October 2006 Archives

Last night I took a practice GMAT on the Kaplan website, and I got a 680 (a 50 point improvement over my diagnostic test about 4 weeks ago). This morning I went to the actual test center out on Poplar, and I took the test, and I got a 580. :( I guess I must have been flustered, because the whole thing was so confusing. They don't let you take ANYTHING into the testing area except for your driver's license and the key to your locker (where you put your bookbag, coat, etc). I asked if I could take chapstick and I was even denied that! I said, "That's kinda crazy", and the guy responded, "Let me tell you what is crazy. The United States Army can build a plane the size of that there chapstick and fly it to Iraq and spy on people. Think of what you could do."

...

Yeah. What?

No week is ever easy at Rhodes, but last week was a killer: Tuesday - Econ quiz (10% of my grade), Wednesday - Business Law test (33% of my grade), and Thursday - Accounting quiz and Marketing test. Not to mention the assignments for the Kaplan GMAT course I'm taking on Tuesday/Thursday nights. And I worked 14.5 hours last week.

It's all been a little much, and I was a tiny bit under the weather this weekend, but that was okay. It didn't stop me from squealing and jumping around like an idiot yesterday when the Cards advanced to the NLCS. Mom is considering buying us World Series tickets. That would be SOOO awesome, but they are quite expensive. I would pitch in (I'll have about $250 saved up from my job), but just to give you an idea, it's $6500 each for the best seats in the stadium (normally they're $100-200). So that'll give you a vague idea of how much our little "cheap" nosebleed seats would be, with a similar price increase.

This week, the only thing I really have to do (besides working 12 hours) is take an Econ test on Tuesday. Other than that, it's just normal homework, and then this weekend is fall break, so I drive home on Friday night, and we drive to Iowa on Saturday morning to celebrate Dad's birthday (which is actually Wednesday) with Ty. Then when we get back, I'm visiting UIUC and talking with the Director of the Masters in Accounting program, and maybe with some of Prof. McClain's colleagues. He said he knew a couple that teaches there, so he might get the wife to speak with me. I also found out that Prof. Arce, my Econ prof, went to UIUC, but I think he went to get his PhD in Economics, and that's a rather different program.

As much help as the faculty is offering, they all seem to be disappointed that I'm not primarily focused on Rhodes' Masters program. There's a possibility that I'll stay here, but I would much prefer to get out of Memphis. So I've been looking around at other schools, too.. UIUC of course, Wash U, maybe even BYU (their tuition is soo cheap, and Salt Lake City is gorgeous). I don't know. It's an adventure.