Category Archives: Study Abroad

Academics, Student Life, Study Abroad

Czech It Out- Classes in a Different Country

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A group of Texas MPAs overlooking scenic Prague

This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the MPA Summer Program in Prague. This is the first of my many installments called “Czech It Out” where I document my experience abroad.

For those of you unfamiliar with the MPA summer programs, students go abroad for 5 weeks and take 2 accounting elective courses. 1 course is taught by UT professors, and the other by professors at the host university.

Students that venture to Prague attend VSE, the economics school, and take a class on European Accounting in Europe taught by a combination of 3 professors from Prague.

As to be expected there were several cultural differences that students noticed in the classroom. The first of which is that the Czech style of teaching is much more lecture based than the classes of their UT counterparts. They did not really ask for student participation and seemed thrown off when students raised their hands in the middle of lectures.

They also did not “hold our hands” at all. For example, when we asked Professor Zarova what she wanted to see in the group presentation and paper she assigned, she replied “Oh, whatever you feel is important.” Most of us MPAs didn’t know what to do after being provided very descriptive rubrics for each of our projects in Austin.

From the perspective of enhancing your accounting education, I could not recommend a better thing to do. First of all, Czech classes were fascinating in that the country is still recovering from 40 years of communism. I had no idea what an influence communism still played on the Prague culture and economy today. It really hit home when our professors told us that in 1991, when the Soviet Block fell, all their degrees lost all of their value because the only masters and doctorate degrees they could receive were in Leninism and Stalinism. Once communism fell, they had to go to the US and UK to reacquire their credentials in capitalism and learn how the capitalist system worked.

It was also fascinating hearing about US GAAP and IFRS convergence efforts from a European perspective. I never understood why it would be so hard to find a compromise, but after learning the stark cultural and business differences amongst European countries, I have a much better understanding of the complexities that arise with convergence efforts.

Click here to continue to Part 2 of Ally’s Czech It Out Adventures!

Academics, CPA Exam, Sarah, Study Abroad

Top 5 Perks to Being on Campus Early

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Two years in a row, I’ve found myself on a deserted campus a few weeks before the semester starts. Last year, it was for pre-internship classes that started on January 2. This year, once I got nice and smug about the idea that as a 5th-year, I was off the hook for starting classes early, I found out that to catch the first class for the on-campus CPA exam review, I had to be here on January 2…again.

After my initial grumblings about cutting my stay at home a little short, I made it back to campus and realized that being here before school starts is actually not that bad, as long as you know where to look for the silver linings. Funny thing is, since school started back up I have noticed these perks are applicable to early mornings too.

Top 5 Perks to Being on Campus Early
5. Fewer Distractions – It’s always a bummer to be back in Austin when nobody else is here, but the flip side is that there are significantly fewer distractions. Hopefully that serves me well this year and lets me get a head start on this CPA exam prep!

4. Solidarity – Since lots of MPAs are here and pretty much nobody else is, it’s a great chance to get to know other people in the program when you all have more free time. Whether it’s working on a group project or grabbing something to eat, you can revel in the solidarity that comes from getting an early start to the semester.

3. Peace and Quiet – Okay, so admittedly, I typically enjoy walking around and seeing a million things going around on campus, but a calm, quiet walk through campus is pretty nice once in a while, especially when I’m not quite ready for the chaos that this semester is sure to bring.

2. Open study spots – Whether you like to study at the business school, the library, or at a coffee shop, everywhere is less crowded before the flood of students hits the campus. It makes those golden study spots (like an empty table at my favorite coffee shop) a breeze to find.

And probably the single greatest thing about being on campus early…

1. Parking – No matter what time I need to drive to campus, I can always find a pay-to-park spot or permit parking pretty close to where I need to be (a welcome relief, since the buses aren’t running yet). Just be careful that it doesn’t make you even more frustrated when you can’t find parking spots in a few weeks.

So if you find yourself forced into coming to campus early, make the most of it! Scope out some good study spots, take a quiet walk through campus, and use the chance to be productive!

Academics, Admissions, Allison, Austin, Career, Student Life, Study Abroad

Why I Chose MPA

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UT Austin ribbonIt might be nice to get a perspective on why each of us chose to come to the MPA program.  I will give you my top 3 influences in my choosing the program, which may help you make you make a more informed decision for yourself.

1. The #1 rating – I know some say this is not the most important thing about the MPA program, and they are right, but it was definitely an important factor in my decision.  As others have expressed as well, I did not think I was going to be accepted into the program. It was more of a “reach” for me, but I figured why not?  I was more heavily considering all the other schools I got into because I figured it was a more realistic approach.  In the back of my mind though, I said to myself that if I got into UT, I would have a much more difficult decision to make.  That situation did come about and I did indeed have a tough decision.  Knowing that MPA is ranked the #1 graduate accounting program is a great distinction, but it is also indicative of all of the amazing opportunities that are available to MPA students.  I looked into why it is ranked that way, including the faculty, the career services, curriculum, and other factors.  These all showed me that the ranking was legitimate and the program is taken seriously.

2. Austin – When I mentioned to people I was considering coming to Austin, all I heard was, “Oh I hear it is so cool there!” or “Everyone loves it there!” or “Why are you going to Austin?”.  Besides that last point, which I think was just friends wondering why I was going all the way from New Jersey to Texas, everyone’s excitement over Austin got me so excited.  I came to visit in March before the program started, and got a feel for Austin.  Now, having lived here for a while, I can see why everyone loves it.  The vibe from all the people and all the activities really make it a unique place.  I trusted those people who told me that Austin is awesome, and I am glad that I did because they were right!

3. Variety of Courses – This was more of a detail that helped me distinguish the MPA program from other schools’ Master of Accounting programs.  I knew that since I was going to be in external audit for my full time job, I thought I would be on the Financial Reporting and Assurance Track at UT.  Then I looked into the actual courses I would have to and be allowed to take in that track.  I was so surprised by the amount of audit and more general electives that were offered, including internal audit, IT audit, government accounting, and standards in auditing.  Since I came into the program with the room to take a lot of electives, I definitely capitalized on this opportunity by taking interesting electives.  Also, a subset to this is that as an MPA student you have the opportunity to take courses abroad during the summer.  I did not study abroad as an undergrad so this seemed like an amazing option that I planned on taking advantage of.  (I am going to Hong Kong this summer and am very excited!)  Also, the courses given while abroad include topics geared towards international business and international accounting standards, which in this global economy, are very useful subjects.

I hope this helps you understand why I chose the program and can give you some insight and help for making your own decision.

Please leave comments or questions below!