My Experience at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

My Experience at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Michael received his Bachelors degree in Earth Systems, Environment and Society from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently a tutor in Portland specializing in ACT Science tutoring, Earth Science tutoring, Environmental Science tutoring, and several other subjects. See what he had to say about his experience at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Michael: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is in a classic college town setting, about three hours south of Chicago. Although relatively urban, the campus itself is typically safe. The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District provides free buses to students. The buses go all over campus, and it is very easy to get around without a car or bike. Most buildings are within walking distance of the on-campus housing options. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Michael: Though it depends on the size of the class and a students given major, the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants all typically make themselves available to students on a regular basis. It may be difficult to receive a lot of one-on-one attention from a professor in a larger class, but these courses often have smaller lab or discussion sections in which teaching assistants are available. It will be easier to access your academic adviser if you are enrolled in a smaller, newer major. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Michael:There are a variety of dorms all across campus. They all offer good dining options and plenty of opportunities to socialize with other students including access to different clubs, intramural sports, etc. Depending on the dormyou choose, rooms can range from a rudimentary summer camp feel to a plush hotel (including private bathrooms). VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Michael:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is known mostly for its Business (specifically Accounting) and Engineering programs, which are both considered top-tier. I majored in Earth Systems, Environment and Society (ESES) and minored in History during my time there. ESES was a brand new major when I was there, and I chose to study it because the coursework in Environmental Science, Geology, Geography, and other fields appealed to me. Since the major was brand new, the program went through some growing pains during my time on campus, but I think the university did a good job overall. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Michael:I met many individuals around the dorms that I still stay in contact with to this day. It was pretty easy for me to meet people and make new friends as a freshman, in part because I made the decision to join a social fraternity. Greek life plays a significant role in campus social life, but it is by no means necessary. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the largest Greek system in the country, but there are so many other options for meeting people. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Michael:Once again, this would depend on the major, but University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seemed to have great student support services, and there were always different career fairs to attend. Many reputable companies do recruit on campus, specifically in the areas of Finance and Business. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Michael:At any big school like the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, crowding can be an issue in libraries and other study areas. This is especially the case at the Undergraduate Library. However, there are many other areas that are open to all students including the Grainger Engineering Library that frequently have ample space. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Michael:The total population of the Champaign-Urbana area is just around 230,000, which makes it more than just a small, quaint college town. As such, it has many of the amenities and nightlife options that larger towns offer. Since there are great bars and concert venues right on campus, many students stay near campus. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Michael:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school, and its undergraduate enrollment is close to 33,000. Personally, I enjoyed being at a larger school, and I took the opportunity to meet many individuals. However, large class sizes are an unavoidable reality at a larger school. Having said that, I was generally pleased with my class sizes, and I was still able to enroll in plenty of classes with a smaller number of students. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Michael:One of my favorite courses was Geology 103 with Dr. Michael Stewart. I thoroughly enjoyed his teaching style and the content of the course. One day, he decided to take half of a class session to talk about ESES, a new major that I eventually decided to enroll in based upon my experience in his class. I do not regret that decision at all! Check out Michaels tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Volume of Square Pyramid Tutors

Volume of Square Pyramid Tutors A pyramid consists of 4 triangles joined to a base and these triangles join the base to the tip of the pyramid known as the apex or the vertex of the pyramid. A pyramid is a 3-dimensional geometric structure and the line joining the center of the base to the vertex is known as the height of the pyramid. A square pyramid is the pyramid which has a square base and the volume of a square pyramid can be calculated by using the area of the square base and the height. Example 1: What is the volume of a square pyramid whose base length is 6m and the height is 8m? Given base length of the pyramid, b = 6m Height of the pyramid, h = 8m Volume of the pyramid, V = 1/3 * Area of the base * height Area of the square base = b2 = (6m)2 = 36m2 Volume of the square pyramid, V = 1/3 * 36m 2 * 8m = 96m3 Therefore, volume of the given square pyramid, V = 96m3 Example 2: What is the volume of a square pyramid whose base length is 10m and the height is 12m? Given base length of the pyramid, b = 10m Height of the pyramid, h = 12m Volume of the pyramid, V = 1/3 * Area of the base * height Area of the square base = b2 = (10m)2 = 100m2 Volume of the square pyramid, V = 1/3 * 100m 2 * 12m = 400m3 Therefore, volume of the given square pyramid, V = 400m3

5 Tips for Avoiding College Essay Writers Block This December

5 Tips for Avoiding College Essay Writer’s Block This December While December is often cited as the most wonderful time of the year, for 12th graders staring down college application deadlines, that isnt always the caseespecially if you still have a lot of work to do on your college essays. If youre still working hard on those essays deep into December, chances are youve run into some combination of writers block, procrastination, and just plain old thinking you have a lot more time than you really do. Whatever your reasoning, here are five tips for avoiding college essay writers block this December. (10th and 11th graders, dont close the page just yet! Below, weve included suggestions on how to avoid the college essay hustle-and-bustle when its your turn.) 1. To avoid college essay writers block, list out the things youre proud of Do you feel anxious just looking at the college essay prompts? Is it hard to decide on a topic to write about? If so, step away from the prompts. Remember: your college essays are all about helping admissions officers learn more about you and what makes you talented, likable, interesting, and capable of contributing to and learning from your dream school. So before you get stuck answering a specific question, think about what you want them to know about you first. Without looking at the essay topics, make a list of things that youre proud of and that you want schools to know about you. This doesnt have to be awards or accomplishmentsanything you like about yourself will do. Do you love animals? Do you play the guitar? Do you like learning new languages or trying new foods? Start listing some examples of things youd want someone to know about you, and in doing so, you can find things worth writing about in your essays. For 10th and 11th graders: Keep a journal of experiences that seem like they would be good essay topics, such as times that you learned an important lesson, fought through adversity to accomplish a goal, or got to know someone totally different from you. When it comes time to write your essays, youll already have some stories to choose from and youll have documented some of your thoughts and the important details to make writing easier. [RELATED: 5 Quick Tips for Writing a College Application Essay] 2. Brainstorm before you begin writing your college essays Have you tried to write your college essays several times already, only to stare aimlessly at that blinking cursor on your screen? Youre not alone: the authors of your favorite books and movies have been exactly where you are. But keep in mind that you dont have to go straight to writing full, perfect sentences and paragraphs. Often the best way to start an admissions essayor any paper, for that matteris by sketching out ideas so that you can pick the direction that youre most excited about (and that may be easiest to write). You also dont want to lose an important train of thought while youre figuring out which preposition or punctuation to use in your introduction. Take the list of essay topics and jot down a few ideas for each oneeven if you dont think the ideas are particularly good. Oftentimes, your best idea comes to mind because it relates to something that one of your worst ideas reminded you of. Take some time to brainstorm several topics, and youre much more likely to find one that flows right from your mind to the keyboard. Dont feel stuck writing the first application essay topic that came to mind on the first essay question you decided to write about. Instead, give yourself an opportunity to consider several ideas, and youll have a topic thats easy to write about and easy to be proud of. For 10th and 11th graders: Even though youre not writing college essays this year, take some time to read (or print out) the admissions essay topics for your favorite schools (or for the Common Application, which is accepted by most schools). Since the topics for college application essays are very similar year to year, this gives you the opportunity to jot down ideas or experiences that come to you over the next year or two so that your brainstorm is already well underway when it comes time to start your essays. (Youll thank yourself, we promise.) 3. Write something for your college essays so you have something to react to If its mid-December and youre still working on important college essays that are due at the beginning of January, chances are youre experiencing some combination of writers block and procrastination. One big key to avoiding both of these pitfalls is to just write somethingeven if you know as youre writing it that its not very good, and even if its only a paragraph or two to get started. Why? For one, it forces you to start, which is a big step. And two, it gives you something to react to and improve. As you read it back, or have a friend or parent read it for you, you can determine what you like about it (keep that!) and what you dont. Then, you can try to make it better or replace it with something else. Remember, too, that you dont have to write your entire essay all at once, and you dont even have to start at the very beginning. If you write a single paragraph and then give yourself a break, youre already way ahead of where you started, and youll have something to work on after that break. And if coming up with the perfect thesis statement or introduction paragraph seems impossible in the moment, try starting in the middle. Write the details of the story you want to tell and then come back to the introduction later so that youre not stuck on the same single sentence for hours that you could be using to be almost done. For 10th and 11th graders: Use these strategies as you write essays and other assignments so that you train yourself to get past writers block and to avoid procrastination. 4. Talk the college essay writers block out A big problem with writing is that its easy to hit backspace and start over whenever your first attempt at a sentence isnt quite perfect. Written sentences have to have a capitalized first word, a subject and a predicate, punctuation at the endthey seem to set a bar for organization and formality thats too high for a first draft or a brainstorm session. So we start, then delete, then start again, then delete again, and in doing so, struggle to get momentum behind our ideas. But how often do you have that problem when youre talking with your friends? Conversation generally flows without a need for perfection: you speak in phrases that arent always complete sentences, you take tangents that dont relate back to your thesis statement, you say um or like for a quick opportunity to find the word youre looking for and then you get right back to talking, as opposed to feeling the need to delete and start over. A great way to overcome writers block is to move your first draft or your brainstorm away from keyboard and screen or pencil and paper and bring it to a conversation. Tell a friend, a parent, or even an essay editing tutor the story youre thinking about telling in your essay, and the details and organization will start to flow. Just as helpfully, youll get immediate feedbackOh, I like that, or, Maybe give a few more details on how that started?as opposed to having to wait until you have a completed draft to print or email to someone. And since your parents and friends know a lot of your stories already, theyre also in a great position to help you tell your story even more vividly. Dont have anyone handy to listen to your spoken-word essay draft? Try telling it to the mirror: just the act of turning your ideas into a verbal conversation can help you get it flowing more quickly and naturally. For 10th and 11th graders: If you hit writers block for anything youre writing, practice turning your first draft into a conversation so that you have techniques to get unstuck as a writer. 5. Dont let perfect be the enemy of good enough when it comes to your college essays Heres a secret about college admissions: everyone else applying to your target schools is imperfect and nervous too. No matter how impressive their transcripts and extracurriculars are, when your counterparts sit down to write their essays, theyre stressed about saying the right things, nervous about choosing the right stories, and worried about fitting within the word count. The admissions office at your dream school is going to read thousands of essays this year, and none of them are going to be perfect but lots are going to get their authors admitted. Dont worry about a perfect essay: write something thats good enough and then enlist your friends, parents, and thesaurus to help you make it a little bit better before you submit it. A very good essay thats ready to submit before the deadline is a much better essay than a perfect essay that only partially exists in your mindand if youre applying to multiple schools and writing multiple essays, you just dont have time to finish all those incomplete essays before the due dates. As you search for the perfect word, phrase, introduction, or conclusion, dont stop everything until you find it: write something thats good enough so that youll have something to submit, and then come back to it to see if that piece of perfection does finally come to you. For 10th and 11th graders: Heed the wisdom of the seniors who came before you. Application deadlines come faster than you think, so when the late summer/early fall of your senior year arrives, dont assume you have plenty of time to wait until the perfect topic, paragraph, or thesis sentence strikes you. Start writing early and use the rest of the fall to improve your initial drafts. Your December self will thank you when your job is merely to improve essays right before the deadline, not to write them from scratch. [RELATED: How to Write a Great College Essay] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

English Listening Exercise Why I Think this World should End

English Listening Exercise Why I Think this World should End This weeks video is about a musician/philosophers opinion about why this world should end. It is a great video with a lot of difficult phrasal verbs. This is a good way to learn how to use the phrasal verbs and how to form an opinion in English. In addition our grammar highlight for the week is on the word so Can you count how many times in the video he uses the word so?English Listening Exercise:1. The world is ______  to an ______.2. We cant live with each other __ everyone is medicated.3. More people want 15 seconds of ______ than a lifetime of _______ and ________.4. ____ percent of songs on the radio are about sex.5. How much television does the average person watch per day?6. Yet we tell our kids ______ get that degree.7. Corporations tell us buy, buy, buy, you must ____ __ you must ____ __.8. What is his solution?9. The _____ to a new beginning starts within you.10. How many times did he use so? Do you understand how to use it? You can watch the video:Writing: Do you agree wit h Prince Ea? What is your opinion about the state of the world? Like always Ill correct your answers.Also, try this quiz on the word so.

Why Individualized Tutoring is More Effective Than Group Tutoring

Why Individualized Tutoring is More Effective Than Group Tutoring Youve seen several red flags, including a decline in grades and a poor report card. Maybe your child has asked you for homework help but you can tell your child has big skill gaps and you feel unequipped to help him or her close them. If you know your child could benefit from the help of a tutor, your next decision is what type of setting is going to be most effective: a one-to-one or group tutoring setting? At Huntington, we are proponents of individualized tutoring for students for a variety of reasons: One-to-one tutoring programs are customized for each students needs. In a one-to-one tutoring session, the teacher determines what to cover based on the students specific needs and goals. The curriculum is designed to address each students challenges. Sessions are built specifically around the student. Students cant get lost in the crowd. Just like in a classroom with many students, students in a larger group tutoring session can fade into the background by avoiding asking questions or engaging the teacher. Not so in an individualized tutoring program. Students get the help they need because they are the sole focus. The programs scale according to students growth. Because an individual tutoring session is designed around each students areas of weakness, theres no risk of students getting left behind. Tutors will not move ahead to a new concept without ensuring their students master the essential building block skills first. Students learn more than just school skills. A quality subject tutoring program focuses on more than the academic skills your child needs for success. At Huntington, for example, we strive to help students boost their self-esteem and turn around any negative feelings they might have about school. Our goal is to help students become motivated self-starters who are confident in their abilities. Signs its time for tutoring So, when should you call Huntington? When the grades have fallen, of course, but here are several other signs your child needs personal tutoring help: Your child lacks study skills. Watch for sloppy or incomplete notes from class and a haphazard approach to nightly homework. Take note if your child seems to make things harder on him or herself by succumbing to distractions or failing to set up good habits during homework and studying. Homework takes way too long. Tasks that you know should be quick take a long time because your child gets distracted or easily confused. Observe how your child spends his or her time and how long it takes to get going when he or she sits down to do work. Your child doesnt care. If your child once enjoyed school and now seems lazy and apathetic about the idea of learning, there might be something going on behind the scenes. Theres a reason for that lack of effort. You need to find out what it is. Your childs typical nightly routine: avoid. If procrastination and avoidance have become the nightly norm, your child is probably be struggling with school material. Avoidance is easier than slogging through something difficult or asking for help. Call 1-800 CAN LEARN to learn more about Huntingtons one-to-one student tutoring plans. We work with children of all ages to identify and target their areas of weakness so they can get back on track in school.

Tutoring and Homeschooling Is Booming in the UAE

Tutoring and Homeschooling Is Booming in the UAE On June 22nd I blogged on why Georgias Black Families Replace Schools With Tutors. The short answer to this question was: While most states prohibit homeschooling parents from tutoring anybody except their own children, Georgia has no such restriction. Remember? Today, I am continuing this topic I was surprised and happy to learn that the booming of homeschooling is not only a phenomenon observed at home in the US but also a worldwide trend. For example, in 2014 the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) reported 4,000 students were officially home-schooled a number that is likely much higher, for it only includes students who are above age 15. 4 Reasons For The Tutoring and Homeschooling Boom In The UAE The number one reason of the rise of tutoring is simply the fact that there exist little legislative restrictions on homeschooling. Parents in the UAE are free to tutor their children. Interestingly, this micro trend in freedom of education reflects the larger trend in increased personal and economic freedom available to citizens of the UAE. The libertarian Canadian think thank Fraser Institute anally publishes a ranking of counties. In 2014, the UAE ranked 5th of the countries in the world in terms of economic freedom; a ranking higher than most Western countries (The US ranks 16, the UK 11th, Germany 29th). The second reason for the tutoring boom is the rising costs of schooling in the UAE. Traditionally, women stay at home for child-rearing and house-holding. Now that household technology has eased these tasks women do find the time to home-school their own kids and often that of their neighbors as well. The teaching of unfamiliar subjects is typically left to tutors. Reason #3: Governmental schools focus on scholastic subjects. Not so in Homeschooling. It enables parents to teach practical subjects such as cooking, household responsibilities, buying groceries and organizing parties. Reason #4. Some parents decided to pull their children out of the public schools because they are killing the childrens interesting in learning. In the UAE kids often complain that hey just sit around and learn nothing new or interesting. More details can be obtained from the UAE magazine The National who published an the article Why are more parents in the UAE are homeschooling their children. Too bad that TutorZ.com does not yet offer tutoring in the UAE. But we are eager to expand our service to the UAE, a rich country with the right attitude towards tutoring!

6 Things You Shouldnt Wear to an Interview

6 Things You Shouldn't Wear to an Interview Image via https://pixabay.com 1. Flashy Jewelry When going for an interview, it’s a good idea to dress on the safe, conservative side. You don’t want your interviewer to be distracted by your appearance, so try to avoid anything that can take their attention away from your actual conversation. One potential distraction is any showy jewelry. Anything oversized or flashy should be kept at home. If you do opt to wear jewelry for your interview, keep it to a minimum and make sure that whatever you do choose to wear is classic and won’t draw unnecessary attention. After all, you don’t want your interviewer to be busy thinking that your necklace is tacky when they should be focusing on you! 2. Wrinkled Clothing While this probably goes without saying, it’s always good to be reminded that before you step out the door for your interview, you should be checking to make sure that your clothes are fresh and unwrinkled. Check out how your outfit looks in the mirror before you head out, as there may be some wrinkles on your clothes that you didn’t notice when they were hanging up, but which suddenly become apparent when you’re walking around. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your outfit is neatly ironed and ready to go the night before your interview, so that you’re not rushing around to get ready the next morning, and so that you have time to rethink your outfit if anything goes wrong. 3. Short Dresses or Skirts It’s always best to dress on the conservative side when you’re going for a job interview, so you should definitely avoid wearing any dresses or skirts that could even potentially be perceived as too short. Remember that you’re not dressing to look cute for your interview; you want to look professional, and you want to look like someone who would easily be able to fit into the relevant office environment. Wearing something too revealing will definitely be a turn-off to a recruiter, especially if the job that you’re applying for will involve interacting with clients. If you show up to an interview wearing something potentially inappropriate for the office, your interviewer may worry that the way you dress for the job will turn off the business’s clientsâ€"which is definitely going to get you started off on the wrong foot during an interview. 4. Open-Toed Shoes In general, it’s not a good idea to wear open-toed shoes in the workplace. For this reason, it’s also best to avoid them in when you’re going for an interview. Because they can sometimes look informal, they can be a turn-off to your interviewer. In addition, some offices don’t allow their employees to wear open-toed shoes to work, so if you come in for an interview wearing them, that could be an immediate red flag. 5. Perfume or Cologne If you’re going to wear perfume or cologne to a job interview, be very careful about how much you’re going to put on. Wearing too much perfume or cologne might distract your interviewer, and, even worse, might make them uncomfortable. Not everyone enjoys strong scents, and you definitely don’t want to run the risk of giving your interviewer a headache. While it’s not necessarily something that you need to avoid completely, make sure that you keep it very subtle if you choose to wear a scent. 6. Jeans Even if you’re interviewing at a company that’s fairly casual, you don’t want to take advantage of a laidback dress code during your interview. Avoid clothes that can come off as too informal, such as jeans, even if you think they’d be appropriate to wear to the job itself. It’s always better to overdress for an interview rather than underdress, so stick to dress pants or skirts to be on the safe side. Wearing jeans can make it seem like you haven’t put in much effort to prepare for the interview, as you haven’t bothered to present yourself professionally. Especially when you’re up against a number of other well-qualified applicants, the way that you present yourself during an interview is crucial. Since your interview is potentially your only chance to create an impression on a recruiter, every little thing matters down to the clothes that you’re wearing. Before your next interview, make sure that you plan your outfit carefully!

Saint Paul American School

Saint Paul American School Saint Paul American School Currently,Saint Paul American School provides a full US curriculum, with over 40 courses offered, ranging from the introductory to AP level. Students also take courses in Chinese language, culture, history, and art. For students needing more academic support there is an MTSS for ELLs,peer tutoring program, as well as a nightly study hall in which certified teachers provide additional help. All students participate in an afterschool activity or club of their choosing. Emphasis is given to the fine arts. We have approximately 300 students enrolled in our program from ver 17 different countries! Saint Paul American School Saint Paul American School Saint Paul American School is located in Clark about 96km north of Manila. We are are a growing school in a supportive community with 224 students from nuersery through grade 12.Our student body is a diverse mix of expat and local children. School facilities include a track, gym, new cafteria, soccer field, science lab, classrooms, and dormitories.The mission of Saint Paul American School is to prepare students for professional success in the global community. Saint Pauls unique internationally-focused curriculum equips students to become culturally literate by developing critical thinking skills and communication skills, as they gain a strong sense of personal and social responsibility. This mission is what drives the school to work tirelessly to assure an exceptional education to students.