Tag Archives: football

A UT Right of Passage: The First Game Day Experience

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Going to an undergraduate school without a big time athletic program, I would be lying if I said that thoughts of attending college sporting events didn’t cross my mind when comparing MBA programs. As a college football fanatic, I would also be lying if I pretended to be unaware that the Longhorns’ football team was seen as a National Championship contender before I made my choice to attend McCombs. After all, during my first visit to Austin I made sure to venture over to Darryl Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, picturing what a good time it would be to cheer on the Texas Football team as a UT student.

After just attending my first University of Texas football game, I can honestly say that it was even better than imagined. After walking over from a great McCombs MBA Tailgate with my classmates, we headed to the stadium entrance amongst a sea of Longhorn fans, all proudly sporting burnt orange Texas attire. When we made it into the stadium, I was blown away by the sheer size as I looked around. Holding over 100,000 screaming fans, Texas Memorial Stadium is now the 4th largest football stadium in the country and it looks every bit that big on Game Day.

 

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In Search of Balance

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Balance is a word you hear frequently throughout the hallways of the McCombs School of Business. Professors tell us we need to find it, our classmates are constantly searching for it, and internally we all understand the importance of achieving the right balance between school and life, career searching and studying, and hard work and play. After a cutthroat week of quizzes and midterms I feared I was permanently thrown out of equilibrium. Luckily for me the end of the week of doom also marked the highlight of the fall- football season.

I was raised by a dad who yelled at the TV every Saturday in the fall. He had me throwing up referee signs when I was five, and I would be lying if I said PAC-10 football had no bearing in my final decision to attend UC Berkeley for undergrad.

Football helps me unwind, and by September 4th I was in dire need of a game day. I came to the right school. While friends at other business schools spoke of orientation commitments my classmates and I prepared to yell our faces off for the Longhorns. The festivities started Friday and continued all Saturday. This town understands the meaning of game day. As a newcomer to all things Longhorn, walking into Texas Memorial Stadium feels a little like walking into another dimension. From the sea of burnt orange, to the Godzillatron, there is something uniquely special about Texas football. The energy is undeniable.

Saturday’s game left me feeling invigorated and ready to conquer yet another crazy week of classes, quizzes, career preparation, meet and greets, and case preparation. The Longhorn’s were on the road last weekend, but this Saturday marks the return of the McCoy/Shipley show, tailgates, and cheering. Like any other week, this one is intense, but kickoff will melt the stress straight away.  Hook ‘Em!

     

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 2009 – Hook ‘Em Horns!

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After finishing up finals, it was nice to be home in Maryland for a couple of weeks – spending time with family and good friends, visiting my old stomping grounds, and eating as much good Chinese food as possible (something I have struggled a bit to find here in Austin). Although the two weeks went fast, I was so excited to come back to Austin, where I had a lot of fun things planned – the most exciting of which was flying to Phoenix with some McCombs friends for the 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, where Texas was playing Ohio State. Continue reading →

Midterm Mayhem

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Last November, I attended a McCombs information session in Washington, DC. I have a distinct memory of Dean Hirst speaking to the prospective students in the room, and one thing he said stood out in particular: “Believe me, the first year students are really feeling the pressure right about now.”

Wow, was he right. I had been warned since orientation what was in store for me in midterms, and was shocked at how soon they arrived. Unlike some second years who were lucky enough to attend the amazing game that was Texas/OU, the majority of first years took residence in the Reliant Productivity Center in the hopes of teaching themselves the concepts they’d be tested on every night for the next five days.

In case you were wondering, you don’t learn much about financial statements as an anthropology major. Pair that with the fact that all that I learned in the statistics class I was required to take as part of my other major (psychology) got me through, oh, about week 1 of my McCombs Statistics course. I cannot really even begin to describe the feeling that is Midterm Week. At first, it was nerves. Then, a completely unsettled feeling. Ultimately, sheer panic. Midterms came and the sinking feeling I had in my stomach didn’t really leave for the week’s entirety.

What I will say, though, is that there is a certain camaraderie that emerges during the week that really brings everyone together. Although everyone is similarly stressed, exhausted and otherwise miserable, everyone is feeling those things together. Additionally, the collaborative nature of McCombs really lends itself to a comfortable class environment. As an example, take the situation that unfolded in Reliant on Thursday, prior to my Finance exam (when EVERYONE’s cramming and NO ONE really has a second to spare).

Me: Excuse me, [enter name of nice guy from a different cohort who I hadn't officially met yet here]. I see you are looking at your finance book. Can I ask you a question?

Nice guy: Sure – how can I help?

Me: I’m looking at this problem in Chapter 5 and I can’t seem to get the right answer. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong?

NG: Let me take a look. Oh – you’re doing everything right, you just have this one concept wrong. Let me explain it.

It was amazing to me that someone who I had never met would take the time out of his busy day to help someone who wasn’t even in his class. But that’s how McCombs is. Which is why I love it here. Stress of midterms or not, this place has some really quality people.

The week ended with a post-midterm party put on by the Graduate Business Council (and well attended by first and second year students alike). After a week like we had, you can imagine the need for the opportunity to blow off steam. The post-midterm party was followed by the amazing UT victory over Mizzou – a really exciting home game that featured ESPN’s College Gameday. The good news is that although Midterm Week was really tough, it’s over and I’m not likely to have one as intense as this one again. Now, to look forward to more fun, less (immediate) stress, and impending finals that will get here before I know it!

Post Red River Midterms….The Fallout…

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I knew I was in trouble when I found myself aimlessly wandering around the gym….trying to figure out how to use simple machines and wondering why I was seeing three of most everything that came into my tightening scope of vision. This week has been brutal. Back to back to back midterms and a paper due at the end of the week have me wondering how long I’m actually going to sleep tonight. My futile attempt at staying awake till 9 pm lead to the gym, where I actually achieve negative health benefits. At least I was awake enough to stick my iPod in my ears….so there was a soundtrack to my aimless wandering. I remember feeling like this right around day three (of five)of the first semester of the first year’s midterm week….but once again, I’ve fooled myself into believing that 2nd years are impervious to this type of bodily harm.

On a more cheerful note, we have another top ten vs. top ten matchup to watch this weekend: Longhorns vs. Missouri. ESPN’s College Gameday is in town, so a couple of us have made a pact to set out to campus early. Pairing business with football, a couple of friends and I have purchased future contracts for Longhorn National Championship tickets….let’s hope this isn’t a deterrent to pulling out a win on Saturday.

The Red River Midterms….

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Dear University of Texas Scheduling Officials,

I would like to bring to your attention a possible problem solver to make note of for next year: Conducting midterms the week after the Texas vs. Oklahoma weekend is probably not the best idea in the world for a number of reasons:

1. Driving and Studying is virtually impossible in a car packed with business school students

2. Studying and game watching are activities equally non-conducive to achieving the mastery of financial statement analysis and managerial accounting

3. Post game 4 hr. drive time and subsequent 11 pm crash out effectively eliminate a great portion of available (and much needed) study time

4. The Longhorns just moved to #1 in the nation….come on people…..

So, apparently I’m a football fan, and one day (sometimes two) a week it takes precedence to an open book in the library. This weekend was quite simply put: amazing. I also must clarify that by “weekend” I mean driving to Dallas on Friday night, waking up, watching the Red River Shootout, then getting back in my truck and driving back to Austin on Saturday afternoon. Trip Recap:

Total time spent in Dallas: 25 hrs. 32 mins

Total time spent in truck: 7 hrs. 25 mins

Total time spent studying for four midterms: 17 mins (at least I tried)

Total Time Spent Enjoying the Best College Football Game in my short game watching career: I’m pretty sure I’m still enjoying it

Guess that’s the price you pay for going to a program with an actual football team. It’s now Sunday afternoon, and I’ve spent the past eight hours working my way through half a semesters worth of financial statements analysis, managerial accounting, corporate governance, and public policy issues. Lucky for me my fifth class is a real estate practicum which doesn’t culminate until a large presentation to the client at the end of the semester…..here’s to my coffee maker working overtime and having a neighborhood 7-11 open twenty four hours a day (I like to call this place “the well of red bull”)….imagine the next update will be a picture of hilarity once this is all over…..

At least we got some good pictures…