A Student Review of University of California, San Diego

A Student Review of University of California, San Diego The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Shaun is a Los Angeles tutor specializing in Calculus tutoring, GRE prep tutoring, SAT prep tutoring, and more. He graduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelors degree in Biology. See what he had to say about his alma mater: 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? Shaun: UC San Diego has a free on-campus shuttle system which is quite helpful since the campus is so large and students often have to park far from where they have their classes. The public transportation buses around the city also have access through several roads that run through the campus, so off-campus students do not need to bother driving their cars onto campus where they would need to worry about finding parking. Most major buildings have bike racks to lock your bikes to. The campus lies in the heart of La Jolla, one of the more affluent cities in greater San Diego, but not in a metropolitan area. Because of this, the campus and the surrounding areas are on the safer side compared to most campuses. Campus police are quite accessible and there are call boxes to them scattered throughout the campus. Although it has been a while, when I was there I never knew of anyone who had a safety issue. Campus police are available to help escort a student back to on-campus housing. VT:How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Shaun: Honestly, I did not seek any of them out very often, but when I did, I did not have an issue of accessibility. UC San Diego does have a large student body, and many of the science and math classes are several hundred in size, so the professors or TAs do not remember you unless you make an effort to get to know them. But, they always have set office hours and I have never had a friend complain about showing up and a professor or TA not being there during the scheduled hours. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Shaun: I absolutely loved it there! The great thing about the campus set-up of having six smaller colleges making up the university is that you do get some benefits of a smaller, private college. Each college sets up social gatherings and activities for that college, and each one has its own advisers. Some events are well-known for that college, such as Muirs famous Watermelon Drop Contest. The dorms are on a regular renovation rotation and most have cable TV included. The room sizes are comparable to most colleges, but the dorms with a suite-style set-up are, in my personal opinion, a much nicer arrangement. Each college has its own cafeteria, but most also have a dining cafe with better food that you can use your meal plan in. The system simply allots you a certain amount of money to spend in the cafe per meal. Then, of course, the student center has great food options such as a Wendys, a Panda Express, and even a sushi bar! In terms of the location and socialization, UC San Diego is hard to beat. You are a ten-minute walk from the cliffs from where you can hike down to Blacks Beach or watch hang-gliders take off from Hang-gliders Port. The weather is typically in the 70s and 80s most of the year and there is a great Town Centre just off campus where many students hang out. Downtown La Jolla, a great beach-side locale, is a hop, skip, and jump from the campus, and the famous Torrey Pines Golf Tournament is just next door. We even have a local aquarium and a nature reserve to visit. Students are also constantly making outings to Tijuana or downtown San Diego which boasts the famous Gas L amp District which has an amazing night life. In the heart of downtown is also Hortons Plaza, an impressive outdoor, four-story shopping mall. 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? Shaun: I studied Biology because I originally intended to head to medical school. I received a great deal of flak for choosing UCSD over Stanford (yes, I got in), but we have been in the top ten in the nation in the Biological Sciences for three decades and have been ranked higher than Stanford in them for most of the time. Other than that, its a UC. Most of the significant majors are well represented and supported here, from Engineering to Humanities to the Arts. One area that does also stand out for UCSD is their International Relations Studies. They boast an International Student Center, and Eleanor Roosevelt (one of the six colleges) has its emphasis centered around international relations. 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? Shaun: One thing I loved about our school is that the student body, in general, is quite easy going and friendly. I had no issues making friends or getting to know people. The separate college activities definitely help. People are quite studious on campus, but you dont hear of stories like in some sister UC schools of students sabotaging each others work because of the competition. The Greek life is significant and easy to become involved in, but it does not dominate the campus like in some reputed party schools, particularly at the neighboring San Diego State. The social scene is great, but you dont have to search far and wide to find an adequate place to study or an effective study group when you need one. I could actually study in my own dorm room and not have to hide out in the library! VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Shaun: Once again, I did not take advantage of these services much, but I thought our Career Center was quite upscale, even back then. The few times I sought help, I found it quite easily. As far as I could tell through heresay from friends, many reputable companies do come to recruit on campus, particularly in the Biological Sciences. UCSD has a great international reputation, so I would be shocked if reputable companies did not come seeking students from the caliber of our student body. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Shaun: Study areas around campus are great. I already mentioned that I could actually study in my own dorm room, and that can be a rarity on many other campuses. All the cafes and student union centers are also great areas to study, partially because of the outdoor tables allowing you to enjoy the amazing San Diego weather while you study. The dorm lounges are more social scenes, but in our suite lounge we actually did hold some study sessions. But when it comes down to it, nothing beats the library. The place is enormous with amazing architecture inside and out. Several of the underground floors have openings to the sky and outdoors that although for natural light to filter into the many areas for study. If you really want to get away and hunker down to study, this place is it perhaps because many people love to just get their studying done outdoors since there are so many great places to do so. 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? Shaun: I already addressed much of this in the socialization question but, in a nutshell, there is plenty to do around town. For those that love the outdoors and outdoor activities, there are several beaches within easy access, great hiking and biking trails, a local nature reserve and also an aquarium, the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Wild Wonders, Legoland, Sea World, and Balboa Park. For those that love clubbing and other classic night life, the Gas Lamp District is amazing; of course, there is always Tijuana. For those that love the arts, San Diego has some pretty nice theaters and some amazing museums in Balboa Park. For those that love sports, you can always become a Chargers or Padres fan, or you can join the beach locals surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, hang gliding, pier fishing, jet skiing, deep sea fishing, playing beach volleyball, etc. I could go on and on . . . VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Shaun: The student body is quite large. I believe that if you include the graduate school and medical school, we have around 30,000 students. Because of this, UCSD boasts a plethora of opportunities and activities throughout the campus, but you might deal with some classes that are several hundred strong. As you might have gathered from my previous answers, I was not so concerned about getting to know all of my professors or TAs, so the class sizes did not bother me. Not all classes are large, though. I had several humanities classes that had less than thirty students. As a whole, I love the range of class sizes. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Shaun: Classes were excellent for the most part at UCSD, but I would have to say that one stands out to me simply because the memory is so amusing. I have always been an early riser, a morning person per se, so I decided it would be great one quarter to get all my classes out of the way early so I could enjoy my afternoons and evenings. Most classes do not start before 8:00 am, but I saw one of my classes for my major that was offered at 7 am, twice a week, an hour and a half each session. I thought it would be great since I was always awake by then, anyhow. The first day I showed up, and right when the professor opened his mouth, I knew I would not be attending class except for the midterms and final. Try to imagine the most monotone voice youve ever heard someone speak in, then take out any remaining inflections you can perceive, and youll know what this professors lectures sounded like. For ninety minutes starting at seven in the morning, this would be torture to almost any colleg e student, even a morning person like me. Needless to say, I bought the ASB lecture notes for the class and studied on my own. Check out Shauns tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

How to Balance Grades, a Social Life, and Sleep in College

How to Balance Grades, a Social Life, and Sleep in College Its the classic saying that every college student is familiar with Good grades, a social life, and enough sleep in college, you can only pick two. Getting a good education is of course the primary reason for attending college, but the social scene appeals to many students as well. However, the great determination and time it takes to maintain a good GPA is often underestimated by incoming freshmen, and balancing that academic life with the desired social life takes some discipline. Developing that skill is yet another time-consuming process, so where does that leave students with getting some shut-eye? Exactly. It would seem that most students lean toward picking the first two: good grades and a social life. This plan of execution never lasts long though because lets face it as humans, we need our sleep. We literally wont be able to function without a substantial amount of it. And realistically, how are you going to be able to study well enough to get an A on that exam while your brain is deprived of rest? Or how can you embark on these social gatherings when you are completely lacking energy? Students like to believe theyre tougher than that, but you cant fight biology; the body requires sleep. Here is some great info on theimportance of sleepthat you may want to check out. After accepting the importance of sleep, this popular phrase tells students they must choose between having fun and having As. Is this really reasonable? It shouldnt have to be a choice, but the time both of these activities take up sure makes it seem that way. Being fresh to the college scene, a new student may put their social life first on the priority list and believe they can coast their way through their schoolwork. The difficulty in your academics will ultimately depend on your major, but either way, this method wont fly. You cannot breeze through college assignments and tests. They all require adequate preparation that cannot be underestimated, so thinking you can beat the system will not serve you well. Here are some great tips on how to choose your extracurricular activitiesthat you may find useful. Yet, you should also take comfort in the fact that you wont need to be spending hours on end at the library every single night from Freshman Welcome Week through graduation. That would just be ridiculous, and its unheard of. Unless you go through some very strange scheduling scenario with a very poor academic advisor, you should never have a semester where every single class is a torturous battle one-hundred percent of the time. You will have killer classes, you will have regular classes, and you will hopefully have a couple of easy classes. The point is that college academics require intense studying and time, but not all of the time. There is no reason you cant have a social life as well. If it were impossible, that wouldnt be one of the favorite aspects of college you hear passed down from alumni. Now, some people do spend too much time on the social scene and end up with disappointing grades, but that is because they may not understand how to manage it well. It is important that you know how to successfully manage your various priorities. Keep a good balance of everything and don't let either side overwhelm you. After all, extracurricular activities can boost college success! So what does it all come down to? Is it impossible to have it all? The trick is to balance and rotate them accordingly. You can have it all, but not always excessively and not always at the same time. In the end, allow yourself time in your head (yes, another time-consuming task, but this is what college is!) to make thoughtful and smart decisions regarding each of these areas and things will work out just fine.

Thesis Writing English Writing Online Tutorpace

Thesis Writing English Writing Online Tutorpace A thesis is a statement placed as a premise in an argument and it should sum up what the essay is about. A good thesis statement contains a part which the writer desires to argue and also states how it is going to be argued in a succinct manner. Usually the introduction is closed with the thesis statement in short essays. The thesis should not be a question or a list of facts but it should be a claim that could be argued. Further, it should be clear, specific and strong. Example: Green house effect and global warming should not be considered as serious issues. This thesis is just an opinion, but not a debatable argument. Hence this is not a strong thesis. On the other hand, the following thesis on the same topic provides a claim and argument. Example: Green house effect and global warming should not be considered the most significant issue of modern times because planet earth periodically undergoes cycles of cooling and warming from time immemorial and the spells of rising temperature are beyond human control since the changes are part of the natural cycle. A thesis should be concise since it is central to the whole essay and it should be defended with evidence. Moreover, it provides a quick preview of what the writer is going to say about the topic discussed and it organizes the building blocks to be used throughout the essay. The writer considers the thesis as a tool to maintain the focus on the topic and to provide the unifying thread to the argument. As for the reader, the thesis becomes a map and helps the reader to distinguish the main ideas and engages his/her attention to details. Therefore, a thesis should be debatable, apt and easily identifiable.

4 Mnemonic Devices for Elementary Students

4 Mnemonic Devices for Elementary Students Using mnemonic devices is an excellent way to help elementary students learn and retain important information. If youre not already familiar, these are memory devices that rely on language or numbers as a strategy to trick your brain into remembering facts. The mnemonic device that begins with Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November... for example, can help students remember which months have 30 days and which have 31. Types of mnemonic devices for elementary students include rhymes, acronyms, mini-stories, and associations. Looking to use mnemonic devices to enhance your students learning? Here are four mnemonic devices for elementary students: Mnemonic device #1: rhymes For some students, it can be far easier to remember lyrics than facts from a textbook. Rhymes are great mnemonics in part because theyre closely connected to songs and often include catchy wording thats easy to recall. Teaching your student common rhyming mnemonics can help them remember key facts that will be useful throughout their education. Examples of rhyming mnemonic devices include: A rhyme to help with a common spelling confusion: I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A, like in neighbor and weigh. A rhyme for remembering Alaska and Hawaiis statehood: 59 was the date when Alaska and Hawaii became new states. [RELATED: How to Enhance Your Students Experience with Literature] Mnemonic device #2: acronyms An acronym uses the letters in a specific word to form a new keywordsuch as NASA or ATM. Remembering the keyword can help your student to recall each aspect or step in a group or concept. During a test, for example, knowing that the terms theyre trying to remember begin with certain letters can help jog their memory and relieve test-day stress. Examples of acronyms that students may encounter include: The helpful way to remember colors in a spectrum in order is ROYGBIV, which stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. HOMES can help you remember the names of the five Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. [RELATED: Keep Calm and Study OnHow to Avoid Homework Meltdowns This School Year] Mnemonic device #3: mini-stories This strategy uses a silly sentence to help students remember a concept. Each first letter in the phrase corresponds to an aspect of the concept they need to remember. Similar to acronyms, the difference between the two lies in the phrase itself. Acronyms are almost exclusively a single word or a very short word grouping. Mini-stories, in contrast, include wording that appears as a short sentence. Examples of these mini-stories include: Never Eat Sour Watermelon, which can help children remember north, east, south, and west. Roman numerals are often difficult to recall, but the phrase I Value Xylophones Like Cows Dig Milk can help students remember this key: I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, and M=1,000. A common math mnemonic is King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk, which corresponds to kilo, hecto, deca, deci, centi, and milli in the metric system. Mnemonic device #4: associations Associations rely on the connections we make between sounds, letters, and word meanings. It makes a match between words that start with the same letterfor example, students can remember that Memorial Day happens during the month of May because the two begin with the letter m. To remember the homonyms principal and principle, for instance, students can remember that a principal is your pal, but a principle is a rule. [RELATED: How Parents Can Help Students Setand AchieveAcademic Goals] While there are common mnemonic devices students can use, students can also develop their own phrases and connections based off of items that pertain to their everyday life. Encourage your student to identify aspects of their studies that they find challenging and to create associations that may help them better recall the facts. You and your student can use a keyword that needs to be remembered and make an acrostic poem out of it, or you can think of visual or verbal personal connections related to a word. For more help with mnemonics, ask your childs teacher for ones that they use in class, or any others they might be familiar withespecially in the areas that your student struggles with or that require more memorization skills. 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.

6 Fun and Unique Ways to Learn Music Theory

6 Fun and Unique Ways to Learn Music Theory Suzy S. Staring at the Circle of Fifths and memorizing key signatures isnt the only way to learn music theory! Here, Brooklyn, NY teacher  Liz T. shares some creative ideas to revive your learning Music theory is a very important part of your musicianship, whether it be mastering ear training, harmony, or sight reading. No matter what instrument you play or what styles you enjoy, those who learn music theory grow further as musicians. A solid knowledge can help you improve your performance, technique, composition, and analysis of music! For some, learning music theory can be very dry, or perhaps even overwhelming at first. Fortunately, it doesnt have to be all about sitting down with a theory book and memorizing scales, chords, and key signatures. There are many other interesting ways you can improve your musicianship. Here are some ideas to try that incorporate both learning and having fun! 1. Learn to play other instruments If you’re a singer, then learning the piano is vital to becoming a well-rounded vocalist. And if you’re a pianist, then being able to sing comfortably will improve your piano skills, believe it or not! The more instruments you know how to play and read the music for, the easier it will be for you! You can also try learning an instrument that plays in bass clef if you play an instrument in treble clef, to work on those transposing skills! 2. Listen to new material I recommend attending many concerts of vocalists, choirs, orchestras, and big bands, to train your ear on what all the different voices and instruments sound like. The only way to really develop your musical ear, and to start working toward perfect pitch, is by listening to the different instruments. 3. Analyze your favorite songs If you’re up for the challenge, find the sheet music for one of your favorite songs, and analyze it. For example, what are the tempo markings? What key signature is it in? Are the chords major or minor? Then, I dare you to sing the song only in solfege, not the lyrics, on the correct pitches. This is going to improve your theory and musicianship immensely! Even if you think it’s time consuming, it is very good practice. As a performer, knowing the music youre singing or playing inside and out is key! 4) Find visuals If youre a visual learner like I am, consider placing music theory posters around your music room, or somewhere you can always see them. There are also clocks that represents the Circle of Fifths (like this one); every time you look at it, you will start to memorize the key signatures! 5) Incorporate movement I encourage dancing and movement when learning music theory, especially with my younger students. This can really help you gain a sense of musicality and feel the rhythm in your body. Freeze dancing, ballet, tap, zumba, and yoga are all great ways to be lyrical with your body. And by dancing regularly, your body will begin to internalize the rhythm automatically, so that when it’s time for sight reading and performing rhythms it’s going to second nature for you! 6) Try composing a song I also encourage you to try composing music on your instrument! Write your own chord progressions, melody, and rhythms without thinking too much about it, and remember that its okay to start simple and to make mistakes. Just write whatever comes to mind. Then start to analyze what you have just written, and you may be surprised with the masterpiece you have created! I highly recommend trying out these ideas as you learn music theory they are fun, creative, and much more hands-on than staring at a book! Liz T. teaches online singing, acting, and music lessons.  She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M in Vocal performance and currently performs/teaches all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, RB, and Country. Learn more about Liz here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  blog.asianinny

5 Ways Introverts Can Develop Their Executive Presence - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 5 Ways Introverts Can Develop Their Executive Presence - Introvert Whisperer 5 Ways Introverts Can Develop Their Executive Presence Executive presence refers to a person’s ability to win the confidence of those around them. A person with executive presence is someone who is confident and clear-sighted even under pressure, assertive, has impressive communication skills, and an appearance that stands out. All the qualities mentioned above are typical of extroverts. They are naturally bursting with self-confidence, are communicative, and have no difficulties standing out. Does this mean that introverts can’t have this much-desired trait? The answer here is “no.” By employing the right strategies, introverts can build and amplify their executive presence. Here are some of the most useful and effective tips and techniques to achieve this: 1.       Be more self-aware when communicating with others Whether you’re speaking with your co-workers, supervisors or managers, clients or customers, and other people in the company, be more self-aware. This means listening intently to what the other person is (or persons are) saying. And before responding or talking, think carefully about what you will say. Make sure that what you will say addresses the situation and will contribute to its resolution or clarification. This is something that you have to practice when sending emails, text, and direct or private messages to your colleagues, senior executives, clients or customers as well. Read their messages thoroughly before responding. Ensure your responses are well-thought out and appropriate to the issue at hand as well. 2.       Know and be honest about your weaknesses Practicing self-awareness will help you improve your communication skills. This quality can also help you get to know your strong points and flaws which will allow you to work on your genuineness and interpersonal relationships. When you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses and are honest about them, you let others know what you can and can’t do. They will, then, have an easier time understanding your situation. In addition, by knowing your shortcomings, you can connect with yourself and, at the same time, build your own authentic voice. Although you may not be as outgoing as nor stand out like extroverts, people will still notice your executive presence when you have a sincere and genuine personality and voice. 3.       Be prepared to speak up Although talking in front of a group may make you feel uncomfortable, if you want others to notice your executive presence, you need to start finding the courage to speak up whenever you have the chance.   You will find doing this easier if you prepare well before a meeting or gathering. Once you know the schedule and agenda, get ready days before the meeting. Go over the outline of everything that will be discussed and anticipate the questions that may crop up. Come up with the best answers and be as detailed as possible.   When you have spent enough time studying, collecting your thoughts, and preparing for this meeting, you will have an easier time contributing and speaking up. You will feel less intimidated and you will be able to grab every available opportunity to let your executive presence shine through. 4.       Practice making eye contact If you’re still not confident about speaking in front of others or even initiating talks with others, work on making eye contact first.   When you look people in the eye, you effortlessly establish a personal connection with them. This also creates rapport immediately. The next time you meet them, you will feel more at ease with smiling at them and, eventually, talking to them. Keep in mind that making eye contact is something better than initiating forced, shallow conversations with your co-workers or managers. Your eyes can convey genuine interest in others even if you can’t say it out loud. And this will help you build your executive presence even more. 5.       Constantly improve yourself Lastly, don’t stop finding ways to improve yourself. Learn from annual performance reviews and appraisals. If you need more explanation or feedback, ask your supervisor or manager. Capitalize on your strengths and improve upon your perceived weaknesses. There are various courses that you can take up to boost your growth and leadership potentials as well. You will acquire the right skills from these programs designed to help you achieve your dreams of becoming a (better) leader.   Being an introvert should not stop you from climbing the ladder of success and gaining the respect and admiration of others. By developing the right skills, mindset, and behaviors, you can build your executive presence and be a major influencer.   AUTHOR BIO With over 20 years of experience in B2B marketing, Annick Nuyens first worked in the hospitality service industry and then moved to the knowledge industry. She currently works for Informa in the Dubai office, where she oversees marketing for public and in-house training courses, conferences, exhibitions and managed events across the Middle East and Africa. 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

English Phrases and Idioms connected with Autumn English Vocabulary

English Phrases and Idioms connected with Autumn English Vocabulary Well, here we are and Autumn has arrived. Certainly if you are living in the Northern hemisphere you  should now be experiencing the first signs of Autumn. The trees in the forest just behind my house  are a mix of deciduous  (they always lose their leaves in Autumn) and evergreens  (they retain their  leaves throughout the year). The deciduous trees are beginning to shed their leaves and the colours  or hues  (synonym for colour) are changing from green to yellow brown and rustic reds.The Americans usually refer to Autumn as The Fall. The effects are the same. In the not too distant  future we will be talking about “beer festivals” (in Germany), Halloween across Europe and America  and other festivals connected with the harvests and the religious practices of many countries In my house it is time to put away the light summer clothes and get out the winter woollies  (warmer  clothes). We don’t actually hibernate  (go to sleep for the winter) but we do change our habits a little.Heavy shoes replace sandals  (flip flops), the boots are ready and jumpers and rain coats replace tee  shirts and jackets. I love to see the chestnuts falling. I always collect a few. It reminds me of my  childhood. We called them “conkers”. We had a simple game with conkers that we always played in  late September and through the early weeks of Autumn. You put a small hole through your  chestnut/conker and tied a knot in it then challenged your friends to see whose conker was the  strongest. You took turns striking your opponents’ conker with your conker. The winner was the one  that did not break. (careful it can be a little sore on your fingers!!)There are lots of English phrases and idioms connected with Autumn that are very useful. Here are a few: English Autumn Vocabulary - Infographic 8 English Phrases and Idioms connected with Autumn An old chestnut   means an old issue or problem that has not been solved or has not gone away and  from time to time is resurrected.My friend occasionally brings up the argument we had about our  days playing football. Which of us was the better footballer.  Neither of us could really remember. It is  an old chestnut and is never going to go away. I always say “not that old chestnut again!! Just  forget it.”To drive someone nuts if you drive someone nuts it means you irritate or annoy themIt drives me nuts when people are constantly clicking their pen.To turn over a new leaf to make a new start a fresh startIm going to turn over a new leaf and start again. Ill find a new job and get a new boyfriend and make new friends.To take a leaf out of somebody elses book to behave or to do something in a way that someone else wouldIts raining cats and dogs its raining very heavilyDuring the autumn months its raining cats and dogs, so  make sure you wear your raincoat and take your  umb rella.To squirrel away   squirrels are usually very active in Autumn getting ready for a long winter. They  spend their time eating and gathering nuts to get them through winter when very little food will be  available for them. We squirrel away things in the same way. We do it secretly without telling  anyone. Money,  for example.We might be saving for that rainy day  (a day when we really need  some extra cash).He squirrelled  away a nice sum of money over the early summer and was able to  buy his wife a nice winter present.Autumn of his life   alas age catches up on all of us eventually. When we are in the autumn of our  life usually,  we have lived a long time and we are looking forward perhaps to retirement of taking  things a little easier.My grandfather was in the autumn of his life when he decided he was too old  to drive a car anymore. His eye sight was getting worse.Fall is an interesting word. It has many uses so we will look at that in a separate blog. Thank you  

How to Self-Study for an AP Exam

How to Self-Study for an AP Exam ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog Unfortunately, not all high school AP programs are created equal. Even though colleges put your AP exams in the context of how many were offered at your school, there are major tuition savings to be had from doing well on more AP exams. If you find yourself wanting to take an AP exam that your school does not offer, here is how you can ace the exams on your own: Pick Your Textbook This is an important decision as it will form the basis of your self-study journey, especially for exams that have recently gotten a facelift from the CollegeBoard. For such exams, like AP Biology in the 2012-2013 school year, you will want to Google “SUBJECT NAME textbook correlations”. For most redesigned exam, the CollegeBoard collects correlation assessments from textbook publishers to ensure that their books align with the exam frameworks. This is usually the ideal way to pick the best textbook. If a comprehensive correlations document is not available, then you can look for the “SUBJECT NAME example textbook list”, which is more commonly available. Get the latest edition whenever possible and if you can’t decide, just go with whichever one you think has the most reputable publisher behind it. Either way, do not spend too much time obsessing over the textbook you use â€" the important thing is how you will use it. Set a Study Plan Generally, every textbook will have more information than what you actually need to succeed on the AP exam. So to save yourself lots of headaches down the line, look through the chapters and make note of which ones will not show up on the real exam (have a copy of the framework handy). Once you have determined the chapters that you will need to get through, set a weekly schedule all the way until April 1st, a month before AP exams are administered. You will want the last month before exams start to review and practice. Allocate at least one hour per day on your self-study. Remember that other kids will be taking an actual hour-long class for this every day plus more time for homework. You need to be putting in at least one hour per day to stay on track. Be a Note-Taking Fiend When I self-studied for AP World History, what really made me successful was that as I read every chapter, I took notes on the major points of almost everything I read. It came out to about 2-3 sentences per page read. This was certainly a significant amount of work to stay on top of, but it paid dividends in two important ways: It reinforces the learning process because you can’t just passively read the textbook and forget things easily. You have to decide which parts are the most important, which forces you to think about what you just read and the act of writing it imprints the knowledge to memory better. You now have a self-made study guide of the points that you thought were important. This was an excellent resource for me when it came time to cram because I had written the notes in a way that I would easily understand and quickly jog my memory. Practice Profusely To make sure you are internalizing what you are learning, give yourself frequent assessments along the way. Textbooks will generally have end-of-chapter quizzes and there are a number of online resources as well: Learnerator â€" We work with AP table leaders and readers to develop the most comprehensive question banks possible and work each year to ensure all content is in-line with the AP exams. Quizlet â€" You will find many flash card sets put together by teachers and students. The quality will vary 4tests â€" There are free tests here, although be careful because it does not seem like the content has been updated to match the redesigned exams. If you want even more practice questions, you can purchased past released exams on the CollegeBoard store: https://store.collegeboard.org/sto/catalog.do?category=259categoryName=AP%AE Physical review books, although clunky to carry around, can also provide additional practice. *Before going down this route however, it is worth noting that many such books do not have very good content. This is especially true of books written to adapt to overhauled AP exams, as they are often regurgitations of past books that are not truly aligned to the new frameworks. The Final Push About a month before the exam, you should plan to have all the necessary chapters read with copious notes. Here is a checklist of things to do before the exam to ensure best odds of success: Re-read your notes By this point, it is more than likely that you have forgotten many of the things that you read earlier in the year. Give all your notes a run-through as a refresher. Practice like Crazy The best way to really master a subject is to get as many reps as possible. One way to do this is to go to a local bookstore with a notebook and grab as many review books as possible and just take all the practice questions out of the books (if you don’t want to actually buy several books). Take released exam The best way to be prepared for the real exam is to take past released exams. This may not always be available the year after a re-designed course is first implemented, such as AP U.S. History in the 2014-15 school year. In those cases, you will have to rely on independent companies and their review products. In-Person Questions They say that you don’t truly know something until you are able to teach it. One way to do this is to get a friend, a parent, or a willing teacher to quiz you FRQ-style on various topics. The topics can be pulled from past released FRQ’s, review books, topics found in textbooks, online resources, etc. The goal is to not know what questions to be expecting and be able to provide thoughtful and confident answers in the moment without the aid of any resources. Through a process like this Memorization self-challenge Starting at the highest level of organization, try to remember everything you can about what you learned. A good way to start is by textbook chapters. If you can recall all the chapter names in your textbook, that is a great start because it means that you can see the big picture of how the course progresses and what it contains. Then at each chapter, recall from memory how each one was organized. You don’t need to recall every fact, but if you can remember at an “outline” level, at least two tiers (such as chapters - sections) and some supporting knowledge in each one, then you are in great shape. As you do this exercise, you can take down notes of things you struggled to remember and look up the actual book chapters to see which ones you missed. So there you have it! If you plan it out and stick to your strategy, self-studying for an AP exam is not all that difficult. It may seem daunting at times, but the payoff will be worth it: You have another chance to save on college tuition and admissions offices will love that you put in all that effort to go above and beyond. Good luck! About the Author Luke Liu is CEO and founder of Learnerator Education. When he was in high school, he took 11 AP exams and got 11 5’s. He self-studied for the AP World History exam after having taken the APUSH and AP European History classes. Learnerator is the web's leading resource for high-quality academic practice materials. With over 18,000 questions and solutions spanning 37 subjects developed by elite educators in the respective fields, thousands of people trust Learnerator to prepare them for high-stakes exams. Subjects that can be found on Learnerator include all major AP exams, SAT, ACT, GMAT, and more. All content is meticulously developed and tested before publishing on our platform which makes it as simple as possible to begin practicing and learning by doing. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, 'a519c073-790d-4c67-b0fd-7095f1869478', {});