All posts by melissahodges

Career, Employment, Feature, Melissa, Recruiting

Cities (Probably) Overlooked During Recruiting: Part 1

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Dinner in San Fran with my brother and cousin

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all survived finals. I know it can be a rough time of year.

This is the first MPA blog from California!
If not, my apologies to the MPA blogger of the past for stealing your thunder.

Spring recruiting is coming up for us third-years, and I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite cities that I will be visiting over the holidays.  Don’t be afraid to recruit for an internship in a city that isn’t Austin. Of course, Austin is one of the best cities in the world, but let’s not forget the other contenders.

First stop, San Francisco!

I’m here in San Francisco visiting some family and am reminded of my love for the city. There is just so much to do and see.

Disclaimer: All Big 4 firms have offices in San Fran, as well as tons of midcap and boutique firms. Could be a good life for an accountant!

There are lots of great things to do in and around the city, as well. Some of my favorite spots are: 

1. Exploratorium: This famous science museum in San Fran is fun for everyone. I have always been a nerd, and I proudly embrace it. Thus, my first time at the Exploratorium I was wide-eyed and grinning the whole time. And to this day, it is still an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. If we are being honest, when I visit the Exploratorium today, I probably still sport the same cheesy grin I did when I was a kid. Continue reading Cities (Probably) Overlooked During Recruiting: Part 1 →

Career, Melissa, Recruiting, Student Life

You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

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Visiting Abbey Road in England

This week marks the 31st anniversary of the unspeakable tragedy when John Lennon was killed in New York City.  John Lennon was an integral member of the popular musical group, The Beatles. How does this relate to MPA, you might ask? Regardless of one’s personal opinion of John Lennon, there is a lot we can learn from him and the Beatles.

1. Teamwork. Steve Jobs said this about the Beatles and teamwork: “My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who kept each others’ negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of its parts. And that’s how I see business. Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” Continue reading You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. →

Academics, Melissa, Student Life

Gratitude

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I am thankful for my younger brother, Stephen.

As Thanksgiving rolls around, I think we all need to take some time out of our busy/stressful lives and remember what we are grateful for. You should think about what you are thankful for every day, but sometimes we get caught up in the shuffle and forget to do so.

In the spirit of the holiday, I will tell you five (of many) things that I am thankful for.

1. Family and Friends: The clichéd response, however, an important thing to be thankful for. I don’t know where I would be without my wonderful family and friends. I am loving all of my new (and old) MPA friends and I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

2. McCombs: Did anyone see the tower in orange last week and wonder why? It was in honor of the Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools: 2012 edition. McCombs ranked No. 1 for “Best Professors!” Next class, tell a business Professor “Thank you.”

3. Laughter: Considering I have mentioned laughter in 2 of my 2 blog posts thus far, it is probably clear that it is one of my favorite things. Never discount the importance of laughing everyday. Continue reading Gratitude →

Academics, Admissions, Melissa, Uncategorized

Why MPA?

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Rishnie (another MPA) and I at a football game

Hi everyone!

As the holidays roll around (best time of the year!), I am certain I will be asked my family and friends “Why MPA?” (The switch from MIS was a little bit of a surprise to everyone.) This sounds like a simple question, and I’m sure some of you already have an answer prepared, perhaps in preparation for interviews. But, for me, it took a lot of thought.  I figured I would share my thoughts on this because some of you may be prospective MPAs who are actually asking YOURSELF the question, “Why MPA?” Or you might be current MPAs who have been giving this some thought recently.

My experiences in MPA thus far have led me to believe that there are infinite reasons to join the MPA program, but there are two extremes that you will find are pretty common:

First, is the student that has known for years (might I even say their whole life) that they wanted to be an accountant (or maybe they even knew they wanted to be in the MPA program at UT.) If this is you, congratulations! You did it! Or if you are a prospective MPA then definitely apply- make your dreams come true! Continue reading Why MPA? →