How to Use a Pell Grant Calculator

How to Use a Pell Grant Calculator SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're trying to plan out your college expenses, the ability to estimate your federal aid eligibility can be a big advantage. There are so many factors to take into account, though - it might be hard to know where to begin. The good news is that calculating your Pell Grant eligibility probably isn't as hard as you think it is. And there's an added bonus: calculating Pell Grant eligibilitywill also generate informationabout other federal aid programs, like Stafford loans and work study. Best of all, it should only take about 10 minutes! Read on to learn about what you need to get started and how to calculate your eligibility. What Information Do You Need Before You Get Started? There are certain pieces of information that you probably don't need to research - like how many siblings you have, or your marital status - thataffect Pell Grant calculations. The calculator will also check for certain federal aid eligibility requirements.If you don't meet all federal requirements, you can't receive the Pell Grant; check out our Pell Grant eligibility guide for more information before you get started. The information you probably will need to research will be on your family's finances. If you don't have the documentation on hand it's fine to give estimates, but your calculations probably won't be as accurate.Here's thedocumentation you should have when you do your calculations: Your parents' most recent tax returns. Specifically, you need their adjusted gross income. The calculator will tell you exactly what line number you can find the adjusted gross income, depending on what form you have available. Your parents' asset net worth.The calculator will estimate an asset net worth based on the adjusted gross income you enter, but you may need to edit this. Asset net worth is defined as what your parents own (money, businesses, investments) minus any debt on those assets. You shouldn't include your parents' home or retirementplans. Your own most recent tax returns and asset net worth.If you don't file taxes or have any assets (like cash savings), you don't have to worry about inputting this information. Once you've gathered all this information, all you need to do is plug it into the federal aid calculator! What was that thing Ben Franklin said about taxes again? How Do I Actually EstimateMy Pell Grant Award? If you have financial information discussed above, this next step should be quick and easy. First, you should know there's no dedicated application for the Pell Grant - instead, all applicants are considered for it when they submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. To calculate your Pell award, we'll be using the FAFSA aidcalculatorcalled ... wait for it ... the FAFSA4caster.The FAFSA4caster isn't the actual application, so using it doesn't mean you've submitted an application for the Pell Grant. Although the calculator is pretty accurate, there's no guarantee that you'll receive the exact amount of aid estimated by the 4caster. To get started, click here and select theFAFSA4casterlink towards the top of the page. From there, follow the prompts on the screen; answer all questions as honestly as possible for an accurate estimate.There's a "helps and hints" section on the right side of the screen that will provide more information about the question prompts. Interpreting Your Calculator Results I completed an example calculation to demonstrate how to interpret your federal aid eligibility results. Keep in mind that my (fake!) results will likely look different from yours. Here's an example of what an aid eligibility calculation looks like before you enter college cost Whenmaking this example, I chose all of the standard options (no special housing circumstances, married/remarried parents, US citizen), didn't enter any personal income, and set my "parents'" income to $50,000. Based on this information, I would be eligible for a $2885 Pell Grant, in addition to $1465 in work-study and $5,500 in Stafford Loans.You can see these results in the image above. You've probably noticed that there are some blank boxes for state grants, college grants, and scholarships. The FAFSA4caster doesn't calculate these for you - it's just for federal aid - but itincludes these boxes in case you have other sources of aid you wanted to take into account. What you can do next, if you'd like, is calculate the difference betweenthe total cost of college and the amount of aid you get. The difference would be the remaining balance, or what you would be responsible for paying. Using the same information as above, I entered a College Cost of $30,000 and pressed "calculate." An example estimate of college cost minus total aid available In this example, my total aid (Pell Grant + work study + Stafford Loan) subtracted from my College Cost ($30,000) leaves me with a difference of $20,210. You'll notice that at the bottom of your calculation page there are spots to input savings and additional loan amounts - these numbers can be helpful to play around with if you're working out how to pay that remaining balance. What if the Aid You're Eligible For Isn't Enough? You've figured out roughly what you'll have to pay for college after accounting for federal aid, but what if that "difference" calculation is more than you expected? The good news is that you have other opportunities for aid. State financial aid also uses information generated by the FAFSA, so make sure to submit your application sooner rather than later. You can also look into private loans, scholarships through your school, or other merit-based scholarships. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Supporting Children with Language Processing Delays

Supporting Children with Language Processing Delays Once children receive a diagnosis of a language delay or learning disability, they often discover that they have processing delays as well. What does â€Å"processing delay† mean? This term refers to the time it takes for the child to process information from text, from the oral information or to decipher vocabulary. They often have the language skills to comprehend, but require additional time to determine to mean. They tend to have language comprehension ability that is lower than other children have in their age group. Difficulties in processing language have an adverse effect on the student in the classroom, as the information coming to the child is often at a greater pace than the child is capable of processing. Children with language processing delays are at a greater disadvantage in the classroom setting. How Central Auditory Processing Disorders Differ from Language Processing Disorders The Speech Pathology website states that central auditory processing disorders refer to difficulties processing audible signals that are unrelated to hearing, sensitivity or intellectual impairments. â€Å"Specifically, CAPD refers to limitations in the ongoing transmission, analysis, organization, transformational, elaboration, storage, retrieval, and use of information contained inaudible signals,† the site states. Perceptual, cognitive, and linguistic functions all play a role in such delays. They may make it difficult for children to receive information or in particular, discriminate between the kinds of information they’ve heard. They find it difficult to process information on a continuous basis or to â€Å"filter, sort and combine information at appropriate perceptual and conceptual levels.† Remembering and retaining the information they’ve heard may also prove challenging for children with central auditory processing delays. They have to work to attach meaning to the series of acoustic signals they’re presented within both linguistic and non-linguistic contexts. (ASHA, 1990, pp. 13). Strategies to Help Children with Processing Delays Children with processing delays don’t have to suffer in the classroom. Here are 10 strategies to support the child with language processing delays: When presenting information, make sure you are engaging the child. Establish eye contact.Repeat directions and instructions and have the student repeat them for you.Use concrete materials to support learning concepts.Break your tasks into chunks, especially those requiring auditory attention.Allow additional time for the student to process and recall information.Provide repetition, examples, and encouragement regularly.Be sure children with processing delays understands that they can request clarification at any time; make sure the child is comfortable asking for help.Slow down when you speak and repeat instructions and directions often.Tap into the childs prior knowledge regularly to help the child make meaningful connections.Reduce pressure whenever possible and observe the child as much as possible to ensure that understanding is in check. Always, always be supportive. Fortunately, with early intervention and proper teaching strategies, many of the language processing deficits are reversible. Hopefully, the suggestions above will aid both teachers and parents in eliminating the struggles children with processing delays endure.

The Effects of Culture on Marketing of Clothing Essay

The Effects of Culture on Marketing of Clothing - Essay Example Culture refers to the lifestyle (way of doing things) of a given people with its facets such as customs, values and norms, beliefs, aesthetics, traditions, law and politics, education, language and religion (www.fao.org/docrep 2015, p.1) These are related and shared by members of a particular group with defined boundaries. One is never born with a culture but learns the culture thus, the nature of a society depends on both social and cultural aspects learned (Baig 2013, p. 11). As the essence of society and being among the famous â€Å"environmental uncontrollables†, culture is particularly difficult to comprehend, control as well as harness to the advantage of marketing (www.fao.org/docrep 2015, p. 1). This scenario is common with culture bound products or service which, in most cases are naturally indigenous and have a relatively small value. Culture has huge impact in the success or failure of product within a given market. A global market must therefore establish the simil arities and differences in cultures and account for them in designing and developing marketing plans for various products such as clothing, music recording and software (Bearden, Netemeyer, & Haws 2011, p 24).

Problem Set 5 - Externalities and Efficiency Assignment

Problem Set 5 - Externalities and Efficiency - Assignment Example Use a supply and demand diagram to illustrate your answer and provide no more than five sentences of explanation. When prices are set below the equilibrium, i.e P2, there will be an increased demand in the houses by the population. Since supply remains constant as demand rises, there will be a shortage in the short run. However, in the long run, people will tend to build their own houses or property owners will develop more to avoid the shortages. This increases the supply of the houses and reducing shortages. (Figure: Market for Vaccines) The figure represents the market for vaccines with external benefits. The efficient level of output is __1,800______ vaccines, which is ___greater_____ than the markets output. 5. Suppose Tesco (A) and Sainsbury’s (B) both emit pollutants when producing their plastic bags used by customers to collect and carry their groceries home. The government enforces regulations saying that neither firm can release more than 10 units of pollutants. (Assume that pollutants can be measured in discrete and comparable units.) Currently Tesco releases 10 units and Sainsbury’s releases 11 units. The government requires Sainsbury’s to reduce its pollution by 1 unit – the company can do this, but at a cost of  £1,000. Tesco, however, can reduce its pollution by 1 unit for a cost of  £400. Sainsbury’s wants to save money by trading allowances with Tesco. After negotiations, Tesco agrees to see one unit of pollutant to Sainsbury’s for  £650. From the diagram, P1 and Q1 are the equilibrium price and quantity respectively. In the short run the time is too short for firms to adjust production. However, in the long run, firms will increase output to Q2 and charge high price P2 due to an increase in shock demand. This leads to demand curve to shift from D1 to D2. This will make the firms to make abnormal profits. Since there is free entry, the excess profits will attract more firms into the market.

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay Stereotypes can convey characters and images quickly and clearly, so advertising relies on stereotypes as shortcuts to meaning. The time and space constraints of advertising and any other commercially driven message simply cannot allow for a complete representation of people from any given social group, but stereotypes can clue in to the importance responsibly. Depending on how they are formed and used, stereotypes can present problems. They can be used in functional or dysfunctional way. The functional aspects of stereotypes; stereotype is valuable to create classifications of individuals and serves as conventional characters. So, they are functional when they are accepted as a natural way to guide our expectations. Dysfunctional stereotype, a stereotype in which abnormal or impaired aspects of a culture are emphasized. So, they are dysfunctional when they are used as the sole way to wholly judge individuals incorrectly, seeing them only as part of group. An example of a functional stereotype is that the Germans are punctual, which is correct. On average, they are more punctual than many other peoples. Certainly, the Italians and the Spanish have a different concept of time. For the Spanish, knowledge of this aspect of the German culture means that they can adapt their behavior: when they are expected for dinner, 8 o’clock means 8 o’clock, and not 9 or 10 as it does in Spain. An example of a dysfunctional stereotype is the British saying that the French are dirty, oversexed, and ludicrously obsessed with their culture, and the French saying that the British are cold, uncultivated, hypocritical, and unreliable. Yes, the British are more reserved in the eyes of the French, just like now, Hong Kong people think the mainland people are dirty, low education level, no civic sense and so on all these are dysfunctional stereotypes. However, it is necessary for the advertisements to consider the fact that the dysfunctional aspects of stereotypes far outweigh the functional aspects. Constant exposure of representation of social identity in stereotypical terms in media discourse can make people experience the dangers in real life. For instance, In 2009 „Coke Brrr side of life? television commercial, racial or national identity are presented in stereotypical terms. Problem arises when Blacks/Africans are more negatively stereotyped than Whites/Americans/Europeans and Japanese/Asians. Negative stereotypes generate negative social meanings or implications. By being depicted as lacking in seriousness in the midst of a serious world conference, the African representatives seem misplaced or misbehaved. The negative social implications of these Sambo stereotypes are that Africans are seen as less civilized and less educated than Europeans and Asians, and thus inferior to them. The negative racial stereotyping is inevitable. It is necessary for the producer of this commercial to exploit the functional aspects of stereotypes—creating classifications of individuals and as conventional characters in popular stories—to achieve their profit-oriented goal. What is more significant for the producer(s) to consider is the possibility of audience?s increasing anxiety that may be triggered by the broadcast of TV commercials with negative stereotypical representations like 2009 „Coke Brrr side of life? and the risk of this anxiety to become audiences and consumers? resistance to the commercial and the advertised product. If resistance happens, it is unlikely that the producer(s) can reach their profit-oriented goal. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=99PC7AtabVk youtube of â€Å"Coke Brrr side of life? in 2009 television commercial

Freuds Concept of the Uncanny Essay -- Freudian concept of the uncann

When a person experiences chills or goose bumps as a reaction to something strange or unusual, they are being affected by a sense of uncanniness. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud endeavored to explain this feeling of uncanniness in his essay entitled â€Å"The Uncanny†. Freud’s theory focuses around two different causes for this reaction. Freud attributes the feeling of uncanniness to repressed infantile complexes that have been revived by some impression, or when primitive beliefs that have been surmounted seem once more to be confirmed. The first point of his theory that Freud discusses in the essay is the repression of infantile complexes that cause an uncanny experience. Freud uses E.T.A. Hoffman’s short story, â€Å"The Sandman†, to explain the idea of repression of infantile complexes. The story centers around the character of the Sandman, who steals the eyes of children. Freud states that the fear that the character Nathaniel feels towards the Sandman has more to due with an infantile castration complex than with the actual fear of losing his eyes. In Freud’s theory he states that the â€Å"Study of dreams, phantasies and myths has taught us that a morbid anxiety connected with the eyes and with going blind is often enough a substitute for the dread of castration†(Freud 383). If Freud’s belief is true, than it is Nathaniel’s fear of castration that causes him in the end to go mad and throw himself from parapet. Nathaniel’s fear is embodied in the character of the Sandman, whom Freud says represents Nathaniel’s father, and thus is the cause of his fear of castration. The Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex would also be affected by Freud’s theory. When examining Oed... ...s the knowledge of something in the recesses of our memory that is unattainable in any definite sense. Freud does indeed succeed in explaining two very important causes of uncanniness, and they are easily identified in literature and in society. Freud believes that uncanniness is a result of repressed infantile complexes and also the confirmation of primitive beliefs. Freud’s observations are important because they help us better understand our reactions and our fears, which in turn help us better understand ourselves. As long as people continue to gain some sort of pleasure from enduring this sense of uncanniness, writers and film makers will continue to use Freud’s methods to bring about the uncanny. Works Cited Freud, Sigumund. "The Uncanny." Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. New York: Blackwell, 1998.

Retirement vs. Strife in Old Age Essay

A man that spends many years in active service be it for himself or for a more noble reason such as his country or people, would more certainly than not find retirement a disorienting prospect once he faces it. Retirement means stopping whatever has kept one alive and working for most of his healthy years. It means realigning his goals, getting used to other, more leisurely and less strenuous habits as befitting old age, and preparing to face death with peace and resignation. In Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem â€Å"Ulysses†, the mythical hero of Homer’s epics expresses his anxiety about coming back home to Ithaca to reclaim his old responsibilities as king after years of traveling overseas and fighting the Trojan war, and his desire of undertaking a new adventure, instead. The poem begins with Ulysses dreading his return to resume the job of â€Å"an idle king† (Tennyson 1). He could not imagine the relevance of staying home â€Å"with an aged wife† (Tennyson 3) and to â€Å"mete and dole† (Tennyson 4) rewards or punishments to the people he governs—most of whom he does not know nor they of him but for his position as king. Ulysses does not like his former life of idleness and monotony even if it was a life of comfort and wealth. He prefers to travel and seek for adventures, testing life to its limits. For Ulysses, traveling means enjoying and suffering unpredictable moments. The sea and foreign lands, unlike a kingdom, presents varied and new experiences. Those that he had experienced so far have given him â€Å"a hungry heart† (Tennyson 12). His voyages have brought him to strange places, allowed him to interact with different peoples, customs and cultures, and meet creatures unimaginable if one simply stayed in one place all his life. Moreover, he has experienced the â€Å"drunk delight† (Tennyson 16) of war in Troy. Nothing in his kingdom could equal the things he did and witnessed. All that Ulysses saw and did made him what he has become and has produced a kind of restlessness or thirst upon his soul that cannot now be satiated by ruling a kingdom. This past life as king has become dull in comparison to his life as a voyager and soldier. According to him, a person who is contented with his present life is like rusting and acknowledging that the only purpose of life is to breathe. Ulysses wants to â€Å"follow knowledge like a sinking star/ Beyond the utmost bound of human thought† (Tennyson 31-32). He would like to keep exploring and test the boundaries of the capacities of an ordinary mortal, even one who is already old and less agile. He believes that one’s age is not a factor to consider because â€Å"old age hath yet his honor and his toil† (Tennyson 50). Only death can stop and end the possibilities that life has to offer. In the end, Ulysses appoints his son, Telemachus, to take his place as king, leaving him â€Å"the scepter and the isle† (Tennyson 34). Meanwhile, he prepares to embark on another journey. The speaker’s exhortations to his former companions in the final stanza may well be read as words that any man should well take heed as a personal advice, especially those who are contemplating a sedentary retirement in their senior years. The lines encourage everyone to not worry about the physical limitations that old age imposes upon every individual because the weakness of the body can easily be overcome when one is â€Å"strong in will† (Tennyson 69). This is also how a heroic life is lived.

Commercial surrogacy Essay

Commercial surrogacy refers to a process in which a couple or individual pays a fee to a woman, a surrogate mother, who agrees to carry and give birth to a baby on their behalf. It is an option for couples and individuals who wish to have a child, but due to circumstances, cannot have one. Surrogacy may be commercial, where the surrogate mother is paid for her services; or altruistic, where there is no payment and usually the surrogate mother is related with the commissioning couple or individual. Commercial surrogacy must be brought to an end and made illegal worldwide! Why you ask? Firstly, do those who support commercial surrogacy really take into account how dangerous it can be for the baby? Or the possible issues that may occur if something goes wrong? No, they definitely don’t! Surely if they did they wouldn’t pay a surrogate mother to do so! In addition to that, the surrogate mother are usually women who choose to be a surrogate mother living in harsh conditions within developing countries, where I will specifically be talking about women in India who are being exploited due to their unfortunate lifestyles. Finally to drive the point home, I will highlight the gruelling reality of commercial surrogacy caused by corrupt organisations that control poor women going through all the hardship in developing countries. A controversial issue in the news within the past year concerning commercial surrogacy involved this adorable little boy – which you can see in this photo – of baby Gammy, a Thai boy who is one of two twins born in India by a surrogate mother. His biological parents were Australians who claimed that they didn’t abandon him when finding out he had down-syndrome. Although, Mr and Mrs Farnell (Baby Gammy’s biological parents) claim that â€Å"they didn’t know about the other baby† which is false because, in truth there is concrete evidence that when the surrogate mother discovered she was carrying twins, the biological parents offered an additional $2,000 Australian dollars for the twin, however, when it was discovered that one of the babies had down-syndrome, the Australians told her to abort the affected twin. Just because he had a healthy twin sister, Baby Gammy was abandoned by his heartless and cruel biological parents as they refused to ta ke him back to Australia. Now, when we hear about terrible things like this happening to a  child, our natural reaction is usually to demand better protection with the hope that we can prevent situations such as this from occurring again. Because Baby Gammy was diagnosed with down-syndrome, it gives no excuse or right justification for his parents to abandon him! He may be born through surrogacy but these heartless Australians are still his biological parents, who yearned for a child and once they had their wish fulfilled, they cruelly left him. Parents who are capable of giving birth to their own children would most definitely never abandon their child after finding out they have down-syndrome. So what gives this couple the right to abandon Baby Gammy? This situation really comes to show how largely unregulated commercial surrogacy is and this is why commercial surrogacy should be made illegal in all countries. We all must bring an end to awful situations such as this from ever occurring again. Not to mention, in the future when baby Gammy grows up he would also be affected mentally, emotionally and most likely be very unstable as well due to his down-syndrome, as well as having to hear and accept that he was abandoned by his biologicals parents. Not only did this issue cause a racket as to awareness for this poor child but this issue is also seen as child â€Å"I think that is going down the wrong path as a society if children become a commodity that you can buy.† Another concerning issue involves the surrogate mothers, who are often living in developing countries with circumstances that are extremely harsh and very much unethical. The poor, illiterate women of rural backgrounds are often persuaded in such deals by their spouse or middlemen for earning easy money. These women often have no right nor better options with regards to their own body and life. In India, there is no provision of psychological screening or legal counselling and often after recruitment by co mmercial agencies, these women are shifted into hostels for the whole duration of pregnancy on the excuse of taking antenatal care. The real motive is to guard them and to avoid any social stigma of being outcast by their community. These women spend the whole tenure of pregnancy worrying about their household and children. Only being able to see their family once a week on Sundays. The worst part is that in cases of unfavourable outcome of pregnancy, they are unlikely to be paid, and there is no provision of insurance or post-pregnancy medical and psychiatric support for them. Rich career women who do not want to take the trouble of carrying their own pregnancy are  resorting to hiring surrogate mothers. There are a number of moral and ethical issues regarding surrogacy, which has become more of a commercial racket, and there is an urgent need for framing and implementation of laws for the parents and the surrogate mother. Lastly, as a poor surrogate mother gets very much needed money, an infertile couple gets their long-desired biologically related baby and the country earns foreign currency, but the real picture reveals the bitter truth. Due to lack of proper legislation, both surrogate mothers and intended parents are somehow exploited and the profit is earned by middlemen and commercial agencies. There is no transparency in the whole system, and the chance of getting involved in legal problems is there due to unpredictable regulations governing surrogacy in India. Some people may argue that surrogacy benefits a number of individuals such as parents, surrogates and the agencies who organise such arrangements. This is NOT the case. As previously stated, not all the third word women benefit adequately and furthermore commercial surrogacy involves the marketing of babies as commodities, to be bought and sold in a commercial transaction. This may have negative psychological consequences for the child in later life. The consequences of being treated as a commodity are still not known so it is unreasonable to take such a risk. Having everyone believe that women in India and other developing countries are being paid by carrying and delivering the baby is purely untruthful and deceiving towards society, deep down it’s the organisations that get all the benefit and profit. There are incidences where the child given to couple after surrogacy is not genetically related to them and in turn, is disowned by the intended parent and has to spend his life in an orphanage. http://www.smh.com.au/world/gammys-surrogate-mother-will-not-allow-david-and-wendy-farnell-to-take-her-baby-boy-20140810-102kvm.html http://www.smh.com.au/world/wendy-farnell-did-not-supply-the-egg-gammys-thai-mother-says-20140810-102joz.html

Free Essays on Legalization Of Marjiuana

Legalization of Marijuana: It’s Weediculous Many people turn to marijuana as salvation, an escape from reality, often not knowing the serious side effects that come from using it. The effect marijuana has on the brain can be serious and its for this reason that the use of the drug has been illegal for so long. However this might all change because the government is considering the legalization of marijuana. Legalizing Marijuana would be a terrible decision on many levels. The obvious reason would be that marijuana is addictive and it kills brain cells, thus creating a generation of unintelligent people. Also, legalizing ‘pot’ could influence non-users to smoke it. Accidents would also increase because we would have many ‘high’ people walking around under the influence of drugs. Marijuana is known as the gateway drug and legalizing it could lead many people to try other, more serious drugs such as cocaine or heroine. The most obvious reason as to why weed should not be legalized is the fact that it kills brain cells and is damaging to your health. Many compulsive users do not realize that the use of the drug is most likely linked to the slow depletion of their intellect and intelligence. The body cannot regenerate brain cells, so once they are gone they are gone, they don’t come back. This is very serious because the brain is the most powerful tool a person can have and they take it for granted. Only when its completely wasted away will they realize that what they had was so important to them. Aside from its serious side effects the legalization of marijuana is also wrong because it may influence non-users into using the drug. Some may argue that they are stronger than that and that they cannot succumb to marijuana and its calling. However, when we see the people around us smoking the drug we cannot help but to be curious and eventually give in, especially if your closest friends have taken up the... Free Essays on Legalization Of Marjiuana Free Essays on Legalization Of Marjiuana Legalization of Marijuana: It’s Weediculous Many people turn to marijuana as salvation, an escape from reality, often not knowing the serious side effects that come from using it. The effect marijuana has on the brain can be serious and its for this reason that the use of the drug has been illegal for so long. However this might all change because the government is considering the legalization of marijuana. Legalizing Marijuana would be a terrible decision on many levels. The obvious reason would be that marijuana is addictive and it kills brain cells, thus creating a generation of unintelligent people. Also, legalizing ‘pot’ could influence non-users to smoke it. Accidents would also increase because we would have many ‘high’ people walking around under the influence of drugs. Marijuana is known as the gateway drug and legalizing it could lead many people to try other, more serious drugs such as cocaine or heroine. The most obvious reason as to why weed should not be legalized is the fact that it kills brain cells and is damaging to your health. Many compulsive users do not realize that the use of the drug is most likely linked to the slow depletion of their intellect and intelligence. The body cannot regenerate brain cells, so once they are gone they are gone, they don’t come back. This is very serious because the brain is the most powerful tool a person can have and they take it for granted. Only when its completely wasted away will they realize that what they had was so important to them. Aside from its serious side effects the legalization of marijuana is also wrong because it may influence non-users into using the drug. Some may argue that they are stronger than that and that they cannot succumb to marijuana and its calling. However, when we see the people around us smoking the drug we cannot help but to be curious and eventually give in, especially if your closest friends have taken up the...

Should You Take Online AP Courses 12 Pros and Cons

Should You Take Online AP Courses 12 Pros and Cons SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are a variety of reasons why you might want to take online AP courses. Maybe your school doesn’t offer all of the courses you want to take, or you’re homeschooled, or you want to do a little extra academic work to show colleges what you’re passionate about. But there’s a lot to consider before you take the plunge (and possibly drop a few hundred dollars on a class).I’ll take you through some basic information on online AP courses, some pros and cons, who should consider them, and how to choose classes if you do decide to take an AP course online. Finally, I’ll offer some brief blurbs on some of the most popular courses out there. What Is an Online AP Class? An online AP class is meant to mimic the material and workload of an in-person AP course from afar, and to prepare you for the AP exam. So you’ll have readings, lectures, quizzes, and exams just like in regular school, but all of your communication with your teacher (and potentially other students, depending on the course) will take place through your computerprobably mostly through e-mail and IM, although maybe some videochatting or virtual lecture sessions depending on the course. The truth is that every AP class you could take online is going to be a little different, which is why if you do decide to take one (or more), doing research on which course to enroll in is very important. Some are accredited by the College Board, some aren’t; some are free, some cost almost a thousand dollars a pop. Some are essentially graded independent study and others have scheduled virtual â€Å"class† meeting times. That said, there are still some general pros and cons to taking AP courses online. 6 Benefits ofTaking AP Courses Online You can take AP classes that are not offered by your school. You can probably get credit toward graduating high school, although it may just be pass/fail credit on your official high school transcript. You’ll have some flexibility in when you get the work done, so if you have an unusual schedule it might be a good choice for you. You might be able to connect with like-minded students with similar interests! This may be an especial benefit if you are homeschooled or live in a rural area. Depending on where you live, you may be able to take the class for free! Many states have at least one program that is free or low-cost to residents. If you are self-motivated, you may enjoy the semi independent-study format of many of the classes. 6 Drawbacks toTaking AP Courses Online It may or may not boost your official high school GPA. Some high schools will put the letter grade on your transcript, some won’t count the class at all, and some will allow you to count the class as credit, but only as pass/fail. Some of these classes are expensive! Depending on the class and your level of motivation, it may make more sense to self-study for the AP test and then take the exam. If you live in a rural area, you will still need to find a brick-and-mortar school where you can take the exam. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something you will need to keep in mindthe online course won’t coordinate your exam arrangements for you. If you have a hard time getting work done without some supervision, an online course may not have enough accountability for you to get the work done and really get something out of the class, let alone be prepared for the exam. Some of the classes are mostly text-based and not very interactive, so if that’s a hard way for you to learn, it may not be the best option for you. Some classes have been criticized for being an easy A that does not actually prepare you for the AP exam. So read reviews and research carefully! With all this in mind, how do you decide if you should take AP classes online? With the magic of the internet, the world is your classroom! That was corny, sorry. Are Online AP Classes a Good Fit For Me? The number one question you need to ask yourself when deciding to undertake online AP coursework is: why am I doing this? See below for some potential answers and my thoughts. #1: My school doesn’t offer this AP class that I find interesting/valuable/important This is a good reason to take an AP class online! If you don’t have another way of taking the class, and you are invested in the material, you are an ideal candidate for taking online AP classes. Particularly if you live in a rural area and go to a small high school, you should check if your school already partners with an online AP course provider.If so, you will probably be able to take the class for free, have time during the school day to do coursework, and have the class on your official high school transcript! Wins all around. #2: I’m home-schooled and I want to take an accredited (i.e. College Board approved) AP course This is another good reason to go online, although it’s worth noting that the person teaching you at home can get their AP curriculum accredited if they so desire. (More information can be found in our guide to passing yourCollege Board Course Audit.) In that case, you can have the class listed as AP on your transcript. Of course, your home-teacher may not feel equipped to teach you the material, in which case it makes total sense to take an online course. Another benefit to this is that an online course may help you connect with other students, depending on the platform. If your only concern is taking the exam, and you don’t care about having a transcript and grade for the course, you could also consider self-study. Home-schoolers can also list their exam prep â€Å"class† as â€Å"Honors† even if their home course is not accredited by the AP. #3: I have an unusual schedule/scheduling conflict If you have some kind of scheduling conflict with your school’s in-class AP course- maybe there are two AP classes you want to take that meet at the same time, or you are on a work-study program- online courses may be a good option. However, keep in mind that you may not be able to get a letter grade for the online class on your high school transcript even if you can get credit. If this is the case and you’re a junior, you might consider taking the class through your school next year. #4: I want to take an AP class over the summer If there’s an AP class you want to take over the summer that doesn’t work for you during the school year, online courses can be a great way to make that happen. However, you will have to spend a decent amount of time reviewing the material during the following school year if you want to remember anything for the AP exam the following May! This cherub is thinking deeply about his class schedule. Either that, or napping. #5: I want to boost my GPA Your school may or may not allow you to count your letter grade in an online AP course on your high school transcript. They may not give credit, or you may only get pass/fail credit on your official transcript. So if you want a GPA boost, definitely discuss whether the class will even factor into your GPA before enrolling! If you are concerned about your GPA, I would advise you to talk to a guidance counselor at your school. You might also read our article on applying to college with a low GPA. #6: I think it will look good to colleges Taking an online AP course may or may not look good to colleges depending on your circumstances. If you are taking it because it’s not offered at your school or you have a conflict and you’re really interested in the material, it will signal that you are self-motivated and invested in learning. Great! If, however, you want to take online AP courses because you are already stacked six AP courses this year and this is the only way you could possibly fit in more, possibly reconsider. Colleges like candidates who have some interests outside of class- your entire waking life shouldn’t be spent doing AP coursework and preparing for exams. Consider an extracurricular. #7: I want college credit Keep in mind: only some colleges will give you credit for high scores on AP tests,and the score cutoff is different at different schools (some will give credit for a 3, while others will only give credit for a 5). Make sure you know the score cutoffs and credit policies for colleges you are interested in. Another thing to remember is that credit is determined by yourscore on the exam, not whether you took the class or not- so you could self-study if you think you could get the necessary credit that way. #8: I don’t know! If you don’t really know exactly why you would be taking an online AP course, don’t do it until you figure it out. If you don’t have a sense of purpose you won’t be motivated to put in the additional workespecially because online classes tend to be more self-directed than in-person ones. You'll notice I've mentioned self-study several times in the above list. So you are probably wondering what the different is between self-study and an online AP course, and why you would choose one or the other. Read on! What’s the Difference Between an Online AP Class and Self-Study? If you take an accredited (College Board-approved) online AP class, you will get a transcript with aletter grade that shows that you took the AP-level course, which you can send to colleges. You may even be able to get credit towards graduation and have the class be listed on your transcript for your regular brick-and-mortar school, depending on your school’s policies. However, the College Board does not require you to take a class before you can take the AP exam in that subject.This means that you are allowed to self-study- that is, use resources like books, lecture videos, and internet sites to prepare for the exam on your own. In this case you won’t have a class listed on any transcript or a letter grade, but if you do well on the test, you can still potentially get college credit for it, and send in the scores to colleges. Self-studying is a good option if you already have a baseline knowledge level in the subject area, if you are very self-directed, and if all you care about is taking the exam and getting a target score. If you aren’t at all familiar with the material, you aren’t very self-directed, or you want to have a record that you took the course, take an online class instead. If you’ve made the decision to take an online AP course and you’re going to take the plunge, how do you pick from the hundreds of courses available? Online means no blackboard erasers! If people even use those anymore. How Should I Choose My Online AP Course? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options for online AP courses out there. And they are not all created equal. There are a number of factors you should consider when selecting a course: #1: Is the course accredited by the College Board? In other words, is it an official College-Board approved AP course? You can search for a course in the AP course ledger if you aren’t sure. If it’s not accredited, it’s basically providing self-study materials to you,because any transcript you get from the course won’t say â€Å"AP.† This could be fine if your goal is just to prepare for the test, but it's something to be mindful of, particularly with respect to the quality of the material. I would hesitate to lay down five hundred hard-earned dollars on a non-accredited course. #2: Are there admission requirements? Some online AP course providers, like John Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth and Stanford Online High School, have prerequisites or pre-test requirements. Make sure you qualify! #3: Are you confident it’s a high-quality course? For starters, make sure to check outreviews from other people who have taken the course (you could try College Confidential). Here are a few hallmarks of a well-organized course: Are teachers accessible and consistent? Is tech support available to assist with any difficulties you may have? Are there statistics on how well the students do on the AP after taking the course? #4: What’s your budget? Some more â€Å"elite† online courses will run you almost a thousand dollars for an AP class.However, some of these providers also have some form or another of financial aid, so be sure to research that before writing them off.You can certainly find a high-quality AP course that’s a little less expensive. You may just have to look harder. For more ideas foronline AP classesat a variety of price points,check out our article on the best and worst online AP courses, reviewed. Check if your school already has a contract with a remote AP class provider. In this case you can probably take the class for free!Some states also have low or no-cost online classes for residents. The Florida Virtual School offers classes free to FL residents, and Scout, through the University of California, offers some material free to California public school students. #5: How self-directed are you? Some courses will allow you to set your own schedule and have pace flexibility- you’ll be given materials and access to an instructor if you have questions, but it will be more or less a free-range experience. Other classes have scheduled lecture sections and you will lose points if you turn in assignments and assessments late. Be honest with yourself and choose the style that will allow you to get the most out of the course. #6: Will you interact with other students? Is it important to you to have some way to interact or collaborate with the other students in the class through message boards or projects? In this case, make sure your course offers this. #7: Can you do a trial or get a refund if you drop the course early on? If it’s an expensive class, you probably want to make sure that you can get at least a partial refund if you drop the class two weeks in if you change your mind or something comes up. #8: Do you have access to a computer that meets the technical requirements of the course? Since it’s computer-based, the class may have operating system or browser requirements.You don’t want to sign up for a class only to find that you can’t make it work on your computer! He looks like he'd be a great online AP teacher. Very modern. Popular Online AP Courses There are approximately one gajillion online AP classes out there, butyou may or may not want to sift through them all looking for that perfect Cinderella-shoe fit. Luckily for you, I have done a lot of sifting myself and have a brief list of some well-regarded online AP courses. AP US History from the UC system’s Scout program - This course is well-liked for its engaging multimedia lessons and variety in preparation material. Cheaper for CA students, but one of the less expensive options overall. AP Biology from Apex Learning - AP Biology from Apex is commended for its comprehensive virtual lab component- something lacking from many online AP science providers. AP Chemistry from ChemAdvantage - This husband and wife team teach AP Chemistry online with a robust lab component and lots of instructor attention. While primarily for homeschoolers, their FAQ says that they may be able to accommodate students whose schools simply don’t offer AP Chem. AP Psychology from the Florida Virtual School - Students liked this class for being relatively straightforward, although it is mostly self-paced. AP Human Geography from the Florida Virtual School - Students like this class for teacher accessibility and an appropriate difficulty level- interesting, but not frustrating. AP Art History from the Florida Virtual School - Students enjoy the interactive gallery format and find that they retain the material because it is presented so engagingly. AP CS A from the Florida Virtual School - Students feel that not only is Computer Science a natural fit from an online school, FLVS teaches a strong coding foundation and really prepares you for the exam. Plus, it’s fun! For homeschooled students in any state, PA Homeschoolers AP Courses are very well-reviewed, with outstanding teachers being the number one benefit. AP History and English classes are particularly well-liked. However, you must be a homeschooled student to register. Other generally well-regarded online AP providers includeStanford Online High School, Northwestern Center for Talent Development, and Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.These providers are specifically for gifted students and have admissions requirements. Theyare generally considered quite comprehensive and in-depth. Choose the course with the most dinosaurs. Getting the Most Out of Online AP Classes If you are going to take AP courses online, you want to make sure you get as much out of them that you possibly can. There’s no point in going to the trouble of taking the class if you aren’t going to learn anything! So how can you succeed? Treat it like a real course - Resist the temptation to slack off just because it’s online and you don’t have to face your teacher in real life. Schedule time to work on it - Set aside specific time slots every week when you are going to work on the course. This will help keep you from falling behind, and improve your ability to take the course seriously. Minimize distractions - When you are doing online coursework, make sure you are in a good working environment like a library or a quiet desk. Don’t turn the TV on, and I advise not working in bed. Utilize the teacher - If you have questions, get in touch with your teacher! One of the advantages of an online course over self-study is that you have access to a paid professional to explain confusing concepts to you if you need it. If you are diligent about keeping on track and get help when you need it, you will find the class much more valuable. Online AP Courses: The Bottom Line Online APs are a great choice for students with unusual schedules or at schools with slim AP offerings. With that said, it’s important to do your research before enrolling in an online AP class. Look for reviews online, check the price point, and triple-check your school’s policies on GPA and credit-transferring the online courses before you take the plunge! What's Next? For more in-depth reviews of online AP courses, see my guide to the best and worst online AP classes. If you need more general information about AP tests, check out "What Are AP Exams and Tests?" by one of our experts. Trying to decide on the best way to get college credit in high school? See our guide tocommunity college classes versus AP classes and exams. Considering other new and exciting AP offerings? Check our guide to AP Research and our guide to AP Seminar. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Second Language Teaching For Children Through Form Focused Instruction Essay

Second Language Teaching For Children Through Form Focused Instruction - Essay Example This report makes a conclusion that in relation to the recent pace of globalization, the process of emphasizing intercultural understanding has attained a greater attention of the nations to develop learning skills of the students. In this regard, second language learning mechanism of the educational institutions plays a pivotal role in terms of developing the skills of the learners to encourage intercultural understanding. In order to emphasize the teaching skills of the educators, numerous strategies and frameworks that substantially improves understanding of the learners especially the children to increase their proficiency in second or foreign language. In this context, focus on form can be duly accepted as one of the major strategies of the educators or the educational institutions to increase proficiency level of the children on a specific second language. This essay approves that the strategy of focusing on form provides a number of best practices to the educators to understan d the linguistic capability of the learners and make them proficient on a specific second language. An effective practice of focus on form empowers children to acquire adequate proficiency on second language. Moreover, the higher level of cognitive skills along with less consciousness on linguistic errors often enable the focus on form strategic practices to increase the second language skill of the children. With due regard to the observation of the framework used in Ontario schools, the core elements of teaching French as the second language of the students can also be accepted as an asset of best practices that fundamentally improve the teaching skills of the educators.