Day 1: What did I just do?
Okay, I’m not going to lie, the Jr. Core Orientation was intimidating. The faculty started the meeting with a speech of how amazing the Accounting program is and that it was basically our responsibility to continue the legacy that the Marriott School of Business has established for the past 12 years. I mean, how do you even respond to that? Then a lot of ‘first assignment of the Jr. Core’ (that day I left with eight first assignments… I thought it was funny!) I met my group and immediately started making plans for meetings.
They took professional pictures of each one of us, so we could start a Linked In account. It was terrible. I was all nervous, I was wearing a skirt, the stool was too tall, I forgot to put my blazer on.. oh well. We had a lot of talks about dealing with stress, adjusting to new things, and working in teams. I think the best part of the day was the free lunch I got. But then again, food is always the highlight of my days :).
Day 2: Waren Case
It was the second day of classes and I was already tired. I had to stay up late the night before. That day I went to class to find out what my very first Jr. Core project was going to be: The Waren Case. I don’t even… know… wait, what?
The Waren Case is a 30-hours project that helps you visualize the flow of accounting transactions and financial statements of an entity. The packet was heavy and I was completely sure I didn’t even remember what is a credit and a balance. I guess I just have to push trough it… and dust off my ACC 310 notes.
Day 3: Is this our prize for not dropping out yet?
On Wednesday I arrived to the classroom and to my surprise, there were welcome-back bags on every desk of the room. Of course, it was an accounting company wishing us the best for the upcoming year (and they might have mentioned their recruiting dates for the semester…hmmm…subtle). When my teammate arrived and saw the little bags he said “is this our prize for not dropping out yet?” Yes, yes it is. The best thing… The bag included a coupon for a free sandwich. This is what I’m talking about 🙂
More group meetings. They seem to be lasting longer… I wonder if this is how it’s going to be the rest of the semester. Probably.
Day 4: Pit Crew Challenge
It was a fun day! Classes were cancelled and we had to go to the stadium parking lot to find… drumroll, please… a race car. Yes! Look at us… cool accountants! 🙂 We had to changed the tires of the car… with some obstacles, of course. I learned a lot of things and was reminded of some more other things. I was the sign holder, mainly because I couldn’t do any of the other positions without harming others or myself :P.
Day 5: International Perspective
We learned about International accounting standards with the help of a quite confusing game. When the faculty told us the catch of the game, I just thought it was so brilliant. I would share the lesson with you, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun and mystery of it for you. You’ll just have to figure it out guys! The day ended with a group meeting.
Before this day I had never left the library at 6:30 p.m. on a Friday. I think I better get used to it, and the sooner the better. The take away from this week… Yes, it will be hard, and it will also be worth it.
Hugs,
Diana