Journey Map

Accepted to UT

Blair comes from a family of Aggies. Her grandparents taught at A&M and her parents attended the university, so when her older sister enrolled in UT, the family was less than pleased. However, this didn’t bother Blair one bit, and like her older sister, Blair headed to Austin to wear burnt orange and become the second longhorn in the family.

Throughout high school, Blair was naturally good at school and didn’t have to try excessively in her classes. She made top 10%, and therefore was automatically accepted to The University of Texas at Austin, and then was also accepted to the McCombs school of business. She was very excited about this for a couple of reasons. One, McCombs had a prestigious reputation, and many people she knew, including her older sister didn’t get into the business school, so she was proud to have been accepted. Secondly, since she wasn’t really sure exactly what she wanted to major in, she way happy to be in business due to the variety of successful opportunities the business school offered. 

Freshman Year

In her freshman year, she had a hard time adjusting to the college life. Her prioritization skills between school and fun were poor, and for the first time, her grades suffered. At this point, she was still mostly taking core requirements, so her actual major wasn’t yet much of a concern. She liked the business school and knew she was in the right place, but she had not yet decided what direction to go with her career.

In the spring, she took ACC311, the first accounting class. Though she didn’t like her professor very much, she was very good at the class, and got an A. This was slightly a surprise to her since she had always been more of a math/history person, and she began to consider it as her major. It was a bit of a process of elimination rather than a clear choice. She did well in accounting, but due to the MPA program offered, she preferred to go that route instead of just majoring in accounting. The MPA program was prestigious, and had a very clear career path and plan, which she liked. She also took MIS that semester which she didn’t really enjoy, so that was out. Lastly, though she hadn’t taken the course yet, she was intrigued by marketing. The main downfall however, was that she didn't really know what she would do with a marketing degree. Clearly in accounting, she would be an accountant. More specifically, in MPA, she would not only clearly be an accountant, but the process of finding a job was a streamlined and planned out. She really liked this aspect, especially since she was growing weary of not knowing what she wanted to do with her life.

Sophomore Year

In need of a job, at the beginning of sophomore year, an Accounting Assistant position opened up at the Education School. This job was perfect for a couple of reasons. Blair shared a car with her sister, so she ideally needed a job on campus because her sister had the car most of the time. The salary was competitive for a college job, and lastly, the work included QuickBooks, an important accounting program that would be useful in an accounting career. After filling out the extensive application which included 2 recommendation letters and references, Blair got the job, and started working 19 hours a week.

In the fall, she also took the second accounting class ACC312, and loved it. She had a fantastic professor, enjoyed the material, and once again received an A in the course. At this point, she had a few older friends who had begun the MPA program that fall, and Blair couldn’t help but be attracted to the prestige of the program.  To continue the process of elimination, she took marketing 337 that spring, and rarely attended class due to the dryness of the lectures. Though this didn’t eliminate marketing as a choice, she was interested in MPA she just didn’t really give it a second thought.

At the end of sophomore year, she applied and got into the MPA program. She was very excited for this and to have a direction for her degree to go in. Though, she also knew that getting in was easier than staying in, so that worried her.

Junior Year

At the beginning of junior year she was promoted to another office, which had its pros and cons. She got a pay raise, and was excited that someone had recommender her to move up in the office. However, now her job focus became much less accounting focus, which was somewhat of a let down. Since this upset her, she was more confident in he choice of the MPA program. In the fall she took her first MPA course, tax accounting, and it was the hardest class she had taken in college.

Her courses continued to be difficult, but that wasn’t their only common characteristic. She liked, admired, and aspired to be like her professors. They all led such great lives, styles, families, etc. and she wanted to build that for herself. These professors were role models to her, and a vision of what she could and would become one day.

In the spring, recruiting began, which was a double-edged sword. On one hand, she had a great time meeting the recruiters and partners, and had a lot of fun at the events. On the other side, between work and school, every weekday began at 8 am and ended at about 10pm, and that was before she even started homework. In the end, she found it worth it, but it was a lot of stress at the time. She knew that whichever firm she chose would likely be where she would spend the first few years, at least, of her career. Though this increased the stress level, she also liked it. She liked how perfectly paved the recruiting process was.  She had volunteered for the career fair sophomore year, and was overwhelmed by the companies and choices that were all over the place. But MPA wasn’t like that, she just had to follow the steps laid out for her. She knew she was going to go big four, so with four offers at the end of recruiting, picking one of four firms was the hardest choice she had to make. She knew the work would all be about the same, it was just the personality of the firm that mattered. At the end of the semester she confidently signed with KPMG.

Senior Year

Though only a few weeks in, she is happy with how her semester is going. She is still working, and has a good grasp on her classes. She is excited for her internship, and is confident in the major and career path that she has chosen.