6 Tips for Parents Going through College Applications for the First Time

Dear Parents, Welcome to this very exciting new chapter in life! You may have heard stories about other parents who have walked through this process before – some may be triumphant, and others may be tales of nerves and anxiety. The college application process is a roller coaster of emotion and quite an investment of time, but when you get to the other side, your child will be off on a new journey of independence and self-discovery! Are you ready to get started? Here’s a free personalized college profile evaluationto get you started off on the right foot. As you look to begin this new phase, here are 6 tips for managing this process with your child. 1. Start early. The key to a successful application process is starting early. Typically, application components and requirements are released on August 1st, but your child can begin many steps of the process before that date. Before summer ends, you should support your child in doing school research, visiting various college campuses, identifying interesting majors and summarizing extracurriculars, leadership experiences, summer experiences and honors/awards. By the time August 1st rolls around, your child should have a clear sense of where they want to apply and will be ready to tackle applications head on. 2. If possible, plan to visit college campuses. If you’re able, planning college visits will allow your child to learn more about college campus life and help them make decisions about what they’re looking for. When visiting campuses, arrive armed with questions, and don’t just visit the admissions office. In addition to a campus tour, spend time wandering around academic buildings, check out multiple dining halls and spend time in the surrounding areas of campus. If after the visit your child decides that that school isn’t the right fit, don’t be disappointed! Developing opinions about schools and campuses is a step in the right direction! If you are unable to physically visit college campuses, take advantage of the virtual tours online and set up a call with an admissions officer and/or current student to get your questions answered. 3. Set expectations from the beginning. If there are any specific family considerations that will play a role in this process, address them early. You may want to discuss location and cost of attendance, as those are the most common factors in school selection. If cost of attendance is an anticipated challenge, start your research early on financial aid options – there are more out there than you may think! 4. Assemble a team. You’ve heard the saying â€Å"it takes a village,† right? It definitely applies to college applications! Find a small, but reliable group of people who will help you and your child through this process. Parents often commiserate that it is tough to find the perfect balance between managing timelines, being a copy editor, a cheerleader and a manager of expectations. Your child should be the driver of his/her college applications, but if you have the resources to bring in a small village of experts, it relieves the pressure on you and will everyone focused on the goal: gaining admission to their dream schools! 5. Get excited about the safeties. The truth is, even the most academically talented students aren’t receiving thick admissions envelopes from all of their top schools. Students across the country are all competing for a seat at desirable schools, so it is important to develop a balanced list of reach, target safety schools. Safety schools are schools that, based on class profiles, your child is likely to be admitted to. Your child should plan to apply to 2-3 safety schools, and they should be thrilled if they are offered admission. While they may receive the coveted congratulatory letter from their dream reach school, it’s important to have exciting backup options, too. 6. Keep the mission in mind. In a process where it is easy to lose sight of the goal and get caught up in the anxiety of the process, your #1 role is to be supportive as your child tackles these applications in anticipation of the next chapter of their life. College is an opportunity for your child to grow in a dozen different ways, so help them develop a list of best-fit schools that will be the perfect place for them to grow, and help keep their eyes on the prize when things start to get hazy. When all is said and done, you’ll have conquered this together, and when you pack them up for their freshman year, you’ll look back and be so proud of everything they’ve accomplished to get to that point. We offer students and parents a free personalized college profile evaluationgiving you tailored advice to help dramatically improve your student’s chances of admissions success. Sign up now!

Application Essay on Leadership

Application Essay on Leadership The main reason why I am interested in your leadership program is because your program seems very exciting and interesting. Your university community also appears to be an interesting community of which I desire to be part of. However, I am mainly attracted to your university community because, based on its mission statement, your institution stresses the importance of leadership through the involvement of community service, something that I am also very passionate about. I have desired to be in a leadership position since I was young. I am not just interested in the authority and power that comes with leadership, but I am also very interested in being able to positively lead those under my authority so they can achieve their very best in whatever role is assigned to them. I deeply believe that your leadership training program has all the elements that will enable me to become a good and influential leader in my future endeavors. I also want to join your leadership program because I think that your institution has the right training that will not simply prepare me to be a good leader but also to be a great leader who stands out in many aspects. I want to be able to develop skills that will make me an interactive leader who will not simply issue instructions but will also listen to my followers in order to make the best informed decisions with regards to leadership. In this world, there will always be those people who lead and those who follow. I choose to lead. I believe that with education and training that I can acquire from your institution, I will be able to develop my leadership skills and become the best leader that I could ever be. Some of the leadership skills that I have and hope to develop even further with the education that I will acquire from your institution include: excellent communication skills; exceptional projection skills; a sense of empathy; and generally, the ability to inspire people. Furthermore, I endeavor to become an individual who many people respect. A quick examination of the courses that you offer in your leadership program indicates that your curriculum contains all the right components that will help me sharpen these vital skills and to develop others that will aid me in becoming an even better leader. One other aspect about your leadership program that attracts me to your institution is your emphasis on the importance for a leader to be able to think outside the box to find solutions to problems that others are afraid to tackle. I want to be the kind of leader whose leadership skills are helpful on regional, national, and international levels. Some application essay writing tips: Since one is required to provide reasons why an institution should consider admitting one into their program for leadership, one should first know what one wants and if the institution actually offers the kinds of training and mentorship that one expects to receive from the leadership program for which he or she is applying. In this sample application letter, the applicant first explains what of the kind of leader that he or she wants to become. The applicant should also briefly mentions the kind of skills that he or she hopes to develop through participating in the institution’s program. The applicant also confirms that the institution to where he is applying for the leadership program actually offers the relevant courses needed.

Analysing media text using the approaches in textual analysis Essay

Analysing media text using the approaches in textual analysis - Essay Example The analysis will focus on the image, the multimodal text and the message it conveys to its readers. In order to more critically understand the image presented on the cover, a brief background on the model is necessary. Miley Cyrus is a former child star on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, a character idolized by young girls because of her talent and wholesome personality. Parents were pleased that their children had a good role model in Hannah Montana that they encouraged them to emulate her, patronized her shows and bought her merchandize. However, as Cyrus grew older, she was captured by media in compromising situations that tainted her good reputation as a wholesome character (EOnline, 2013). Her controversial shift in image by exhibiting raunchy acts in public disappointed parents but were helpless in the fact that she was old enough to do what she wants. In March, 2013, she was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine (see appended image) with short, blond hair wea ring a white outfit with an open jacket showing more than her cleavage. Her image stands out from a plain pink background as the most salient element. Pink is usually associated with softness and femininity, which may not suit Miley’s personality, however, Machin (2007) suggests that flat colours connote simplicity, emotions and modernity. Such a background contributes to the salience of the various elements in the cover. As is common in contemporary women’s magazines, the model is positioned at the center of the page with the magazine title on top and titles of articles featured in the magazine surrounding her. With the background colour of pink as base, varying hues of this colour are used in the main heading, some emphasized words in the titles and highlights of some other titles. Lirola (2006) contends that the colour of the background creates a specific context which gives cohesion in the elements. The written text, being influenced by the background colour now be comes part of the visual. Pink is usually associated with young ladies, which Miley Cyrus represents. Lirola also suggests that the colour pink is used to attract the readers’ attention. Since majority of Cosmopolitan readers are females, the colour encourages interaction with them. The close coordination of colours of the titles, the model’s clothes and other objects in the cover page produces an impression of high stylization and a connotation of modern fashionability (Machin & Thornborrow, 2003) which Cosmopolitan is known for. The image of Miley Cyrus is a metaphor in itself. Wearing a white outfit which connotes purity and wholesomeness, she wears nothing inside so a large part of her breasts are showing. Her shoulders are hunched, and her hands grip at the inner ends of her jacket, a tensed pose indicating discomfort in what she is wearing and wants to break free. Metaphorically, she wants to release herself from the pure mould that the Hannah Montana character h as created for her and unleash her new image of maturity and sensuality. This is complemented by her facial expression which is neutral, neither smiling nor frowning but her eyes look deeply into the readers’ as if letting them know she is serious in what she wants. Goffman (1979) identified the model’s gaze to be important and suggested that women are usually sights to be gazed upon by others in the image. However, when the model herself gazes into the

Turkish Foreign Policy since the Ottoman Empire Essay

Turkish Foreign Policy since the Ottoman Empire - Essay Example Since time immemorial,Turkey had been a predominantly a Muslim country that was controlled by the Sultanates of the Ottoman Empire.However,through a nationalist movement led by Musataf Kemal,Turkey was able to establish itself as a prosperous secular state that could assert itself as a force in the Central African region. To establish itself to be the modern day Turkey, it had to employ numerous strategies as the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of the Sultanates was greatly opposed to an independent Turkish state with a distinct language, dress code and run through secular laws. The early leadership of Abdulhamid II (1876-1909) that laid claim that the Ottoman Sultan was the universal leader of the Muslims used propaganda and counter-propaganda. However, he did not anticipate that opposition could come from an Islamic perspective. This Sunni idea was largely opposed by the Shiite Iran who did not recognize the Ottoman Empire as it occupied what was traditionally land owned by the Arabs, due to endless persecution, the As Shiites and the Sunnis waged an endless war depending on which side they supported.1 As a method to re-engineer the state towards attaining legitimacy, the Ottoman Empire bought about education through the imposition of uniform religious values through primary and secondary education. This has however been proved to have been the Ottoman Empire’s way of propaganda to educate the ills of the Shiites to the Iraqi population which was perceived to be a moral duty. Finally, it was proved that the attempts of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire fell flat on its face but formed the basis of the republican Turkish nation building, which has been a success. This historical heritage of past concepts and conflicts explains the current geopolitical occurrences in the Middle East and Central Asia.2 As at the imminent collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the sultanate became only limited to the plateau at Anatolia. The implementation of the Treaty of Ser ves weakened the empire as it lost its geopolitical positioning that deprived it of its most important resources. This led to the formation of nationalist movements under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, which culminated in the National Pact of Ankara of January 1920 that resolved to claim those parts of the empire occupied by Turkish populations that laid the basis for the Kemal foreign policy that focused on national unity buttressed by economic and political independence. Through nationalist uprisings and rebellions, the forces led by Kemal were able to crush the Armenian Republic as well as defeating the Greeks. In the process, it was able to negotiate itself into occupying Asia Minor and East Thrace. The Lausanne Treaty set the stage for the Kemalist foreign relation policy especially Greek-Turkish relations marked with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of Turkey under Kemal. This marked the proclamation of Turkey as a republic after the Sultan had been driven aw ay and recognition of Turkey as a secular state.3 Thereafter the Kemal regime focused on pursuing a foreign policy of maintaining peace as Turkey had been involved in a conflict for almost a decade. To achieve this, even when there was the First World War and the upheavals in South Eastern Europe, Turkey adopted a neutral stand. For example, Turkey signed a treaty with Russia known as the Turco-Soviet Treaty of Neutrality and Non-Agression that emphasized its neutrality and no acts of aggression in whatever circumstances. What was integral to Turkey then was the securing of its borders through emphasis on territorial integrity as well as the independence of Turkey as republic.4 Later Turkey forged a common foreign policy with Russia to the extent of refusing to be members of the League of Nations due to the suspicion of the Western powers, Turkey was also apprehensive of some articles in the treaty forming the League of Nations. After the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Unio n

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal Introduction The construction industry is a significantly important sector in the UK and has profound economical, social and environmental impacts. The UK construction industry contributes 10% of UK GDP and provides employments to 1.5 million people. Unfortunately, the environmental impacts caused by the construction activities are appalling: annually 70 million tones of waste are produced and 50% of all energy generated is used by the industry (Addis, B Talbot, R, 2001:21). Worldwide, there has been a growing concern on the environmental impacts caused by the construction industry. Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Sustainability and Sustainable Development have captured the attention of all the industries in the world especially the construction industry. As a result of this concern, the concept of Sustainable Construction emerged. It is proposed that sustainable construction is the way forward to improve the performance of the construction industry, making it more sustainable, and subsequently helps to minimise the environmental impacts caused by its activities. The development and progress of sustainable construction in the UK is improving, although it lags behind other countries in Europe. Within the construction industry itself, there is a gap of performance and progress between large construction companies (LE) and small construction companies (SME) in implementing sustainable construction. Interestingly, much of the available literature on the UK sustainable construction focuses more on the large companies, while studies on small construction companies are still under researched. Thus, this research aims to investigate to actual level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction among construction SMEs, with further intention to identify the barriers to these companies in implementing sustainable construction practices. It is impossible to conduct this research based on all disciplines within the construction team hence, a scope is determined. The research focuses only on contractors firms which fall under the category of SMEs (general contractors with less than 50 employees) and therefore, the scope of the construction phase is limited to the production or on-site activities. Justification/Rational of the Research The contribution of small companies towards any changes and innovations proposed by the construction industry is very significant. This is because the largest part of the construction industry is made up of small firms. In 2004, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has registered more than 170,000 private construction contractors working in the UK and 93% of these companies employed less than 8 people (DTI, 2004). Interestingly, previous studies on construction innovations and initiatives by the construction SMEs indicate that this group is often ignored and hence, they are under-performed compared to large construction companies (Sexton, M.G. Barrett, P.S., 2003a). With regards to sustainable construction in the UK, there as been a rapid development since the publications of the Egan Report (1998) and `Building A Better Quality of Life` (2000), which promote and encourage sustainable construction practices. Despite the rapid development, in the construction industry: .take up of sustainability principles varies significantly, with some leading firms following recognised practice, but others still making little effort. (Environment Agency, 2006) There are continuing problems, reaching small and medium sized enterprises, and the entirely of supply chains. The author is intrigued by this matter which seems to suggest that the construction SMEs is lagging behind in implementing sustainable construction practices when compared to large construction companies. Consequently, the question arises as to `what are the barriers to the construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction? At present, it is widely felt that investigate into barriers faced by construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction is under researched. Therefore, the author would like to undertake a research on this area in order to explore the level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction SMEs, and consequently identify the barriers involved. It is hoped that the finding, from this research will help the construction industry to encourage more construction SMEs to implement sustainable construction principles and techniques, as recommended by the UK Government in Building a Better Quality of Life. The scope of the research is limited to contractors companies that employ less than 50 people. The area of research investigation is also limited to the activities on construction site, or known as the production phase. The diagram below demonstrates the deductive approach taken for this research in order to narrow down the research area to specific issues and activities during construction site operation. Eventually, the research scope will be limited to five making practices in implementing environmental sustainable construction, which include waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation materials efficiency and protection of biodiversity.

A Dangerous Double Standard

Women face many dangers in society.   Women are generally smaller and physically weaker than men, so a female can be said to be a potential victim for a male.   However, oftentimes, females become endangered simply because they are women. In effect, women are endangered daily by societal double standards with regard to their attitude, clothing and chosen activities.Women’s bodies are the subject of much attention from the media.   The ideal body type is stamped everywhere.   Women who are able to achieve that body type, or nearly achieve it, are likely to want to show it off.   Thus, if a shapely female where’s a plunging neckline or a short skirt, people may consider her to be inviting sexual overtures.However, a man in a shirt which reveals his muscular stature would receive no such insult.   This look can even cause a woman to be the victim of unwanted sexual advances, even rape.   In an extreme case, one attacker was actually freed because his victim w as dressed the way she was.   According to a sexual assault case in the UK, â€Å"a pedophile who raped a 10-year-old girl will be free in just four months after a British judge said his victim had ‘dressed provocatively’.In addition to her appearance, a woman who seems confident, or even aggressive, can earn distasteful responses from both men and women.   Confident women seem to present a challenge to men, even though no such standard exists for men.Men may, again, sexually pursue these women.   Women may feel intimidated and fail to rally behind these women, pushing them to the side, failing to protect them.   Some women are even considered bold and fiery.   Most men and women do not know how to deal with this type of woman, and some might set out to try to make them fail.   As an example, some women who choose to express what is considered an extreme are insulted and even tormented.For example, aggressive women are termed feminazis. One opposed to this view noted that â€Å"These are the staunch feminists that destroy homes and marriages.   I've met a few feminists in my lifetime and I could see that they were just begging to get into an argument.   Some women really thrive off attacking men every chance they get.Many marriages have been destroyed by a meddling feminist.   Of course, hen pecked husbands and sissies are exempt.   A real man is a threat to the feminist's agenda.   Feminism is sin.   It is wrong because it is a rebellion against authority (and against God)† (Militant Feminazis).  Finally, women seem to have less latitude in choosing their own activities.   If a man walks alone at night, drinks too much and flirts with the opposite sex, or sets out to undertake a highly physical adventure, people are impressed.   If a woman does the same thing, she is placing herself in danger.A woman walking at night is subject to attack.   A flirtatious woman may not be in control of the advances of the me n she is flirting with.   A woman who attempts a physical adventure may be seen as overreaching her bounds.   All of these can have cataclysmic results.   If a man is hurt, it is a tragedy.   If a woman is hurt, it was bound to happen.For example, former CIA agent Dr. R.J. Hillhouse writes about her experiences as an agent.   â€Å"Dr. Hillhouse has run Cuban rum between East and West Berlin, smuggled jewels from the Soviet Union and slipped through some of the world’s tightest borders. From Uzbekistan to Romania, she's been followed, held at gunpoint and interrogated. Foreign governments and others have pitched her for recruitment as a spy† (Hillhouse,)   At every corner she met with problems that the male agents did not.Sadly, double standards do exist.   A woman can be hurt by the choices she makes, whether they be her fashion, her attitude or her activities.   Even though this is not the way things should be, women should heed these issues lest they become victims.â€Å"Girl provoked pedophile – judge.† News.com.au.   Retrieved 26 June 2007. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21969117-2,00.htmlHillhouse, R.J.   The Spy Who Briefed Me. Retrieved 26 June 2007 from http://www.thespywhobilledme.com/â€Å"Militant Feminazis.† Retrieved 27 June 2007 from http://www.jesus-is-   savior.com/Womens%20Page/militant_feminazi.htm

Political Cartoon Essay

This political cartoon shows President NoyNoy with the word â€Å"political maneuvers† written on his arm pushing two letters, the R and the H with difficulty because of big rocks with the words objection, 2013 polls and moral issues written on each rock. The cartoon also shows how hard it was for Pnoy because of the sweat on his head. Symbols that were used in this political cartoon are 1) the word â€Å"political maneuver† on Pnoy’s arm, 2) the letter R and H, and 3) the rocks with the word â€Å"objection†, â€Å"2013 Polls† and â€Å"moral issues† Looking at this political cartoon it only illustrates that Pnoy with his skillful tactics push RH bill passing through many objectives, through his political maneuvers, he will be able to have good performance and even crash political and moral issues thrown against him. As a teacher, I am a leader and as a leader, I am not fond of manipulating my student, their grades and even what is happening inside the class. We all know that Pnoy is a good leader whom played the most in achieving economic growth of our country is also known to be a person who wants to promote RH bill no matter how hard it is for the majority to accept it still he will not let it go. I am not against RH bill, and I am not pro abortion, it’s just I want to teach people lesson on giving birth among children whom they can’t support and will be like others begging on the streets and in the end be one of the government dependents. But I am not allowing manipulations or tricks just to fool us around, just to crash moral issues and other objections. I still believe in the moral values our late Pres. Cory imbued to our present president today and will do what is good for our country with due respect and transparency to all Filipino citizens. A pro-RH candidate shaking upon seeing two big feet with â€Å"Catholic Vote† written on it is shown in this political cartoon. This cartoon uses a big foot which represents the majority who opposes the RH bill because they called themselves Catholic, a Christian who lives in a Christian country and should be against violation of life and liberty. This only shows that being a pro-RH bill is a big threat to get big chance of winning in election. The cartoon shows how great is the power of the catholic people who are against the RH bill. A candidate must have a strong political spirit whom he can fight for what he stands for. Yes, majority of the people in the Philippines are Catholics but we must also realize that there are also Catholics who are  pro-RH bill. Catholic Church must not influence voters in not voting pro-RH candidates. Even they have strong influence among the Filipinos; still we must practice a free and democratic way of choosing and electing government officials. Knowing a candidate whether he is a pro or anti-RH bill will never stop him in wanting to serve our country. We must really know who among them are real and who are not. For me, the Catholic Church must not enter with the voting issues anymore, they must listen on how those candidates would love to serve our country whether they are pro or anti-RH bill.