A Day in the Life at Washington University in St. Louis

A Day in the Life at Washington University in St. Louis The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Sarah is currently a senior at Washington University in St. Louis studying Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology. She specializes ina multitude of subjects including SAT prep tutoring, ACT prep tutoring, Physics tutoring, and Writing tutoring. See what she had to say about her school: 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? Sarah: It's very easy to get around campus for most students. It's possible to walk from one end of campus to the other in under ten minutes. The main campus is very flat, and there are many walkways so students can take more efficient routes. Bikes are common, and there are plenty of bike racks. There's also Campus Circ, a bus that students can take to get around campus. It is generally on time and is used by many students. VT: How helpful are the academic advisers? Sarah: Each freshman is assigned an academic advisor at the beginning of their first semester. These advisors are usually deans, and are especially useful when one needs general information or advice about scheduling, courses, or teachers. They also help students lay out a four-year plan to ensure that all requirements are met for graduation. After students choose a major, they are assigned a major advisor who can provide more specialized insight. Generally, these advisors are quite available and willing to help when students seek advice. VT: How would you describe the dorm life? Sarah: The dorms are really nice- they're clean, spacious, and (with the exception of a couple of dorms) recently renovated. Maids clean common areas within suites on at least a weekly basis. Students can request singles, doubles, or triples, and there are accommodations for special needs. The dorms have large common rooms, as well as study rooms, and are conveniently located. Some suites have balconies, many have Tempurpedic beds. They're generally considered to be luxurious. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Sarah: Wash U's most popular majors include Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, Anthropology, and Mechanical Engineering. BME, PNP, and Biology are especially well-supported. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Sarah: There are a lot of summer programs for pre-frosh that make it quite easy to make friends before the semester starts. Additionally, freshman floors are generally very close, and most people make long-lasting friendships on their floor. With the combination of the summer programs and freshman floor bonding, it's easy to branch out and make lots of friends as a freshman. VT: How helpful is the Career Center? Sarah: The Career Center can be quite helpful. It frequently holds workshops to help students find internships, work on their resumes, or learn interview skills. It's easy to make appointments and has a centrally located office. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Sarah: There are lots of study rooms in the dorms and scattered around campus. There are several larger libraries on main campus, and many of the buildings include small libraries. There are meeting rooms and classrooms that can also be used for study sessions. Many people study in dining areas both on central campus and in dorm areas. There is no shortage of study space on campus. 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? Sarah: St. Louis has a lot to offer. Wash U is right next to a large park, Forest Park, that has everything from an art museum to golf to a free zoo. Many students live in an area adjacent to campus that is off of the Delmar Loop, a stretch of a few blocks that has many great restaurants, stores, bars, and a movie theatre. The larger city has tons of great attractions, such as the Arch or City Museum. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Sarah: There are about 7,000 undergraduates. I usually know one or two people in each of my classes, and always run into a few people when walking around campus. However, its big enough that there are tons of new people to meet. It's a great compromise between familiar and new. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Sarah: I took General Chemistry my freshman year. The professor was great, a really talented teacher whose enthusiasm for teaching was obvious in his classes. The first day of class, he called on individual people by name from the audience of over 300 students. One of his last classes fell just before the holidays, and he came in that day in a Santa suit. Even though the course is over, he still greets many of his former students. In addition to these things, I found the course incredibly valuable as it really pushed me to work harder and allowed me to realize that I was capable of handling the level of difficulty presented by the class. Check out Sarahs tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Simplify the Expression

Simplify the Expression There are different types of expressions in math such as algebraic expressions, rational expressions, irrational expressions, polynomial expressions etc. Expressions consist of one or more than one unknown variables with different coefficients and constant numbers. There are various mathematical operations which are used to simplify and solve the given expressions. Example 1: Find the solution by simplifying the expression 9 x2 / 2 + 3 x2 / 5? The given question is on Adding expressions. This question contains adding with the same polynomial x2. The first step of the question is to calculate the LCM of the denominators 2 and 5, is 10. Now 9 /2 and 3 /5 can be added with the LCM of the denominators as 10. This makes the solution 9 x2 / 2 + 3 x2 / 5 = 45 x2 / 10 + 6 x2 / 10 = 51 x2 / 10. Hence the solution is 51 x2 / 10. Example 2: Find the solution by simplifying the expression x / 3 + x / 2? The given question is on Adding expressions. This question contains adding with the same polynomial x. The first step of the question is to calculate the LCM of the denominators 3 and 2, is 6. Now 1 / 3 and 1 /2 can be added with the LCM of the denominators as 6. This makes the solution x / 3 + x / 2 = 2 x / 6 + 3 x / 6 = 5 x / 6. Hence the solution is 5 x / 6.

Square Root Negative 1

Square Root Negative 1 The numbers written inside the square root radical can be either 0 or any positive integer in order to get a real solution as the y value. If a negative number is written inside the square root, then the output becomes an imaginary number, commonly represented by i. Square root of -1, which can also be written as -1 is called as the imaginary number and it is not considered a real number. -1 is equal to i which means the value of i = -1. Example 1: What is the simplified form of -12? -12 is an imaginary number since it consists the negative sign inside the radical. -12 can also be written as: (-1 * 12). This is equal to -1 * 12 and here -1 is the i value and is the imaginary number. Hence we get: -12 = i * 12 and now we can simplify 12. This implies: -12 = i * (2* 2* 3) = i * 23. Therefore the simplified form of -12 = 2i3. Example 2: What is the simplified form of -18? -18 is an imaginary number since it consists the negative sign inside the radical. -18 can also be written as: (-1 * 18). This is equal to -1 * 18 and here -1 is the i value and is the imaginary number. Hence we get: -18 = i * 18 and now we can simplify 18. This implies: -18 = i * (2 * 3 * 3) = i * 32. Therefore the simplified form of -18 = 3i2.

Solving ratio problems with tables

Solving ratio problems with tables Ratio is one of the very often used topics in mathematics. Ratio is defined as the comparison between quantitates or numbers. The symbol for the representing ratio is :. Ratio helps in solving questions related to comparisons, proportions and many other word problems. For example, a / b can be written as a : b. Here a/b is fraction form and a:b is the ratio form. The ratio can be simplifies if a and b have any common factors. Example 1: Fill in the blanks if the table below? Solution: The table given have set of equivalent ratio. The first ratio given is 6: 5. The second ratio given is 12: 10. This can be obtained by the first ratio. Write the ratio 6: 5 as a fraction (6/5) x (2/2) = 12/10. In the third ratio 18 can be obtained by multiplying 6 x 3 = 18. So multiplying the ratio 6: 5 by 3 gives (6/5) x (3/3) = 18/15. Hence writing as a ratio = 18: 15. Therefore the missing blank is 15. Question: Multiple choice question (Pick the correct option.) In the given table below the missing number in the ratio is? a) 28 b) 16 c) 14 d) None of these. Correct answer: option a. Explanation: The table given have set of equivalent ratio. The first ratio given is 4: 7 or 4/7. In the third ratio 16 can be obtained by multiplying 4 x 4 = 16. So multiplying the ratio 4: 7 by 4 gives (4/7) x (4/4) = 16/28.

Traditional versus Hypertext Fiction

Traditional versus Hypertext Fiction The majority of narrative structures we read are linear. Traditionally, there is a beginning, middle and an end, with the story following a unidirectional timeline. The reader interacts with the text in a limited and predictable way, by reading the words on the page, by turning the pages, and by imagining the characters, actions, and settings as they are described. Two readers may interact with the meaning of a text differently because of the way readers import meaning into a story, interpreting scenes and actions differently, making connections to personal experiences and other books they have read. Nevertheless, they interact with the plot structure of the story in exactly the same way. It is fixed. No matter who the reader is, the story in the novel always follows the same linear path from its beginning to its end. A linear narrative structure In contrast, the stories in video games can sometimes be non-linear. Some video games experiment with narrative structure by giving the player choices. These recent games allow for various branching storylines, even if the ultimate story ends up being the same. For example, in some games, the player begins by choosing a character and the setting of the story. Those choices can lead to a radically different narrative experience, such that two players playing with different characters can encounter two very different storylinesa type of inter-activity that is rare in traditional storytelling. In video games, multiple plot structures are possible A cross between traditional linear narratives and non-linear gameplay is a relatively new genre of storytelling called hypertext fiction. As with traditional narratives, the reader must read and imagine the characters, settings, and events. But in contrast to traditional narratives, the path from the beginning of the story to its end in hypertext fiction can change depending on the choices the reader makes. Here is how it works. The reader begins by reading the first scene of the story. At the end of that first scene, instead of turning the page to the next scene, the reader of a hypertext narrative is presented with a number of choices. Each choice leads to a different scene, which leads to new choices and new possibilities for the characters in the story. Likewise, each successive scene presents the reader with multiple plot possibilities. Picture it this way. Imagine a squirrel climbing a tree. In a tree, there are different branches, and each branch leads to a different part of the tree with a different nut to enjoy. Like a tree, a hypertext narrative presents the reader with a number of choices, each choice leading to a different branch in the story and a different ending to enjoy. To illustrate, here is an example of an opening scene from a hypertext narrative. Notice how at the end of the first paragraph the reader is presented with three choices: Choice 1, Choice 2, and Choice 3. Read the paragraph in the  box below and then continue reading one of the choices below it to find out what happens next. What you will notice is that each choice leads to a different development in the plot. That’s the idea behind hypertext fiction. The reader gets to choose the direction of the story. It was my final year of high school, and I was perplexed. “What should I do with my life?” I asked myself. “What kind of a career am I going to have?” I applied to a number of colleges in the area, and luckily I was accepted at three of them. Now, I had to make a decision. Choice 1: I decided to go to Granby College. Choice 2: I decided to go to Ahuntsic College. Choice 3: I decided to go to Dawson College. Choice 1: Granby I decided to go to Granby College. I am so happy I did because sitting next to me in my first English class was the most exciting person I had ever met. We hit it off immediately, and that night we fell into each other’s arms. Unfortunately, I slept through my alarm the next morning and missed my first Philosophy class. I made a hasty decision. Choice 1: We broke up. Choice 2: I visited the teacher in his office and explained what had happened. Choice 3: I dropped Philo. Choice 2: Ahuntsic I decided to go to Ahuntsic College. It seemed like a great choice until the first day at 8 A.M., when I went to my English class. After only 10 minutes, I was lost. The teacher was droning on about a hypertext narrative project, and I got the sense that this was going to be the most boring course imaginable, so I made a decision I now regret. Choice 1: I dropped English. Choice 2: I raised my hand. Choice 3: I closed my eyes and went to sleep. Choice 3: Daws I decided to go to Dawson College. At first, I was nervous because I wasn’t sure that my English would be good enough, but on the first day of the semester at 7:45 A.M, I met a group of gamers sitting at a table under a banner that read “Dawson’s Original Gamer Society: We are the DOGS!” They looked fun, so I made a decision. Choice 1: I took out my elven power sword and challenged the biggest gamer to a duel. Choice 2: I kept walking. Choice 3: I asked to join. The example given above is an excerpt from a much larger hypertext narrative. Here one scene branches into three. If we were to add the next layer of the story, these three scenes would lead to another nine story branches, then 27, and so on. Obviously, there is not enough space on this page to present the whole story using a tree diagram. An alternative way of presenting a hypertext narrative on paper and solving the space problem is to tell the reader to turn to such-and-such page for one branch and another page for a different branch. This approach has been successfully employed in the past, but it requires readers to do a lot of thumbing through the pages of a paperback to find the next branch and readers can get lost in the process. A third solution is to use hyperlinks and publish their hypertext story online. On a computer or smartphone, the reader can move through a hypertext narrative effortlessly just by clicking hyperlinks, so this is the direction hypertext fiction is goi ng these days and where it gets its name. For some writers, web-publishing remains a challenge because they do not know how to create hyperlinks. However, a short hypertext narrative writing how-to is often all it takes to get aspiring hypertext authors up to speed. Please follow and like us:

Skype English Classes for Schools Ching Man Chan

Skype English Classes for Schools Ching Man Chan Skype English Classes For SchoolsMoving from Shenzhen, China, a bustling, industrial city of 7 million people to the quaint countryside of Helena, Montana, has been an adjustment in many ways for 16-year-old Ching. “He’s a bright, respectful, and motivated student,” says Ann, his online English teacher. Ann taught Ching daily English classes through LOI English from April to June. In that time, “quite simply, it seems that Ching learned more English in two months with Ann than the prior 11 months he was in the US” says Therese, Ching’s supervising teacher at Helena High School.How were the Skype English Classes For schools?The topics of these daily online English lessons were aligned with Ching’s grade level and subjects he saw during his regular academic classes. The goal was to ease Ching into participating in regular classroom discussions. It was Ann’s role to be a facilitator, mentor, motivator, collaborator, and language partner, with whom Ching could practice th e language he’d already been exposed to and acquire new grammar, vocabulary, and confidence.The lessons always began with general conversation. “This is probably the most important part of the lesson. Through conversation, Ching began to learn relevant vocabulary, gain a better understanding of what was going on at school, and most importantly, gain confidence” Ann says. It was obvious he was motivated, but just needed more comprehension of vocabulary.  For example, he really wanted to improve his basketball skills, but said he didn’t understand things sometimes at practice. So, they would spend this portion of the lesson discussing basketball vocabulary, rules, and plays. “This is where having the internet at our fingertips really helped. Once, the conversation led to Ching saying he didn’t know the position names. So, we watched a short video demonstration of the positions. By the end of the conversation, Ching was talking about which position he might be able to play , describing his strengths and weaknesses and his plan to improve.” Other times, Ching would bring questions about his assignments or things people had said to him. They would discuss what questions his assignments were asking and work through vocabulary until Ching was prepared to do his homework independently. “Once, the conversation even lead to us googling types of cafeteria food. Another time, we googled and discussed the right man bun styles for Ching! These topics were all relevant to Ching’s life, so he could apply what he’d learned each day.”How Did Skype English Classes For Schools Integrate Subjects?Each lesson involved reading, listening, and a grammar focus. As they worked through the material together, Ching often asked questions, and they could build his understanding by finding using the internet to find supporting information, pictures of vocabulary, or videos to support Ching’s comprehension. “The one-on-one lessons, plus having the internet readily a vailable made Ching’s comprehension much stronger” says Ann.Skype English Classes For Schools Results?When Ching began, his official English level was pre-intermediate, which means he could speak simple conversational English with some hesitancy. He used simple and compound sentences, and didn’t understand questions at times. He had difficulty recalling advanced vocabulary words. His response to questions was often, “I don’t know, maybe.” By the time his final exam came around, he was able to speak for 3-5 minutes on his own about his opinions and make comparisons. He had much better listening comprehension, and he began to use correct grammar tenses in speakingâ€"which is especially hard for Chinese students, because the Chinese language doesn’t have any verb conjugations! He still has work to do, but he is well on his way to improving not only his grades and English skills, but becoming a part of his community, adapting to his new life in Helena, and maybe even growi ng a man bun.

Incomparable, Hopeful Portland by Debbie Porter

Incomparable, Hopeful Portland by Debbie Porter As an academic tutor, I try not to compare my students with one other. After all, every person is unique in their experience and learning style. But when thinking about how hard they work to succeed in their studies, I found an iconic correlation in nature.Camellias bloom annually and many specimens are decades old. Despite their fragile appearance, they are extremely hardy perennial shrubs. But most years, the outstanding plant’s potential as a flowering ornamental fails because of that double-edged sword: Pacific Northwest rain.The camellia blooms in a few saturated colors: red, pink, white, peppermint stripe, even yellow. Undaunted by the area’s occasionally fierce winters and scorching summer heat, the huge buds reliably produce flowers that resemble roses, scentless but stunning. What it lacks in showiness, the tough camellia makes up in vigor. Every year, perfect flowers arrive early, sometimes blooming through the snow or a silver thaw. Inevitably, the combination of strong sunlight and spring rains destroys the flowers when they are at the height of their bloom; the once-glorious petals turn brown and fall, foiled by the early rainy season that suits only the foliage. Waxy evergreen leaves enable camellias to withstand our unpredictable Northwest climate; they protect the shrub from insect pests and temperature extremes, while attractive flowers draw pollinators to the dawning spring bounty.Once you know tea is derived from the camellia, its reputation as a time-honored, dependable plant makes sense. Compared to roses, those summer icons of infinite variety and aroma, the camellia is a steady, self-managing plant. It lacks variety of hue or a signature scent. But it’s no prima donna; it rarely needs pruning, dusting or babying and it won’t succumb to black spot or mildew. In rare spring seasons, it proves to the world what a superstar it is indeed. Occasionally in the Portland, Oregon area, where I live, camellias bloom a full cycle without being ruined by rain.Seeing their blooms in early February, and knowing that they might be once again doomed to a less-than-stellar year, I started thinking about inner beauty and resilience. That led me to reflect about the city that I love and my persistent, creative students. Oregonians are as resilient as anyone. We are resourceful, proud and hard-working with a history of working together to solve problems, and we seek proactive solutions. Intent on leaving a positive legacy to future generations, we embody the positive ideals that come to mind when we hear environmentalist. We have made a habit of using our resources wisely to expand into nearly every sector of industry. Oregon leads in innovative healthcare, education, science, renewable energy and manufacturing strategies.With our region’s natural beauty as our backdrop, we work the land to produce a unique array of foods and innovative products. Fresh fruits and vegetables, award-winning dairy products and exquisite wines combine to ensure that our local cuisine remains world-famous. Because our beautiful corner of the country attracts people from all over the globe, we create business partnerships that complement our spirit of forward thinking.We have always led by example, with strength of character and persistence through the setbacks. Our area has a reputation for compassion and optimism and a brighter future than any place I can think of. We can all succeed if we remember that some things take time, and we are all capable of achieving the future’s bright promise: that we will shine like the hardy, indomitable camellia, with resilience despite the rain.Note: This post was first published on values.com

Breaking Good

Breaking Good Well my wife just got back from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where she needed some thing for the shower or something like that. She told me how the store was full of parents and students from one of the private colleges in town. It was called back to the dorm day for some reason. The reason she brought this up is because she found several of the mothers, and I use that term any way you want to take it, were a bit on the aggressive side. She was pushed and shoved and glared at in line, as apparently these parents saw my wife as one more obstacle to over come. Get out of my way its back to school day in sin city. There is some good news for this educational season. Many students may now be willing to explore Chemistry courses, in their educational travels. The series Breaking Bad showed a desperate and ill high school chemistry teacher turning to manufacturing Crystal Meth as a means to supplement health care costs and provide for his family. It was such a crazy premise that it worked very well. The show was a hit and more students are interested in chemistry than ever before. Well parents welcome to the jungle of preparing your child/children for a new school year. But before you do the kids are going back to school dance, you will have to take them out for their supplies and new school clothes. Shopping with younger children can be an adventure, but taking older, college level kids out shopping can be a real nightmare too. One way around that is to give them a credit card with a strict limit to it and let them have at it. Because some of these stores, especially in the big city, with their back to school sales can be the survival of the fittest. Another important aspect of getting ready for the new school year is to honestly ask the question is your child ready for the next grade level?. If they had a bit of trouble with some of their assignments or subjects last year, you can be sure they will have even more trouble this year. Many students from elementary age on up have trouble with math and sciences. My kids did, as did I, when I found myself going back to school. The weakest area of the typical American student is in these categories. I noticed, in my own experience as an older student returning to school pursuing a Computer Science degree, was the farther along I got in the advanced math courses, the smaller the class size. Not popular subjects in America Im afraid. In fact the sad truth is that we have to bring engineers and scientist in from other countries to makeup for our lack of producing our own home grown ones. So if your child has trouble with math, they are not alone. The main thing that saved me was, a tutor. I needed someone who could translate what the professor was saying into terms I could grasp. When I sat down with a quality tutor before class I had an understanding that I could not have achieved on my own. And at the college level professors do not often have the time for one on one work with students. You can find whatever you are looking for in a tutor at TutorZ.com. And good luck to all in this new school year. Breaking Good Well my wife just got back from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where she needed some thing for the shower or something like that. She told me how the store was full of parents and students from one of the private colleges in town. It was called back to the dorm day for some reason. The reason she brought this up is because she found several of the mothers, and I use that term any way you want to take it, were a bit on the aggressive side. She was pushed and shoved and glared at in line, as apparently these parents saw my wife as one more obstacle to over come. Get out of my way its back to school day in sin city. There is some good news for this educational season. Many students may now be willing to explore Chemistry courses, in their educational travels. The series Breaking Bad showed a desperate and ill high school chemistry teacher turning to manufacturing Crystal Meth as a means to supplement health care costs and provide for his family. It was such a crazy premise that it worked very well. The show was a hit and more students are interested in chemistry than ever before. Well parents welcome to the jungle of preparing your child/children for a new school year. But before you do the kids are going back to school dance, you will have to take them out for their supplies and new school clothes. Shopping with younger children can be an adventure, but taking older, college level kids out shopping can be a real nightmare too. One way around that is to give them a credit card with a strict limit to it and let them have at it. Because some of these stores, especially in the big city, with their back to school sales can be the survival of the fittest. Another important aspect of getting ready for the new school year is to honestly ask the question is your child ready for the next grade level?. If they had a bit of trouble with some of their assignments or subjects last year, you can be sure they will have even more trouble this year. Many students from elementary age on up have trouble with math and sciences. My kids did, as did I, when I found myself going back to school. The weakest area of the typical American student is in these categories. I noticed, in my own experience as an older student returning to school pursuing a Computer Science degree, was the farther along I got in the advanced math courses, the smaller the class size. Not popular subjects in America Im afraid. In fact the sad truth is that we have to bring engineers and scientist in from other countries to makeup for our lack of producing our own home grown ones. So if your child has trouble with math, they are not alone. The main thing that saved me was, a tutor. I needed someone who could translate what the professor was saying into terms I could grasp. When I sat down with a quality tutor before class I had an understanding that I could not have achieved on my own. And at the college level professors do not often have the time for one on one work with students. You can find whatever you are looking for in a tutor at TutorZ.com. And good luck to all in this new school year.