Category Archives: Austin

Academics, Austin, Jonathan

Halfway Done

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students studying
A scene not unlike the finals study ambiance in Reliant (courtesy Nigel Pepper)

Sigh…  Well, I was hoping to end the semester with a triumphant performance on my last final exam, but after Saturday evening’s Intermediate Accounting nightmare, I’m going to have to settle for the mild satisfaction of making it through the semester (half of the program) in once piece.

Exam week has been a real trial. For ten straight days, I and a crack team of five other MPA students put ourselves through daily 14-hour study marathons, lasting from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.  The days began blurry-eyed at sunrise, the six of us stumbling half-awake into the Reliant Productivity Center to take over one of the five large group study rooms.  During final week, you have to grab these rooms early.   There are so few of them, and demand is high.  It was common for us to find students asleep on the ground underneath the tables when we arrived.

Once you take over a study room in Reliant, you really cannot leave. Other students sit and watch these rooms all day, and if you leave one empty for a second, another study group will pounce and take your room over. Therefore, we didn’t leave. We ate meals, took bathroom breaks and ran errands on shifts so that we could hold onto our room.

Why was it important for us to get a study room?  They are the best places to carry out group study. My team of friends decided early on that the best way to prepare for finals was to study together.  We worked problems for different classes together and tested each other on our understanding of the material. We did this by explaining to each other the key accounting concepts and problems we encountered during the semester.  Integrated-MPA superstar, Amanda, introduced the concept of “racing” to our study sessions, and accounting races became a key component of Cost Accounting and Intermediate Accounting exam preparation.  What we would do is select out the hardest homework problems of the semester and race each other to see who could finish the problems correctly the fastest.  The races came pretty close to simulating exam-style intensity and time pressure, and also helped us stay interested and focused in when our daily study hours passed into the double digits.

While the study rooms were key to allowing us to work effectively in a group, they weren’t exactly nice places to be.  The Reliant  rooms  are cramped little hermetically sealed boxes with no windows and oppressive florescent lights.  It was easy to feel on edge with so many people crammed into one room for an extended period of time, but the privacy and sound insulation made the rooms worth using.

Now, exams are over and I will not have to worry about the classes, the Reliant Center, or study rooms for five whole weeks.

What have I been doing with my new-found free time?  Why, tonight I was able to catch up with some new friends and benefit from the diversity of  the traditional MPA student body when my classmate Daniel, a professional chef,  stopped by my apartment and treated me and some fellow students to a beautiful homemade ganache. Yum!  Over the next few days, I have a lot of catching up to do.  Though I have been at UT for almost seven months, I feel like I have yet to really explore Austin.  Over the next few days, I hope to step out and take a look at Lake Travis and Barton Springs.  I have been dying to try out the food trucks downtown, and I finally have a chance do so.

Next Thursday, I’m going to travel north to frozen Pittsburgh to meet my wife, who is finishing up her own academic program, and help her pack up and move on down with me to Texas.  The holidays will be in full swing by then.  The spring semester creeps in a little after mid-January.  You’ll be hearing more from me then.

Happy Holidays!

Academics, Austin, Bart, Student Life

Thanksgiving: The Starting Line for Finals & A Celebration with My MPA Family

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Clockwise from the far head of the table: Theodore, Won, Xinhao, Zyenga, Wei, Kendra, Matt, Joseph, Patrick, Me and Mark

Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday of the year. Although it is an uniquely North American holiday (I say North American to acknowledge the Canadian observance), it truly transcends religion, language and national origin. Everyone has something they can be thankful for—especially MPAs. Whether it’s the high reputation of the program; the quality education we receive from accomplished faculty; or our excellent career services team, MPA students have an abundance of resources at their fingertips. So when it came time to plan my Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to celebrate it in Austin with my new MPA family.

Because the Texas MPA program has a huge contingent of out-of-state students, there was a considerable number of MPA students staying in Austin for Thanksgiving. Of the traditional MPAs for the class of 2010, 60 percent were non-Texas residents. And of the attendees at the Thanksgiving MPA get-together, I was the only one from Texas.

At the beginning of the month, I consulted with one of my friends about planning a Thanksgiving get-together. We decided to do it potluck style, which means that each person attending the meal brings a dish. I decided to make this Jell-o and fruit cocktail mix that my grandmother usually makes. It turned out pretty well. In case you were wondering, the secret is not use water to make the Jell-o. Use Sprite.

My friend, Theodore, decided to cook the turkey. We were all very apprehensive about this. Earlier this semester, he had tried to tailgate before the Wyoming game. After failing to light the grill, he decided to cook the sausages in the microwave. The sausages exploded! Needless to say, we didn’t want a repeat of culinary disaster right before our Thanksgiving meal. But Theodore reassured us that he would get directions from his mother, and he would have a delicious bird ready for our meal. Well, he surprised us all! The turkey was delicious, cooked properly and not dried out. You can’t ask for more than that.

And finally, what Thanksgiving is complete without some football? After we finished the meal, we all helped clean the dishes and tidy up before heading back to campus to watch our Longhorns take on those Aggies from that other school across the state. Theodore and Mark actually dressed up as cowboys for the game. They were quite hysterical. Too bad their school spirit wasn’t enough to help our boys to the win. Despite the loss, we all still enjoyed the game.

Academics, Austin, Jarrett, Student Life

Four Things You Might Consider

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By Jarrett Cocharo

Attending a new school takes a lot of adjusting. You will inevitably be thinking, “That is not the way things are supposed to be done.” Or you might think, “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen any university do.” For my first blog post, I thought I would make a list of little things that surprised me about the MPA program, McCombs and the University as whole.

1. Homework and Reading: When I entered graduate school, I figured it would be much like the stories I heard about law school. Very little homework. Lots of reading and one or two big tests per class each semester. I was wrong. You can expect anywhere from 4 to 12 homework assignments per class, three tests per class and three cases (group or individual) per class each semester. Not to mention you could have papers in some of your classes. I use a weekly to-do list to keep track of what assignments I have to turn in for the coming week, and I use Google calendar to schedule my group meetings around my classes and recruiting events.

2. Media Services: Located on the third floor of the business school, McCombs Media Services allow students to check out laptops, computer mice, camcorders, still cameras and tripods among other things. Continue reading Four Things You Might Consider →

Austin, Natalie, Student Life

VIP Distinguished Speaker Series: E&Y’s CEO Jim Turley

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Last week, I went to listen to Jim Turley, the CEO and chairman of Ernst & Young (E&Y), speak as a part of the Undergraduate Business Council’s VIP Distinguished Speaker Series.

Lehman Brothers

It was the first Monday back from spring break…that is, the Monday after the media went crazy with malpractice allegations over Ernst & Young’s involvement with the Lehman Brothers case. I went in thinking Mr. Turley might not bother discussing the touchy subject with a bunch of students, but he got right to the point. He spoke in detail about what the allegations were, reminded us that there is a desire to direct anger about corporate greed toward someone, and finally said that he is confident that E&Y took all the right steps regarding the Lehman Brothers audit.

After about 20 minutes, he moved on to what he actually came to speak about: his perception of the business world today. He discussed the importance of approaching business from a worldview perspective. As a resident of both New York and London (the locations of the U.S. and global headquarters, respectively), and as well as a co-chair for the Russia Foreign Investment Advisory Council, he certainly brings a global perspective to the firm. He discussed the impending convergence to IFRS as well as where he believes the U.S. stands in relation to other countries around the world. He feels strongly about the need for common standards across the board, rhetorically asking, “What if every country brought a different set of soccer rules to the World Cup?

Where the U.S. stands

When discussing the current economic climate in the U.S., Mr. Turley gave an interesting analogy (or “warning,” depending on how your interpret it). When analyzing the ups and downs of different countries’ economies, he says they are either in the shape of a “V,” a “U,” or an “L.” The V countries are those that are rapidly emerging such as China, India and Brazil. The United States has typically been a U country. When we hit a low point, our free markets and our legislators have typically been able to bring us back to a high point after a reasonable amount of time. However, he warned that we might start looking like an L country, which is commonly seen in Europe. A country’s economy becomes an L when there aren’t enough market incentives to bring the economy back up. In short, he implied that increased regulations could make us more susceptible to becoming an L country. Obviously this analogy has some political undertones, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Entrepreneurship

Mr. Turley also discussed E&Y’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and his belief that entrepreneurship and innovation are keys to economic recovery. In keeping with the previous point, he mentioned how the government can help by supporting public policy that stimulates economic growth and therefore helps entrepreneurs. Because innovative companies substantially outperform their peers by finding new ways to grow, it is important to support creative, innovative thinking across organizations in all sectors. Only then, he says, can we as a country pull ourselves out of the present financial crisis.

Austin, Grace, Student Life

Getting Around In Austin

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ut_transportation

Normally I am quiet on the subject of public transportation since I own a car that I unapologetically drive around town. However, the car that I (now sadly) own is a Toyota Camry and, in light of the recent accelerator sticking problem with many Toyota cars, I decided to stay off the road for a bit. I must add, though I own a car now, I have been happily relying on public transportation during the years that I lived in Taipei and Boston. Even now, if I am in a city where I have the options of driving or riding some kind of convenient public transit, I would gladly choose the latter.

 

Although many people would say that it is next to impossible to live in the great state of Texas without four wheels, I have observed a few modes of transportation that the people of Austin use to get around town.

 

1.     UT Shuttles

Since I live right next to a UT shuttle stop in West Campus, I must praise the convenience of the shuttles. They are operated by the same company as the MetroBuses, and mostly UT students utilize these shuttles. I just counted on the MetroBuses Web site that there are fourteen shuttle routes that serve to as far as Far West and Lake Austin. The shuttles run fairly frequently during school hours, and I have never waited for more than a few minutes for a shuttle during the day. The only downside is that the shuttles do not operate on Saturdays and with only limited service on Sundays, which makes going to places along the shuttle routes difficult on weekends.

 

2.    MetroBuses

UT shuttle does not take you to where you want to go when you want to go? Fear not! There are still the city buses that have significantly more extensive routes and services. I have only utilized a few lines near campus and downtown when riding the buses was more convenient than driving, but I have seen many commuters taking full advantage of this public good. The best part of the city buses is that anyone with a UT ID (student, faculty and staff) rides for free! There are also the night owl shuttles that run from numerous campus locations to downtown Austin from Thursday to Saturday for the people who are going out on weekend nights. It is definitely a cheap/free alternative to taxis or paying the high parking fees downtown.

 

3.     MetroRail

The MetroRail is something of a novelty in Austin considering that it has not officially started servicing the general public yet. I am on the hopeful lookout to try it once it is in operation, however! The line that will be unveiled first will run north from Downtown to Leander. Another line in the works will run east from downtown Austin. For more information, please visit the MetroRail Web site.

 

4.    Bicycles

I am ashamed to say that I am a terrible biker. I can ride it, but I lack the confidence to ride it anywhere near a busy street when I have to share the road with other wheels (my friend who has ridden with me can vouch for that statement! I am pretty sure she will never ride with me again). But, there are many savvy cyclists in the streets of Austin who safely get from point A to point B without fearful screaming because many streets, especially near and on campus, have bike lanes that make biking so much easier and safer. The City of Austin Web site has a useful resources page on biking in the city.

 

5.    Mopeds/Motorcycles

I own neither of these, but they are pretty awesome! Their ease to park would be, to me, the biggest advantage. There are also parking spots on campus for mopeds and motorcycles if they are your choice modes of transportation.

 

6.    Your own two feet!

Personally, I like nothing more than to walk around town on a nice day, and Austin is known for its nice days! Although your own two feet can only walk so far, they are powerful tools when combined with any above mode of transportation. Most pedestrian paths are paved and comfortable to walk on. You might be surprised with how far you can walk in Austin!

 

Although nothing beats the convenience of driving your own car, sometimes it is simply easier/cheaper to use one of these alternatives. Plus, you would be reducing your carbon footprint if you decide to use public transportation! I truly believe that the City of Austin is trying its best to become a green and accessible city where people can get around easily without owning a car. I look forward to the arrival of that day!