Packing the Backpack

Author: Jam Macabanding

I love being prepared. Like Melanie Parker in “One Fine Day”, I want to be able to create a super hero costume from the contents of my purse. Or in this case, backpack. I want to be prepared for any situation. I want to have a snack available for those days when I forgot to eat as I rushed out the door. I want to have all my books, notes, and everything else I need for class. However, I need to be able to carry my backpack without pushing a wheelbarrow.

I’ve found a system that works well for me. I have a spot on the side of my work area that houses my books and supplies for school. Each night, I grab all the books and supplies I need for the following day and put them into my backpack. Since mornings are a mess, I need this packed the night before. I make sure I have everything I need. I like to pack homework that doesn’t need to be done yet – in case I find some extra time.

Technology has made things more compact, so instead of a CD player and my folder of French CDs, I have loaded them onto my iPod, saving room and weight. As you pack your backpack, look for things that you don’t need and things that you wish you had. Decide what is necessary and what can wait until you get back home.

Pack everything so you know where to find it and it is all secure. Make sure you can tote it around on your back without the need for a chiropractor at the end of the week. And if you can still fit in that extra snack, you’ll probably appreciate it later.

How To Quickly Get Your Audience to Like You

Do you know how to make your audience like you? Why would you want to? Well, making an audience like you is the key to getting them to listen to you. As people we tend to gravitate towards people who we like and who make us feel good. Many presenters mistakenly think that they have to appear invincible and not show any weaknesses to their audience. This is a mistake. It's hard to like someone who never shows their human side. Look at how Hilary Clinton's popularity soared when she finally let the professional mask slip a little and reveal the human side of a woman sometime struggling to cope with the pressures of a presidential campaign.

Making an audience like you is sometimes referred to as building rapport. To really make an impact with them, you need to be able to do this very quickly with them. There are a number of ways of you can do this. One very simple way is by using self-deprecating humor, or in more simple terms -teasing yourself.

This is a great way to show the audience that you are:

* A human being

* No taking yourself too seriously

* Not someone to be afraid of (yes audiences can feel intimidated by speakers in the same way that that speakers feel intimidated by audiences)

* Someone the audience can relate to. This is very important especially if you're trying to persuade the audience to do something. It's important that they believe it's something within their grasp - itss hard to believe that if the speaker seems to be almost super human and immune to the messiness of real life.

Audiences like presenters they can relate to, feel connected to, and can see as someone they can relate to. There is something very endearing about someone willing to show the not so perfect side of themselves. Using humor also demonstrates that you aren't afraid to laugh at yourself, and that is one of the most likable qualities a person can have (and therefore a speaker can have.)

It's is important to know how to use humor and when. You need choose a way that maintains your credibility about the subject matter. For example, if showing yourself as an expert in customer relations, don't tell a story about losing your cool with a customer! Instead, tell a story about how your 5-year-old son can use the TIVO so much better than you, or how you drove off leaving your briefcase on top of your car that morning. These kinds of stories show that you are human and prone to the usual messy screw-ups we all have. But what they don't do is cause the audience to question your place as an expert in your chosen subject.'

Remember that the earlier you use this technique the better. Get the audience on side as soon as you can - I saw a speaker recently who began his speech by telling the audience how pleased he was to be in the town where a new Ikea had just been opened. He went on to tell the audience how he couldn't go into the store and come out with the right thing, and then when he got the stuff home, he couldn't seem to put it together so that it looks anything like the picture in the brochure! This story got a warm laugh from the audience. It was a laugh of recognition, a laugh of 'I've been there', a laugh of 'I can relate to that.'

And do you think that the audience were more or less likely to listen to the rest of what he had to say? That's right, he had them on board from this early stage and was then able to build a stronger connection with them for the rest of his speech. He knew the value of building with his audience and getting them to like him. You can use this and discover how incorporating some self-deprecating humor can be a fantastic way to be likable and be a more powerful public speaker and presenter.

http://www.beagreatpresenter.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jo_Jameson

Writing Great Essays - Some Useful Tips

Writing a good essay, whether in an exam or at any other time, is a task that many find difficult. Essays are required in most subjects, and your exam results may largely depend on your ability to write them so it is well worth tackling the problem energetically.

Why do we have to write essays any way?

Essays test more than your factual knowledge. They also test your ability to understand the significance of the knowledge you have; to apply it to the solving of particular problems; and to communicate this to someone else. So there are three things necessary to write a good essay, whatever the subject:

1. the necessary information;
2. the use of this information to solve the problem;
3. the ability to communicate in the most appropriate way.

But there is one essential point before you can even begin. You must be quite certain you know what the question means. Even if instinct urges you to start writing immediately, resist it. Make quite sure that you have read all of the question carefully, and 'all' means the instructions as well as the actual content of the question.

To summarize:
When you look at an essay question following are the points you should have in your mind:
Is there just one question or is it an Either ... Or?
How many things are you being asked to do? (Look out for the word 'and')
If more than one thing is required are they of the same kind? Or are they of different kinds (Describe and explain)?
Are you clear in your mind about the meaning of all the terms used?

Planning
Once you have got a clear idea of what the question is about, you must start planning your essay. There are two basic steps to planning: collecting and selecting the material and organizing it.

Starting and stopping
Once you have got the general structure of your essay clear, you can start writing. All you need now is a way of getting into it and a way of getting out. The first rule for starting an essay is 'don't put the reader off'. Your opening sentence can refer directly to the question. This is safe and can be helpful to the reader but take care that it is not also too dull. Never repeat the question word for word in your opening sentence. You may also start with an example that is relevant to one or other side of the argument or that simply underlines the question. Whatever style of opening you choose the important thing to remember is that it must lead you smoothly to your first point.

Endings
These are easier. Unless you are writing an imaginative essay, the best kind of conclusion is usually one that reminds the reader briefly of your arguments and states your opinions based on those arguments. The important thing is to leave the reader satisfied that the essay has indeed finished and not just stopped.

Writing
The style of your essay will vary to some extent depending on whether you are writing a factual or an imaginative piece, but two rules must apply no matter what the subject is:

1. What you want to say must first be clear in your mind or it will never be clear on paper.
2. The language you use must be as simple and direct as the subject allows.

The rule 1 does not mean that you must have every sentence complete in your mind before you start to write it down, but that you must have the thought clear. To achieve the aim of rule 2, you must use proper vocabulary, sentence structure, spellings and punctuation.

Visit http://www.perfectyourenglish.com for more articles on English writing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manjusha_Nambiar

How to overcome stage fright?

When I was at my younger years in school, I could not perform in front of the class nor could I deliver an oral report. It was all because of stage fright, and loss of self-confidence maybe. However, as I go on with my education, especially when I enrolled in medicine, I gradually overcame my stage fright. To know how, read on.

So what is stage fright?

Stage fright or performance anxiety refers to an anxiety, fear or persistent phobia related to performance in front of an audience or camera. This form of anxiety can precede or accompany participation in any activity involving public self-presentation. Wikipedia

How do you know you have stage fright?

Quite often stage fright arises in a mere anticipation of a performance, often long time ahead. It has numerous manifestations: fluttering or pounding heart, tremor in hands and legs, diarrhea, facial nerve tics, dry mouth.

How do you overcome it?

In my own experience, I tried hard before I overcame my stage fright. Here's how I did it:

Before performing or speaking in front of an audience,

1. I practice in front of the mirror, of my sisters or close friends. Practice really makes perfect.

2. I anticipate the possible questions (for my report) and try to answer them - still in front of the mirror. Often times, we get performance anxiety because we are afraid of the questions from the audience. If you have practiced your speech or studied well your report, you shouldn't be afraid of the questions.

3. I volunteer myself to be a speaker for the group. Every time we have a class discussion, where there's a need for a representative, I sometimes volunteer myself. It's one way of exposing myself. More exposure means more practices and gaining more self-confidence.

4. I think positive. Sometimes, we tend to be pessimistic. We are thinking of the worst scenario prior to our delivery of speech or performance. Pessimism adds to our anxiety, thus it should be overcome.

5. I always join group discussions where interaction is a must. This works like practicing myself in front of the mirror or friends.

6. I read tips and books regarding public speaking. Through it, I am learning tips on how to dispel stage fright.

Other helpful posts for overcoming stage fright:

• Six Golden Rules for Conquering Performance Anxiety by David Leisner
• Stage Fright Strategies

How to Choose the Right School For You

Now that the admission committees have handed you their decisions, it is time for you to choose which college to attend. For some, this choice is easy. Maybe you were admitted early decision or have a clear first choice. For others, the decision is more difficult. Perhaps you have not visited many of the schools on your list, maybe you and your parents disagree about what is best for your future, or perhaps you just can't seem to figure out what you want. No matter the reason, you must decide by the May 1st reply date. What should you do?

Identify your options.

Are you choosing between two schools or several? Have you narrowed down your choices? Are you comparing financial aid packages? Are you trying to get taken off a wait list at a school? What are the factors that you will use to make your decision?

Expand your research.

Now that you know what your options are, it is time to begin or continue your research. Hopefully you already know why each school is on your list. Review what you have learned and continue to learn about the schools. What are you looking for? What does each school offer? Consider how each school matches your interests: academic, extracurricular, social, and otherwise. Use the schools' websites, talk to friends, e-mail professors, visit the campuses. Have discussions with your family and others you trust. If you have not already visited the schools on your list, now is the time. One college applicant, Scott, visited the schools on his list only after he received his acceptance letters. Doing so gave him a new perspective on his choices: "I had applied to the University of Wisconsin-Madison on my counselor's recommendation. I didn't really think I would ever go there because it was so far away from home and I always thought of Wisconsin as a place of pastures and cows. But when I visited, I felt at home. The students were friendly, the classes were tough, and I had no idea Madison had such a fun night life."

Prioritize.

Amanda, an aspiring professional dancer, knew she wanted to attend college. She felt good about her auditions, and was thrilled to be admitted to several schools. After narrowing down her choices to SUNY-Purchase and University of Michigan, Amanda realized she needed to learn more about each school. "I found that the reputation of the schools said that Michigan had stronger academics and SUNY had better connections to the New York dance scene, which is where I want to establish a career. I am also really interested in literature and writing." Amanda had to prioritize. She asked herself, what role did she want her artistic and academic interests to play in her life? What was more important to her?

Be honest with yourself.

Radha, a senior from New Jersey, had narrowed down her acceptances to two schools: Boston University and University of Southern California (USC). Both schools were a good fit, as Radha wanted a city school with a lot of options and school spirit. After sorting out the pros and cons of each school, Radha was still stuck. Something else was bothering her. I asked, "If both schools were close to home, which would you choose?" Without hesitation, Radha replied, "USC. I just loved my visit and really loved the students I met." Suddenly, we had uncovered the issue that was hindering Radha: she wanted to go to USC, but she did not want to go far from home. After our discussion, Radha talked about the issue with her family. As an older sister with divorced parents, Radha had secretly decided she needed to stay near her younger sister whom she often looked after. Discussing her concerns with her parents helped Radha make the brave decision to attend the school she wanted. By looking deeper into the issue that was really troubling her-her fear of leaving home-Radha was able to make the decision that was best for her. It is important to remember that there are many factors that play into the decision of which school to attend. Going off to college often signifies the beginning of a more adult life, so this decision can be influenced by anxieties about leaving home.

Go with your gut.

We've been through the rational decision-making processes like making pro and con lists and prioritizing. However, intuition is often our best guide. Adam, now a few years out of college, recently said, "I don't know why exactly I chose Georgetown, but as soon as I got in I got excited. Somehow I just knew it would be the best place for me. And I was right." Pay attention to your gut. Trust yourself.

You can't be wrong.

Here is the good news: there is no such thing as the wrong choice. Like any experience, college is what you make of it. Take advantage of opportunities, choose challenging classes, become involved in your interests, and your decision will have been the right one. Chances are you will be happy at any of the schools on your list. After all, you applied to them because you discovered they were good matches for you. If you later find you would rather be somewhere else, you can always consider the transfer option. But most students are happy with the choice they made, and graduates often look back, saying: "I am glad I went where I did, but I think I would have been happy and successful at many colleges."

--Jackie Shapiro, MA IvyWise, LLC http://www.ivywise.com

Jaclyn Shapiro, MA College Admissions Counselor IvyWise, LLC 140 W 57th Street New York, NY (212) 262-3500

http://www.ivywise.com

Free Study Guide E-Book: Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories

Book Details:
Title: Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories
Author: Margaret Lucke
Published by: McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 0070390770
Published on: 1999
Format/File Type: PDF
Size: 0.5 MB
Number of Pages: 163 pages

Book Description:
This guide to writing compelling, memorable short stories gives you all the essentials without wasted words. It tells you how and where to get ideas, how to establish and sustain excitement, how to create live, colorful characters, and how to plot, develop and bring home your story. It even includes exercises to help you perfect your story-telling skills. Full of tips and techniques that work, it makes an indispensable, reliable collaborator. You’ll find it ideal whether you’re studying alone or supplementing a creative or fiction writing course, conference or workshop.

Download Links:
Mirror 1

Free Public Speaking Tips: 7 Secrets of Great Public Speakers

The major secret of great speakers is that they do not think about themselves during a talk. Great speakers prepare and practice before the big event and when the big event comes, they think about their audience.

At its core, public speaking is not about your image or ego. It is about communicating a message and that means connecting with an audience.

Here are seven ways of creating an experience that will wow audiences and make sure they come away with your message:

1. Respect Your Audience.This means you view your audience as your equals. You neither look down on them nor crawl before them in hopes of winning their approval. You make some effort to find out what information they already have. That way, you can offer a presentation that gives them something new and does not insult their intelligence.

2. Listen to the Audience. Communication is a two-way street. Even when you are the only one talking, your audience will communicate with you through facial expressions and body language. Listen to these communications, so that you can give the audience what they need. If you see a lot of confused looks, slow down, back up and repeat your last statement. If you see sleepy body language, speak up, use gestures and visual aids to inject energy into the room.

3. Maximize Learning. The most effective speeches cover enough material to be engaging, but not too much. Ideally, you should make three to five clear points, but never more than seven. Give an overview of the main points in your introduction and a recap of them in your conclusion. The rest of your material should be facts that accurately support those points. If you can state the main points concisely, your audience can learn them.

4. Speak Their Language.In most cases, the shortest, most direct words are the best. However, there are some situations that call for academic, technical or other jargon. Even in the most academic settings though, listeners appreciate easy to remember words and phrases. Unless you are a comedian with a very tolerant audience, absolutely avoid profane or crude language.

5. Make Them Comfortable.Make the audience stiff and unresponsive by memorizing your speech. As much as possible, speak as if you are having a conversation with a very comfortable friend about something you care about. That does not mean being loud and obnoxious: it means you capture the feeling of sharing something you are excited about. If you think your topic is not exciting, do some work to identify why it is important. This helps your audience feel comfortable with you and enthusiastic about your topic.

6. Show Them What You Are Talking About. Use high-quality visual aids to help drive your message home. It does not need to be complicated. For instance, a talk about the life of Benjamin Franklin would benefit from something as simple as his portrait. Other aids are PowerPoint slides with a minimum of text listing your main points or slides of art prints.

7. Be Honest. When you give a presentation, you are trying to change something about your audience like increase their knowledge, change their beliefs or habits and convince them to take a particular action. A great speaker does any or all of that by giving an ethical speech. That means you avoid plagiarism, falsehood or exaggeration. Even in a persuasive speech, you never try to force, coerce or deceive. What you want is to teach and convince with clean, logical argument and concrete evidence.

Connecting with an audience is an art with foundational rules like any other art. You have learned these seven methods in just a few minutes. You can devote a lifetime to mastering them and so become a truly great public speaker.

About the Author

Ranju is assistant editor at MindPower Marketing, which helps entrepreneurs and independent professionals to earn more by making their marketing and communication more persuasive. For tips on more persuasive communication, sign up for the free e-class mastering public speaking

Free Study Tips: How to Make an Oral Presentation

The very thought of making an oral presentation is enough to make many people -- old as well as young -- want to stay in bed on the day of the presentation. So daunting is the thought of standing up in front of a room full of people and speaking that most people will avoid this as far as possible. Unfortunately there are many situations in life, especially during school life, where you are required to make an oral presentation as part of your subject grade.

If you find yourself in the position of needing to speak in front of the class there are a few things that you can do to prepare yourself for this experience, and if you follow them, you won't find it nearly as traumatic as you think it 's going to be. You might even enjoy it!

Presentation Preparation: Know your stuff. Whatever it is you're going to be speaking about, make sure that you know it backwards, forwards, inside out. Practice what you're going to say, and if possible have someone time you so that you manage to get in all the important points within the time limit you're given for the presentation. Create a cheat sheet of all the questions -- with the appropriate responses -- that you think will come up if there 's to be a question and answer session after your presentation you're already prepared. Of course there 's always a possibility that someone will ask something that 's not on your list, but at least you'll have done some thinking about the questions and so be prepared about how to go about answering the ones that aren't on your cheat sheet.

Who 's the Audience? Know who you're going to be speaking to. This will help you to make your presentation interesting. If you're presenting to your classmates, keep it on their level. Make it interesting. Where possible, use examples that they can relate to. If you can, make it funny (within the context of your subject area) so that they don't start to chatter or switch off.

Involving the audience in some way is another way of actively engaging with them, perhaps asking them a question relevant to your presentation such as "how many of you know?" Or "how many of you have ever?" If no-one responds, ask again. If still no response, make a comment like it 's obviously a good thing that you're there then or they'd miss out on knowing about it! If some people respond, then indicate that this is great because they'll already have some idea about what you're talking about.

Audio Visual Aids: During your presentation preparation think about ways that you can use any audio or visual aids in your presentation. These could include music, speech, overhead projection sheets that show bullet points of your main presentation themes (only reveal each point as you start to speak about it so that you are keeping their interest going by not showing the entire list at once.

Speak -- Don't Read: A presentation isn't to show that you know how to read. You are presenting your subject, not reading about it. Make sure that you know your information, and you have a plan of what you're going to say but don't read word-for-word from a "script" that you've created. A presentation where the person at the front of the room is making eye contact with the audience, and has a tone that is varied, is going to hold the audience 's attention. Someone who looks down constantly at their papers and speaks in a monotone voice won't.

End with a Bang: Well not literally! But finish your presentation with some form of audience interaction such as "Do you feel you've learned anything?" "Hands up if you're still awake?" Or some other form of question that requires action from them will ensure that you've ended with them all still with you. You could also end with some form of humor related to your subject area which again will give interaction as they will laugh.

Oral presentations are rarely as bad as you think they're going to be. Make sure that you're prepared and you remember to look at your audience instead of reading a "script", and to interact a little with them, and you'll be just fine!

Jane Saeman runs an In-Home Tutoring service called Aim High Tutors. Find out about how to help your student reach their full potential at http://www.aimhightutors.com/blog

Ideas to Make the College Admission Process Easier

By Arthur Gueli

1) Apply to 6 to 8 colleges, minimum.

One of the things that we have found is that it does no good to apply to so few colleges that you don't get admitted anywhere or admitted to only 1 or 2.

You don't need to apply to 30 different colleges, and in fact, it can actually hurt you in the long run. But, the ideal amount is to apply to 6 to 8 colleges.

These are things you should look for in colleges that you apply to:

1. Colleges that you have a fairly good shot of getting into;

2. Colleges that have financial aid to give, or are affordable even if you don't get
financial aid;

3. Colleges that you would be really happy to attend.

2) Visit the Colleges.

Please be sure to visit each of the colleges WHEN THE COLLEGE IS IN SESSION. It does you absolutely no good to visit colleges during summer when no one is around except for the janitor.

You definitely want to visit college when it is in session, even it means you miss a day or two of high school. Also, as part of the visit, take their formal tour, but more importantly, walk around-- and at some point lose your parents if they have tagged along-- and make sure you get a chance to stick your head in a couple of different classrooms, pretending that you are lost while class is in session, so that you can see what actually happens.

It is also important to stop and get a cup of coffee or a soda somewhere on campus at one of the refreshment facilities so you can also get a feel for what the students are like there. Different colleges will attract totally different students. Remember, these are the students that you will be making friends with, dating, studying with, and possibly bringing home to mom and dad one day; so, you want to hang out with people that you are going to enjoy hanging out with.

Also, if you feel like asking questions, probably the single best question that you could ask is:

"What sort of help will you give me once I have graduated from your college?"

A good college will go into great detail explaining the different alumni programs they have put together, as well as different ways they have of taking care of you-like helping you find a job or get into graduate college-- which is a much better answer than a blank stare.

3) How to Get Accepted

In talking to admissions officers, there are several distinct things that you can do to make yourself more desirable to them.

I am going to list these on the points that follow, because you don't want to have your application rejected because you missed a deadline or you didn't really impress them:

Apply Early, But Not Early Admission.

Apply early, no later than October 31st of the year before you wish to go to college. Why do we suggest this?

Well, the reason is real simple; everyone loves to procrastinate myself included. You probably are like this too. We love to wait to the last minute on things.

When you are an adult and you are paying your taxes, as long as they are paid by the deadline, it's no big deal and no benefit to you to get them there early, however, this is different.

The reason is because everybody waits until the last possible second, and then the admissions office gets flooded with applications. They are overworked, cranky, tired, and just want to get through it-- so they sometimes don't give the full amount of attention that they should to each application.

On the other hand, if you get your application in 4 to 6 weeks before the deadline (and by having everything turned in by October 31st, you'll do just that), you're going to get them when they are in a much better mood and they have more time to go through your application.

They have actually admitted that this does make a difference particularly because they have a certain number of students that they have to accept each year.

So, if they can get your application approved, that is one less that they have to worry about later and they get to go home earlier…… so definitely have it in early.

Write a Killer Essay.

An essay is one of the ways that you can really stand out and make yourself appear as an individual, different from all of the other students.

There are two books that almost every admissions officer that we have ever talked to has recommended to us:

The first book is "On Writing the College Application Essay" by Bauld. Be sure to check out his photo on the back once you get the book-- you'll see why-- Ha, ha! This is a step by step instruction of how exactly how to write your college essay. He'll walk you through all of the steps needed and he'll show you how to do it very, very fast.The second book is "100 Successful College Application Essays" by Christopher Georges. Guess what's inside? That's right, 100 successful essays, or in other words, essays that actually got those kids into the college that they were looking at.

You don't have to actually read this book-- unless you need to; and here's when you would need to-- if you get stuck, there is no point in sitting staring at a blank computer screen or a blank sheet of paper for hours. Instead, the minute you find yourself getting writer's block, pick this book up, find the section that contains the essays that most closely resemble what you are trying to write, and start reading.

You'll get to see what other kids have written that has gotten them into college. Also, each essay has a note from someone on Harvard's Staff saying why they liked this essay and why they thought it worked; so you can go through and get some ideas; which will hopefully unblock your brain so you can get back to work writing a great essay--and getting it over with.

Get an Internship or Job in the Area You are Interested

Now this is a touchy area, because it's going to take some time, but hear me out on this; for a lot of you, you're looking at possibly pursuing a career in something that you've probably never seen first hand before; and the reality is often a lot different than what you'd expect.

In other words, if you watch The Practice or Ally McBeal and see what it looks like lawyers do all day long, that's not what they really do. You need to see first hand for yourself what the reality of the job is.

So, if you have a career that you're thinking about pursuing why not getting an internship in that field? Now, here is how you set it up: simply call 3 or 4 firms in that profession and ask.

In other words, if you want to be a lawyer, call 3 or 4 law offices and tell them that you'll be their unpaid slave for x number of hours per week. In return, you want to see first hand what they do all day long and you expect a good letter of recommendation that you could use later (for college, or a job interview) if you do a good job for them.

Be sure to treat it just like you would a real job that you were getting paid for-- show up on time, work your butt off, and stay late if you need to.

This is going to do a couple of things:

1. It will give you some real experience on what the job is really like, so you can see if it's something worth going to college for. If you love it, great! You'll have an edge over everybody else both when you apply to college, and even when you get out of college, you'll be able to tell future employers that "Hey, I've been working in this field for 7 years as an intern", versus everybody else whose barely getting started, so that gives you an added edge.

2. More importantly, if you hate it, we need to find that out now before you end up in college studying for something that you have absolutely no interest in actually doing. If that's the case, let us know, and we'll help you research some other careers.

Do well on your SAT's.

This is also really critical. If I hear one complaint all of the time, it's that nobody is doing as well as they wish on their SAT's. If you'd like some help on this, please see us about this, we can recommend some excellent SAT prep courses.

One thing to keep in mind is that the SAT's aren't as important as they used to be-- so if you do bomb them, don't stress yourself out. However, we would like to see you do as good as you possibly can-- it never hurts and always will help.

Conclusion

That's what you should be concerned with for now. These are the main items that we'll be discussing with you and your parents, in addition to doing your college search and career profile. If there is anything else that we can help with, please let us know.

About the author:
Ron Caruthers is the nation's leading expert on how to get into college and pay for it-as well as helping students choose their careers and command top money in their fields.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

10 Easy Ways To Make Children Smarter

Scientific research shows that intelligence is both genetic and environmental. Intelligence is also not fixed but can be increased because the brain develops new neurons and interconnections with stimulation.

A supportive environment fosters numerous aspects of intelligence. The following 10 easy ways to stimulate intelligence in children will provide an "enriched environment" for brain growth.

One: Love and Self-Esteem Improve Academic Performance

In a long series of experiments, Prescott Lecky, an American educational researcher, found a high correlation between low self-esteem and learning problems in children.

He correctly theorized that by raising a child's self-esteem, learning performance would also improve.

His success stories include a poor speller who averaged 55 in six months, a Latin student who went from 30 after three encouraging conversations with a teacher, and a student considered to have no aptitude for English who improved over a semester to win the school's literary prize.

Two: Breast Fed Babies Are Smarter

Danish researchers found that mother's milk contained essential micronutrients for brain development. In fact, the longer the child was breast fed, the more the brain was nourished. For example, infants breast fed for 9 months were smarter than infants only breast-fed for two months.

Three: Proper Nutrition Improve Health And Nerve Conduction

Diets high in sugar, Trans fatty acids, and salt decreased health in children. Junk food failed to provide sufficient iron for healthy brain development, resulting in poor nerve impulses. Children with nutritional deficiency also missed school more often because of illness and fell behind their peers.

Four: Proper Breakfast Improves Attention At School

Thirty years of research has shown a strong correlation between breakfast and mental alertness. Children who had nutritious breakfasts had better memory. They also concentrated better and absorbed more information during class. Those who had no breakfast or poor breakfast were more irritable and distracted during class.

Five: Exercise Benefits Intelligence And Personality

Research conducted by the University of Illinois showed that fitter children performed better academically. Besides the obvious physiological benefits of improved oxygen intake, blood flow, immune stimulation, and neural transmission, there was also a psychological and sociological component, too. Psychologically, fitter children showed higher self-esteem. Sociologically, those who participated in organized sports displayed more confidence, more cooperation, and spontaneous leadership.

Six: Musical Training Improves IQ Into Adulthood

Long-term research by the University of Toronto showed that organized music lessons benefited children all the way into adulthood. The longer the child studied music, the higher their IQs as adults. Music students also displayed better grades throughout their schooling.

Seven: Some Video Games Enhance Mental Acuity

Research by the University of Rochester found that certain video games improved sensory perception, strategic thinking, and planning ahead of time. The video games that created positive mental improvements had an educational element that improved motor skills and enhanced memory.

Eight: Mind Games Do More Than Entertain

Board games like chess, checkers, creative games like Lego and jigsaw puzzles, and brainteaser games like crosswords, cryptograms, riddles, and Sudoku improved intelligence. Specifically, they stimulated better decision-making, smarter analytical thinking, and more accurate problem solving.

Nine: Reading Improves Both Creativity And Logic

Whether a child was read to at bedtime, or actively read their own books, silently or aloud, they displayed increased left and right brain intellectual growth. Both fiction and non-fiction books improved creative imagination and logical, sequential thinking.

Ten: Nurturing Curiosity Creates An Open, Absorbent Mind

Curiosity, the urge to seek knowledge, is essential to improving intelligence in children. Conducting educational outings, teaching new skills, and supporting hobbies encouraged the development of curiosity.

These 10 ways of raising intelligence in children are easy to apply, practical, and within the reach of parents and teachers. Research has shown that they are highly effective in creating the environmental support children need to develop their intelligence.

About the author:
Learn more about your childs development and child education at http://childrenlearnmore.info


Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Choosing An Online MBA Degree

by: Kateri White

The Master of Business Administration is one of the most popular and sought-after degrees available today. As the world moves to an increasingly corporate and service-based economy, companies have an ever-growing need for business savvy and certain sets of technical skills. And an MBA-holder is likely to have those skills and savvy.

School accreditation is the most important factor to consider when deciding on an online MBA program. Proper accreditation could mean the difference between an online MBA degree that gets you a promotion and a degree that isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.

There are three types of accreditation agencies that are essential to consider when earning an MBA online: regional accreditation, professional accreditation, and distance learning accreditation.

1. Regional accreditation is your best bet.

2. Personal accreditation will make your online MBA stand out.

3. Distance Learning accreditation may not be accepted everywhere.

4. Any other type of accreditation will not be as important as the three listed above.

You can earn a general MBA degree, or choose a particular specialization depending on your strengths and career goals. Disciplines are available in technology, IT, human resources, administration, marketing, and accounting; all the aspects of a well-oiled business machine. All MBA degrees will ensure you have a comprehensive education in business.

Study Option:

The mode of studying for an MBA is also evolving. The executive MBA allows students to work and study at the same time, arranging a mixture of classes, meetings, online work, and individual tutoring. A marketing MBA may allow you to prove your business credentials without having to go through the process of working in junior level positions. Since this qualification can be used across a broad range of sectors, your employability should be good.

Executive MBA:

An Executive MBA is a graduate degree designed for executives, managers and other leaders in business. An executive master of business administration degree may have some similarities to other business programs but is carefully focused for its intended participants.

Executive master of business administration degree programs are designed specifically for people who are currently in business but who wish to further their education. Students can usually complete their executive MBA degree within two years even when working full time. The program of study for an executive master of business administration degree covers the full spectrum of business concepts with emphasis on integrating the areas together. Course topics include accounting, statistics, finance, marketing, and management and information technology.

Marketing MBA:

A Marketing MBA is a master's degree program designed to give you the skills you need to successfully manage an organization. A marketing MBA could be right for you, if you wish to gain business skills and need to have a good foundation in the arts of merchandizing and creating a desire for goods or services.

An MBA degree online can create the expertise, experience, and knowledge needed to have a competitive edge in today's job markets. Getting a degree online is now much more convenient with the colleges and universities through expanding Internet options. The Internet is quickly changing the way those advancing their educations are studying, and the Internet is attracting thousands of students who want to return to school to further their experience and knowledge.

There are many different schools that offer MBA degrees online and each school has a different course of studies and requirement for completion. Those seeking degrees should investigate the limitless options that the Internet has brought in advancing educations, careers, and personal growth.

Of course, it is a good idea to investigate all that is available before committing to a specific school program. Potential students will want to make sure that any program that they are researching offers an MBA degree online that is accredited. Also, speak with academic counselors at various schools, getting information about the different requirements and estimated time tables involved. Be sure to look for hidden costs also. Why not start today and investigate getting an MBA degree online.

About The Author

This article has been published by Kateri White currently writing on online degree programs topics for our website http://www.onlineuniversitydegreeprogram.info. For more details about the online degree programs, please visit our website. If any mistake found please mail kateriwhite@gmail.com

The All Time Top Ten Study Tips For Success In Tests And Exams

by: Michael Tipper

There comes a time in every student's life when those things that you dread begin to loom on the horizon. Depending upon how confident you are about them, your horizon will either be measured in months, or maybe days. What am I talking about? Of course I mean examinations. You may be about to go into mid term mock examinations or you could be facing your final tests.

Whatever your situation and whenever you are going to be sat in an examination room it is never too early to start getting ready for those tests. Thorough preparation will provide you with a strong foundation and will give you the confidence and belief that you can do them and that you will get the grades you want.

But where do you start and which of the hundreds of study tips and study skill ideas do you use?

I am often asked for my top ten tips when it comes to exam success and over the years I have accumulated many ideas, some of which are more effective than others. However if I were to limit myself to just the top 10 that I felt were the most powerful based on all of the work I have done in this field, here are the ones that I think are the most powerful:

1. Find your own deep and compelling reason to successfully learn your subject and pass your exams.

This really is the most important of the study tips I shall share with you here because your success will be deeply rooted in your motivation to learn. Many kids at school do not want to be there and can't be bothered to try which is often why they fail. It does not mean that they are unable to learn, it just means that they have not applied themselves to the work at hand. I know that this is often true because I have met literally hundreds of people who "failed" at school by conventional standards yet later in life made the decision to go back to studying a subject because they wanted to do it. And because of their motivation to succeed the did.

So what does that mean to you? Well understand that you are driven by emotional needs and not necessarily logical ones. If we were driven by logic, the world would be a much better place. So you have to find a deep emotional reason for achieving success as a student. And if you can dig deep and find that reason then nothing will stop you because you will find a way.

2. Plan your time to include study, revision and social commitments - a balance of having fun, taking breaks and studying is vital.

Balance is very important to have a successful and rewarding life and the same is true when you are a student. OK you could spend every waking hour reading every book you could find and learning everything you could and yes you would pass your exams provided you had not burnt out. But it would not be fun, you would have no friends and you would definitely be out of balance.

Taking appropriate breaks and giving yourself little rewards when you have finished an essay or learnt something new for your exams is vital for your success. This is because it keeps you in balance and gives you a degree of variety that keeps you fresh and alert. Yes having a night out with your friends is good for you - but only if it is as a reward for doing good work and is as part of your overall plan.

3. Use multi-coloured Mind Maps for your notes.

My friend and mentor Tony Buzan developed the most powerful thinking tool ever (and I am not exaggerating here) when he invented the Mind Map. Imagine being able to get the key facts from an entire book on a single page in a way that was not only easy to remember but would stay in your memory for as long as you wanted it.

Imagine having a thinking tool that allowed you to prepare essays and assignments in a fraction of the time than you do at the moment AND have them much better. Imagine being able to give a powerful hour long presentation from a single page of colourful notes that you put together in about 10 minutes.

Well all these are possible with the Mind Map. It is an amazing tool that combines the power of association, the fact that we have a very strong visual processing mechanism and that it combines right and left brain processing.

I have seen what Mind Maps can do for students of all ages and all abilities and if I had my way it would be a compulsory tool taught to kids from a very young age.

4. Review your notes regularly to reinforce your new-found knowledge.

This is another very simple but extremely powerful tip for you. The experience of most students is that the learning that takes place in the classroom is really an information gathering exercise. When it comes to revising for their exams at the end of the year they go to their notes and often can't remember ever seeing that information before. They know they must have because the notes are in their handwriting but they can't remember anything! So the preparation for exams becomes a re-learning exercise.

This study tip is so simple and powerful yet most will not bother. If at the end of every day, every week and every month you quickly scanned what you have learnt, made a few key word notes and then reviewed those ultra-condensed notes regularly, you would be amazed at how much you could remember. This only need take 10 minutes at the end of the day, half an hour at the end of the week and maybe an hour or two at the end of the month.

Each time you review what you have learnt, even in condensed key word format, it is more deeply engrained in your memory.

5. Swiftly skim through your text books and course material before you read them in depth to give you an overview of your subject.

Now there is not enough space here to explain why this tip is important because it is a fundamental part of learning how to read faster and absorb more information. Just trust me on this one and before you start reading, skim through your book (no more than 10 minutes) to get a feel for the contents.

As you read in greater depth later on, some of what you have got from the quick scan will help put into context that information and allow you to make the necessary links in your mind and memory.

Doing this will often stop you from getting stuck at any point because you will have a flavour of what is to come later in the book and this added preview can help the understanding of earlier information.

6. Learn how to remember lists of things by linking each item to a location on a journey or route you are familiar with around your town. You could even use your own home.

At some point, once you have understood your subject, you will need to be able to memorise it. Many people think that just understanding it is enough to learn it but unfortunately that is not the case and so some memorization is necessary.

The most powerful way of doing this is to create a "filing system" in your mind. One way to do this is to create a little journey in your imagination (it can be a real place or you can make it up). See for example the chair, the bed, the TV, the door and the window in your bedroom. If you wanted to remember a sequence of items you would link an outrageous (and therefore memorable) picture to each location.

To recall the information, simply revisit the journey in your own mind and "see" the information in the silly pictures you have created.

7. Before you do any revision, warm up by doing some gentle exercise to relieve any tension in your body and to get a rush of healthy oxygen flowing to your brain.

There is a saying - "a healthy body, a healthy mind" - and nowhere is this more true than when it comes to learning. Two things happen when you physically warm up before studying. First of all you get rid of any physical tension that will create stress in the body and mind (not good for learning) and secondly you will get a rush of oxygen to the brain which will help you think more clearly (definitely good for learning).

8. Do past papers under thorough exam conditions as often as possible to familiarise yourself with the format and the pressures of working under exam conditions.

If you are training in a sport or practicing a musical instrument, you will practice the plays or rehearse the pieces for the big day. It would not make sense to spend months doing push ups and then turn up on the big day and expect to play soccer really well. It would also be unwise to only practice scales on your instrument and then when the big performance comes up expect a perfect recital.

So the same is true of exams. Fortunately these days you can get hold of past exam papers from previous years. Do these, under the same exam conditions, over and over again so that when the big day comes you will have exam experience under your belt.

Doing this will give you more confidence, much better exam techniqe and an insight into how the examiners for your subject think. Remember practice makes perfect.

9. In an exam, make sure you read the question completely and fully understand what the examiner wants before you allocate your time and begin answering the questions.

This is commonsense but you would be amazed at how many people do not do this. Take your time, plan what you are going to write and then write it.

10. If you are faced with a mental block breathe deeply, relax and ask yourself "If I did know the answer to this question, what would it be?"

This might sound silly but if you do it with a positive expectation that your very powerful subconcious will give you the answer, then you will be amazed at what comes to mind. The combination of the breathing, relaxation and expectation is the key. Of course you have had to have done the preparation beforehand because this won't work with information that you have not previously learnt or covered in class.

So there you have my top 10 tips. Each are very powerful and just doing one of them will make a big difference to your success...but if you do all 10...Wow!

Good luck and please do let me know how these work for you.

About The Author

Michael Tipper makes it very easy to be highly effective at learning and passing exams in a way that any student can easily achieve. To receive your free 7 day mini-course on being a highly effective student visit http://www.the77habits.com.

himself@michaeltipper.com

Free E-book: Exam Tips

A Free Exam Preparation E-Book for students appearing in Various Entrance Exams - Class 12, Engineering Entrance, Medical Entrance, MBA Entrance, MCA Entrance, IAS & Other Civil Services Entrance, Bank PO, NDA Entrance, CDS Entrance, SSB Interviews, Hotel Management and all other Entrance Exams.

This ebook, written by Anurag Chopra, tackles about obstacles to academic success, making good study habits, improving your memory, and improving your objective test-taking skills. It also discusses about the number 1 "don't" in every exam: cramming and why it does not work. It also gives some informative and helpful tips on how to take a multiple choice-type of exam and preparing for an exam.

The suggestions & tips have been taken from the experience of various leaders in education & student psychology from the net and is informative in nature.

Download this e-book for free.

Study Tips: 10 Tips to pass the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification exam

American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification exam is a high stress test given to graduates from Internal medicine residency programs. The Internal medicine recertification exam is given to physicians already in clinical practice, who have been ABIM board certified in the past. This article gives tips on preparing, studying and taking the Internal medicine boards. Although written specifically for ABIM Internal medicine boards, these tips are also useful for Family Practice, Pediatrics, OBGYN, Surgery and other board exams.

• When & How to study for ABIM exam: During your medical residency, schedule time to study for the ABIM Internal medicine boards. The third year (PGY 3) of your residency should be your main time of preparation. Reading alone is usually a bad strategy and often depressing. You may not be able to retain much of the ABIM material that you reviewed alone either. Try to form a study group with other PGY 3 residents who will be taking the same ABIM Internal medicine boards. This will boost every ones morale and give a common sense of purpose. Set a mutually agreeable time for the discussions. The best time to study in a group is over the weekend when none of you have residency obligations. Spending three or four hours every weekend (once a week) is enough to stay focused. Understand what you are studying and the reasons for it. Keep asking yourself the question “why?” and “why not?”
• Study groups: It is crucial that you keep your study group small and stay focused on your ABIM Internal medicine board exam goals. An ideal number would be three or four residents. More than four residents would be counter-productive. Try to have a schedule and read ahead of the planned discussion. By preparing ahead, you will save time, cover more topics and retain more from the discussion. The study group will work best if all participants follow the same board review material. However, different ABIM board review material could also work to your advantage. A good plan is to discuss your ABIM Internal medicine board review study material (Medstudy / Mayo clinic review etc) for the first two hours and then solve multiple choice questions (MKSAP) for the next two hours. Solving multiple-choice questions in groups and discussing each option in detail is vital in developing your thought process and sharpening your clinical decision making skills. You will realize the usefulness of the study group and thank your colleagues when you sit for the actual ABIM Internal medicine boards.
• What to study for ABIM exam: Decide on the ABIM Internal medicine board review material you wish to study from. We have reviewed some commonly used material in this website. The important thing is to choose what works best for you. Choose one ABIM board review textbook and stick to it. It is far more advantageous to revise the same material several times than reading several different materials and getting confused. You must concentrate on solving MKSAP or Medstudy questions at least 50 % of your preparation time.
• Create and devote time to prepare for your ABIM boards. Remember, medical residency is the best time to prepare for the boards. Once your residency is completed, you are thrown out into the real world. If you are starting a fellowship, you will not find much time to study. If you are starting a job as a new physician, your first month will be busy learning the intricate details of medical practice and the paperwork that comes with it. You will most likely, end up designating ten days for study just prior to the exams and as we all know that never works out. So once again, residency is the best time to study. You will not find that kind of quality time after your residency.
• Prepare a schedule to study for ABIM Internal medicine board exams and hang it in a prominent place. You will make several changes to this over time. Plan to revise the ABIM Internal medicine board review material that you have chosen several times (minimum twice). Stay focused throughout the third year of your residency. By middle of the third year, your ABIM Internal medicine board review preparation must be at its peak. If you have not yet formed a study group, now is your last chance.
• Solve questions similar to ABIM exam content: Don’t try to read the ABIM Internal medicine board review material from “cover to cover”. You will not retain much. The best way to prepare is to solve questions, then read the explanation and then look up additional information related to each of the choices (options). This really improves your understanding of the question, familiarizes you with the “teaching principle” and the “testing objective” of that question (which may be repeated in the actual ABIM Internal medicine board exam), and gives you an opportunity to learn about all the other choices and how they differ from the correct answer. Ideally you should be solving MKSAP questions in your second year of residency (PGY 2). If this is not the case, you must definitely begin doing the MKSAP questions by the start of your third year of residency (PGY 3).
• Pictures & Images: Pictures of skin disorders, X-rays and other images given in board questions are generally easy ones to score points. Looking at the image first, before reading the question, usually helps spot the abnormality. Reading the ABIM question’s stem after that will help you put the pieces of the puzzle in place.
• ABIM answering strategies: When reading long multiple choice questions, it may be useful to first read the actual “lead line” of the ABIM Internal medicine board exam question. Once you understand what the question is asking, you can stay focused and look for clues in the long stem of the ABIM exam question. This strategy will also save you time. Several residents have found this strategy useful. As you read through the question, you may also find it useful to underline the key facts and abnormal findings. Once you have gone through the choices, it will be easy to look at the underlined abnormalities and try to “connect the dots”.
• Zebras: Use exam “techniques” to your advantage. Look for target words in ABIM Internal medicine board exam questions. These are referred to as “zebras”. For example in an ABIM exam question, if you see the word “anosmia”, think Kallmann’s syndrome. If you see the phrase “scar on left abdomen”, think splenectomy and look for encapsulated organisms causing sepsis. If the patient is from the Ohio or Mississippi river valleys, think histoplasmosis (CXR calcifications).
• ABIM exam day: Do not study the day before the ABIM Internal medicine boards or in-between the ABIM exam sessions. Discussing the ABIM exam questions with other residents may upset you and adversely affect your performance in the next session. Remember, “What is done, is done”. So don’t cry over spilt milk. Rather, stay focused and conserve your energy for the next ABIM board exam session.
  

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School Tips: Study tips for students

1. Get your study materials then start studying. If you can concentrate, then it’s good. But if you think you can’t absorb what you are studying, stop for a while maybe try some relaxing activities like listening to music and watching TV. But you have to set your mind to go on with your studying later. This way, you have set a goal.

2. As many have advised, you can use highlighters. I prefer using dermatographs because it does not stain my book. Choose a light colored one because light colors bring good energy.

3. My books serve as my notes. I summarize what I have just read at the side columns or empty spaces of my books using a pencil. Then after I am done with the page, I review them. I have observed that it helps me recall everything faster. You can also use sticky notes (Post-it) to summarize what you’ve read and paste it on the page.

4. Try using arrows and diagrams when studying. These materials aid for better recall. It is better if you write a diagram of your own based on your understanding than just merely rely on what diagram written on the book. This does not mean that you have to alter everything. Maybe you can provide more details because some books offers only a summary.

5. Put everything you need in your study table. These include all the books you might need, materials you’ll use and of course, don’t forget the snacks. biggrin.gif

6. Try wearing your uniform while studying. Believe me, this stimulates learning because psychologically you feel like you’re still in the classroom to learn. This was also attested by one of our best doctors here in our city. And he keeps on advising us this technique.

7. Sleep early and wake up at dawn. You will have a very refreshed mind and it had enough rest. Re-fueled kumbaga.

8. Try making a schedule. Yeah, in many cases this turns out useless as you can always break the schedule but at least when you go back to your study table, you know where to start. Your mind will be organized then.

School Tips: How to deal with exam stress?

Many of us experience the so-called “exam anxiety or stress”. This is one of the problems, especially among students. I think it is just a natural occurrence because it’s man’s nature to fear failures. Sometimes, anxiety can also be our drive for excellence. We get anxious, and anxiety pressures us to do better. But as the saying goes, “too much is bad.” If you worry too much, you get mentally blocked. Mental block is not just an effect of caffeine overdose, or a sleepless night, but also anxiety over the exam per se can cause it.

What makes us worry about an exam? It might be that we are less prepared, we have experienced past failures, we negatively think that we might fail, or we are just plain worrywart. I have to admit that I felt all of these before, during, and after the exam.

Exams are physically and mentally demanding, so when we get anxious we are stressing out ourselves more. So how can we avoid exam stress? Here are some practical ways to help us minimize exam anxiety.

1. Have your own study habits and make sure that they will work for you. No two people have the same study habit, one’s ways may not work on the other. The importance of having your own study habits is it makes everything organized, and when organization can make you relax and concentrate more. You will less likely miss out the important things you should learn.

2. Avoid cramming. Cramming means pressure, and pressure means anxiety. When you cram, you tend to forget other important things to learn. Again, thinking that you can’t do everything with just couple of hours or days, you will be anxious. The ideal way not to cram is allotting at least 2 hours per day for studying, depending on the demands of your course.

3. Set your learning objectives or list the topics you have to read. This way, you will have better focus and know which are the must-knows. It will also help you not to stray away from the necessary things to learn.

4. Take some time to relax, have a good sleep, eat well, etc. especially the day before the exam. You can relax well if you have finished reading all the necessary readings. Relaxation is also a preparation. Remember that you are fighting with exam stress and you need to relax.

5. Prepare your the needed things for the exam the day before so by tomorrow you won’t need to look for it. I think you will agree with me that time ironically plays with us most of the time. The more you look for something, the more you have difficulty finding it.

6. During the exam, take some time to read the instructions and be sure you have understood them thoroughly before you start answering.

7. Repeat the questions to fully understand it but be sure not to stay too long on one question because you might run out of time. Skip the questions you hardly understand well and move on to the other items you know. You can go back to the unanswered questions later.

8. If you have enough time, review your answers. Some questions tend to be “tricky” and usually it takes a review to realize that they are actually designed that way. Through reviewing, you can also see if you have missed some items.

9. If you feel panicky during the exam, take some deep breaths and do a little stretching to relax your muscles. It might also help to have something in your mouth, like a chewing gum or a candy.

10. After the exam, take some time to relax - hang out with friends or classmates, treat yourself, watch a movie, go online and visit some interesting blogs or anything you can do to divert your attention away from the exam. Avoid opening your books to clarify your answers, especially if you are not so sure about it. If you are with your classmates, you can make a “no-talking-about-the-exam policies”.

Summing it up, better preparation and confidence are the key to avoid exam stress.