Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

How to Become a Talent Agent

April 15th, 2013 |

Talent Agent Jobs – Talent Agent Salary

If you think being a talent agent is like being a character on Entourage – all glamour and living the high life — you’re sorely mistaken. Being a talent agent is a demanding occupation, requiring knowledge and experience in a variety of fields. A good talent agent is an expert in marketing, knows how to promote just about anything, and (by the way) probably has a fancy degree in a public relations field. If you’re thinking of pursuing a career as a talent agent to get out of getting a college education, you’re wrong. These days, a college degree is like a high school diploma.

What Does a Talent Agent Do?

The main thing a talent agent is good at is simply recognizing talent and figuring out how to promote it. A talent agent is a marketing wiz, yes, but they are also up to date on current events and know the business side of Hollywood better than 99% of the general public.

Talent agents “work” for people with many different talents. The most common occupation that a talent agent works with is acting — but pretty much anyone who could be labelled “talent” falls under that umbrella. Models, writers, even artists need talent agents to get their work “out there” and to keep them competitive in the workplace.

Talent agents tend to be specialists, working with a specific field of talent. Some talent agents will work only with child actors — a large population in any of the big media and film markets like New York or Los Angeles. Other talent agent specializations include television actors, commercial talent, or exclusively high profile celebrities.

The work of a talent agent would be impossible to pin down. Large talent agencies often employ multiple talent agents to work with their pool of clients. Many talent agents also offer “training programs” or “acting schools” for people who say they’re interested in a career as an actor or other creative type. This way, talent agents get exposed to all sorts of new talent that they otherwise may miss out on. This means a good talent agent also knows how to educate a person in a given field, or at least knows plenty of people who can do that training for them.

What Is the Best Way to Break into a Talent Agent Career?

The best wayto break into a talent agent career can be summed up in one word: internships. Just as large talent agencies offer training in acting and other creative fields, they offer courses in being a talent agent that take the form of office based internships. Mostly, wannabe talent agents do grunt work for already established talent agents, such as running errands, fetching food for clients and bosses, and filling out tons of paper work. You won’t get much (or any) face time with actual talent, but your willingness to work an internship with a talent agency will go far when it comes time to open your own talent agency services.

What Does a Day in the Life of a Talent Agent Look Like?

Talent agents perform any number of duties. Some of the more important daily tasks of a talent agent are like the following.

Arranging for classes or other workshops to allow already signed talent to hone their skills and crafts. Talent agents often hook their talent up with voice lessons, acting classes, or any other specialized training that talent may need to increase their popularity or appeal. Talent agents may also run these courses for wannabe actors and artists, to build up “new blood” for future talent work.

Meeting with future and current clients to find out what different types of talent they may need for upcoming projects. The talent agent’s job here is to connect their own talent roster with their clients’ future needs, and deciding if they need to seek out new talent to round out the agency.

Scheduling or booking auditions and other work appointments for their talent base. This is where the work of a talent agent gets difficult — you need to know your talent’s available working hours, be able to motivate them to take part in any new work you get them, and making sure your talent doesn’t have any special requirements for working hours, such as the limits placed on work performed by child talent.

Marketing your own talent agency. This means promoting your services, or the services of your talent agency, to clients or hopeful clients in order to get more work for your current clients or grow your client base. Talent agencies are as competitive as the clients they service, so Hollywood talent agencies have a lot of competition in this area.

Acting as a businessman, and collecting fess that are due when auditions are booked or your clients get a job. You’ll need to have business experience and know how to bill your talent and your clients on a 30 day billing cycle.

Networking with talent and clients as well as other talent agencies to promote your services and your own talent pool. This helps you land auditions and jobs for your clients, which is how you earn money.

Talent Agency Salaries – How Much Money Does a Talent Agent Make?

It is easy to come up with average starting salaries for talent agents — the details on payment and fees is not exactly hidden. Talent agents with a small client base or few actors at their agency will naturally earn less than larger agencies with lots of talent at their disposal. Beginning salaries for talent agents at larger agencies start at about $30,000 and go up as high as $80,000 for the largest talent agencies in the world. That starting salary tends to come with full benefits and a profit sharing program based on how much work you get for your clients and talent pool.

To start as a talent agent in a non-union or non-industry town, it is important to locate the agencies in that town or one that is not too far from your town. Meeting with the owner and see if there is any way you can help his or her agency.

The life of a talent agent can be glamorous, but to get to that point you’re probably going to have to pour a lot of coffee. The only way to get anywhere in such a competitive business is to work for years and build a reputation for yourself. One day you may be sipping champagne with A-list actors on a Lear jet, but for now you may have to settle for shredding paper at an internship. Your patience, and your education and experience, will pay off.

See also:

How Do I Become a Talent Agent? at Wisegeek
How to Become a Private Investigator
How to Become a Boxer
How to Become a Chiropractor
How to Become an Event Planner
How to Become a Chef
How to Become a Singer
How to Become a Personal Trainer
How to Become an Accountant
How to Become a Paramedic
How to Become a Firefighter

What is a Bachelor’s Degree?

April 10th, 2013 |

Once upon a time earning a high school diploma meant you had plenty of job options. If you wanted to be a professional or work in certain fields you attended college but most people could get by (and make a good living) with just four years of high school. Heck, some people worked their way up the career ladder with just a high school equivalency degree, GED, or night school courses after dropping out of high school.

This is just not true anymore. These days the difference between earning a high school diploma and earning a bachelor’s degree is about $20,000 a year for the rest of your life. That means a four-year bachelor’s degree is now as valuable as a high school diploma once was. Average salaries for people who earned a high school diploma only is barely above the poverty line — in fact, it is only $9,000 a year over the line that our government draws to distinguish a person as “poor”.

Bachelor’s Degree Basics

A bachelor’s degree is a four-year degree granted by an institution of higher learning. It is also called a “four year degree” because it usually takes four academic years of “full-time study” (more on the difference between full and part time later) to earn a bachelor’s degree. All bachelor’s degrees are composed of 120 semester credits or “hours” of study. This averages out to about 40 college courses, more or less depending on the specific area of study you choose.

What’s a Semester Credit?

bachelors-degree When people talk about college courses, they describe how many “hours” or “credits” they’re currently taking. Generally speaking, a credit refers to one hour of lecture or lab work per week of study. Most bachelor’s degree courses are worth three credits because they meet for three hours during a week of study. Let’s say you’re enrolled in an English course earning your bachelor’s degree — that course (worth three credits) will meet either three times a week for one hour or twice a week for an hour and a half, totalling three “hours” or semester credits. To earn those credits you have to meet certain academic requirements like attendance, grade, etc.

Upon completion of a certain number of credits, the institution you’re attending will declare that you’ve fulfilled the requirements of study and reward you with a bachelor’s degree.

Alternatives to Semester Credit Systems

Some colleges use different systems for credits, the most common being a quarterly system rather than a semester system. When an academic year is split into quarters instead of halves you’ll usually see a requirement of 180 quarter credits earned for a bachelor’s degree. Most institutions that use academic quarters are private universities or highly academic campuses that want their students to be exposed to a wider variety of study.

What Makes Up a Bachelor’s Degree?

For the most part, about half of the credits toward a bachelor’s degree are in areas of general education. This means foreign language study, physical education like diet classes or exercise studies, liberal arts courses like theater or creative writing, critical thinking courses, psychology, history, mathematics, or any area of study that a student’s main degree is not focused on. The idea is to give you a balanced education — in fact, a bachelor’s degree is really an opportunity to show the world that you’ve “learned how to learn”.

All colleges have specific course requirements. For instance, most colleges these days require all students to take at least one class in public speaking, the idea being that most jobs will require some kind of public interaction and students should be trained in how to do that effectively.

People are often surprised to find that only about 30 to 36 credits — maybe a dozen courses — will be in a student’s “major area of study”. My major was English with an emphasis in creative writing and I had to work my butt of to take just one extra writing workshop at the graduate level just to get more exposure to my craft. A bachelor’s degree in a given subject does not mean you will be immersed in that subject, unless of course you’re taking courses at a conservatory for the arts, which exist to do just that.

Why Get a Bachelor’s Degree

We’ve already discussed the financial incentive for getting a four year degree, but there are other reasons.

For the most part if you want to go to medical school, law school, or get your teaching certificate, you must hold a bachelor’s degree, though the specific subject of your bachelor’s degree may not have to be in the medical, legal, or teaching field.

If you know that a bachelor’s degree is required for your chosen career, you’d be foolish to put off earning this degree.

Another reason many people earn a four year degree is that they hold an associate degree (usually about 60 hours of study) and feel they may as well amp up their education and potential earnings.

Some Specific Four Year Degrees

Some careers do in fact require a person to earn a very specific kind of bachelor’s degree. One example is teaching — if you know a subject that you want to teach in public school, your state Board of Education will require a bachelor’s degree in education or a bachelor’s degree in the field you want to teach as well as a “teaching course”. These degrees for teachers are very specific, including precise course schedules and areas of study, such as Pedagogy and Diversity. Before you decide to become a professional of any variety, you should check with your state’s licensing board for that occupation before you enroll in any bachelor’s degree program in education, nursing, accounting, counseling, engineering, or medical schools in particular. These programs tend to have very precise requirements.

Earning a bachelor’s degree can mean the difference between scraping by and really succeeding in life. But going to college isn’t all about education. A four year degree offers a variety of life experiences you just can’t get anywhere else. Camaraderie with your peers, cheering for your school’s sporting events, trying to drink two year’s worth of British Lit out of your head in one night . . . these are all upsides of the four year degree experience that just can’t be quantified.

What Is an Average ASVAB Score?

March 4th, 2013 |

What is an average ASVAB score?

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, commonly known as the ASVAB, is a multiple choice test designed by the military and government to evaluate a person’s skills. The ASVAB score helps the military determine a person’s MOS, or Military Occupational Specialty. The job opportunities open to you in the military will be determined almost exclusively by your ASVAB score.

What’s On the ASVAB?

The ASVAB features multiple choice questions on a range of topics:

General Science
Arithmetic Reasoning
Word Knowledge
Paragraph Comprehension
Numerical Operations
Auto and Shop Information
Mathematics Knowledge
Mechanical Comprehension and
Electronics

What Is an Average ASVAB Score?

The ASVAB has a total of 200 questions to be taken across a period of 134 minutes.

How Is the ASVAB Scored?

Not only are test-takers scored on each individual test section, but certain “cumulative scores” are also taken to indicate a person’s overall proficiency in certain subjects. These composites are called Verbal, Math, and Academic composite and are made up of point totals from sub-sections of the test.

The military looks at your scores and figures out which composite was your strong suit and assigns your MOS based on that.

Average ASVAB Score

Depending on what branch of the military you’re interested in, a good ASVAB score will fluctuate.

Nationwide and across all branches, the “average” ASVAB score is between 42 and 50. A “blowout” score on the ASVAB is anything 92 and above. A score that high or higher will guarantee you have access to the best MOS available, including nuclear work for the Navy or work as a Ranger in the army. The top score is a 99 (as it is rated on a percentile basis) and the bottom score is a 1.

Before you go worrying about averages and shooting the moon on your ASVAB, remember that the military is not required to place you in a specific program based on a high school. When a branch of the military has a great need in a certain area, they will fill that area regardless of the person’s MOS capabilities.

One of the best ways to prepare to take the ASVAB is by reading and using the Kaplan ASVAB guide, which is available at Amazon. (And if you buy it via our link, we make a few bucks.)

This article is part of a series about average test scores:

What is Adult Education?

March 3rd, 2013 |

If you missed the boat for high school or college in your teens and twenties, you are likely to realize the downside of your choice in your thirties. Those who fail to secure college degrees make less money and often have less satisfying jobs. This is when adult education becomes important. The term adult education can mean getting a GED, becoming a college student at a non-traditional age or taking classes for personal enrichment. Adult education is different from continuing education, a term applied to those who already have degrees and are seeking to further their career development through further education. Options for those without college degrees are few. You can handle your situation in one of three ways: work your way up, change careers or get a degree.

Movin’ on Up

adult-education Working your way up can be a good option for those on tight budgets. Education usually costs money and if you failed to secure a diploma or degree, you are not likely to have much of that floating around. If you do not have a high school diploma, you should secure your GED as soon as possible. Once you have your GED, you’ll be in a better position to consider the alternatives available to you.

If you already have your GED, look for free training from your employer in as many relevant fields as possible. Most employers offer some sort of free training, whether it be in team work, communication skills or computer courses.

In-house training offered by your employer is not only free; it puts you in a better light, showing your dedication and making you more likely to advance within the company. If you can get on board with a company-sponsored certification program, you will be in an excellent position for promotion when a job opens up. Providing training to employees costs the company money. This means that by taking advantages of these courses, you are allowing the company to invest in you. Companies like to hold onto their investments and see them grow, so you will become a more valued employee in the eyes of the employer, or you may be able to secure a job at a higher-paying employer more easily.

Higher Job Satisfaction

When you take advantage of work-sponsored training programs, not only do you help to advance your career, but you are also likely to realize greater job satisfaction. The everyday tasks in your job often become boring and routine. Training programs help you take on more complex challenges, test your skills and give you an opportunity to be rewarded for your efforts.

Switching Gears

If you are truly in a dead-end job and see no opportunities for advancement, it is time to look at other career options with better opportunities for advancement. You may be able to move on with your current education, or you may need adult education to be trained for another career. If you do not have the resources to pay for schooling, there are financial aid programs available, even for adults. You will need to do some soul searching to determine the right career for you and make a firm decision on achieving your goals. The steps you take towards furthering your career will depend on the career you choose.

If you have a GED or high school diploma and are not ready to retrain, there will be certain careers that you should choose from. These include administrative careers, like a secretary, travel agent or insurance broker. Each of these careers can put you on the path to a life time of job satisfaction, as long as you take advantage of workplace training and maintain a strong work ethic. When switching from an unrelated field, a good resume is crucial. You will need to present your skills more prominently, rather than focusing on your work history.

Adult Education for a New Career

If you are ready to devote your time and energy to training for a new career, there are many more options to choose from. You can be anything you want to be. This is a good option for those who already know what they want to achieve in a career. You can go for a college or vocational degree and take courses online if you prefer. You could also go to a local community college to start. If your grades are good enough, you may even be able to obtain your four-year degree from a major university.

Adult education is a relatively new concept. Empire State College was the first to offer courses aimed exclusively at adult learners in 1969. Since then, the field has expanded enormously, partly in response to expanding technology and career fields. With the evolution of the Internet, adult education has expanded even further, making online educations a popular choice for many people. Getting a degree online offers convenience and flexibility for time-strapped individuals already managing a full time job and family.

Most of the jobs in the fastest growing fields will require a college or vocational degree. The hottest growing career change right now is occurring in so called “Green Collar Jobs”, which often require certification through vocational training, a two-year college degree or master’s degree.

Vocational Training

Certainly, the fastest way to get a new career on track is to secure a vocational degree. Choosing the right degree program is essential. Certain fields are overcrowded with candidates and your time will be wasted if you secure certification in an overly-competitive market. You must also be certain to choose a program from an accredited educator. Programs that can jumpstart your new career include Certified Professional Secretary and Certified Administrative Professional programs. These certifications put you in line with seasoned professionals in the field, making it easier to find a job.

Furthering your Current Career

If you are in a career that offers advancement opportunities, but you simply do not have the education you need to get ahead, then you can choose from adult and continuing education programs at local or online colleges and universities. It may be that you have an associated degree and need to secure a bachelor’s degree. Maybe you need certification in a particular field to get ahead. In many industries, you can move onto management and supervisory careers with a bachelor’s degree.

Things to Consider before Taking Classes

Before you choose the right approach for your career change or advancement, take some time to consider your schedule and the best way to fit education into your daily routine. You may need to switch to part time work while you get your degree or vocational certificate. Be sure your spouse is supportive of your efforts because teamwork will make it much easier for you to balance to priorities of work, family and schooling. Your success will depend greatly on your commitment to the program and the support you receive from friends and family during your transition.

What Is an Average SAT Score?

February 27th, 2013 |

What is an average SAT score?

It is difficult to give a true “average” score on the SAT because of the wide range of tests supplied and the variety of student’s taking SAT tests. Not all students who take the SAT are “college bound seniors” — many students take the SAT test as early as their Sophomore year, to get an idea of what the test is like, and to prepare them for future testing. Also, there isn’t just one “SAT test”. The inclusion of “SAT subject tests” would skew the “average” quite a bit. To get an idea of what an “average SAT score is” you’d have to consider what age you are, and what SAT tests you’re taking.

Having said that, the organization that runs SAT testing, The College Board, has recently released “averages” for “college bound seniors” on the general SAT test as well as the SAT “subject tests”. For 2008, college bound seniors averaged the following scores on the generic test:

Critical reading: 502
Mathematics: 515
Writing: 494
It is important to remember that SAT scores are just one of the many criteria used by colleges to make admissions decisions. Often, a student with a “poor” SAT score may be accepted into a program based on other academic performance, extra curricular emphasis, a solid portfolio (for creative programs like writing, theatre, dance, art, etc), and even reccomendations from teachers. Nevertheless, the importance of the SAT shouldn’t be completely underestimated.

As much as admissions officers say they take an “open minded” and “holistic” approach to their decisions, a good SAT score can in fact make or break an application. Let’s face it, it is easier to compare numerical data than it is to decide whether a student’s Eagle scout project should be ranked higher than a student who won the state science fair.

Don’t forget that schools usually make their SAT data public, and these schools know that their reputations depend upon high numbers. A college won’t be considered “highly selective” or “elite” if its students have an average SAT math score of 470.

So what is a good SAT score? The exam consists of three parts: Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. The scores from each section can range from 200 to 800, so the best possible total score is 2400. The average score for each section is roughly 500, so the average total score is about 1500.

Understand what “average” means — a score of around 1500 would lump you in with the majority of students applying to school, and wouldn’t give a school much reason to pick you out of the crowd for admission. Therefore, students should definitely aim for a score that is much higher than this number. An SAT score of 2100 is an example of a number that would almost guarantee acceptance into the college of your choice — this score puts the student in the 90th percentile, which means that the test taker did better than 90% of the other people that took the test.

Students that have an SAT score below the average of 1500 should definitely retake the test — this score puts you at a serious competitive disadvantage. Having said all that, it is important that a student doesn’t get too caught up in getting that high number SAT score. As we said before, the SAT score is not the only thing that admission officials look at. If you spend your entire junior and senior years doing test prep, and forget to take part in extra curricular activities or outside projects to put on your college application, you’re missing the point of a college application. In fact, more and more colleges are saying that standardized tests play a “very small role” in their admission decision. This trend implies that colleges are looking for students who have more than “book smarts”.

So what is an average SAT score? Technically, the “average” would be 1511 — however, earning this “average” score doesn’t put you at any distinct advantage. Combine an average SAT score with a stellar college application, one that is full of solid reccomendations, extra projects, extra curricular participation, and solid essays, and THEN you’ll be more likely to get into the college of your choice.

See also:

How to Ace the SAT
What is an Average ACT Score?
What is Online Education?
How to Understand Elizabethan English
The Great American Novel
How to Make Studying Less Boring

And if you’re interested in more articles about average test scores:

How to Measure Employee Performance

February 20th, 2013 |

5 Ways to Measure Employee Performance

All managers want to be able to track the progress of their staff to ensure they are reaching their objectives, just as all employees want performance feedback that is deemed credible.
Performance appraisals are often conducted by managers to measure employee performance; but there are other tools that can also be used to steer away from unintended subjectivity.

Here are 5 effective ways to measure employee performance

Employee Appraisals

First, let’s take at a look at employee appraisals, as this tool is almost always used by managers to measure employee performance. This type of tool is usually conducted by an employee’s direct manager. The most effective appraisal tools include both a subjective and an objective element. How to Measure Employee Performance The subjective component will most likely conclude how an employee performs against standards. All measurements should include some type of qualitative component. Many times to include a qualitative component a manger will be asked to rate an employee on their ability to exhibit flexibility, work in teams, as well as their ability to think analytically.

Self Appraisals

Another important performance tool is self-appraisal ratings. This allows an employee to actually rate his or her performance. Using such a tool usually leads to an employee accepting the performance appraisal processes, especially when their scores and managers’ scores are similar. In most cases, if the scores are not similar, a tool can be used to provide a vehicle. This vehicle is used to facilitate discussions that relate to manager expectations and then also the employee’s self-perception.

360-Degree Feedback

360-Degree feedback tools are used by many managers to measure employee performance. The feedback received through this tool comes from customers, peers, managers, and direct reports. Most times a self-appraisal tool is incorporated into a 360-degree feedback tool. This type of tool works best when the atmosphere found within a corporation is one that promotes open, sincere and truthful communication, as well as employee growth. This type of tool should be implemented as a positive criticism tool, not one that punishes employees.

Management By Objective

A management by objective tool is used to set employee goals (or objectives). This type of tool can help set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and even annual objectives. Once an objective time period has ended measurements are then conducted and reviewed to see who met their goals. This type of tool should also be used in a manner that does not punish employees, but identifies which employees need extra training or guidance to boost company sales.

Balanced scorecards

Balanced scorecards are often used at the highest business unit level; however, they are effective tools for a manager to implement as well. They help align and facilitate organization goals by measuring quantifiable data, such as accounts receivable turnover rates.

All organizations should experiment with different employee performance tools. Many times a company will find that one tool works much better than another or that combining several tools actually yields optimal results. The important thing is to use them according to the needs and wants of the company and its employees.

This was a guest post from Todd Shipley. Thanks, Todd!

See also:

How to Motivate Employees
How to Write a Business E-Mail
How to Become an Insurance Agent
What Is Direct Mail?
How to Become Good at Networking – for Dummies
What Is a Career Fair?
How to Unblock Websites at Work

Was the First Amendment Proposed Ratified?

February 11th, 2013 |

Is it true that the very first amendment proposed in the original Bill of Rights has never been ratified? I read about this on this article: http://enlargethehouse.blogtownhall.com/default.aspx

There are links on that page to supporting information, but this isn’t taught in the schools and the teachers don’t seem to know anything about it. The article also says the reason the amendment was never ratified is that it contains a defect!

Yes, “Amendment the First” existed and was never ratified. To ratify an amendment to the Constitution, you needed 3/4ths of the states to agree to the amendment. In those days, there were 14 states, so you needed 11 states to ratify for the amendment to become part of the Constitution. 10 states ratified. 1 state (Delaware) voted down “Amendment the First”. Three other states (Georgie, Connecticut, Massachusetts) chose not to vote on the proposed amendment, so “Amendment the First” did not have the votes to become a law.

Years later, Kansas would become the 11th state to ratify “Amendment the First”, but Kansas did not become a state until the 1850′s. By that time, the 3/4ths mandate had risen significantly due to the inclusion of so many new states, so having an 11th state ratify the proposed amendment did not meet the Constitutional requirements to make Amendment the First a law. The proposed amendment could still be ratified today, if enough states chose to do so. But with 50 states in the Union, the threshold to ratify “Amendment the First” now stands at 38 states. Therefore, 27 other states would need to ratify Amendment the First to make it a law.

This has happened before. The other of the original twelve proposed amendments that was not ratified at the time involved restricting the right of Congress to compensate themselves. This provision was eventually ratified in 1992 and became the 27th Amendment. So it’s possible that Amendment the First could be ratified sometime, but it’s unlikely given the large number of states that would need to take up the issue. This brings us to the question of why the proposed amendment has never been ratified in the past.

So why Was “Amendment the First” Not Ratified in 1789?

first-amendment-ratified The original Constitutional process was a matter of intense debate and partisanship. Independence had been won only a few years before and the new American states were weakened by a weak currency and fractiousness between the states. Some leaders wanted a federal alliance and a central government to keep North America secure from the powerful European nations, while other leaders wanted no part of a federal government. To compromise, the states agreed to create a federal government, but limit its powers within a binding contract between the states, which became known as the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was a large part of that compromise.

When the Constitution was being debated, there were two major factions in the constitutional process: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists supported a Constitution that would give the federal government certain powers. The Anti-Federalists wanted no Constitution, fearing it would disenfranchise the citizens of the country and give too much power to the President. The compromise the two sides came to was to create amendments to the Constitution that would specifically spell out the rights that the citizens of this country would have. Twelve amendments were proposed. Ten were ratified. These ten amendments became what we know as the “Bill of Rights”.

“Amendment the First” was the first proposed amendment, because the citizens of certain states (especially powerful New York) were opposed to congressional districts with more than 30,000 people. These people felt that local representation was important, so they wanted an amendment that assured their congressional districts would not be too large for them to remain in contact with their local representative. You also have to remember that communications were not nearly as efficient as they are now, so the 30,000 threshold took into account that their representative would be far away in a national capital (away from direct communication) much of the time and would be unlikely to travel to outlying communities when back in the home state, given it was more difficult to travel throughout a district in those days.

Still, Amendment the First did not receive the support to become a law. Instead, the constitutional representatives agreed that the issue would be negotiated in the 1st Congress. These men came up with a particular equation that would determine how congressional representation would be determined for well over the next century.

Apportionment and the First Proposed Amendment

The Apportionment Amendment (another way to say Amendment the First) called for no more than 30,000 voters per Congressional district, with the provision there would have to be at least 100 seats in the House of Representatives. If the population grew, that number would rise to 40,000 voters per district, but there would need to be at least 200 seats in the House of Representatives. Finally, there size of congressional districts could grow up to 50,000 voters per district if the population grew such that there were more than 200 seats in the House of Representatives. No other provisions were listed in Amendment the First. Since the amendment was not ratified, it became more a matter of tradition than law that congressional districts would be apportioned in this way. Today, each congressional district represents about 700,000 U.S. citizens.

The article you read took the most extreme interpretation of the appointment amendment. If you limited the number to 50,000, there would be over 6,000 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. But in the resulting language adopted in the documents on the Apportionment Amendment by James Madison and later the 1st Congress, they set a fill-in-the-blank algorithm by which the number of representatives would be determined as the population of the country naturally grew. That is, as the population grew by every 60,000 people, new seats would be added to the House of Representatives, with the understanding that the number represented would increase, as well. If you take the words of the Framers of the Constitution (who were following James Madison’s first proposal) as an algorithm, the number of members in the House of Representatives would be around 1,600 members. The 1st Senate would later propose their own language about apportionment, and their algorithm would provide for around 800 members of Congress.

Or you can assume a static number, which would increase the number of seats in the House to around 6,000 in the original proposed amendment or 5,000 in the law proposed by the first Senate. What you need to keep in mind, though, is that none of these proposals ever won enough support to become a law. There is nothing arcane or conspiratorial in this fact. When a proposed change doesn’t have enough support, it doesn’t become law.

Apportionment in the 20th Century

When the Republican-controlled House of Representatives chose to set the number of seats in the House of Representatives at 435 in 1910, there appears to have been an understanding that the rapid growth of the U.S. population threatened to create an unwieldy legislature. When the Republican-controlled Congress disregarded its constitutional duty to increase the seats of Congress in 1920, this appears to have been recognition of the same. Given that the constant increase in the number of representatives would tend to limit or “water down” the power of the representatives already in existence, there might well have been self-serving interests in their actions. There’s no doubt that Americans’ votes are not as represented in the House as they were when there were only 30,000 citizens per district.

In an age with better communications and speedier transit, I think it’s interesting to discuss whether having a larger House of Representatives would be a good thing or not. I can see arguments for both sides. The website you linked to in your question seems like a partisan Republican website, and it seems to be suggesting that something nefarious is going on to keep the citizens of this country from being properly represented. If so, it needs pointing out that both Democrat and Republican congresses have chosen not to increase the size of the House of Representatives, so this shouldn’t be seen through the spectrum of partisan politics. If anything, this is the politician class of both parties agreeing to keep power limited to a small number in both parties.

Here are a few of the obvious arguments.

Arguments For Having More Seats in the House of Representatives

Better Representation – The fewer citizens represented by a congressman, the more responsive that congressman is likely to be to an individual constituent.
Less Power For the Congressman – More seats in the House means each representative would be less powerful. This is like the argument made by the linked article: no oligarchs.
Harder To Buy Off – Lobbyists would need to spread their campaign donations around to potentially 6,000 representatives, instead of 435. This might limit the power they have to influence large chunks of the representative class.
More Citizens in the Process – With more seats, the ability for an average person to run for Congress would seem to be greater. This might introduce more talent into the process and perhaps these talented unknowns might rise through the party structure, when otherwise they might never come to politics.

Arguments Against Having More Seats in the House of Representatives

Less Powerful Congressman – While your congressman is likely to be more responsive to your issues, that congressman would see his or her power watered down. Therefore, your representative would have less power in representing you.
More Expensive Campaigns – With several thousand more political campaigns every two years, the money to fund those campaigns would sky-rocket. This might create politicians more beholden than ever to the fewer campaign donors they would have.
Chaotic Political Scene – With up to 6,000 representatives, the House could become unwieldy and chaotic. Individual members wanting to stand out from the army of politicians would have to grandstand more in public, getting their face before the cameras.
Bigger Government – There would simply be more politicians in Washington D.C. Each of these men and women would need to justify their continued role in the capital, so each would be championing their program. This would naturally lead to more proposed laws and a more active federal government.

There are a lot of other pros and cons to passing the Apportionment Amendment and increasing the size of the House of Representatives. This is largely academic, but it’s good for the voters to think about the nature of their representation. Thanks for the question and I hope you continue to read AskDeb.

Education Questions & Answers

January 8th, 2013 |

Welcome to Ask Deb’s Education Questions & Answers channel. Our goal is to provide you with top of the line education advice that will enable you to grow and expand your learning in any field of study. A socioeconomics teacher by the name of William Allin once said “Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions”. We have a similar goal, to provide you the means to answer all your education questions.

Send any and all questions to questions [at] askdeb.com. If you have a question you’d like answered please send us an email and we’ll try to publish an answer promptly.

Education Tips

The following list of articles is a compilation of education tips meant to answer questions submitted by our readers. At Ask Deb we believe that knowledge truly is power and by answering all your questions we hope to share this knowledge with all our readers.

education-questions-answers

What is a Bachelor’s Degree?

What City Represented The Most Unique Blending Of Arts And Customs In The 1800’s?

It is hard to decide on which one city in the entire world has the most unique blend of arts and culture during the 1800’s. The entire 1800’s is a century of rapid global growth and advancement.

Who Is The God Of Time?

How Does Act 1, Scene 5 of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Prepare The Audience For Later Events In the Play?

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous of the Shakespearean plays and probably the most famous of all tragedies ever to be scripted. It is also probably the best romantic play ever written.

What Kind Of Toys Did The Ancient Romans Have?

Who Are The Greek Gods?

A Blind Man Invented This, Most Cars Have It But You Don’t Use It Everyday….What Is It?

What is Online Education?

Online education is quickly becoming a preferred method of study for many students. It offers flexibility in scheduling that classroom instruction simply cannot provide.

What is Higher Education?

Higher education generally refers to post-secondary education. In essence, it is any schooling that takes place after high school.

What is Continuing Education?

Continuing education is a term that refers to courses and programs for those who seek to further their careers through career-specific educational courses.

What is Adult Education?

What is a Department of Education?

What is Special Education?

What is a Board of Education?

School systems are run on many levels. Most prominent is the Board of Education. This entity oversees the overall school system of a district. Each state has its own Board of Education with authority over local boards and the federal Department of Education has the ultimate jurisdiction.

Was the First Amendment Proposed Ratified?

How Can I Make Studying Less Boring?

Although getting good grades can help you in the long run between getting into good schools and careers, the process of getting good grades can be tough, even boring.

What Book Is The Great American Novel?

The great American novel is the ideal book that captures the spirit and feeling of America during the time of its writing. It is suppose to encompass the culture and identity of the time period.

How Can I Learn To Read Faster?

Most people who enjoy reading would like to be able to read faster. We can enjoy magazines, books, and other material faster if we could just improve the speed of our reading.

How Can I Understand Elizabethan Language?

How Can I Make Studying Less Boring?

January 8th, 2013 |

Although getting good grades can help you in the long run between getting into good schools and careers, the process of getting good grades can be tough, even boring. To get good grades you must study prior to taking quizzes and tests and after awhile it becomes routine. Is there a way to break the mold, maybe make studying less boring? Even fun? It is possible to integrate some different activities into your study routine to make it a little bit more enjoyable. Although I am sure you will not jump for joy, I can show you some different ideas to try and make studying a little bit more bearable.

Make Studying Easier by Studying Alone

For those of you that prefer to study with a partner but can not find one, there are a few things you can do to make it easier on yourself. The most important thing is to take breaks every 30 to 45 minutes in order to get something to drink, use the restroom, or stretch. You will find that by breaking your study session up in sections, that it does not seem as long and will make it easier to concentrate every time you sit back down. If you have a couple days before a test this is especially important to do. Make sure you break it up over a course of a couple days.

Another idea is to play some music at a low volume. You do not want it loud enough to break your concentration, but enough where there is some “background” noise. A great way to have some fun with homework and studying is to turn it into a game. Flash Cards and Memory are great games to play by yourself and every time you get an answer right consecutively, treat yourself by adding an extra 30 seconds to your next break. 10 correct answers in a row will get you an extra 5 minutes to your break and is a great incentive to study hard at the same time. If all else fails, grab a family member and have them help with your studying.

Studying With Friends

studying-less-boring Studying with friends is probably the best way to make studying bearable. You can study in groups and have friends stay the night or go out to pizza. You can use the same idea from above and play a game. Great group games would be Jeopardy or Hangman. Set up a point system and reward those who get the most answers right. Make it even more interesting by adding a timer and buzzer to speed up the game and make it more challenging. Take turns reading the text book or even pass along a notebook so everyone takes turns taking notes. At a little bit of color and have everyone write in different color pen. There are many places you can go to study aside from the pizza parlor such as coffee or a restaurant. The only thing to be concerned with is extensive noise or other distractions which can interrupt your studies.

Although studying is not any fun, it can be made a little bit less boring by employing different ideas or games into the mix. Many games are available at bookstores or online, not to mention that you can make your own flash cards out of simple index/recipe cards. Invite some friends over and make an event out of it and order food. Although playing games such as memory or hangman may seem cheesy, you will find that it will still lighten the mood and make studying less boring.

What is Special Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

Special education is a form of education intended for those with non-traditional learning needs. It is a system that has been formed to plan and monitor teaching procedures, adapt equipment and materials and find ways to make learning more accessible to those with special needs. Because those with special learning needs require more attention and specialized learning tools, special education often takes place in a class room that is separate, at least some of the time, from the regular classroom setting. Special education can help a wide range of students, including those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health problems.

Filling the needs of special education students is often a challenge for the community. The availability of services will depend greatly on funding from states and the federal government. The methods used at any school can vary greatly depending upon the resources available and the outlook of the Board of Education overseeing the district. There are three basis models available for special education, with trends moving towards inclusion as the preferred method of teaching.

Exclusion

This term describes one-on-one education with a tutor outside the classroom altogether. This can occur when a student is homebound or hospitalized. It can also occur for students who have been suspended or expelled from school due to behavioral problems or criminal offenses.

Segregation

special-education Some teaching models develop special classrooms just for those with special education needs. These students spend no time in a standard classroom. They may attend the same school as their peers or there may also be a separate school for these children.

Inclusion

This method of special education focuses on helping special needs children gain exposure to the standard classroom, giving them a greater sense of belonging and an understanding of the standards expected in this setting. The idea is to pull them away from the classroom only long enough to provide special instruction focusing on their particular needs. Some inclusion models keep special needs children in the classroom full time and send a special educator into the classroom to work with one or more children.

This practice has its critics. Some argue that immersion takes valuable resources away from traditional students in the classroom. Others complain that immersion can make it harder for children with disabilities to learn because the instruction methods are vastly different from the needs of special children. However, most teachers believe disabled children are best taught within the classroom whenever it can be arranged. The helps to raise the self-esteem of disabled children and help them become accustomed to interacting with others on a peer level.

Before federal laws were enacted to aid special education in schools, only 1 out of 5 disabled children received a classroom education. In 1975, the Ford administration passed the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. This forever changed the American elementary and secondary school systems. No longer could states mandate that children who were blind, deaf, “mentally retarded” or “emotionally disturbed” be excluded from schools.

Individualized Education Programs

Since the passage of this law, many other laws have followed, granting federal funding only to those schools that follow federal guidelines about how special needs children should be educated. In modern schools, there is a specific procedure that must be followed for implementing the education of special needs children, called an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

If a parent believes their child is not progressing adequately in school and may need special education, the parents will place a written request called a “referral for evaluation”. Such requests are addressed to the principle of the local school or the special education coordinator for the school district, indicating the area of special needs.

One the request is received, the school contacts the parents and arranges a meeting to explain the evaluation process. Parents must sign a consent form to allow the child to be evaluated. The school must evaluate all areas of suspected disability, so it is important for parents to describe their child’s learning difficulties in detail.

Testing

Testing is done with the child one-on-one with a teacher trained in administering the particular type of testing. For example, a child suspected of having emotional difficulties will be tested by a psychologist. After testing, the child will be observed in the classroom or other school setting by someone other than the classroom teacher to assess the level of interaction and communication in an objective manner. Children over the age of 12 must go through vocational testing to encourage the development of skills that will lead to gainful employment after high school.

Eligibility for special education services is determined on the basis of testing and observation. The IEP team must classify the disability into one of 13 categories before proceeding. Schools can also add the classifications of ADHD and PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) if needed.

A parent and group of teachers will work together to formulate an education plan for the child. Parents may include anyone else they feel may be of benefit to the group, such as a special tutor or a child’s therapist. Written notification of an IEP meeting is then sent to parents, listing all those who will attend, including the names and positions of these people.

Contents of the IEP

An IEP will have several factors to ensure that the child’s education remains focused and productive. The plan will state the child’s current educational performance level and describe how the child’s disability affects school performance. Annual objectives will be stated, including short-term goals intended to work towards the annual objective. The IEP will also state the specific services that child will receive and the extent of classroom immersion that will take place. It will also indicate the date when services are scheduled to begin.

While there are procedures in place for parents to challenge an IEP they disagree with, it is typical for the process to suit most families. It works to secure the special education a child needs in a clear and definitive way, ensuring peace of mind for parents with disabled children.

How Does Act 1, Scene 5 of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Prepare The Audience For Later Events In the Play?

January 8th, 2013 |

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous of the Shakespearean plays and probably the most famous of all tragedies ever to be scripted. It is also probably the best romantic play ever written. The two lovers and main characters of the play have become icons of doomed love affairs. The script is full of several sub-plots and clever machinations to help further the story. Yet it isn’t until Scene 5 of the first Act that we begin to see fully understand the consequences of the lover’s attraction.

The Story Up To Scene 5

The story starts out in the city of Verona with a brawl between two feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. It is evident that this feud has been going on for awhile. Some of the family members, such as Benvolio of the Montagues, tries to stop the fighting. But others, such as the hot-headed Capulet member Tybalt, wishes only to fight.

The feuding becomes so bad that the prince declared all fighting to be outlawed and punishable by death. So in the first scene we find out that the story revolves around two families who despise each other and are willing to kill each other to appease their family honor.

romeo-juliet Meanwhile we are introduced to Romeo who is moping about because of a girl named Rosalind. He loves her but she does not love him. We quickly come to realize that Romeo is a romantic and easily falls in love. His cousin and friend Benvolio tries to cheer Romeo up by saying that there are other girls. Romeo, however, can think of no one but Rosalind.

Romeo and Benvolio run across a Capulet messenger with a list of people to invite to an annual masquerade. The messenger cannot read and asks Romeo to read the list for him. Romeo sees that Rosalind’s name is on the list. The messenger is thankful and invites the two to the party so long as “they are not Montagues”. Benvolio thinks they should go just so Romeo can see that there are other beautiful girls besides Rosalind. Romeo wants to go because Rosalind will be there.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Juliet, a Capulet whose father has been approached by a kinsman of the prince for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Her father thinks it would be a good match but because Juliet is young, decides to have the nobleman wait two years until she is older.

Leading up to Scene 5, Romeo, Benvolio, and another friend, Mercutio, have all gathered outside the Capulet house. They are wearing masks and preparing to enter the feast. Romeo remarks how he believes that the night’s actions will set fate into motion that will ultimately end in an untimely death. This was a bit of foreshadowing that was used widely by Shakespeare.

Overview Of Act 1 Scene 5

Act 1, Scene 5 introduces Romeo to Juliet. As Romeo and his friends make their way through the feast, Romeo spies Juliet and immediately forgets about Rosalind. As Romeo talks with his two friends, the hot-tempered Tybalt hears his voice and recognizes him as a Montague. Tybalt is angered and wants to get his rapier but his father stops him. Tybalt later proclaims that he will not let the trespass go unavenged.

Romeo approaches Juliet and they two speak using religious metaphors. Romeo gets Juliet to agree to let him kiss her. Since she is just as smitten with him as he is with her, she agrees. She then responds that since Romeo kissed her which absolved him of his sins, she must have her sins absolved. She kisses Romeo in return.

At that moment the Capulet Nurse enters and tells Juliet that her mother wishes to see her. After she leaves Romeo asks the Nurse who Juliet was. He is devastated to find out that the girl he has fallen in love with is a Capulet. After he and his friends leave the feast, Juliet inquires into Romeo’s identity. When she learns he is a Montague, she is equally devastated.

How Act 1 Scene 5 Sets Up The Rest of The Story

The significance of Scene 5 is that is sets up the rest of the story’s plot. Romeo and Juliet are both smitten with each other and even though they discover each other’s identity, it is obvious that they are going to pursue one another despite the risk of the consequences.

Another factor that sets up the future scenes is that Tybalt recognized Romeo and the fact that a Montague came to their party angered him. So now Tybalt will be looking to cause trouble for Romeo and probably hinder the two lovers.

The entire scene foreshadows the trouble that will come about because the two young lovers meet. This is emphasized by the fact that they are from opposite sides of a feud and that they both realize that trying to pursue one another could cause a vast load of trouble.

What Kind Of Toys Did The Ancient Romans Have?

January 8th, 2013 |

Ancient Rome was one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. They were very advanced for a civilization of that time, surpassing Europe’s Middle Ages which would follow hundreds of years later. The Roman Empire was responsible for many achievements such as a wide system of paved roads, the design of bridges and aqueducts, and feats of engineering such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Roman cities even had a complex sewer system while most homes had an early form of flush toilets. But their daily life was not that different from our own. They had jobs, families, and their own forms of entertainment. So what kind of toys did the Ancient Romans have? What did the children play with if they didn’t have modern day video games, computers, and manufactured plastic toys? Actually, their toys were pretty similar to the ones that kids play with today.

Ancient Rome Toys

Ancient Roman toys were all wide and varied as today’s toys are. Children back then used their imagination more, obviously, but the toys they used were based on real-life objects and themes. The materials that made up the toys were those used in Ancient Rome but the style of play was the same as it is today. Boys played with wooden swords and sticks as they pretended to be soldiers. Girls played with dolls made from wood, rags, or wax. Both boys and girls played with a wooden hoop, which you can still find today. The hoop would have bells on it and the children would roll them along the streets and playgrounds. Other popular toys at the time were balls, board games, hobby horses, kites, and wooden replicas of people and animals.

The type and quality of toys that children played with were largely determined by the family’s social class and rank. The children of wealthy politicians or merchants could be expected to have better toys and more of them. Children of poor families or even slaves might have one favorite toy that had seen considerable play and wear. Children of slaves probably didn’t have a lot of free tiem for play as they were expected to work along with the adults.

Ancient Rome Games

ancient-roman-toys Ancient Romans were fond of games and their children were no exception.

Some of the more common games that children from that time played were marbles (except nuts were used instead of glass marbles), board games, “knucklebones” which was similar to jacks except played with bones, and an early form of tic-tac-toe where you had to line up three playing pieces inside a grid of wooden holes.

For boys, war games were popular. The boys fought against one another using their wooden swords or sticks. One popular version of such a game was called “Troy”, named after the legendary battle of Troy. In this game, the boys divided into teams. The object was to fight back against a large group of boys who tried to pull you across a line. The game could get quite brutal at times but that style of play was accepted as normal amongst boys.

The game called pilae was a common ball game, similar to handball. There were several different versions and all involved hitting a ball using your arm or hand. The hands and arms were usually padded in some way for protection. One of the versions required three players standing in a triangle formation. They would hit the ball back and forth to one another while trying not to be the first one to drop the ball. Another version was a team sport were two teams tried to get the ball into the opposing team’s goal.

Latrunculi was a a game that was very similar to chess. It used a board divided into squares and playing pieces made of wax, wood, or stone. The pieces were called calculi or latrunculi, which is derived from the Latin word latrus which means servant or soldier. The object was to capture the other players pieces.

Another board game played by children was a game called reges. It was a word game played on a board but not all boards were the same. The game is not completely understood but it involved a first row of ten letters, a second and third row of 8 letters, and a fourth row with 7 letters. It might have been Ancient Rome’s version of Scrabble.

Ancient Rome Pets

Besides toys an dgames, children of Ancient Rome also had household pets. Dogs were by far the most common and favorite pet to have. After all, dog has been man’s best friend for a millennia. But the four-legged canine was not the only pet children had back then. Birds were another favorite such as ducks, geese, and pigeons. Birds were usually kept in the home while dogs followed children everywhere. Monkeys were not very common but wealthy families were known to keep them. And what about our favorite feline? The cat, while it was very popular and revered in ancient cultures such as Egypt, was not a common household pet until after the 1st century.

How Can I Learn To Read Faster?

January 8th, 2013 |

Most people who enjoy reading would like to be able to read faster. We can enjoy magazines, books, and other material faster if we could just improve the speed of our reading. It is not necessary to take a “speed reading” course to increase the speed at which you comprehend words.

Tips for Learning to Read More Quickly

Here are some good tips for learning to read more quickly.

Go To The Optometrist

Many people who read slowly do so because they have an undiagnosed vision problem. Even if you think you have perfect vision, or currently wear corrective lenses, there’s no time like the present to get your eyes checked.

Time Your Reading Speed

It is important to find out how fast you read rigt now so that you can track your improvement. Not only will timing help tell if you’re improving, but it will also keep you motivated to read faster. How can I learn to read faster? You can break out a book and a stopwatch and time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page, or find out how many words you read in a certain amount of time. There are plenty of reading speed tools available for free online: just search for “reading speed test” in your search engine. Many of these have reading comprehension tests, as well, so you can see how well you’re understanding what you’re reading. An easier way to time yourself may be the simple stopwatch test. No matter how you decide to time yourself, be sure to read at your normal speed during the test, and time yourself on a few different pages.

Adjust Reading Speed Depending on What You’re Reading

learn-read-faster Sometimes we sacrifice understanding for speed. So before you even start reading a piece of work, decide how fast you intend to go. Not everything you read needs the attention of a novel — if you’re reading a newspaper article, chances are you just want to get the main idea, and you can skim through the rest. If, however, you’re reading a math book or a demanding religious text – and you need to fully understand the material – you do not want to rush. Speed isn’t always best — so consider your material.

Practice Reading Blocks of Language

We almost all learned to read word-by-word or even letter-by-letter. Once you know the language you’re reading pretty well, this is actually not the most efficient method of reading. Not every word is important, and in order to read quickly you’ll need to read large groups of words at once. You probably already do this — it seems most people read three or four words at a time. Once you make an effort to be aware of your reading style, you’ll find out just how many words you read at a time. The key to reading fast is just to increase that number. Using your hand as a guide may help, or you can hold the book a little further from your eyes than you usually do.

Train Yourself Not To Reread

We all do this from time to time, but it isn’t necessary — don’t stop and skip back to words or sentences you just read to try to make sure you understood the meaning. You probably got it the first time, but because of doubt or because it is a habit, you find yourself returning to a paragraph. One good exercise to help you avoid this is to take a sheet of paper or index card and drag it down the page as you read, covering each line with the car once you’ve read it. Try to drag the card in a steady motion. Start this process slowly, and increase the speed as you feel more comfortable.

Read With Your Hand

A consistent eye motion is a key to speed reading. You can maximize your reading efficiency by using your hand as a guide. One method is to simply draw your hand down the page as you read. much like the “index card” method mentioned above. You can also brush your hand under each line you read, thinking of your hand as a dustbuster, with a sweeping motion. Your eyes are trained to instinctively follow motion, and the movement of your hand will keep your eyes moving forward. Many speed reading instruction books will warn you away from this method as it can slow down the process of learning speed reading, but for some people, this is a key to the beginning of their speed reading career..

Get Rid of All Distractions

Maybe you think you read better when you have music playing, or with the TV on. Lots of people read in a crowded coffee house or other environment, but you can probably increase your speed if you reduce distractions to a minimum. Try to find a solitary place to read, like a quiet room — and turn off the TV, radio and cell phone, etc. If no solitary place is available, try using earplugs to block out any distractions around you. This may sound extreme, but the time you’ll save with speed reading will be worth any initial weirdness you feel wearing earplugs to read. In order to maximize comprehension while reading quickly, you will need to focus on the reading material as closely as you can. Remember, the point here is speed AND comprehension.

Stop Reading To Yourself

We all do this — we think we’re reading silently, but we’re actually reading “to ourselves”. Some people actually move their lips or say the words under their breath while they read (watch people at the library — they do it all the time) while others simply say each word in their heads. No matter how you “subvocalise”, this really slows down your reading time. To break the habit, just try to be conscious of it. When you notice yourself pronouncing words to yourself, try to stop doing it. Habits are easily made but difficult to break — it may help to focus on specific key words and skip over others, or you may want to try humming to yourself to prevent what scientists who study reading call “subvocalising”. It may slow you down at first, but once you break the subvocalizing habit, you’ll be ahead of the game. One exercise to stop your lips from moving is to put a finger on your mouth and keep it there while you read. Like telling yourself to “shush”.

Become a Quicker Reader

Hopefully you’ve got the tools now to become a quicker reader. Use the time you’ve saved to read more — or to further enjoy other facets of your life. Either way, you’ve just saved yourself a ton of time — and as the saying goes, time is money.

What is Online Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

Online education is quickly becoming a preferred method of study for many students. It offers flexibility in scheduling that classroom instruction simply cannot provide. It is ideal for those who work full time and seek to further their careers through continuing education. Online education is often cheaper than brick and mortar educational institutions, providing a good solution for those on tight budgets. It also provides a means for those in remote areas to access education that would be otherwise unattainable.

While online education is geared towards the adult learner, some courses are also available for home-schooled children and regular high school classes. In general, online courses are recommended for part time students. It is hard to imagine an 18 year-old student fresh out of high school having the discipline needed to set their own study schedule. Today, online education serves the continuing education market best. However, as technology develops, it may turn out to be a good option for teens as well. Some college students report that taking some of their classes online has made the remainder of course work easier to address.

Choosing a Good Online School

online-education When considering online courses, it is vital to investigate the school and its reputation. Many online education sites are simply businesses looking to make money with only a secondary focus on the quality of education provided. The best online schools are extensions of long-standing brick and mortar institutions. Because these schools are subject to the same regulations and traditional schools, they can be investigated through Institution Accreditation Search where you can verify a school’s accreditation. It is also important to find out how long a school has been offering online education. Choose one that has been doing this for a number of years.

It is also important to check out third party reviews of a school before you sign up. This can be done by searching forums and other websites. If your intuition tells you something is amiss at any point, steer clear of that school. You are investing in your future when you choose a school so you should approach it just as you would any other major life decision.

PC Skills

Going to school online only requires that you can type and use an internet browser. It is best to have a high-speed internet connection through DSL or cable. Programs are geared to be user friendly so that anyone can interact easily. It is preferable to use a newer computer, with at least 4 GB of RAM if you are running Vista as an operating system. XP users can get by with 1 or 2 GB. A net book is also a good option for online courses, available for about $300. The downside is that these computers offer very small viewing screens.

Signing Up

Online classes will be provided through the school you choose. You must register for classes, often paying with a credit card. You will be assigned a student ID and will set your own password. You will be provided with a link to where you can attend class or secure course materials.

Learning may take place as a group or individually. Some classes present course material and due dates for assignments. It is up to the student to set a schedule of study and turn in assignments on time. Other classes are scheduled and all participants log on at the same time, interacting in chat rooms.

You may want to consider the field of study you are entering before considering online degrees. While technology education takes place frequently online with few complaints, some more complex subjects, like finance, are not as satisfying to students in an online setting. Consider Statistics, a course that baffles many young accounting students. The concepts in this course of study are so complex that many students would benefit more from a classroom setting.

Downsides of Online Education

Problems also exist within online education. Government grants and scholarships are geared towards traditional education sources, so the same funds are not available to those who seek to earn a degree online. These students also miss out on the part of college than many consider most important, which is academic life. The interpersonal communications with others from various backgrounds offers great personal enrichment to college students. While they may interact with other students online, the level of interaction is impeded by the limits of the technology. Some things can only be done face to face. Online education also secludes the student, who spends time alone in a room attending classes and loses out on important social interactions.

Many concerns arise out of the ease with which students may cheat when taking courses online. Some employers will not even accept online degrees, even from accredited universities. In fact, there is a bill pending in Congress, the Higher Education Act, with a provision requiring that distance education programs institute the use of cameras to monitor students. Aimed at reducing instances of cheating, the goal of the cameras is to ensure the person who signed up for the course is actually the student performing the class work.

While this may be an intrusion into privacy, it may actually turn out to be a boon for students. No longer will they be required to travel to proctor locations to take a test. The camera will verify the student is present and actually taking the test required. Some colleges are already trying fingerprint technology and keystroke recorders for this purpose.

Online courses require that you maintain a high level of independence. This can allow you to work at your own pace, but it may also make it harder to secure answers to questions from course instructors. You must wait for instructors to receive and respond to your emails. If you prefer more interaction in learning, a traditional setting may be better. In addition, some professors surveyed said that they believed their online students were not securing the same level of education that in-class students enjoyed.

If you are uncertain if online learning is best for you, it is best to enroll in a brick and mortar institution and take a pportion of your course work online. This will offer the optimal balance of social interaction and the convenience of online learning.

What Book Is The Great American Novel?

January 8th, 2013 |

The great American novel is the ideal book that captures the spirit and feeling of America during the time of its writing. It is suppose to encompass the culture and identity of the time period. Many authors have tried to write the great American novel. They strive to create a masterpiece that will be viewed as the perfect American novel. After taking all these factors in, what book is the great American novel? Has anyone ever written it?

Classic American Literature

In truth, there is no one book that perfectly depicts the spirit and culture of America. However, there are many authors who have come close and their works have been categorized as Classic American Literature. These books do justice to the era in which they were written and are used in classrooms to better understand our country and to help appreciate works of literature. Here are some of the more popular books that define what the great American novel is all about.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Great American Novel – Written by Mark Twain and published in 1884, this story depicts life on the Mississippi river during the 1830’s. The book follows the adventures of the wild and “uncivilized” Huck Finn as he helps a slave named Jim escape from his owner. They two go rafting down the Mississippi, having several encounters with people common to the area of that time. The book deals largely with racism and the relationship between whites and blacks during that time period. It also takes on the dilemma of moral choices.

The Great Gatsby – Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, the book is a statement about wealth, moral character, and responsibility during the early 1920’s. It takes place in 1922 in Long Island Sound. A young man named Nick lives in a wealthy neighborhood surrounded by the mansions of Long Island’s old aristocracy. He becomes involved in a group of rich but ultimately shallow and pampered people who are all having extra-marital affairs. Nick is eventually introduced to one of his neighbors, a man named Gatsby. Gatsby is charismatic, influential, and rumored to have connections with the underworld. In the course of the story, Nick becomes friends with Gtasby and helps him get back together with his old flame, who is married to one of the other characters in the book. They get together but in the end, everything falls apart and Gatsby is murdered by a man who thought Gatsby accidentally killed the man’s wife. It is a very tragic book but captures perfectly the mood and attitude of the “roaring twenties” in America.

The Scarlet Letter –Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, the story is set in the 1700’s in Boston during its Puritanical era. The book follows the life of an adulterer named Hester Prynne. She has been accused of adultery, a very major sin in the Puritan communities, so has to wear a red letter “A” sewn on her clothing, to mark her as an adulteress. She will also not reveal the name of the man whom she had an affair with, and the red letter is also part of her punishment for that. In fact, it turns out she had an affair with the town’s minister who bears his shame silently until he dies from it at the end. The themes of the book are about sin and guilt and there are hidden meanings all throughout the text. It is a very proper example of what early Puritan life was like in America.

Moby Dick – the classic book about the great white whale was written by Herman Melville in 1851. The opening sentence, “Call me Ishmael” is a famous quote in literary circles. The story follows a young sailor named Ishmael who finds a job on the whaling ship The Pequod, captained by the one-legged Captain Ahab. Ahab is searching for the whale Moby Dick, who destroyed his previous ship and bite off his leg. The captain is burning with revenge for the whale, which will ultimately be his downfall. The book is really about Ishmael’s soul-searching as he examines himself throughout his journey. At the end of the story, Ahab finds Moby Dick but the whale sinks the ship and takes the captain down to the sea with him. Of all the crew, only Ishmael survives. The books themes revolve around the dangers of obsession and revenge and how they can consume your life.

Catcher in the Rye – Written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951, this book is a classic representation of rebellion. It is a metaphor about our fears of change and growing up. Its portrayal of teenage angst has caused it to become required reading in most high schools. The main character is a young man named Holden Caulfield who has been expelled from prep school. Holden ends up in the city in a cheap room and spends the rest of the book on a drunken soul-searching quest. The title for the book comes from a moment in the book when he has sneaked back into his parents house to talk to is younger sister. He confides in her a dream he had where he stood in a rye field watching children play. His job was to catch the children if they got too close to the cliff. Thus, a catcher in the rye. At the end of the book, Holden has decided to go back to school.

Of Mice and Men – This tragic tale set during the Great Depression was written by John Steinbeck, winner of the Nobel Peace prize. Set in the 1920’s and based off of the author’s own experiences as a wandering hobo, the story follows two migrant workers, Geroge and Lennie. George is smart but cynical while Lennie is large, strong, but dim-witted. The two want to settle somewhere where they can start a farm. Lennie, in his child-like innocence, wants to tend rabbits which he likes to pet and feel their soft fur. The two are actually on the run from the last job because Lennie was accused of rape when he innocently touched a woman’s dress to see what it felt like. The two find a job on a ranch and are doing well. But tragedy strikes when Lennie accidentally kills the wife of the ranch owner’s son. In his fascination, Lennie was trying to feel her long hair. The son forms a lynch mob and goes after Lennie. George, because Lennie is his friend and wants to spare him the pain and suffering from that mob, shoots Lennie in the back of the head. The book centers on man’s struggle with loneliness and despair, which was all very prevalent for migrant workers during the Depression.

Old Man and the Sea – Written by Ernest Hemingway in 1951, this short novella captures man’s epic struggle against nature and himself, both of which plagued Hemingway throughout his life. The story takes place in a fishing village and tells about an old fisherman named Santiago who hasn’t caught a fish in 84 days. Convinced that he is about to end his streak of bad luck and prove that he is still a worthy fisherman, Santiago takes his boat far out into the Gulf where he hooks a huge marlin. For three days Santiago struggles and fights against that fish out on the open sea. He finally manages to catch the fish and ties him to the boat so he can haul him home. On the way, he has to fight off sharks that eventually devour the large marlin. By the time he gets home, there is nothing but the skeleton left. However, his fellow fishermen are impressed with the size of the skeleton and Santiago is redeemed in the eyes of the village.

The Sound and the Fury – Written by William Faulkner in 1929, this book is probably the most famous and celebrated works of literature of the 20th century. It is written with a broken time table, meaning the book’s four main section are out of order. More to the point, they were all written from the skewed and biased point of one of the four narrators. The book basically follows the decline of the Compson family, a once well-to-do family descended from the Civil War hero General Compson. The story takes place over a number of years and the family falls into financial and social ruin. The sources of the family’s problems, and the themes of the book, are racism and selfishness. By the end of the book, most of the family members have all met with a tragic accident. What makes the book so great is the narrative technique the Faulkner uses in his writing which perfectly captures that thought processes of people.

What is Higher Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

Higher education generally refers to post-secondary education. In essence, it is any schooling that takes place after high school. It can come in the form of career training, continuing education, adult education, a two-year Associate’s Degree or a four-year Bachelor’s Degree. Students can move on to secure a Master’s Degree and ultimately a PhD.

Prestigious American colleges and universities attract hundreds of thousands of international students, researchers and professors. More than half of the highest-ranking learning institutions in the world are located within the United States. Over 600,000 international students attended US postsecondary schools in the 2007-2008 academic year1 a growing trend in American universities and colleges.

Because the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution stipulations that the states hold authority in any powers not expressly granted to the federal government, the states dictated how each university system developed. This resulted in a decentralized system of colleges and universities in America, where each state arranges its university system in a way that fits its particular population’s needs. In 1980, the United States Department of Education was put into place under the Carter administration. When it comes to higher education, the primary focus of this department is on helping students pay for college. The federal government holds little sway over the way universities are run, but plays a large role in the level of funding schools and their students receive from federal sources.

Because colleges and universities developed independently, the federal government has never developed a system of accreditation. Instead, American schools are rated by private agencies that rate schools on the quality of academics, facilities, publishing records and faculty degrees. Accreditation requires a certain basic level of educational proficiency. For this reason, students should ensure a school is accredited before considering enrollment.

Employment Benefits of Higher Education

higher-education Higher education has come to be a necessity in most fields. Even administrative assistants and secretaries benefit from some sort of postsecondary education, such as vocational schooling. Securing an education makes jobs easier to find and promotions easier to acquire.

Postsecondary education is also important for Americans to earn a decent wage. Wages have remained stagnant since the 1970’s, forcing most households to employ both parents in the workforce. Those who are college educated have a better chance of allowing one parent to remain home to care for the children. One person with a Bachelor’s Degree is likely to earn the salary of two high school educated adults. Not only do those with college degrees earn more, they are more likely to secure better benefits at work. These graduates enjoy better health and pension plans.

In addition to the career and financial prospects, a higher education often results in a greater level of job satisfaction for employees, assuming they have degrees in a field they enjoy. This makes career planning very important for students entering college. Higher education is expensive, so it is important to get it right the first time. First year students entering from high school should focus on a variety of subjects to give them the best chance of finding the right career path early on.

Social Benefits

Many high schools students considering college have difficulty imaging what their new lives will be like. The many challenges new students face, like meeting new people, taking on a heavier academic load and living away from home for the first time. Many new students are surprised to learn that other new students have the same fears and concerns. Friendships are formed easily for first year students who have a collective understanding of one another’s concerns. New students also benefit from the exposure to many different cultures and ways of thinking.

For those entering college later in life, there are still many social benefits. Chief among these is the exposure to other personalities, coming from all walks of life. Meeting such people broadens an individual’s view points and increases his or her understanding of the world as a whole.

Societal Benefits

According to a study by the College Board, a non-profit membership association that connects students to college opportunities, higher education benefits more than just the student. Studies show that college students are more likely to engage in and encourage others to engage in health behaviors. These graduates are more likely to volunteer, vote, and donate blood. They are also more tolerant in the differences of others.

Because college graduates earn more, they also pay more in taxes, providing additional funding to social programs. These same graduates are much less likely to utilize the programs their taxes pay for. They are healthier and less likely to need government assistance or to go to jail. As more students gain college education, there is a snowball effect, creating a healthier, wealthier and more vibrant society.

The numbers of Americans with four-year degrees has been steadily increasing since the 1940’s. This means that as more students secure Bachelor’s degrees, the more important it will be for others to do the same in order to compete in the workforce.

Not for Everyone

While a college degree provides great benefits for most people, there are some who choose other options for developing a career that are often just as beneficial. The military provides an excellent career, with good pay, benefits and early retirement. Those with careers in the military often go on to succeed in other fields, using the leadership training from the military in the business world.

Those who wish to pursue careers in the creative arts can get by without a college degree if they are exceptionally creative. Writing is often a skill that can benefit a career without the need of a college education. Writers may be better served to learn something about the world immediately after high school, to develop a depth of character that will serve their craft well. This will depend on the individual.

In the end, those considering higher education must be true to themselves. Going to college solely on the advice of others could be a large waste of time, energy and money. It is important that each individual create their own definition for success. Whether a student chooses to attend college or not, he or she will face hard work and neither course is a guaranteed success or failure.

1. http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=131533

Who Are The Greek Gods?

January 8th, 2013 |

Ancient Greece is known for its mythical lore. Many well-known legends and stories originate from that distant time period. The myths center on creatures, magical artifacts, mighty heroes, and numerous gods and goddesses. The Greek gods played a vital role in Greek culture, everything from art to politics. Tales of the gods were wide and unlike the Christian God, they were not always benign. Greek gods were not perfect. They had faults such as selfishness, greed, or vanity.

The gods sat on top of Mount Olympus and followed their own lives and agendas, putting themselves before those that worshipped them. Each god represented a certain aspect or ideal such as Love, Health, War, or the Sun. Here is a list of some of the more well-known gods from Ancient Greece.

The Acient Gods of Greece

Aphrodite – The Greek goddess of Love and Beauty, she was also connected to death and rebirth of humans such as child birth. She was the most beautiful goddess on Olympus. She was also one of the more jealous and spiteful of the gods. Aphrodite was created when the titan Cronos slew his father, Ouranos, and threw his body into the waters of the Paphos in Cyprus. The foam from the waves formed Aphrodite. Aphrodite had many love affairs and for a time was married to the crippled god Hephaestus, the blacksmith.

Apollo – Apollo was the god of Light, the Sun, Music, and Prophecy. He was the son of Zeus and twin brother to Artemis. Apollo was well known for playing music on the lyre and for being a brilliant musician. He competed in musical contests and challenges all the time. He once gave King Midas a pair of donkey ears for judging his playing too harshly. Apollo was depicted as a young handsome man with golden hair.

Ares – The Greek god of War, Ares was the perfect warrior and lived for battle and violence. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and his throne on Olympus was draped in human skin. Ares was not a popular god because of what he represented. He was also frequently accompanied by Hades, god of the Underworld, and his sister Eris, goddess of Discord. Because of all of thes, few cities wanted him as their patron. His half-sister was Athena, who also represented war but where she was interested in justices, Ares was only interested in bloodshed.

Artemis – The greek goddess of the Hunt and the Wild, Childbirth, and the Moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and sister to Apollo, who represents the sun. Zeus asked Artemis to remain a virgin so she eventually became one of the Three Virgin Goddesses in Greek mythology. This who worshipped her believed that she brought fertility so she was especially popular with farmers and those hoping to conceive a child. She was often depicted carrying a bow with arrows.

Athena – Half-sister to Ares, Athena represented Wisdom, Justice, and War. Unlike Ares, Athena fought only for the right cause and never for the love of battle. Athena was born during Zeus’ battle with the giants and her mother Metis had kept all of the world’s wisdom inside her, which was bestowed on Athena. She was the patron deity of Athens and the famous Pantheon was built in her honor. Athena is most often depicted wearing armor.

Dionysus – He was the Greek god of Wine, Merriment, Theatre, Agriculture, and Peace. The son of Zeus and the mortal princess Semele, Dionysus spent most of his time traveling the world in search of secrets and methods to winemaking. The patron deity of parties and festivities, he was popular with both his fellow gods and mortals. Dionysus is represented as a man with a wreath of ivy on his head and carrying a staff with leaves.

Hades – The Greek ruler of the Underworld where souls went after death. He was the son of the titans Cronos and Rhea. His wife was Persephone whom he kidnapped and took down to the Underworld to live with him. Hades was not a widely popular god and he never left his domain. The Underworld resided across the river Styxx and souls were ferried across by Hade’s cloaked helper Charon.

Hephaestus – He was the Greek god of Blacksmithing and was renown for the wonderful artifacts that he crafted. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was an ugly and crippled god. When his mother saw him for the first time, she threw him from Mount Olympus in disgust. Hephaestus lived for years among the Nereids and his forge lay under the volcano Aetna. He gained Aphrodite as a wife for his services to his father but she was never faithful to him.

Hera – The Mother Goddess and wife of Zeus. Hera represented Married Women and Families. The daughter of Cronos and Rhea, Hera was also the sister of Zeus. A faithful wife, she was also very jealous of her husband who gave her plenty of affairs to be jealous about. She was constantly causing problems for Zeus’s many mistresses and other children. She was especially resentful of the demi-mortal hero Heracles (Hercules) who was fathered by Zeus with a mortal woman. Hera was also considered one of the Three Virgin Goddesses. She is depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a gold crown.

Hermes – The Messenger of the Greek gods, Hermes was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maea. He was a known thief and thus worshipped by mortal thieves, swindlers, and cheating gamblers. Hermes wore a pair of sandals with wings which made his the fastest of all the gods. Because of this, Zeus gave his the task of being the gods messenger and deliverer of souls to the Underworld.

Poseidon – The Greek god of Oceans, Earthquakes, and Horses, Poseidon had a temper as changing as the seas. He was considered the greediest of all the gods and the hardest to appease. Many storms were thought to have been caused due to his fury. Even though he had a palace on Mount Olympus, he spent most of his time in his palace under the ocean. He is often depicted with wavy hair and carrying a trident.

Zeus – The Father of the Gods and the Supreme Greek God, Zeus was the ruling god in ancient Greece and the one all of the other gods followed. He sat on a golden throne on Mount Olympus and gave out punishments and judgments on gods and mortals alike who broke their oaths or lied. His wife was Hera but Zeus pursued many affairs of infidelity. Zeus was known for controlling the weather and, when in a bad mood, for throwing thunderbolts during storms. Zeus is depicted as a tall man with a full beard and flowing robes.

Who Is The God Of Time?

January 8th, 2013 |

Different cultures have different myths and gods that they believed in. There have been so many pantheons of gods and goddesses throughout the world, each with varying personalities and characteristics. Yet the gods in each culture usually represented similar themes. Most cultures have had gods that represented love, wisdom, war, strength, beauty, and even time. The most popular gods of time came from the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures. The Greek god of time was the Titan Chronos, the Roman god of time was Saturn, and the Egyptian god of time was Thoth.

Who Was Chronos

There are several spellings to his name. There is Chronos, Kronos, and Cronus, all of which mean the same god. Chronos was a Titan god, the beings that were in existence before the Greek gods. He was the god of all time and the universe. Chronos became ruler of the cosmos after he killed his father Ouranos.

Because of a prophecy about being killed by one of his children, Chronos feared being deposed as he had done his own father. So to prevent the prophecy from coming true, he ate each of his children as soon as they were born. His youngest son was Zues whom Rhea, wife of Chronos, managed to save from being devoured. She hid him on the island of Krete and fed Chronos a stone that was wrapped in the blanket of a baby.

god-of-time It was Zeus who overthrew Chronos, thus fulfilling the prophecy. He forced Chronos to vomit up all of Zeus’ brothers and sister. Zeus and his fellow Olympians then fought a ten year war with the Titans and finally threw them into the pit of Tartaros.

Years later, Zeus released the Titans from the pit and made Chronos king of the Elysian Islands which was the home of the dead.

Who Was Saturn

Saturn was the Roman god of time. He was the son of Uranus and the father of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. Saturn ruled the Roman gods before Jupiter. His weapon that he is commonly depicted holding is a scythe, which is where we get the scythe image for the grim reaper. Saturn was even known as Old Father Time.

Of his three children, Jupiter represented Air, Neptune represented water, and Pluto represented death. These were all things that time could not kill.

Saturn was honored at a roman festival called Saturnalia which was held during the midwinter months. It was a joyous festival and everything from businesses to schools closed for a week.

The mythology of Saturn was heavily influenced by the Greek mythology. There are many similarities between Saturn and Zeus. But in Roman mythology, Saturn was overthrown by his own children. He then fled to Rome where he established the Golden Age.

Who Was Thoth

The Egyptian’s had numerous gods and some of them represented certain aspects of time. However, the one who represented time as well as magic and wisdom was Thoth. He was created during the beginning of time by Ra. The name Thoth is actually a Greek corruption fo the name Tahuti.

Thoth, along with his consort Maat (goddess of Truth), produced eight children. Of all of these, the most important was Amen, The Hidden One. He was later worshiped in Thebes as Lord of the Universe.

Thoth was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis bird and carried a pen and scrolls. He is shown in all the major scenes with all the gods and he recorded all that he saw. Most importantly, he was always present at the judgment of the dead.

In Osirian myths, Thoth served as the chief advisor of Osiris and even served as the messenger of the gods. Besides representing time, magic, and wisdom, he also represents writing and is credited with creating the first hieroglyphs.

How Can I Understand Elizabethan Language?

January 8th, 2013 |

The plays of William Shakespeare are considered some of the finest works of English literature. They are studied throughout school, from grade school through higher education, for their mastery of language, their exciting and intricate plots, and their examples of the structure of drama. Because the English language was much different then than it is today, people have difficult understanding much of what Shakespeare’s characters say. It is important to know, however, that “Elizabethan” English is still considered Modern English — that is, according to the American Heritage Dictionary. Modern English as we know it has existed since about 1500, and Shakespeare’s plays were written between 1592 and 1610 — exact dates are not known. Shakespeare was using the same “English” that we use today, but as languages tend to do, the meanings of words and some words in their entirety have changed.

The key to understanding the language of the Elizabethan period is simply becoming familiar with them. How do I understand Shakespearean language? I have read and studied most of Shakespeare’s plays, and have even had the privelege to perform and work on many of them. This would certainly be a good way to familiarize yourself with Shakespeare’s language — simply reading and even peforming some of his classic works will bring you and understanding, as repetition is one of the keys to learning.

BuyShakespeare’s Words: A Glossary and Language Companion at Amazon

Understanding Shakespeare’s Language

understand-elizabethan-language Some of the problems in understanding Shakespeare’s language are basic grammar differences. For instance, many words were compounded that are now spelled seperately. An example is “whe’r” which is a compound of the word whether. Shakespeare “made up” many of these compounds to fit rhythmic and metrical structure. Another example of this kind of compounding is ’tis, a compound of “it is”. Once you realize that Shakespeare was writing inside a fairly strict metrical system, you come to understand that he bent words to fit his needs. This was part of his genius — many of our most common expressions today came originally from Shakespeare’s pen. Ever said someone was ‘dead as a door nail’? That’s an invention of Shakespeare. How about the word ‘eyeball’? Believe it or not, until Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the word didn’t exist. Once you begin to study the work of Shakespeare, you’ll come across more and more terms that you are unfamiliar with, and even recognize some expressions you use on a daily basis that the man came up with simply to fit his need.

Elizabethan Glossary

Here’s an Elizabethan glossary of some of the more difficult terms found in Shakespeare’s plays, as well as the plays they come from, that may come in handy when reading his work.

aery: nest. (Hamlet)
agnize: acknowledge. (Othello)
alarum’d: summoned to action. (Macbeth)
amerce: punish. (Romeo and Juliet)
Anon, anon: In a moment! (Macbeth)
argal: therefore. (Hamlet)
aroint thee: begone. (King Lear)
atomies: miniature beings. (Romeo and Juliet)
batten: glut yourself. (Hamlet)
belike: probably. (King Lear)
betimes: at once. (Julius Caesar)
bite my thumb: an insulting gesture in Shakespeare’s time. (Romeo and Juliet)
blazon: proclamation (Twelfth Night)
bodkin: dagger. (Hamlet)
brock: badger or skunk. (Twelfth Night)
but soft: slowly. (Julius Caesar)
callet: whore. (Othello)
catch: musical round. (Twelfth Night)
chafing with: beating on. (Julius Caesar)
chinks: cash (from the clatter of the coins). (Romeo and Juliet)
comptible: sensitive. (Twelfth Night)
corky: dry with age. (King Lear)
crush a cup: a common expression in Elizabethan English comparable to “open a bottle.” (Romeo and Juliet)
daws: jackdaws, or fools. (Othello)
doit: cheap coin. (The Merchant of Venice)
dudgeon: handle. (Macbeth)
eanlings: lambs. (The Merchant of Venice)
Elysium: paradise (Illyria). (Twelfth Night)
erns: grieves. (Julius Caesar)
Ethiop’s: Negro, as used by Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)
factious: active. (Julius Caesar)
festinate: speedy. (King Lear)
Fie: interjection expressing sense of outrage (Hamlet)
figures: fantasies. (Julius Caesar)
fobbed: cheated. (King Henry IV, Part 1)
four elements: earth, air, fire, and water: The Elizabethans believed that humanity was made up of various combinations of these four elements. (Twelfth Night)
fulsome: fat. (The Merchant of Venice)
gib: tomcat. (Hamlet)
gramercy: many thanks. (The Merchant of Venice)
gudgeon: a fish. (The Merchant of Venice)
gull: deceive and trick. (Twelfth Night)
harpy: a mythical beast having the head of a woman and the body, wings, and talons of an eagle (The Tempest)
have old: have a great deal of trouble (a slang term). (Macbeth)
hob, nob: hit or miss. (Twelfth Night)
humour: feeling (of fear); to persuade by flattery (Julius Caesar)
husbandry: thrift. (Hamlet)
ides: the 15th day of the month. (Julius Caesar)
incarnadine: turn blood-red. (Macbeth)
Jacks: fellows (contemptuous). (The Merchant of Venice)
jowls: bumps. (Hamlet)
maidenhead: virginity. (Twelfth Night)
mazzard: head. (Othello)
meet: proper. (Julius Caesar)
memento mori: reminder of death (King Henry IV, Part 1)
micher: truant (our word “moocher” come from this word). (King Henry IV, Part 1)
miching mallecho: slinking mischief. (Hamlet)
moe: more. (Julius Caesar) (The Merchant of Venice)
moiety competent: sufficient portion. (Hamlet)
mountebanks: fake doctors who sell quack medicine. (Othello)
Mugs: common name for a bumpkin. (King Henry IV, Part 1)
music from the spheres: according to Pythagoras, the universe consisted of eight hollow spheres, inside of which the earth and all the other planets are fixed. (Twelfth Night)
nonce: occasion. (Hamlet)
odd-even: between night and day. (Othello)
of wax: i.e., as handsome as if he had been modeled in wax (Romeo and Juliet)
out of warrant: unjustifiable. (Othello)
out: angry. (Julius Caesar)
pale Hecate: Hecate, goddess of the moon and the underworld, was queen of the witches and witchcraft. (Macbeth)
paunch: stab. (The Tempest)
poor pennyworth: only a small quantity. (The Merchant of Venice)
portance: behavior. (Othello)
praetor: magistrate. (Julius Caesar)
primy: in its prime, youthful. (Hamlet)
prithee: I entreat you. (Twelfth Night)
prorogued: adjourned (postponed). (Romeo and Juliet)
pursy: sensual. (Hamlet)
quaint: skillful, ingenious, delicate, elegant. (The Tempest)
rack’d: reference to the rack, an instrument of torture. (Twelfth Night)
rank garb: gross manner. (Othello)
ranker: greater. (Hamlet)
reechy: literally smoky, foul. (Hamlet)
reeking: sweating. (King Lear)
rheumy: moist. (Julius Caesar)
rive: split open. (King Lear); split in two. (Julius Caesar)
robustious: ranting. (Hamlet)
ronyon: a term of abuse or contempt. (Macbeth)
sallies: sudden advances in battle. (King Henry IV, Part 1)
seel: blind, close. (Othello)
shrift: confession. (Romeo and Juliet)
‘slight: by God’s light (common Elizabethan oath). (Twelfth Night)
spleen: anger. (Othello); fiery impetuosity. (King Henry IV, Part 1)
star-crossed: the idea that people’s fortunes were ruined by the influence of the stars. (Romeo and Juliet)
swag-bellied: loose-bellied. (Othello)
tetchy: fretful, peevish. (Romeo and Juliet)
Thane: an old title of nobility in Scotland almost equal to that of earl. (Macbeth)
topgallant: highest sail on the mast; hence, summit. (Romeo and Juliet)
truckle-bed: small bed on wheels (Romeo and Juliet)
truncheon: a general’s baton. (Hamlet)
undone: returned to chaos. (Macbeth)
ungently: discourteously. (Julius Caesar)
unhoused: unrestrained. (Othello)
unhousel’d: not having received the sacrament. (Hamlet)
unmake: unnerve. (Macbeth)
unprevailing: futile. (Hamlet)
unprovide: unsettle. (Othello)
unreclaimed: untamed. (Hamlet)
unsinew’d: weak. (Hamlet)
varlets: low, uncouth characters. (The Tempest)
vizards: masks. (Macbeth)
welkin: sky, one of the elements. (Twelfth Night)
wilt: must. (Romeo and Juliet)
windlasses: roundabout means, indirect attempts. (Hamlet)
wonder-wounded: overcome with wonder. (Hamlet)
wondrous sensible: very deeply felt. (The Merchant of Venice)
worser genius: bad spirit. (The Tempest)
wot: know. (Romeo and Juliet)
yarely: quickly, smartly. (The Tempest)
yerked: stabbed. (Othello)
yoeman: a property owner, but not high in social rank. (King Lear)
younker: sucker or youngster. (The Merchant of Venice)

What is a Department of Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

Before there was a federal Department of Education, the responsibility for standards in the American educational system rested in the hands of several independent programs within the US President’s Cabinet. The call for a unified Department of Education began to gain volume during the 1950’s and 60’s when education budgets began to soar. By the 70’s, America was ready for a single department to oversee the nation’s educational system.

History of the Department of Education

Although there were myriad legislative attempts to establish a Department of Education since the early 1900’s, the movement gained real momentum with the election of Senator Abraham Ribicoff, who was the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Ribicoff was aided in his efforts by the National Education Association (NEA). This organization began a political action committee that strongly influenced the nomination of Jimmy Carter for President.

Education was one of Carter’s top priorities when he took office in 1976. Initially, pundits were concerned that a Department of Education ran contrary to Carter’s vision of a streamlined government. After carefully studying the issue, Carter decided that education was important enough to merit its own overseeing agency. Ribicoff and several other senators were quick to draft the Department of Education Organization Act. After great debate and conflict, the act was finally voted to the floor where it passed. Carter signed the legislation on October 17th, 1979.

The First Secretary of Education

department-education The initial tone set by the first Secretary of Education, Shirley Hufstedler has served as a model for the Department ever since. Her priorities included focusing on students rather than education interest groups, promoting local administration of education policy, identifying and promoting successful educational models, establishing educational equity and reestablishing the importance of education in the minds of Americans.

Early Threats to the Department

When Ronald Reagan took office, the Department of Education was newly born. President Reagan sought to dismantle the new Department, seeing it as an over-imposition of federal mandate on the states. Terrell Bell, his Secretary of Education, managed to save the Department by establishing its importance in administering policies, helping to coordinate Federal education assistance programs and providing more opportunities for Americans to secure a college education.

The Department of Education Now

Today, the Department runs under the mission of “Providing educational excellent for all Americans”. As part of this mission, the Department also administers policy in early childhood education, secondary schooling and universities. Under the simple name, ED, the Department works to encourage student achievement and prepare the country to compete in a global economy. It publishes research and educational materials to help teachers improve curriculum and student achievement. In addition, the department makes it easier for college students to secure much needed financial aid to pay for a college education and open otherwise closed career opportunities.

Federal Student Loans

Although early childhood education and secondary programs are often sources of contention among Democrats and Republicans, the Department of Education has proven itself useful to both parties through coordinating the funding of over $67 billion in loans, grants and other student aid each year. These loans are administered through the Office of Student Financial Assistance (FSA). This Office manages Stafford loans, undergraduate parent loans, supplemental loans, Pell grants, and other financial aid initiatives. By running these programs under one roof, the students enjoy the benefits of easier access to financial aid.

Stafford Loans

Stafford loans are likely the most well known type of student loan administered by the FSA. The Department of Education funds Direct Stafford Loans, which are repaid directly to the Department. Federal Stafford Loans are administered through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Some of these funds are from private lenders, but the Department supports the loans. These are repaid to the private lender.

Both types of Stafford loans can be subsidized or unsubsidized. A subsidized loan is only granted when there is proof of the need for financial assistance. On these types of loans, the government pays the interest while the student remains enrolled during certain periods and at least half-time. An unsubsidized loan can be secured whether financial need is shown or not. These loans require the student to pay the interest. There is also a Direct PLUS program that provides unsubsidized loans to the parents of dependent college students. In this case, the parents are responsible for paying the interest.

Pell Grants

Pell Grants are preferable to students because they do not require repayment. Eligibility for these grants is based on financial need, the tuition costs involved and the student’s plan to attend for a full year or not. Congress determines the maximum amounts available each year. Pell Grants are paid to the student by the school, typically per semester.

Campus-Based Aid

The FSA also administers campus based programs. Examples of these programs are the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study and Perkins Loan programs. The financial aid office of the participating school distributes these funds at the school’s judgment. Amounts payable are dependent upon financial need, other aid received by the student and the total funds available to the school from the federal government.

Eligibility Requirements

The primary basis for eligibility for federal student aid programs is financial need. Other factors include having a high school diploma or GED. If the student does not have either of these, he or she can take a test approved by the Department. Students must be working to secure a degree or certificate and be enrolled in a program that is eligible for federal assistance. They must also have a valid Social Security Number and be registered with Selective Service where required. To maintain federal assistance, students must show proper academic performance in school.

These federal student assistance programs, and many others administered by the Department of education, have opened career paths to many Americans who would otherwise be unable to afford an education. These loans have become such an integral part of American collegian education, it is hard to conceive how these programs were administered under the split and fractured educational system America utilized prior to 1980.

What is Continuing Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

Continuing education is a term that refers to courses and programs for those who seek to further their careers through career-specific educational courses. Like adult education, this type of schooling is for those beyond high school age, but continuing education is connected with those who have already secured an education and wish to further it. This can mean career builder programs, or college courses that are approved for continuing education credits. Some careers require a certain level of continuing education credits in order to maintain licensure.

Continuing education is most often referred to in the realm of professional development and licensure requirements. There are licensing entities in all states for certain careers such as healthcare, insurance and accountancy. Continuing education is designed for the protection of the public. By ensuring licensed professionals are always securing new information in their fields, the public can develop a level of confidence in those professionals. It ensures that licensed professions are competent in their fields and knowledgeable about the latest advances in technology and changes in markets. New advancements work more quickly into the mainstream through continuing education programs, allowing the public gain benefit soon than would otherwise be available. The first school to offer an identifiable continuing education course was the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1907. Today, such programs are main stream.

Where to Find Continuing Education Courses

continuing-education For those employed by traditional companies, there is often an approved educator for continuing education for which the employer will foot the bill. Freelance professionals must seek out the best courses available on their own. In doing so, they must be careful to choose accredited educators and check that the courses will be counted towards CEUs.

Because adult learners are likely to have prior experience from their work lives, they may be able to secure Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by simply taking a test. However, in most cases a student must complete ten hours of study for one CEU or credit. One day classroom courses are generally the preferred method for obtaining CEUs, because there is usually no test required to obtain credit. The classroom can also be preferable for students when there is great detail in the course material. In-person communication allows the student to pick up on nuance and different ways of viewing information. It is also an excellent place to network with others in the field and gain an understanding of how other professionals do the same job.

Distance Learning

The first distance learning courses for continuing education began in the 1950’s through the use of public television. Technology has continued to advance and shape distance learning so that it is an interactive and multi-tiered environment today. Learning can now take place online, in an at-home self study course or in a classroom. At-home course work is self-directed, allowing credits upon passing an examination. There is often no interaction with an instructor, simply a course book and finally an examination.

Online Instruction

Online courses allow students to take classes at their own pace, often taking place over several sessions. Those who prefer self-study can take online courses that simply present the information to the student and provide students with a forum to chat or email the instructor with questions. When students have mastered the material, they can take a test to show their knowledge. Tests are typically administered in a proctored setting at a local college or testing center.

It is generally easy to find continuing education courses online. The challenge is choosing the right program from a reputable and accredited provider. So some research on any course you are considering and take the time to look up the experiences of other students who have taken the same course. It ma be helpful to look for a site that offers courses from various schools, all at one website. Even courses for federal and state agencies can often be taken online.

Consider a Series of Courses

When deciding which courses to take, it is often preferable to begin a series of courses that will not only offer CEUs, but also result in a professional designation. For instance, a claims adjuster may take several courses to secure an Associate in Claims designation, making it easier to advance within the field. By choosing such courses, the benefit of continuing education is doubled for the student, securing CEUs and a professional designation.

Benefits of Continuing Education

It is not necessary to be a licensed professional to benefit from continuing education. These courses can often benefit those who are not required to take them by providing added skills and understanding in a chosen field. By developing a broader understanding in a career, employees increase their opportunities for advancement and higher pay.

Adding to an education can also benefit workers in greater job satisfaction. These classes offer new perspectives on old work, which can often become stale after many years. By taking courses, the employee gains new and helpful information that makes the daily grind a little more interesting. There is the added benefit of communicating with others in the same field and securing new viewpoints on the same job.

Taking additional classes can also increase job security. Taking such courses shows the employer that the worker is dedicated to the profession and truly cares about his or her career. This offers room for advancement and an advantage over other applicants for a given opening. Certification can serve as a bargaining chip in salary negotiations and promotions or make it easier for you to find a job elsewhere.

Studies show that workers who engage in continuing education find it very important to their careers. They realized greater knowledge and skill in their jobs, develop new knowledge, learn of new developments in the field and became more competent and productive in their jobs. Those who participate in continuing education are often better able to serve their clients after taking these courses. They become more focused and driven in their careers, gaining a greater sense of purpose and understanding about their work.

What is a Board of Education?

January 8th, 2013 |

As the official policy maker for school districts, the Boards of Education in the towns and states play a collective role in America’s future. These Boards separate education policies from local and federal politics, with the primary goal of furthering the education prospects of children. It is the vehicle by which the United States fulfills the constitutionally mandated right to an education. Each Board has its own vision for improving education and ensuring equal opportunities in education for all classes of citizenry. They partner with the community so that the general public can voice its opinion with respect to education policy. In essence, these Boards dictate what students should learn and what teachers should teach.

A Board of Education is enacted through legislation and therefore subject to state and local laws in its management. Other authorities may also hold sway over how the Boards are run. For this reason, each Board will have its own methodology in running board meetings, gathering public comment and budgeting funds. In general, state laws give these Boards the power to review and adopt regulations, establish standards, research and amend curriculum and make recommendations for improvements. The Board is responsible for approving new districts and reallocating existing ones.

The Board of Education is comprised of school district residents who are elected by the community or appointed by representatives. The primary role of the board is to be a liaison between the schools and the community. Public opinion holds strong sway with the Board, but not all Boards allow public meetings. Some allot a short period for public comment while others allow meetings to be open, except during the executive session. An executive session is the portion of a Board meeting in which internal matters or public safety issues are discussed.

Superintendant Selection

board-education The Superintendent of Schools is typically selected by the Board of Education. This individual serves as chief executive officer for a district. The primary role of the Superintendent is to administer the policies the Board of Education adopts and to execute internal decisions connected with Board operations. This executive will also administer daily operations and advise the board in its policies, submitting recommendations. On the state and federal levels, this role is filled by the Secretary of Education.

Local school Superintendents must manage everything from school cleanliness, to cafeteria menus. Daily budgetary concerns such as custodial services, purchasing and sports programs must be managed. They are faced with finding ways to cut expenses by improving bus routes. In many cases, schools have begun asking families to pick up the tab for bus transportation outside a certain range of the school.

On the state level, the Secretary of Education coordinates and integrates the policies and standards set by the state for all schools. This can include employment training programs and health and human services. The Federal Education Secretary’s role is similar but administers funding needed by state Boards of Education and sets federal standards for education quality.

Curriculum Management

The Board of Education is responsible for approving curriculum for schools. The Board will often research new curriculums and the effectiveness of current curriculum to assess if changes are warranted. State Boards of Education will have separate councils dealing with elementary education and higher education. These boards develop curriculum, standards and budgets allocations for local schools in each state.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Board of Education are governed by local and state laws. However, there are some duties that all Boards hold in common. These Boards are expected to create policies for running each school district. They will determine and work towards each districts educational standards and goals. Boards are expected to develop and revise curricula as needed and research the effectiveness of programs they have put in place.

Internally, the Board of Education is responsible for recruiting, and managing the superintendent. The Board will also be responsible for the hiring, firing and management of school employees, including teachers. As such, the Board must set minimum standards for teachers. When necessary, the Board will negotiate with teachers unions as well. All this must be done within the budget that the Board of Education sets for the district.

Obligations to Society

The foremost obligation the Board of Education has for society is to provide the right to an education to all Americans. In filling this role, the board is expected to communicate the public’s opinions, views and desires to the schools. This requires that Boards have a level of independence from the influence of politics, so that the best interests of children are always kept in the forefront. State Boards are expected to give local Boards the freedom to move in the directions the community sees as best.

Society expects the Board of Education to help students achieve more by providing better teachers and curriculum. The methods and policies adopted by these Boards will determine the readiness of our high school graduates to enter the work force and contribute to the overall economy.

A Delicate Balance

State Boards of Education face special challenges in supporting struggling school systems. They must often allocate more resources to poorer communities, making it difficult to provide “equal” opportunities to all. Organizing the allocation of funds is a major undertaking, requiring a great deal of forethought.

Boards of Education have been faced with ever-growing budget cuts as the economy weakens, presenting greater challenges to run schools more efficiently. Maintaining high standards on a low budget is no easy task.

The various financial levels in differing communities also presents a challenge. To set the same standard for all districts is difficult when poorer communities will naturally have more difficulty meeting those standards.

A Blind Man Invented This, Most Cars Have It But You Don’t Use It Everyday….What Is It?

January 8th, 2013 |

This is the riddle of the day: “A blind man invented this, most cars have it but you don’t use it everyday. What is it?” It may not be so much as what this particular item is as it is that a blind man invented it. Just the thought that a blind man invented something for a moving automobile is enough to give you pause. How could someone who could not see be able to invent anything with precision moving parts? Well, it turns out that they can. The inventor’s name was Ralph Teetor, a blind man from Indiana who grew up to become one of the most inspiring of automotive engineers.

Who Was Ralph Teetor?

Ralph Teetor was born in 1890. When he was five years old he was blinded in a shop accident. But this horrible fate did not deter the boy. Growing up he was inspired by Thomas Edison and developed a fascination with mechanics. When he was 12 years old, he built his own one-piston automobile with the help of his cousin. They took a discarded engine and rebuilt it by hand. The car could get up to speeds of 25 MPH and he and his cousin drove it through their hometown.

Ralph Teetor then surprised everyone by graduating in 1912 from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He even graduated within the top third of his class. The university’s staff and faculty originally did not think he was capable of making it through the program because of his disability. But in fact his sense of touch proved very adept.

blind-man-invented After college Teetor went to work for the family business, a company originally called the Light Inspection Car Company but was later renamed The Perfect Circle Company. The company was a world leader as a designer and manufacturer of piston rings. They provided piston rings to car companies such as Packard, General Motors, Chrysler, and Studebaker.

The company’s manufacturing went international with the outbreak of World War II. The company played an important role in transportation for land, air, and sea for the U.S. military. Teetor started out as a mechanical engineer and worked for the family company for 30 years. He eventually worked his way up as President where he served from 1946 to 1957.

One of Teetor’s larger accomplishments was in developing a technique for balancing steam turbine rotors used in torpedo-boat destroyers. The balancing of the large rotor components had stumped other engineers before Ralph solved the problem. His advanced sense of touch had proved to be more accurate than the engineers before him.

Teetor did not like to discuss his blindness. He preferred to live a normal life as if his disability did not exist. In spite of it, he became a very successful engineer and executive. He was even a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and was elected its President of the society in 1936. Teetor served on the SAE War Engineering Board during World War II. In 1988, he was posthumously inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

What Is He Known For?

So what is the answer to that riddle? What is Ralph Teetor best known for? Teetor is the inventor of that handy little item on your car called cruise control. It came about during World War II when the government set the national speed limit to 35 MPH to conserve gas and tires which were needed for the war. Teetor got the idea for the cruise control after riding with his lawyer one day in the lawyer’s car. When the lawyer talked, he would slow down and when he listened, he would speed up. This constant rocking motion apparently annoyed Teetor so much he decided to invent a device that would control the speed of an automobile. The device was originally known as the Speedostat, the Controlmatic, and Touchomatic. However, Teetor was never happy with any of those names so he finally settled on the name we all know: cruise control. The cruise control debuted in 1958 on the Chrysler Imperial, New Yorker and Windsor models and was eventually installed on all Chrysler models.

What Else Did Teetor Invent?

Ralph Teetor also invented other engineering and mechanical items throughout his life. He was responsible for several improvements in vehicle design and even helped to develop automatic transmission. As an engineer for the Perfect Circle Company, he designed and developed an improved piston ring. Then in 1922, he patented a selective gear shift for automobiles which he later sold to the Bendix Corporation. Besides automobile improvements, Teetor’s other inventions included an early version of a powered lawn mower, several lock mechanisms, and holders for fishing rods.

The Ralph Teetor Award

As a member of the Society of Autmotive Engineers (or SAE), an awards program was named in his honor. The Ralph Teetor Award was established in 1953. It is administered by the Teetor Educational Award Committee and

its goal is to provide an engineering atmosphere where teachers can meet and exchange views with practicing engineers. The belief of the committee is that engineering educators are the most effective link between students and their future careers. The award consists of a certificate, a trip to a major SAE meeting, and two years of SAE membership. It is presented at either the Awards Ceremony during the SAE World Congress or at a major SAE aerospace meeting.

What City Represented The Most Unique Blending Of Arts And Customs In The 1800’s?

January 8th, 2013 |

It is hard to decide on which one city in the entire world has the most unique blend of arts and culture during the 1800’s. The entire 1800’s is a century of rapid global growth and advancement. The Industrial Revolution brought about the creation of the railroads which made travel easier and faster. Immigration was common as large ethnic groups moved around trying to find a better life. Yet of all the cities that experienced growth during this time, I can only think of three cities that could fit the bill: Paris, New York, and San Francisco.

Paris, France

Paris has long been a cultural mecca for the arts. A lot of its advances during the 1800’s is due to two men, both named Napoleon. As the capital of France, Paris grew into a center for learning. It was known as a city of pilgrimage during the 1300’s, under the guidance of Louis IX. After the French Revolution, a young officer named Napoleon Bonaparte seized power. Napoleon wanted to transform Pairs into a city that could rival Rome. He set about constructing architectural wonders inspired by the Italian city.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, immigrants flooded the city looking for work. Monuments such as the Eglise de la Madeleine, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eglise du Dome were erected as was the famous Eiffel Tower (although that was at the end of the century). By mid-1800’s, the city’s population crested 900,000 and marked it as the second largest city in Europe.

At the end of a series of revolts, a new ruler was elected in 1848. The victor was Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, the former emperor. Under his rule, he transformed the city once more. He modernized the old Paris by building a new system of streets and wide boulevards. He changed the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes into parks.

Under Napoleon’s rule, Paris experienced what was called a bella époque; a Golden Age. It became renowned for its arts with the rise of the Impressionists movement. The Moulin Rouge became popular with its brothels, clubs, and cabarets which drew from a wide assortment of cultures. New monuments and architecture were built and Paris finally took on the current look that it has today.

New York City

New York has always represented the cultural melting pot of the United States. From its early colonial days with Dutch settlers to the influx of Germans in 1710, the beginnings of New York had a mix of European cultures. The construction of the Eerie Canal, which began in 1817 and was finished in 1825, would prove to be a valuable asset for bringing trade and economics to New York. It also created a way over the Appalachian Mountains for settlement.

By 1810, two-thirds of the inhabitants in New York were foreigners. The fledgling city had taken on the role as a place to do business and make money.

As the New York area expanded with commerce during the Pre-Civil War era, it also brought in a variety of ethnic groups. Germans, Dutch, Scots Irish from Pennsylvania, African-Americans, and immigrants from England and Ireland all moved into upstate New York and formed a large community. It wasn’t until after the American Civil War (and the New York Draft Riots) that New York began to take on a more modern urban look. As economy still grew, the city drew in more people from the railways and the steamboats.

Immigrants have always played a vital role in the creation of New York. The harbors of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey provided ideal space for vessels to travel up and down the coast (as well as across the Atlantic) to deliver trade goods. These harbors proved valuable during the Irish Potato Famine and the Revolutions of 1848 when New York saw its largest influx of Irish and German immigrants.

All of these different cultures helped to shape New York. The city’s entrepreneurial attitude brought plenty of work in a confined place. Separate neighborhood districts developed as home to those different cultural groups. Today you can visit New York’s Chinatown, Little Italy, and other cultural areas.

San Francisco

Similar to New York on the east coast, San Francisco has grown into a diverse cultural mix. Owing a lot to its natural harbor, San Francisco grew due to trade and commerce that went on up and down the Pacific coast.

San Francisco started out as a Spanish settlement in the late 1700’s. It was later visited by the French and English but the next largest settlement was Russian. Russian explorers colonized a stretch of area from Alaska down to California.

In 1821, California gained its independence from Spain as part of Mexico. In 1835, the beginnings of what would become San Francisco occurred when an Englishman named William Richardson founded a small town named Yerba Buena. The town was where Portsmouth Square is today. During the Mexican-American war, the U.S. navy took up residence in the town and officially changed its name to San Francisco in 1847.

The California Gold Rush of 1848 started a huge boom in San Francisco. It drew in a large number of immigrants and workers for the railroad, mostly Chinese, and potential prospectors looking to get rich. One-fifth of the city’s population is still Chinese and the China Town district is one of the largest ethnic districts in the U.S.

By 1890, San Francisco became known as “The Paris of the West”. The city had built up a new sewage system, school districts, parks, a public library, and several businesses such as Levi & Strauss, Ghirardelli Chocolate, and Wells Fargo Bank. A 50-year plan was drafted to create new architecture to improve the city’s look and appeal. This culminated in the Opera House, the waterfront, a subway, and a number of wide streets and boulevards.

San Francisco is still a city that is a cultural mix. There are districts dominated by different ethnic groups and a wide variety of business and commerce that is rivaled only by New York City.

What Colleges Earn Their Graduates the Most Money?

November 1st, 2012 |

What colleges earn their graduates the most money?

We’ve all heard the numbers — people with college degrees earn a ton more money than those who do not graduate from college. Also, the more degrees you earn the more money you’re worth. However, some schools seem to graduate students with higher salaries. It could be because employers are looking for specific names on resumes, or it could be that one college prepares students for the real world more than another. Whatever the reason, we now know what schools graduates earn the most money.

PayScale, a financial analysis website, spent the last couple of years collecting info from college grads about their jobs, their starting salaries, and the average mid-career salaries and put together a couple of charts ranking the ten highest median graduate salaries and ten highest initial salaries by school.

If you were expecting Harvard or Yale to top the list, you’ll be disappointed. Not even the powerhouse Massachusetts Institute of Technology took top honors. No, that spot belongs to Dartmouth College. Gradutes of Dartmouth programs report the highest median mid-career salary — an average of $129,000. As for the school whose graduates earn the average highest starting salary, that honor goes to little known Loma Linda University, a private school where graduates first year of salaray averages over $71,000.

There are a few weaknesses in the study that need to be discussed. because PayScale asked people to report their own salary information, without any kind of verification, the study may end up being about which campus graduates more people willing to lie about their salary. The study’s pool of respondents is not at all randomized — in fact, the pool is self selected and the statistics are reported by the study participants online and voluntarily. PayScale also went in a weird direction in terms of the limit of degrees earned — the study only counts the salaries of individuals with just a bachelor’s degree — lawyers, doctors, and other professionals who require post Graduate degrees are completely left out.

PayScale claims they did the study this way to show the high return one could earn from a single investment — whereas earning a Master’s or PhD requires hefty additional expense and investment of time.

Alright, so what we’re looking at here is a study of the potential return on an investment for a Bachelor’s degree. Here are the top ten colleges in both categories — highest median mid-career salary (first table) and median starting salary (second table):

1. Dartmouth College – $129,000

2. MIT – $126,000

3. Harvard University – $126,000

4. Harvey Mudd College – $125,000

5. Stanford University – $124,000

6. Princeton University – $124,000

7. Colgate University – $122,000

8. University of Notre Dame – $121,000

9. Yale University – $120,000

10. University of Pennsylvania – $118,000

—————————————

1. Loma Linda University – $71,400

2. MIT – $71,100

3. Harvey Mudd College – $71,000

4. CIT (California Institute of Technology) – $69,700

5. Stanford – $67,500

6. Carnegie-Mellon University – $65,300

7. Princeton University – $65,000

8. Polytechnic University of New York, Brooklyn – $62,700

9. Renssalear Polytechnic Institute – $62,500

10. Rose Hulman Institute of Technology – $61,100

The lesson here is — tell your kids to be engineers. Engineers make tons of money, as reflected by the massive amounts of engineering schools represented inthe above tables. Especially promising for engineering students is the second table. Besides Loma Linda (which is a Seventh-day Adventist medical school in southern California), there are basically only engineering schools on the list of top starting salaries of graduates, with maybe three Ivy League schools thrown in. If you want to make good money right out of college, study Engineering.

Before you get obsessed over your next school choice, and before you die your fifth grader’s hair Stanford red, you might want to consider that this study is not exactly a one stop shop for how a school choice can impact sucess in life. The important thing is that you or your child attend college somewhere — not necessarily at one of these “top ten” schools. A college degree is what will earn a person more money over time, not necessarily a college degree from MIT or Carnegie-Mellon. There are many factors to take into account when choosing a college, and the results of this study shouldn’t be one of them.

What Are the Best Paying Careers for People without College Degrees?

September 28th, 2012 |

Which Jobs Pay Best with No College Degree?

There are well-paying careers that people do not need college degrees to enter. Most of these careers are found in fields that are either highly competitive or that include responsibility with many lives on the line or a lot of money on the line.

You’ll also notice that these positions tend to require someone to receive a hefty amount of on-the-job training and possibly a license of some sort. But you won’t have to sit in a classroom for four years to hold these jobs.

Air Traffic Controller

An air traffic controller does not need a college degree. The air traffic controller does need four years of college and three years of on-the-job training. That’s because air traffic controllers direct airplanes on their takeoffs and landings and make certain they don’t crash into one another waiting to land or flying across the country. That’s a high pressure job with lots of training required, but the job pays on average nearly $93,000 a year for people with 10+ years experience.

Commercial Pilot

The commercial pilot will need to complete a pilot’s license and maintain certification. Becoming a commercial pilot usually requires 250 hours of flight for smaller companies, 1,000 for regional commercial airlines and 2,000-3,000 hours for a national commercial airline. Getting hours to get to that 250 hour plateau often comes with a local flying club or through classes at the local airport.

Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent doesn’t need to have a college degree, since their job is sales related. Salesmen seldom do, but often make good money. A real estate agent will need between 60-90 hours of training and generally needs between 1-3 years of training as a real estate sales agent (different than a real estate broker) to attain a real estate broker license. Once you get this, you’ll buy and sell houses on the real estate market. A real estate broker might become a commercial property broker, instead.

Keep in mind that real estate is a highly competitive field. The turnover rate is incredible, because of how easy it is to enter the real estate broker field. Most decide the job isn’t for them or they can’t make a go at it. Those who remain in the real estate business for 5 years can make upwards of $75,000 to $80,000 per year on average, at least in the bigger cities.

Sales Representative

Sales job aren’t likely to require a college degree. These individuals require a certain charisma to make sales that isn’t taught in schools. Sales reps tend to be personable, talkative, charming and gregarious. Typically, the sales representative sells a company’s merchandise to a store owner, who in turns sales them in retail to public customers. This position is generally not an entry-level position, but is attained after a time of service to the company. Some college might be preferred, but is not required.

Transportation Manager

Trucking companies inevitably need someone to organize and direct their transportation and trucking activities. That’s what a transportation manager does. The entry position is generally a truck driver himself (or herself). Many transportation managers have some college hours, but it’s not a necessity.

Immigration and Customs Officer

An immigration officer or customs inspector is charged with keeping illegal people and items out of the country. Because of the high level of responsibility required for this career, the salary for a customs officer tends to be pretty high. Once again, this job requires a keen eye and honesty, but does not require a college degree.

Nuclear Power Reactor Operator

No, you don’t have to have a college degree to be put in charge of whether a nuclear reactor has a meltdown or not. You do have to get a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and pass a yearly examination. Nuclear power reactor operators make a median income of just over $80,000 a year.

Casino Floor Manager

The casino floor manager is a highly important position in a casino, because he oversees the pit bosses and dealers: in effect overseeing huge amounts of money every day. The casino floor manager not only has to have a keen eye for gamblers and casino patrons involved in shady activities, but he has to keep an eye on a huge room full of employees, too. Most of all, the casino floor manager has to be honest.

You don’t walk into a casino and get a job as a casino floor manager. You’ll probably start as a card dealer. If you are successful and impress the casino management, you’ll get a job as a “pit boss”, who settle disputes, watch out for cheating and give comps to customers in one aspect of the casino: the blackjack pit or the craps tables, for instance.

If you’re successful at this intermediate step and stand out from the other pit bosses, you’ll get a shot at the casino gaming manager, who is likely to make over $75,000 a year. The casino wants to make sure you make a comfortable living, to avoid tempations to cheat the casino.

With all that in mind, you don’t need a college degree to become a casino gaming manager.

Police Detective

Once again, to become a police detective, you’ll need to work your way through the ranks of the police force, most likely starting out as a patrol officer. The police detective, like the air traffic controller and the nuclear reactor operator, has a lot of lives in his or her hands.

Not only are you solving crimes that might involve getting justice for a murdered someone and their family, but you are also saving lives by taking dangerous people off the streets. A bad detective can cost the wrongly accused years of jail time, while costing the taxpayers thousands of dollars in court costs. So the police detective has major responsibilities.

Fire Fighting Supervisor

The fire fighting supervisor has not only the lives of the public in their hands, but also the lives of the firefighters working under him. This individual generally comes from the ranks of the firefighters themselves.

What Is the College Cost Reduction and Access Act?

September 27th, 2012 |

What is the College Cost Reduction and Access Act?

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act was passed in 2007 — the bill, signed into law by then President George W. Bush, was a sweeping reform of laws related to finances for college students. Though most of the bill’s legislation has already been phased in, a crucial portion of the bill for those of us who are dealing with college loans goes into effect on July 1, 2009.

A quick summary of what parts of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act have already taken effect:

1. Doing away with “tuition sensitivity”

Students at some “lower cost” institutions, such as state schools or junior colleges, were once limited in the amount of Pell Grant money they could receive. These “tuition sensitivity” clauses were wiped out, allowing students at colleges across the nation to receive the maximum Pell Grant available. The bill also allowed for extra money to pay out these larger grants, and gave many students the ability to afford college.

2. Pell Grant increases

The size of Pell Grants went up as well — by 2012, students receiving Pell Grant awards would earn as much as $1,100 more per award year.

3. Increased funding for “Upward Bound” programs

4. TEACH Grants

Students in teacher certification programs could receive an additional grant from the Federal government to earn their teaching certificate. In order to receive this award, students earning a TEACH grant are required to serve a minimum of four years as a certified teacher in specific schools teaching specific subjects, mostly math and the hard sciences.

5. Interest Rate Reductions

Over the next four years, interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans for students will continue to drop — as low as 3.4% by award year 2012.

6. Student Loan Deferment for members of the armed forces

These changes in college finances have already helped countless students on their way to a college education, but a major part of the bill’s platform will take effect next week — income based repayment of student loans.

Loan re payments will be limited to just fifteen percent of a borrower’s discretionary income. If a borrower is married, that number means 15 percent of the amount of the borrower’s family’s adjusted gross income. Unpaid interest and principal is forgiven after 25 years of repayment — meaning if your loan amount is so huge compared to your relative income, and you are in good standing for twenty-five years, the balance of your loan will be forgiven.

Many online calculators exist that could help potential borrowers to determine if they will qualify for the income based repayment option.

Most students who do qualify will have their student loan payments set at less than 10% of their annual income. However, it is important to remember that this option wouldn’t make sense for a graduate who plans to take a job paying upwards of $100,000 — like landing on the Income Tax space in Monopoly, you have to calculate your income and determine if that 10% option makes sense for you.

Realistically, most college graduates won’t immediately land a high paying job and earn the kind of salary that would keep them from enjoying the income based repayment option. Debt loads are climbing for recent graduates, and according to most sources, a high percentage of college graduates are exiting school with debt near $100,000 or more, especially if they earned any kidn of post graduate degree. If you were planning on stretchong out your debt payment, this new income based repayment plan is a good option.

Although the new law will make student loan repayment more affordable for most graduates, the legislation comes with complicated qualifications and rules that may baffle many potential aid recipients. In other words, borrowers may not get the information they need to make the right decision about the income based repayment plan.

Besides the income based repayment plan, there is a new “public service loan forgiveness” prgram that aims to entice students into certain public service fields. Borrowers can take advantage of the federal government’s public service loan forgiveness if they land right type of job (among many catgeories), take out the right type of loans (usually subsidized Stafford or TEACH loans) and continue to make prompt and full payments.

If you are confused about how the new legislation may affect you, or believe you might qualify for some of the new repayment options, check with your loan provider, financial aid counselor, or visit the government’s web site about the changes at http://www.ibrinfo.org/.

What Is the Harvard Racist Test?

September 16th, 2012 |

What is the Harvard racist test?

Apparently, I’m a little bit racist. That’s right — up until today, I thought I was a fairly even keeled guy with very little in the way of racial preference. Turns out, I’m just another George Wallace in sheep’s clothing. Thanks a lot, Harvard.

A little backstory — I’m a white male in my late 20s. I grew up as a minority — in fact, in the high school I graduated from there were maybe a half dozen other white graduates. I had no problem with this. I’ve never thought of myself as having any racial preference whatsoever. I think Beyonce is just as hot as “13″ from House.

But, according to the Harvard racist test, I show “a slight automatic preference for European American compared to African American.”

The Harvard racist test is just one of the “Implicit Association Tests” developed by Harvard scientists working on something called Project Implicit. Check it out yourself at http://www.projectimplicit.net/. The “IAT”s are composed of both standard demographic questions and “hyperquizzes” where the user must use hand eye coordination to respond to a series of visual stimuli. In the most interesting part of the Racist test, users must use their left and right index fingers to press a button and respond to images on the screen. The test constantly urges you to “make quick decisions”, which I suppose is the scientists way of ensuring that users don’t “cheat’ the results. If you answer with your first response, you’re more likely to be honest in your responses.

You have to take the test to really understand how it works. Basically, the questions are designed to test how quickly you can identify a race by a small picture, and how quickly you can associate a certain word with a its connotation as “bad” or “good”. My first qualm with the test was the thought that perhaps my results were skewed by the fact that I am right-hand dominant, until I realized that the scientists who built the hyper test switched the questions and answers between hands, I suppose in an attempt to counter act the impact of hand dominance.

This is not the only “Implicit Association Test” availble from Project Implicit. Using their technology, you can find out things as diverse as your political leanings (Obama or McCain?), religious preference, skin tone preference (different from racial preference, as all races and ethnicities have variations in tones of skin), and sexuality. Though the absolute science of these tests is easy to dispute, the results were shocking, for me.

It is possible that I have ‘a slight preference’ for European American faces — after all, they were the faces that raised me as a child, and the faces of most of the women I’ve ever dated. However, jumping to conclusions based on a four minute test is dangerous. What if, for instance, employers were allowed to use this test as a hiring mechanism? The Harvard IATs are not yet ready to be swallowed without a pinch of salt.

What Is the Average Cost of a College Education?

September 12th, 2012 |

What Is the Average Cost of a College Education?

The cost of higher education is on the rise. The scariest part of this trend is that costs are going up a noticeable amount from year to year rather than increasing a little bit at a time. According to the College Board (that’s the folks who administer the SAT exam) college students will pay an average of $400 more for room and board this year compared to last year. That number will be different from college to college, but seeing big increases in college costs over just twelve months should be enough to convince you — college costs are going up.

Average Cost of Four Year Colleges

Because colleges regularly report their costs it is easy to come up with an average cost for a college education. In 2010, a year of tuition and room and board at a private college is up to $26,273. That’s an increase of almost 5 percent from last year’s cost. The price at public institutions is up too — room and board and tuition will run you $7,000 and that number is up 6.5 percent from the last academic year.

When students want to attend a school outside of their home state the cost is even higher. This year, out of state room and board and tuition and fees will run students an average of $11,500.

Average Cost of Two Year Colleges

College doesn’t have to be this expensive — two-year colleges (which aren’t included in the above averages) are affordable and you can often finish a large portion of your course load at a two-year college before transferring to a larger school for graduation. The College Board says that 31% of college students attend one of these two-year schools, so not everyone is getting squeezed at the bursar’s office.

The average cost at a public two-year college is around $4,000 depending on what part of the country you are in. Costs at these colleges vary widely, so check at two-year colleges in your area before you decide to go to a two-year school to save money.

College Cost Statistics

There are some interesting figures related to college cost reported by the College Board. College students have found lots of ways to reduce cost (grants and scholarships) and it appears there are plenty of colleges still offering a great value. For instance, 19 percent of students who attend a private four-year college pay tuition and fees below $18,000. Sure that’s a low number, but it means that you can get a private school education somewhat closer to a public school cost. With costs at public schools rising even more rapidly than those at private school, you may as well choose a cheap private college.

Having said that, there are some great deals on public four-year schools. The College Board reports that 32 percent of full-time public college students pay less than $6,000.

The opposite end of that spectrum is the group of students who pay outlandishly high costs — apparently, only one fifth of all private school students pay anything higher than $36,000.

College costs aren’t going to start a downward trend anytime soon. The issue of cost adds one more wrinkle to the already difficult college decision process. Consider cost differences between public and private universities as well as the differences between two-year and four-year programs before committing to any college.

This article answers the question “what is the average cost of a college education?” Other articles in this series include:

See also:

Online Cosmetology School

Who Built the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

February 13th, 2011 |

Who Built the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

There’s a quick answer to this question. The designer responsible for the world’s most famous blunder was named Bonanno Pisano.

Pisano is blamed for building a foundation far too small for the ambitious bell tower project–a foundation of just three meters built into swampy soil is the cause of the trademark lean of this otherwise standard cathedral tower.

What Is the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is in fact a bell tower, built to adorn the Pisa Cathedral in Pisa, Italy. The tower began to lean noticeably in one direction in the year 1173 as it was being built.

Why build such an ostentatious bell tower in such a poor spot? The Tower was built to show off the incredible wealth of the people of Pisa who prospered because of their abilities as sailors. The people of Pisa were sailors by blood, people who had Who Built the Leaning Tower of Pisa conquered lands as far away as Jerusalem, Carthage, Ibiza, Mallorca, and as far away as Norway and Morocco. THe only people left to conquer were the nearby Florentines. The tower was intended to intimidate the people of Florence and brag about how well the Pisans were doing financially.

The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Builders realized that the tower was starting to lean when they had finished building just one and one half meters of the third floor. The damage was considered irreversible, and so much money already spent that the only answer was to halt all construction until 1272. War soon broke out against Florence, and all of the money that could have been spent to repair and finish the tower was spent on warfare.

The lean itself is caused by two things–a poor foundation and sandy and marshy soil that the tower was built on. During the tower’s construction from 1272 until 1275, the tower kept right on leaning. Believe it or not, war broke out again (again with Florence) in 1275–more delays to fight war.

Once that war settled down, construction on the belfry of the tower began in earnest. The belfry was designed and built by a different person, Tommaso, son of Andrea Pisano. Full construction of the tower was completed in 1350.

Interestingly enough, the Florentines got the last laugh. In 1392, facing financial ruin, the entire town of Pisa was sold to Florence as a last-ditch effort to save the town. The residents of Pisa were forced into slavery at the hands of the Florentines. Pisa would never again be a wealthy town.

Leaning Tower of Pisa Controversy

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Wrong. Bonnano Pisano is no longer considered the true builder of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Blame for the tower’s poor construction may in fact lay at the feet of another man.

For years, people believed Bonnano Pisano built the tower because his name was found in a plate at the foot of the structure, but this is now believed to be a coincidence.

An architect named Diotisalvi is now considered the original architect and designer due to the time of construction and the similarities between the tower and other works by Diotisalvi. The Leaning Tower of Pisa looks remarkably similar to the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both of which are also located in Pisa.

We may never know who really built the Leaning Tower, but one thing is sure–it is a big tourist draw. Even though access to the top of the tower has been decreased due to construction and safety concerns, officials in Pisa say at least a million people every year come just to see and photograph the tower’s famous lean.

Who Built the Alamo?

February 12th, 2011 |

Who Built the Alamo in San Antonio?

The Alamo looms large in American history, even though it was ultimately a loss. The Alamo was an important symbol, both for Texans and for Americans as a whole. What was the Alamo?

The Story of the Alamo

The proper name for the Alamo is San Antonio de Valero Mission, sometimes referred to as San Antonio de Padua. The Alamo is the folksy name that everyone knows now, but the building itself was authorized for construction and use by the Viceroy of Mexico back in 1716.

Friar Antonio de Olivares is generally given credit for actually building the Alamo mission. de Olivares brought Indians who had converted to Catholicism and the records from the San Francisco Solano Mission that

Who Built the Alamo?

he’d built near San Juan Bautista on the Rio Grande.

de Olivares founded the mission at the site of San Antonio in 1718, a full two years after the building was authorized. The name of the mission is a combination of Saint Anthony de Padua and the Duke of Valero, the Spanish viceroy who authorized the building. This blending of names was a common practice among the Spanish who often held their own rulers in as high a regard as religious figures. The present site of the mission, the location you see now, was actually selected in 1724, and the cornerstone of the chapel was laid on May 8, 1744.

What Was the Alamo For?

The mission behind the Alamo was to Christianize and educate the local Native American population. Of course, after just a few years the mission effectively became a military fortress, thanks to upheaval in the area and occupation by the Spanish forces.

The Alamo was the scene of many bloody skirmishes well before the famous siege of 1836. In fact, any actual missionary activity at the Alamo ended by 1765. The Alamo was completely abandoned by all forces in 1793, and the church records were moved to the nearby San Fernando Church.

The Alamo and the Fight for Texan Independence

So how did an abandoned Spanish mission become the site for a major battle in Texas’ war for independence from Mexico?

In 1803 a company of soldiers from Coahuila, Mexico occupied the old mission, finding its design a perfect fit for military barracks and training procedures. The Alamo was continuously occupied by these and other Mexican forces continuously from 1803 to December 1835, just before the Alamo siege.

Remember that by the early 1800s, the state we now know as Texas belonged entirely to Mexico. The Alamo became the scene of the famous siege during the fight for the independence of Texas from Mexico because, once again, the Alamo was occupied by a warring army. Spanish troops occupied the twice-abandoned building, now used as a fortress and barracks for their troops. It was during this occupation that the old mission came to be known as “Alamo.”

In 1836, Col. William B. Travis, James Bowie, Davy Crockett, and 200 other Texan volunteers fought for and occupied the Alamo. Thirteen days of hellish siege later, thousands of Mexican soldiers finally overtook the Alamo. The forces of General Antonio López de Santa Anna were worn down by the handful of Texans, who all died fighting for their lives on March 6, 1836. Their death became a rallying cry for other Texans and for Americans in general: “Remember the Alamo.”

See also:

How to Become a Bookkeeper

December 30th, 2010 |

Learn how to become a bookkeeper to open up more opportunities for advancement at your place of business, or increase your job prospects in the open market. If you have a couple of traits, you might have what it takes to get into bookkeeping.

First, you need to be good with mathematics. A good bookkeeper needs to be a natural mathematician, because math is a large part of your job description. Of course, you’ll have the tools so you don’t add everything up in your head, but being a math whiz helps with the second trait.

Second, you need to be details-oriented. This means you need to be able to spot inconsistencies in the bookwork, and otherwise spot bookkeeping errors or notes that don’t make any sense.

How to Become a Bookkeeper Having a good head for math helps you keep an informal tally in your own head, so if some gross mistake happens, you’ll spot it. Obviously, having an eye for details means you need good powers of concentration. A good bookkeeper doesn’t let their mind wander to tonight’s ballgame, or spend time on Facebook, instead of their business’s financial books.

Background in Math and Computers

These are natural talents I’m talking about, though. You need to supplement natural traits with training and instruction. Take business courses, consumer math courses, and even applied mathematics classes to supplement your experience and math talent. You probably want to take computer classes, too, since more bookkeeping assistants use PCs to track their numbers.

All of this coursework can be taken in high school, so if you’re still in grade school, it’s not too early to begin preparing to keep books in your adult career.

College Business or Accounting Courses

Next, continue to prepare by getting an associates (2 year) degree in either business, accounting, or finance. You should study concepts like tax preparation, ledger balancing, payable accounts, and receivable accounts. This prepares you for many of the concepts you’ll deal with time and again in future years.

Learn to Use Computer Accounting Programs

While you’re attending college or on your own time, because literate with the personal computer and its use as a tool in record keeping. You want on your resume that you know how to use the automated accounting programs used by the businesses you’ll apply to. This gives you a leg up in getting a job, and lack of these skills could cause employers to go in another direction.

Current computer accounting programs you’ll want to understand are Quicken and Peachtree. Others are likely to become prominent in future years, so you may be taking computer courses periodically throughout your bookkeeper career.

Get More Education

These are the skills you need to start a career in bookkeeping. If you want to advance in that same career, you’ll need to take advanced courses in accounting, business, and finance. The scope of your studies should reflect the scope of your ambitions within your current company, or inside the bookkeeping industry as a whole.

For instance, you might want to become a notary public, because bookkeepers are often required to notarize financial documents, as they see these documents the most, anyway. It’s a good idea for a bookkeeper or accountant to become a notary public.

National Bookkeeping Certification

Another example where further study incurs further responsibilities (and a higher salary) is the National Bookkeeping Certification exam. This is not require to become an official bookkeepers, but those who are a Certified Public Bookkeepers or CPB tend to command higher salaries, and make you entitled to a higher salary on the job market.

If you work in a small town or you intend on staying with one firm or business, this might not matter, but CPBs are sought-after by companies, and therefore you’ll get paid mroe than a non-certified bookkeepers in your career field.

See also:

How to Become a Private Investigator
How to Become a Talent Agent
How to Become a Rap Music Producer
How to Become a Speechwriter
How to Become a Boxer
How to Become a Spy
How to Become a Chiropractor

How to Become a Stock Broker

December 27th, 2010 |

How to Become a Stock Broker

Learning how to become a stock broker lets you get into a fast-paced career with wild swings of fortune and tons of pressure.

Stock brokers see endless “action”, and many of them develop ulcers due to the frenetic atmosphere, long hours, and intense thrills (or mood wings) associated with the fluctuations of the stock market. Stock traders have a chance to make a fortune on the stock exchange, though.

If that sounds like an exciting career field for you, then you can’t start preparing to become a stock trader soon enough. Even grade school students need to learn the skills that later will apply to stock trading.

High School Courses for a Stock Broker

How to Become a Stock Broker Take as many mathematics, business, and economics classes as you can in high school. A good stock broker has a firm command of math, because you’ll be dealing with prices, figures, and fractions every hour of every day of your adult life. Get a firm grounding in math, and start to think about the business world early and often. Read business publications at the school library.

Also, see if your parents will give you a little bit of money to play the stock market (in their name before 18, in your own name after 18). These sums can be small, but you might as well start to learn how investments work. What applies for 1 share of stock in a company applies for 10,000 shares of a stock, so get in for cheap and see how the stock market works from day to day.

Join an Investment Club

Investment clubs are groups of people who meet regularly to consider joint investments. These might be serious associations of high dollar investors, student investment clubs, or Internet investment club communities. The sums of money can be immense, or as small as ten dollars a month.

The idea is that you join a group which seriously considers the investment of funds in real world investment opportunities. It’s good to bounce ideas off other people, and see how other people look at the stock market. You can learn and gain experience thinking critically about the stock market.

Get a College Degree

Most stock brokers are college graduates with a degree in business, a degree in finance, or a degree in economics. Getting the college experience does several things for you.

One, you get the proper training in finance, economics, and business studies to enter a career as a stock broker. Two, you build solid credentials for a resume, which helps you attain a job at a top firm or brokerage. Three, you make valuable business contacts, because a fair percentage of your fellow students are going to rise in the world of finance. College is a chance to learn and network, so you should always be willing to learn, and try to make as many friends (and as few enemies) as possible.

Series 7 Exam – General Securities Registered Representative Exam

The National Association of Securities Dealers administers the General Securities Registered Representative Examination, more commonly known as the “Series 7 Exam”. You must pass this exam to become a registered representative of a U.S. broker-dealer. This exam takes 6 hours and includes 260 questions (250 which count). Questions cover topics like stocks, bonds, investment compnay funds, limited partnerships, and options. When passing this exam, you receive a Series 7 license.

Certain states require brokers to pass other tests, such as the Series 63 license (the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Exam) or the Series 66 License (the Uniform Combined State Law Examination), as well.

Gain Experience in the Field

Get as much on-the-job training you can get, especially the training offered by brokerage firms, which helps potential brokers prepare for their examinations. These on the job training is going to take between 4 to 6 months. When the test is passed, the broker becomes a registered representative of their sponsoring firm.

Weather the Storm as a Young Stock Broker

The work environment of a young stock broker is a competitive one. Most brokerage firms hire a lot of young college graduates, knowing many of these young brokers are going to wash out of the business. Expect long, grueling hours and a sometimes frustrating training process. You’ll eventually build a clientele, if you can weather this initial storm.

Technical Resume – Aggressive Interview

When filling out your resume, highlight your knowledge, academic studies, and experience in business, economics, and finance. When you get to the interview, be professional, but be sure to highlight your aggressive personality, your will, and your tenacity for hard work. You need to convey that you have business savvy, but also the starch to hold up to the pressures of the job.

See the Business

Take every chance to see the business and view other, established stock brokers. Visit job fairs, meet stockbrokers, and learn by seeing others do their job.

Also, be ready to have a thick skin, get used to rejection, and learn how to sell. Brokerage life comes down to making sales, but in those lean early years, you’ll have to face your fair share of rejection.

See also:

How to Become a Private Investigator
How to Become a Talent Agent
How to Become a Speechwriter
How to Become a Boxer
How to Become a Chiropractor
How to Become a Spy
How to Become a Chef

How to Homeschool – How to Start Homeschooling

December 27th, 2010 |

How to Homeschool Your Children

You understand the type of upbringing you want your child to have more than anyone, but if you are considering homeschooling your children, you must know how to homeschool.

Preparing to Homeschool Children

When I write “know how to homeschool”, I mean that you can’t make this decision without researching how to start homeschooling and then taking the steps to prepare yourself for your children’s education. Seeing to your child’s education, whether they are educated in public school, private school, or at home, is essential in giving them a healthy and productive life. So here’s how to homeschool your kids.

Choose a Style of Homeschooling

Whether you’re trained to teach in a public school or you take on the responsibility of homeschooling young ones, there are many factors which go into your style of teaching. How do you children learn best? What is your idea of a good education? What are your core philosophies about education, learning, and teaching?

How to Start Homeschooling Your Children You have to answer all of these questions before you open one book. You want to teach your children yourself, so you probably already have certain ideas on these questions. If you don’t, it’s probably better you leave the teaching to a trained professional.

Learn the Homeschool Teaching Options

Unschooling – Letting children learn through life experiences, instead of a conventional school curriculum. This might involve social interaction, work, focus on household chores and responsibilities, game play, and child-directed play. This is a controversial style, because critics claim it leaves children unprepared for the “real world” and the work world.
Unit Studies – An in-depth study of a particular topic. Let’s use the “ocean” as an example. In a unit study of the ocean, you would learn how to spell ocean, read writing about the ocean, study about sea life, ocean explorers, and underwater geography. The idea is that you study a subject in its totality, immersing oneself in the topic, learning more than simple fragments of knowledge sprinkled throughout your education over a course of years.
Authentic Classic Trivium by Diane Lockman – Otherwise known as “classical studies” or the classical education. The trivium is the “liberal arts”: grammar, rhetoric, and logic. This is how formal education was taught going back to Roman times, and was how people were taught in Europe in the Medieval age. The idea is that you focus on rational thought and intellectual capabilities, instead of focusing on professional skills, vocational skills, and technical knowledge.
Charlotte Mason’s Methodology – Charlotte Mason was an educator in England in the late 19th century and early 20th century. She believed education should involve three elements: an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. “Atmosphere” equates to the child’s surroundings or home environment. “Discipline” equates to their good habits or “habits of character”. “Life” equates to academics, but not so much dry facts as their child’s living thoughts and ideas.
The Montessori Method – Named for early 20th century educator, Maria Montessori, and is mainly focused on younger children ages 2.5 to 6 years old (but can be used for older children). The Montessori Method focuses ont he individual child, and seeks to encourage self-reliance and independence in them. These children are taught “practical life” or life skills. They dress themselves, cook for themselves, put their clothes away, put their toys away, and are an active part of their household, their school life, and their neighborhood.
Global Student Network – Online studies curriculum in line with national standards, tailored to fit the learning styles of families and students. Encourages students to find their own answers, become creative thinkers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and focus on an active style of learning.
International Virtual Learning Academy – California-based online learning courses for grades 3 to 12. This is one of many Internet-based home schooling tools which parents can use to give their children a standard education while avoiding the pitfalls of a public school education.

Plan the Curriculum

After deciding what type of teaching style you are going to use, you need to choose a curriculum. This is an enormous task in-and-of itself, and can often overwhelm a parent new to homeschooling. You should consider checking out books about homeschooling from your local library to learn about your options. You can also go to online communities where other parents involved in these activities discuss and support one another. In the end, you’ll probably want to include the following subjects on one level or another in your children’s education.

Math
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Geography
History
Reading & Writing
Languages
Art
Music

People obviously need to know something about reading, writing, adding and subtracting. They need to have a basic understanding of modern scientific principles, such as human, animal, and plant anatomy, biological classification, germ theory, the elemental chart, the map of the world, geographical features like lakes, rivers, oceans, and a rudimentary history of the world. Studying good literature, art, and music helps expose your children to something beyond facts and figures, encourages their creativity, exposes them to avenues of expression, tests their natural talents, and makes them well-rounded people with confidence, esteem, and a personal identity.

Put all these together, bestow a general knowledge of these subjects on your children, and your kids should have a pretty good elementary education.

Establish Homeschooling Legally

Get legal recognition of your homeschool decision. Read a copy of local laws and learn what you need to do to comply with the law. In the modern world of specialized knowledge and the information age, it’s considered a form of child abuse to keep your children ignorant and unschooled. Every country, state, and school district has its own laws, so read either the HSLDA and AtoZ Home’s Cool guides to learn what you need to have a legal homeschool.

Get Your Children Ready

Prepare your children for the change that’s to come in their educational life. Ask them what they want to study, where they think their education should go, and get as much feedback as possible. You want to engage your children in their homeschooling, so get them excited about the process.

Let the Extended Family Know

Let the grandparents and aunts and uncles know what’s going to happen. It’s best if they support the idea and help set the table for what’s to happen. If they are critical and at cross-purposes, this can create family tension, undermine the confidence of the children, and make your job harder. If you believe enough in your decision to go through with it, believe enough not to get discouraged by critical family members.

Give It Time for Older Children to Adjust

Your younger children are going to adjust quickly to this change in their education routine. Older children are going to need time to adjust and get used to this new system of learning. Slowly work into the routine by having less structured activities at first. Adjust and improvise to create the kind of learning environment which is going to help them learn. Understand this is strange for them and there might be a certain reluctance or resistance at first, having mom or dad teaching them after years of a stranger doing the same.

Get Teaching Supplies

One important part of homeschooling is to have the proper teaching tools and school supplies ready. Order textbooks, learning tools, and boxed curriculum (once you select one) can be ordered online. You can also rely on your local library for many books. Considered used book stores and half-priced book outlets to find textbooks. Remember to still use the back-to-school and no-duty sales at the start of each school year to resupply.

How to Start Homeschooling

Once you have all this planning out of the way, you’ll know how to homeschool. This is a huge decision in your life routine and the future of your children, so if this seems too daunting of a task to take on, you don’t need to do it. Public school has its share of bad teachers, worse students, and lousy school administrators. The methods and policies are sometimes senseless. But there is something to be said for the fact that public school prepares children for the bad co-workers and lousy supervisors they’re bound to deal with in their careers, and also with the nonsense methods and policies of whatever business or corporation they’re going to deal with later in life.

There are many arguments for and against homeschooling, and in the end, anyone who is taught how to read, write, do math, and learn, who is taught critical thinking and creative thinking, and who is giving good study habits (and therefore work habits) is going to come away from their childhood with a good education. The social aspects of public education might be overrated, and can certainly be supplemented or replaced by other activities outside your household. When you learn how to start homeschooling, you’re making a decision to give your children the best start possible in life, so do everything you can to make them well-rounded, productive members of the human race.

See also:

Benefits of a Higher Education
Special Education
Continuing Education
Online Education
Adult Education
Understanding Shakespeare and Elizabethan Language
How Much Does an Average College Education Cost?

How to Become a Speechwriter

August 8th, 2010 |

Speechwriter Jobs and Salaries

Politicians need people with language skills to help them craft their message. A political speech is not a standalone thing, it depends on other speeches made by the same person, an entire campaign of action and words to back up the message being delivered. If a political speech was just a shot in the dark formed out of pretty words, any fool could string a few thousand words together and call it a speech.

People drawn to the political speech writing arena are those who are obsessed both with words and politics. Good political speechwriters cherish their privacy, otherwise their political side may encourage them to make their own run for office.

Like many jobs, there’s just no clear “career path” for people who aspire to write political speeches. There’s no “speech writing school” or national exam you can take to prove your abilities with words or your passion for making a difference politically. Naturally, there are some career paths that speechwriters tend to have followed in the past.

What Careers Are Good Training for Speech Writing?

How to Become a Speechwriter Many political speechwriters come out of journalism school, or a career with a newspaper. The ability to condense information into a form that’s fit for newspaper printing is a skill you”ll use time and again as a speechwriter, and proving your abilities as a writer or editor for a few years at a major paper is as easy as a reference from an old boss. There’s a great old quote by an anonymous political speechwriter that sums this up — “Instead of reporting what others are doing, [as a speechwriter] I write for people who are doing things.”

Another field that will come in handy when writing political speeches — public relations. Untold numbers of people working in the West Wing have come out of giant corporate PR offices, or as freelance employees of various PR entities. Knowing how to communicate with the press and the general public is the domain of the speechwriter.

What Else Can I Do to Prepare Myself for a Career as a Speechwriter?

It would only make sense for you to study the careers of famous speechwriters from the past. Look up names like Ted Sorensen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Peggy Noonan, and even more modern names like Chris Matthews or Jon Favreau (not the actor, but Obama’s speechwriter) in order to learn from their successes and failures. Every one of those names followed a different career path to make it as political speechwriters, and all have had noteworthy careers preparing statements and creating policy for big name politicians.

It wouldn’t hurt to get a degree in political science from as fancy a school as you can swing. You don’t need an Ivy League education, but I’m not saying it won’t help your chances at landing a speech writing job. Many people advising others in how to go for a career in politics suggest that a poli sci degree isn’t enough, but the truth is that you don’t need to double major. People who suggest that political science majors study Psychology in order to “learn about people” don’t realize the passion level of most people interested in speech writing. Surely, you’ll come to an understanding of psychology all on your own.

You need to be a voracious reader to make it as a speechwriter. Read poetry, novels, history, current events, anything you can get your hands on. A broad education is vital to your success as a speechwriter — be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Read an encyclopedia series from beginning to end. Be the know it all. The best speechwriters in history were basically generalists, people who knew a little about a lot, and could appreciate the historic context of politics.

You need to begin volunteering for political campaigns as soon as you can walk — a future as a speechwriter depends on making a name for yourself in the political community, and that doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t matter if you work on a local campaign, a state run for Senate, or even national campaigns — experience is experience. To put a new twist on an old political saying, “Volunteer early and volunteer often.”

Building your reputation as a reliable volunteer will have you moving up the ranks from answering phones, to go-fering, through several more unglamorous and boring chores until one day you’re asked to hold a job with some real responsibility. learn a political campaign inside and out, from handing out flyers to getting elbows deep in fundraising. The more valuable you are to a campaign, the more likely the top brass is to remember your name.

Speechwriter Salaries – How Much Money Do Speechwriters Make?

The top end of a speech writer’s average salary is basically unlimited. President Obama’s head speechwriter cleared nearly $200,000 last year. There are also plenty of speechwriters working freelance, scraping the bottom of the barrel and barely getting by. Your salary is completely dependent upon your experience and the success of the candidate you write for.

If you want to get into political speech writing for the money, remember this old adage. The best way to make a small fortune in politics is to start with a large fortune.

What Do Speechwriters Do?

It is as difficult to pin down the exact duties of a speechwriter as it is to come up with an average salary. A speechwriter is a learner, a political junkie, and a crucial part of the decision process on policy matters. A speechwriter divides their time during the day between catching up on the news, reading everything that comes across their desk (and much more besides), meeting with a candidate and various election committees, communicating with the media in some cases, and (oh yeah) writing up a storm.

In short, a speech writer’s job is only a success if the original objective of the speaker — that message he wanted to deliver — comes across clearly and makes an impact on the audience. A good speech is hard to define but easy to recognize — the flow of words in a political speech is as important as the words themselves. Getting an education in political science is just the first step. Absorbing a lifetime of knowledge and compartmentalizing it in speeches will pretty much take care of the rest.

What Is an Average MCAT Score?

January 21st, 2010 |

What is an average MCAT score?

The Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, is a computer-based standardized test for students applying to medical school. The purpose of the MCAT is to provide applicants to medical schools with a common score on the same test. Students taking the MCAT are tested on problem solving, writing, critical thinking, and basic science concepts.

Why the MCAT?

The MCAT was developed early in the 20th century to combat rising dropout rates at medical schools–estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 5 medical students in the 30s were dropping out because they weren’t prepared for the rigors of medical school. Once the MCAT became standard, medical schools saw that dropout rate drop back to normal levels within ten years.

The MCAT is now used as a tool by medical schools to compare applicants and select them based on their performance in undergraduate school as well as their skill set, recommendations, and MCAT score.

The test itself involves four parts and a total of 144 questions. Test takers have four hours and twenty minutes to complete the test.

MCAT Scoring

What Is an Average MCAT Score?

Those unfamiliar with the MCAT test look at a typical score and wonder what the hell it means. According to testing centers around the country, an average score on the MCAT is about 28.1P. What does that mean?

Three of the sections of the MCAT are given a number score–all three multiple choice sections are scored from 1 to 15, and the writing section is judged by a human and assigned a letter score between J (lowest) and T (highest). Add up the three number scores and tack on your writing score. That’s your MCAT score.

A final note on scoring–when taking the MCAT, you should concern yourself with presenting a “balanced” score. The makers of the MCAT as well as admissions departments at medical schools are more likely to look favorably on three numerical scores that are close together (12, 12, 13) than three that show an obvious over-concentration or under-concentration in one area (12, 19, 11).

So What’s the Average MCAT Score Mean?

I’ve already given you the average — about 28.1P — but how can you use that to your advantage?

The problem is, as with all standardized tests, simply knowing the average isn’t going to help you in the long run. You need to know the averages for the specific medical schools you’re applying to, as well as their applicant’s average GPA. This will help you figure out what score you want on the MCAT.

Here’s a sampling of ten poopular medical schools and their averages. If you want to make a good impression at these schools, meet or beat these averages. The MCAT averages given is the average of all student’s three multiple choice sections, and does not include the writing sample.

UCLA — MCAT 11 GPA 3.6
Stanford — MCAT 14 GPA 3.7
Georgetown — MCAT 11 GPA 3.63
Chicago — MCAT 11 GPA 3.63
Johns Hopkins — MCAT 12 GPA 3.71
Harvard — MCAT 12 GPA 3.8
Boston — MCAT 9.7 GPA 3.6
Ole Miss — MCAT 9 GPA 3.6
Creighton – MCAT 8.8 GPA 3.7
New Mexico — MCAT 9.5 GPA 3.7

If you’re preparing for the MCAT, be sure to order Kaplan’s MCAT Premier Program via Amazon. (We make a tiny commission if you order via our link.)

This is part of our series of posts about average test scores:

What Is an Average DAT Score?

January 20th, 2010 |

What is an average DAT score?

The DAT, or Dental Admissions Test, is a 90 minute test with 100 questions that determines your aptitude and the likelihood that you will succeed in dental school.

Dental programs use the DAT as a guide when considering your application for admission. There is no “cut off” score on the DAT, nor does your score on the DAT indicate whether or not you’ll get into a program.

The DAT tests your proficiency in basic biology and both organic and inorganic chemistry as well as problem solving and higher math.

Is the DAT a difficult test? Yes, anytime you’re testing on subjects that diverse, the test is going to be tough.

But just how well do you need to do to secure a place in a top dental school?

C’mon, Just Tell Me The Average DAT Score

As with any academic test, the concept of an ‘average score’ is a misnomer. Rather than worrying about a national average, you should look into the schools you’re applying to and find out what their averages are and try to beat that. After all, if you’re not applying to Harvard for a dental program, you don’t need to have a ridiculously high GPA and DAT score. Something a bit lower will do.

What Is an Average DAT Score?

Scores on the DAT range from 1 to 30, 30 being the highest.

Nationwide, the average DAT score for incoming dental students is about 17. The average DAT score for students who are accepted in programs is just above 19.

However, average DAT scores for individual programs in dentistry range from as low as 16 to as high as 24.

The stats for dental schools vary greatly, with average GPAs ranging from 3.1 up to nearly 4.0, while the DAT scores range from 16 to 24. The average GPA and DAT statistics change every year, and because of better teaching methods and competition, the scores have been steadily increasing over the last decade.

Just ten years ago, the average dental school had entrance statistics of about a 3.2 or 3.3 with a 17 DAT score, the averages have now climbed to a 3.5 GPA with a DAT average of slightly above 19.

The following are average GPA and DAT scores for some of the more popular dentistry programs.

Alabama — GPA 3.58 DAT 19.2
Baylor — GPA 3.51 DAT 19.5
Florida — GPA 3.6 DAT 19
Harvard – GPA 3.8 DAT 24.4
Houston — GPA 3.6 DAT 20
LSU — GPA 3.51 DAT 19.1
Nebraska — GPA 3.8 DAT 18.6
Oklahoma — GPA 3.63 DAT 19.51
San Antonio — GPA 3.74 DAT 19
Stony Brook — GPA 3.71 DAT 21

One of the best ways to prepare for the DAT is to use a Kaplan DAT test prep guide. (And if you buy one via our Amazon link, we make a tiny commission too.)

This is part of our “average test scores” series of articles:

What Is an Average GMAT Score?

January 19th, 2010 |

What is an average GMAT score?

The Graduate Management Admissions Test, or GMAT, is a required exam for entrance into business school.

If you’ve decided to apply to business school, you know that you will need to take the GMAT and that you’ll want to earn as high a score as possible.

Your overall GMAT score will range from 200 – 800, with 800 being a “perfect score”.

Why Use the GMAT?

GMAT scores are used to help business schools figure out how well you will perform academically in a business or management program. Think of the GMAT as the MCAT or GRE of business school. GMAT scores estimate your abilities verbally and mathematically. Most business schools consider GMAT scores an “assessment” tool for comparing different business school applicants. Why can’t these schools just use GPA or class rank? The GMAT is a standard test for everyone who takes it, so the scores reflect a genuine comparison of abilities.

How Your School Will Use Your GMAT Score

Your GMAT score will be transmitted to the schools you indicate so that those schools can look at a picture of your academic abilities. The GMAT is not a replacement for a good application, interview, and letters from professors because the GMAT test does not measure lots of intangible qualities of a student that are so vital for academic success. Remember that admissions decisions are not based on GMAT scores alone, but a complete picture of a student gained through the admissions process.

What Is an Average GMAT Score?

The other factors that go into a business school’s decision are undergraduate GPA, work experience, essays, and recommendations.

The GMAT test itself only recommends that schools use the GMAT scores as an aid to the selection process for grad school applications or to help select students for financial aid programs. Some schools also use GMAT scores to determine a student’s need for course leveling or to enroll a student in an automatic guidance program for academics.

If you really want to know what an average GMAT score is after all that, I can give you the following information from the makers of the GMAT test:

A score of 720 or better would put you in the 96 – 99th percentile
A score of 630 up to 720 would put you in the 79-90th percentile
A score of 570 to 630 would put you in the 61-75th percentile
A score of 500 to 570 would put you in the 37-50th percentile

And here’s a list of some popular MBA programs and their average GMAT scores in 2008:

Stanford — 730
Harvard — 707
Cornell — 670
Georgetown — 655
Pittsburgh — 620

For the top ten business schools, you should shoot for a score of over 700, as they all average at least that.

A good way to prepare for taking the GMAT is to study The Official Guide for GMAT Review, which is available via Amazon. (And if you buy it via our link, we make a small commission, which helps pay for the hosting for our site, among other things.)

This is part of our “average test scores” series of posts:

Where Are the Best Places to Study Abroad?

January 15th, 2010 |

Where are the best places to study abroad?

Avoiding the Groucho Marx joke I could make about “studying a broad”, choosing a location outside of America to go to for a semester or two of college could mean the difference between an exciting educational experience and a run of the mill one.

More people are studying abroad these days, most likely due to more university participation in study abroad programs.

Studying abroad is an opportunity to learn about another culture, to learn a new subject, to experience life outside the US, and to expand your mind in all sorts of other ways. Try not to think of your time abroad as a vacation, though there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy yourself if you pick the right spot.

Here are the five best places to study abroad. These are locations where there is plenty to learn in terms of book knowledge and night life. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, right?

India

Studying abroad in India is great if you’re looking to study “outside the box”. While your friends head to London or Scotland to study among people who share a common language, you’ll be plunking yourself down in the middle of a culture that is 180 degrees different from your own. India is an exotic study abroad destination because almost no students study there.

Where Are the Best Places to Study Abroad

Looking for a unique study abroad experience? Pick India.

Many people in India speak English–not everyone, but enough so that you’ll be able to converse. India has a growing influence in the global business market, probably due to the fact that their population is massive and has massive buying power. India offers easy access to other exotic locations like the Maldives, Thailand, Singapore, China. All of Southeast Asia is a short trip away.

Don’t forget the serious purchasing power of the American dollar or that the country itself has plenty to offer in the way of tourist diversion. Visit the Taj Mahal on your weekend break, or take in amazing street theater between classes.

Hong Kong

If you’re a business or marketing student, Hong Kong is a perfect study abroad spot. Hong Kong is one of the busiest financial centers in Asia (right up there with Tokyo and Singapore) and as Asian countries become the dominant force in global politics and finance, an understanding of Cantonese (the other official language of Hong Kong) could benefit you as a student and future employee.

Hong Kong is the gateway to China and to all that China offers. You can experience Chinese culture in miniature in Hong Kong–a condensed form of Chinese history and tradition that may be easier to chew than a massive bite of China.

Most people don’t realize that Hong Kong’s physical beauty is a major draw. 70% of Hong Kong is covered in national parks, and the high population of Hong Kong needs something to do on weekends too, right? Experience the hustle and bustle of the Chinese economy without feeling like you’re lost in a sea of people and places.

Semester At Sea

Semester At Sea is a unique study abroad program because it allows you to study in multiple locations around the world all from the comfort of a giant cruise ship.

The ship has classrooms and carries 1000 students to venues like Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, India, Singapore, Malayasia, Vietnam, China, and Japan.

Semester At Sea is designed to expose students to as many different cultures and educational opportunities as people while providing them a safe “home” to come back to. This program is known for having special guests like Desmond Tutu or Bill Clinton come speak to students and try to condense their global perspective into something the students can understand.

This program allows you to meet people from all over the USA while experiencing a slice of culture from just about every part of the world. If you’re worried about the accreditation of this program, don’t; the University of Virginia is the sponsoring university for the courses you take at sea. Courses vary from course to course, so check out Semester At Sea to find out if they’re planning to study something you’re interested in soon.

Spain

Studying abroad in Spain means learning Spanish in a country rich with culture and heritage. The Spanish people have diverse regional identities. In Catalonia, for instance, you can be exposed to a completely different language, food, and culture than in the rest of the country.

If you’re looking for an experience with variety, Spain is the place for it. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city, officially multi-lingual, and offering everything from the arts to sport. Salamanca has some of the most spectacular Renaissance architecture in Europe, while Granada, in Andalucia, is celebrated for its Moorish and medieval architecture.

Spending a summer, semester, or even an academic year studying abroad in Spain means exposing yourself to Spanish culture and hopefully learning Spanish, a language that is becoming more important to Americans as our Spanish-speaking population increases year after year.

Medellin, Colombia

I know what you’re thinking: isn’t Medellin dangerous?

Yes, there are some issues in Colombia involving drug cartels and other unsavory groups, but these problems are confined to the people participating in drug crime, not to tourists or students. When you think about it, you are in just as much danger walking down a major street in America as you are anywhere else.

Besides, President Uribe (for all the negative talk about him) cleaned up the guerrillas and crime levels. Colombia is a beautiful and exotic location in which to study. Colombia is known for its amazing weather, meaning your time between classes can be spent soaking up the sun or relaxing by the beach.

The people of Colombia are called the friendliest people of the Americas. If you’re lost on the street there will be three or four Colombians willing to help you find your way.

Your family may worry about you while you study abroad in Medellin, but these kinds of worries are what keep Americans blind to the rest of the world. Want to get out and see a part of the world that most Americans never will? Study in Medellin, and prepare for the greatest semester of your scholastic life.

And those are my picks for the best places to study abroad. To get the most out of your experience studying abroad, have a look at this book: Study Abroad: How to Get the Most Out of Your Experience. (If you buy a copy via our Amazon link, we’ll make a small commission, too!)

This post is part of our “where are the best places” series:

What Is an Average PSAT Score?

January 6th, 2010 |

What is an average PSAT score?

The PSAT is the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or the Pre-SAT. It is also known as the NMSQT or National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test — scores on the PSAT can earn high school students accolades and scholarships as part of the National Merit Scholars program. The PSAT is a good barometer for a student’s performance on the SAT and their ability to earn admission at colleges around the country.

Students take the PSAT / NMSQT in either tenth or eleventh grade as a way of preparing them for the actual SAT, qualifying for academic awards, and getting an idea of whether they should apply to college or not.

PSAT Scoring and Average Scores

PSAT scores are reported on a scale that runs from 20 to 80, 20 being the lowest and 80 the highest. This is a parallel to the SAT, which scores between 200 and 800 on each test part. If you want an idea of how you’ll do on an SAT test, simply add a 0 to your score. There are three test parts (critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills) which are each scored from 20 – 80 for a total between 60 and 240.

In 2008, the average score for eleventh graders was 142 — this broke down as an average of 47 in Critical Reading, 49 in Mathematics, and 46 in Writing Skills.

That same year, the average score for tenth graders was 127 — this average broke down as 42 in Critical Reading, 44 in Mathematics, and 41 in Writing Skills.

Selection Index and Averages

When you get your PSAT / NMSQT score report you’ll also see something called the Selection Index which is the score used to determine a student’s eligibility in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs.

This Index is the sum of the three scores in each test section (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills) and this Index obviously ranges from 60 to 240. The average Selection Index for students in eleventh grade was 142 in 2008. Please note that only eleventh graders qualify for the NMSQT programs.

PSAT / NMSQT National Percentiles

The last thing on a PSAT / NMSQT score report is your national percentiles. These numbers let you compare your own scores and testing abilities with the scores and abilities of other students of your grade level who took the same test you took.

If you take the PSAT in the eleventh grade, you receive what are called “junior percentiles”. If you take the PSAT in tenth grade or younger, you will be given “sophomore percentiles”. The number you see is the percentage of students of your grade whose scores you bested.

For example, a student in eleventh grade with a percentile of 65 did better on the test than 65 percent of all eleventh graders.

Think of it this way — imagine 100 students lined up from the lowest (or 1st) percentile at the end of the line to the highest (or 99th) percentile at the front of the line. If you are at the 65th percentile, you would be the 66th person in line, ahead of 65 people in the line and behind 34.

Don’t try to “hit the average” when you take the PSAT. Remember that this is a preliminary test and doesn’t really give you a good idea of how you’ll do on that big bad SAT test. The tests are different, the test parts are different, and you don’t want to stress yourself out any more than is necessary. The SAT is hard enough without worrying about averages.

This post is part of a series of college prep posts focused on various college entrance exams. Other posts in the series include:

What Is an Average GRE Score?

January 5th, 2010 |

What is an average GRE score?

The GRE, or Graduate Record Exam, is a required test for people wishing to enter Graduate School. The GRE is made up of two distinct tests — the General Test and any Subject Tests you wish to take. Many people won’t need to take any Subject Tests, but some areas of study will require it.

The General Test is made up of three parts — verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing. The verbal and the quantitative tests will produce a separate score between 200 – 800. Scores on the analytical writing test are reported in 0.5 point increments on a scale from 0 to 6.

The Subject Tests measure knowledge of specific concepts related to graduate study in a given field — these tests also produce a score of between 200 – 800.

Different Grad Schools will require different minimum scores and will have different requirements in terms of Subject Tests and the like.

In truth, the most important part of your GRE in terms of admission to Grad School is your scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE and not the Subject Test you’re asked to take. In order to do well on the verbal and quantitative sections, you should score 550 or above on each test. This will almsot guarantee your score is acceptable for many PhD programs, not to mention Master’s programs. As Master’s degree programs are less competitive than Doctoral, lower scores (let’s call it 450 – 500 on each of the tests) is often acceptable. Scores of less than 450 on either one of the tests will cause trouble when it comes time to apply for Grad School.

Average GRE Score

Depending on what school you’re looking for, average GRE scores fluctuate. Let’s look at an up and coming University like the University of North Texas. This school’s average quantitative GRE scores have gone from 417 just four years ago to 565 this past term. This shows that a smarter and more qualified pool of applicants is applying to UNT and that your score should be somewhere around that new average of 565 quantitatove in order to be competitive. Look at the GRE scores for the specific schools you’re applying to an aim for something near that.

What Is a Good GRE Score?

According to experts on GRE testing, there is no official “good score” or “minimum score” for acceptance into Grad School or a PhD program.

In theory, any score you make above 550 for verbal and 700 for Quantitative is way more than acceptable — so shooting for these big numbers should be your goal.

However, if you earn a lower score on any part of the test but the rest of your Grad School application contains killer accomplishments like experience in the professional world or awesome grades in your undergraduate program, the GRE score simply won’t matter.

Putting together your Grad School application is an arduous process, so you need to manage your time as best you can. If you make a decent score on your GRE (say around 1000 total) there is no point wasting time studying and re-taking the GRE. At this point, you should improve your references, your personal statements, and any extra information your school requires such as a portfolio or body of work.

You should only ever re-take the GRE test if you made a big mistake and your score was significantly lower than you can manage or will keep you from your top school.

This is part of a series of articles about college prep and entrance exam scores. The other posts in this series include:

What Is an Average LSAT Score?

December 16th, 2009 |

What is an Average LSAT Score?

If you’re looking to get into a top notch law school, scoring a solid points total on the LSAT is crucial.

High profile professions all have their scary entrance exam — for medical school, it is the MCAT that keeps students up at night. For word crunchers, it is the uniform CPA exam. For those of us applying to law school, nothing gives us the cold sweats like the LSAT.

LSAT scores range from 120 to 180 — 120 is the lowest, 180 the highest. According to the FNBC blog, a good LSAT score is 160 or higher. They also mention that as part of your LSAT score, you’ll see a percentile rank that lets you know what percentage of test takers in the last five years scored below you.

The article goes on to give a ballpark figure for a “good” SAT score — 160 or higher, according to the writers at FNBC. What should you consider an average LSAT score?

Scores between 140 and 160 are considered “average”, but that is such a wide range of scores you have to understand that there’s a further hierarchy between these numbers. 140-150 are on the low end of average, 141-149 is overall average, and 151-160 is in the higher end of average LSAT scores. Start scoring above 160 and you’ll find yourself in better company. To really shine in your application to the so called T14 schools (the top law schools in the country) you need to be scoring above 165, and of course, the higher the better.

Let’s take a look at the LSAT and GPA scores for the top five law schools in the country as determined by the Gourman Report. –

Harvard — LSAT 170 – 176, GPA 3.74 – 3.95
Yale — LSAT – 169 – 177. GPA 3.81 – 3.97
Standford — LSAT – 168 – 172, GPA 3.76 – 3.94
Columbia — LSAT – 170 – 175, GPA 3.58 – 3.82
UC Berkeley — LSAT – 164 – 170, GPA 3.70 – 3.92

Looking at this chart, you can probably tell that there is plenty of wiggle room, especially the further away you move from the top two schools. If you have a killer GPA but didn’t perfectly ace the LSAT, there’s a chance that you could find yourself at UC Berkeley or Columbia, just not Harvard or Yale.

An average LSAT score is difficult to calculate precisely — but it seems having a solid GPA and a better-than average LSAT score will put you ahead of most of the competition.

This is one of a series of posts we’ve written about various college prep subjects, and about entrance exams in particular. The others include:

What Are the Best Careers for Someone with an Art Degree?

October 30th, 2009 |

Careers an Art Major Can Enter

People studying for an art degree or considering an art degree are going to struggle with concerns that their bachelors degree isn’t going to have a bit of marketability. Most people assume that business and science degrees are marketable, while a trained artist will end up washing dishes somewhere. That’s not the case at all.

First of all, there are a number of different art degrees you can attain. These degrees each lead into a number of different career fields, therefore it’s logical to assume the options available to someone with a art degree are numerous. I’ll give the full list of professions one can enter with an art degree later, but here are the degrees someone attending an art program or art school can apply for.

Art Degrees

Commercial and Advertising Art
Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Visual Communication
Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
Illustration
Industrial Design
Painting

Furthermore, even if you decided to take your art degree and enter the “sensible job market”, employers are looking for potential employees with unique skill sets.

People with a bachelor of arts are hired by corporations for management positions as often or more often than people with business degrees, because the unique skill sets required to attain such a degree: research, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and, most of all, communications skills. People with art degrees often learn some of the same skills and certainly bring creativity and often unique technical skills to the business world.

But really, we’re not going into the art field to be “sensible people” working in the business world. Though your art degree won’t disqualify you from entering the real world of commerce, most of those entering an art institute hope to find a job in the visual or creative professions. The fact is, there are a whole lot more jobs that require your kind of visual talents or imagination out there. You just have to search for what you want and make them happen.

Art Degree Professions

If you have an art degree, the opportunities are seemingly endless. You don’t have to be a starving artist working on meager rations. Certainly, some of the jobs listed below are low paying jobs, but many of them are highly-specialized careers with increasing demand every year for people with those talents.

Many more than you would think are in the technology industry or require electronic expertise. With increasing possibilities opening for artists in the computer industry, there are careers in the artistic field that have yet to be invented yet, but will appear in the next few years. While plenty of art careers involve old school painting and design skills, some are on the cutting edge of technology.

What all of them have in common is the need for people with imagination and creativity. All of them require a certain vision that only an artist has.

I’m not going to suggest to you which of the following are the best career choices for you. Pick a career, develop your vision and make your way in this world as a professional artist.

Art Degree Careers – Art Careers

Art Activity Writer
Art Appraiser
Art Book Editor
Art Consultant
Art Coordinator
Art Critic
Art Dealer
Art Director
Art Distributor
Art Historian
Art Insurance Agent
Art Librarian
Art Magazine Editor
Art Researcher
Art Restorer
Art Specialist
Art Supervisor
Art Teacher
Art Teacher Assistant
Art Therapist
Artist in Residenc
Artists’ Agent

Art Degree Careers – A

Accessory Designer
Advertising Director
Aerial Photographer
Airbrush Artist
Antique Specialist
Appliqué Artist
Archaeologist
Architect
Architectural Graphic Artist
Architectural Writer/Critic
Architecture Teacher
Audio/Visual Designer
Automobile Designer

Art Degree Careers – B

Background Artist for Television
Bank Note Designer
Basket Maker
Block Engraver
Book Jacket Designer
Bookbinder
Botanical Designer

Art Degree Careers – C

Calendar Editor
Calligrapher
Camera Operator
Candle Maker
Caricaturist
Cartographer (mapmaker)
Cartoonist
Ceramicist
Children’s Book Illustrator
Cinematographer
Comic Strip Artist
Commercial Photographer
Computer Graphic Artist
Conceptual Artist
Copywriter
Corporate Art Collector
Corporation Photographer
Costume Designer
Courtroom Artist
Crafts Person
Curator
Curriculum Writer (Art)

Art Degree Careers – D – E

Design Consultant
Designer
Drafter
Editorial Art Director
Editorial Illustrator
Enamelist
Environmental Artist
Environmental Designer
Environmental Planner
Equipment Designer
Exhibition Coordinator

Art Degree Careers – F

Fabric Designer
Fashion Art Director
Fashion Consultant
Fashion Display Director
Fashion Editor/Writer
Fashion Illustrator
Fashion Merchandiser
Fashion Photographer
Faux Finish Specialist
Film Animator
Film Developer
Film Editor
Filmmaker
Fine Art Photographer
Fine Artist
Floor Covering Designer
Floral Designer
Forensic Artist
Foundry Worker
Furniture Designer

Art Degree Careers – G – H – I

Gallery Assistant
Gallery Director
Gallery Owner
Gallery Photographer
Gem Cutter
Glass Blower
Goldsmith
Graphic Arts Technician
Greeting Card Designer
Hair Stylist Designer
Heavy Equipment Designer
Illustrator
Industrial Designer
Interior Decorator
Interior Designer

Art Degree Careers – J & L

Jewelry Maker/Designer
Lace Maker
Landscape Designer
Law Enforcement Photographer
Lawyer with Art Specialty
Leather Worker
Legal Photographer
Lighting Designer
Lithographer
Lithographic Photographer

Art Degree Careers – M

Magazine Art Director
Magazine Photographer
Makeup Artist
Manufacturer of Art Materials
Manuscript Illuminator
Marine Architect
Master Printer
Medical Illustrator
Metalsmith
Model Builder
Mold Maker
Movie Art Director
Movie Scene Painter
Mural Artist
Museum Curator
Museum Director
Museum Photographer
Museum Photographer
Musical Instrument Maker

Art Degree Careers – O – P – Q

Ornamental Metalwork Designer
Painter
Papermaker
Parade Float Designer
Patternmaker
Photo Researcher
Photo Re-Toucher
Photo Stylist
Photofinisher Specialist
Photographer
Photographic Engineer
Photography Teacher
Picture Framer
Photojournalist
Playground Designer
Police/Court Artist
Portrait Painter or Photographer
Poster Artist
Potter
Press Photographer
Printmaker
Private Art Instructor
Product Designer
Product Illustrator
Product Photographer
Promotion Designer
Puppet Designers
Puppeteer
Quick Sketch Artist

Art Degree Careers – R & S

Retail Store Art Director
Rug Maker
Scenic Artist
School Photographer
Science Fiction Illustrator
Sculptor
Set Construction Worker
Showroom Manager
Sign Painter
Silk Screen Artist
Silversmith
Sketch Artist
Space Planner
Special Effects Artists
Sports Clothing Designer
Sports Equipment Designer
Stage Design
Stained Glass Maker
Stencil Illustrator
Storyboard Illustrator

Art Degree Careers – T

Tapestry Worker
Tattoo Artist
Technical Illustrator
Television Art Director
Television Graphic Artist
Text Book Illustrator
Textile Artist
Theatre Set Designer
Theme Park Designer
Tool Designer
Toy Designer
Transportation Designer

Art Degree Careers – V – W

Video Artist
Wall Covering Designer
Wardrobe Staff
Web Site Designer
Window Display Designer
Wood Crafter
Workshop Coordinator

What Are the Best Career Books to Read?

October 28th, 2009 |

Best Books About Jobs and Money

If you’re trying to master your old career, it’s always good to inject some new ideas into your old habits. Or if you’re looking for a new career, you probably need a little inspiration and advice to get through the darkest moments between jobs.

The problem is, there are so many books related to jobs and career advice, just looking through the list of names is enough to drain you of your brain power and life force. So I’ve compiled a list of the best career books to read.

Whether you have a company and want to make it more successful, you have a job and want to make it more rewarding or you have no job and you need one desperately, you should find a book or two on this list to help you make key career decisions.

Job Spa by Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell

The full title is Job Spa: 12 Weeks to Refresh, Refocus, and Recommit to Your Career, and the discussion is about re-energizing your career by gaining the respect of your boss and colleagues, improving your listening skills, reconnecting with fellow employees, build valuable relationships in the workplace and creating and expanding your professional network.

101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions by Ron Fry

A primer for people about to go through the hell of the job interview process, helping you get your answers pat for the hardest questions you’ll be asked.

Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz (Starbucks CEO) and Dori Yang-Jones

Using Starbucks as his success story, Mr. Schultz discusses the goals and traits of a successful growing business model.

Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger

Discussing methods for determining your personality type and matching your career to your own personality type. Also includes a lot of examples of others who did the same.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish

Fully titled Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm, this book studies how small, successful firms can become big, successful firms by focusing on John D. Rockefeller’s method (according to Mr. Harnish): priorities, data and rhythm.

Don’t Send a Resume by Jeffrey J. Fox

How to avoid the Human Resources Department of your potential employers and connect with the executives who ultimately decide whether you get hired or not.

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

About building a strong network of relationships to help your business, Never Eat Alone shows that successful careers are often a “who you know”, not “what you know”, proposition.

What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles

This one has stood the test of time, going through nearly 40 editions and selling over 6,000,000 copies. Another book about finding a new career.

Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra

A professor interviews a lot of people who successfully changed careers, dissecting the start-to-finish process and providing lessons for others who are changing jobs at the moment.

Don’t just limit yourself to reading career books though. This career advice blog, for example, offers excellent advice and tips for moving your career forward.

What Is an Average ACT Score?

October 12th, 2009 |

What Is An Average Score on the ACT Test?

50% of students make less than a 20 on the ACT test, so you might say an average ACT Composite score is 20. But if you want to get into big state schools or prestigious East Coast universities your expectations will differ. Many state schools require an ACT score in the 22 to 25 range, while Ivy League schools expect composite scores of 30 or higher. If you want to get into your local college, getting a 19-20 on your ACT will work.

What Is the ACT?

“A.C.T.” stands for “American College Testing”. The ACT is produced by ACT, Inc. to help colleges determine students’ worthiness for college admissions. The test has existed since 1959 and is the second-most used test, behind the SAT, which has existed since 1901. Some students do better on the ACT than the SAT, so consider taking both and using the higher score.

All U.S. universities accept the ACT, though some place a different emphasis on the importance of the ACT in admissions. GPA, class rank, and extracurricular activities might take precedence.

The ACT is taken more often in the “middle states” than the ACT, while the SAT is used more on the East Coast and the West Coast. Exceptions include Texas and Indiana, who use the SAT more often than the ACT test, while most of the rest of the Midwest, South and Southwest use the ACT more often. There is some evidence that east coast states are beginning to use the ACT more often.

What Is an “ACT Composite Score”?

The ACT test covers four broad subjects: English (grammar), reading, math and “science reasoning”. The time to take all four tests is 2:55 minutes, with an optional 30 minute writing test.

The English test is 45 minutes and 75 questions long; the Mathematics test is 60 minutes and 60 questions long; the Reading Comprehension test is 35 minutes and 40 questions, while the Science Reasoning test is 35 minutes and 40 minutes long, as well. This creates a composite test of 215 questions taken in just under 3 hours. The writing section of the test counts minimally towards your composite score (2 points at most), though some schools do take into account your score on the writing section of the ACT.

ACT Comparison Scores

Below is a short example of ACT composite scores for a variety of universities nationwide. I’ve included scores for a few Ivy League schools, a few private schools and some top public universities. These are the elite schools of their type, so if you have no intention of going to these schools, don’t be intimidated by the high numbers. Most colleges admit students with a 20-22 ACT Composite Score.

75% means that 75 per cent of the admissions require this composite score, while the 25 per cent means that 25% get in with the lesser composite ACT, usually because of high GPA and/or extracurricular activities.

I’ll give the school and then two numbers. The first number is what around 25% of admissions will need, if they have excellent extracurricular activities and a good GPA. The second number is what approximately 75% of admissions will need to enter the university.

Also, be sure to check out our new site, average ACT score, which covers the ACT test in much more detail.

School	Average ACT Score
Columbia	28-33
Cornell	28-32
Princeton	30-34
Yale	29-34
Harvard	31-35
Duke	29-34
Johns Hopkins	29-33
Georgetown	28-32
Notre Dame	31-34
Stanford	30-34
UCLA	24-30
UC Berkeley	23-30
UC San Diego	23-29
UNC Chapel Hill	25-30

This is part of our series of articles about average test scores:

New Content in the Static Section of Ask Deb

September 3rd, 2009 |

We’ve been expanding some of our categories on the main website, especially at our minisite devoted to inventory management. The following inventory management articles went live this week:

I want to take this opportunity to thank writer and researcher Douglas Brinlee for his excellent work in helping to put together the inventory management section of our website.

We’ve also recently published articles about healthcare careers, medical jobs, and writing networking letters in our career section.

You are currently browsing the archives for the Education category.