How to Find a Good Chinese Tutor

How to Find a Good Chinese TutorThe education system in China is very interesting for both foreigners and Chinese alike. A few years ago, this aspect was unfamiliar to people. The education system is quite different from that of the West.If you come to China with the intention of teaching English to Chinese people, it is essential that you find a legitimate school for this purpose. You do not want to waste your time on fraudulent schools that charge high fees, only to have the students never learn anything. Finding a good school will take some time. This article will discuss some things that will help you find a reputable school.When studying Chinese, one of the most popular phrase you'll hear is 'xin ge fang Hua' which means 'Studying Chinese with your heart'. This phrase is commonly seen when somebody begins studying Chinese. It is an expression that encourages everyone to devote their heart into learning Chinese.Money does not play a part in this phrase. It's a saying made by thos e who want to take part in something worthwhile, not those who want to be extravagant. Not all schools are legitimate. There are some unscrupulous folks who try to take advantage of those who want to learn Chinese.Always think twice before making a decision on which school to attend. Make sure that the school you choose is one that can provide a good education. Make sure that the school provides for your every need. One thing you must know about the education system in China is that the rules are quite strict and the education standards are extremely high.You can contact an agent in Taiwan that specializes in the education in China and ask for recommendations. The agent may help you get through this tough market period. Be careful about any school that gives any promotional offers.If you are a professional foreign teacher or a student seeking for a Chinese tutor, you will have no problem finding a good school. Find out more about the school you are thinking of going to. After you se lect a school, go ahead and see for yourself the school.

Chemistry Homework Help-An Effective Tool To Ace The Subject

Chemistry Homework Help-An Effective Tool To Ace The Subject 0SHARESShare Chemistry is an interesting subject to those who understand its basic concepts well without any confusion. A chemistry tutor online with his homework help is a great boon to the students who feel that they are in the maze while solving a chemistry problem or equalizing a Chemistry bond.                Chemistry Homework Help: Take advantage of online homework help in Chemistry? Use the recorded Chemistry tutoring sessions and video lectures to get into touch with the basic Chemistry concepts. This helps you a lot when you do topics in Organic Chemistry like Acids and Bases or Stereo Chemistry. Organic Chemistry Online Tutoring can highlight the main aspects of the subject with its interactive multimedia tools  and   animations and motivate innovative learning strategies in the students Chemistry Homework Help online can resolve the problems in your homework  and help you with better understanding through its online boards and step by step explanations The review exercises, feedback, quizzes and simulations of the tutoring sessions establish the fundamentals of Chemistry in student mind without fail Online tutoring for subjects like Physics and Chemistry helps the students grasp the crux of the topics without any disruption. For example, when an online tutor explains how to Define Angular Acceleration with his unique tutoring methods, student interest in the subject gets doubled. Tutor Pace provides sufficient help in Chemistry homework to enable students ace the subject. Get a Chemistry Homework Help Right Now! [starbox id=admin]

The Best way to Learn to write Hanzi

The Best way to Learn to write Hanzi Chinese script: learn to write the characters ChaptersEasy Chinese words and characters to learnWhat direction do you read and write in Chinese?How to memorize the way to write Chinese charactersHelpful tools to learn Chinese charactersBeautiful, exotic, mysterious…these adjectives aren’t describing a tropical vacation destination, I’m talking about the Chinese writing system!When we talk about Chinese characters, we aren’t talking about an alphabet like we use in English. The Chinese system of writing is totally different from English, Spanish, or even Russian.Whether you’ve just begun Mandarin lessons, or are in intermediate or advanced Chinese classes, learning to write the hanzi can be a difficult challenge and it’s hard to find good learning methods to do it.Here we’ll talk you through a few of our top tips for learning to write in Chinese, and how to memorize and read Chinese characters.Another example is the character ? (ròu, meat)   and ? (Yú, which is the symbol for fish), so when you see ?? (niurou, bee f) at a restaurant, you can deduct that that symbol indicates some form of meat and not fish.Finally, thanks to the character ? (Zhàn), students will be able to get around on public transport in China.You should note that it’s necessary to practice writing and identifying your first 100 characters regularly in order to properly memorize them and move ahead in your language studies.We also have some tips for how to learn to write in Chinese.What direction do you read and write in Chinese?In China, last names are passed down the paternal line over millenniaThe People’s Republic of China followed the example of Japan and Singapore and completely did away with their traditional way of writing in 1956. This change followed an increase in Western influence in Asia and was meant to make the writing system easier to learn and more regular.Therefore, in mainland China if you’re at a Chinese language school or taking classes at the Confucius Institute it’s normal to learn to write Ch inese in a Western style - that is, horizontally, going from left to right.It’s the way you’ll see Chinese script in newspapers, magazines, and books as you go about your day to day life.Traditional writing is then relegated to the level of good taste, savoir-vive, and linguistic skills.Often you’ll see vertical writing (from high to low, and right to left), often without any punctuation, in greeting cards or handwritten letters that you write to your oldest family members.Esthetically, Chinese calligraphy also often takes the form of classical writing on shop signs.You’ll also see writing going from high to low on the outside of ancient monuments, in temples, and on the signs of many restaurants. It can often cause some funny stories of confusion, so it’s worth keeping in mind this possibility if you’re planning a trip to China and taking a semester of Chinese classes before you head abroad.Although rare, people do sometimes have trouble reading the written characters, and it’s something you’ll have to get used to if you’re planning to live in China. The key thing is to remember that there are no spaces between words like in Romance and Germanic languages, and the meanings of some words need to be inferred by context.Expats and native Chinese speakers alike can agree on one thing - it’s sometimes hard to tell in which direction you’re meant to be reading the characters. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, newspapers are still written vertically, and you can sometimes see characters written:from left to right, in the opposite direction that was instituted in the 1950s to simplify the Chinese language.from top to bottom like Chinese was traditionally written until the first half of the 20th century.And sometimes the two systems are mixed together, which can make the writing impossible to read for anyone born after Chinese language reform.Learn more about writing in Chinese with this glossary...How to memorize the way to write Chinese charactersIs the re a way to wish someone Happy New Year in Chinese without making reference to money?“A man’s life isn’t long enough to learn all of the characters.”This Chinese proverb can give you some indication of the mammoth task you’re taking on in memorizing Chinese characters.There’re an estimated 56,000 hanzis ?? (Chinese characters)! It would take more than an entire lifespan - at least if immortality hasn’t been invented yet - to learn every last Chinese character.Chinese language centers often emphasize the order in which you make the strokes when writing in order to teach the hanzis. This way of learning can often seem like memorization, but it’s actually quite logical. The repetitive strokes register in your brain just like any other form of writing, same as the way you learned to write in English.When you first start off writing Chinese characters, it’s best to start with strokes that start from the left before moving on to ones that are on the right. That way you†™re learning in the same direction as English writing.Then, for the rare times when the student is asked to write from high to low, the order is the same:Always start writing the strokes above before moving on to those below, same as you would in English.Then, following basic logic, you should always fill the square or outline before closing it. It’s common sense that you’d need to draw the character first before drawing an outline around it.What’s more, if you’re drawing a complex character, you should do the horizontal strokes before the vertical ones.Finally, some words made up of two or more characters should be written from right to left. The word ‘hello’ is a good example of this.You’ll normally learn all of these rules for writing script in your Mandarin language classes, and they’ll help you begin to make sense of the bewildering world of Hanzi. But of course, there are lots of other methods for writing Chinese characters too, and there’s no one way to do i t.In any case, it doesn’t matter so much which way you learn the Chinese characters, the key thing is that although learning the hanzi may seem like an impossible task, it’s totally doable.Learn more about writing Chinese Hanzi...Helpful tools to learn Chinese charactersHelpful websites to learn the hanziomniglotThis helpful online encyclopedia of different languages offers some great resources and useful links to other websites, as well as an app for learning the most common Chinese characters, available on Android and iPhone.Online apps for learning Mandarin Chineseskritter.comAvailable as an app on the iPhone, or online, this mobile app makes it easy for you to learn and study Chinese characters and is designed to do so in a way that will keep student’s motivated and encouraged.Following the precise directions provided, the user is invited to trace the character out, stroke by stroke, in the right order. There’s even a function to ask for help when you come across a chara cter that you’ve forgotten (or never learned).The app will also offer you different exercises and quizzes once it’s determined your level based on which characters you’ve mastered, and which hanzi you’re struggling with.The app is easily accessible to all, even beginners, and also offers flashcards to help you study without having to move a muscle.Thanks to its machine learning algorithm, the app also keeps track of your errors and will adjust to work with you on improving your weak areas.The iPhone app also offers an audio option, so you can listen to the proper pronunciation of each hanzi character. It’s a great way to combine reading and listening comprehension.Widely considered by bloggers and students of Chinese as the best tool for learning the Chinese characters the app does cost money, but there’s also a free demo available for you to test it out, or dip your toe in the language ahead of your first Chinese lesson.I found the best way to learn to write is through Chinese lessons with a Superprof tutor!Learn Chinese Characters via videoYouTube is full of a wide variety of native Chinese and Chinese teachers who are eager to help you learn. With titles like ‘The Best Way to Learn Chinese Characters’ and ‘Four Basic Concepts for Learning Chinese Characters’, you should be able to find a video blogger that will work for you in no time.It’s a great way to begin the challenge of learning to read and write Chinese characters.In order to really appreciate the beauty of the different Hanzi, however, there’s nothing better than signing up for some Chinese classes in New York or Boston.Discover how to write using classic Chinese calligraphy...Need to find a Chinese tutor in the UK? Look no further! Whether your searching for London, Birmingham, Manchester, or any other city in Britain, you’ll find them with Superprof.Chinese courses LondonMandarin courses LondonChinese classes Glasgow

Living With Roommates What Introverts Should Know - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Living With Roommates What Introverts Should Know - Introvert Whisperer Living With Roommates: What Introverts Should Know Kayla Matthews April 16, 2019 Communication No responses Go to top Like most introverts, I was intimated by the thought of going off to college and living with roommates for the first time. It was a gamble to see who I’d end up with and if we would get along. There were good days and bad days, but nonetheless, I discovered a lot along the way. Avoid some of my mishaps by learning how you can find the perfect roommate and what to do if you end up with a bad one. How to Find the Perfect Roommate Some colleges and apartment complexes allow you to choose your own roommate. If you have the option, take it. There’s plenty you can do to find someone compatible. 1. Look for an Introvert About 80 percent of people believe opposites attract, but science has proven it’s a myth. If you’re an introvert, look for someone that shares similar routines, such as craving alone time or preferring to listen over talking. 2. Share Common Ground Having common ground, no matter what it is â€" your college major, a hobby, a favorite movie â€" is an excellent foundation for a relationship. Finding a roommate who shares your goals, such as maintaining a 4.0 GPA, can even provide a support network for achieving them â€" something proven to benefit both your physical and mental health. 3. Ask About Tidiness One common point of contention between roommates is tidiness. Some may not mind a little mess around the apartment or dorm while others require spotlessness. Personally, I don’t mind letting a dirty dish or two sit for a day. No matter your preferences, look for a roommate who shares a similar mindset. How to Deal With a Bad Roommate Unfortunately, you don’t always have the option to choose your roommate. While you can avoid the dorms and rent your own apartment, sometimes you have to deal with a bad roomie. Luckily, there are steps you can take to make your experience a little easier: 1. Implement House Rules You and your roommate don’t have to be friends â€" you don’t even have to get along. Instead of getting mad when you and your roommate clash, be proactive and talk about rules you want to establish when you move in. From turning the music down after a particular time to cleaning up after meals, house rules can keep a bad roommate accountable and make your life less stressful. 2. Find an Outside Spot Sometimes there’s no way to fix a bad relationship. If you can’t get along with your roommate and can’t find a path to compromise, find an outside spot where you can regain your sanity. Some people enjoying spending time at their favorite cafe or coffee shop, taking a book or computer along. When the weather is warm, I like to escape roommates by walking to the park or going on a bike ride. 3. Ask For Help Bad roommates come on a spectrum, meaning some are worse than others. If you find yourself living with a roommate you cannot tolerate â€" maybe they refuse to stop throwing parties or you’ve discovered they’re selling drugs â€" ask for help. When the situation becomes too much to handle, there are people you can reach out to for guidance. In college, that might mean discussing things with your RA. If you’re renting an apartment, you could talk to the landlord or property manager. Living With a Roommate If you’re lucky, you’ll find the ideal roommate that can blossom into a friend. Just keep in mind that living with any roommate can have its challenges. While you cant always pick who you live with, there’s still plenty you can do to save your sanity and make life easier. Go to top Bottom-line â€" I want to help you accelerate your career â€" to achieve what you want by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my 4 Building Blocks to Relationships eBookâ€" the backbone to your Networking success and fantastic work relationships.  Grab yours by visiting here right now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

How is the SAT Scored

How is the SAT Scored The SAT is a standardized exam utilized by the majority of colleges and universities to assist in admissions decisions. Because the test is standardized, schools can roughly compare the abilities of all applicants based on their SAT results. [RELATED: What is an Average SAT Score?] A prospective students overall SAT score is the combination of results earned in three categoriesCritical Reading, Math, and Writing. Scores currently range from 600-2400, though the SAT will return to a scale of 1600in the spring of 2016, when the College Board releases its revision of the exam. View our past postfor section-specific changes. How is my score calculated? Final scores are calculated in the following manner: each correct multiple-choice answer is worth a maximum of one point. One-fourth of a point is deducted for an incorrect answer. (Beginning in 2016, the guessing penalty will no longer exist.) Omitted questions will neither help nor hurt the overall scoreno points are awarded or deducted. Certain math problems are scored differently. Questions that require the student to perform calculations and record a final response are scored on a point-no point basis. If the student's answer is correct, one point is awarded. If the response is incorrect, no point is awarded. There are no deductions on problems of this format. Here are five great SAT test prep tips. How is my essay assessed? The essay, which will become optional on the new SAT, is also marked in a different manner than multiple-choice questions. The Writing portion of the SAT includes an essay element that is given a score of 1-6 by two separate readers, for a maximum of 12 (unwritten essays will receive a score of 0). Readers are education professionals who grade each response based on the level of quality in a number of areas. These include: demonstrated critical thinking, a developed point of view with a clear focus and organization throughout, the appropriateness and quality of examples and vocabulary, overall flow and the rhythm of sentence structure, and grammar and mechanics. You may also want toutilize aprep bookto help you prepare. What is equating? What is percentile rank? When the raw scores for all three sections (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) are obtained, they are each converted to a result between 200 and 800. This is known as equating. After raw scores are converted into what are now referred to as the calculated scores, they are used to compare the student's performance with the performance of other individuals. This percentile rank is what schools pay close attention to, because it describes how well a student compares to all other individuals who have completed the SAT at that time.

Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacies 11 Logical Fallacies Explained A well-constructed argument avoids logical fallacies, flaws in the reasoning that will render the argument invalid. Following are some of the most common logical fallacies. 11 Logical Fallacies Explained Oversimplification. The tendency to provide simple solutions to complex problems. “The reason we have low unemployment today is the threat of war in Central America and the Middle East.” Hasty generalization is a generalization that is based on too little evidence or on evidence that is not representative. “It was the best movie I saw this year, and so it should get an Academy Award.” Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“After this, therefore because of this”). Confusing chance or coincidence with causation. Because one event comes after another one, it does not necessarily mean that the first event caused the second. “Ever since I went to the hockey game, Ive had a cold.” The assumption here is that going to the hockey game had something to do with the speakers cold when, in fact, there might be one or more different causes for the cold.   “Students who sit at the back of the class get lower marks to those who sit near the front of the class, so sit near the front!”   The fallacy here is the suggestion that simply sitting at the front of the class will improve a student’s grades.   Other factors seem more accountable: students who are likely to sit near the front of the class take a more active interest in the lessons, do their homework or make a more favorable impression on their teachers. Circular argument. Offering a restatement of an argument as a reason for accepting it. “Smoking is injurious because it harms the human body.” Or “There is only one argument that can be made to someone who rejects the authority of the Bible, that the Bible is true.”  Paraphrase is not evidence! False analogy. Making a misleading analogy between logically unconnected ideas. “Of course hell make a fine coach. He was an all-star basketball player.” Non sequitur (“It does not follow”). An inference or conclusion that does not follow from established premises or evidence. “She is a sincere speaker; she must know what she is talking about.” Begging the question. You beg the question by assuming something that is actually your responsibility to prove, by building your argument on an undemonstrated claim. “Conservation is the only means of solving the energy problem over the long haul; therefore, we should seek out methods to conserve energy.” Or with a question: “Have you stopped beating your wife?”   Another form of begging the question is to make a claim and then insist that someone disprove it.   “How do you know that UFOs haven’t been visiting the earth since the time of the pyramids?”   In all argument, the burden of proof is on the person making the assertion.   It is a waste of your time to try to disprove a conclusion that was never proven to begin with. Argumentum ad Hominem is attacking the person and not the question at issue. “You are opposed to a war on terrorism because you are a coward!”   The speaker ignores the issue by attacking the man.   To avoid confusion, it should be added that an argument criticising a particular individualâ€"a government official, a candidate, etc.â€"is probably not argumentum ad hominem; in such cases, the man is the issue. Extension is another way of ignoring the question. By extending the question, you can find yourself arguing a different subject altogether.   “If you outlaw guns, you might as well outlaw cars, too. And where would we be without cars?”   Are you arguing about guns or cars?   “I know Jean Chretien has his faults, but nobody is perfect!”   Are we discussing specific faults or attainment of perfection?   To arguments that ignore the question, the reasonable response is “Let’s get back to the issue.” Either/or thinking. The tendency to see an issue as having only two sides. “Used car salesmen are either honest or crooked.” When the debate begins on giving up civil liberties for the sake of increased security, we will probably hear: “Are you are in favor of getting rid of terrorism, or not?   Which side are you on, anyway?”   This is a clear oversimplification of the issue. Argumentum ad Populum is when writers appeal to popular sentiment or prejudices or claim that since everybody thinks a certain way, that way must be true. “Everyone knows that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector is!”   Just because everybody believes something, doesn’t make it true.   Everybody once thought the world was flat.   It turns out everybody was wrong. Identify the Logical Fallacies Here are 11 sentences containing logical fallacies. Try to identify which logical fallacy is contained in each. Everybody knows that men are smarter than women are. He must be telling the truth.   After all, he is very friendly. I am certain my teacher is a drug addict because I saw him take a pill once. I know cigarettes are bad for your health, but lots of things are bad for your health.   Take alcohol, for instance… If you didn’t cheat on your exam, then prove that you didn’t! It’s simple.   Metallica is the best because it is the best!   You can’t deny that. My brother says that marijuana should be legalized, but I disagree because he is an idiot. My sister broke a mirror last year.   That is why she has been very unlucky this year. She was an excellent student at university, so I’m sure she is a great teacher. The reason people get cancer is that they don’t eat enough carrots. If you don’t support sovereignty, it means you hate Quebec. Please follow and like us:

Early Bird Gets the Worm Taking Advantage of Brain Plasticity

Early Bird Gets the Worm Taking Advantage of Brain Plasticity Improving Academic Performance Have you ever met a child that knows a surprising amount of foreign languages. Has it ever amazed you how quickly a child can pick up new skills and learn new techniques? Turns out new evidence shows that children learn more and earlier than previously thought (Kuhl, 2011). However, at the same time, the rates of inattentive children in classrooms as well as the prevalence of learning disabilities have been on the rise. In my many years of tutoring, I’ve been able to witness firsthand how young children have the capacity to quickly pick up new information. This article will focus on the importance of introducing students to the concepts of learning and education earlier on in their development to leverage the phenomenon of neuroplasticity. There is a direct relationship between how young your brain is and its fertile capacity to learn new information. Essentially, this can be thought of as how easily our brain can be molded like play-doh. When you keep play-doh sitting out for a very long time it gets harder to manipulate and handle (I think both parents and young children alike can sympathize with this). Similarly, the younger we are, the fresher and more malleable/flexible our brains are. Current research in this field can directly show that in many instances, success in school begins at infancy (Kuhl, 2011). But why is this the case? What is different about our brains at a young age than when we are older? The younger we are, the more flexible our neural pathways act and it becomes more likely for certain brain cells called neurons to form and reform new connections that eventually establishes behavior and psychological/psychological patterns. Furthermore, the earlier we take advantage of this fertility our brains exhibit at such a young age, the better our expected performance is to be in the following year. But what kind of things affect brain development and shape the way our neurons form? Turns out it’s a multifaceted issue that involves a lot more than we once thought! The maternal environment in utero first influences the brains development. In the second phase however, the brain is very sensitive not only to the environment but also to the patterns of brain activity produced by experiences (Kolb et al., 2011). This means the way we think about our experiences also affects our brain development. Behavioral and brain studies on developing children show that children’s skills quantified and assessed very early during infancy, predict their performance and learning abilities later on in life (Kuhl, 2011). It is probably safe to assume that introducing children to learning a new language or basic arithmetic can be very beneficial to them later on in life. Taking these steps is likely to help moderate problems associated with learning as well as improves scores and performance over the long run. Indeed, a 2009 study by Rabiner et al. demonstrated that providing early age reading tutoring was associated with modest reading achievement benefits for inattentive children without early reading difficulties, and substantial benefits for children with early reading difficulties who were not inattentive. The study goes on to discuss how it is the inattentive nature of children with ADHD that makes it hard for them to learn, and not the hyperactive component of the disease (Rabiner et al., 2009). In the case of this particular study, providing reading tutoring, offered significant improvement to a number of subjects. Other studies show how beneficial learning music, art, and other fine arts can be to the developing brain. We previously mentioned learning language is more efficacious in younger children and can also be more beneficial to them to learn at an early age. In essence, it seems all roads point towards increased benefits involved with starting to teach children at as early an age as possible. The benefits of early learning cannot be undermined. At the same time, I want to make it clear that other studies of academic success and come at the issue from different directions and arrive at very recommendations. For example, new research, from the likes of Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania, has demonstrated that character skills like grit, perseverance, patience, attentiveness, and conscientiousness correlate strongly with success in school. She argues that these are the types of things we should be teaching our very young children, not necessarily math and writing, perhaps because they are foundational to being able to sit still in class and learn academic skills. Other scholars p oint to creative play as the key to helping extremely young children blossom and grow intellectually. In our view, to fully take advantage of the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, parents of young children should focus on introducing children to formal and informal education through exposure to ideas and concepts, and some formal skill building, in three broad areas: Character building: perseverance, patience, grit, etc. Academic skills: math, writing, reading, etc. Creativity and exploration: make believe play, music, foreign languages, art, etc. In this article we examined the phenomenon of neuroplasticity and how it may play a beneficial role in starting the educational process at an early age in children. From improved language acquisition skills to musical performance, it is truly a spectacle to see the incredible rate at which young children learn. With the rate of learning disabilities and disorders rising, it is important for us as a society to make a conscious effort to try and combat this problem by utilizing the brain’s gift of malleability. Or, more selfishly, if you are looking to give your child an advantage in school and in life, it makes sense to strategically introduce the above concepts to your young child. About the Authors By Gaurav Dubey (M.S. Biotechnology) Founder Executive Producer of Biolitics and Mark Skoskiewicz, Founder of MyGuru Works Cited Kolb, B., Gibb, R. (2011). Brain plasticity and behaviour in the developing brain. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 20(4), 265-276. doi:ccap20_4p265 [pii] Kuhl, P. K. (2011). Early language learning and literacy: Neuroscience implications for education. Mind, Brain and Education : The Official Journal of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society, 5(3), 128-142. doi:10.1111/j.1751-228X.2011.01121.x [doi] Rabiner, D. L., Malone, P. S., Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2004). The impact of tutoring on early reading achievement for children with and without attention problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(3), 273-284.

College Admissions Essay Crunch Time

College Admissions Essay Crunch Time College Admissions Essay: The Time is Now                                                             Its that time of year when students have to hand in their college admissions essay. For students whose SAT or ACT scores are a little bit on the low side or for students whose GPA is lower than they would like, its extra important to have a fabulous essay. So what is it that makes an essay well above average? One â€" The essay should be incredibly unique. It must be unique in content but also in writing style. Many students have similar life experiences at age 16 and 17. However, students can put a unique and original spin on their particular struggles, volunteer experience, or personal outlook on life. Students should also show originality and writing style. If it appears that the essay has an overly rigid structure it will appear less interesting to the reader. Two â€" The essay should have absolutely no errors. It is especially important for an admissions essay to have appropriate structure, proper grammar, and absolutely no spelling or punctuation errors. Student writers should have multiple people proofread their essay or hire a professional proofreader who can catch any and all errors as well as provide appropriate suggestions for structural improvements our Irvine English tutors would be more than glad to read it. Three â€" The essay should be about you as a person. College admissions departments do not want to admit students who are all exactly the same. US colleges and universities like to have diversity on campus and so its important that the internal “you” can shine through your essay. If theres something unique about your personality or what you would like to do with your life or something that you have a particular passion for, its important to mention that in the essay (READ: College Application Crunch Time). What to Do Now So what do you do now that your college applications, including your admissions essay, are due less than a month from today? Here is a last minute timeline that you can follow to allow yourself the best chance at success as a student writer. One â€" Start writing right now. If, for some reason, you have not yet started writing the first draft of your essay now is the time to get started. Seriously, stop reading this blog, sit down at your computer and start typing. There is not much time left but there is still enough time for a dedicated student to finish a first and second draft and to arrange for a proofreader. Two â€" Polish up the content. If you have already written a rough draft for your essay now is the time to pull it out of your binder, backpack, or the drawer that you stuffed it in and take a second look. Read through it and see whats working and whats not. Grab two different color highlighters and highlight the things that are really great and the things that you would like to keep, and then highlight the things that need improvement (READ: 7 Best Essay Contests). Ask a parent, a trusted and dedicated friend, or a tutor to take a look at your essay. Ask them to give you absolutely honest feedback. What do they like about it and what dont they like about it? Then go ahead and write your second draft. Remember to do all of your content edits before you start your grammar edits, otherwise you may find that youre simply correcting things over and over again when it wasnt really necessary to do so. Three â€" Polish up the structure. If you feel that your structure is rigid or if you dont have any transition sentences, arrange to sit down with a tutor for an hour or two and get it polished up. If it is an option, hire a proofreader to go through and give you suggestions. It may take a couple of proofreads because you may need to send it back for a final edit after you fix the first set of corrections and suggestions. The college admissions essay is incredibly important and should not be overlooked and it is especially important for students who have lower SAT scores or a lower GPA. A fabulously written essay can often take a student’s application from the ‘maybe’ pile to the ‘yes’ pile in the college admissions department. For students who would like to attend a small liberal arts college, keep in mind that the essay is given a heavier weight on acceptance than at larger universities. There is still time, so start writing and get it out of the way so that you can enjoy your winter break. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by TutorNerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about. Applying to college this fall? Don’t hesitate to sign up with one of our experienced Orange County college admissions consultants. Call us today and we’ll get you in!

4 Best Practices for Making Time in Your Schedule for a Job

4 Best Practices for Making Time in Your Schedule for a Job https://giphy.com 1. Organize your schedule https://giphy.com Crafting a multi-functional  schedule that fits all the things you need to do in a given week takes some practice. After all, if everyone had the natural gift of time management, then it wouldn’t be considered a skill. While you could use some trial and error to find a schedule that works for you, there is an easier way to work in time to study, sleep, go to class, eat, and go to work. The art of schedule-making is learning to make compromises. Unfortunately for you, those compromises will likely include omitting Wine Wednesdays from your weekly agenda, so you can you know study. Plus, you won’t be too hungover to go to work the next day; and by hungover, we all know you mean ‘under the weather.’ Additionally, you should prioritize your needs and desires on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis (depending on your preferences), so reroute your schedule around your personal, academic, and career needs. Most importantly, don’t forget to finagle in some ‘me time’ into your weekly, daily, or whateverly itinerary. Seriously, showing yourself some self-love can help you succeed in your classes, work, and social life. If you’re feeling a bit run down, how can you expect yourself to feel motivated enough to get out of bed for that 8 a.m.? Who are we kidding, it’s a struggle to get yourself out of bed for any early morning class, but you get the point. 2. You don’t need to have everything all at the same time https://giphy.com So what’s the ‘all? Well, that’s dependent on what your long-term and immediate aspirations are. While your friends might give you some flak for not being able to go out on a Friday night, if you need to study or need to go to work the next morning, you need to put your priorities before a night out. Your friends will understand. If they don’t, you might want to make some time to make new friends. After all, what friend doesn’t want to see their friends make money and succeed in school or do decent in their courses (we all have those classes)? Regardless, you need to take a page, or several, from Oprah and recognize that you can have it all, just not at once. Everyone’s weekly workload (and course load) differs day to day and week to week. Some weeks you might be able to get an A on a paper, finish all of your work assignments on time, and have time to have a movie marathon with friends. On other weeks, last minute work deadlines could come up, leaving you at work later than usual, which makes you rack in some late night hours. But it’s important that you don’t reminisce on that one week where you could do everything  because this week clearly isn’t that particular week. This week you barely have enough time to work on your course project, but you realize that no grade is worth being sleep deprived. Whereas, on a different day the roles could be reversed. Yes, we all have goals but we can’t have a perfect life or juggle a dozen responsibilities and still expect to be a partially functioning adult. Please, don’t make the excuse that “Sherry has it all;” Sherry probably don’t have it all. Sherry is either on the verge of a debilitating emotional breakdown or she has one part of her ‘perfect life on lockdown from Monday through Thursday. On Friday through Sunday, you have the rest down pat, but Sherry doesn’t have it all down pat. You will have it all, just not all in the same week or even the same month, and that is perfectly okay. 3. Take online classes giphy.com Online classes get a lot of criticism for not being ‘real’ classes, whatever that means. However, online courses are indeed real classes. If they get you one step closer to wearing that cap and gown, then they’re definitely legitimate credits. Don’t worry, you don’t have to take all of your classes online. Taking one or two courses online won’t necessarily help you magically develop free time. However, a few online classes will give you the freedom to watch virtual lectures, study, and complete assignments and test on your own time, wherever and whenever you want well any time before your deadlines. Having some flexibility in your schedule will save you from stress eating when you find out that you nearly forgot your roomie’s birthday tomorrow and you need to find them a gift ASAP. Thankfully, you just finished your Econ 101 quiz online, and you don’t have to physically go to a lecture tomorrow because you decided to commit to a virtual class. While online courses  allow you to work on your own time, online classes aren’t for everyone. Thankfully, you can still find some comfort in online work. 4. Work remotely https://giphy.com While virtual positions might not get the same type of flak as online classes, there’s still a stigma against working remotely. In reality, online jobs are more diverse than just some odd freelance work. Plus, there are some great websites, like WayUp, that make finding online jobs and gigs for online students virtually painless. WayUp is an innovative website that is teaming with virtual jobs in basically every industry. Plus, WayUp has an easy one-click-apply option on a lot of their job postings. Did I mention that this site is completely free to use? WayUp essentially does everything short of applying to jobs for you, though that would be an outstanding update to the website. Regardless, this company is constantly updating its website to ensure that college students and recent college grads get hired. Who knows, maybe WayUp will be the first company to create a virtual reality interview option? After all, phone interviews and video interviews lack face-to-face communication; throwing some VR into the mix will only make the virtual interview process more authentic. On the other hand, a VR interview would force you to put on actual pants during your home interview. On second thought, please don’t start the virtual reality interview trend. We aren’t ready for this technology. Though, you should be ready to take the lead and apply to some online jobs. Just like online courses, online jobs typically make your schedule more pliable, because you can clock in at any hour of the day or night. While you might need some time to get used to working from your home, being able to update an Excel file for your employer and walk two feet to your couch to begin annotating your text is well worth any adjustment period.