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Written by Samantha Reid, junior Fashion Merchandising major 

Numbers and equations have never excited me. Who would have thought that fashion merchandising would be full of them? Thankfully, a confessed math hater has been saved by Microsoft Excel. 

  The business of fashion requires the analysis of several different factors that go into predicting future sales, styles, and performance. These are all based on mathematical calculations and past sales analysis summarized in Excel. Delving deep into spread sheets to create, organize, and filter through a large data set has become a daily task.  

 I must admit, when my professors started assigning Excel based work, I was intimidated. It seemed hard to learn and I couldn’t see how it’d be useful in daily life.   

But once my classes started incorporating Excel into every assignment, I had to become a pro to survive. I started with the easy functions but now have mastered complex ones as well. Surprisingly, I didn’t hate it! 

I even have favorite functions, like inputting a formula into one cell then copying and pasting it to multiple places with one simple drag. Sums, percent change, averages, and more have never been easier. I’d use Excel over my calculator any day.  

With over 400 formulas to carry out various mathematical applications, Excel can be used by anyone in any major to speed up assignments and get ahead in your industry. And Â鶹ÊÓƵ students can download Excel (plus all other Microsoft Office applications!) on up to five devices for free. 

 But it’s not just math that Excel helps with. Staying organized (confession: I’m obsessed) is so much easier with Excel. With Excel’s sort, filter, and other formatting functions I can make schedules, dynamic to-do lists, and organize assignment due dates.  

 Sure, there are plenty of calendar apps that could be used for time management, but Excel can create different pages on one document. This keeps all my lists and schedules together on one application rather than keeping several different apps up to date. I've also been able to compare different law schools' requirements (why stop with a bachelor’s degree?) and do other planning for my future.