Thursday, April 2, 2020

Is It For You? A Tutoring Industry Analysis

Is It For You? A Tutoring Industry AnalysisTutoring industry analysis would be relevant to anyone who wants to stay in the tutoring industry for a while, but isn't sure whether they should stay or go. If you aren't sure whether you will enjoy tutoring or not, you need to do some research and find out whether it is what you really want to do for the rest of your life.The first step to finding out whether or not tutoring is for you is to identify whether you would like to be a teacher or if you would like to be in the tutoring industry. If you're a teacher, you have a number of advantages that are related to this, so you should consider being a teacher and getting started. A tutor can work for a variety of employers, and their salary will depend on their skill and experience.A tutor that is already in the tutoring industry has an advantage because he or she already has experience in the market that you are searching for. Someone who works as a tutor knows how things work in the tutorin g industry and what kinds of jobs and clients need them.If you are unsure whether or not tutoring is for you, then you should go to a tutor agency and do some research on what tutoring opportunities are available. You may be surprised at how many agencies there are, and you can even try to do a trial on the internet before deciding if you want to get a trial job. You should do a little research and find out which are the best programs.If you choose to join an agency, you will be working with some people that have some experience in the industry. You will also have more flexibility, which means that you can do whatever you want to and you won't have to work for someone else. You can work as long as you want without being put in a situation where you have to make time for your new client.Another advantage of working with an agency is that you will have access to the online market that other tutors don't have. This means that you can compete with the big companies that pay for tutoring jobs and find new clients. When you go to an agency, you will have a good idea of the kinds of jobs available.You will also have access to the Internet, so you will be able to use it to make new connections. This will save you a lot of time, but you will find that the extra time you will save is worth it because you can find out for yourself whether or not you would like to be a tutor agency.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Getting Started with Photo Editing

Getting Started with Photo Editing Which Photo Editor Should You Choose to Get Started? ChaptersOur Advice for Using Adobe Photoshop CCHow Do You Use Lightroom?Why Choose GIMP as Your Photo Editing Software?How to Use Aperture for Editing Photos“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” - Alfred StieglitzPhoto editing is becoming increasingly competitive and there are more and more functions and techniques appearing. Resizing, cropping, correcting imperfections, retouching, and treating images.An increasing number of people have edited their photos. With this in mind, photo-editing software needs to be simple to use and powerful.A photo editor needs to be able to do things as simple as red-eye reduction and treat the raw files.Of all the photo editing software, some are more powerful than others.Wondering which ones?In this article, we're looking at some of the most popular photo editing packages available on the market! AllanPhotography Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPhotography Teac her 5.00 (7) £55/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TimothyPhotography Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Anosh nadeemPhotography Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZangmoPhotography Teacher 5.00 (6) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RosiePhotography Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MattPhotography Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndyPhotography Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsOur Advice for Using Adobe Photoshop CCPhotoshop is already 29 years old! The pioneer of image editing software costs around £20 a month as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and is considered the professional photo editing software.Photoshop is considered to be an essential image editing programme. You can download it from Adobe.com in just a few clicks.Whether you've taken a portrait or landscape, you can use Adobe Photoshop to edit your photos. (Source: SplitShire)The Photoshop InterfaceSo what’s the Photoshop interface all about?It’s very busy, for one, as you can see everything you need to edit photos.In the centre of your window, there’s the image that you’re working on. At the top of the screen, there’s the menu with all the buttons you see in other programmes including “file”, etc.While you have to pay for Photoshop, the possibilities are seemingly endless. At the right of your screen, there are even more options. You can find tabs like “Properties” on the right of your screen.Photoshop FunctionsEven though Photoshop is a powerful and complex tool, you can get started with it quite easily. You can create a blank document or edit a preexisting photo.For example, there are three ways to zoom in on a photo:Hold down alt and scroll.Click on “Tools” then “Zoom”.Type in the level of zoom in the bottom left of the screen.A programme has tonnes of special little features. Photo editing has never been so comprehensive. Of a ll the functions, here are some of the most common ones:Cancel.Resize a photo.Make an image black and white.Edit jpegs, gifs, or pngs.Correct imperfections like redeye.And many others!Join the best photography courses on here.How Do You Use Lightroom?“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” - Elliott ErwittPhotoshop Lightroom is one of the best image editor packages on the market. This photo editor isn’t just good if you want to retouch photos, you can also use it as a portfolio. This is useful when you want to quickly find your photos.Lightroom is among the best photo editing packages. (Source: Lalmch)But when it comes to how to use Lightroom, you may have a lot of questions since the programme has changed a lot since its creation in 2002. While the programme isn’t free, there is a free trial period , like with Photoshop. You can download Lightroom like you do Photoshop with the Adobe Creative Suite.There are slight differences between the two programme which is why Lightroom is a photo editor and organiser.Here’s how you can import a photo:To import a photo on Adobe Lightroom from a computer or hard disk, you need to click “Add”, select the photos you want, and follow the steps on the left.To import photos from a camera, you need to select the card from the left, click “Copy”, select the photos you want, and adjust the settings on the right.Get the best photography courses in the UK on Superprof.The goal of Lightroom is to organise your photos like in an album. The programme also allows you to add information to the shot, create collections, and organise photos by date, for example. Give it a go.This isn’t the only function since, like any good image manipulation program, Lightroom allows you to fix redeye, add presets, improve the sharpness, or trim a photo. Even if you've taken the best photo ever, you can make it better with just one click!How do you find a photo class?Why Choose GIMP as Your Photo Editing Software?Of all the photo editing programmes, GIMP is one of the pioneers. It’s light, has quick load times, and very few bugs.Getting good photos doesn't necessarily need to cost a fortune. (Source: pixel2013)GIMP was launched in 1984 and is popular for its fluid and efficient interface. It's also a free photo editor. The toned-down version of Photoshop, this programme has all the basic menu items like “File”, “Edit”, “Image”, “Layers” and “Filter” that you’ll find in most photo editing programmes.The layers are the first thing you should learn about if you want to use GIMP. When you edit an image, you can work on several layers, and the one of the top is the one you’ll see the most of.  There’s no limit to the number of layers you can use and they can include text, filters, overlays, or even other objects.Yo u can also use GIMP professionally and effectively due to its tools. These tools can be found in tabs. These include:The selection tools, for selecting the part of the image you want to work on.The editing tools, which allow you to modify parts of the photo.The transformation tools, which allow you to alter an image’s scale, rotation, and alignment.And many others!GIMP’s main strength is its versatility and you can also use plugins to add to its versatility.  Darktable, Pandora, and Liquid Rescale are all examples of plugins that, once downloaded, can help you to use different file formats, make a panoramic image, or smooth out imperfections on a face.Not bad, is it?The plethora of options available on this programme makes GIMP a great tool for editing photos.How to Use Aperture for Editing PhotosOf all the programmes for editing photos, Aperture is one of the best. This programme, which was created by Apple in 2004, only works on Mac OS. It’s easy to use but it is starting to be replaced by the Apple Photos app.There are plenty of options both physical and digital for making your photos better. (Source: Free-Photos)Aperture isn’t free but it is great for those who want to learn the basics of photo editing. As with any photo editing software, it’ll take you some time to get the hang of it. But don’t worry, we’ll get to that.Aperture requires a one-off payment rather than a subscription like you have with the Adobe products.  Once you’ve downloaded the programme, you can start organising your photos on the platform. Give the folder a name, rate each photo by a number of stars, fill in keywords and locations, identify people in the photos, and you’re ready to go!That said, you’re probably more interested in retouching photos. Aperture has a good number of functions that make it great for editing photos. Changing the contrast, white balance, or doing collages has never been so easy.But what can Aperture do?Identify faces to sort photos more ea silyDetect and remove red-eyeZoom up to 1600%Fullscreen modeRotate a photoExport images in raw formatCorrect imperfectionsIn short, Aperture is an essential programme if you want to touch up photos or add photo effects. It’s simple, intuitive, and effective.The green frame is the toolbar.The red frame includes editing, metadata, and the library.The blue frame allows you to see the photos.Thanks to these programmes, you can get started with editing photos right away.If you need more help with professional photo software like Adobe Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Express, an online photo editor or techniques to edit your photos like photo enhancement, tilt-shift, and removing blemishes, you can get help from a professional photographer or photography tutor.On Superprof, there are tutors offering three main types of tutorials: face-to-face tutorials, group tutorials, and online tutorials.Group tutorials are usually the cheapest because you're sharing the cost of the tutor's time with t he other students in attendance.Face-to-face tutorials tend to be the most expensive (and cost-effective) as the tutor's all yours for the lesson and they'll be creating bespoke lessons for you.Finally, if you want a one-on-one tutorial for less or can't find a suitable tutor where you live, online tutorials are great because they can be taught from anywhere in the world. All you need is a webcam and a decent internet connection!

Friday, March 6, 2020

Z Score Table

Z Score Table Z-Score Table: In Statistics, we come across the word random variables very often. The term random variables is not like the variables we encounter in algebraic expressions. From a random experiment, the set of possible values obtained are known as the random variables. Random variables are the set of all the possible values and out of the set it can take any value randomly. For instance in an experiment of tossing a coin, there are 2 possibilities: getting heads or getting tails. Let us assume the value of 0 for heads and 1 for tails and have a random variable X. Then we see that the two random events are heads and tails. It is written as X = {0, 1}. Sample Space is the set of all the values of the random variable. These random variables can be discrete or continuous. The random variable in the normal equation is the normal random variable. The normal distribution function is given by the equation as shown below: Z-Score Definition: A z-score value is measurement in Statistics which indicates a given scores relationship to the mean. Out of several scores, the z-score indicates how many standard deviations a given particular score is from the mean. The z-score value is also known as the Standard score, z-values, and normal scores. Since the normal distribution is also known as the z distribution, hence we use the letter z for the score. Interpretation of the z-score: If the z-score is 0, then it implies that the score is the same as the mean. If the z-score is negative, then it implies that the score is lesser than the mean. If the z-score is positive, then it implies that the score is greater than the mean. If the z-score is 1, then it implies that the score is 1 standard deviation greater than the mean. If the z-score is -1, then it implies that the score is 1 standard deviation lesser than the mean. If the z-score is 2, then it implies that the score is 2 standard deviation greater than the mean. If the z-score is -2, then it implies that the score is 2 standard deviations lesser than the mean. Z-score formula: Given the mean and the standard deviation, we can calculate the z-score value from the formula shown below: Example: In an exam, a student receives a score of 88 when the mean of the class is 76 with a standard deviation of 10. How much is the z-score? Given the students score, x = 88 Mean, = 76 Standard deviation, = 10 From the z-score formula, we get the equation: z = (x )/ == z = (88 76)/ 10 z = 12/10 = 1.2 Therefore the z-score in this case = 1.2 With this z-score we can say that the student has scored above average (mean), with a distance of 1.2 from the average score. Mean: Mean is the average of the given scores. From a set of values, mean can be calculated by adding all the values and then dividing by the number of values in the set as shown in the figure below: Example: What is the mean of the values: 4, 7, 11, 10, 8? Given 5 values. Mean = Sum of the values/ Number of values So mean = (4+ 7+ 11+ 10+ 8)/ 5 = 40/5 = 8 Hence the mean of the given values is 8. Standard Deviation: The measure of finding how spread out or distributed the values are in a given set of values is the Standard Deviation. It is expressed using the Greek symbol (sigma). Standard Deviation can be easily calculated by finding the square root of the Variance. Normal Probability Distribution: Normal Probability Distribution, also known as the Bell Curve is a graph which depicts a standard normal distribution. The name Bell Curve is given because of its resemblance to a bell shape. Bell curves are extremely important and are very commonly used throughout the studies in Statistics. The two numbers that are necessary for plotting this Bell curve are the Mean and the Standard Deviation. The Bell curve (figure shown below) for a certain set of data always has the mean located at the center. This is the also the point where the curve reaches the highest point, known as the top of the bell. The Standard Deviation determines how much the given data set values are spread out. If the Standard deviation is larger, then the bell curve will be more spread out. A Bell curve is symmetric and hence when folded at the mean, we get 2 equal halves. As shown in the figures below, it is estimated that approximately 68% of all the given data lies within 1 standard deviation of the mean. And, about 95% is covered within 2 standard deviations of the mean, and about 99.7% is covered within 3 standard deviations of the mean. Negative Z-Score Table: The Negative Z-Score Table consists of all the negative z-scores. These negative z-scores are all to the left of the mean. Left of the mean is also considered as being below the mean. Positive Z-Score Table: The Positive Z-Score Table consists of all the positive z-scores which are to the right of the mean. These positive z-scores are to the right of the mean. They are also considered to be above the mean. Example: In the Science exam, the mean of the scores of the class is 80 with a standard deviation of 12. Jack scored 98 on the exam. What is the approximate percentage of students who scored lesser than Jacks score? Given the student Jacks score, x = 98 Mean, = 80 Standard deviation, = 12 From the z-score formula, we get the equation: z = (x )/ == z = (98 80)/ 12 z = 18/12 = 1.5 Therefore the z-score in this case = 1.5 Since the z-score is a positive number, we look at the Positive Z-Score table for the percent of students who scored within 1.5. As highlighted in the figure on the right, the value is 0.9332, which implies 93.32% of students scored lesser than Jack.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Integer Numbers

Integer Numbers Integer numbers are the whole number which cannot represent in fractions or decimals. Fundamental operations of integers: - Addition of integers: a) When integers have like sign i.e., when both the integers to be added are either positive or negative, add their absolute values and assign the same sign to the sum. Example: - Add the following: i) +57 and +112 ii) -32 and -83 Solution: -i) Here, both he integers to be added are positive and their absolute values are 57 and 112 respectively.The sum of their absolute values = 57 + 112 = 169 Therefore (+ 57) + (+ 112) = + 169 ii) Here, both the numbers to be added are negative and their absolute values are 32 and 83 respectively. The sum of their absolute values = 32 + 83 = 115 Therefore (- 32) + (- 83) = - 115 Thus, on adding two or more positive integers, we always get a positive number. Similarly, on adding two or more negative integers, we always get a negative number. b) When the integers have unlike sign i.e., one is positive and the other is negative: - Determine the difference of their absolute values and to this difference assign the sign of integer of greater absolute value. Example: - Add + 53 and 29 Solution: -The absolute values of +53 and -29 are 53 and 29 respectively; And their difference = 53 29 = 24 Since, the integer with the greater absolute value is 53 and its sign is + . Therefore (+ 53) + (- 29) = + 24

Online Tutoring to Help you to Achieve your Goal

Online Tutoring to Help you to Achieve your Goal 0SHARESShare Online tutoring is extremely simple and easy to take. You need hesitate to learn online and seek academic help to achieve your goals. Every student needs some extra help to perform well than what they do. In the world of strong competition, grades are very important and play major role in determining your future academic and professional career. Online tutoring is the best help to get good grades and thus opening array of exciting opportunities. Extra Tuition: Often student fails to grasp subjects/topics learnt for the first time in the school classroom. They may have doubts, queries or gaps in understanding the concepts. The students can get extra tuition and fulfil their gaps to remain updated with online learning. Help and Support:     School academic gives various types of assignments which students need to complete at home. It includes daily homework to revise the chapters learnt in the classroom same day, assignment work given during the weekend, vacation or midterm, designing projects in each academic term, lab work, etc. Homework help and assistance is wonderful feature offered by online tutors. It takes care about each little aspect like what type of homework is given from the school, whether the student is able to complete homework by own or seek help, give assistance and support in completing the homework, assignments work, project work, etc. Online tutor does not work on behalf of students but give one-to-one individualized support to do homework on their own. Online tutoring gives student confidence in their abilities by fulfilling the gaps in academic learning. It gives back to support at each step that hinders their academic success.   It helps to create interest and passion which further inspire them to put endless efforts getting better grades. [starbox id=admin]

Teaching French Abroad

Teaching French Abroad Teaching French Abroad ChaptersTeaching French AbroadHow Long Can You Teach For?Where Can You Teach?How Do You Apply for a Teaching Job?Doing a Year Abroad as Part of Your DegreeCan You Renew Your Contract Abroad?“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” - William Arthur WardThere were 5,100,000 international students in 2018.What about you?There are plenty of countries where you can study abroad. The first thing people think of is probably the Erasmus programme when they think of studying abroad. You can attend as little as 12 hours per week...If you’re wondering how else you could head abroad, look no further. You’ve come to the right place. If you speak French as well as the English language, teaching French as a foreign language or a second language is a great way to use your foreign language skills to help students improve their language skills and gain proficiency.In this article, we’re looking at how you could te ach French abroad, how long you can teach for, where you can teach,   how you can go abroad as part of your degree, and where or not you can renew for a second year. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsTeaching French AbroadIf you want to head abroad during your studies, the Erasmus programme is the way to go. However, it’s not the only solution.A French teacher can help their students with their pronunciati on. (Source: StockSnap)You could always teach abroad. While most consider teaching English abroad as a TEFL teacher, there's nothing stopping those with the language skills to help with French tuition.You can work in primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, or a language school, do internships in businesses where the staff need to learn French, or even teach French as a private tutor.How Long Can You Teach For?There’s no limit to how long you can teach. Of course, this will vary according to the country but as long as there’s a job available and you’re right for it and have the right paperwork, there’s no reason you can’t stay.Language learning is a long process and after immersion, regular teaching is the best way for students to study a language and improve their linguistic abilities.Some jobs may start with a temporary contract with the chance to go permanent later. Just make sure you’re good at your job.What Are the Advantages of Teaching Abroad?Yo u can study in another country and even get a second degree.You can learn more about teaching.You can immerse yourself in a new country and languageYou earn a salary.What Is Your Role?You’ll be teaching for several hours per week. Teaching is far more complicated than many people think and there is a lot expected of language teachers. You may have to:Help students to speak the language through conversation.Help students to discover the culture of the language.Teach a group of struggling students.Participate in educational activities at the school, college, university, or language centre. Organise an exchange programme with native speakers of the language.Run a language club.Organise a trip abroad.Help students prepare for a language certification.In any case, your role will be to help students improve their overall mastery of the language.So what's the difference between a teacher and a language assistant?A teacher will lead a class whereas a language assistant, as their name indi cates, will help the teacher.You’ll also be paid more than an assistant as a result. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhere Can You Teach?You don’t necessarily need to be part of a programme to teach the French language abroad. It’s up to you to take the necessary steps.Teachers need to have a good rapport with their students. (Source: 12019)This also means that there’s nothing to stop you teaching wherever you like.  Depending on the place you choose to work, the working conditions will be different. In some places, you’ll earn more and in other places, you may learn less.As part of your salary, you’ll probably be expected to plan French lessons London ahead of time. However, the amount of work will vary on where you’re teaching.Countries such as Germany, the UK, the USA, Canada, and China are all looking for French teachers.These are all countries where French is quite a popular language to learn. If you also have a TEFL certification, you'll be able to provide English teaching as well, something that's highly sought after around the world.How Do You Apply for a Teaching Job?With no single programme for teachers wanting to teach or work abroad, how do you apply for jobs?If you know a thing or two about French and France, you can teach the language. (Source: Free-Photos)The processes are often similar but can vary depending on where you apply to. Generally, you’ll nee d an undergraduate degree in the language and a post-graduate degree in teaching. You’ll also be expected to have a very high level of French (C2, for example).You’ll need to go through the application procedure which will include proving that you have the necessary qualifications. You’ll basically need to send over copies of your transcripts, etc. Don’t hesitate to ask your host university for help about applying to foreign teaching jobs.Many universities and schools have contracts or agreements with other academic establishments around the world and maybe even contacts they could put in a good word to. You may even be eligible for financial aid or bursaries in certain cases.If not, you can always get in touch with academic establishments and offer your services as a teacher. There are networks and places you can find establishments looking for teaching.A lot of establishments will advertise teaching positions on their websites.Usually, you’ll need to provide:A CVA coveri ng letterA copy of your degreeA copy of your IDPut simply, you’ll need to prove to them you've got a good level in French and are a capable teacher.With different term times and application procedures, there are always jobs all over the world being advertised to different teachers.Generally speaking, you’ll need your language qualification and your teaching qualification.Thanks to the internet, it’s never been easier to find teaching jobs around the world. Don’t hesitate to look around online. Once you’ve got the job, then you have to work out how you’re going to move there.While you may want to apply now, keep in mind that the application process will depend on the academic year in the country you're applying to. You don't really want to try applying once teaching has already begun.Doing a Year Abroad as Part of Your DegreeIf you want to teach while you’re doing your degree, you should consider doing a period of residence abroad as a teaching assistant.  Usually, this needn’t count towards your degree results as it’s an extra year of your degree.Teaching a class is great for your future. (Source Wokandapix)If you go abroad as an extra year during your degree, you’ll usually just need to pass the year. That said, you should discuss this with your university as different courses may have different requirements. You’ll still be expected to do some work for your degree whilst you’re abroad.If you do some courses at a foreign university, you may be able to transfer credits to your degree back home. This is thanks to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This means you can do a year abroad as part of your degree.Spending time abroad is rewarding and you don't necessarily need to teach on your year abroad. While teaching English as a second language (ESL) is one of the most common options, you can always do an internship or enrol at a foreign university.If the cost of the airfare is putting you off, remember that there are usually schol arships and financial aid available to students going abroad as part of their studies.Can You Renew Your Contract Abroad?As long as you’re good at your job, the position still exists, and have the necessary paperwork, you can effectively teach as long as you want abroad. That said, there are different rules for different countries.In some countries, you can stay as long as the school or university wants you. In other countries, you may be limited to how long you can stay at a certain school.Are you ready to start teaching abroad?Make sure you’re patient and prepared!For those whose French isn't good enough to teach it, don't forget that graduates can teach English abroad, giving them the opportunity to travel to French-speaking countries and immerse themselves in the language and the culture.While there, you could also get private tutoring from one of the tutors on Superprof or even get help in attaining a TEFL certificate so you can become an English teacher abroad.

What is it Like to Attend Fordham University

What is it Like to Attend Fordham University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Pedro is a New York City tutor specializing in Physics tutoring, Geometry tutoring, multiple levels of Calculus tutoring, and more. He attended Fordham University at the Rose Hill Campus and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Physics. See what he had to say about his school: 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? Pedro: Fordhams Rose Hill is a very safe, enclosed campus. The surrounding areas, including Fordham Road (a major shopping district in The Bronx) and Little Italy, are very urban and not the safest neighborhoods, though very lively. The transportation to and from campus, however, is superb and very safe. The Fordham stop on the Metro North Railroad (which goes express into and out of Manhattan 24/7) is a few meters away from a campus entrance. Fordham offers free shuttle buses (operated by campus security) to and from the nearby D and 4 subways stations at night. In general, NYC public transit is reliable and efficient. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Pedro: Professors at Fordham are very accessible and approachable. My professors often invited me to office hours for aid in many aspects of scholastic work (homework, general advice, and clarifications, for example). In my experience, professors usually replied within a few hours to emails sent, and very often replied late nights before assignments were due. VT: How would you describe the dorm life - rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Pedro: During my time at Fordham, I lived off campus, as many students choose to do. I lived in the Belmont area a few city blocks away (10 to be precise) and rode my bike to class each day. Freshmen are required to dorm on campus for their first year, and doing so allows for socialization with other freshmen. On campus dining is not the best, though being located next to Little Italy allows for great dining options off campus (head to Pugsleys for the best Pizza in The Bronx). The night-life in Little Italy is also very lively. 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? Pedro: I believe Fordham does a great job in supporting programs across disciplines. Being a liberal arts school, great focus is placed on the Humanities, though Business and other popular programs are very well attended. I majored in Physics. The Physics Dept. at Fordham is phenomenal, as it is relatively small (though it has its own building) and as such students become very familiar with the exceptional faculty and are known to form a good community among themselves. Fordham has been very successful in incentivizing STEM program students to participate in undergraduate research and in my experience is eager to fund research across all disciplines. 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? Pedro: I transferred into Fordham for my second year of college, and as such did not participate in many of the events freshmen partake in to become part of the community (such as freshmen orientation). I did, however, find a great community among my classmates in the Physics Dept. In my experience, and from speaking with friends, Fordham is home to many clubs and programs for a great variety of students (from commuter students, to politically inclined students, to students looking to experience new things).The Greek life community at Fordham is not very strong, from my experience, as students tend to join clubs devoted to their particular interests as opposed to sororities and fraternities. VT: How helpful is the Career Center and other student support services? Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Pedro: Upon graduation, the Career Center was very involved with trying to help me transition into the workforce. They offer two big annual job fairs (Spring and Fall) and an online job board which gives the option of being notified when a job meets your criteria. Coming from a background in Physics, I was able to meet recruiters from IBM and several other technology companies, for example. Having mentioned the opportunities available, I should state that the student often has to take his or her own initiative in going to recruitment meetings and job fairs, though they are always very well advertised. VT: How are the various study areas such as libraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Pedro: I spent a great amount of time in the library, which is very expansive and thorough. The Physics Dept. has a designated Physics Club Room for students, where other students and I spent most of our time in between and after classes. The Club Room was very comfortable and had good resources. The main library itself is very big (four stories) and spacious, though during midterm and finals week it tends to get very crowded. 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? Pedro: Little Italy is a great neighborhood, and offers great restaurants and a good nightlife for those over 21. During the day, the Fordham Rd. shopping district is always buzzing with activity and one gets to experience some facets of Bronx culture up to as much detail as they want. In the case that one may want to experience the rest of NYC, it is a 15-20 minute walk to the D and 4 subway stops (which go from The Bx into Manhattan and then into BK) and a 1-3 minute walk to the Metro North Fordham station (depending on how fast one walks), which can get one into the heart of NY in as little as 20 minutes. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Pedro: There is a big undergraduate population (~8,500). The Rose Hill campus is very big, and one can choose to be immersed in the student body in popular locations on campus or relatively isolated. The Physics Dept. at Fordham is relatively very small (about 15 Physics and Engineering Physics majors graduated last year, including myself), but class sizes for core classes can reach up to 50. Other departments and popular programs are very big. but on average class sizes remain at about 25 students. The biggest class size I was a part of was above 100 people (Chemistry I) and the smallest was 4 people (Quantum Mechanics). I loved being part of a small department, but in other classes (average of 25 students), I felt very comfortable participating and was never underwhelmed or overwhelmed. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most. Pedro: Physics classes are full of great jokes. After the students and professors get to know one another better, classes are often laid back and very supportive of inquiry and search for insight. I was inspired by many professors at Fordham from a number of departments, though a particularly fun class was Advanced Laboratory, as all students were upperclassmen and the professor had gotten to know us very well. We were often allowed to work on tangentially related projects such as programming robots or finding the most aerodynamically efficient form of a paper airplane. In one particular case, my colleagues and I were successful in programming a two-wheeled robot to roll from our lab into a class being taught by another Physics professor and stop in the middle of the room for a few minutes, turn around, and exit the room. The goal was to make it sing a song for the professor and introduce itself to the class. Check out Pedros tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

The New SAT and AJ Tutoring Our Students Key Takeaways From Test-Day

The New SAT and AJ Tutoring Our Students Key Takeaways From Test-Day Now that the new SATs first administration is in the books, we at AJ Tutoring were curious to find out what our students thought about the test, whether they felt prepared (the answer was yes!), and what AJ can focus on to ensure student success on future SATs. What did we learn about how to conquer the new SAT? It’s simple: prepare, prepare, prepare. The test is easily coachable.Upon the first administration of the new SAT, students found that the content was predictable and that the methods they had learned made it possible to maximize the number of questions they answered correctly. Many of our students found that the one-on-one practice they had in their tutoring sessions gave them the feedback and exposure that they needed to be able to adeptly refine and adjust their approach to individual sections, as well as the test as a whole.What about the Content?MathMost students indicated the no-calculator Math section was the most difficult (and more challenging than previously relea sed materials). Students reported trigonometry questions, questions involving complex numbers, and even one challenging 7-24-25 Pythagorean triple. However, as one student stated: “I thought Math was approachable because I knew that the content covered was limited in scope. Also, knowing SOH-CAH-TOA, special right triangles, and how to use a calculator really helped. I could always get started.”Reading Comprehension Literal, not LiteraryStudents reported the highest alignment in Reading Comprehension (though students did say they felt very tired by the end of the 65-minute section). Some students did find a set of paired passages as we expected. Other passages included important historical figures and covered a wide range of topics across the fields of science, medicine, geography, and the arts and humanities. There was a letter by the 1960s labor activist Cesar Chavez, a passage from a Michael Chabon novel, an essay on baby fat (students reported this was by far “the weirdes t” content on the exam), and an essay on plate tectonics.WritingMost students shared that the Writing section, which primarily tests grammar, was easy.EssayAs for the Analytical Essay, at least some of the tests included a source text taken from an article written by E. J. Dionne, Jr. entitled A Call for National Service. The full article was originally published in the Washington Post in 2013.Were there any Surprises?Students sharing their test-day experiences with peers were surprised to find their friends had taken a completely different exam; there were confirmed multiple versions of the test administered on March 5th. The reasoning for this is most likely that the College Board needs to pretest as many questions as possible to satiate the appetites of students hungry for more practice materials than are currently available.Just as we had anticipated, there was an experimental section for most test-takers. Theres an amusing anecdote being shared by students in several states i n which the proctor began to read a script that indicated test-takers would now be taking a 20-minute variable section, only to realize the group was taking the optional essay instead. For the first instance of this reformatted exam, some proctors clearly had confusion and adjustments to navigate as well.This also clarifies that the College Board did have an experimental section up its sleeve, despite some indications (and even a few outright denials) to the contrary. Students in some schools have reported taking a fifth section of the exam, which was referred to as a variable section. As is always the case, opinions varied on the difficulty of the exam, and many students were left wondering how the new test will be scaled. Virtually all students expressed concern that they would not have their scores until after the May SAT date had already passed.Closing ThoughtsAs we wait for scores to be released on May 10th, many March test takers are already planning to repeat the test in May and/or June. Best of luck to all students, and congratulations on being the first group ever to take the new, redesigned SAT. We will continue the conversation as additional information, facts and findings become available. Please feel free to share your thoughts! As always, we love hearing from you!Overall Test Impressions and Student Reactions “There weren’t as many questions that were trying to trick you… It was pretty straightforward.” Aidan P.“I liked it better than the old one for sure! This SAT was way more applicable to what we’ve been learning in school. I had actually seen one of the English passages in school, and worked on it with my English tutor!”I feel good. There was a lot of reading, but I used the strategies we learned in our sessions to get through it. Knowing the test structure and how to eliminate wrong answer choices really helped. Zack H.I thought the SAT was really straightforward and the actual questions were just like the practice questions we went over in SAT prep.Im so happy I knew how to guess and fill in the bubble sheets! That really messed up some of my friends. Emily B. (MA)The No Calculator section was so hard but I knew it would be from the practice tests we went over in our sessions. Lol! Gracie G.It felt just like the practice tests I took at AJ. It was funny because the same friends that took the AJ practice tests with me on Saturday mornings were there on the real test day at the same time! Laura M.I was really happy that I did tutoring when I was sitting there with the test in front of me. I could just start answering questions instead of thinking really hard and wasting time. Julie L. (SHP Junior)You were right about plug-in and backsolve! AND guessing!” Sam M. (MA Junior)“I think it helped a lot. He helped give me strategies to make it go faster.”Additional Information:According to the College Board, 463,000 students took the redesigned SAT on March 5th, 2016.The College Board conducted a sur vey of 8,089 students who completed the March SAT administration and compared the results on some questions to a survey after the March 2015 administration with the old version of the test. Among the results from the new survey:71 percent of students said the test reflected what they’re learning in school.By a 6 to 1 margin, students said they preferred the format of the new SAT over the previous version of the test.

Activities to Promote Leadership Aptitude

Activities to Promote Leadership Aptitude There is such a thing as a born leader, but the truth is, you can cultivate leadership aptitudes in your child from an early age. Whether your child grows up to become a powerful business person, a teacher, or a doctor, the ability to lead people toward a goal and be a positive influence on others is invaluable. Here are six activities that will help your child develop and strengthen those leadership skills: Volunteering at an organization that helps people. Leaders have empathy for others, and there is no better way to build childrens empathy than to put them in situations where they can help others who are less fortunate or need support. Empower your child to take action (or get involved in an effort already underway) when he or she sees something wrong in the community and wants to fix it. Running for student council. By its very nature, student council, whether in elementary school, middle school or high school, is a great way to show your child what it means to inspire change in an organization (a school in this case). Student council will also build your childs public speaking, teamwork, and organizational skills. Joining a club and becoming an officer. Any extracurricular involvement will benefit your child in a multitude of ways, but taking on a position such as secretary or treasurer (or even president or vice president) is especially good for your child. Such a position will build your childs sense of responsibility. Becoming part of a team. This could be a soccer team, a dance troupe, a glee club or something entirely different. A team environment helps participants cultivate their abilities to collaborate and work effectively with different types of people. Working with children. This might be most applicable when your child becomes a teenager. Whether its babysitting, assisting in a preschool art class or coaching a childrens team, working effectively with younger children requires many of the same competencies that leaders need. Your teen will learn how to manage disorder, get others attention and motivate children to work toward similar tasks and goals while building his or her patience in the process. Being in charge of something. At home, you can help nurture your childs inner leader by giving him or her something to manage independently. Chores are one option but think bigger. Is there some part of your familys modus operandi that your child or teen could take over? Do you have a family business with which your child could get involved? Even if your child isnt planning to become a Fortune 500 CEO, leadership development is extremely beneficial. Your child will grow up to be more confident, adaptable, resilient and capable. He or she will become more proficient at making decisions and listening to others ideas (and articulating his or her own). Encourage your child to engage in activities that nurture their leadership skills. The positive effects will be long-lasting.