Category Archives: Austin

Half-time!!!!

Posted on by
Reply

A lot has happened in the past two months. The most important thing – I am half done with my MBA! Time does fly by fast around here. I can vividly remember my first day at school, next thing I know, it’s half-time. It’s been an incredible journey, to say the least. But before I get to that part, I want to share a few other things I enjoyed over the past semester.

Preview weekend – It is the first chance to know your classmates and second years; know more about school, about Austin; get questions answered. I enjoyed representing Indian Graduate Business Association and meeting yet more people – 2015 full-time candidates.

Karaoke fundraiser – It was organized by the global study group that visited India over spring. They raised funds for a non-profit organization, Lend-A-Hand, that inspires social change in the youth of rural India. I got free music lessons and picked up some great tips that evening – I now know how not to sing!

Palmetto and Pedernales Falls State parks – two out of so many around Austin! Just in a couple of hours I was away from the hustle-bustle of the school and the city. The short trips are truly refreshing when it’s time for much needed breaks.

Trailer Tuesday at Long Center – a good find by my second year friends. This is once a month event from March through October, at times on weekends as well. I absolutely enjoyed the scrumptious, falafel Kebabilicious wrap while watching the sun set over Austin’s skyline with my friends.

There were a ton of other activities in school, MBA Prom and once the school was over, an entire week of ‘disorientation’ for all full-time candidates (MBA Revue, Cohort Olympics and other parties)….and there is really so much that goes on in and around Austin that it’s difficult to keep a tab.

Being half-done with my MBA is a good feeling. The first thing that comes to mind is no more Austin – Dallas commute for me or my husband for a while. That drive is one of the most monotonous, boring and drab drives ever. Also, I’m another step closer to my goals. Anyway, so time did fly by really fast. I am glad about this decision of getting my MBA at McCombs. Looking back, I know I have a come long way from being an architect, with no exposure to corporate business world to someone who is excited about a career in finance. I met many awesome people who, I believe, shall remain friends for life. I have tried many things that I hadn’t done before – simple things like biking to school :) or complex things like valuation :) or fun things like going to a prom – the MBA Prom ;) . There is absolutely no limit to what you can learn, who you meet, how much fun you have. The only limit is what you set for yourself.

By the time this blog is published, I would have already started my internship. I know what projects I’ll be working on and am really looking forward to it. My internship seems analogous to the preview of a movie that is to be released after I graduate. Difference being, the plot thickens and unfolds one day at a time.

It’s been an incredible one year, learning all that I did and sharing my experiences. I can go on forever, but it’s time for adios right now. I will sign in a few weeks later with updates from the internship front. In the meantime – Hook ‘em horns. Iml

Sprint to the Finish

Posted on by
Reply

I asked several classmates what the topic of my next blog post should be and there was no real consensus. Actually several of them said I should write about the 2nd years leaving and how much we will all miss them. I decided that topic was too sad so instead picked to write about some random events from the past few weeks.

Preview Weekend

I missed Preview Weekend (open house for admitted students) last year and really regretted it as my classmates raved about it all year. And now I see why. Preview was so much fun even as a current student. I was able to connect with many admits and am really excited that several of them are coming to McCombs next year! It was also really cool to show off Austin for the weekend. From Rainey Street to local eateries – it was fun to see people’s reactions to Austin.

Visitors

The past few weekends I had friends in town. I love having visitors because it makes me venture out and do things in Austin that I would otherwise claim to not have the time to do. I run around and ride the bus past the Texas State Capitol all the time but visitors gave me the excuse to go inside and check it out. The Texas State Capitol is the biggest state capitol and is also larger than the US Capitol. Another stop on my tour is Whole Foods. You may be saying to yourself “That’s not an attraction, I’ve been to a Whole Foods.” The flagship Austin store is an attraction. There is a bar and several cafes inside the store and during the winter there is an ice skating rink on the roof. Everyone I’ve taken there has been impressed. These are just a few of the many things to check out here in Austin.

More Food Events

Epicurean Club at Uchiko!

The Epicurean Club took advantage of Restaurant Week in Austin and arranged for a special meal at Uchiko - one of Austin’s most famous restaurants. 30 of us dined in the private room and feasted on a 7 course tasting menu.

The highlights for me were the yellowtail and multi-use corn dessert. I’m also looking forward to another culinary tour this weekend. Austin Eats does food tours in the Downtown and South Congress Area. My college roommate (who coincidently now lives in Austin!) and I snagged a deal on Groupon and are looking forward to sampling our way through Downtown!

A Quick Recap

Posted on by
1

It has been way too long since my last post. It’s scary to think that my second semester is almost halfway done. Let me try to quickly catch you up on what I’ve been doing.

The second half of last semester was a blur of case assignments, company information sessions, and then final exams. It’s a strange time of year because you have to strike a delicate balance between focusing on your coursework and dedicating time to learning about and making connections at companies so you’re better prepared for the formal internship recruitment process in the spring.

Winter break was a nice time to go home and see family, but it was also filled with countless cover letter rewrites for interview applications. Going through the application and interview process has been a strange experience. When you start business school it seems like there are so many possibilities and that you could do anything. The application process sobers you up to the fact that you’re only going to go through one of those doors, at least as far as an internship is concerned. Ultimately, you find the internship opportunity that is right for you. My advice to others who will be going through this same process next fall and winter is to keep that perspective in mind.

So far this semester has picked up where the last one left off.  In addition to a full course load, I’ve started an internship through Venture Fellows and have worked with the MBA Healthcare Association to put together a speaker panel for an upcoming healthcare symposium the school hosts. The internship keeps me busy and I’ve learned how to better manage my time as a result. The other big thing I have going on this semester is a Global Connections class. I just got back from a two week trip to India where our group visited several companies over there. Life as an MBA is never dull!

I’m going to sign off for now, but be on the lookout for a post about the India trip, and some pictures from the Taj Mahal and other famous Indian sites.

B.A.D.’s Guide to Cheap Living

Posted on by
1

In New York over Christmas break, I wandered into the Barnes & Noble on Union Square and came across a book called Broke-ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in New York.  Stuart Schuffman, three years my senior, had apparently already written Broke-ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco and started Broke-ass Stuart’s Goddamn Website [his churlish language, not mine...obviously, I drink 2% milk and abstain from profanity].

I feel kindredship with Stuart, like Subothai meeting Conan the Barbarian. Accordingly, here’s Broke-ass Dan’s Guide to Living Cheaply while toiling at the Sallie Mae Wheel of Pain.

Stuart the broke. Trust men with fingerless gloves.

1) Ultra Lean Six Sigma: don’t eat.  You came back to business school to relive your college glory years, but really, nobody finds that frat-boy beer belly you’ve developed appealing.  Yes, I know.  “But Dan, my [girlfriend/paramour/royal consort] told me pudgy is cute, like a cuddly teddy bear.”  Stop the lies and put down the fries.  Breakfast tacos have turned you into a girly-man.  From here on out, you will survive on once a week fruit samplings provided by McCombs School of Business.  That’s Wednesdays at eight so you can eat double extra orange cuttings which you’ll need to make it another seven days.  Assuming your average meal costs $7 and you eat three square meals a day, you’ve saved $147 a week.  Good start.

2) Stop buying coursepacks.  In the flush of academic ardor we all experience in the first week of the semester, we somehow convince ourselves that these will find some other use than as high stool boosters for our future bawling children at Applebees.  Says you: “This, I do declare, is the semester in which I read everything.  Like that time Milla Jovovich learned everything in the history of ever in two minutes in The Fifth Element.”  Not happening, Houdini.  Put down that wallet and count up them dollars.  You’ve just saved $250.  Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here.

3) Stop shaving.  Assuming you’re at least what Professor A.H. of Strategic Management has called “a ritualistic shaver,” (I study finance AND shaving because I like broadening my horizons), you expend anything between 1/5 and 1/7 of a blade every day.  If you’re extra manly (this guy), nothing less than 3 shaves a day will do.  Regardless, assuming you’re using the latest Mach 9 Ram Air King Ranch Edition, your new blade pack costs $20 for four…carry the three, take the log…whammy!  $300 in savings.  When in Austin, do as the hippies do.  Grow that beard.  You’ll look rugged.  Plus you can now justifiably sport that smiley-face-with-beard tire cover on your Jeep.  Stubble…it’s like an eagle chest tattoo etched in diesel.

4) Carry a nondescript foam cup in your backpack and refill your coffee without paying.  Dennis Kucinich carried a used tea bag in his pocket, so you’re still more dignified than a presidential candidate.

5) If you do choose to pickpocket (and I’m not passing judgment yay or nay on this one; it’s really more of a personality fit question), use an animal intermediary, like Abu the monkey or a peregrine falcon.  Animals can’t talk, so it’s kind of like omerta when the police ask your pet why he gave you that purloined wallet.  “Purloined”…really a word we need to see more of.  Think of it as immunity obtained via a subsidiary company.

Another blogger has drawn attention to the relevance of rap to the MBA experience.  In that vein, a great man once said, “I’m a hustler homie/ You a customer, crony.”  In the mean streets of Austin, you have to hustle for every cent you can save.  Follow these simple guidelines and soon you’ll be upgrading from Levis skinny to Gingkos to fit that new Benjamins sandwich in your pocket.

On a more helpful note, move to the far north of Austin for cheap apartments, take advantage of all free food events, run 5Ks so you get the free t-shirts, pack your own lunch, teetotal, rent textbooks, take the bus (I don’t, but you should), only read library books, shave your own head, forego internet service at home, Skype more and call less, and if none of the above seem to work, do really well during Super Week.

Cheers!

First Month In Austin

Posted on by
Reply

Hello everybody,

My name is Georgi and I am an MBA exchange student at McCombs for the 2013 spring term. I am originally from Bulgaria, have lived eight years in Germany and am doing my full-time MBA at ESADE in Barcelona, Spain.

The reason why I came to McCombs was to experience the great and vibrant city and to get to know the local entrepreneurship and technology scene, which is famous all around the world.

During my first month my expectations were exceeded by far, especially by the incredible classmates, the most polite people I have ever met (the citizens of Austin), and the amazing nature and sights.

I will let the photos speak for themselves, and I hope you enjoy them – especially the ones form the Longhorns – Kansas college basketball game…

CHRISTMAS BREAK

Posted on by
1

My break had nothing to do with business matters.  Here, though, are some insights tangentially related to things I did in the last month (“insights” may not be the right word; maybe “deepening of previous insights” better hits the mark):

1) Place is important: where you are determines a large part of how you feel.  As a cold weather lover, I immediately noticed my mood change when I took two jaunts up north, to New York and Chicago.  I also spent less than one quarter of my time in my apartment which sits directly next to I-35 and drinks in all the noise thereof.  As a prospective MBA applicant, consider how your environment will affect you.  Most people, unlike me, prefer sunny weather and heat, in which case Austin is the spot.  Even then, understand that your two- or three-day trip down here will never be enough to grasp the city’s neighborhoods.  Once admitted, if possible, come down here early and check into an extended stay hotel for a month or sub-lease through Craigslist until you have the time to mosy through Austin’s numerous locales; don’t rush into a lease.  I only recently discovered that East Austin is not the South Side of Chicago I was told it was; fortunately, I can break off my lease and move into this cheerier, colorful neighborhood that has nice, newly-paved roads and palm trees planted along E. 7th and no noise.  This will significantly increase my happiness.  When I was in Chicago and New York, I roamed around looking for places I might live if I moved there and I noticed that I’m really pretty bourgeois.  Scuzz and trash don’t strike me as creative and artsy.  Rusted steel girders on the El are less charming than an eyesore.  Everybody’s different.  But give yourself the time to explore and avoid being drawn in by what your friends, parents, or a real estate broker recommend.  If it only feels okay in the dressing room, you’re going to hate it later.  Conversely, living in the hood, in spite of the warnings, may be your thang.  Maybe I just like the proximity to an airport, the feeling that the neon lights of Bangkok and Tokyo are only two miles and sixteen hours away.

2) Get a dog.  My parents adopted one after I left home ten years ago to fill the love void.  My initial distrust of this Buzz Lightyear turned to affection.  I took care of him over break while the parents were away scouting retirement options in Ecuador and frankly, it’s great to have someone who thinks you’re the shizznit in exchange for chicken.

3) Arnold Schwarzenegger taught me everything I need to know about business – does the title refer to explosive showdowns or his career?  I can’t tell, but count on it, I’ll be the first into The Last Stand.  Lessons: have no shame, you’re never too old for mini-guns, and public office is no reason to stop blowing things up.  And second families may force you to take on negative NPV projects.

4) Get up early to get work done – “No man who rises before dawn 365 days a year fails to make his family rich.”  Break gave me the opportunity to rise around 5 fairly often.  Invariably, that first upswing of work accomplishes more in, say, three hours, than an eight hour shift will when you commence work at 9.  Your body’s natural rhythms are powerful.  I will continue riding the wave.  Now some gripers out there will moan and howl the usual about “Oh, but I’m not a morning person” and “Oh, but I just don’t want to work then,” but I assure you, if you get up early for a week, your body and will will get in line.  Your brain is designed to perpetuate the status quo because it’s comfortable.  Sit through twenty minutes of that morning fog though, and you’ll be up and running.  There is absolutely nothing better in all the worlds of sobriety and inebriation than sipping your coffee at nine o’clock knowing that you’ve already done everything that needs to get done for the day.  Welcome to Marlboro Country.

5) It’ll never all get done, so chill out and be happy with what you did do - if He could’ve just gone seven days, maybe we’d all have rocket packs and laser guns.  So it is.  I did a lot over break but in the end only finished about 50% of what I had planned.  No biggie.  The horizon will always retreat, but it’s important to turn around and see how much ground you’ve traversed.  It is possible to get it all done momentarily, but just when you thought you’d stepped on the neck of your job list and fatalitied it, chaos re-intrudes and re-animates the list and the task mill produces another job.  But I did hack my way through a lot of the job-briars I faced at the beginning of break and that’s enough.  Sooner or later, you have to just relax and go see The Last Stand.

6) Too much break is no good - a month is enough.  Let’s get to work.  Now who the *@#! makes a 26-page syllabus?  That’s right, Cochise.  School’s back in session.

One of us is in deeeep trouble.