam Petsch below. Applications for these positions are due this Friday, March 27 to the BHP office no later than 5 pm. Check your email or stop by the office for an application.

MorganLundyPeer Advisor – Morgan Lundy

Why did you apply to be a Peer Advisor?
After my first year as a college student, I knew that McCombs and BHP had completely defined my college experience and were the main reasons I fell in love with the University of Texas. So, I applied to become a Peer Advisor at the end of my freshman year because I was looking for something that would allow me to communicate my passion for the program to others while helping me get more involved in BHP, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to do so than through working in the office. This position provides a great opportunity to connect with your BHPeers and staff on another level. As a PA, you are given the opportunity to work very closely with each member of the staff, touching the areas of advising, admissions, and the BHP curriculum. I knew that this job would give me an enriching and rewarding way to give back to the program, which was exactly what I was looking for!

What have you gained/valued from the experience?
For me, my favorite part about being a PA is that it has helped me to fully appreciate the education and opportunities that BHP provides its students. Working in the BHP office gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how the program is run. From helping out with the admissions and recruiting process, to setting up coffee chats with companies, to pre-advising students on their class schedules, to assisting the staff on other projects, this job gives you insight to just how wonderful our resources, opportunities, and staff are here at the BHP! Being a PA has reinforced for me just how valuable a Business Honors degree is from McCombs, while simultaneously allowing me to further develop hard skills in a professional, yet fun and relaxed environment.

Any challenges or unexpected parts of the job? 

The office can get very busy during admissions season and class registration periods. During the fall when the BHP application is released to high school seniors and during the spring when admissions decisions are released, there can be a high influx of questions from prospective students and their parents. Also, during registration times, many students come into the office seeking advice on their course schedules and require assistance with various circumstances. Both situations require that you are knowledgeable about these processes so you can answer questions and provide appropriate assistance. These situations will help you build your communication skills!

 

MiriamPeer Mentor – Miriam Petsch

Why did you apply to be a Peer Mentor?

As a student who transferred into the BHP my sophomore year, I wanted to find a way to connect with my new community. Although I met a lot of new people through my classes, I still didn’t feel quite as integrated as I would’ve liked. So when the Peer Mentor application was released, I decided to give it a shot. I felt that my perspective as a sophomore transfer would offer incoming freshmen a truly fresh perspective of the business school.

What have you gained/valued from the experience?

Amusingly, I had a chance to sit through the BHP version of BA 101 at a time when it was very relevant. In fact, as I was going through the junior year recruiting process, the material covered in the class actually helped me a lot! In that sense, being a Peer Mentor was a refresher on what it means to be a McCombs student. The position also allowed me to reflect on my own career ambitions and how my time at McCombs shaped them. When you’re a mentor, it forces you to question what you believe because you want to be certain you’re giving accurate, useful advice. I would recommend the position not only to students who know exactly what they want to do, but also to those who are still discovering their path themselves!

Any challenges or unexpected parts of the job?

The role itself involves much more than just sitting in on a couple of classes and attending weekly meetings. You are literally the face of BHP to ten very impressionable freshmen. Your actions may define their entire academic or professional paths, and you must recognize that fact. On the other hand, this challenge should be viewed as an opportunity to showcase as many different options as possible. This variety of perspectives is often difficult to present because you’re trying to be a mentor instead of just a friend. There is a fine line between preaching and giving advice, so identifying the difference between the two was critical for me.

 

Alumni Spotlight – Mitch Kreindler, Class of 1984

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Alumni Spotlight – Mitch Kreindler, Class of 1984
Mitch and his daughter, Erin, who is a sophomore at UT Austin.

Mitch and his daughter, Erin, who is a sophomore at UT Austin in the College of Natural Sciences.

Mitch Kreindler, BHP ’84, JD ’87, is the founder of Kreindler & Associates, a Houston law firm representing whistle blowers pursuing the recovery of taxpayer dollars from fraud perpetrated against the government. Mitch practiced law for several high profile firms before starting his own. He serves on the BHP Alumni Advisory Board.

How did your business degree prepare you for law school?

I knew early on that I wanted to go to law school. My BHP degree helped with law school and law in two ways. First, it gave me an understanding of basic business concepts and how business works, which is a lot of the law. It is important to understand all the business components of cases. In law school, there were students who had no business background and felt lost in classes like contracts and corporations. Having a business background helped me feel comfortable with principles that underlie the law. Second, BHP helped me develop a lot of basic skills in terms of analytical thinking that apply throughout life, but especially when practicing law.

Describe what you do.

I represent whistle blowers who are trying to stop companies and individuals from ripping off the government and return money to the federal or state treasury. There are federal and state statutes that create a public-private partnership between the government and private parties. Through that partnership an individual and an attorney can file a lawsuit on behalf of the government, asserting that someone has committed fraud against the government. We work with the government to investigate these allegations with the hope they will join our suit and obtain a recovery. If the government doesn’t join the case, the whistleblower can pursue the case on their own, and we engage in litigation with the bad guys. These are very unique statutes. There are really no other statutes like them.

The statutes provides that the whistleblower will be rewarded for their efforts with a bounty that is a percentage of what the government recovers, historically around 17-18 percent. The lawyers, working on a contingent fee, take a percentage of that percentage. These cases take 3-7 years to resolve. Whistleblowers really have to believe in the mission of what they are doing. In my twenty years of doing this, I only have had one client who came to me saying he was motivated by money. Every other client has been concerned about the public harm, fraud or retaliation for complaining about the fraud.

What is it that you have enjoyed most about practicing law?

I am always representing the underdog who is trying to do what is right against strong, powerful, corporate resources that are doing what is wrong. It is in the public good and it is feel-good work. Most people won’t think of being a lawyer as a helping profession, but it really is because you are helping clients fix a problem, and I like that. Students who are considering law school need to think why they want to be a lawyer. What is it that really is interesting to you? It is important to pursue your passions and interests, but don’t pursue them blindly and close yourself off to other opportunities that present themselves.

Why the decision to start your own firm and focus on whistleblowers?

I had always thought about starting my own thing. My father always said make sure by the time you are 40, you are controlling your own destiny. That was his mantra. When I started doing this whistleblower work, there were a lot of small firms engaged in this area of the law, so it was easy to have my own small shop and was a good fit for me.

Is there any case that really stands out to you?

The cases that stand out most in my mind are the ones where I have been most able to help the client. They might not be the ones where we recovered the most money, but the ones where the clients were really serious about their claims and by filing those claims, we were able to put a company out of business or stop a fraud and obtain a righteous result. The client put themselves on the line in a significant way. They did what was right and because of it, they did something that was for the public good.

It takes a special person to be a whistleblower. We all know the difference between right and wrong, but not everyone will stand up to do what is right. It is a difficult path. They decide they need to do the right thing, not the easy thing. They have a strong moral compass and are willing to do what is right, even though it subjects them to a lot pain. It is a part of our culture that we value loyalty, sometimes more than honesty, so whistleblowers are frequently ostracized and in a lonely place. It amazes me that people want to do this, but thankfully there are people who have a strong moral compass because there is a lot of fraud that would not be stopped without them.

Empowering whistleblowers has become government policy in the last 15 years in a big way as a result of Enron and the mortgage fiasco in the late 2000s. The Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd Frank legislation greatly advanced the cause of the whistleblower. We now have an SEC whistleblower office. They are now recognizing that it’s the people on the inside who know what is going on and who we need to stop the fraud that is occurring. There are now more tools and protections provided for individuals who report their companies.

You were student body president at UT and president for the Business Student Council. Why have you remained involved with campus, particularly the BHP Advisory Board?

Since I was young, I have had a sense of wanting to get involved so I could help get things done. I am interested in policy-related issues and governance types of organization. Nothing gets done unless someone does it, so I wanted to help make things happen. You have to pick your niche. After you get out of college, it is hard to get involved in organizations. Pick what is important to you and where you want to spend your volunteer time, which is why I am still involved in BHP, because it has always been important in my life.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at UT?

I have a lot of favorite memories and most involve experiences with people. It really does come down to relationships and not just relationships with fellow students. My fondest memories are in the dealings I had with professors, particularly a business law professor and math professor I kept in touch long past graduation, as well as a few key administrators. I sat on the committee that chose Bill Cunningham as dean of the business school, then again on the committee that selected him as president. I joked with him that he owed his success to me since I was the common element in the selection processes, which obviously wasn’t true, but I had a great relationship with him. I keep in touch with many fellow BHP students and have really valued those relationships.

For students interested in law after BHP, what advice would you have for them?

If they stay at UT, they should immerse themselves in the law school as though it was at an entirely different university.