GMAT: Studying, Preparing and Day of the Test!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I'm coming to you all a little bit later in the day...it's actually closer to eight pm here, so I'm coming to you a whole lot later. I have classes running all day on Wednesdays, meaning posts on this day of the week won't be up until night.

But what I'm here to discuss today is the dreaded GMAT exam....

With approximately three and a half months of studying under my belt over this past summer, this Monday I took the GMAT (which stands for Graduate Management Admissions Test). This is a standardized test that anyone who wants to take part in a master's program, has to take and score high enough to meet their program's required score.

If you don't really know what the GMAT is (no worries, I didn't until literally two days ago), its pretty similar to a little thing known as the SAT. The GMAT is the SAT version for graduate school. I honestly believe that the GMAT is even close to the difficulty of the SAT, the only difference being you probably haven't seen a lot of the content in the GMAT since the SAT.

I am hoping to take part in my university's accounting master program, starting this upcoming March.

The GMAT can be a pretty scary thing, it definitely was, but after going through one round of the test, it isn't as crazy as I was expecting it to be. I thought it might be helpful to some of you to answer some very basic questions about the GMAT, including why I took it when I did, what study tools I used, etc.

I'm not discussing what was on the GMAT itself, due to the illegality of doing so.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

1. When did I take the test? How did I decide when I wanted to take it?

I took the GMAT this last Monday which was the 26th of September. I was very strategic when deciding what date I wanted to take the test, including various factors and components into the process.

I didn't want to have to study for the GMAT exam while taking other classes. I thought that studying for exams, doing homework, and reading textbooks alongside of studying for the GMAT would just be too overwhelming. So I knew immediately that I wanted to take it, either at the end of the summer or during my winter break.

With my program starting in March, the deadline to apply is towards the middle of October, meaning my only option was to take it before school started in the fall. I didn't mind this one bit, I think I would have chosen to go this route either way, due to the long period of free time to study.

2. How did I study for the GMAT? What studying tips do I have?

I actually studied five GMAT workbooks. I purchased these used older editions from Half Price on the clearance rack for about $2.00 to $10.00 each.

Taking a lot of these standardized tests, I've come to the conclusion they don't change much year to year, so it's okay to use last year's studying books. They're much cheaper, you already paid $250 to take the test, and they are exactly the same thing.

Some of the workbooks I used were from Princeton Review, Manhattan Prep and Wiley. Also as you are purchasing your exam, a free download with practice questions is available, I would recommend using that tool as well.

When deciding what I should study, I focused the beginning of my studying with the content I felt the most comfortable with, which was the quantitative section. I didn't want to scare myself with studying the verbal first, but instead I wanted to give myself a confidence booster, by reviewing what I already felt good about.

3. Was my score good enough for the master program?

I'm honestly not sure.

My program doesn't specifically state what the minimum score is, but the GMAT is considered more of a component to the application process. Other components include your transcript, resume, a paper, letters of recommendation, etc.

I don't feel absolutely amazing about my score, but I feel a lot better than I thought I would.

If you're stuck in this same predicament after taking the exam, I recommend talking to a councilor in the master program you want to apply to. They could tell you whether your score is comparable to others' in the program or if they recommend retaking it.

4. What would I change about my strategy of studying if I retook the GMAT?

Some changes I would make if I were to retake it, would be using different studying tools.

NOT because they weren't working or they weren't beneficial, but because doing the same thing or using the same tools again, wouldn't make sense. You already got everything you could out of the them, meaning you need to seek other sources for help.

I would probably use the free download that came along with purchasing the exam. I didn't get the chance to look into it, sadly.

I would also do some research to see if my university or local library offered workshops, where they recommended various sources of help, or gave tips and tricks to taking the GMAT.

Another idea could include talking to someone who already took the exam, and to see what they did to prepare themselves.

5. Any other tips?

Just breath and relax during the test.

Take advantage of the eight minute breaks between sections, and be sure to pace yourself through these various sections.

You've studied for the exam, you did the best you could with what you had. Don't stress, just continue pushing through one question at a time, answering it to the best of your ability.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope some of these questions helped you out!

If you have any questions, or any helpful tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments down below!

Turning Pages Co Update

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Mine hasn't been that happy considering I spent three hours today taking the GMAT exam, and practically the entire morning stressing about it. But it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, and decided to walk my dog afterwards, which was extremely relaxing!

I've been meaning to make this post for the last few days, but decided against it and wrote about something else each time...meaning this post is a bit over due.

So let's start with a quick update about me...

• I'm starting my senior year of university, as an accounting major, on Wednesday. (Which is absolutely crazy to think about, especially considering the idea that I started Turning Pages back in my sophomore year in high school!)
• I spent this entire summer attending an internship (which I've already ranted blogged about, HERE) and studied for the GMAT to get into the accounting master's program at my university.
• I had approximately two weeks of actual summer break, one week where I went camping with a large group of friends, and the other where I went to a convention, visited a friend at his university, and visited my brother.

Enough about me though, let's get into the updates of Turning Pages Co...

• My first post back discussed plans and goals I have for Turning Pages Co as an Etsy shop, which you can check out HERE.
• I've been debating about how often I want to post, and have decided upon posting four times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and finally Sunday. When I first started Turning Pages Co I blogged every single day, and felt that half of those post were meaningless. But I also figured anything that's three times or less a week just wasn't enough.
• The content on this blog is going to be all over the place. YES just the way I like it. Turning Pages started out as a book blog, where I reviewed an insane amount of books in record time, and over the years it's become more than just that. 
• I still read and enjoy sharing what my thoughts about what I'm reading. I'm a college student. I'm a soon to be entry level accountant. I love planning, organizing and being creative. I run my own business on Etsy. I enjoy cooking, baking, traveling, and experiencing things. My interests and personality are wild and all over the place, and Turning Pages Co is going to a reflection of that.
• Of course, I'm always going to take any suggestions you have to what specific content you would be interested in. So please feel free to ALWAYS leave those suggestions down below in the comments!
• Another idea I've been toggling around is making Youtube videos. I love making them, I love talking to you all, and I love seeing your reactions. But I don't want too bite off more than I can chew right now, so I'm not promising anything yet. I'll probably make the occasional video to go along with a post, but nothing steady or scheduled by any means.

If you enjoy the organized messed, and don't mind the widely ranging content (whatever I'm in the mood for or thinking about that day) then please stand by!

Thank you for stopping by!

Accounting Internship

As promised in my last post on Friday (Turning Pages Co Improvements & Goals) I'm here today to discuss my Accounting Internship experience.

If you're a college student or even a high school student, you are constantly reminded that employers are looking for candidates that have experience. Which is pretty twisted considering they want freshly graduated students...with at least two years of prior experience...don't ask me how this possible, but as a "soon-to-be-graduated student" this is the struggle I'm facing while looking for my first accounting position.

We are constantly recommended to take part in an internship or two, to get a first real taste of what the field is like that we have been studying for.

Sounds like a good idea, but being an intern is nothing like actually having a position there...and I can fully attest to this statement.

I was lucky enough to find an internship that asked me to work full time,  and the entire summer long. Also they were paying me a pretty good hourly rate, so everything sounded amazing about being an intern there.

I went into the interview having practiced with my dad as to what questions they might ask, and how I would answer those. My dad hires and gives people a job for a living, so he knows a lot about interviewing candidates.

The interview...was quite...interesting? When I left, I wasn't even sure if that was actually the interview, until I received an email asking me to accept the position.

The interview lasted approximately forty five minutes or so, and consisted of them asking me, if I had any questions for them...which completely threw me off, considering I was ready to fire off my answers to any questions they had.

I remember just having to ask them a lot of questions, and the only question they had for me was what I liked doing in my free time. I answered reading, which he then furthered asked me more about what book I had just finished.

The interview ended with them again, asking me if I had any questions, which by this point in time, I thought this whole thing was fake and a waste of time...so in the most sassy way possible, I answered "No! Do you guys have any for me? I feel like you've talked the whole time." They laughed and said no.

I didn't expect to hear anything back, but within just a few days I received the offer.

The first sign of how this internship would be going, is when I first arrived, and they hadn't set up anything for me. There was a desk, with no chair, no computer, and no office supplies. I spent the first two hours standing behind someone, shadowing them and waiting for my desk to set up.

There was never a introduction as to what the company provided, what their beliefs are, or anything in that sense. I was just thrown right in, as if I was an employee training.

The first week was based upon a simple outline, which we stopped following almost immediately. Considering I would be there for almost four months, the outline probably wouldn't have been enough for half of the timeline, anyways.

The toughest and most annoying part, is that I felt the entire time that my "manager" (the controller who was "mentoring" my internship) wasn't interested in having me there. He always pushed me off to someone else, didn't take the time to explain anything, himself, to me and overall just wasn't interest in hosting an intern.

And trust me when I say this, he would consistently remind himself, myself and all of the other employees that my classes would start at the end of September, hinting that this internship would end then as well.

As the intern, there isn't much I can say or do about this, without risking the probability of me being hired on full time.

Another ridiculous thing was that people I was suppose to shadow, themselves, didn't even know what to do with me. I was just pushed off to them, and told to watch what they do. Some people I shadowed weren't even in the accounting field, which confused them (and me) even more.

I spent 8.5 hours, 5 days a week for almost 4 months, mostly sitting around and waiting for something to come my way. Employees didn't want to give up any of their own tasks to me, and would occasionally hint at me to start scanning this document cabinet with papers from the 1970's. I knew all along that I was here to learn about accounting and how it's used in daily tasks, not to become someone office assistant, scanning papers that no one has looked at since they were created.

As the internship was coming closer to an end, I was still unsure as to whether it would continue on throughout school. I was told initially in the "interview" that it most likely would, but throughout the entire program it was never mentioned again. The only reason as to why I wanted it to was that it would likely lead to a full time position, which would be amazing to have a job lined up before graduating.

I asked the CFO, and he said yes it would. A week later he came back to me and informed that it wouldn't and he apologized...at this point in time I was just frustrated and done wasting my time and learning nothing. I still had two weeks left, wanted to make the extra pocket money, and keep my reference, instead of just walking out.

On my last day, I was given a review sheet, where they explained to me how I performed. Again, it was very vague, and didn't make much sense. One point they attempted to make was that I should have taken notes and asked more questions. But I should have taken notes instead of asking questions as well...but I should have felt comfortable asking questions.

Half of the time they would treat me and make me feel like I was an employee there, and should take initiate as if I was. Then the next moment they would treat me like a intern and ask me to back off.

I spent the last four months completely confused, stressed and filled with anxiety.

Looking back at things, I'm grateful that the internship didn't continue throughout the school year. With the stress and knowledge that no one wanted me there was plenty of reason not to continue. I may have not learned a lot of accounting, but I did learn a lot about life and what I want in mine.

Would I take part in another internship?

I might. But most likely not, considering I'm done with my bachelor's degree by March and hope to have a full time accounting position by then.

I would love to hear about your internship experiences, so please feel free to comment down below with them!!

Turning Pages Co Improvements and Goals

So it's been a while, obviously, since I've written on here. There's many reasons for that, the fattest reason being the accounting internship I took part in over the last four months...

...this internship sucked the soul out of me, made me want to reconsider what I was doing with my life, and overall was just a roller coaster of stress and anxiety.

I don't want my first post back to be an update nor a recollection of what I spent my ENTIRE summer doing...or not doing. I will get into all of that in a blog post very soon.

Turning Pages Co:

Turning Pages Co has been picking up speed over the last couple of months in many aspects. While some other aspects have been lacking.

Turning Pages Co was never meant to be on Etsy alone, and still isn't. I have various social media platforms that I'm on, including right here, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I'm continuously working towards becoming more consistent when it comes to social media, just because of the huge benefits it holds.

With over a year having gone by, Turning Pages Co on Etsy, has gone through many different phases. Initially I was planning on designing my own stickers for planners, cutting those out and selling them. But as time went by, I realized I was selling something that I myself wasn't utilizing nor endorsing. Every time I sat down to design a new sheet of stickers, I wasn't excited or in love with whatever I came up with. As time went on, I started leaning more towards paper clips and bookmarks, where I've found so much joy and use, and truly feel at home when creating new merchandise.

I'm always looking for new ways to improve my shop, as well as keep customers interested.

Upcoming Changes:

Working with someone to further extend Turning Pages Co bookmarks and start selling them to a different customer base on a different platform. I was contacted by someone who was really interested in my product and was looking to share it with their customers. Things aren't anywhere near concrete, but having someone that interested in Turning Pages Co is absolutely amazing and I am beyond grateful.

Laminating bookmarks not only to ensure they don't bend in the mail, but also last longer in general. The downfall to this is having to mark up my prices, not by much, but I probably won't be able to provide bookmark sets for $1.00 or $1.50 anymore. However the benefits will outshine the cost increase. These benefits include that the product will last longer, won't be bent when it arrives, won't tear when you pull it out of your planner or book, and you could even write on it with a dry erase marker if you wanted to.

Starting to work with Adobe Illustrator to design my own patterns and images for my bookmarks. This again might raise prices just a tad bit, due to the use of ink. Again not a significant amount. But this will allow for designs to be unique, and even customized if customers are looking for a very specific color or design. I'm just learning how to work Adobe Illustrator so this change might not be until a little while into the future.

Your Thoughts:

As some of you may know, Etsy allows customers to rate your shop and your products. A few concerns mentioned in my reviews stated that one of their bookmarks came in a bit bent, which is why I've considered laminating them.

I love hearing this kind of feedback from customers as well as you guys. I'm always looking to improve, so please comment down below if your thoughts on these changes and even ideas for further improvements.

Thank you!