Tag Archives: Austin

Alexandria, Austin, Career, Employment, Student Life

Hear that?

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That’s opportunity knocking at your door, right here in Austin!

This blog is the next in the series of blogs discussing the components that make Austin such a great city to go to school in. Austin is a city just brimming with opportunity. Whether it is internships or job opportunities, volunteering opportunities, or really any opportunity, Austin can provide it for you.

Internships/ Jobs

The lovely UT campus is located deep in the heart of Austin. A few blocks away from McCombs is the Texas Capitol, home of the Texas Senate and House of Representative. I had the opportunity to intern at the Capitol last spring to explore my interest in law and politics. After a semester as a legislative aide, I figured out that politics wasn’t my forte, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity to immediately find out it wasn’t a field I wanted to continue.

A few blocks from the Texas Capitol is downtown Austin, where opportunities for jobs and internships in almost every industry possible are readily available. As you read earlier, a fellow blogger Xinmiao interned at American Short Fiction and is currently interning at Greenlights for Nonprofit Success. The opportunities are seemingly limitless. Continue reading Hear that? →

Alexandria, Austin, Centennial, Student Life

A long time ago, in a place not too far away…

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One of the most appealing aspects of attending the University of Texas is the fact it is located in the heart of Austin. I know that I was a little nervous moving to a big city for college, but Austin is the perfect college town.  Why would I say that? First of all, I say that because the UT campus is off on its own on the north end of downtown Austin, so you get that feeling of being on a centralized college campus that is rare in urban universities. Second, the entire city seems to be compromised of Longhorn fans and alums, so you’ll see that welcoming shade of burnt orange everywhere you go. The other reasons Austin is a great place to go to school are Austin’s history, opportunities, entertainment and food.

To do the city justice, I will write a post about each of these components of Austin. Today, we are going to focus on the city’s history.

The Founding of Austin

The city’s recorded history began in 1830s when Anglo-American settlers arrived. These settlers eventually founded the city (then called Waterloo) along the banks of the Colorado River.  During this time period (around 1836-37), Texas had just won it’s independence and recently formed the Republic of Texas. In 1837, President Sam Houston established the Republic’s capital in Houston.  It was at President Mirabeau B. Lamar’s instructions that the Texas Congress purchase all the land of Waterloo and surrounding the banks of the Colorado River to establish a permanent Texas capital. The Texas Capital named the new city Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, “the father of Texas,” and officially chartered the city in 1839. Continue reading A long time ago, in a place not too far away… →

Academics, Feature, Karen, Student Life

Accounting Practicum: The Class that Gives Back

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My co-bloggers Ally and Xinmiao have talked about how as MPAs, we do get various opportunities to give back to the community and work with/for not-for-profits. This semester, I am taking a course, which allows me to do just those. Yes, UT has an accounting class that is solely committed to using our accounting knowledge to serve others.

ACC 384 or ACC 366P is the Accounting Practicum class that can be taken by undergraduate and graduate students at McCombs. The class has been offered at UT for six years and has allowed students to become volunteer tax preparers at low-income neighborhoods.

UT partners with Community Tax Centers, a local not-for-profit organization under Foundation Communities. It has partnered with the IRS to implement the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for low income filers. Students taking the class are required to complete at least 55 hours of volunteer service as tax preparers at various Community Tax Centers from January until mid-April. Shifts can be as long as six hours per day.

This past weekend, we took the basic training to become preparers. We learned to navigate the tax preparation software that is being used for the program. We also worked on various cases and scenarios that we might encounter as volunteers and how we can effectively use the IRS guidebooks in helping clients with various tax issues and preparing their returns. Next Friday, we will have our intermediate training to become equipped in handling more complicated tax issues and preparation. The class requires that we take the certification tests after each training to assure that we have sufficient knowledge to do our volunteer work well. Continue reading Accounting Practicum: The Class that Gives Back →

Career, Employment, Feature, Melissa, Recruiting

Cities (Probably) Overlooked During Recruiting: Part 1

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Dinner in San Fran with my brother and cousin

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all survived finals. I know it can be a rough time of year.

This is the first MPA blog from California!
If not, my apologies to the MPA blogger of the past for stealing your thunder.

Spring recruiting is coming up for us third-years, and I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite cities that I will be visiting over the holidays.  Don’t be afraid to recruit for an internship in a city that isn’t Austin. Of course, Austin is one of the best cities in the world, but let’s not forget the other contenders.

First stop, San Francisco!

I’m here in San Francisco visiting some family and am reminded of my love for the city. There is just so much to do and see.

Disclaimer: All Big 4 firms have offices in San Fran, as well as tons of midcap and boutique firms. Could be a good life for an accountant!

There are lots of great things to do in and around the city, as well. Some of my favorite spots are: 

1. Exploratorium: This famous science museum in San Fran is fun for everyone. I have always been a nerd, and I proudly embrace it. Thus, my first time at the Exploratorium I was wide-eyed and grinning the whole time. And to this day, it is still an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. If we are being honest, when I visit the Exploratorium today, I probably still sport the same cheesy grin I did when I was a kid. Continue reading Cities (Probably) Overlooked During Recruiting: Part 1 →

Academics, Alexandria

Is the classical accounting personality required for success?

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You don't have to be a stereotypical accountant like Angela (from The Office) to be successful!

I just read an interesting research article about personality types that succeed in accounting. The article by Bealing, Baker, and Russo researches the Myers-Briggs personality types of graduating accounting students and compares them to the personality type of other graduating business students. The overall Myers-Briggs personality type for accounting students was ESTJ.

For those of you unfamiliar with Myers-Briggs personality type, it measures the perception of individuals and classifies them into one of sixteen different personality types based on four different characteristics (Side note: I highly recommend everyone takes this test, its jaw-dropping to see its description of your personality and definitely helps you become more self-aware. I also think it is crucial for successful teamwork because it helps me understand how others are approaching the same problem but getting such different results.) An ESTJ means that the individual is extroverted (outgoing), sensing (paying attention to information that you collect through your five senses), thinking (making objective decisions), and judging (prefer a structured life style).

You might be asking why I am I telling you this. Am I trying to say that if you are not an ESTJ, you will not be successful in the Texas MPA program? DEFINITELY NOT! Continue reading Is the classical accounting personality required for success? →