Hi y’all! My name is Karin Schultz and I’m a Louisiana native that came to the MPA program by way of New York and California. I’m currently enrolled in two summer courses with about 30 other tMPA students gearing up for the fall semester. I’m happy to say that I’ve survived my first three weeks of class, including a Financial Accounting test and a Tax test! In our short summer sessions we have our second tests in both courses coming up this week.

Coming into the program I wasn’t sure what to expect: I took my prerequisites at a local California university, and honestly, they weren’t very challenging. Being out of a rigorous academic environment for two years had led to some mental shock that can be best described using phrases such as, “Will the ratio of 10 chapters of reading/5 hours of sleep=coffee?” and “I’ve been doing my taxes wrong all this time.” Both professors, Lendecky (but please, call him Brian) and Holbrook, are excellent; they take time to explain things that students don’t understand and have office hours multiple days a week for us to come ask our ever mounting questions.

While these classes are pushing me to get my mind in shape, I’m already finding areas of accounting that appeal to me. This is fantastic, given that recruiting starts in less than a month! Three weeks from now I’ll be meeting with faculty, classmates, and recruiters as I try to figure out where I want to be when I graduate. I’ve heard it’s a wild ride, but this intensity is part of what drew me to the MPA program. I want to learn with the best, from the best, and be recruited by the best. (In case you didn’t know, my use of “best” is warranted.) In my short time on campus I’ve even learned a little phrase that will make you friends wherever you go:

Hook ‘em Horns