All posts by belem garcia

Belem, Student Life

Giving Back to the UT and McCombs Communities

Leave a comment
Last Monday I had the opportunity to attend the 2010 Student Campaign Kickoff event, where I had the honor of meeting Mr. Red McCombs. He talked to us about the importance of giving back to our community and taking pride in being part of our class and the University. What struck me the most was when someone asked him what he expected of the university when he made his donation and he answered that he wanted students to have access to the best education and be able to go work anywhere they wanted upon graduation.
 
I am one of the many students who are benefiting from Mr. McCombs’ donation. I truly believe I am getting the best education, and this has already helped me get the job I wanted. Everyone in this school, in some way or another, is enjoying the benefits of Mr. McCombs’ gift (or as he refers to it, investment). And probably, he had no idea of how many lives he would help transform.
 
That got me thinking about the impact each of us can make on our community. We can give back not only through economic donations, but also with our time. As Mr. McCombs said on Monday, time is our most valuable resource.
 
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join the McCombs Diversity Council (MCD), and many other UT students in Project 2010. During a Saturday morning, we went to a park and cleaned it up (doing everything from picking up garbage to building and painting fences). At the end, there was a ceremony where some people from the community talked about the impact we were making there because this was not the first year that UT students have volunteered there. Many kids from an adjacent school are now enjoying a safer and more appealing park.
 
My point is that there are so many opportunities for us to give back to our community. I strongly encourage you to find a cause or a project you like and volunteer. UT has many student groups and many more projects for which we can volunteer. All we need is to be willing to do something for our community.
Academics, Belem

Auditing a class

Leave a comment
This semester I am auding the Oil & Gas Accounting class. Since I will be working in Houston and have no experience with the oil & gas industry, I thought it would be useful to take this class. However, in order to get credit from my university in Mexico for the classes I’m taking here (I’m part of a double degree program with Tecnologico de Monterrey), there’s a list of classes that I have to take during my year here and Oil & Gas Accounting was not on that list. Therefore, auditing the class was my solution.
 
What does auditing a class mean?
It means that you go to the class and listen to the lectures, but do not earn credit for taking the class.
 
How can I audit a class?
I talked to the professor and asked for his permision. He signed a form I printed from the Registrar’s Web site and then I took it to my academic dean’s office for approval. I also suggest that you talk to your academic advisor first, so that you know if auditing a class is the best choice for you.
 
What can I do when I audit a class?
You can attend classes and take as many notes as you’d like. In my case, the professor has been very helpful. He suggested that I ask a friend for the PowerPoint presentations (since I don’t have access to Blackboard for that class) or send him an e-mail and he’d send them to me. I bought the book for the class and read all the chapters just as if it were another one of my classes.
 
What can’t I do when I audit a class?
  • Participate in class discussions
  • Hand in papers or homework assignments
  • Take exams or quizzes
  • Earn any credit  
Belem, Student Life

Back on track

Leave a comment

When I first realized we were having one month of winter break, I was amazed at all the time I would have to rest. To my surprise, it went by like lightning. During the holidays I went back home (to Monterrey), to my parent’s hometown (Durango, another State in Mexico), and to my boyfriend’s hometown (Puebla, Mexico). So it was kind of busy with all the travel, but at the same time I really enjoyed being back at home with my family.

Anyway, I’m back in Austin and even though it is hard getting used to the routine, I’m really enjoying the classes I’m taking (Advanced Accounting, Strategic Control, ITAC, and Management Auditing and Control). I even started auditing Oil and Gas Accounting (since I’ll be working in Houston and have no experience with Oil and Gas, I thought it might be helpful to audit that class). The class is very interesting and it is very nice to have a class where I don’t have to worry about being graded.

I’m starting to think that whoever said that you don’t realize how fast time passes when you are having a good time was right. I just can’t believe I’m almost done with my year in Austin and everything is coming to an end. I just wish I had more time to enjoy all of this, but at the same time, I’m really excited about what is to come.

Belem, Career

All about the perfect fit

1 Comment
El Cerro de la Silla!
El Cerro de la Silla!

I feel like I haven’t written in a long time, and I am truly sorry for that, but these past few weeks have been pretty intense. I went to an office visit with a company I loved, had a second round of midterms, and even got to go back to Monterrey for a weekend.

Anyway, today I am really excited because I can finally say that my recruiting process is over. I accepted an offer to work for an accounting firm in Houston, starting in January 2011 (right after my graduation in Mexico).

It is not that I didn’t like the recruiting process; I liked being able to network with a lot people and I think a learned A LOT. Pretty much everything was new for me, but I am sincerely grateful for all the support I received from the people in Career Services. They all helped me review my resume a thousand times, answered all my doubts, and even helped me improve my interviewing skills with a mock interview.

What I am really excited about is the opportunity to work at a great company with great people. Throughout the recruiting process everybody says that finding a job is all about finding “the perfect fit,” but to be truly honest, I don’t think I really believed that. Right now, I can only say that they really mean it and now I understand why that is true. During one interview with one manager, she suggested that I look at the people in the company and the other interviewees and imagine if I saw myself working with them. Well, now I feel I found the place I fit in and the people I want to work with.

It all started with the pre-interview dinner, when one partner approached me by name. I know that I had my name tag, but I really appreciated that he had already seen my resume, he remembered me, and he was interested enough to remember my name and ask about my background. Besides, during the dinner I met a lot of people from the staff and I enjoyed talking to each of them. The next day I talked with two partners during the interviews and I ended up even more interested in the firm. After that, going to the office visit just made me want to work there even more.

Now you can imagine how excited I was when I received the offer, and even now, when I officially accepted it. I just can’t wait to be there.

Academics, Belem

Beyond those professionals

Leave a comment

One of the most valuable things the MPA Program has to offer is its great faculty. In every class you have an outstanding professor with great experience in the subject and a true commitment to share that experience with the students. Besides, all the professors have an open door to students (whether it is during office hours, after class, or even via e-mail), so they really give you a chance to approach them with any doubts you have. I am really grateful that I have never been neglected an opportunity to talk to one professor and clarify my doubts.

However, seeing the professor in class or during office hours might not be enough to develop a positive, constructive relationship between students and professors. As part of the MPA Faculty Lunch Series, students are invited to have lunch with their professors so that they can meet in a more relaxed atmosphere. Last Tuesday I was able to attend a lunch with Professor Mark Bradshaw, from my Introduction to Assurance class.

I think it was a very valuable experience, since it gave me the opportunity to meet my professor outside the typical class environment and with only 10 more people in the room. This allowed for a more personal conversation, where we could talk about almost everything we wanted (from the professor’s professional experience to his life outside the university to the things we like/dislike about his class).
 
Sometimes it is easy to see professors just as proficient professionals highly commited to teaching you about a certain subject. However, I think my experience in the MPA has been far more valuable after learning to see beyond the professionals standing in front of the classroom, to see them as the persons they are, with many experiences that had lead them down this road. It is even inspirational to see how someone who started probably just as you are right now, has succeeded and accomplished many things.

I would highly recommend attending one of these lunches if you are presented with the opportunity of doing so. I will certainly do it again if I can.