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Texas MPA Student Life

Bart’s Profile

Hometown: Provo, Utah
MPA track: Financial Reporting/Assurance
Class status: MPA alum (traditional approach)
Graduation date: Summer 2009

Why did you choose the MPA program?
For me, the main draws to UT’s MPA program were the renowned faculty, the highly professional and friendly staff, the positive recommendations from current students I had the chance to meet, and the opportunity to gain my master’s degree in accounting in just over one year.

What did you like most about your MPA experience?
The top-notch people. From the students to the professors to the program staff, I highly value the relationships we built together during the program.

What have you been doing since you graduated from the MPA program?
I’ve been traveling to new places, learning as much as my brain can hold, testing accounts, documenting that testing, eating for free, and getting to know many new people as an associate auditor at one of the Big Four firms in Boston, Massachusetts.

How has the MPA degree helped you with your career?
It positioned me perfectly in alignment with my short and long-term career goals by opening the door to my current job and qualifying me to take the CPA exam.

What advice do you have for current students for getting the most out of their MPA experience?
My best advice is to take ownership of your own education and career rather than just sitting there and taking what’s given to you. It’ll make classes more applicable and interesting, it will guide you to make purposeful decisions, and will encourage you to be prepared for opportunities by planning in advance how to accomplish your goals.

8 Comments

8 responses so far



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  • 1 Kajia // Nov 27, 2008 at 11:50 am

    You are such an active and energetic guy. When I read your passages, it seems that you actually presented yourself in front of me. It is fantastic!I’m from China and recently applied for Texas MPA program. I’m looking forward to interacting you further, so if you have time, please e-mail me.

  • 2 Jay // Dec 5, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    Hey, Bart. I’m starting in Aug. 2009. Your blog has been really helpful. What is the “word on the street” with regards to housing?

  • 3 Bart Bradshaw // Dec 8, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    Hi Jay,

    1 - I recommend checking out this McCombs website. It pinpoints neighborhoods, gives ballpark prices, brief explanations, and more: http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/resources/austin/living-in-austin.asp

    2- A purported valuable resource for people moving to Austin = Apartment Finders who don’t charge for their services (they are paid by the apartment complexes). I’ve heard they can be helpful since they get to know Austin’s neighborhoods for a living.

    3 - My own experience: I live in a northern suburb of Austin so it actually takes me about 20-40 minutes to get to campus each morning, depending on I-35 traffic.

    My wife and I seriously considered moving to an apartment closer to campus but decided to stay where we are since we like it here (we’ve owned a house here for 2.5 years), the commute is reasonable (as long as we’re willing to stay on campus all day rather than going back and forth), and the cost of living is comparable to an apartment, if not better (our mortgage payment is $850 and the apartments we were looking at were around that same price range for less space and no equity).

    When we were looking for an apartment, we were most interested in an apartment by the Arboretum (northwest Austin - there are loads of apartment complexes there, varying from low $600’s to well over $1000/month) because it’s a nice area with a lot of shopping and restaurants, but it also has easy bus/shuttle access to campus, which is free for UT students. The Arboretum was about the furthest we would have wanted to be from campus if we had moved. It’s also less of a “student” area, from what we could tell.

    Downtown seemed a bit pricey for us and we weren’t interested in West Campus (primarily undergraduates getting less sleep than we like to get). East of I-35 is rumored to have more crime than other areas, though I know a few people who have lived in nice complexes there with no problems and lower rent. So it’s up for debate.

    In summary, check out that McCombs website (above), look through the various neighborhood descriptions, and contact an Apartment Finder for more information. Craigslist.com is sure to have some listings for apartments with roommates as you get closer to matriculation.

    And remember this is all advice coming from someone who lives far from campus in a house! So take it for what it’s worth. :)

  • 4 David Wenger // Dec 9, 2008 at 11:39 am

    Hey Bart, its good to see another BYU grad at McCombs. Go Cougars!

    I like this new blog. Best wishes for success.

  • 5 Big 4 Guru // Feb 6, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Good luck with the Big 4 interviews. Check out this site for some tips on getting hired.

    http://www.big4guru.com

  • 6 Bart Bradshaw // Feb 14, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    @ Big 4 Guru: I went through the interviewing process last semester and actually quite enjoyed it. Thanks for the link. It may be helpful to others who drop by.

  • 7 Krishna // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:22 am

    Hey Bart,
    I am an international student from India pursuing my undergrad in the U.S. at UNT.

    I am very much impressed by the way you share your experience with a lot of energy and liveliness! It shows how friendly you are.

    I would like to ask you a few questions and your opinions about the MPA program at UT Austin. Please e-mail me back, when you get a chance. I will look forward to hear from you soon. Thank you.

  • 8 Bart Bradshaw // Jul 8, 2009 at 10:04 am

    @ Krishna,

    Shoot an email to mpablogger [at] gmail.com and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

    Bart

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