An hour ago, I finished my last examination. I think I am still in denial. It’s not over yet, there are the cohort games, the barbeque with our families at the Salt Lick, other disorientation events and then there is graduation. But truth is that after the events of this week, I will no longer be catching the UT shuttle to 2100 Speedway Drive every morning. In order to relive these memories, my fellow bloggers and some of my very accomplished classmates decided to collaborate to write about our best experiences about McCombs in the last two years.
Alex Niebrugge and his friends attend a social event at McCombs
Blogger Alex Niebrugge will work in Thailand for a while
I am sad for my time in Austin to end. I am excited to start my career, but business school, and the friends I have made here, exceeded my expectations. I am impressed with how strong the Texas brand is and how welcoming alumni were during my job search. Professors Jim Nolen, Sandy Leeds, Michael Brandl, and Jonathan Cohn were incredible professors that I will not forget.
I will miss 70 degree weather in October, the Trailer Park (trashy) taco from Torchy’s, Ping Pong and FIFA with Jeff and Vimal, having Friday’s off, Scott’s open mic performances at Mellow Mushroom, Rudy’s St. Louis ribs, 6 week winter breaks, Maiko sushi happy hour, basketball Friday’s, tennis with Neil and Jenner, and lucking out with two great, clean roommates in Bryan and David.
I will be working in Energy Finance after school and moving to Thailand this fall for work for six months and then I will move to the Bay Area after my time in Thailand. I will miss my friends and Austin.
Soo Young, second from the left sure knows how to hook’em
But Soo Young Lee will return to work for the South Korean government
Texas, is it a desert? No! Austin, is it Texas? Well… 
It was such a unique experience to mingle with people from all around the world, and learn not only from competitive faculties but also from colleagues. McCombs MBA program was always filled with passion and excitement, and the experience of being a part of this proud community will be a great asset for the last of my life. Hook’em Horns, forever!
Morgan was on the team of second years that claimed a victory in the MBA Crenshaw Cup
Blogger Morgan Brown was always the soul of any gathering
I think what I’ll miss the most is the community. Part of what made business school so great is that we all – with a few exceptions – chose to be here, unlike in college where it was the next step in our educations. I enjoyed the vibrant environment of being around so many people who want to change the world in ways small and large. It was invigorating and refreshing, and I’ll always cherish my two years at McCombs.
Because of Daisuke Hori, we learnt a little bit more about Japan
One of the most my memorable moments in Texas MBA was sharing good times with foreign, exchange, and US students. Staying with them taught me the different cultural perspectives of each country and enriched my view for the world. I’ll start working for my sponsoring company to expand the business into Asia market after my graduation. I believe my experience here will definitely bring me a higher level of collaborating with various kinds of people in the global arena.
My (Anwesha) small business finance team did a project with Austin’s historic Magnolia Cafe
Kristin really likes photo booths
Blogger Kristin Miller will miss the photo booths
It’s bittersweet and a bit overwhelming to be writing a few lines for the final blog post from the class of 2012. We were asked to reflect on what we will miss most about our time at McCombs and it’s an easy call to say I’ll miss this incredible community of students. It’s gratifying to see my friends get their dream jobs, but also sad to think that in less than a month we will start to scatter across the country and world. No longer will it be virtually guaranteed that I’ll run into someone I know everywhere I go – be it Whole Foods, a bar downtown, or at a food trailer or my favorite restaurant. But of course it is also exciting to think that now a whole lot of cities just got added to my “must visit” list!
TO BE CONTINUED. CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR PART 2!