If you’re familiar with Austin, then you’ve probably been indoctrinated to the city’s unofficial slogan: “Keep Austin Weird.” Whoever the Forrest Gump-like soul was that came up with this saying must have been onto something, because it certainly has stuck. What I believe this endearing, if over-used catch phrase to mean though is: keep Austin unique. The distinctive spirit that pervades this city was in large part what swayed me to attend business school here – and I have found that it really bleeds over into the culture of UT. Below I’ve captured just a couple differentiators that have struck me thus far:
A Two-Stepping McCombs Classmate
- Austin is ranked as one of the most innovative cities in the US, as measured by the number of patents per capita, venture capital investments per capita, etc. As a result, entrepreneurial opportunities at McCombs abound. From Venture Fellows to Venture Labs to the Entrepreneur Society, to our affiliation with the Austin Technology Incubator, if you want to do something outside of the box with your career, you’ve come to the right place.
- When I was getting ready to move here, people kept telling me that Austin was the “Berkeley of Texas.” While parts of that statement ring true, I’m constantly reminded (in wonderful ways) that I’m not in California anymore, and that Texas has more personality than a lot of other states put together. Just last night I was biking home from campus and there in front of Gregory Gymnasium were about a hundred members of an undergraduate Asian society learning to two step. And where else can you wear jeans and cowboy boots to a formal function and fit right in? Gotta love it.
In parting, please do keep in mind the wise advice my mother gave me as I was headed off on my business school adventure: “If you’re too weird for Austin, you’re too weird!”
