*Full disclosure everyone leaving a review is likely an employee of the firm who created this place, so there definitely will probably be an air of us sipping the cool-aid, but this place really is great!
Do you remember Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? How the books billed it as a magical place where students had access to abundant troves of delicious food and could lose themselves in endless text and discussions of subjects they were very passionate about? In so many ways this is what DU represents, a place I've affectionately dubbed the Hogwarts of the business world.
What's not to love about this place? Well I guess it is in Dallas, and not Austin but still...can't have it all. Nestled in the beautiful countryside of Texas, one gets to see the gorgeous sunsets the great state has to offer (yes I'm biased since I'm a native Texan born and raised). Pulling up to the complex you get a great view of Ross Perot's ranch, and a gate that has an interesting story (ask anyone who's worked here about that).
In terms of amenities you have plenty. A staff that is available 24/7, a Starbucks that is also open 24 hours, various snack rooms among the 4 floors/800 rooms that have a laundry list of items to choose from, each with a unique snack (shoutout to the Minneapolis room with Dilly Bars on the 4th floor). On the ground floor during the day, the various break rooms there will have fresher foods and pastries, although in recent years I think there's been a definite shift to healthier options because I don't see the chocolate croissants and other goodies that used to commonly be found here. The Market has a theme of food that's different everyday, and gourmet food is the norm here. One day they'll have Chilean sea bass, another Brazilian steaks, sushi night was pretty cool, and I really like the quail as well. But the real fun is out at the Barn (also a funny story about the pool tables that cannot be spoken here) where good old fashioned BBQ is available until midnight, games are abundant, and overall it's the place to hang out. Drinks are pretty cheap here, and have a wide selection, although they used to be free for all professionals...but that's a different story.
I've gone over a lot of the food/drink options at this point, but fear not because we have a state of the art gym to avoid packing on the pounds and falling down the precipitous cycle of overeating and drinking that consultants can get caught in. Every machine to work out every muscle in whatever way you can imagine is here, and there are personal trainers to help you with a workout or give you an assessment of your health (aka a retrospective of you questioning the life decisions that have gotten you to this point). If cardio is your thing there are plenty treadmills, ellipticals, and other apparatuses I don't even know the name to that get you and the heart moving. We also have firm themed work out clothes you can buy if you forgot to pack some workout clothes (the Nike shorts were so awesome). But if they gym isn't your spot you can always rent a bike and ride around the complex, catch a volley ball game, hit the soccer pitch, or get into a pick-up game on the courts.
Lastly, as we are a learning facility I do want to speak to the classrooms and resources we have. Classrooms have all the materials you need to facilitate a class; plenty of white boards (the walls double as white boards), good projectors, printers available at every corner, privacy booths for teams to brainstorm or take calls in, and plenty of plugs to hook up to.
Overall, I love this place because it's an embodiment of a very important characteristic I feel our firm espouses and commits to, and that's a belief in our people and a strong willingness to invest back to the things that make this a great firm. Also it's pretty mysterious because there's a rumor that a camel is on campus somewhere? I want to believe. read more