HKUST

Music: The Last Goodnight- Pictures of You (This was a free iTunes song a while ago, and I love it!!!)
Mood: un time management?

So recently since my parents came up this past weekend, I've really been entertaining the idea of studying abroad. I'm aiming to go to Hong Kong next Fall (Fall 2008) and studying at Hong Kong University University of Science and Technology. There is an info session on Thurs, Oct. 25 at 5pm in the B-school. Once I go to that and sign in for going, I can then speak to a business school study abroad adviser. The only thing I'm really worried about is course equivalences with my BHP and Plan II degree. I figure I can take about two or three business classes, hopefully get Honors credit for them (or do some supplementary work to fulfill the Honors credit), and then I'll also take two liberal arts class to fulfill my Plan II humanities credit (specifically art or music history). Hopefully they offer those at HKUST. Other than that, I'm really excited about possibly studying abroad. I obviously need to do more planning than what I've done right now, but I'm pumped about it. I suppose it is because I'm sort of sick of the routine that has become my Sophomore year. I don't know what it is, but I guess I'm easily bored. Things fall into routine way too often for me. For my 12 week internship, by about the 8th or 9th week, I got sick of the routine and was ready to be done with the work, though the overall experience was great. So likewise, we're in about our 9th or 10th week of school, and I'm getting kind of bored again. Gah. So I guess thinking about studying abroad is a nice distraction from the routine.

Also, my grandparents live in Hong Kong, so it'd be nice to be able to see them and maybe have dim sume with them on weekends. I also hope to brush up on my Cantonese. I mean, I can speak Cantonese and get by with ordering food or carrying a simple conversation with someone about school, but for the most part, I'm really rusty. So hopefully being in HKUST, I can practice speaking Cantonese and be able to better communicate with my grandparents. Also, it helps that maybe when I'm over there, they might pay for some bills or pay for lunch. Haha. Wow. Just kidding, I'm a bad grandchild. Haha. But anyway, going to Hong Kong would be AMAZING! I'll update ya'll about that after I settle everything out.

Ok, so right now. I'm totally not doing homework I should be doing. I feel soo unproductive. Today, I did some management, studied for my Spanish quiz (gosh, the word sucrusal is soo hard to memorize and so is pedir prestado), and I also did my target resume for BA 151. But GAH, I still need to BEGIN to study for my French Revolution test on Friday. We were reviewing in class on Monday in the UTC, but there was another bomb threat so we evacuated. This is the second time my French class has been canceled. It's so frustrating. I don't understand why people do such stupid and senseless things. It's a waste of time, effort, and energy. Just go take your test and quit making bomb threats. So yes, I still need to study for my French Revolution test. I mean, it's not difficult, I just need to sit down and DO IT. Sheezz. It's only 12:30, what am I complaining about. I've got plenty of time. I don't have class until 9:30.. So whatever.

Oh, and tomorrow, signups start at 9 for Bain and BCG Meet-and-Brief sessions next-next Tuesday, so hopefully I'll be able to get a signup timeslot. Oh, and taking about tomorrow, Wednesdays are my horrible days. I'll basically go from 9:30 til 9pm living at the B-school. This is my life, as a business/plan ii student. I'll have a break for lunch, for the gym, and for dinner, but other than that nothing. But I guess staying busy keeps me going. Though it is routine, I'm still chugging along getting things done and doing well in class.. haha. "doing well"

Also today, I got tickets for the Frank Warren visit. The founder of Post Secret is coming to UT on Thursday, Nov. 1st at 7pm. I can't wait for this event. I'm not sure what to expect. I guess these secrets are kind of personal, and everyone gathering together might be scary or different. I mean, I've sent in only one secret before, and I really don't know what happened to it. I mean, it was personal, and I felt sending it would be liberating but it really wasn't. I just sent it and that was it. But oh well, I'm still excited about meeting him and hearing what he has to say. Speaking of which, there were some cool postcards in this week's and last week's blog. Here are two that I found inspiring and touching.






Finally, I'd like to do one more shameless plug for the case competition. Signups are due by Friday, 10/16 at 4pm in the Frito Lay, and applications can be found at www.texasbusinesscouncil.com. So sign up if you're interested because the cash and money is nice and the experience is a good way to learn and a great talking point for recruiters.

Well, with that, I need to get to doing my French Revolution studying. And I really wanted to watch Heroes today but nonetheless, my poor time management skills resulted in needing to do homework rather than being able to relax and watch Heroes. Also, I think I'm running in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5k. I'm still trying to train to get a good time, so my goal is to do 3 miles each day and try to improve my time each time. The problem is I need to find a good breathing pattern to last 3 miles. I mean, it's not like it's hard or I get tired, it's just I can breathe correctly yet, so we'll see. And if you're interested, visit www.komenaustin.org to sign up or do donate. I haven't yet registered, but I plan to soon.

Ok, seriously I need to FR ahora!

El Día de los Padres

Music: Matt White- Best Days
Mood: Comfortable

Hooray for Parent's Day! I'm a sophomore now. That means this is my second year here at UT, but my parents insist on coming up for Parent's Day. I'm not sure why? It's the same info session about the business school and Plan II-- presentations about the great resources and great professors here at UT. I guess it's just an excuse for them to come up and see me. I haven't seen my parents since school started, and I won't be back home until Thanksgiving. So it is pleasant to know that my parents are taking the weekend to come up and visit me. They are, after all, emptynesters. My brother is off in the "real world" with a "real job" living in a "real apartment" and fending for himself in a big city, and here I am, a college student, it's coming up on the last 3 years they have to support me financially. After that, the tables will turn , and I think I'll feel obligated to pay them back for college, just simply because they supported themselves through college, so I'd feel a responsibility to pay them back. But yes, it is Parent's Day. I spent the entire day with them. We ran errands, getting food and other essentials from Target. Every time my parents come up to Austin, they always get a hotel room with two beds, just for me to spend the night. However, tonight, I chose not to spend the night with them simply because it is only 10:30, and it's too early to call it a night. But, in any case, I love it when my parents come to visit because it means a restock in supplies, a great dinner at an Austin restaurant, and spending time with my parents. My dad is sooo silly and with my mom, they crack me up all the time. Tonight, I took them to Thai Passion, which they loved, of course. Then I took them to the Driskill Hotel just to seen interior and the architecture.

In other news, I'm flying down to Houston on Tuesday the 30th to do an office visit/second round interview with chemical company. I'm really excited about that because I'll get to fly out around 8:30am and then fly back to Austin that same day around 4pm. My first "business trip." It'll be pretty cool. Hopefully that will turn into an internship offer. This company has finance opportunities within the company similar to what I did this past summer in Detroit, but one perk is that this company in Houston has a rotational program, so if I'm extended an offer, I'll get the chance to spend time in two to three different finance functions.

Oh, and on Thursday, I attended the Honors Association Company Dinner and sat with a hedge-fund company in Dallas. I already interviewed with them for a summer internship two weeks ago, but I chose to sit with them again at the dinner so I could make more contacts with representatives at the company. I talked with someone who worked with interns last summer, and he was able to provide me with insight into the role an intern would take on. The person who I interviewed with was also at the dinner, so I was able to speak to her further about my interest in the company. Hopefully, I was able to convey my interest in the company because I would love to be invited for a second round interview at the offices in Dallas.

Realistically, I think the problem is that I don't know what I want to do this this summer. Like I said before, I was already extended an offer to return to the company I interned with this past summer, except this time, it'll be in Audit Services-- which is more accounting based. Obviously, I don't really have anything else to weigh this offer with until I hear from the hedge fund company and the chemical company I'm visiting in Houston. However, I'm still conflicted as to what I should major in.. finance or accounting. And then I'm not sure if I want to pursue a PhD in business. Haha. I feel that every time I write a blog posting, I get confused as to what major should be or what I should do. Ahh. But I guess by early or mid November, I'll pretty much know all my options and then have to decide what I want to do this summer. I also know I'm probably going to be doing MPA, just because I don't really mind accounting, and UT has the number one Accounting program in the nation. But we'll see.

Oh, and also, I knew I was going to study abroad, but now I'm pretty sure that I'm going to go abroad next Fall to Hong Kong. I'm really excited but kind of worried about the classes I'd take while I'm there. I'm not sure how it'll mix with my Business Honors and Plan II classes. Gah. But we'll see, because I'm also trying to work out my housing and living off campus. If anyone is studying abroad in the Spring of next year (Spring 2009), let me know.

That's what's going on with me so far. I feel so scatter-brain as to what I really want to do. Each week seems to go by so quickly, living day to day, scraping by from class to class, organization to organization. But when I take a step back, I'm totally confused as to what I want to be doing with my life in general. Oh well. I'll just enjoy the weekend for now,

Fall is in the Air

Music: Plain White T's- Hey There Delilah

Mood: Shin Splints Stink

So it's Tuesday, and it feels sort of like the week has been going on forever. It's kind of bad when you start loosing track of what day of the week it is. Every week is becoming a blur, and the weekends seem too short. The bane of my existence is to survive the week and make it to the weekend only to repeat the same thing again. It's sort of like an abysmal black hole. School and college life seems like a unsatisfiable monster, that wants more and more and more, regardless of however much I give. I really want a week to just sleep in every day and do NOTHING. But that isn't possible.... until Thanksgiving, and even then, Thanksgiving isn't really a break because you've got Thanksgiving shopping, Thanksgiving dinner preparation, the actual dinner, recovery from dinner, and then Black Friday. But, ah, yes, this weekend was relaxing.. I'm just greedy and want to relax some more.. and the sad thing is that I can't even take it easy during Winter Break because I'll be taking Gov 312L at HCC for four weeks, 9-12. So yes. College is a greed time-sucker who keeps wanting more. Shame on you Mr. College. Haha.

So other than that, things are going as normal. To avoid being scatterbrained, I'll break down my thoughts and then attack them one at a time.

[1] treadmills at gregory
[2] how to fax things
[3] case competition
[4] becoming a professor
[5] the weather and how it makes ppl bundle up
[6] + / - grading system
[7] office visit
[9] bleeding blue
[10] OMG Heroes
[11] Colorado Rockies!?!

ok so here we go, are you ready?

[1] treadmills at gregory- today, i waited 10 minutes for a freaking treadmill at Gregory Gym... at 4 in the afternoon. Ludicrous! There's a 5K Race for the Cure coming up soon, and I'd love to sign up for that. The thing is, I can't seem to go competitively for 3miles straight. Gah. I guess I should have gone up to the indoor track or better yet, since the weather is better, I could go jogging at Clark field in the PM. I guess that's what I miss about the summer. Many of ya'll know I interned in Detroit this summer. The company put me in an apartment in suburb, and everyday after work, I went jogging for about an hour.. It was intense and relaxing.. and the weather was wonderful. When I got back to Texas after my internship, I was like WHOA, it's soo humid and hot, even at 8pm. Now that Fall weather is finally coming through, I think I'll pick up jogging outside again.. So hopefully, I'll be prepared for a 5k. My friends are doing it too... so even if I don't get a good time, I know for sure I'll finish and it'll be for a great cause!

[2] how to fax things- Today, I had to fax a room un-lock form for the Case Competition to insure that the rooms would be unlocked on Saturday, November 3rd (the day of the case). I went to the Undergraduate Programs Office and talked to one of the office workers about faxing this form. She had never sent a fax before and I'd only sent a fax once... on the job this summer. So I think it took us a good 15 to 20 minutes to figure out how to fax a cover letter and the actual form. Now, I'm not sure if it was outdated technology or if it was me who wasn't sure how to use the technology. We kept pushing the button that said, cover letter, and then it needed some ID code, so I was really confused. What I ended up doing was just fax the cover page and then fax the actual form separately. I'm guessing I could have just put the cover letter and then the form, typed in the number, and hit fax.. but that cover letter button tricked us... So moral of the story: Faxes,, though they were really advanced technology back in elementary school, are now pretty obsolete due to email and the age of instant technology. Oh, and if you're interested.. i hit 65 emails today.. only 4 or 5 which were newsletters/mass emails.... and it's only 7:40... boy how i miss freshman year where I only got like 8 emails, 5 of which were newsletters, etc. ohwell, I guess email is "making us more efficient."

[3] case competition- SIGN UP! Applications are online right now at www.texasbusinesscouncil.com and are due 10/26. Info sessions are 10/22 and 10/23 at 5pm in GSB 2.122


[4] becoming a professor- on Monday, I met with Professor McAllister. She's a Marketing professor and spoke at the HBA meeting last Tuesday. I talked with her about my interest in becoming a professor and how to get a PhD in Business. We discussed the pressures of getting published and what the career path is like for a professor. I'm definitely glad she took the time to talk to me, because I really had NO idea what it was like to be a professor. I feel that in the business school, there is so much emphasis on getting a job after graduation, or going on to law or med school.. but what about masters or PhD in business. Prof. McAllister told me that first, i need to find out what I really want to do. She advised me to get involved with research during my undergraduate career. Many of the PhD coordinators here at UT have seminars or talks where PhD students and professors give talks about their research. She recommended that I sit in on these discussions and find out what field of business I'm interested and try working as a research assistant. Then from that, typically, after undergraduate, students interested in becoming professors either go on to masters programs or straight into PhD programs, where they have to be published one or two business journals. From there, you'd go to a university where you'd go on the tenure track. During the roughly 6 year tenure track, you have to be published about 6 or 7 times, which can include what you've done during your PhD program. So in short, I'm still interested in becoming a professor, but I'm not sure what area I'd be interested in. Prof. McAllister said that if I can get published as an undergraduate in one of the major business journals, I could go straight into a PhD program. So this sounds interested, but I just have to expose myself to academia business if I really want to get a PhD in business and become a professor. It's kind of tricky, just because I really don't know what I want to do with my BBA. I know I'm pretty good at many things, so this is tricky. But I did email the various PhD Coordinators for the different majors, and I intend on attending some of the seminiars to get a feel for the different business research papers people are working on, and perhaps I could become a research assistant. We'll see.. oh, and here's the link to see what publications professors have written- http://acsprod.mccombs.utexas.edu/publications/pub_search.aspx

[5] the weather and how it makes ppl bundle up- the weather is simply amazing! some times, i wish we could have class outside. last year, in my plan 2 world lit class, we always had class outside when the weather was nice. then again, there were only 18 people in the class. this year, my smallest class is spanish, with about 30 students, but i doubt we'd have class outside in spanish. anyways, i love how the weather makes people bundle up, even though it's not cold. people from the north would probably laugh at us crazy texans. I saw this girl today wearing a scarf and a leather jacket today.. and it was like 75 degrees? granted, I was a little chilly myself.. but still. it's nice weather. why hide from it?

[6] + / - grading system- personally, i'm against + / - grading because i think it'll make students more picky about grades and make professor's teaching responsibilities more difficult, as there will be a finer line between the 85 and the 87s or what have you. Apparently, + / - grading is inevitable, as the UT administration has approved it. However, there is a Plus/Minus Grading Forum being hosted by the Senate of College Councils this Thursday, October 18, 2007 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm in the Jester Auditorium. Go the forum if you're interested. I'm not sure what I'll think if +/- is implemented. Actually, my GPA might go down, because a 90 or 91 would be considered an A- and thus a 3.67. =(

[7] office visit- so I've arranged my office visit with the chemical company in Houston. I'll be flying into Houston on Tuesday, 10/30 in the morning and then flying back to Austin in the PM the same day. That's going to be some crazy day, and I'll be skipping accounting for that. So hopefully, this visit turns into an offer for the summer. I'm excited that I get to visit the offices. It should be fun!

[9] bleeding blue- I stabbed myself with a blue pen today trying to put the pen back on the cap. I missed the cap, and instead, dug a trench in my finger, now now, it's bleeding a bit, and the skin is outlined in blue.. it's pretty sick.

[10] OMG Heroes- Heroes is my escape from the real world. Maybe it's just nice to watch fake TV characters deal with problems entirely different than what I'm doing in my life. And I think the Clarie and Wes love is really adorable! They make a great couple. Oh I hope the dad isn't sketchy and let's them date.

[11] colorado rockies!?!- in the last post, I talked about how I'm excited about Boston. However, I cannot help but feel happy for the Colorado Rockies.. The first time in their franchise history of making it to the world series. That's pretty amazing. As an Astros fan, I can totally relate. Thus, I wish the Rockies all the best and inside, I'm cheering for them to take the world series title, just because I want them to do well. So if Boston can hold off Cleveland and beat them, I really don't know who to cheer for. My gut would go with Boston, but my emotions would go for the Rockies.. oh we'll just have to see. =)

Well, I have to say that this is one of my most structured posts. Tomorrow, is going to be a LONG day. I start at 9:30 and won't be done till about 9 again. =( Then I've got an interview with an oil company on Thursday at 9:30, and then there's the honors business corporate dinner later that night. Well, now that I've gotten all that off my mind, off to do the pile of homework I have for tonight. Hope everyone has a great week!

The Weekend

Music: Bon Jovi- Livin' on a Prayer
Mood: Relaxing

Texas beat Iowa State 56 to 3! And LSU was upset by Univ. of Kentucky! Sweet, this truly is the season of upsets. Haha. And Cal was beat by Oregon State. Sheezz. Who is going to be in the BCS Championship then? Ahhhh.

So far, this weekend has been great! It's nice to know that this coming week will be relatively mild. No crazy tests or any extreme stress-inducing assignments. So this means that this weekend can be pretty laid back. Obviously, I've got some homework to do, like reading for French Revolution, Philosophy, and Management, but other than that, I'm taking a nice break from school.

In fact, today, after sleeping in, getting brunch at Kinsolving, I watched last Monday's episode of Heroes. That was sooo good, and I am anticipating Monday's episode. Afterwards, I went to Gregory Gym to lay out by the pool and enjoy the sun and good weather. So this weekend has been great so far. It's finally nice to take a break and not have to worry about studying for tests or worrying about completing assignments!

Well, I guess that's all I have for now. I'll return to the Red Sox vs. Cleveland game. Go Sox!!! =) I love Boston and the Red Sox (only second to the Astros, of course!). In fact, I'd love to maybe intern or even work in Boston after college! =)

Email Galore

Music: Maroon 5- Wake up Call
Mood: Anxious

[[If you haven't seen the music video for Maroon 5's Wake Up Call, check it out. It's pretty amazing!]]

So it's finally Friday, and my insane week is coming to a close. There's only one thing between me and the weekend-- my Spanish test at 3pm. Other than that, despite three tests, this week has been pretty mild, though my grades are kinda meh right now. I took my accounting test on Tuesday and got it back on Thursday. I did pretty good, but not as well as I would have liked to. I mean, there's just no telling what to really expect. The management test on Wednesday was fair, though I sort of guessed on one of the short answer, so we'll see how that turns out. On Monday, there was a bomb-threat at the UTC so my French Revolution class was canceled. I got my French Revolution essay back on Wednesday, and I was very satisfied with the grade I got. That was my first history paper, and I'd say I did pretty well, especially for my first upper-division liberal arts class. So school-wise, all is well. I'm just sort of nervous about my Spanish test because I mean, I know the material and the grammar, I'm just worried about the vocab. In fact, I arranged to meet with my professor at her office at 10 today, but she wasn't there, so instead I'm tying away in the Mill lab. Hopefully she can meet with me at 12 before my test so I can ask her some questions.

Throughout the week, I was reading on yahoo.com and noticed two interesting articles:

• People spend more time with their computers than with their loved ones
• Email-free friday

I can say that I relate to both articles really well. I'd say I spend a lot of time on the computer.. from reading online articles for classes, blogging, facebook, and of course, email. However, I try to spend as little time on the computer as possible simply because it's a waste of time. I think technology is helpful and good, but I feel we're becoming more dependant on computers. For example, I live off my outlook calendar to tell me what I need to do, where, and when. Oh, and yesterday, I set a new record... 50 received emails from various people regarding various things... imagine that.. a lot of it was organizing the case competition with my committee. But today, my goal is to receive as little emails as possible. Maybe even an email-free Friday, which is virtually impossible. But yea, go technology. At least I haven't gotten addicted to a Blackberry or a PDA. If I had one, I'd be on email all the time. but as of now, I just check email in the morning when I wake up, and then when I return to my room in the evening around 6, before dinner. Then when I'm studying and have my computer on, that little pop-up telling you have new email is always a distraction. So in short, Email but a necessary evil. Grr.. my question is what did people do before email? I remember getting my first email account in like elementary school.. it was a yahoo account and had something to do with a Pokemon character.. charzard maybe? But yea, I think we've come a long way from then.

Also, the end of the week means capture the flag at the capitol with HBA. I'm excited about that because CTF at the capitol is always fun. If you've never done it, you have to before you graduate!

Ok, since ya'll know I'm also a BHP Student Recruiter, I have to do another shameless plug:

Business Honors Program Sophomore Transfer Info Sessions
Thursday, October 18th, 5:00 pm in CBA 4.304
Wednesday, November 14th, 5:00 pm in CBA 4.304
Open to all freshmen interested in the BHP!
Learn about the application process and speak with our staff
Tiff’s Treats will be provided

Well with that, I hope everyone had a great week!

Oh sweet, I just got a call from a chemical company I interview with last week.(I thought it was last week, but I just checked my calandar, and apparently it was on Monday. yes, this past Monday.. wow, I have lost my sense of time). But yes, the person I recruited with just called me and told me they want to invite me to visit their offices for sort of a second round interview/get to know the company! So hopefully this is a good sign. I'll need to arrange with the company when to visit, transportation, etc. But yay! That's exciting!

Ok, I need to jet out of here. I have Philosophy in 5 minutes. Horray for discussing the concept of the Trinity, pre-destination, God's foreknowing, and the idea of Grace. See ya'll! =)

Three Tests Next Week + OU Weekend = Stress?

Music: Ben Folds- Brick
Mood: Content

OU Stinks. Grrrrr. And it's not like they did any better than we did, we just had that silly fumble and interception. Texas needs to stop throwing away games. Now we're 0-2 in the conference and 4-2 overall... sheezz. I'm definitely looking forward to the Purdue vs. Ohio State game and the Florida vs. LSU game. This year's college football is pretty insane. Hook 'em!

On the subject of sports, is anyone following the MLB playoffs? I'm excited that Boston is doing well. And that the Yankees literally got BUGGED OUT. ouch! Also, I'm cheering for the Rockies as well b/c their ball club deserves to do well. Speaking of baseball, I'm still a huge ASTROS fan. In fact, look what you can buy on mlb.com....


It's a Dreamseat Houston Astros Recliner for the low price of $999.99, down from $1295. Again, my birthday is Nov. 15th. Tehehe. Just kidding. I don't think that thing would match anything else in my dorm room, much less fit in my room. But, imagine having that in your room. How insane would that be?

So, this past week was good. No tests, no real pressures nor commitments in any classes. Just some regular homework here and there; the usual. In management, we had a reflection paper due where we analyzed a work experience using the management concepts we learned in the past six weeks. I wrote about my internship experience this past summer and discussed how well I was treated as an intern and how I was motivated to learn and accomplish my goals. And from writing this paper, I was able to reexamine what I'm looking for in a company and what I really want to do with my life. Since this week was not so busy, school-wise, I spent more time recruiting. My interview on Tuesday went well. Then on Wednesday, I went to the Night Prior for a hedge fund company. I'm really interested in this company, as it would be nice to gain exposure to the finance industry. I had an 8am interview with them, which was very informal, so I'm not sure how I did. They just asked me some questions about activities on my resume and some other questions, then they told me more about the company and the responsibilities I would have as an intern. If this interview went well, they said they would fly me to their offices to visit the firm and do a second-round interview.. so that's exciting... hopefully that works out! Also, some friends I know who are also sophomores interviewed with this same company, so best of luck to them as well. Hopefully many of us get offers for an internship.

All the internship interview's I've gotten were through dropping my resume online on McCombs Online Recruiting System and also meeting the recruiters at the career fair. I think we're really fortunate to have the No. 1 recruiting services of all business schools, according to the Princeton review. The Online Recruiting System is such a huge asset. To be able to drop your resume to job postings and then be screened and schedule an interview on the system is pretty amazing. I guess sometimes, we don't realize how lucky we are. I don't know how I would be recruiting for internships right now with out the system. So this is a hint... USE the resources here at McCombs. On Mondays and Fridays, I give a Business Honors Program info session to students interested in McCombs and BHP. Often times, they worry about how large the school appears to be, and think they can't get the personalized education that the ivy-leagues and private schools promise. What I tell them, and this convinces them, is that such a large institution like UT has so many resources that smaller/private schools cannot provide to the students. The thing is the students have to take advantage of the resources provided to them. I tell the parents and prospective students that nobody is going to be coddling you to push you to get a job or brining the opportunities to you. It's really what you make of the resources available and taking initiative to get what you want. So yea, enough with my rant about taking advantage of opportunities. But yea, You can do whatever you want here at UT...
"What Starts Here Changes the World" (said in a Walter Cronkite voice). Haha.

So as ya'll know, Case Competition is coming up.. applications will be out within the next week, October 15th to be exact. And I'm sort of FREAKING out. Case is in about 4 weeks. My committee has our first meeting next week where we'll discuss food, judges gifts, resume books, etc. Ekk. I need to arrange things so I can spend money for the account. I have to get publicity up, signup forms ready, judges and corporate judges ready. I need to arrange t-shirts and the actual case. All this in four weeks. So do me a favor- promote the case competition to your friends; form your own team; get ready to sign up!!

And if I don't write to ya'll next week, I apologize in advanced. I've got three tests. Accounting on Tuesday, Management on Wednesday, and Spanish on Friday. I studied last night (yes, on a Friday night) till 1. Woke up again this morning and studied until Kick-off time. So I think I'm somewhat ready for accounting (knock on wood.. lol) I just need to do the practice test and then some reviewing, and I think I'll be ready. For Management, I need to review the concepts and go over what we've discussed in class. I'm not too worried about the management test because I've stayed up to date with my reading and am fairly comfortable with the material. I just need to put it to memory and then be able to apply to different situations. The Spanish test on Friday is pretty basic. It's over two chapters, but nothing really new. We leaned vocab about the environment, cars, relationships, and age. We also did some grammar stuff about nonexistent antecedents and conjunctions, both which are in the subjunctive tense. So I think I'm good for Spanish, I just need to review. But yea, I was going to go to Dallas this weekend, and it really would have a tons of fun, but I really need to study and prepare for the tests instead of having fun in Dallas and then being stuck on the road in traffic. Hope everyone who went to Dallas had a blast!!!

Hook 'em! Oh and Transformers comes out on DvD October 16th! I'm excited about that. I'd say it was one of the best movies of the summer. And I still really want to see Across the Universe! Oh and how strange is this? A couple, who works, met, and got engaged at a Walmart, got married at Walmart today... Imagine that? Crazy!

Intrinsic Motivation?

Music: Dangerous- Ying Y ang Twins
Mood: In Deep Thought

Wow. Texas Football has really let me down. I went to the Kansas State game until it started down pouring during half time. After I left, we just kept losing.... I'm not looking forward to the OU game and I don't expect it to be too good. Oh, and I read the Sunday and Monday Austin-American Statesman where they did a tw0-day report on Texas Sports and the expenses. Apparently, Texas Athletics will spend $107 million this year. Additionally, Texas Sports spends about $210,000 on each of its 510 athletes. http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/09/30/0930utsportsmain.html
I was so surprised. At least our tuition doesn't go to pay for athletics, but I still think it's crazy how much money goes into Texas Sports. And apparently, the money made from collegiate athletics and donations to college sports is tax-exempt. Read the article for more information. I read the article Sunday night instead of doing homework... but I think it's worth it.

So this week is relatively mild. However, for me, it's been filled with Company Night Priors/ Meet and Briefs with companies. I'm recruiting with various companies and hoping to get an internship for the summer. Today, I had an interview with an oil and gas company today for an internship in energy commodities, where I'd be doing analysis, projection, forecasting, etc. for the commodities area of the industry. To prepare, I talked myself through some possible interview questions. My roommate, who is a Junior MPA student, overheard me practicing and we got on this long conversation about motivation and how we define success. Now, this was at 12am when after I just finished accounting and was preparing to go to bed for my 9am interview today.

So, we got on this long conversation about what motivates me and what drives me to success. I find that in the business world, we're motivated and urged to get jobs and success is measured by the companies we recruit with and the amount we make. There's so much pressure at the business school to be ahead in the "rat race" and to stay ahead to get the interviews and the internships. Many people are extrinsically motivated to achieve success because they care about what other people view them as. People view the go-getters and high achievers as such because they've accomplished so much in the business world. But I guess the question was what comes first, the success or the extrinsic reward of approval from society? Just a random question that we were wondering last night. For me, I'd say a lot of what I do is intrinsic motivation. But what exactly does that mean? I'm motivated to do well in my classes and achieve success because I enjoy pushing my self, setting goals, and being challenged. Why do I stay up late each night slaving over homework? Why do I spend so much time doing extracurricular activities? What is my motivation? I'd say most of it is intrinsic. I genuinely find satisfaction in challenging myself in my courses and truly understanding the material. I also enjoy the actives I'm in business council because of the benefit it provides for others, not because of the recognition I get for putting on these activities. That's my motivation. What motivates you?

Well, the rest of this week is pretty simple. I've got a mangement essay due on Tomorrow that I still need to start. And I'm going to give my shameless plug about case competition:

The actual competition is Saturday, November 3. Case applications are due Friday, 10/26

We have two info session on Mon, 10/22- 5pm- GSB 2.122 and Tues, 10/23- 5pm- GSB 2.122.

The prizes are absolutely fantastic:

1st Place Team- $2,500 + USC Case Competition
2nd Place Team- $1,000 + MIBC (McCombs International Business Council, Nov. 14-17)
3rd Place Team- $700

With that, I bid ya'll a great week and see ya'll later. I'm off to the gym.. I read somewhere that some people think sweat thearpy helps relieve stress. I really think it does because it's a way to get away from all the pressures and such of society.

Oh and one more thing, ya'll know I'm the BHP student recruiter. I got business cards today... I feel so professional and "mature" because I've got my professional business cards with my name on them. And I can give them out to people!!! Stop me when you see me, and I can show you it.. and I'll even give you one! =)

Ok off to the gym! See ya'll!