Austin, Megan

Hot Fun in the Summertime

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I moved to Austin in July to attend summer classes for the MPA program. Having lived in Texas for most of my life, the majority of my summers were spent hiding from the heat in air-conditioned malls and movie theaters. However, I have found that 100+ degrees temps do not slow down Austinites when it comes to participating in outdoor activities, so I obviously had to get out and join them.

Over the past few weeks, I went to the Shakey Graves concert during Blues on the Green, a summer concert series put on by a local radio station, saw J.Cole concert with Big Sean at Circuit of the Americas, hiked and paddle boarded on Ladybird Lake, attended the Austin PRIDE parade, and tubed in the San Marcos River with some MPA peers.

I also dipped my toe in the ocean of Austin restaurants, eating at: Trudy’s, Tacodeli, Stubb’s BBQ, and (my favorite because desserts) Gourdough’s.

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Throughout the summer, I took advantage of the quiet campus and explored. This is one of my favorite pictures of the Tower on a clear blue sky  day:

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The UT campus area has so much to offer, and I especially look forward to spending more time at the Blanton Museum of Art, the Bullock Texas State History Museum and the LBJ Presidential Library (One of my undergraduate degrees is in History, if you could not tell).

Needless to say, with recruiting and beginning the fall semester, my first couple of weeks in Austin were packed, but I enjoyed every moment of it. While it is tough to say goodbye to summer, I definitely took advantage of what Austin has to offer and look forward to all that the fall has in store.

Austin, Olivia

Final Austin Recommendations

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In no time at all, my final exams for Advanced Accounting and Ethics will be over and my time as a tMPA will be complete. The past year has been incredible (and busy!) and I couldn’t depart without leaving the blog with some final Austin-area suggestions:

Pacha – This is my #1 go-to spot for breakfast/brunch. The pancakes are unparalleled and the space is cute and funky. Service can be slow on weekends since pancakes are made from scratch and the kitchen is small.

Sandy’s – This place has been around since 1945 and is hopping on weekend evenings. The burgers, fries, and custard-based shakes are worth checking out. Sandy’s is a hop and skip away from Zilker, so you can plan to go after a picnic or a dip in Barton Springs Pool.

Barton Springs Pool
Tacodeli – There are tons of taco shops in Austin but my favorite has to be Tacodeli for the selection and awesome queso. Sadly, it is only open for breakfast and lunch. If you are craving tacos in the evening (and why wouldn’t you be), try Las Trancas.

Crown and Anchor – This bar is close to campus and has a good selection of beer and bar food. On Sunday evenings, games of pool are free.

Violet Crown and Alamo Drafthouse – These are my two favorite theaters to catch a movie in Austin. Violet Crown is downtown on 2nd Street and Alamo has several locations around town. Both theaters serve food but Alamo takes things to the next level with servers that come right to your seat.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum – If you’re an MPA student, you know Charles Umlauf’s work because Umlauf sculpted The Family Group in front of McCombs. The Umlauf is a beautiful space with a rotating indoor exhibit, and a permanent collection outdoors. I highly recommend a visit.

Thank you for reading. I wish the best of luck to the MPA class of 2017 and beyond.

Bingchao, Recruiting

When a 4-Hour Flight Turned into 24

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You might have heard the phrase, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” What I learned from my prolonged and exhausting trip last week while traveling for an AICPA workshop is my attempt at making a cup of tasty lemonade.

My original plan was to fly from Washington DC to Chicago to Austin. I would be arriving around 10 pm on Saturday and the next day I could study for a Monday exam. Everything was great.

But it did not go like that, at all. I ended up arriving in Austin at 10 pm on Sunday night and cramming at the last minute before the exam.

plane was delayed

What happened was the flight from Washington DC to Chicago was delayed, so I did not catch the flight from Chicago to Austin. The flight was rescheduled to 11 am on Sunday and I end up staying in Chicago for one night. Next day in front of the gate, I found out the rescheduled flight was cancelled. After calming myself down, I called and booked the earliest flight available, which was on Monday afternoon. When I asked the agent for a hotel voucher, she said there was none but she offered to fly me from Chicago to Nashville to Dallas to Austin, arriving at 10 pm on Sunday. Weighing costs and benefits, I went with the latter choice (already thinking like an accountant!).

Things I learned:

  1. If you are traveling for a job interview, keep the interviewers’ contact information handy (both in your phone and on paper), in case you need to inform them unexpected delays.
  2. Always be nice and calm when talking to agents (especially when you wear a longhorn shirt). Being mad at them does not mitigate the problem. First of all, delays and cancellation are not their fault. More importantly, your emotional arguments could distract them from finding the optimal solution for you.
  3. Be firm on your rights. Know your rights and the company’s obligations in unexpected flight delays or cancellations. Reading the company’s official website or 3rd party forums could be helpful.
  4.  Technical side: download the documents you want to review on the laptop when you have internet, in case you cannot find access at the airport. Also, buy a portable battery charger for your phone. Outlets can be hard to find and you might forget your phone in the charging station.

The bottom line: prepare for everything, expect nothing.

Academics, Karin, Student Life

Jumping Right In

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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.

Tax Present
We even got a present our first day of tax!

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:

Tower

Hook ‘em Horns

Academics, Olivia

Unexpected Opportunities in the tMPA Curriculum

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As I near the end of my tMPA career, I have been reflecting on three unexpected opportunities that the tMPA curriculum has brought my way.

email_nite_400W_iStock_000022788611Large1. Writing – Often when people think of accountants, they think of number crunchers. However, accountants of all types encounter plenty of writing in their professional careers in email form, report form, and everything in between. As such, the MPA curriculum incorporates quite a few writing assignments to get MPAs ready for the real world. My Ethics course (BGS 381L) this summer session has ten journal assignments and my Fraud (ACC 383K.4) course last summer session had three written cases. So to the incoming and prospective students out there, sharpen up those Word skills and get ready to hone your prose–you’ll need more than Excel to get through the MPA. Luckily Microsoft Office is sold at the UT Campus Computer Store in the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) for a steep educational discount.

2. Guest Speakers – I had no idea just how many opportunities I would have to interact with a wide range of guest speakers in the classroom such as Mack Brown, a former FBI agent, and of course several public accounting and industry professionals. The MPA Distinguished Speakers Lyceum provides the most obvious opportunity to encounter speakers, however, most of my classes also had speaker presentations. These presentations are a great opportunity to mix up the day, gain insight, and network.

3. Group Projects and Presentations – In our careers, we will likely work on countless teams. Numerous group projects are woven into the MPA curriculum that allow MPAs to work on both our team and presentation skills. School is a great opportunity to work on these skills before heading off to full-time employment.

In sum, not only has the tMPA curriculum developed my “hard” accounting skills, but it prepared me holistically for the workplace through writing assignments, guest speaker interactions, and group projects and presentations.

MPA Student Life Blog