Category Archives: Academics

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

Academics, April, Student Life

Study Group to Roommates: My MPA Family

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One of my favorite aspects of MPA thus far is the family you form within it. Only three months into my first semester of MPA and I already have made friends I know will last a lifetime. I met these people in my MPA classes at the beginning of this semester. I think we came together naturally because we all had the same classes and we all shared the same look of fear on our faces during the first few weeks. We started out by forming a study group on Facebook. We made reservations at PCL for study rooms (Great tool, you should utilize this!!), then went over our homework and studied together. It was all pretty formal at first because we did not know each other very well, but then we became good friends as we bonded over stress and hard work. Sometimes, we would have (and still do!) miniature freak-outs before each test and then once the tests were over we’d celebrate together. We also created a group text for when we need to ask quick questions of each other about homework or any course material. The four of us have planned to live together next year as well.

Our study group doing tax forms!

The point is, you will meet a lot of people in MPA and you will make a lot of new friends. The best friends you make are ones that will be with you through tough times and we all know MPA can be a tough program. You will need people who understand your situation, so who better to be a friend to you than someone who is in the very same situation?! And having study groups in this program is a MUST. I cannot stress enough how much it has helped me. I have NEVER in my past years here at UT had a study group. I just did work independently and asked questions from my classmates here and there. So go out and make new friends because you will be so happy you did! MPA just makes the process of making these friends that much easier!

Academics, Alexandria, Career, MPA Council, Student Life

Points to Ponder from MPA Council Ethics Week

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MPA Council had its second annual ethics week on October 21st through 25th in conjunction with the university wide Integrity-UT week. During this week, MPA Council hosted multiple events, including a screening of the movie Wall Street, an ethics lecture led by Professor Robert Prentice, and an ethics discussion for students.

My personal favorite event was Professor Prentice’s lecture, and the points he brought up will stay with me for some time to come and hopefully will lead me to make ethical decisions in my career.

He opened the lecture by pointing out that, as individuals, we tend to think we are one person who acts a certain way based on our original personalities. However, research shows that our decisions are heavily influenced by our environments and these environments can even change our personalities.

Money especially can have a huge impact on the decisions we make. Professor Prentice showed multiple academic researches that showed people behaved much more selfishly and minimized the concerns of other people in their decision when prompted with money.

Morality is something we consider when dealing with other people, and as money takes us farther away from the consequences to others, we are less likely to make ethical decisions.

Other things can also influence our decision making, such as the colors present in our immediate environment and the actions of others around us.

To learn more about Professor Prentice work in business ethics, you can check out his work and the perspective of ethics from McCombs students through Ethics Unwrapped.

 

Academics, Career, Employment, Melissa

Can you Identify a Fraudster?

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Currently I am taking Professor Bradshaw‘s Fraud Examination class as an accounting elective. In the course we learned about the typical white-collar criminal and I believe most of us were surprised by the statistics. (I know I was!)

Maybe I have watched too many episodes of Law and Order: SVU, but I pride myself in being able to read others and anticipate who is the “bad guy” in a movie or TV show before it is revealed to the audience. Being able to read people is a valuable skill to have and, unfortunately, a necessary one because professionals in the workplace may not always be as honest as we hope they will be. In this respect, we cannot let stereotypes bias the way we view our colleagues and others in the professional environment.

Before discussing who is most likely to be a corporate fraudster, Professor Bradshaw prompted the class to describe the quintessential fraudster. In our minds, it would typically be the sinister looking professional who is either A) quiet and viewed to be anti-social or B) really aggressive. It is easy to convince yourself that the corporate “bad guys” are going to resemble the ones that you see in Hollywood dramas. However, statistically, the typical fraudster is not who you would expect.

Here are the characteristics of a typical corporate fraudster:

  • Male, aged 35+
  • Strong accounting/finance background and above average education
  • In a position of trust
  • Stable family/personal situation
  • Good psychological health
  • No criminal record

These characteristics, as Professor Bradshaw humorously pointed out, are more believable to be descriptive of the average McCombs professor, not a white collar criminal.

I would highly recommend Professor Bradshaw’s class if you are looking for an accounting elective to take! And remember to be wary in the workplace- the fraudster may not be who you most expect!

“It’s never the person you most suspect. It’s also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore I know the killer to be Phyllis, AKA Beatrix Bourbon, the person I most medium suspect.”
                                           –Dwight (during a Murder Mystery on The Office)

Academics

Finding the Right Track

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Taxation, Financial Assurance, Managerial, and Generalist. That seems like a small list to choose from, right? How hard can it be to just pick a track out of those four options? Surprise! IT’S REALLY HARD!! Going into your first semester as an iMPA, you face the difficult decision of choosing a track. Some students may come into the program with a track already in mind while other students come in completely open to all four tracks. Here are some great tools that you might find useful in aiding your research of the different tracks:

ACE Class. After taking the ACE class, which is an accounting careers exploration class required your first semester in the program, I have been able to learn what tracks to pursue based on the type of job I am looking for. Tax and audit tracks (audit track is another name for the financial assurance track) are usually pretty versatile. There are jobs in industry, public accounting, government jobs, etc. if you pursue these tracks. Managerial is a track that is more tailored to the entrepreneurial side and is used a lot more in industry.

Professors. The best way to really get your questions answered is to talk to the professors. They have all worked in the areas that they teach and it is really helpful to pick their brain on what they think each track is like.

MPA Orientation. Although this is right at the beginning of your MPA experience, the orientation has a section where they have professors from each track on a panel discussing why they think each track is the best one to pursue. It is not only really entertaining to watch them try to top each other’s reasoning but you also learn a lot during this panel, so pay attention at orientation!!

Faculty Luncheons. The program offers multiple opportunities for students to go to luncheons with different professors that teach in a specific track. This is a great opportunity to hear what they have to say and who doesn’t like a free lunch?!

For a brief overview of each track, you can also check out the MPA website!

 

Academics, Alexandria

Akwaaba!

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This December, I will be going to the Central Region of Ghana through Global Brigades on a microfinance brigade with a number of other students from the University of Texas.  I usually am not one to step out of my comfort zone in such a bold manner, but coming to the end of my college career has forced me to think considerably about what I want to be and what I want to do in this world. I want to have an experience at the outset of my professional career that remodels my view on success, and an experience I can be truly proud of long after I leave the 40 acres. This opportunity seemed to be the perfect chance for me to accomplish these goals.

What is microfinance?

At the beginning of the semester, I had little to no idea of what microfinance encompassed. I have come to learn that microfinance is the provision of financial services to people living in poverty. These financial services include loans, savings, insurance, and financial literacy training. Microfinance has become one of the great success stories in the developing world over the past 30 years and has become widely recognized as a sustainable solution to poverty in developing countries worldwide.  In fact, the Bangladeshi professor of economics, Muhammad Yunus, that developed the concepts of microcredit and microfinance won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his “efforts through microcredit to create economic and social development from below” through the Grameen Bank.

Microfinance’s increasing role in development has been brought on by a number of factors. The first of which is the fact that the poor need access to productive resources, with financial services being a key resource, if they are to be able to improve their conditions of life. Another factor is the realization that the poor have the capacity to use loans effectively for generating income, saving, and repaying loans.

Many studies have been conducted on microfinance and its role in development. Generally, microfinance has been shown to help very poor households meet basic needs and protect themselves against risks, to improve household economic welfare, and to empower women by supporting women’s economic participation and promoting gender equity.

Microfinance creates access to productive capital for the poor, which when combined with human capital developed through education and training, enables individuals, families, and communities to move out of poverty. The provision of material capital to an individual in poverty can help strengthen his sense of dignity and empower him to participate in economical and societal affairs.

What am I going to be doing?

To get a better picture of what I will be doing, take a look at this 5 minute video produced by students who have gone to Ghana on a microfinance brigade in the past. To check out my personal page, click here!