THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

McCombs school of Business at the University of Texas Austin is well known

as one of the best business school in the United States especially for the ones

majoring in Accounting. Therefore, if you have an opportunity to be a part of

this business school, you should definitely take it.

BEFORE COMING

To get yourself ready for this exciting semester, some important things need to be prepared beforehand

such as visa, planning for courses, or booking flight. Around a couple months before the semester

starts, you will start to receive e-mails from UT coordinators telling detail for required documents and

useful guides of staying in Austin namely places to stay or necessary documents to bring with you.

Therefore, you need to pay attention to those emails and get things done within the deadline for your

own benefits.

More importantly, talking with previous exchanged students in your school might be the best way to

prepare yourself. Also, there are so many Thai people living in Austin under the association called Thai

Association of Austin who will treat you as a member of this big family. So, you do not have to be afraid

of feeling lonely as living far away from Thailand.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN BY: DOUNGJAI VIJITGOMEN (Jai BBA 19)

FIRST WEEK

Landed on the third of January, I was welcomed with

colder weather than I had expected. University and

Business school orientation started right after my arrival

together with many helpful activities that were held in a

week before semester started. Some activities are

mandatory such as academic advising, class registration,

technology orientation. On the contrary, some events,

namely Campus Tour, Movie Night, Game night, are not

required yet highly recommended because they are such a

great chance for you to make new friends who probably

become your best friends for the entire semester.

With more than 150 buildings in UT campus, it is impossible not to get lost in your first day. Getting lost

is not fun especially in a cold. I suggest you to upload a helpful application called “The University of

Texas At Austin.” Its function is similar to Google Maps which tell the direction to any building in the

campus.

Besides this, you might need to deal with your personal stuffs such as opening bank account, buying Sim

card, grocery shopping, etc. Thanks to Thai seniors living in the same apartment who gave me many

helpful suggestions, my first week of staying passed without any worrisome.

“Work hard,

Play harder”

STUDYING AT UT

Choosing courses can definitely tell how your life will be throughout the semester. Even the same

course can be varied depending on session, professor, and the semester.

Do not underestimate studying in the U.S. You might have heard that studying

abroad is easier as compared to studying in Thammasat University. It is true

only in aspect of exams not others. Two main things that distinguish

American studying style from Thai’s are assignment and class participation.

Some classes might require more assignment than others. Tradeoffs have to

be made when choosing classes. Most of useful and interesting classes are

difficult and require considerable works to do while easier yet less interesting

class require not many works. So, you should read course syllabus well

enough before making decision.

Having exam, report, and presentation due on the same week

is very common in UT. Staying until late in the campus became

my routine during the peak period. Consequently, one of the

things I’ve learnt from my exchanged semester is how to

manage time. Time management is ultimately crucial for every

UT student. If you manage your time well enough, you can

finish all works in time while can still enjoy other activities. The

most important thing is your attitude. Staying positive is the

key of success for me. Problems are inevitable, so keep in mind

that, “tough things don’t last but tough people do.”

It is very common to see people sitting all over campus studying on their own. People are very

independent and prefer to spend time alone. One more thing I miss about UT is an awesome library.

There are so many peaceful and beautiful libraries with unique architecture that you can explore all over

the campus. Either Reliant room in McCombs, PCL Building, studying area in SAC, or Student Union

Building is my favorite place to stay. These libraries are available for 24 hours during exam period.

WHERE TO EAT

WHAT TO DO

LIFESTYLE

Austin is one of ideal college town full with nice people, nice restaurant, nice scenery, and nice weather

in Springs semester. It is said that Cars in Austin loves people. So, do not be surprised if a car stops 10

meters in front of you when crossing the road. You cannot get hit by cars unless you run into them.

The most convenient way of getting around for us is taking buses. We as UT student can take any bus for

free by using our UT ID card. The bus can take us to almost everywhere such as the famous park called

Zilker Park, Domain mall, South Congress, and many places where you can enjoy your free time with

friends. Anything can happen in the bus. The Texans are so friendly that you can have such a nice

conversation with strangers or get a new friend even during a short ride. Also, an argument between

the driver and passenger or among passengers themselves is common to see.

For the food lovers, you will find yourself in the place

where international foods from all over the world are brought

together i.e. Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean,

and Thai. There are many good restaurants located on

Guadalupe street nearby the campus. Once you arrived in

Austin, you might be surprised with how famous Thai

restaurants are. So, it is almost impossible to miss Thai food

while staying in Austin. On the other hand, Texas BBQ is

recognized as the best. Some people say that if you do not try

Texan BBQ, you haven’t arrived in Texas. So, you should try!

There are numerous extracurricular activities and student associations for students to participate in

depending on individual’s interest. Do not miss the opportunity to learn more about American and make

friends by joining these organizations. UT also provides free service in Gregory Gym; UT students can use

any facility ranging from the swimming pool, yoga room, to badminton court just by showing UT ID card.

Free movie, free food, and free concert are available as well.

During the weekend, you can plan your own trip to explore Austin. Kayaking in gorgeous Lady Bird Lake

is recommended when the weather is not too chilly. Enjoying food trailers and handmade shops in

South Congress with friends is my favorite thing to do. In addition, watching thousands of Mexican bats

flying from the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats during March to April is worth for seeing and should not

be missed.

And this is my life in UT from my perspective. I believe that each person will have different story. Yet we

have one thing in common; this is once-in-a-life-time experience for us. You should seize every moment

and do not hesitate to do whatever you what otherwise you will regret it one day. Anyway, keep in mind

that you are a representative of BBA Thammasat, Thailand. You might be the only one Thai people they

have met. The way they judge Thailand is the way they judge you. So, this is a good chance to tell them

more about our own country.

“If my life can be compared as a book, this chapter

completes the book with each page full with

invaluable story and experience. Even though one

day this story will eventually turn to be a memory,

this memory of my exchanged semester at UT will

stay forever. “

When I was preparing to go on an exchange semester at University of Texas at Austin, I remember

feeling both nervous and excited. McCombs School of Business has always been known to be one of the

best accounting schools in the United States, and I had my worry about whether I was gonna be able to

survive the courses here. Plus the fact that I only had very limited experience abroad; the idea of being

an exchange student can seem like a bit of a challenge.

I have to say for someone with no experience whatsoever with studying abroad or being away from

home for a long time, I was quite surprised at how well UT had taken care of everything and how I felt

immediately at home at Austin. I had received countless of informative emails from UT’s coordinators

telling me all kinds of things ranging from what I needed to do before/after I went there and where to

look for houses to what kind of weather to expect and even how their students dress on campus.

How to survive the first week?

The first week after I got there were packed up with orientations and gatherings with exchange students from other universities. Activities include movie night, game night, campus tour, town tour, buddy program, and organizations introduction. I can guarantee that you would never feel bored or alone during the first week here at UT. The organization I would recommend joining is called “The Bridge.” It is organized especially for international students, both transferred and exchange, so it’s a really good place for making new friends. There is also this Thai Association of Austin in which you can always ask for help from these friendly Thai people should you ever need any.

How to prepare for studying?

As everyone might already know, US style of studying requires a great deal of

participation in classes. You don’t exactly need to participate but doing so

will definitely enhance your classroom experience. Professors are

extremely nice and helpful especially if they knew you were an exchange

student. Lectures were interesting with lots of current issues integrated.

Lots of homework – for some courses this means after every single class –

and challenging group projects are to be expected. Fortunately, the exams

are really super easy you wouldn’t need the same amount of time to review as you

do at BBA TU, except of course for the accounting courses in which you might want to look out for.

Lifestyle and Activities

There are shuttle buses for commuting from place to place, which are free as long as you have the UT

student card. Unfortunately your destinations will be quite limited because not every part of town can

be reached by buses, so a friend or two with a car can come in handy at times. There is dress code only

on presentation days and for attending formal events in which business attire are required. On the

casual days, loose big T-shirts, gym shorts, and trainers can be seen almost everywhere. And don’t be

deluded by the impression of Texas being always hot; you would also need to pack enough warm clothes

for the first two months when it can get really cold.

What can we do around campus? First off, Gregory Gym is a really good place for working out, whether

it being any kind of sports that you are interested in, UT campus

has good facilities to accommodate your need. Bowling, air

hockey, and billiard can be found right under the Union

Building. Free movies and yoga classes are offered every

certain day of the week. Check out the SAC building schedule

and more often than not you will find different social events

held by UT’s various organizations. And in case you have a

craving for Thai food, there’s a good Thai restaurant called

Madam Mam’s located just

right across the campus.

What can we do in Austin?

Even though you would not be in time for its famous football games

which are held during the fall season, there are some cool events and

festivals going on during springs as well. SXSW is Austin’s biggest,

world-famous, music and film festival taking place every year during

spring break. There was also annual Kite festival at Zilker Park and

cool Bats Watching at Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge. Some other

places that I would recommend paying a visit are Texas State Capitol,

Lady Bird Lake, South Congress, and Mount Bonnell to name a few.

Moreover, thanks to the International Office, travelling to other cities

like San Antonio and Houston are now possible without you having to

bother planning the itinerary yourself.

By Panida Kaiganokwong BBA#19

By Panida Kaiganokwong

BBA#19

UT, Austin