Inserting symbols in text box

I've just moved from 2003 to 2010. I sometimes find ways to make 2010 work as efficiently as 2003, but this is a problem.

I need to insert a Greek alpha in a text box. In 2003, I would
make a text box
type the normal text
press Alt, i(nsert), s(ymbol)
the table comes up, with the highlight on the last used symbol, which is often the one I want
press Enter or click the desired character
press enter twice to insert and close

In 2010, pressing Alt i gives a box that says I can continue to enter menu keys from older Excels, but "s" does nothing. I have to go all over the ribbon to get the job done.

In 2010, the 2003 style alt i/s works when entering text into a cell. If you add a text box and try alt i/s, you get the symbol table, but the character goes into the forumla bar and you get a "reference is not valid" error.

I added the symbol command to the QAT (in Word it is sensibly "Insert Symbol" in Word, but it is "symbol" in Excel) but this is really a lot harder than the old version.

Is there a way to get Excel to respond like it says it will for the Alt menu keys?

Try activating the text box then on the ribbon select INSERT then SYMBOL.

That is what I was doing (go all over the ribbon to get the job done).

However, this is a real step backwards in ease and speed of use. I'd really like to find a way to get Excel to honor its message to 'continue typing the menu key sequence'.

I just did some searching, try ALT+N then ALT+U

Thanks! That does the job. It even works in the three scenarios I tried before. Where did you find this? It's probably in the manual. Oh wait...

But... I swear if MS relabeled 2003 as 2014 or whatever, it would be acclaimed as a great leap forward (assuming we keep the one or two good things like bigger sheets)

I mean, Alt N for insert-- ok, But Alt U for symbol?