Does It Matter If Its Expensive?

Does It Matter If It's Expensive?Let me introduce myself, a man of the middle class and my enthusiasm for the book Ted Greene, et al. has brought to the world... 'Chemistry, PDF' by Dr. Deborah Isay.Dr. Isay's methods are a great deal simpler than I would have had them before reading 'Chemistry, PDF'. I would have had to learn through trial and error as well as what I had learned from other teachers I have seen. And, that is just not enough, especially when it comes to this subject! And then, of course, there was the inability to find the time.Dr. Greene, et al. can be a little slow in making their material available to their students. In a way, that is fine. A little impatience does not hurt anyone.What I am questioning is the need for such an expensive course as 'Chemistry, PDF' by Dr. Deborah Isay and Ted Greene. In fact, I have noticed that such courses as those 'Molecular Dangers'Your Life at Risk' by the American Association of Clinical Chemistry are much more affordable.These classes present an easy introduction to chemical preparation that covers all the basics and can be completed in about two hours. To be fair, most of the content of these courses is very similar, but the information is presented in a different format so it can be taught in a shorter period of time.If you are a student of organic chemistry course, I suggest you review the material of 'Chemistry, PDF' before you look for more advanced materials. However, that might be asking too much. It can still be fun to take the easier courses for such subjects as the Introduction to Organic Chemistry and the Organic-Organic-Metabolism course, if you feel it is necessary.I guess I like teaching because I love life science. So, whether a student is very young or very old, I think it is important for a teacher to be able to communicate with students. I think the older teachers are a bit more tired from teaching their students for a long time.Also, I am more likely to try something new with my student s if I have been working with them before. That is why I am more likely to suggest new ways of doing things instead of repeating what I used to do. So, although Dr. Greene is a great choice of author, I do not recommend the more expensive courses.

Learn About the Benefits of Joining Schools With Sorts of Lessons

Learn About the Benefits of Joining Schools With Sorts of LessonsIn the case of a student who would like to have a practical experience, and who would like to feel how schools would help them, enrolling in beaches tutoring can be very helpful. It will not only give the student an idea about the educational system, but also help them understand that it is not all about academics and memorization. This allows them to understand that they can actually do something that will benefit them.Even though a child is young, there will still be a certain character or particular personality that he has, and that will serve as an indicator for him when he goes to school. When you are enrolled in beaches tutoring, you can already get a peek of his character.When a child goes to school, there are various responsibilities that will come up that will involve him. The most important one being, learning how to organize your time and prepare yourself for the next lessons. This is the first task that you have to do, and this will serve as a result of which, your mind will be fresh and clear, and you will also realize that you are able to learn more quickly when you have your own hour to do things. And this will make you realize that you are doing something that will serve as the basis for your life and future.As soon as you are done with beaches tutoring, you will realize that you have learned a lot about the ins and outs of school. Now you are able to continue with your studies and master what will not only help you prepare for school, but also will teach you things that will help you apply. The day that you are done with beaches tutoring, you will have mastered many things, such as building up a good relationship with your teachers, and also how to win over your classmates, etc.It will also help you learn how to do a good job in school, because your guidance counselor will tell you all the tips, and the tips are very important if you want to become a good teacher. Besides, when yo u are prepared, you will be confident in your skills and will not let anything frighten you when the students are always struggling and bothering you. But just in case, when you know how to handle yourself when you have the responsibility of managing the students, you will know how to deal with the difficult situation.Beach tutoring is important for students who do not have the time to go to school everyday. Even though you will be in the school with your classes, it will still help you to focus on your classwork, and thus your studies will also improve.Finally, the beaches tutoring can even help you earn extra money, especially if you do well. However, you will have to help them get good grades, so as to help them earn more money. Since they are working at the same company, they will need to learn to work together as a team to accomplish the task, and this can help them to learn about teamwork and problem solving.

Why Does College Algebra Story Problems Helping Students?

Why Does College Algebra Story Problems Helping Students?College algebra story problems help students who find themselves stuck in the difficulty of a homework assignment. What follows is an explanation of how math problems make homework much easier for most students.The first thing to keep in mind about homework is that it should never be the end of the story. Students should be encouraged to do more than just complete the assignment. In addition to completing the task, they should also learn from the assignment as well as how it can help them to progress toward a future goal.Since math problems are often presented in a very visual manner, it is very easy for students to understand the most effective ways to solve them. It is not as easy to understand them if the solution is done by recalling different algorithms or formulas.Find a simple and short form of the problem. Think of one of the most obvious solutions to the problem. Then get to work on that. Make sure that the solution us ed is not too complicated, but simple enough to have students see how it fits into their conceptual understanding of the problem.Since algebra is a difficult task to learn, many students will naturally want to avoid the difficulties they have to face by doing the most efficient way to do the assignment. If you use this strategy, you can usually trick students into thinking they have solved the problem, but it is not true. They only did one thing-they learned that they could do the best solution to the problem.When students are faced with challenging assignment problems, they are usually looking for a shortcut. They know it is very difficult to solve a problem by visualizing the steps needed, so they turn to algebra. They are basically seeking a formula that they can always refer to when they need the answer.These students do not appreciate the challenge they are facing because they have forgotten the challenging and difficult things that make it so. In college, they are still learni ng the most important things and they are naturally curious about difficult tasks. College algebra story problems help students to make themselves a step ahead of their peers.

How LSAC Calculates Your GPA

How LSAC Calculates Your GPA The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) calculates your likelihood of attending law school by examining your LSAT scores and your undergraduate GPA. Here is some great information on how the LSAT is scored. There are a number of websites that allow you to enter your GPA into their virtual calculators. While each law school typically does not adhere to a strict minimum for LSAT results and GPAs, there are general thresholds that programs desire. Your testing date, professional experience, and ethnicity are not taken into consideration when determining your personal index score. Here is are6 tips to help you excel in law school, which you my find useful in the future. How is my LSAC GPA determined? The official LSAC GPA calculator provides applicants with an estimated score for their admissions index (an index score). While each law school calculates this admissions index differently, the LSAC official calculator is an ideal place to begin, as it maintains a number of potential index formulas. The LSAC grade scale is somewhat different from that of many undergraduate schools. An A+ (98-100) is worth 4.33. While the scale is based upon the normative 4.0 GPA scale, it allows for an A+ grade. It does not, however, award credit for an E or F. Non-punitive withdrawals on your transcripts are not included as failing grades within your LSAC GPA. All other withdrawals are noted as failing marks (0.00). Note that passing grades in a pass/fail class will not be calculated in the LSAC GPA. If you enrolled in a course twice, both the original and retake result count, even if your undergraduate school only utilized the second score in your GPA. If your study-abroad courses do not appear on your domestic transcript, they will not be counted. Here are 3 ways extracurricular activities help your law school applicationas well. Generally, if a grade is present on your transcript, it is likely to be included in your GPA. This is true only of classes prior to earning your first Bachelors degree. If you have completed coursework after this stage, it will not be taken into account when calculating your index score. What should I do with my index score? With your score in hand, there are a number of sources that offer matching services between your index result and various law schools. Several focus solely on top-tier programs. Not all services are reliable, so ensure you do sufficient research when investigating these matches. With luck, they will guide your application process to law schools within your reach, as well as save you money and time in determining which programs are best for you. Consider limiting reach schools to just one application. Also keep in mind also that if you have sat for the LSAT multiple times, law schools receive every score report. Prepare accordingly, and good luck!

Definition of Perpendicular Lines

Definition of Perpendicular Lines We can define perpendicular lines are lines, which have angle between them are right angle (90O). In other words we can say perpendicular lines are lines, having product of slopes -1. Means if the slope of a line is 2, then the slope of perpendicular line is (1/2). If we have line ax + by + c = 0, we know the equation of perpendicular line bx ay + k = 0. Problem 1: If we have a equation of a line 3x - 4y + 7 =0, find the equation of a line which is perpendicular to the given line and passes through (1, 0). Solution: Step1: The equation of given line is 3x 4y + 7 = 0 = Step2: The line perpendicular to 3x 4y + 7 = 0 is 4x + 3y + k =0 = Step3: We know, this line passes through (1, 0), so we need to plug the values in this equation to get the value of k = 4 (1) + 3 (0) + k = 0 = k = - 4 = Step 4: The required equation of a line is 4x + 3y 4 =0. Problem 2: If we have an equation of a line 2x + 3y + 4 =0, find the equation of a line which is perpendicular to the given line and passes through (1, 1). Solution: Step1: The equation of given line is 2x + 3y + 4 = 0 = Step2: The line perpendicular to 2x+ 3y + 4 = 0 is 3x 2y + k =0 = Step3: We know, this line passes through (1, 1), so we need to plug the values in this equation to get the value of k = 3 (1) 2 (1) + k = 0 = k =- 1 = Step 4: The required equation of a line is 3x 2y - 1 =0.

The Life Cycle of a Star.

The Life Cycle of a Star. From a Dust Cloud to a Black Hole, Here’s What You Need to Know about a Star’s Life Cycle. ChaptersWhat is a Star?How is a Star Formed?What are the Stages in the Life of a Star?What Happens Next? It Depends on the Size of the Star.Look up into the sky. That thing shining there â€" or ‘burning ferociously’ as might be a better description â€" has been doing its thing for four and a half billion years. Throughout the course of human history, it’s been there the whole time, burning away and giving life to our planet.4.6 billion years. That’s a number that we can hardly even imagine. Yet, scientists reckon that our Sun is about halfway through its lifecycle.Give it another four billion years and it will, like all stars do, ultimately ‘die’ â€" changing from a main sequence star into a supernova or into what is known as a planetary nebula. We ain’t gonna be alive to see any of this happen â€" and, by we, we mean planet earth.Here, we’re going to be talking about the life of a star. We’re going to be talking about the forces that bring it together and that forc e it ultimately apart. And we’re going to be talking about the things that help it keep its shape and size for the unimaginably long time that occurs in between.We’ll be talking about those things with which you’ve probably heard in passing: the red giant, neutron stars, black holes â€" and white dwarfs and supernovas.All of these things make up phases in the life of a star. But let’s take a closer look.In the meantime, find out everything about astronomy, and the differences between astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. The sun is the centre of our solar system - not the Earth PetarPhysics Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamPhysics Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhPhysics Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FrankPhysics Teacher 5.00 (8) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JidePhysics Teacher 4.80 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DorothyPhysics Teacher 5.00 (5) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RahulPhysics Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is a Star?Now we’re all quite familiar with the Sun â€" from a distance at least. And, unless you live in the biggest of cities and have never looked up, it is pretty likely that you will have seen some stars in your life too.But do you know what a star actually is? Apart from the fact that it ‘twinkles’ and is in ‘the sky’.A star is a massive object in space, held together by gravitational forces, that is distinguished from a planet by its luminosity â€" or the fact that it produces light.That’s the short answer. Now to the long answer.A star is a ball of plasma and gas that radiates energy in the form of heat and light. This radiation is due to the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium that occurs at its core.All this wouldn’t happen if stars weren’t so big. But, under the force of gravity, and under all sorts of other molecular forces, atoms are smashed together, and new elements are formed. All of this releases energy. This process, which we call nuclear fusion, is, incidentally, something we hope to replicate on Earth â€" because of the sheer amount of energy that it produces.But no, stars aren’t really ‘burning’ or ‘on fire’ or any of these words we use to describe them. Rather, the processes that are happening mean that the sun is much hotter and much more en ergetic than any fire we’ve ever seen.Learn more about our solar system!How is a Star Formed?But why does all this happen? One of the most amazing things about our universe is that there is anything at all in it. As the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz once asked, how come there is something rather than nothing? This question is a little relevant when it comes to thinking that stars produce the very conditions that support life.Nebulae.Imagine an empty, desperately cold space filled with dust and gases that are the debris of old planets and stars. Star formation begins when, in this intense cold, all of this interstellar dust and gas slowly starts to clump together. Gases reach higher densities in the cold, whilst the atoms bind together.This is the first step in the life cycle of stars: the planetary nebulae, these molecular clouds that drift across the universe.As soon as higher densities are reached, the gravitational forces get stronger, meaning that all of the gases and particles in the nebula slowly start coming together. These great big molecular clouds then start collapsing and, as they start moving in on each other, the heat increases.With all this stuff clumping together, the core becomes what will later be the star â€" or often even two or three stars known as star clusters. Meanwhile, different parts of the cloud might become planets or might just stay as dust â€" as in our solar system.(All of this, by the way, takes about ten million years. As a comparison, humans have been about for only two hundred thousand years.)Learn about some of the major astronomical discoveries. Nebulae are some of the most beautiful things in the universe.What are the Stages in the Life of a Star?So far we have seen how stars are created â€" from the big messy clouds of dust and gas in the universe. But what these nebulae create are hardly even stars just yet. Rather, they are protostars, which are the very beginning of the star life cycle.Protostars.After the initial phase as a nebula, the start of stellar evolution is in the protostar. This is when the star is essentially still growing â€" when it is still gathering dust and material from the cloud that formed it.The protostar begins with only one percent of the mass of its future self. But, with all of the mass that is ‘infalling’ due to the core’s gravity, it builds up relatively quickly.Only when thermonuclear fusion begins at the core does the star stop being a protostar and becomes instead a main sequence star. At this point the star’s mass is stable â€" as it produces a ‘stellar wind’ that prevents the i nfall of further mass.Brown Dwarfs.If protostars don’t become big enough, however â€" and by that we mean about eight percent of the size of the sun â€" they never really become stars at all. Instead, they become brown dwarfs, sort of failed stars in which thermonuclear fusion does not take place.Find and take classes with a maths physics tutor here.What Happens Next? It Depends on the Size of the Star.After the protostar stage, the nature and processes of a star’s life cycle depends on the particular star’s mass. And so we’ll split this here into two separate streams.There are those stars that have roughly the mass of the Sun â€" the sun being fairly ‘normal’-sized as far as stars go. Then there are those that are much bigger. The bigger stars are, the quicker they burn. So, whilst Sun-sized stars remain as main sequence stars for about ten billion years, a massive star would live less long.Even so, about ninety percent of a star’s life is as a main sequence star â€" in which it will casually fuse hydrogen into helium. When the hydrogen in its core runs out, the core will begin to collapse and will get much hotter.As the core increases in heat, it pushes the rest of the star outwards, meaning that the outer edges cool.Stars the Size of the Sun â€" Roughly.The most commonly sized stars are stars the size of the Sun. After about ten billion years, once they have run out of hydrogen, they slowly become white dwarfs.White Dwarfs.White dwarfs are cool little things that have perplexed scientists despite their commonness. Imagine the mass of the sun all in the space of the earth and you’ve got yourself a white dwarf. And bizarrely, they are denser the smaller they are â€" meaning the bigger stars would form the smallest white dwarfs.They are hugely dense things that keep themselves from collapsing further due to the activity of electrons. However, with no way of producing energy, there is nothing really that keeps them together. So, gradually coolin g, they just tend to fade away.Massive Stars.Massive stars have a different end in store for them.If a star is about eight times bigger than the sun, you can expect it to end in a massive explosion known as a supernova.Remember that the bigger the star the quicker they burn through hydrogen. And when they have run out of hydrogen, they produce iron as the result of a long series of chemical reactions. When that happens, the core collapses in a matter of seconds from five thousand miles across to just twelve.Temperatures reach a hundred billion degrees and the supernova becomes brighter than a whole galaxy. This is the first picture ever taken of a black hole.What is a Black Hole?Particularly dense stars produce one of the most fascinating phenomena in the universe when they die. These are black holes.Rather than exploding outwards, these stars implode, collapsing into themselves to form an object so dense that nothing â€" not even light â€" can escape it.These things pull everything around them into themselves â€" whilst emitting huge amounts of radiation.Is there life in the universe?

What is it Like to Attend Vassar College

What is it Like to Attend Vassar College The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Logan is a New York City tutor specializing in SAT prep tutoring, History tutoring, Algebra tutoring, and more. He graduated from Vassar College in 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Political Science. See what he had to say about his undergraduate years: 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? Logan: Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, which is a medium-sized town in Dutchess County, NY, about an hour and a half north of the city. The campus is both beautiful and safe, and most of the students stay on it year-round. For those who do like to venture off campus, there are many reasonably priced, high quality restaurants within walking distance, and the surrounding area is safe and well lit. In terms of transportation, the only potential challenge is getting from campus to the Poughkeepsie train station (and vice versa). I was lucky enough to have a car and live within driving distance, so I am not completely familiar with the methods used to make that particular trip. From what I gathered, a lot of people used the taxi service, which Ive heard was fairly reliable. VT:How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Logan: All of the professors I had were readily accessible outside of the classroom and very responsive to emails. Most of my classes were small enough (25 students at the very most) that I could typically converse directly with the professor, rather than a teaching assistant. The one teaching assistant I had taught a language class, and he was friendly and easy to communicate with. With regard to advisers, you will have one adviser when you enter as a freshman, and then you will switch to someone in your department when you declare a major. I actually changed majors my junior year, so I had three advisers at various points throughout my stay at Vassar. All three were responsive, knowledgeable about the graduation requirements, and accommodating to my needs and preferences. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Logan: I lived in one dorm (Cushing) my first two years, and in town houses my last two years. Cushing was a bit removed from the area which contained the four major dorms (Lathrop, Raymond, Josselyn, and Strong). While this separation did make it a bit less convenient to hang out in the residential quad, it did foster a sense of community within the dorm itself. I remained good friends with some of the people I knew from my earliest days at Vassar. The terrace apartments and town houses are where most people go when they become upperclassmen, with more moving into the latter. A typical TA or TH consists of 4-5 people who were friends and signed up to live with each other. My experience, however, was a bit different my first year living in a town house. I chose to take an opening in a TH with four people who I did not know at all. They were very friendly and welcoming, and they included me when they hung out with their broader group of friends. It was a great experience, and I still hang out with some of the people in this broader group who live near me today. My final year on campus was a bit more traditional. I moved into another town house, this time with people who I knew beforehand. Again, I had a very pleasant experience. One of the people with whom I lived was a tremendous cook, and would guide us in creating house meals which we enjoyed multiple times a week. Living with these people deepened my friendships with them, and I am tremendously thankful for the opportunity I had to do so. In general, if you live with friendly, responsible people (of which there are many at Vassar), your upperclassman experiences will be great and memorable. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Logan: Vassar is traditionally known as a more humanities focused Liberal Arts school, though its Science and Math programs are strong as well. I actually began as a Math major before switching to Political Science my junior year, so I have had both an atypical Vassar experience, and a more standard one. Both of these areas were well supported, and the teachers I had were tremendously knowledgeable and uniquely witty and humorous. I actually switched away from math after taking Modern Algebra (group theory) because it was too difficult and involved. That program will provide a challenging and engaging curriculum for even the strongest math student. And the more traditional majors are as excellent as advertised. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Logan: I transferred to Vassar after spending a semester somewhere else, so my freshman experience was atypical. I found it fairly easy to make friends, however, and I am not the most outgoing person. Because of the tremendous diversity in interests and backgrounds of the students there, it is not hard to find likeminded people, as well as people who are completely different from the ones you grew up with and who will broaden your social experience. There is no Greek life on campus, but there are plenty of social events. Some are of the all-campus variety, and are usually held annually/bi-annually at certain locations, while others are smaller functions geared toward specific student subcultures. In general though, it is a pretty inclusive campus, so if you are looking to socialize in a positive manner, there are ample opportunities for this. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Logan: This is the area about which I know the least. I decided to go to graduate school full-time immediately after college, so I did not get started on my professional career until I was a year and half removed from Vassar. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Logan: The Vassar library is large and notably beautiful. There are plenty of areas for both private, quiet study, as well as for group projects and discussions. The dorms also have study rooms that are readily accessible. Because it is a relatively small college population, the study areas are rarely over-crowded. 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? Logan: Again, Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is a reasonably safe, medium-sized town. There are many quality, affordable restaurants nearby, and there are a few bars throughout Poughkeepsie that are popular with the students (e.g. Billy Bobs, Mahoneys). In the broader Dutchess County area, there are a lot of historic sites such as the Vanderbilt Mansion, Franklin Roosevelts childhood home, the Beekman Arms (the oldest inn in the country), and others, which are all easy to get to if you have a car or know somebody with one. Vassar is close to other famous colleges and universities such as Bard, Marist, and the Culinary Institute of America. While students predominantly stay on campus, I have made day trips with my friends to all of these places, and have met some wonderful and interesting people doing so. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Logan: Vassar is a small school, totaling about 2,000-2,500 students. Because of this, and the fact that students primarily stayed on campus, there was a strong sense of community within the school. Most people there enjoyed this aspect of Vassar, however, I have heard some say that it creates a bit of a fishbowl feeling, where everyone knows everyone elses business. This does not fully describe my own experience, but there definitely is an element of that. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Logan: I once took a political science course taught by a very animated professor who would frequently make loud exclamations without warning. One day, after we began reading Friedrich Hayeks The Road to Serfdom, he made a comment about how peculiar it was that several Vassar alumni had gone on to become Republican politicians, despite the extremely liberal leanings of the faculty and student population there. The professor noted that one particular congressman, who he happened to have taught years earlier, was on television a few days prior lamenting the fact that conservative thinkers like Hayek were left out of most college curriculums. The professor then said, raising his decibel level every couple of words, So rememberif youre ever on TV, I TAUGHT HAYEK! I have had several much more mild-mannered professors, but that incident always stuck in my mind. Check out Logans tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

How Parents Can Help with Elementary Homework Challenges

How Parents Can Help with Elementary Homework Challenges Elementary homework can quickly become a challenging task for your student to complete. No matter the age, balancing several classes at a time can become taxing for many elementary students. It can become easy for them to question the importance of these assignments, but it is vital for parents to remember the purpose of elementary homework: to assist their students in fine-tuning skills learned in the classroom. While dealing with common elementary homework challenges, a lot of different complaints can arise in a studentall of which are totally normal. Parents can help with elementary homework challenges by utilizing certain techniques, such as establishing a homework schedule or reviewing sections of the textbook with their students. Here is how you, as a parent, can help resolve homework challenges your student might be facing: When elementary students feel they have too much homework On the surface, this can appear to be a simple excuse of not wanting to complete the assignments. It can, however, be a sign of something else: that the homework is feeling too hard for your student. Every student learns differently, and sometimes, an assignment may take different amounts of time for different students to complete. Also, it could be due to the student not having enough time to fully understand the concepts prior to the homework being assigned. This could simply mean your student needs to take some extra time before beginning the assignment to reread over the concept to get a better grasp of it. It could be helpful to have a designated, distraction-free, homework area in the house for your student to concentrate better. Remember, when your student says there is too much homework, there could be underlying issues that you can work together to solve. If your student feels a concept or class is consistently too hard, there are a few things you can do: Read through the textbook or handouts with your student Clarify things that might not be clicking Talk to the teacher to see if there are any extra materials he or she can provide [RELATED: How to Help Your Elementary School Student Cope with Test Anxiety] Make an elementary homework schedule with your student If your student feeling too tired to complete homework is a common occurrence, it may be time to reevaluate his or her scheduling. While extracurriculars are important to your child's growth and development, homework does come first. Examine your students agenda to see if there are better ways in which homework can be scheduled to help with this challenge. Perhaps completing assignments earlier in the evening can help prevent exhaustion from extracurriculars before homework. If your student has a lot of activities going on, working homework into that weekly schedule ahead of time can help your student learn to prioritize and balance tasks. Encourage your student to ask teachers about homework challenges Your elementary student not knowing what the teacher wants is oftentimes a large complaint. It can become frustrating to have your student come home with a lot of assignments and have no idea what to do for them. If this is a common occurrence, have your student begin to have conversations with teachers in an effort to better understand assignments and concepts. This is also a good habit to instill in your student at a young age; the earlier he or she knows how to approach teachers to ask for clarification, the better luck your student will have with assignments throughout his or her education. [RELATED: 5 Questions to Ask Your Student's New Teacher] Also, if a child doesnt seem to like a specific teacher, it can definitely become another factor that contributes to a lack of desire to complete the homework. Ask your student to explain further where the dislike is stemming from. It could be a case of not liking the amount of work assigned or certain classroom rules, for instance. Encourage your student to have an open, honest conversation with you about these concerns; they may end up being minor issues that you can help him or her work past. If, however, you find there is a deeper issue of disrespect or negative behaviors in the classroom, it is important to speak with the teacher personally. Request a meeting with him or her to find out if it is simply a misunderstanding or if higher action needs to be taken. [RELATED: Elementary School Parent-Teacher Conferences: What to Ask] At the end of the day, homework is a necessity in your student's life. It exists for many reasons, but primarily to help strengthen skills learned in the classroom. There may be challenges or long nights, but the important thing is to stay focused on encouraging your childs ability to complete the tasks at hand. Staying motivated and focused will help both you and your child progress toward a positive educational future. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

My Experience at Pomona College

My Experience at Pomona College The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Miranda received her Bachelors degree in Religious Studies from Pomona College. She is currently a tutor in Seattle specializing in Reading tutoring, SAT prep tutoring, Writing tutoring, and several other subjects. See what she had to say about her experience at Pomona College: 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? Miranda: Pomona College is one of the five Claremont Colleges, and our campuses basically blend together you cross the street, and suddenly you are on a different campus. Each campus has a different architectural style, but that is pretty much the only way you can tell them apart. Pomona College is California Spanish style, with a lot of terracotta and stucco, as well as a lot of greenery. It is very beautiful. You can walk everywhere on campus, and it is only about a mile from the edge of Pomona Collegeto the edge of the most distant sister school. If you are injured, you can get a ride in a golf cart from designated injury drivers. That being said, a lot of people have bikes or skateboards, and cars are necessary if you want to go anywhere that is not Claremont. Claremont itself is also within walking distance. It has a few nice restaurants and vintage stores, but there is not a lot to it. Very cute, though. The campus is not urban at all, and it is incredibly safe, though we do have a bit of an issue with bike thievery. Otherwise, I felt totally safe walking around alone (even in the wee hours of the morning). VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Miranda:The professors (who are also the academic advisers) are very accessible. Everyone holds office hours, but a lot of instructors are also willing to meet at whatever time works for you. Nearly everyone I met with was willing to spend a huge amount of time talking through whatever I came to them with, whether it was a paper, a class dilemma, or just to chat. In fact, a few were so willing to talk that I almost missed other appointments because I did not expect to spend an hour and a half there. There are no teaching assistants, but there are mentors who run homework/study sessions for the math/science classes. They help students work through problem sets or study for midterms. I almost never experienced this as a humanities major, but many of my friends were mentors, and they spent a ton of time on their mentor sessions, staying until the last person felt confident. The one time I had a mentor session, for my geology midterm, my mentor stayed for ages and answered every question several times over. So, basically, everyone is all about teaching and is very accessible. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Miranda:Pomona Colleges dormsare palatial. Not everyone has awesome housing their first year, but nothing is awful. I had a lovely single that overlooked a courtyard filled with birds of paradise, so it was pretty nice. The next year was my worst housing a smaller single that was less nice but still a single... and after that, just more large singles. In my senior year, I lived in a suite of four singles with my best friends. It had two bathrooms, a big balcony as a common space, and a working fireplace in my room. This overlooked a grassy courtyard that was a great gathering place for everyone who lived around it, and we hung a hammock there for a bit and studied on the steps. The dining options are pretty good. Four years in, you are going to get bored of dining hall food no matter what, but compared to any other school, our food was great. There were always tons of options for all dietary restrictions and taste preferences. I am vegetarian, and it was no problem. There is always bread, and peanut butter, and hummus, and cereal, and a big salad bar, and at least one vegetarian hot option usually more. There are also cafes and grills on campus for food outside of normal dining hall hours. Four days a week, there is a free snack at 10:30 p.m. in the dining hall to fuel your late-night studying. If you get bored of Pomona Colleges dining halls, or want something other than what they are serving that night, you can use your meal allotment to eat at the dining halls on any of the other four campuses. The dorms attempt to run events to help everyone meet each other, but that pretty much ends after your first year. In your first year, though, all the students are placed in sponsor groups, and each group has two sophomores living with them, to provide advice. They tend to hang out a lot and socialize together, and it is an easy way to meet your first friends. There are plenty of ways to meet people outside of that, though, so even when the dorm events peter out after your first year, there are classes, clubs, parties, talks, etc. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Miranda:Pomona College is pretty good across the board, and it is very supportive of all of its majors. Our Math major is particularly good, and there are a lot of Economics majors. I also think my department, Religious Studies, was amazing. I chose this field because it was what I was most interested in, and it turned out the course offerings were fascinating and the professors were both incredibly intelligent and just all-around great people funny and imaginative and great communicators. The college did a fine job of supporting us. While not the most popular major, we had some of the most popular classes and professors, who consistently won student-voted awards. We have a beautiful building, and the professors in my major had amazing and huge offices, with big windows and ceiling-high bookshelves with ladders. It made you feel wise just to walk in. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Miranda:It was pretty easy to meet people through my sponsor group and my dorm, as well as through other activities. Of course, like nearly anywhere, you have to put yourself out there a little bit, and you have to be willing to approach people or go to events. But if you do, people are outgoing and welcoming, and they make it easy. I think a lot of the first years do not even know that there are fraternities. There are, technically, but it does not look like Greek life usually does there are no houses, and they have little social capital or sway on campus. There are also no sororities, though one of the fraternities is co-ed. (You are getting the picture now, right, of how non-traditional our Greek life is?) Each house throws a weekly party on school property, and they are regulated/overseen by the school. Basically, if you want Greek life, the Claremont Colleges are probably not ideal for you. If you do not want Greek life, you have found your place. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Miranda:I would say that the Career Center is not particularly helpful unless you are in a specific industry or looking at a specific job, for which you just want help with a cover letter or interview skills. Otherwise, they are very vague, and I have gotten advice like, Have you looked at a job site online? They are trying to improve. I think reputable companies do recruit on campus, but since I was not looking to go into consulting or any science- or technology-related industry, I do not honestly know. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Miranda:There are couches all over the place, as well as outdoor seating, plenty of room at the library, lounges in most dorms, student-run cafes, and so on. Many of the academic buildings have lounges and libraries, as well. There is plenty of space to study, and plenty of variety between crowded and not, quiet and noisy, etc. There is nearly always a seat, and nearly always someone napping in public. 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? Miranda:I already mentioned Claremont above, but its downtown is called the Village. So, as you can imagine, it is not big. There are a handful of restaurants, maybe two bars (more restaurant than bar), no clubs, a lot of vintage stores and boutiques full of kitsch, etc. There is a farmers market every Sunday. People do not really hang out in town, though people will go to the trivia night at the only bar anyone ever goes to. Our campus life provides enough or it has to, because there is nothing else. People will occasionally go into Los Angeles, but it is rare, in part because it is not easy. You have to have a car or take the train, and the train does not run late into the evening. It is not that cheap, and it is very slow. I am not saying people never go into Los Angeles, but it is not exactly a mainstay. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Miranda:The student body is very small 1,600 total. There are the four other schools, so that expands it a bit, but they are all the same size or smaller than Pomona College. I would say all the campuses add up to around 5,000 students. This does mean that people you do not even know sometimes know who you are dating three hours after it happened, but it is not too claustrophobic. For the first two years, you still feel like you meet a ton of new people. To me, it felt kind of homey, even if gossip traveled faster than the speed of light. Classes were also very small. Introductory classes might go up to 25 students, but most after that were 15 students or less. It was great. A few classes (like geology) are bigger, because people who hate science take that class to get their credit out of the way. But even the biggest classes get capped at 40 at the absolute most (usually less). VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Miranda:My favorite professor was my academic adviser and thesis reader. She is a snarky, whip-smart lady, but she also cares incredibly deeply about both her students and her subject, and I learned a lot of life lessons from her. I also house-sat for her cats. I have numerous favorite memories of her, but perhaps one of the funniest was the first few days of Ritual and Magic in Childrens Literature. This sounds like an easy class, and a lot of people showed up looking to get a humanities credit out of the way. There were maybe 45 people in there, and they did not even fit in the classroom. My professor tells us that this first class will be short, and it is; she spends about 15 minutes talking about how high her standards are, how harshly she will grade, the heavy workloadnot just childrens books, but lots of critical theory, as well. She also says that your childhood nostalgia might be destroyed by some of the analysis we will do on the classic childrens tales. About 18 people show up to the next class. During this class, we had to read a Freudian analysis of the classic fairytales, that argues, in typical Freudian fashion, that they are all about sex. A few people argue that this cannot be true, and she tells them that it certainly is, s he is sorry if they are upset about it, and unless they can come up with a good argument against the theorist, they are just going to have to accept it. She also assigns a paper, due the next class, about this analysis. The next class, 12 of us show up, and things run smoothly. The class after, she asks us which paper we want to strike from the syllabus, now that she is done scaring people out of the class and has the most devoted students possible. A few weeks later, she has us over for wine and cheese. I also learned a ton from this class, made some great friends, and ended up writing my thesis on religious interpretation in childrens literature. Another favorite collection of memories pertains to the Philosophy department. Once a semester, even when he was on sabbatical, one professor cooked a huge, fancy, multi-course feast at his house he chose a theme each year, like Kenyan food or French cuisine. All the professors and any students involved in the department came over, mingled, talked, ate, and relaxed in a beautiful home. It was wonderful, and he was an amazing cook. Check out Mirandas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.