Category Archives: Academics

classes, degree planning, academic workshops, CPA exam planning and preparation

Internship: True or False

March 24, 2015 aprilstange Leave a comment

Let’s all be real for a quick second. As third and fourth-year MPAs, we hear all kinds of rumors and gossip about internship experiences. We never know who is exaggerating and who is telling the cold, hard truth. Well I cannot speak for everyone in what I am about to say, but I am going to go through some things I heard before my internship and tell you whether my experience has proven to live up to these stories or not.

1. You are going to have 80 hour work weeks consistently and pretty much not have a life outside of the office.
FALSE. There 25 other tax interns in the office I am in (PwC Dallas) and I have yet to hear of someone putting in more than 60 hours. And this is our busy season. As an intern, you may or may not be hitting overtime, but even if you are, keep in mind that you are compensated for that ($$$). Yes, you may have a weekend where they will ask you to stay, but this is not usually every weekend.

2. You are competing with other interns and therefore the other interns will not help you since you are the competition.
FALSE. You are going to become really close with your intern group. In fact, I recommend considering this as a factor when making your decision on where to sign for your internship. I originally tried to go to a smaller office in Denver because I thought I wanted to be in an environment where I was the only intern. NO. That would have absolutely sucked. I have become extremely close to the interns here. We bond over our random work assignments that none of us have a clue on sometimes and we also help each other ALL THE TIME. In fact, I would say they are the first people I go to if I need to know how to do something. I am not exaggerating when I say that I am friends with each of the 20 interns in my office. I know all of there names, groups they are in, and where they sit.

3. You will be taken out to lunch and dinners a lot.
TRUE. So very very amazingly true. There is no limit to the amount of food that is available during your internship. The other day, we had Pokey O’s brought into the office which is this great place that makes homemade ice cream sandwiches. It was AWESOME.

4. You are not going to have a desk.
FALSE. You will have a desk. You may have a conference room if not a desk but guess what? Conference rooms are even better because they have the best view. So come on people, why keep spreading the rumor about not having a desk?! Do you think they are gonna put their interns on the floor or in a corner?? Because nobody puts baby in a corner.

5. You will be meeting tons of people, clients and coworkers.
FALSE. Actually, this one is perhaps the most surprising. You would think that you would be interacting with lots of people everyday to complete your work but actually most of the work is independent work. Someone will show you how to do the task you are given and then you are left to finish it on your own. I kind of wish there was a day where they literally took you around to meet everyone. I have taken it upon myself to meet different people in the office. In fact, word of advice here, when I need help on assignments, instead of going to the same person every time, I jump around to different people just to have an excuse to meet them.

6. There are happy hours every week.
TRUE. (kind of). There is not always a paid happy hour every week but I can promise you that the intern group will plan to go out every Friday and Saturday. Because, hey, we are all in it together, right? RIGHT! So make it a point on your internship to be the one who creates happy hours for the group or to organize a lunch. Trust me, everyone will love you for it.

Academics, Austin, Events, Olivia, Spring Break, Student Life, Study Abroad

Looking Back, Looking Forward – Part 2 of 2

February 18, 2015 Olivia Coffey Leave a comment

Last week, I discussed some of my favorite moments from my first seven months in the MPA program. This week, I am looking ahead and getting excited for what’s to come in my final six months.

Future Plans:

1. For the first summer session this year, I will be studying in Buenos Aires for five weeks as a part of the MPA Study Abroad program. I have never been to South America before and am appreciative of this opportunity to explore Argentina while still working on my degree with fellow MPAs and professors from both UT and Universidad de San Andrés.

2. Of course I am looking forward to graduation, but not because it marks the end of assignments and exams (though for most it doesn’t even mark that milestone since many continue on for at least one summer session). Graduation is going to be a great time for MPAs to get together, relax, and celebrate. Orientation was probably the only other time we were all in the same room together and graduation will likely be our last. I can feel the nostalgia coming on already.

3. Echoing #3 from my post last week, I will definitely be attending the West Austin Studio Tour in May. I think it’s pretty fantastic that between EAST and WEST, Austin has four formalized weekends each year to celebrate local artists.

4. Not a day goes by on campus during which I do not see or hear the bells of the magnificent UT Tower. So this semester, I am hoping to reserve a spot for a Tower Tour and check out the view from the top.

5. I think it’s more than accidental that South by South West (SXSW, or “South By”) coincides with UT’s Spring Break. South By is a festival that kicked off in 1987 (meaning it’s been around longer than many current tMPAs have been alive) that includes music, film, and interactive components. I hear that the festival completely takes over the city. Though I probably won’t be in town the whole week, I would like to experience some of the madness.

I will keep you posted on how things turn out.

Academics, April

Are You On The Bitcoin Bandwagon?

October 30, 2014 aprilstange 2 Comments

Bitcoin is the world’s new, mysterious virtual currency. I first learned about Bitcoins in an article assigned to my tax research class regarding IRS’s treatment of them for tax purposes. Bitcoins have become increasingly popular since they were first created in 2009 by an anonymous person. Created by users, Bitcoins serve as a reward to users that solve complex mathematical problems in code, also known as mining. So users mine Bitcoins, similar to the way a person would earn money. Interestingly, I have a friend who actually mined a lot of Bitcoins and then turned around and sold them on the market at a pretty high profit. This was interesting to me because as college students we are always looking for a way to make some quick money to pay for our weekends out in the greatest city ever (ATX). Well if you know how to mine data, maybe Bitcoins are of interest to you!

Lots of questions arise from Bitcoins, though. How should our government classify bitcoins? Are they a currency or are they an investment in property? If they are a currency then the IRS can tax them as ordinary income but if they are an investment then they will be taxed as capital assets. So what does classify a currency? Most importantly, it has to be backed by a government, which Bitcoin is adamant about not doing. Bitcoin wants to remain independent of banks and governments. Bitcoin wants to avoid all ties to make the use of Bitcoins simple, inexpensive, and universal. So where is Bitcoin headed in the future? Lots of businesses are now accepting Bitcoins as payment. How would you like to pay your tuition using Bitcoins? Well if you attend The University of Nicosia in Cypress you can pay for books, living, and school using them!

For all of the college students out there interested in unique ventures, keep an eye on Bitcoin! You may find that it is a good investment.

Academics, Kathryn

Orientation Week with this Geek

September 5, 2014 kathrynkimmell Leave a comment

Hey blog readers, and welcome to my first post! I thought I’d kick things off with a bang and tell you a little bit about orientation week! However, I’m not going to do this in a normal manner. No, instead I’m going to use my freestyle rapping skills to lay down what orientation is all about in the form of a poem.
Note: I am actually quite good at freestyling, so find me around campus if you want to hear or have a rap battle!

Orientation began at the AT&T center
Where the temperatures were as cold as a Midwest winter.
We got MPA swag including a shirt and name tag
And a very nice black Texas MPA bag.

Each person was assigned three different animal tables
Where we met fellow lions, and maybe a few giraffes if we were able.
There was a professor panel about classes and advice on careers
And despite the cold temperature, every student was all ears.

Everyone was a bit tired after orientation day one,
But we all went bowling after for some pizza and some fun!
We developed friendships with other MPA students and exchanged numbers of phone
So that when we went to games and 6th street, we wouldn’t be all alone!

Orientation week is now over and classes have begun
But that doesn’t mean I’m not still having fun!
I’ve used the knowledge I gained in my classes and career path
And still have the friends I made who can always make me laugh!

I am so excited to be a Texas MPA
Where I learn something new each and every day.
Where I get to explore Austin cuz it’s a hell of a town
And learn about accounting with the brightest minds around!

Academics, Austin, Career, Employment, Events, Olivia, Recruiting, Student Life

Orientation, Recruiting, and Easy Tiger

September 4, 2014 Olivia Coffey Leave a comment

Things have been quite busy for us MPAs these last few weeks between the close of summer classes, orientation, recruiting events, and the start of the fall semester. With the kickoff of fall classes comes OCR deadlines, employer information sessions, and mock interviews in the next week or so. Some tMPAs have already had actual interviews and before we know it, we will be receiving offers even though we officially started school just one week ago!

Despite the hustle and bustle, I managed to find some time to explore Austin. Most notably, I checked out Mozart’s on the lake (stunning lake view, tasty coffee drinks, and delicious pastries), relaxed on the rooftop of 219 West (great view of downtown and tasty drinks of another variety), saw the kickoff football game versus North Texas (burnt orange everywhere; we won!), and most recently explored Easy Tiger.

Easy Tiger is a unique space that combines bakery and beer garden in a way only Austin could. When you enter the building, you are first presented with their bakery counter that serves house-made breads, pretzels, sausages, and corned beef. You can see straight back into the bakery itself and watch the magic in action. If you proceed downstairs, you find yourself in their dining and bar area where they have a large selection of craft beers, wines, spirits, cheeses, sandwiches, etc. Go through the back door and you are on their outdoor patio that straddles Waller Creek. There are walkways and bridges around the creek that are fun to wander around. Easy Tiger is right on the edge of “dirty sixth” where it turns into east sixth and is a low key and welcome alternative to the nearby offerings of sixth street. I will be going back for the bread, chai tea, and the outdoor atmosphere.

Live and Learn