My MPAc Orientation Experience

                                                      My MPAc Orientation Experience

                                        

                                                      The best five days of my life at UC Davis 

A Brief Overview of the MPAc Program

I am privileged to be part of the 2023 Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) cohort at UC Davis. What makes UC Davis's MPAc program unique is its willingness to help students excel in life. The MPAc program guides students to success and emphasizes life after college. The orientation process and the course curriculum are built to help students excel in the real world. The faculty at the Graduate School of Management (GSM) use their experience, knowledge, and skills to teach students how to face and deal with challenges in the workforce and life in general. 

Networking With Peers and Faculty Members

Before starting classes, MPAc students complete a five-day orientation in which they do several things. Students network with their fellow peers and faculty members. They make new friends and establish a rapport with their future professors. To quote Dean Rao Unnava, "The friends you make from graduate school will be your lifelong friends." Dean Unnava informed us that he still keeps in touch with his friends from graduate school on current events. The MPAc program is special because it is a small, tight-knit community. That makes it easier to network and form connections with others. Due to the small cohort, I am familiar and pally with almost everyone in the program.

Guest Speakers

MPAc students meet the UC Davis MPAc alumni, representatives from Big 4 Firms, and guest speakers. One of my favorite sessions was with the senior director of career development, Antoine Broustra. He gave MPAc students tips on landing job offers and networking with others. My favorite piece of advice was when he encouraged us to slowly practice stepping outside our comfort zone when interacting with others. He helped alleviate our fears by reminding us that the individuals we interact with are also humans. Employers also want to interact with people they will be comfortable with and enjoy working with regularly. Although communicating and networking with others is my forte, I still find this advice fruitful. Everyone must remember that communication is a two-way street. 

Elevator Pitch and Mock Interview With GSM Faculty Members

The GSM faculty members also provided feedback on elevator pitches and conducted mock job interviews during orientation. I found this helpful as we received real-time feedback from the GSM faculty. The GSM faculty members and one of my former undergraduate accounting professors, Kevin Mello, gave me good feedback on my elevator pitch. I also had the pleasure of doing a mock interview with Professor Chen. She was very kind and patient. She also provided good feedback that helped me ace three job interviews.

Meet The Firms Event

In my opinion, the best part about orientation was the "Meet The Firms" (MTF) event. The MTF event was exclusive to MPAc students, meaning students got more one-on-one time with employers. For perspective, there were approximately fifty students in the MPAc cohort, while in the internship and career fairs hosted by UC Davis, there can be over two hundred people. During the MTF event, MPAc students got the opportunity to network with employers and learn more about different finance and accounting firms to see which companies are the best fit for them. The MPAc program had prepared students beforehand on how to best interact with employers, and faculty members like Professor Will Snyder still went out of their way to help students anxious about meeting employers introduce themselves. During the event, I networked with numerous employers and got to learn about a variety of different finance and accounting companies. I will forever be thankful to the GSM for organizing this event, as attending MTF helped me land three job offers with Gilbert CPAs, Campbell-Taylor Washburn, and Grant Thornton within a month. Without the support of the MPAc program and the GSM faculty members, I would still be struggling to get a full-time offer. 

Toward the end of the event, I got an opportunity to talk about my experience meeting with employers on camera. I was pleased to be featured in the "Meet The Firms 2023" video posted by the Graduate School of Management on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZIKhbpSEvk

Key Takeaways 

I would strongly implore any undergraduates pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics, accounting, finance, or any related degree to apply for the MPAc program. If one fully leverages the tools and resources the MPAc program offers, they can make their dreams come true. Not only are MPAc students guaranteed a job before graduating, but they also get a chance to network with various individuals and develop life skills that will help them succeed in life. I have been part of the MPAc cohort for less than a month, but I have already realized how much it has benefited me. I received three job offers, formed connections with peers, faculty members, and employers, and strengthened my knowledge base. Being part of the MPAc program isn't just an achievement - it's a gift and a God-given opportunity. I am lucky to be part of this cohort and will forever be grateful for everything this program has done for me.