Brittney 09/10

The Next Episode

Although the regular school year is over and many students may not be tuning in to our blogs, there is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing some summer stories with those who are...

Well, maybe not stories, but the next episode in my life. My #1 goal when I first walked into the doors of the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the Fall of 2005 was to do whatever I had to do in order to graduate with a BBA in Accounting. In a few short months, 9 more gut-wrenching credit hours I will attain that goal. Aside from the bigger picture, there were several small pictures that I needed to paint to make sure that I was as marketable as possible once I graduated and entered corporate America. Some of those little portraits included joining organizations that would enhance my life overall, gain leadership skills, team-building skills, communication skills, speech skills, and most importantly a working knowledge of the field that I hope to thrive in really soon. Another portrait included doing an internship- soon I'll be doing my 3rd internship. I've had amazing opportunities not only as a student of UM-Dearborn, but as a woman in the real world. This leads me to the next episode...

... living on my own for the first time :-) That's right! I recently accepted an Accounting Internship position within Masco Cabinetry Group in Adrian, MI. It's upward of an hour and a half from Metro Detroit, and not a commute that I look forward to everyday. So I headed out Friday with a close friend, and found my very first apartment! There is so much excitement behind those words, yet so much anxiety. It has really set in that I'll be 100% on my own sooner than later, less than 2 weeks to be exact! Yet, I opened a new door of opportunity for myself... the door leading to a full-time position within a multi-billion dollar company. Needless to say, my next goal is to blow them away as an intern, prove to them that I am an invaluable asset to their organization, leaving them with no other choice but to bring me on-board.

Life is Good :-)

Commencement and Such!

Well, Sunday has come and go. The somewhat end of my college career as an undergraduate will soon be over, but I celebrated on Sunday! The morning began very early (for a Sunday at least) with make-up, showering, getting dressed and heading to the Fieldhouse by 9am. Remembering to pack some extra bobby pins, my cell phone and camera- all stuffed in the top of my dress! Instructions were to line up in numerical order, and I must admit that some graduates had a hard time with that!

It was a long 1.5 hours in heels, forming several different lines throughout the building... answering several phone calls from family members trying to coordinate their seating... people congratulating me and writing on my facebook page. Sunday was eventful to say the least!

Finishing Touches

Yesterday, I was in attendance at the University of Michigan Commencement Ceremony for my best friends graduation from the School of Dentistry. Oh, and Obama of course. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget... the packed stadium (I've never seen so many people in one place in all of my life), all gazillion of the graduates, Secret Service at every corner, helicopters flying overhead. Even down to the protestors who were up earlier than me to protest Obama views, or what they believe to be his views. There were 3 groups protesting abortion, immigration and healthcare. There were 3 others protesting the protestors... go figure!

Needless to say, I was floored. I walked away with so many inspiring words and thoughts circling in the mind. It made me put my dreams and goals into focus, realign the scope and go for whatever it is that I set my heart on. It is true that one can do anything that they want, but they can not do everything. For all of the students who will be "walking"/graduating during tomorrow's commencements at U of M- Dearborn, take those words with you as I hope to see so many of your wonderful faces doing beautiful things. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

This is by no means a wrap-up of my years at UM-Dearborn; that is sure to come at a later date as it has been more fruitful than I could have imagined! However, it is bedtime. I have another early morning/long day ahead of me!

Don't forget to watch the commencement live!

♥ A Night of Studying ♥

What are the odds of having both of my finals on the same day?! Fortunately, I've studied so much these past few weeks that I should be fine. However, we all get those last minute jitters when we feel absolutely unprepared and we can't seem to regurgitate everything that we've crammed into our brains! Therefore, I'll be having an all night study session with my friend Lynnorra. Pizza and Equity Accounting... it doesn't get much better than that :-/

Last Day of Lecture and Lab

Today, I'm sure that there are a ton of students heading to lecture for the last time this semester including myself. Prepping for finals that will drive us crazy, plowing through papers, pulling all-nighters, bumming around the library day-in and day-out... eating all of those unhealthy snacks just to make it through the night.

Yea, I've been there before and will probably be heading down that road again in the very near future. In 2 hours and 21 minutes, I will be done with Biol140!!! Even though I regret signing up for this class without the proper bio background, it wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. I enjoyed the topics discussed in this course, and I really loved going to lab every Thursday night! I met some very amazing people who helped me get through the course, and a lab instructor that reminded me pretty much every session "we're going to get you through this class" :-) It is nice to take your mind off of a guided track of crunching numbers and applying concepts, and see the world through another realm. I'm sure that I will never forget how one develops Primordial Dwarfism, Darwin's Theory of Evolution, Glycolysis, Fermentation and Photosynthesis... as well as Mitosis, Meoisis, Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cell components... hmmm Meischner discovering DNA or Francis and Crick constructing the first model of DNA, or Rosalind Franklin discovery of the double helical structure of DNA, how DNA is coded, transcribed and translated. All very important things, and very interesting things to know!

I've stuffed a ton of information about pensions, leases, stocks, bonds, cash flow statements, deferred income taxes and such into my 'Kirky's Toolbox', coined by ACC357 Professor Kirk Philipich. Needless to say, I look forward to cranking out months of knowledge during finals. Before I know it, this semester will be over and it'll be back to square one for summer classes. So much closer to the end... bittersweet ♥

Here are some pictures from my lab- I will miss everyone dearly!!!

Phases of our chromosome 21 project!

Prepping for my presentation on Seckel Syndrome!

Some of the wonderful ladies that I shared lab with, including Professor Meyer!

Sorry Guys... Blog Hiatus

About that 42 day extended leave of absence... I don't even really have an excuse aside from being swamped with life in general.

To be honest, March was a crazy month. Here's why: during the first week of the month, my grandmother was hospitalized after having a heart attack 2 weeks prior. Since she didn't have the proper medical attention when it first happened, they decided to run tests. To sum it up, she's had a lot of complications for years that she didn't take care of. For the remainder of the month, she was in and out of the hospital, refusing the care that she needed but eventually things turned around. After mentioning to her that she needs to be well enough to see me walk across the stage, a sudden surge of persistence and perseverance became present. That gave her a sense of hope, when all odds seemed to be against her. Two weeks ago she had open heart surgery, after the doctors ran additional tests and found out that she had a blocked artery, they also found that the back of her heart was dysfunctional as well. This prompted the emergency surgery that has led to her wonderful recovery! This past Sunday while visiting, we watched cartoons and she talked my head off about becoming a corporate lawyer. We'll have to see about that one. But to know that she is no longer in pain, and she doesn't have to worry about working another day of her life has made this break from my blog less disheartening than once imagined.

So what's new with me? Well, I've been on a mad job hunt that has proved to be less fruitful than I'd hoped. I'm sure by now that I've sent out my resume for at least 60 different positions. I've had a few interviews, and am awaiting a response from 3 prospectives. So keep your fingers crossed for me! If you didn't know before, I'm planning to write a book. I'm still in character development. Next up is chapter development! Not to mention I know nothing about writing a book other than to start writing... nonetheless, I'm excited!

Apartment hunting, graduation party planning, along with working 40 hours and studying like crazy are amongst my most trending (for all the tweetheads) affairs. THIS IS HARD WORK! I've began prepping for the GMAT, and decided that I'm going to attend a JD/MBA program after completion of my undergrad. Maintaining a social life amidst all of this has proved to be a tough feat, but I'm fighting until the end.

Needless to say, I'll be blogging a lot more than I have. I have a bio lab presentation on the mutations of pericentrin that cause Primordial Dwarfism... wish me luck!

Trying to get the Spring back into my Break!

For a lot of students, Spring Break is the perfect time to hit up Panama City, Miami, Cancun or any other beach-speckled location. Well, I'm one of the few students who never really gets to enjoy their break. I'm either working, have a ton of things on my to-do list, a boatload of homework or a terrible combination of all 3. This year is no different...

Here it is mid-week of what's supposed to be Spring Break, and I've worked 18 hours with 22 more to go. On top of that, I have a biology lab write up to finish, 2 chapters of reading/homework from equity accounting to begin, a biology glycolysis/fermentation regulation homework assignment that requires a little research, andddd to top it off I have yet to begin writing/preparing my final presentation about Primordial Dwarfism for bio lab. So instead of me waiting until this weekend to start all of this, I'll be cracking down on my studies tonight, right after I finish preparing my state and local taxes (fun!).

Since I spent all of this past weekend moving and getting things organized, I haven't been able to get much of anything done. That will soon change! My to-do list is slowly dwindling down, so to congratulate myself I'll be having a pedi/mani/movie/cupcake night really soon! The best way to reward yourself for a job well-done is to treat yourself to something nice that you can't/don't normally buy or do. It's kinda like the pot of gold waiting at the end of a rainbow!

Cost vs. Benefit

I know you're thinking that I'm about to give a lecture in Accounting. Think again! I'm getting ready to lecture about this Biology 140 class, once again! By the end of this semester, you will probably be sick of my blog!

Anywho, so we all know that soon I'll be graduating with a BBA in Accounting, which means that I'm highly capable of processing information and working with numbers. I've learned to perfect my accounting skills by DOING... very little memorization involved. This brings me to my point about this Bio class.

Apparently, being the genius that I am, I signed up for one of the hardest Bio classes that you can ask for. I tend to get 'why didn't you take Bio 130 or 100? They're way easier!' Well, I hate to feel defeated and realized after that first exam that if I didn't so something quick I would definitely be beat by the Biology Bug!

To the world wide web I went... Since I bought the used version of the book, it didn't come with one of those halographic, shiny, magical CDs or access codes that are supposed to help you understand the material better. Therefore, I had to buy it. A whopping $45! It gives me access to Discovery Channel videos, concept animations, chapter outlines, glossaries and comprehensive quizzes which are all helpful! It also allows you to download the answers from the textbook questions, which you wouldn't be able to view without access. In addition to website, I rented from Chegg.com the study guide that goes with the book for another $20.

Shameless plug: If you haven't heard of Chegg, now's the time to head over there. You can rent your textbooks for dirt cheap, return them in close-to-receipt type conditions (don't highlight or rip pages, etc.) when the semester is over, and that's all there is to it. I rented this book for $8.49 (regular price like $50+) plus express shipping, and I can keep it for 130 days! In addition to being supperrrr cheap, a tree is donated and planted for every book that I rent! I recently planted 7 trees in Guatemala!

Moving right along... so we all know that I'm recording every single lecture, but I've found an even better way to listen to them- at work, just plug in my headphones and zone out. I purchased a cassette adapter too, so now I can listen to those babies whereever I'm driving to/from. It's the best idea I've had in a long time! I've also been studying with one of my lab partners, and this is helpful as well. It's amazing how many knowledgeable people you run into around here.

Overall, as much as I'm bugging out about this class, I'm glad that I am taking it. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, it's simply a matter of applying yourself and doing what needs to be done to master the material! I'm glad that I learned this early on in the class opposed to the week before the final exam. Needless to say, I walked into today's exam feeling good... walked out feeling great!

Today's Lesson: Benefits can exceed costs!

Life Saver

Honestly, I don't know how I or any other college student makes it through the years without a.... DRUMROLL PLEASE... digital voice recorder! It's one of the best investments that you can make during your college years!

This has got to be one of the greatest inventions to date. As hard as it is for me to sit through my Biology lecture this semester, my recorder has really saved my life. I mean, I haven't used it all semester for senseless reasons but I've recorded the last 5 lectures on it. It helped me to review for our exam and to write a paper about a movie that we watched in class, which was captured on my recorder. Therefore, I had no need to find time to go to the library to check it out, as I heard the movie was VERY hard to come by.

This past Tuesday I had an Equity Accounting exam, which was scheduled for last Tuesday but since we had a Snow Day, it was postponed. Well you know what happens when you have an extra week to study, you procrastinate. Wait until the last minute. And sure enough, Sunday evening rolled around and I couldn't explain to myself the difference between an operating lease and a capital lease. What did I do? Pull out my handy-dandy recorder and jammed out for 2.5 hours to my professor's voice. When he placed the exam in front of me, I was more prepared than I thought I was.

It has also saved other people's lives too. Two weeks ago, one of my classmates became very sick and missed a few classes. I recorded the lectures, and was able to upload them to my computer and email the .mp3 files to her. That way, she missed absolutely nothing other than the sight of our professor's face and I didn't have to worry about her not being able to understand my notes. Everything makes so much more sense when you take notes and are able to go back and hear the rationale behind things over and over again!

Some of the features that I love are it's ability to file lectures into different folders... accounting is under folder A and biology is under folder B. You can also pause the recorder during breaks so that you're not using up tons of time. The right pair of batteries will go a long way with this recorder. If you have a tape deck in your car and one of those devices to hook up iPods and such to your tape deck, you can very easily listen to your lectures during your daily commute to school. It's a convenient way to study and to drill all the information needed to succeed into your mind. I hate to admit this, but sometimes you may have a down day or may even be sick. Instead of skipping out on class entirely, take a seat in the back- turn up the volume on your recorder and mellow out. Catch the lecture on your ride home when you're feeling better.

Did I mention I bought this lovely recorder using the $50 Best Buy giftcard given to us bloggers of the 08-09 school year?

Snow Daze

You must excuse my sporadic posting. Sometimes it could be all over the place, a little here and a little there. Anywho...

About this snow day, or should I say snow day and a half? It began rather nicely yesterday, with the cancellation of classes after 4pm. This meant that my accounting exam would be postponed until next Tuesday. Yes I was prepared, but the extra down-time will definitely work in my favor, along with a few other students I'm sure. I guess I was being a little pessimistic last night when I figured that work (HFCC) would be closed, yet school would be open today, meaning I would be able to rush to the library to check out a few books and finish my biology paper that is due tomorrow. I mean, we can all count on one hand the number of snow days that UM-Dearborn has had. I'm counting one, maybe even two since 2006. I may be wrong, as these years have all blurred together in a snowflake frenzy.

Ha! But they wouldn't let me get away so easy! After spending hours, literally hours, searching the web and Mardigian Library resources for primary sources, I was finished (at least that's what I thought). I had 2 books listed to check out from the library, and a few pdf files to print. Ta-da, would have worked like magic if it didn't snow like a mad dog last night.

(credit)

So here I am, online... again... attempting to find 3 primary sources... online... probably not happening. My fingers are crossed that either the Redford Library, or the Main Library downtown are open. Do I want to drive in this mess? No... Do I want to graduate? You'd better believe it!

On a lighter note for those of you who may not be ridiculous procrastinators like myself, you should enjoy your snow day by participating in any/all of the below listed activities:

• Go sledding
• Make snow angels
• Shovel the snow, UGH!
• Maybe go skiing/snowboarding if your pockets permit
• Open a window, lounge in bed and sip on a venti chai tea latte (like me)
• Be even more studious and study (like me again!)
• Pop in your favorite chick or dude flick- Legally Blonde 1 & 2 or The Hangover usually do it for me:-)
• Browse the aisles at your local Walmart- easy way to kill some time
• Play with your children, if you have any... if not, play with your pets instead
• Create a blog, and have a great time (again, like me)

Don't forget that tomorrow may be a regular day. So take advantage of days like this... they are very hard to come by.

Behind the SSB computer lab...