Live and Learn

It is hard to imagine that the second run of fall exams have already come to a close. After spending many days hiding from my furry roommate during the last two exam seasons, I have visited quite a few libraries on campus (and there ARE quite a few on campus!). I know that some people [...]

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The majority of my blogs have been focused on either academic or career issues that I have encountered here at UT and have provided very little insight into the life I am able to live outside of the classroom. There is a rising joke among college students that college life is very simple and all decisions fall [...]

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One of the great benefits to attending the University of Texas–whether for undergrad or grad school–is the sports program. At 18 years old, I placed equal importance on academics and athletics. This might be why my list of college applications looked an awful lot like the 2005 BCS standings. But only Texas had the great [...]

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Above: Fufu, as he tried to yank my camera’s wrist strap - you can see the sparkle in his eyes.
My life has been in topsy-turvy for the past few months. The main reason is that I now have a furry and unruly roommate in the little studio apartment where I live. I adopted a kitten from [...]

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I still contend that Intermediate Accounting for MPAs (Not ACC 329) is the hardest class in the business school, but Advanced Accounting is no “walk in the park.”  This past week was the first exam, or as Professor Deitrick likes to call it, “the first scrimmage.”  Professor Deitrick is a phenomenal accounting teacher considering he [...]

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As I look back on everything that has happened to me during the past months, I can only remember what Jim Franklin, director of the MPA program, said at orientation: Even though “What starts here changes the world” might seem only a good marketing slogan, in this class there are 95 people who hopefully will have leading [...]

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There are many ways to learn accounting.  There are many ways to learn just about anything for that matter, but to keep it close to home, I am referring to the academic foundation of the MPA program here at McCombs.  There are classrooms, lectures, case competitions, group projects, etc. … and all of these methods [...]

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The first week of classes has come and gone. Honestly, since I have been taking summer classes both sessions, I really did not feel the anxiety of starting classes again in the fall. The only aspect of the new semester that I still need some getting used to is not seeing some of familiar MPAs’ [...]

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As I have progressed into my fifth and final year here at McCombs, I find myself wanting more from my education. Academically, the MPA program continues to be a challenge at every twist and turn of this path I am on, but I feel that this program could serve as much more. Within the B-School, we are [...]

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Last year at this time I was halfway through my first term as an MPA student at The University of Texas. It’s a little unreal to see some of the incoming MPA class in that same situation now. Next month they’ll have their first career fair. It all happens so fast and is, in my [...]

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April 26/27, I am on a Continental flight to Tokyo’s Narita Airport right now. But Tokyo isn’t my final destination; in eight hours or so, I should be landing in Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. This is my treat to myself, in celebration of the successful completion of my tax internship at The Big 4 Firm in Houston. In [...]

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There are bits and pieces of who I am and how I act that are pretty representative of the Midwest culture I grew up in.

I am use to a small town where everyone knows each other and where no one is too busy to stop and help a complete stranger.
I say Pop not soda…and definitely [...]

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Last semester, I received a question from a reader about where MPA students live. It’s a great topic to get some interesting discussion and suggestions going, so I’m posting my reply to Jay here (with a few small additions) and hoping others will add their insights in the comments.

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When I was moving back to Texas, many of my friends from Boston asked me about the availability of Asian cuisines in Austin. Honestly, I knew that Austin is famous for Tex-Mex, but I had never tried any Asian food in this mid-size city. Unfortunately, I truly survive on noodles and rice, and I can [...]

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