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Friday, March 6, 2020

Should I Go To Georgetown University

Should I Go To Georgetown University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Bryan is a Washington D.C. tutor and 2010 graduate of Georgetown University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and specializes in many subjects including SAT prep tutoring, Algebra tutoring, Grammar and Mechanics tutoring, and more. Check out his review of his alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Bryan: Georgetown University is a unique setting, which was one of the largest draws toward it when I was making my college decision. It balances an urban environment by being in the heart of Washington, DC, with a closed campus. That means that Georgetowns campus is entirely walkable even if choosing to live in off-campus housing, a 15 minute walk would allow you to reach any other point on campus. In addition, by being located in Georgetown (a neighborhood within Northwest Washington, DC), students have access to the dozens of shops, restaurants, and nightlife options within walking distance. The setup of Georgetowns campus allows students to bump into friends and classmates on a regular basis. As far as transportation, students absolutely do not need a car. Some students choose to bike, but walking is the option that most students choose. DC has excellent public transportation in the form of the Metro, although it requires a 15-20 minute walk, or a very short (free) bus ride, to the closest Metro stop (in Rosslyn, VA). The campus is, in general, very safe, with on-campus security, and off-campus Metro Police in the surrounding area. If choosing to live off-campus (which many upperclassmen do), students should remember that Georgetown is located in a large metropolitan area, and take common-sense safety precautions. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Bryan: The professors are all very available. Of course, it varies from professor to professor, but all professors hold regular office hours, which are made known to students. These are a great time for students to stop by a professors office and have individual discussions. Some larger, discussion classes, are broken into discussion sections, led by teaching assistants. My experience with teaching assistants was largely positive they were all very knowledgeable, helpful, and generally accessible for students. Academic advisors are also accessible, and are useful for students wishing to have conversations about switching majors, or choosing courses to match with a particular course of study. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Bryan: Georgetown students are guaranteed at least two years of on-campus housing (although the majority are granted a third year, as well). On-campus dorms vary from building to building (some have a sink included in the room, some are larger apartment-style, etc.), but freshmen usually tend to feel very strongly positive about their living arrangements. All four freshman dorms are located at different parts of campus, but all are within a 15 minute walk of each other. Off-campus housing is widely available for juniors or seniors, which is an option that many students take advantage of. Dining options are mostly limited to the main dining hall on campus. The food is decent, with a large selection for options. In addition, there are plenty of nearby restaurants and cafs for quick, inexpensive dining. Socializing is very easy upon arriving at Georgetown. Students tend to form friends quickly with other people on their freshman year floor, or with other students from various clubs, activities, and events. A nice feature of Georgetowns dorm life is their inclusion of a program called CHARMS. This program allows students to create a profile, and search through other incoming freshmens profiles to find a potential good fit for a roommate. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Bryan: Georgetown University has four distinct schools the College of Arts and Sciences, the McDonough School of Business, the School of Foreign Service, and the Nursing and Health Studies School. Because of this separation of schools, Georgetown does a great job of supporting majors of many different fields. Within the College, majors like History, Government, or Economics are very popular. Within the MSB, popular majors include Finance, Consulting, Accounting, or Marketing. Within the SFS, majors focus on International Studies. Popular majors within the SFS include International Relations, as well as many foreign languages (the SFS requires demonstrating proficiency in a language as a prerequisite for graduating). The NHS focuses on Health Studies, and includes an excellent Nursing program, as well as majors like International Health. I graduated from the Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences, with a BA in History, and minors in Government and Psychology. I chose this course of study because I have always been fascinated with history, and Georgetown has an excellent program for liberal arts. Government is a very strong program at Georgetown, and I decided to minor in Government once I took a few courses and realized the caliber of professors was fantastic. The four schools at Georgetown each have their own area of speciality. Students apply for admission to a particular school, and are able to declare a major by their sophomore year. All of the schools at Georgetown are very reputable and well-established. A student should be aware of the differences between the schools before applying, and have some sort of idea for which area appeals to him/her most. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Bryan: Meeting people at Georgetown was very easy. Everyone bonds extremely quickly freshman year, particularly with fellow students on their floor or in their dorm. I would absolutely recommend getting involved in as many activities, clubs, and events as possible, since this is an excellent way to meet people as well. Georgetown does not technically have Greek life (there are some fraternities that operate independently, but they are not recognized directly by the university, and do no dominate social life at all), which was actually a big draw in my decision to attend Georgetown. Despite the lack of Greek life, Georgetown maintains a very lively social scene, with plenty of events on campus for students, combined with a large supply of nightlife options within walking distance. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Bryan: The Career Center was moderately helpful to me as an undergraduate. They have resum review services, as well as interview practice sessions for students. Within the MSB, plenty of companies recruit on campus, but recruiting events are mostly limited to the business school. For students in the other schools at the university, it is largely up to them to apply to companies or job opportunities that interest them. However, the Career Center is a valuable resource for students to find out more about companies that are hiring, or job opportunities within their field of interest. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Bryan: The common areas are, for the most part, spacious and available. Plenty of students tend to go to the main library to complete their work or to study, but other options include common spaces in the student union (the Leavey Center), and common areas in dorm buildings. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Bryan: Georgetown is a very lively neighborhood within Washington, DC. There are dozens of restaurants, shops, a movie theater, and nightlife options in the immediate walking area for students to enjoy, which they frequent throughout the year. There is never a lack of things to do within Georgetown, but if a student wants to branch out, the entirety of Washington, DC is at the disposal of Georgetown students via the Metro system in DC. Most students tend to stay within the Georgetown area (it often is referred to as the Georgetown bubble,), but I would highly recommend students making efforts to get out to other restaurants, concerts, or sporting events in downtown DC. (The mens basketball team plays off-campus at the Verizon Center, which is a great opportunity for students to get out into the city.) VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Bryan: The undergraduate body is about 6,000 students. Georgetown is a private school, which tends to make for slightly smaller student bodies. However, there were always new people to meet throughout my four years at the school. Alternatively, Georgetowns walkable campus, and relatively moderate student body make it very easy to bump into friends, or meet up with people easily. Finally, class sizes were very reasonable throughout my four years at Georgetown. Some of the larger discussion-based courses were several hundred students, but were then broken up into smaller discussion sections. On the other hand, many of my upper-level History courses were capped at 15 students or fewer, allowing for much more open discussion directly with a professor. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Bryan: I took a Government class (American Electoral Politics) during the second semester of my senior year. It was a lower-level discussion course, with maybe 70 students in it. It was largely lecture-based, but the professor was extremely interesting and every discussion was worthwhile. The downside of the class was that there was very little interaction with the professor, apart from asking occasional questions or visiting him during his office hours. However, on the final class of the semester, the professor asked for all the seniors to raise their hands. He spoke individually to each one, and asked what their plans were for after graduation. It was a good moment to connect with an excellent professor, and he had a chance to understand where many of his students were heading after graduating. Check out Bryanstutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

3 Ways Private Tutoring Can Reduce the Cost of Education

3 Ways Private Tutoring Can Reduce the Cost of Education Improving Academic Performance College is expensive.The cost of college has been rising faster than the average U.S. income for almost two decades. At the same time, the college admissions process is becoming increasingly competitive â€" getting into high quality state schools is nowhere near a given. At the University of Illinois, a 3.75 GPA and a 30 on the ACT does not mean youâ€™ll be admitted, for example. Furthermore, due to the recent recession, once college is over, getting a job is more difficult than it was a decade ago. Yet, study after study still shows that a college education increases your earning power by tens of thousands of dollars every year, so even though a college education is more difficult to obtain and more expensive than ever, itâ€™s still a great investment â€" in most circumstances. With all this in mind, you might think the private tutoring market, with its relatively high cost, would be struggling â€" it makes high school and/or college cost even more. But, the market for private tutoring is not struggling. In fact, it has been and is expected to continue to grow at more than double the rate of GDP through 2017. Itâ€™s growing very fast. Why is this? Itâ€™s because spending on education, including private tutoring, is really an investment â€" not a cost. For those of you with general business or accounting experience, youâ€™ll realize the incredibly important difference between the two concepts. A cost is incurred today to produce something â€" perhaps a product, or a service â€" that you use today. An investment, on the other hand, costs money today, but produces a benefit far into the future.And, the long run return on investments in education is usually very positive. So, I suggest that private tutoring can actually decrease the overall cost of education. Three Ways Private Tutoring Can Reduce the Cost of Education, we list three scenarios that illustrate how this can be the case:Scenario #1 â€" A low performing high school or college student finds a long term private tutorScenario #2 â€" The above average high school student invests in an ACT tutorScenario #3 â€" The proactive high school student loads his schedule with 5 AP classesOf course, while this is all true in the broad sense, the real world can be complicated. If you attend a mediocre school, choose a major thatdoesn'tfit your passion, and donâ€™t get involved in activities that build or demonstrate your leadership skills and/or creativity, you probably wonâ€™t land a high paying job. In this case, the investment you made in your education may not pay off as expected. The key is to understand your end goal and objectives, make intelligent choices about the education you pursue, and do what you can to increase your return on that investment in education while youâ€™re in college (i.e., get As, not Cs.).In fact, MyGuru has developed two partnerships with organizations that help you navigate the college admissions process and highlight the choices you could make to find the right college for you at the lowest price possible.Collegian Financial is a college admissions adviser with a personalized approach that includes hands-on support for parents a nd students from freshman year in high school, through college and career. They consider academic, social, and financial pieces as a whole to avoid wasting time and money.The College Solution is an interesting and extremely helpful blog with a clear focus on creating tons of content that helps high school students and parents identify the right schools for their individual needs while reducing the cost of attending those schools.Click to learn more about how MyGuru helps you maximize your return on your investment in education through private ACT tutoring.

Phrasal Verbs with Multiple Meanings - English Lesson via Skype

Phrasal Verbs with Multiple Meanings - English Lesson via Skype Phrasal verb is a very unique and quite complex construction of the English language. Many ESL students have difficulties understanding the meaning of phrasal verbs. I hope you are more confident now with the grammar of phrasal verbs. In case this is not confusing enough for you, many phrasal verbs have more than just one meaning. Letâ€™s have a look at popular phrasal verbs with multiple meanings. 10 Phrasal Verbs with Multiple Meanings TO TAKE OFF1. to removeExample: It was a warm sunny day and I decided to take off my coat.2. to leave the groundExample: I hope our plane will take off on time.TO GET THROUGH1. to finishExample: I donâ€™t think Iâ€™ll get through your report by the end of this week.2. to passExample: I think Michael will get through the test.TO PICK UP1. to take it from a low placeExample: I asked him to pick up the rubbish.2. to collectExample: I have to pick up my Mum at 8.45 p.m.3. to improveExample: The world economy is picking up quite strongly.TO GO OFF1. to ringExample: Alarm fails sometimes on mobile devices and doesnt go off.2. to go badExample: The milk will go off if you donâ€™t put back in the fridge after breakfast.3. to explodeExample: Luckily the bomb failed to go off.TO RUN OVER1. to hit someone with a carExample: I ran over a fox last night.2. to exceedExample: The project ran over its expected budget. Phrasal Verbs with Multiple Meanings Enjoyed this infographic? Here's what you can do next: TO BRUSH OFF1. to remove something with a brushExample: Sarah brushed off the dust from her golf shoes.2. to dismiss, to ignore a personExample: Peter brushed off all objections to his plan.TO TURN AROUND1. to improve dramatically from bad to goodExample: Half year end results were not great but we managed to turn around things by the end of the year.2. to change direction, to make a u-turnExample: He had to turn around to go back home to get his passport.TO GET ON1. to board (a bus, train, ship etc)Example: You should let passengers off the bus before you get on.2. to have a friendly relationshipExample: I get on really well with my boss.TO MAKE UP1. to restore good relationships after a quarrelExample: After an argument I had with my best friend last week we finally made up.2. to invent somethingExample: He made up a story to get out of trouble.TO WORK OUT1. to exerciseExample: To maintain a healthy lifestyle it is recommended to work out regularly.2. to resolveExample: â€œEverythi ng works out in the end. If it hasnâ€™t worked out yet, then itâ€™s not the end.â€ â€" Tracy McMillanMore information can about phrasal verbs with multiple meanings can be found on the British Council website.What do you find the most confusing about phrasal verbs? Let us know in the comments below.

5 Things to do Before You Go Away to College

5 Things to do Before You Go Away to College Heading to college this fall? TutorNerds is here to help. High school is finally over, graduation day has arrived, which means you have successfully survived high school. Congratulate yourself because you deserve it. You championed those nasty standardized exams, you passed your AP classes (TutorNerds offers AP test Tutoring), you survived cafeteria food for four years, you did three hours of homework a night all while maintaining a part time job and gaining volunteer experience. And now you are done, well sort of. There are still an additional four years ahead of you (and for some of you a lot more than that; PhD anyone?). Of course, these next years wonâ€™t be anything like the four years in high school. You will have freedom to actually choose what you want to study, you will set your own schedule and take your own responsibilities, and you will still have to eat cafeteria food (READ our post on Self-Discipline). Countless students leave a bit unprepared for college and that can make the first semester a giant wake up call to the responsibilities of university life. Iâ€™m not talking about pre-ordering a twin sheet set for your dorm or getting to know your roommate prior to your arrival, Iâ€™m talking about good old fashioned organization and academics. Here are 5 things you can do to make life a lot easier during that first semester in college: One: Have a tutor, keep a tutor. Need a tutor, find a tutor Remember the tutor (most likely the private Orange County tutor from TutorNerds) that helped you through SAT, ACT or AP? Chances are they tutor other subjects as well. With the use of handy dandy technology, many tutors give lessons via Skype. If you have already found your perfect match, why make a change? Tutors book up early so if you want to keep your favorite tutor, make sure to let them know and make sure that they offer remote tutoring, especially if you are moving to a different time zone. Didnâ€™t need a tutor in high school or didnâ€™t get one but kind of wish that you had? Arrange for a tutor now rather than later. You donâ€™t want to be in a position where you are scrambling around looking for a brand new tutor just after failing your first midterm. Even if you feel pretty confident that your academics are strong, do yourself a favor and call a tutoring company to put your name on the list of potential students. It could be the difference between having a tutor within a week or within a month. Donâ€™t waste time (and possibly your first semester GPA) searching for a tutor when things have already gone downhill. A final point, choosing a private tutor for the summer (READ: ten reasons you need a summer tutor) will help you gain confidence and courage for the big switch to college. How do we know? Our college educated tutors have all made the leap, so theyll give you an insiders perspective as you prepare. Two: Review your core subjects and pick your core classes Before you burn your essays in a celebratory bonfire, go through all of your senior year English and math assignments and look for patterns. Patterns include things that you are consistently good at as well as things that need improvement. If you rock at algebra but probability problems made you want to run away screaming, use this knowledge about yourself to pick your freshman classes. Sign up for Algebra 1A but skip Statistics 101. If you hated writing papers with a passion, find out if you can take English Composition 101 in your second semester. There is no way around taking this class at the college level but you might be able to put it off until you feel more comfortable about college life. Three: Fill in the gaps Remember when your high school English teacher assigned summer reading (or in-class reading) and you took a shortcut by using Cliff notes or Spark notes and didnâ€™t actually read the book? College is when these decisions seem like a bad idea in retrospect. Being well read will help you out in nearly every liberal arts college class that you take. Even engineering and computer science majors will find themselves on the humanities side of the campus during those first two years. Take the time to read the books that you truly skipped and review ones that you may have skimmed while in a hurry. Your older self will thank you later. (READ: the 10 best teen reads) Four: Have a game plan When I was in college I took a nice long look through the list of required classes and discovered that I could easily kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by taking say Literature 2, instead of Literature 3. That left me with a ton of leftover units that I used to take fun electives or â€˜easy Aâ€™ type courses. There is no reason why you canâ€™t do the same. Donâ€™t waste your time taking 2 classes that you donâ€™t really like when you could have filled a few hours of your week doing something you love. Five: Dont bite off more than you can chew So, you took two AP classes, scored a 1900 on the SAT and maintained a 3.8 GPA during your senior year. That helped you get the well deserved acceptance letter to the place you will be moving to this fall but, so did everyone else that will arrive on campus in September. This doesnâ€™t mean that youâ€™re not awesome; it just means that everybody else is also awesome. The competition is fierce. If your counselor at UC or Cal State tells you that the maximum number of classes you should take is 4, donâ€™t be brave and sign yourself up for 5! The academic counselors have mentored thousands of students and they know what works and what doesnâ€™t. If you are behind on classes, save it for summer or at least save it for your second year. First semester freshman year is not the time to overload yourself. University life can be incredibly wonderful if you are able to balance out your academic and social lives. Do yourself a favor and ease in to your first few months at college. Remember all of the useful things that you learned in high school and learn how to cut through some of the red tape. Enjoy a seriously fun summer and head off to the next stage of life in a couple of months. All blog entries are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at info@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about. Orange County parents and students, listen up! Beat the summer slowdown with a private, in-home tutor. We work around your schedule so you can stay sharp while having fun in the sun. Read: 10 Reasons You Need a Summer Tutor. What are you waiting for? Call us. Teach.com

Resits - Making the decision

Resits - Making the decision Without venturing into a debate of whether exam resits are a good idea or not, the fact is, students who do have the opportunity to take resits will have to make their decision quite quickly. Many students may have fallen sick at exam time or simply could not cope with the stress at the end of the year; others may have been struggling through the whole year with a certain subject and wish to higher their grade. Keep in mind that all kinds of people who have made a success of their lives didn't necessarily excel in exams, so remember there are always alternative options for you to explore, think carefully before making a hasty decision. If you do decide to resit some of your exams, talk to your old school or your local sixth form college first. If you are contemplating resitting exams predominantly in order to get into a specific university or course, contact the institution to check that they will accept candidates with grades from exam re-takes. It's also a good idea to ask about their offers. Remember, too, that the modular system for A-levels means that by re-taking individual exam modules, you might be able to boost your overall grade. Think carefully about whether a resit is likely to improve results. If the outlook looks grim, there are plenty of alternative paths towards achieving the qualifications you need for a decent job. If you are still not sure which path to take, why not consider finding a private tutor who can asses your abilities, talk through your exam results with you and detect which areas of a subject need considerable improvement. Statistics reveal that many students improve their grades after receiving one to one tuition. A private tutor can motivate and boost your overall confidence. Perhaps your problem is with exam technique or you need guidance regarding general study skills. Whatever the problem may be - private tuition could be the solution to your academic needs.

8 tips for home-schooling

8 tips for home-schooling Home-schooling your child has become an ever-increasing trend, with more and more parents opting for the less traditional way of educating their child. Some parents find that their child thrives in a home-school environment where following the national curriculum is not compulsory. Parents do not need to be teachers or necessarily have teaching experience and there are plenty of private tutors out there that can help stimulate the subjects your child is really interested in. Home-schooling your child can be very rewarding but can also be a difficult and daunting task; following a few simple tips can make the process a far smoother one. 1. Read Read; in all senses of the word. Read to your child, have your child read to you, read aloud together. We all know that reading plays a great factor in your child's development and the more they read the more they will both enjoy it and learn from it. Take the time to explore different books at your local library and make sure you are members there so that you can borrow books and return them on a regular basis. Incorporated into your schedule this will become an important part of your routine. It is also vital that you, as the parent, reads about home-schooling and different teaching methods. The more informed you are the more your child will benefit. 2. Decide on the best approach The great thing with home-schooling is that there are no real rules to follow and you have the freedom to decide what your child will learn and how you will go about teaching it to them. Learning life-skills is often more important to parents home-schooling their children than teaching them a foreign language or chemistry. Knowing how to use a washing machine, change a car tyre or ride a bike are important skills that children will take with them into adulthood. Take the time to discuss with your child things they would like to learn about then decide the best way to approach these lessons. There are plenty of free resources that can give you advice on the different approaches people use when home-schooling their child. Take the time to try different methods and go with those that best fit your child. 3. Have patience Patience is something that goes hand-in-hand with home-schooling. Like anything new, home-schooling your child successfully will take time for both you and your child. It is perfectly natural to try methods that do not necessarily work for you both; having the patience to persevere is the key to success here. Your child will of course grasp some things more naturally than others and this will also require a good amount of patience on your part. Always praise your child's efforts and if something is difficult for them find a different method of explaining it to the until they feel comfortable enough to move on. A private tutor is the perfect solution for some of the problems parents face with home-schooling. If your child has difficulty with certain subjects, needs some extra help or simply needs more stimulation then a private tutor is your answer. 4. Get in touch with other home-schoolers Home-schooling always seems to bring the feeling of unsociability and loneliness but it doesn't need to be this way at all. There are home-schooling communities all over the UK where parents get together with their children and plan different days out or joint lessons. Being social is an important part of growing up and children will always need other children their ages to interact with and talk to. Join different groups and meet people that are also home-schooling their child. Aside from meeting new people you will have the chance to exchange ideas and plan visits together. 5. Learn about different home-schooling styles Finding the best method to home-school your child can often be challenging and it is important to find the one that best suits both you and your child. The more options you have available to you in regards to different methods and styles the more prepared you will be to make decisions. There are many great books out there that are available for parents to read and better understand different home-schooling styles. These 3 books are great reads for home-schooling parents: No Sweat Home Schooling: The Low Stress Way To Teach Your Kids by Kelly Wallace The Everything Homeschooling Handbook: All you need to create the best curriculum and learning environment for your child by Sherri Linsenbach Children's Book of Experiments: 30 Incredible Experiments for Young Scientists by Jaroslaw Wasilewski 6. Know your child's learning style Learning styles play a major part in how your home-schooling journey will go and knowing our child's learning style will almost certainly ensure a happier learning environment. Whether you child learns best through auditory, visual or kinaesthetic methods, knowing how they learn best will be a great way to figure out the best teaching methods. To find out more about learning styles read our blog on 'Understanding Learning Styles - is your learning style compatible with online education?'. 7. Keep a home-schooling plan A great way to get into a good home-schooling routine is to have a plan. Home-schooling is all about flexibility but having a good plan of subjects and topics you want to cover and educational visits and outings will keep you ahead. A great book for home-schooling parents is 'Simple Homeschool planner'' by Schoolhouse Heaven. A simple way of keeping a schedule and organising your days. 8. Be creative One of the best things about home-schooling is that you can be as creative as you like without having to follow rules. Have a budget that will allow you to do different activities with your child and plan them together. With home-schooling the world is your oyster so use imagination as freely as possible. Visit fire-stations, forests and beaches, join support groups and take long trips to places your child has never seen. Your options are endless and with some careful planning and lots of creativity, learning can be a truly wonderful experience.