Category Archives: Student Life

extracurricular activites, UT sports and other campus events, student organizations, recreation, etc.

Employment, Internships, Karin, Student Life

Why I Chose To Stay

October 20, 2016 karinschultz Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

It’s been a while…and yes I’m still here. I have stayed on as a MPA a semester longer than most, because I chose to complete an internship over the summer (and got credit for it). I wanted to ensure I was making the right choice in career path and felt that actually trying it out for a few months would be the best way to assess my new profession.

I considered morning turkey sightings to be good luck. — I loved the turkeys on our campus.

I was lucky enough to intern in the Internal Audit department of a Fortune 500 company at their headquarters in Missouri. I was one of four interns for the group, and was able to participate in two audits. The job itself was a perfect fit for me, but one of the biggest draws for me was the travel component. I was based in St. Louis, but traveled to the Netherlands and Colorado during my two and a half months with the company. Best of all, this internship mimicked the full-time role that I will be taking on next year (yes-I liked it so much I signed on at the end of my internship).

The Hague — This photo was taken in the Scheveningen area after 8pm one night.

The Hague at Night — Not a bad place to go for an audit.

Coming to the MPA program people often have very set plans for the next 2-3 years of their lives. My advice, especially if you’re coming from outside the business world, is to take your time. If you’re able to spend extra time at UT, take an internship in the Spring or Summer. If you need to get out and into the workforce sooner, be sure to consider industry jobs in addition to public accounting. Up until last fall I’d never heard of the company I’ll be joining, and figured I’d be recruiting solely for full-time jobs while at UT. So never rule anything out, never close any doors-you never know what you’ll find or where you’ll go.

STL — I went to St. Louis having never been to the state of Missouri before; next spring I will be calling it home.

Student Life, Taylor

Deep Fried Everything

September 27, 2016 taylorbrown Leave a comment

The TX/OU game is coming up soon and one of the best parts of OU weekend is the State Fair of Texas. The State Fair of Texas has been taking place in Dallas since 1886. It’s a time when Texans come together to try new rides, take pictures with Big Tex (thank goodness they fixed him after he caught on fire), sell their artwork, show off their award winning farm animals, and most importantly gorge themselves on fried food. The State Fair recently released their list of new foods that will be available and I’m going to share the items I’m most looking forward to and the best way to prepare for your oncoming food coma.

chocolatewineteaser Chocolate Tease Wine cooler: Chocolate and wine are a very popular pairing. This year the State Fair has decided to put them together to create a refreshing drink. And, if you’re anything like me and love wine and chocolate I’m sure we’ll run into each other in line in a few weeks. (21+)

clamchowda Deep Fried Clam chowder: I’ve always been mystified by deep fried liquids. It almost seems to defy logic. How do you fry something into a ball that has no shape? The State Fair has figure it out. And, I’m not complaining. They previously had fried coke and fried ice cream which, were both delicious. I’m sure the savory fried liquid combo won’t be any different.

S0030_Cannoli_Bites_Reflective_Table_v01 Deep Fried Cannoli Bites: One of my favorite deserts are cannoli. I don’t know if I love the sweet fluffy cream in the middle or the crispy flaky shell more. But, either way I’m excited to see the State Fair’s take on this classic Italian dessert. As every good Texan knows, everything is better deep fried. I can’t imagine cannoli being any different.

The weeks before the State Fair of Texas I like to eat healthy and workout. I don’t want to feel gross about the number of calories I’m about to intake in a few weeks. So, I like to make sure I’m in a healthy state before I go to the fair. I view the fair as my ultimate cheat day. You can’t have a cheat day if you haven’t been following your regimen. This reassures me that my gluttony is actually well deserved. Not something I should be ashamed about. I want the food I eat at the fair to be something I enjoy. Not something I end up regretting.

Academics, Bingchao, Student Life

There is more than one library on the UT campus

September 7, 2016 bingchaoyang Leave a comment

It was right before one of my finals last semester. Usually, exam classrooms are arranged throughout the UT campus. I overheard one MPA talking to another, “I walked to more places on the UT campus today than I did in past 4 months.” It is not surprising that PCL and the productivity center are top picks for most business students, particularly traditional MPA (tMPA) students, because these are close to classes and tMPAs have limited time to explore campus. Although I am now a tMPA, I happened to obtain my undergraduate degree here as a science major. Thus, I am more familiar with campus than most of my peers. Here are a few libraries I would recommend if you are looking for a different place to study.

Law library:

This is probably the second largest library on campus, but it is a bit of walk from McCombs, approximately 15 minutes. It opens at 10 am on Sundays, which is two hours earlier than the PCL. I like the spacious cubicles that each have plugs and light, so I am isolated from distractions but still have plenty of space. One interesting thing is that once you see the amount of reading of others, who are generally law students, suddenly you will feel the amount of reading and writing you do is rather light.

Architecture library:

In my opinion, this is the most classical library on campus. It was built over 100 years ago, with antique furniture and modern equipment. If you can get a big table next to the window, it is an ideal place to study. The only downside is that you cannot bring food and drinks into library (you can leave them at the entrance desk). Another one is plugs are not as accessible in here as they are in PCL and the productivity center.

Life science library:

It is located on the second floor of the tower. Similar to the architecture library, it has a main hall full of character and historical atmosphere. Some people say this hall reminds them of Harry Potter. You can bring drinks and food into the library, but the plugs are not very accessible at the long wood tables. They also have another area behind the check-out desk that has individual tables, separated by screens, and plugs are very accessible there, but the internet connection is not as good (To me this is actually a good thing, avoiding unnecessary web surfing). This place provides options for those who like to study in an open space, as well as those who like to study in more isolated spaces.

Academics, Karin, Student Life

Time Management Isn’t a Course, But You’ll Learn It Anyway

March 30, 2016 karinschultz Leave a comment

So I went into this semester thinking my life would be less hectic than the fall…I was wrong.

I thought running a 1/2 was a good idea...when I signed up in June. — October: I thought running a 1/2 was a good idea…when I signed up in June.

Quick recap of the fall: I was in 4.5 classes (lyceum was once a week with very little work involved beyond going to class) and was recruiting. I also ran a half marathon and had pneumonia (yes…at the same time); took the whole week of Thanksgiving off to attend a wedding in Key West, then passed through on Austin on my way to Denver to see the Broncos beat the Patriots in OT. So…I was a little busy!

I can't lie, spending a week in South Florida was an amazing way to relax before the homestretch. — November: I can’t lie, spending a week in South Florida was an amazing way to relax before the homestretch.

Later that same week. It was 16 degrees during the game, but given the result I was ok with it! — November: Later that same week: it was 16 degrees during the game, but given the result I was ok with it!

I assumed that this semester would be lighter-5 classes, but no recruiting, no racing beyond a 10K in April, and no skipping school for personal obligations. HA! I didn’t consider that my course load would involve group projects in 4/5 classes, with tests in some, plus individual homework and projects.

Some days, this is me — Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

I no longer get to spend my Fridays at home sleeping in and doing homework in sweatpants, which I miss terribly. Instead I’m up early every day of the week (including weekends) trying to get my work done and pull my fair share in projects. For my own sanity and health I’ve also upped my days at the gym to at least 4/week, alternating between weights, swimming, and running.

While I am extremely busy, I don’t see this ending anytime soon. Students are drawn to UT’s MPA program because it gets you to your goals faster, whether that’s a FT job offer, CPA eligibility, or a chance at a new career.

This is, logistically, one of the busiest times in my life, but I am going to leave McCombs knowing myself better and how to make the best of any future work or personal situation…and if I’m not sure, well-I’ve been taught how to learn and question by the best…so I think everything’s going to be fine 🙂

Courses by Semester

Fall 2015: Finance, Managerial, Intermediate, Audit, Lyceum

Spring 2016: FSA, Management Audit (Internal Auditing), Strategic Controls, Business Law, ITAC

Academics, Karin, Student Life

It Depends…

March 23, 2016 karinschultz Leave a comment

For many of us in the traditional MPA program, our lives have changed drastically in the past few months. Exiting the workforce, entering grad school, trying to get offers to re-enter the workforce, maintaining a life (with some of us fairing better than others), and balancing shifting priorities.

I came into this program with my ideas of what grad school, accounting, and being an accountant all meant. Most of my preconceived notions have been shattered.

Grad School
I’m not sure what I really thought grad school would be like, but it’s hard. Like, really hard. It strains your patience, brain capacity, and time management skills. But it’s also amazing. I’m learning so much, often about things that I never questioned or thought would be of interest to me. I’m also finding unique intersections between my communications background and accounting.

Accounting
Taking introductory accounting courses in a low pressure environment made accounting seem easy. Shocker-it’s not. There’s such a steep learning curve here, especially since I don’t have an accounting background that I sometimes want to cry.

Being An Accountant
I came in thinking that numbers are everything. And they are, but only when paired with professional judgement. We constantly hear the phrase

“It depends”

and it’s so true. Nothing is black and white, and if someone tells you it is, as one of my professor’s says, “Run away!”

So before committing to this program or this profession, do a self-assessment. Do you want to be challenged? Can you handle tears, both your own and your classmates? Do you want to learn everyday? Do you want to apply what you learn in one class to all your others, and the real world?

As always if anyone is considering our program please reach out to myself, or another MPA Student Ambassador. We love this program, and want to help you figure out if it’s the right fit for you!

Live and Learn