Cross Cultured

Mar

28

6 Reasons To Cheer For FGCU (Even If You Aren’t A Sports Fan)

NCAA San Diego St Florida Gulf Coast Basketball

I got the pleasant surprise of my life last weekend when I heard that Florida Gulf Coast University (where I recently earned my MBA) was not only in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, but that they had advanced into the Sweet Sixteen! Not to pat myself on the back or anything (especially since I didn’t even bother filling out a tournament bracket this year), as I mentioned in a previous post, FGCU’s basketball program is one that every student and alum should be proud of. Oh, and I also admit that I’m glad that my previously unheard of school, which is prominently listed on my resume, is now a household name.

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Mar

22

The Obamas Should Not Have A Seder

Culture / Judaism

On Monday night, Passover, or “chag hamatzot” will begin. It is one of the most widely observed and important holidays of the Jewish calendar. But the Jews will not be alone in getting their haggadot and seder plates ready. President Obama, his family, and select others will be joining in on the fun as well.

Apparently, the White House Passover seder has been a “tradition” every year since 2010. My cursory research does not find any other examples of a U.S. President hosting a seder in the White House. While many people out there applaud this as a gesture of ultimate tolerance and open-mindedness, I just cringe.

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Mar

18

If You Want An Affordable MBA, Get It Now

Education / MBA / My Alma Mater

When looking at MBA programs back in 2009, one of my main concerns was cost. Basically I wanted the best education I could find at a reasonable cost. My goal was to find an accredited MBA program under $20K. I was successful and the MBA program at Florida Gulf Coast University fit the bill for me. However looking at the tuition increases at FGCU (well, all public universities in Florida really), as well as my undergraduate schools (which were the focus of my previous post); it seems pretty clear that what held true for me in 2009 will most likely not hold true for someone in 2015.

There are many people out there who wonder about the proper timing of getting an MBA degree. While I did go straight from my undergraduate program into my MBA program, I was also a college dropout; with more than 5 years of professional experience behind me. So I can honestly say that my business studies were a lot more meaningful to me than they would have been if I didn’t have that work experience. However plenty of my classmates were fresh out of their undergraduate programs, with no full-time work experience. In the end, they walked in the same graduation ceremony as I did and earned the same degree.

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Mar

18

A Somber Look At College Tuition Rates

Education / My Alma Mater

Many times I try to caution people about the rude awakening they face when looking at the cost of college. I have a sister who is a senior who is going through the process now. Once you get over the shock, you may find a host of other feelings — such as anger, confusion and discouragement. Trust me, you are justified in these feelings!

A little over 15 years ago, I started college without a clue in regards to the entire process…especially the financial side of things. Although I did not look into a lot of different colleges to compare prices, I did realize that my first college was not going to work out for me financially. So I chose to transfer. This morning, I figured I would sit down and do a in-depth analysis as to whether or not I made the right decision from a financial perspective. It wasn’t fully what I expected either. Here’s what I found:

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Mar

01

4 Reasons Why Florida Gulf Coast University Does Not Need Football

My Alma Mater

No question about it, I enjoy watching football; especially if the WVU Mountaineers or the Pittsburgh Steelers happen to be playing. When I started graduate school at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2009, I remember the buzz about the new university president seriously looking into starting a football program at the 12 year-old university. Two years later, a feasibility study determined that it could cost up to $144 million to bring a football program to FGCU. No small chunk of change; even when you are not dealing with statewide budget cuts to higher education and growing dissatisfaction with higher education in general. Needless to say, the results of the feasibility study pretty much put the question of football at FGCU on indefinite hiatus.

And as a student at the time, and now as an alumna; I take pride in this decision.

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