Back to School

I love September for the sheer fact its BACK to SCHOOL time. As a kid, I was soooooo excited to go back to school.  I would start planning my 1st day of school look (somethings never change),and getting my backpack and lunchbox all ready to go. 

In a journal my mom kept when I was younger, this entry made me smile. Typical me.....

((Background: It was the first day of first grade))

Clearly I was well prepared. At least I moved on from the Thesaurus I swore I needed in Kindergarten. 

I love seeing all the new supplies in stores and I love thinking back on how I just loved being in school. I loved the new erasers, the desks (did you have a lift top desk or was it just open in the front?), the squeaky chairs, those multi colored scooters and the parachute in elementary school, the lockers and "going to the school store", wrapping my text books in brown bags or wall paper, doodling in my notebooks and then in high school, covering my notebooks with magazine cutouts that I had been hoarding for years and lastly, going to Cost Cutters on the first day of school to pick out the teacher specific school supplies that you need for the next day. 

I was thinking about this upcoming school year and while I do not have any children in my world right now, I like to think about what I would tell them. Here are a few things:

My wish for all of you going back to school is to have fun, be kind, listen, learn and enjoy what your surroundings can provide you. You are going to do great! 

[[You are capable of Amazing things!]]

PS. Check out my Happy September & Favorite School Supplies Posts from previous Septembers. :)

Gator Update: Fall Semester Completed

😍 Still swooning over this cute mascot🐊

Woah! Where did this semester go? Honestly, did anyone actually see this semester?

Welp! My first complete Fall semester is completed. You can read all about the first part of my semester in this post. 

As I went into my second semester, I knew what to expect with the class set up and how the Canvas program. We were given a fall break between the first eight weeks and the second eight weeks.  I hoped that these next two classes were not as homework-intensive because I felt in the 1st semester,  I was ALWAYS doing homework. (not that it was a bad thing, but it was A LOT more than normal.) I eagerly awaited for the syllabus to be released the Friday before classes started. Once I looked over the syllabus' and saw what was expected for these classes, I felt this semester was going to be a easier BUT I knew things are never as they seem.

Financial Accounting II

I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this class since we learned the basics in Accounting 1. I was actually pleasantly surprised that everything I learned in Financial Accounting I was applied in Financial Accounting II in real life scenarios. The basis of each week was to analyze a certain financial document of two companies, Target and Amazon, then write about our findings. I enjoyed this a lot; I enjoy being able to look at real documents and apply what I have learned. I realized some documents were easier to analyze than others, for me at least. I also enjoyed the discussions more than I had in Accounting 1. I think it was hearing how others analyzed the documents and their interpretation of it; I enjoyed reading how others thought and how we all overall came to the same conclusion.

There were two things I did not like- the grading and the final. The grading was weird; The discussion questions and responses were worth more than the actual chapter quizzes. I always found that the quizzes should be worth more than responses, but that is just me. The final took me 4 hours-FOUR HOURS! I understood what was being asked but it just took a lot of to compute and answer. I found it hard with the financial statements were not similar (ie. Target's year end was 01/31/xx while Amazon's year end was 12/31/xx) It made it hard, it hard when you had to compare numbers. I was terrified that I did not pass the final and ergo fail the class even though I had an A going into the final. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I got an 88 on the Final and still an A for the Final Grade for the semester. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my score on the Final was the median score for the class. I felt much better with my grades.

This class I definitely had to work at and really take my time during the critical thinking part. I really enjoyed that. I am looking forward to more accounting classes.

Personal Computer Applications

I was ambivalent about this class. It was a 100 level class and I've been using computers for a long time. The first two weeks were dry- talking about the very basics of computers and operating systems. Once we got into the lessons about Word, Excel, PowerPoint and  Access, things got a little more exciting. I enjoyed the lessons and how the explanations of the different aspects of each program. I did learn a few tips and tricks along the way. 

This class overall was a nice way to end this semester- It was challenging but not overwhelming; it provided me with some great tips to use in everyday life. Did I wish some days, I could skip this class completely, yes but I am glad I took. 

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This semester was perfect, it was just the right amount of work and challenges. I am excited to be done with my first fall semester and on to the Spring Semester. I am looking forward to my classes; in the first 8 weeks, it is Managerial Accounting and Interpersonal Communications and then in the second 8 weeks, its Payroll Accounting and Spreadsheet Concepts. I will check back in again in March for another Gator update. 

[[A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.]]

-gabrielle 

Gator Update: First 8 Weeks Complete

When the school mascot is adorable. 😍

Hooray! My first (eight week) semester as a gator is completed. I am officially back in school mode. I was pretty nervous going back to school; I haven't really taken classes (that I was serious about) in a LONG time. I missed learning but I never knew what I wanted to study. I didn't want to waste time (or money) with something that wasn't bringing me joy. So here I am two classes in and my heart is so full. I took Financial Accounting 1 and Statistics and these are a few things I realized during the first 8 weeks:

Its QUICK 
Eight weeks goes by in a blink of an eye. I feel like I just started the class and now its over. You are consuming A LOT of information in a short amount of time. You have to stay on top of the all the assignments. 

For Accounting , each week I had to read two chapters, complete a discussion question, a discussion problem, responses and assignment for each chapter AND a quiz for those two chapters. 

For Statistics, I had one chapter to read and a various amount of homework for that chapter and a chapter test. The chapters were long and filled with a lot of information.

Accounting provided us with PowerPoint slides but in Statistics the notes were up to us. I took handwritten notes filled with equations, calculator steps and examples. It was long and tedious BUT it helped me in the end with the homework and tests. I am pretty sure my hand written notes for Statistics filled a 1 inch binder to the max. 

With all these assignments and tests to complete each week,

ORGANIZATION  and CONSISTENCY is Key
To make sure everything is completed on time, I worked on both classes a little each day. I knew what chapters I was reading each week from the syllabus. I would write down what I would work on each day to keep on track for that week in a notebook. 

I made sure the whole week was on one page; that way I could see the whole week at a glance and to keep myself accountable. I can also see the progress as I cross things off the list too. 

I would sometimes get up early to work on either homework or the readings; lunch time would be for Accounting homework and then at night would be Statistics. I would leave the quiz and test for the weekend along with my responses for the discussion questions. 

Sometimes I would get ahead of my plan, sometimes I would lag behind. I would always get the work done. Everything was due by 11:59 on Sunday night, I told myself that everything needed to be done by Saturday night so that would give some wiggle room, just in case. 

It felt like a whirlwind but I was actually really happy to be working so hard,

It's really REWARDING

This is going to sound really nerdy but getting a balance sheet to balance or getting the equation to work is really satisfying. I am especially proud when I find a mistake in a problem and I am able to fix it. This shows that I am retaining what I am learning and able to apply what I am doing. 

Doing what you love is so important and that will bring you so much joy.

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Needless to say, I am excited for the second 8 week session that will start in 2 weeks. I am also very excited to tackle some projects that I have been putting off during these two weeks. 

What have you done to make yourself proud?

[[What we learn with pleasure, we never forget- Alfred Mercier]]

-gabrielle

PS. In case you are wondering, I got A's in both Financial Accounting and Statistics. 

Back to School

It’s the best time of the year…..BACK TO SCHOOL!!! I am the absolute only one who is excited about back to school season and I am not even going back to school!  This is where I am going to feel old but I have been out of high school for NINE years and college for four years. It is absolutely crazy how time flies!
 While I go shopping for new pencils and notebooks, here are some of my favorite first day of school photos:

Good luck to everyone on their first day of school.