Why I pursued grad school

As a marketing and psychology major, there were five or so main reasons I decided to pursue a Master of Arts with a major in International Business:

1. I felt like my undergraduate education was not enough. I learn by doing, not by reading and taking tests. My undergraduate education, while valuable, I felt was missing practicality. I was able to learn how to manage others, how to market a product, how to build a financial statement and more…. But did I do any of that? No. The only exception to that is my marketing management class I’m currently taking, but it’s my last semester... kind of late there! In my graduate classes, I’ve worked with over 10 teams to build investment portfolios, create marketing campaigns, analyze industries in foreign countries and have even had the opportunity to work to consult Outback Steakhouse in their international expansion strategies.
2.    I wanted to be more competitive. Being a business major, competition is real. Many business majors understand the importance of work experience, internships, leadership in school and all that… so we all end up doing very similar things outlined in our “How to be successful” handbook. Getting a masters degree in international business is a major differentiation point for me.
3. Had the opportunity to do a combined degree. I didn’t have to spend an extra year or two in school, and that saved me time and money. Essentially, I was able to take graduate classes while still doing my undergrad and had those classes count both for grad and undergrad (while still receiving financial aid.) Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone that is able to do a combined degree!
4. I was able to “study abroad”. I put it in quotations because it’s not your typical study abroad… We went to Barcelona and met with over 10 major government entities and international companies that either started in Spain, or have major operations in Spain. They walked us through their business, experiences doing business internationally and how culture impacts the way they do business. We met with companies like Edelman, Mango, Eurofragance, Bmat, Torres Winery and more. Amazing experience, and even more amazing paella. 
5. I’m passionate about what I’m learning, and I pick my curriculum. I am so passionate about cultures and the subtle differences that make a big difference in making business decisions. There was no undergraduate degree that matched that description. Also, although there are six required courses, I get to pick the rest of the 14 credits I have to take for the degree. I’ve taken classes like:

•  Communication across cultures
• Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism
• Customer Relationship Management 
• Art and Science of Negotiation
• International Finance
• Global Strategic Management
• International Marketing
• And more fun classes!  

Grad school is not for everyone, some people can’t afford it right it away, some people have others plans after graduation and some people might pursue grad school later in life, like an MBA or JD. Either way, it’s a personal choice that needs to fit in your life :)

New Years day

Today I went to Los Ranchos in Bayside Marketplace in Miami, FL.  My cousins from New York came over to visit my family and they decided to take us out to eat. The food was amazing -- I had the house Churrasco with Shrimp as well as some Chardonnay and the best chimichurri sauce ever. 

The location was nice since we had the ocean view as well. The one thing that I was upset with was the service. Maybe it was because everyone in the restaurant was hungover from New Years or something like that.... but the greeter was rude, the waitress was impatient and rude, and overall it was extremely lackluster in terms of the service. Despite the shitty service, I had a great time :)

Eurotrip: Booked

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”  

― Augustine of Hippo

I just planned and booked my Eurotrip I'll be taking after graduation in May! I'm planning on backpacking through six countries with Stephen. Here is my itinerary:

Copenhagen 

Home of the happiest people on earth 

Nyhavn District

The statue of The Little Mermaid 

Tivoli, the world's second oldest amusement park

Budapest

Hidden gem that is known as the "Paris of the east"

Famous Budapest Bathhouses 

Nicknamed "paris of the east" the city is divided into Buda and Pest 

Parliament Building

Istanbul 

The only city in the world that is in two different continents: Europe and Asia 

The bridge that brings together Europe and Asia 

Blue Mosque

Lighthouse in the Black Sea

Athens 

The ancient city, I'll be searching for Hercules :)  

Acropolis 

Overview of the city 

The beaches of Athens

Rome 

Romantic city and home of the heart of Catholicism, The Vatican 

Evening shot of a bridge

The Vatican

Trevi Fountain

Needless to say, I'm ridiculously excited for my 15 day Eurotrip. I'll follow this post up with pictures of my own, stories abroad and 10 things I learned about each city.

au revior!

So I got a job at Google

Senior year of college was stressful yet rewarding. Half the time I was focused on finding the perfect job and the other half I was relaxing and enjoying the fact that I had everything set up for me after graduation.

I remember that one January morning.  My recruiter called me as I was waiting in my apartment in Gainesville and I heard the best news of the year: I got the job. In six months I was going to move across the country, find an apartment, create a new life, make new friends, buy new things, and I was going to work for Google.

A couple of months in, I still can't believe I'm here. As some may know, Google has been rated the #1 place to work in the US for several years now. Their perks, company culture, and opportunities are unmatched. The people I have met here are the smartest, friendliest and have the most interesting stories. I seriously couldn't have imagined working anywhere else.

My role is as an Associate Account Strategist working in Google's online advertising platform: AdWords. Basically, I work with small and medium business owners/media agencies to optimize and troubleshoot AdWords accounts. It's a fun role that allows for strategizing, problem-solving and working on your interpersonal skills. Forbes even wrote about my team earlier this year. 

This is just the beginning of my life as a yuppie but I'm sure I'll have plenty more stories to tell. 

2013 at a glance

jan 
Start of a fresh new year -- great things to come.

feb
Valentines day, roomie time, birthdays and my little sister turned 10!

mar
Went on a spring break cruise! Johnson & Johnson National Case Competition.

apr
Earth day celebration :)

may
Enactus National Exposition 2nd runner up!

jun
Interned with a top marketing analytics company in Atlanta and moved in with one of my besties for the summer.

jul
Traveled around the "south". So many music festivals and food. Great food. Still interning.

aug
Finished interning. Moved in with Stephen! Started my senior year in college. Started working part-time for UF. Attended my first wedding.

sep
Gator football! Enactus outings.

oct
Turned 21... enough said. BARCELONA! 2nd annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival experience.

nov
Celebrated my 2 year anniversary with Stephen. Started writing my grad school thesis (on Google). Thanksgiving in Miami.

dec
Graduated with my undergraduate degrees in marketing and psychology. Interviewed with dream company.


Update: 

jan
Accepted a full-offer with Google in HQ Mountain View, CA.

Transformation of Communication

I saw this video:

My reaction: "wow."
So many thoughts, ideas, and opinions came to mind after watching the video. I had to talk to someone about it (there's the super extrovert in me). Below is a conversation between my friend, Melissa, and I.

Psychology side: 

But really. If you think about how people communicate -- it's a training process. The moment you're born, you learn how to communicate with your mother to let her know you're hungry, or feel bad, and need some action to be taken. 

Then, you needed to communicate with friends and family members in order to be part of society -- so you started to use a language as a means of communication. You were taught the grammar behind talking both technically in school and socially through trial and error. The whole time you're training to communicate effectively. 

Now you introduce the new era of technology. Instant communication. You have the opportunity to communicate with others without having to be in front of them. So what do you do? Similar to a school paper, you think of all the things you have to say and all the ideas you want to convey, then you organize those thoughts. Think about it. Important emails, fighting via text message with your significant other, giving bad news... If we've gotten used to doing this all virtually or via writing, will it change when we have to speak it and are not used to saying it anymore?

Marketing side: 

If you think about it, if we train our brain to communicate in this manner... what does that mean for when you're speaking in person? Interviewing? Working on a case? or need to show any form of being a strong communicator? 

I guess the question I'm trying to argue here is: Is technology, social media, and the ease of virtual communication making us inefficient communicators? 

Lily's Disneyland Surprise

In case you haven't noticed, Lily's really excited about going to Disneyland. She's so excited about it, her and her sister have become internet famous!

Here is the later Part 2 that really took off in social media:

They have a Kid's reaction video to the reaction (inception):

More internet trolling:

See what I mean?

They've gotten so much traction that they even have a Huffington Post article written about them: Here is a link to a Huffington Post article. 

Needless to say, Lilly and Chloe are internet superstars.

Confession: I am a couch potato

I noticed I watch a lot of TV. In my marketing management class, my team and I presented about TiVo and the typical couch potato, and then I realized, I am a couch potato. Well, I'd like to think of myself as an active member of society... who enjoys watching good (and bad) TV!  Here are some of the TV shows I watch:

Vampire Diaries 

Totally a guilty pleasure. I think they get most of their viewership from swooning girls fantasizing over Ian Somerhalder (obviously my favorite). The only super weird thing about this show, besides the whole vampire and werewolf thing, is the fact that there are triple dopplegangers of the same person. Script writers obviously started running out of stories... so they just made carbon copies with strange strange twists. Regardless, the eye candy is just too yummy.



Revenge 

This show has been riveting, and jaw dropping... literally. It's about a woman whom as a child got her dad taken away from her by some rich Hampton's powerful people and now she's back pretending to be someone else and slyly get revenge on all those who ruined her life. Talk about holding a grudge. The best part about it is that my boyfriend, Stephen, is just as into it as I am! We religiously watch new episodes every Sunday (well, that's ironic.)

Law & Order SVU 

Let's be honest, we all love it when we switch to USA and an SVU marathon is going on... and the drinking game is pretty awesome. Here is a link to the game.  






Orange is the New Black

As far as prison shows go, Orange is the New Black has been claimed to be one of the most realistic and hilarious of it's category. It's hard not to fall in love with all the criminals on the show, and it goes to show that all our tax dollars are being put to (somewhat) good use. Season 1 was such a teaser and the ending was brilliant.... I'm anxiously anticipating Season 2, just to see if Chapman is going to be spending more time in prison than originally anticipated.

House of Cards 

Another Netflix original! Let me tell you, I really don't like politics. But this show... man! This show takes manipulation to a whole new level and it's monologues make it iconically theatrical. Here's a really funny parody. 








Pretty Little Liars 

Another guilty pleasure. I think this is the guiltiest of the guilty. In fact, it's so guilty-like that my 10 year old sister and I watch it together. This is another one of those shows in which really really ridiculous things happen and all you think is "Man, they're totally running out of content, they must be getting desperate". For an ABC Family TV show aimed at teenagers, this show is pretty dark. It basically is about stalkers, killers, and (you guessed it) liars.

Game of Thrones 

When I first heard about this TV show, I thought "that premise sounds boring". It is anything but boring. Here are a couple of words I would use to describe it: badass, naked people, fighting, dragons, swords, little rulers, witty, action-packed, awesome. Mostly just awesome.





Mad Men 

Okay, it is sexist and everything I hate about American culture. And yes, I admit it, I basically hate every character (except Sally.) But that aside, this show is just spectacular. The history behind it is well represented, the drama it deals with is very real and the actors are just phenomenal. Not to mention that January Jones is just the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Breaking Bad 

This is the only show on this list I have not completely finished/am caught up with. Two words: crack cocaine. I mean that both in that it's the main premise of the story and watching is like crack cocaine (according to the dictionary.) I don't even know how to describe it, just watch it.




How I Met Your Mother 

I want my life to be like How I Met Your Mother. I like to think that it kind of is and I'm Lilly and Stephen is Marshall... but different. The show just really understands the importance of friendship, love, romance and just living life.
It's pretty legen- wait for it- dary!

Modern Family

Hello! Sofia Vergara made it BIG with this one! By far one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. The comedy really appeals to everyone all of ages. It deals with growing pains, dysfunctional families and at the end of the day, no matter what why we love our families so much!... and I really think that Stephen is Phil. They are the same person.





Suits 

Almost forgot this one! Suits is just wow. Harvey Spector is just wow. He's basically the most badass lawyer you'll ever meet -- with his nerdy never-went-to-law-school partner in crime. Jessica Pierce (who by the way is played by a Cuban actress, woot woot) is also the definition of a badass lawyer and powerful woman. The show is all about power and leverage .... and relationships and backstabbing and lies.... but mostly power and leverage.



and these are just shows I've watch this year! I like to think of myself as well versed in immediate TV pop culture. Some TV shows I want to start getting into are:

• The Walking Dead 
• White Collar 
• Scandal 

Any new TV show recommendations?

The Harlem Shake

Today... Apparently, the Harlem Shake is back, after a 30 year hiatus -- and it's crazy. It's essentially a group of people casually enjoying their day and then out of no where one person (usually in a mask) will start to do something out of the ordinary (like pelvis thrusting.) Then, when the beat drops, they ALL join in in crazy motions, with different outfits and doing ridiculous motions. There have been over 50 Harlem Shake videos uploaded on YouTube in the last two weeks. Anything from a couple of friends, to small groups of people to hundreds of people coming together to create these videos.

I'm feeling the gator pride -- so enjoy our University of Florida Harlem shake video:

My roommates and I are planning on creating one ourselves -- so watch out for that!

Being a Wallflower

Today...

I saw the Perks of Being a Wallflower. I seriously have not seen such a good movie in such a good time. I think it's just because I'm that kind of person that really appreciates the simple real things.

I seriously fell in love with these characters, who they are, who they stand for and who they remind me of in my life. I think it just really touched me because I can relate -- maybe not personally, but I have a couple of very close friends that can. I couldn't help but cry my eyes out in certain moments because I just saw my friends there and I felt the pain, I felt the emotion. 

It also coincides with a very emotional semester -- I'm taking positive psychology and I just feel like I've been doing it all wrong but it's okay. I've learned A LOT about life, people, and happiness in general. I've been able to go into the past and pick out those things I've done wrong and right and learn from it. 

It's days like these that make me re-think what I'm doing with my life. 

That's it for today.