There is one major thing that I regret not doing before graduating college, and that is going out of the state/country for an internship. Both of my PGL besties went to New York for a summer and now my sister, who will be a senior in the fall, is off to Chicago for her internship. I wasted a chance that I’ll never get back and it really pisses me off. Continue reading
Category Archives: Education
Congrats class of 2012…and by the way, good luck
My cousin Daniel graduated from the University of North Texas this past Saturday, and me being the amazing cousin that I am, attended the ceremony. I have been to numerous graduation ceremonies during my time at school, basically every semester from the time I was a sophomore to my senior year. And by attending so many I have heard every range of speeches you could imagine, all with a central theme of “success is right around the corner!”
Before actually walking the stage, I was convinced that what the speakers were preaching about was 100% true. “The hardest parts over…You can do anything you want now…You will all be successful.” What a load a bull. Now I know I’m sounding really, really pessimistic, but I was never told before walking the stage that life may get a lot harder after graduating.
Don’t get me wrong; graduating college is a major milestone that shouldn’t get overlooked. It’s an amazing accomplishment and all recent grads should be extremely proud of themselves. Buuuut, don’t be naïve to the real world. Know that there may be challenges ahead and that perseverance is the key to a successful post-grad life.
To all the 2012 graduates, congratulations and welcome to the real world! You are all going to do great. Just be aware that hard times may ensue and to keep pushing through the bad to get to the good.
From movie producer Michael Uslan’s 2006 commencement speech to Indiana University: “You must knock on doors until your knuckles bleed. Doors will slam in your face. You must pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and knock again. It’s the only way to achieve your goals in life.”
I’ve Got the GMAT Blues
Growing up I would always procrastinate on my studying and homework. I would usually copy from someone else in the lunch room or throw together a paper the night before – a habit I have yet to break. I never studied for tests, but always did well on them. I just never got the grades I was capable of. Now that I’m older, I hate to say it, but I’ve probably wasted a lot of my potential.
The point is that I signed up for a GMAT prep course, and have started taking practice tests online. Looks like I’m actually going to try for a MBA. Now that I’m going through all this, I want to go back to my undergrad years and smack myself in the face and say, “Hey, lazy ass, open your textbooks.”
So here I am. Because of my poor undergrad GPA, I have to get a ridiculous score on the GMAT just to get into a mediocre MBA program, and then hopefully I can transfer to a better one. I pray this prep course can help me with that. Hopefully it can motivate me to study.
The GMAT is tough, make no mistake. If you don’t know, just Google some practice questions. It will require some serious practice. This prep course is 10 weeks long, and I still feel like that is too short. I am going to have to study my tail off, which I realize flies directly in the face of my lifelong habits of procrastination.
This time though, I’ve got my eye on the prize – an MBA. Everyone has a bachelor’s degree now. A bachelor’s can help you get a decent salaried job, but it won’t save you from getting laid off. An MBA would set me apart from the competition, and might help me realize my potential for once. And if I can get my act together in grad school and get the GPA I’m capable of, then my undergrad GPA will be irrelevant.
That’s the tough part though. I’ve got to change my habits. There is no way I can coast through the GMAT and any MBA program like I did undergrad. I would get kicked out, if I even got accepted. I’m too A.D.D. to sit and study for hours. In the long run, this is the best decision for me though, so I have to find a way to make it happen.
I mean, all I have to change is everything I’ve ever done. That won’t be hard, right?
It’s Been 10 Years Already?!
Recently I went to my dreaded 10 year high school reunion. No way to confuse facts; first it’s the reunion, next it’s turning 30.
I had always expected something formal in a ballroom with refreshments and a DJ. What we got was a Facebook invite, which didn’t even get to everyone, and a half-rented out bar with no specials. Our senior class president lives in the U.K. now, so he delegated the planning to someone else. I guess the whole idea was to save money so we all wouldn‘t get charged a fortune, but I think most of us would have paid more for a more formal setting. Continue reading
Undergrad Straight to Masters
The other day I read an article that said over 70% of businesses will be hiring students with master’s degrees this upcoming year. SEVENTY PERCENT! It seems that more and more businesses want to hire employees with more education, as well as experience…dun dun dun. Continue reading
