How to Start the Semester Right - Grad Student Study Advice

How to Start the Semester Right - Grad Student Study Advice The most effective way to ensure success in classes learning and getting good grades is to prepare early and often. Most students recognize the value of preparation in ensuring excellent class performance. Prepare for each class, each test, each assignment. Preparation, however, begins before the first reading assignment and first class. Prepare for the semester and youll be off to a great start. So, how do you start the semester right? Start on the first day of class. Get into the proper mindset by following these three tips. Plan to work. Colleges - and faculty - expect you to put in a significant amount of time over the course of the semester. At the undergraduate level, a 3 credit course generally meets for 45 hours during the semester. In most cases, you are expected to put in 1 to 3 hours for every hour of class time. So, for a class that meets 2.5 hours a week, that means you should plan to spend 2.5 to 7.5 hours outside of class preparing for class and studying the material each week. You likely wont spend the maximum time on every class every week - its a big time commitment! But recognize that some classes will require relatively little prep and others may require additional hours of work. In addition, the amount of time you spend in each class will vary during the semester. Get a head start. This one is simple: Begin early. Then follow the class syllabus and read ahead. Try to stay one reading assignment ahead of the class. Why read ahead? First, this permits you to see the big picture. Readings tend to build on each other and sometimes you may not realize that you dont understand a particular concept until you encounter a more advanced concept. Second, reading ahead gives you wiggle room. Life sometimes gets in the way and we fall behind in reading. Reading ahead permits you to miss a day and still be prepared for class. Likewise, start papers early. Papers nearly always take longer to write than we anticipate, whether its because we cant find sources, have a hard time understanding them, or suffer from writers block. Start early so that you wont feel pressed for time. Mentally Prepare. Get your head in the right place. The first day and week of classes can be overwhelming with new lists of reading assignments, papers, exams, and presentations. Take the time to map out your semester. Write down all classes, due dates, exam dates in your calendar.   Think about how you will organize your time to prepare and get it all done. Plan time off and time for fun. Think about how you will maintain motivation over the semester - how will you reward your successes? By mentally preparing for the semester ahead you put yourself in the position to excel.

You Need a Platform as You Dive Into Writing

You Need a Platform as You Dive Into Writing What is a writer’s platform? There are as many definitions as there are experts. In the past, an author’s platform was his reputation (titles, expertise, and past awards). Now Nathan Bransford defines a platform â€Å"as the number of eyeballs you can summon as you promote your book† (http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/09/what-platform-means-for-writers.html). I suspect he’s right, because â€Å"tell-alls† of disgraced, shallow celebrities sell better than well-written memoirs of less famous, heroic individuals. Platforms sell books. What can you do to build this nebulous entity called a platform? You need a website, blog, and/or a newsletter. Let’s be honest: Most of us electronically reach mainly other authors, who are too busy to read our thoughts as they scramble to build their own platforms. What can you do to make your written electronic communications more effective? A few points seem obvious but are often overlooked: 1) Sound bites apply to writing. Short, frequent communications are more effective than longer ones. 2) Most readers and search engines only scan articles. Keywords and tag lines are important. The free Google Ad Words Keywords Tool and similar services can help you sharpen your selection of tags. 3) Cooperation pays. Guest blogs expand your audience, i.e. platform. Public speaking and media appearances are other key elements in building a platform. I know from past experience that drumming up a crowd for a presentation at most libraries takes more than posters plastered around town and a couple event announcements in a local newspaper. Here are ideas that worked: ==One author mentioned a certain brand of wine repeatedly in his novel, then held a book signing at the winery. ==I speak at libraries on â€Å"Science in Your Fiction† not my novels per se. I answer questions like: Could scientists now create a Jurassic Park? Are there real invisibility cloaks? I do this because I was a

Globalization and Social Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Globalization and Social Change - Essay Example It is a fact that even in poor countries; immense resources are available which are unused because of lack of technology or infrastructure facilities. Such countries can seek the help of advanced countries to mobilize their resources more effectively. According to Lauder et al (2006), many people tempted to think that globalization is the process of transportation of jobs, ethnic and cultural composition of nations etc from one country to another (Lauder et al, p.32). Many countries have opened up their economies more. For example, it is easy for an American or British company to establish its subsidiaries in India or China and vice versa. Same way it is possible for Indians or Pakistanis to get work permits in America or UK easily. Moreover, the trades between countries were increased a lot because of globalization. In any case it is an accepted fact that globalization has brought many changes in political, cultural and economical circles in the world. This paper briefly analyses the global social changes with respect to economy, happening in at present because of globalization. Holst (2007) has mentioned that economic interpretations of globalization centered around three forms of capital; financial, productive and commercial (Holst). In fact globalization has opened many opportunities in the financial, productive and commercial sectors. It is possible for a Mexican or Indian company to invest in the American share market at present because of globalization. Same way the exchange of manpower between countries resulted in mutual benefits. International trade has been increased a lot after the introduction of globalization. In fact America and UK like capitalist markets were conquered by the cheap Chinese products at present. It is impossible for China like bulk production oriented countries to sell their products internally alone. Mexico is another example to learn more about how well a country can

Leadership and its views in football Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and its views in football - Essay Example Starting from the developing a team, training, developing strategies, executing those in the field all depends on the manager. Thus, success or failure of the team also considered as the responsibility of the manager. According to the report of Barnes (2013), in the EPL (English premier league), the role of the manager is very important. Being considered as the toughest and most competitive football league of the world, team managers play an important role in the success or failure of the team. Signing new footballer, coaching them, developing team strategies-all depends on the manager. In his review, he cited the example of Paolo Di Canio-manager of the Sunderland football club. According to the report of British media, his enthusiasm was the key behind the success of the Sunderland football club, as they were able to retain their position in the premier league after a horrible start. In his report he pointed out the fact that it is not necessary that only the change in managers bri ngs about the good result. It is nothing to do with the change but it is a trend of event which may happen no matter whether club has change the manager or not. In his word, changing manager may give good result for a game or two, in short for a shorter period of time, but that does not means it will give continuous good result. According to his view, â€Å"it s a misleading statistic because not changing the manager would have had the same result†. He cited the example of Aston Villa in the EPL, where they also have facing the threat of relegation like Sunderland, but they did not change their manager. The result of the first 5 games of Sunderland after changing manager and Aston Villa without changing the manager was same: 2 wins, 1... The essay goes though 5 different phases of an employmet cycles. These are recruitment/selection, induction, managing the performance, controlling different level of performance and workforce planning/role or job analysis-job redesign. Being a manger one has to look up to all these parameters and control the performance of his or her team members. At the end, manager has to carry the responsibility of both success or failure of the team as he or she is the leader of the group. (p.4). Being the leader of the group or the team, managers have the responsibility of both success and failures. In any organization or any sports managers have a key role to play.b Thus, success or failure of the team also considered as the responsibility of the manager. Then, we see the issues in the essay. There are several causes and consequences associated with the dismissal of the manager. All across the globe, the performance of any team is the only parameter by which any manager’s work is being r eviewed. Same is applicable for any organization also. Being the manager of the group or at the top of the organization performance is the only parameter. In conclusion, we get more information on the football manager's profession. According to the review of Markham (2012), in the game of football managers used to get sacked or fired due to 3 main reasons. These are: 1) Poor on-field performance. 2) Breakdown in relations with club directors/owners and 3) Increasing pressure from the supporters and media for delivering better result.

Assignment about ethics 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About ethics 2 - Assignment Example Julie arrived late in an ice storm but managed to get to the offices of Wal-Mart headquarters where Wright started grilling her regarding the agency review process. He asked her how she had picked DraftFCB as the agency which would take Wal-Mart on the amount of 1 billion dollars per year account. Julie had interviewed about 30 agencies before settling on the Draft. The questions that the president of the company asked her were based on whether she had allowed any of the agencies to pay for her dinner while she was talking to them. he also asked her of whether she had agreed to be carried in one of the cars that belonged to those agencies (Salmon, 2012). Four days after the interview had taken place, Juulie Roehm was fired because she had violated the strict ethcs policy that had been set for all Wal-Mart’s employees. As Wal-Mart expert stated, â€Å"Wal-Mart had a kind of unbending almost obsessive adherence to even the trivialist elements of an ethical code. They are a brut al competitor and everybody acknowledged that. However, Wal-Mart was also the company that wouldn’t take a dinner from you, that wouldn’t let you provide a soda if you went to meet them to talk about business, where they wouldn’t join trade associations for many, many years because they didn’t want to pay dues and have a conflict of interest† (Salmon, 2012). It is well known that Castro-Wright, who was the president, was responsible for the corruption scandal that happened in Walmex. This brought up an important question. Did the corruption that occurred in one of Wal-Mart’s chains occur irrespective of Wal-Marts strict ethics code? The point of contention here is that Wal-Mart left essentially nothing to the discretion of its employees showing that is did not trust any employee to do the right thing or make the right decision. Wal-Mart had codified everything in the form of rules and instructed that all employees follow these rules to the la tter. This issue resulted in a detrimental effect that can be seen in Roehm’s situation just for the fact that she agreed to take a soda (Salmon, 2012). On top of that, the senior executives of Wal-Mart were expected to have high levels of discretion when it came to ensuring that those rules were strictly implemented. Therefore, for a person like Roehm who failed to reach that level of discretion was easily fired. On the other hand, when it came to investigations of the conduct of the company’s president it was easy to give the roles of the investigation to one of his loyal subordinates who did what the president expected him to do and burry the case. Accepting dinner is not in any way illegal. However, engaging in sham investigations is illegal. In Wal-Mart, the allegations of the corrupt deals that happened at the Mexican chain, Walmex, ought to have been taken more seriously than what Roehm did. However, the executives at Wal-Mart saw the world in black and white an d failed to differentiate between unethical behavior and an illegal conduct. As a result, Wal-Mart executives were liable for criminal charges. This issue presents a conflict of int

Christianity And Environmental Issues Religion Essay

Christianity And Environmental Issues Religion Essay The Bible calls Christians to be the stewards of the earth. We are called to maintain and protect the earth. God loved His creation. He protected and maintained His creation. We are created in the image of God and as Christians we should love the earth. Genesis 1:26(NIV) says Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' God did not give us earth to man so man could consume all the resources over all the earth. We have to make a suitable environment for all of Gods creatures. Christians are called and can change the earth through awareness, conservation, pollution control and environmental restoration. Christians have to take the lead in creating awareness of the earths environmental problems. Rev. Tom Wenig, pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, says that [environmental awareness] is really trying to develop a mind-set. It isnt trying to take on a big political agenda. First, the church has to realize that they are called by God to sustain and protect their environment called earth. For decades, Christians have ignored this issue. One article that was published in Science stated that Christians have ignored environmental issues and have helped create environmental problems. But the church is responsible for caring for Gods creation. The church should freely share the importance of conserving resources, recycling, donating, and other ideas to preserve our environment. The church should also reach out to non-Christians and make them aware of the importance of taking care of our earth. Christians and churches are just beginning to work together to help make positive and meaning ful changes to our world. The hope is that this trend continues and a national and global support continues to grow toward the awareness. Christians can have a positive impact on plants and animals through conservation. Psalm 145:9-10(NIV) says The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, o Lord; your saints will extol you. We can conserve energy by turning things off and not using them and turning down the thermostat at home. We can conserve water by taking shorter showers, installing water saving showerheads, and not watering our lawns. We can use energy efficient light bulbs and insolate our water heater which saves on electricity. We can insure our houses are suitable to weather. We make sure it is energy efficient and no energy is seeping out. If we all work together to conserve and are aware, we can help to preserve the environment. Controlling pollution anyway we can as individuals and Christians will benefit and preserve the environment. Matt Farina says that God loved us enough to make this world for us. The least we can do is care for it. Christians can make a great impact through recycling. A survey from the Department of Ecology in the state of Washington showed that 12,842 aluminum cans were recycled in 2008. Recycling helped save 2,658,142 British Thermal Units (BTU). Recycling also helped to avoid 47,882 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Seattle recycles 44 percent of its trash and is aiming for 75 percent by 2025. We can recycle bottles, metal, cans, and trash to make materials reusable. Riding bikes or walking instead of driving will decrease the use of gas. Carpooling instead of taking individual vehicles can save gas. Sending emails on a computer instead of writing letters will save the amount of trees being used for paper. Handling chemicals properly will decrease the amount of filthy air that people are using. We all can help the environment if we learn to control pollution. As Christians, we need to step away from our cultural barriers and support environmental restoration. Adam Clarke compares environmental restoration to the restoration of man. He states This perfection is the restoration of man to the state of holiness from which he fell, by creating him anew in Christ Jesus, and restoring to him that image and likeness of God which he has lost. As Christians, we can support this cause by planting gardens and not relying on the supermarkets to provide fruits and vegetables. Once our gardens are harvested we should donate our fruits and vegetables to others to share with. Some people criticize Christians and non-Christians as environmental extremists. Some individuals say that the claims regarding the environment and its deteriorating state as false and exaggerated claims. Other individuals believe change is constant and inevitable and that man is powerless to do anything about it. That cannot be any farther from the truth. More and more people are dying or catching diseases due to environmental hazards. These issues are not limited to America. This issue is far worse in third world countries. Churches that take part in mission trips visit countries that have massive famine in the land. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Americas and 47% of its population is below the poverty level. In countries such as Nicaragua, the famine is so massive that adults and children are living in dumps. There is no clean water to drink and there is almost no healthy food to eat. Third world countries are in serious need of environmental restoration. Restoration to these countries can happen in events like visiting these countries on mission trips. Feeding kids, building houses, and providing clean water is a great way for Christians and non-Christians to restore the environment. People who criticize Christians and non-Christians for being environmental extremists have not seen the impact. They have not witnessed the chemical diseases that come with pollution in America and the famine in third world countries. There are many opportunities in these cultures for Christians and non-Christians alike to restore the environment. The environment and its restoration is a major issue. People are contracting diseases from toxic chemicals in the pollution that is being put out. People in third world countries are dying due to the famine in the land.

Taking a Deeper Look at The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Essay

Taking a Deeper Look at The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Winner of multiple awards such as the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize, August Wilson is known most for his forceful cultural plays. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wilson was born to a white father that later abandoned his family, and a black mother. Wilson dropped out of school in the ninth grade after being accused of plagiarism. Wilson after went to public libraries and read various books; this was an initiation for Wilson and his successful future. When Wilson first started writing he didn’t think he was able to write his own works because of such great writers before him. â€Å"Quote black literature criticism†. However Wilson has managed to accomplish great works such as his second Pulitzer Award winning play, The Piano Lesson. The play introduces an outstanding and dynamic cultural view of many black Americans in the twentieth century. It conveys a family feud that is set off by a piano, a miraculous piano. In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson introduces two siblings, Boy Willie Charles and Berniece Charles Crawley, set in 1937. Wilson first reveals that Boy Willie lives in Mississippi, and Berniece lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (set of the play). This identification of the two allows the audience and reader to know that there is and will be a difference between the two siblings. The play is about the two siblings and their conflict between the piano. During slavery time, Boy Willie and Bernieces’ grandfather’s (Willie Boy Charles) slave owner Sutter had exchanged their grandmother and uncle for the piano as a gift for his wife. After getting worn out of the piano, Sutter’s wife missed her slaves so much, Sutter had Willie Boy to hand-carve the faces of his wife and son’s faces on the legs of the piano. However, Willie Boy didn’t stop there; he carved all of their ancestors on to the piano. The conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece is set off when Berniece’s husband dies due to stealing the piano with Boy Willie. Because of this, Berniece blames her brother for the cause of her husband’s death. She moves to Pittsburgh after and leaves Boy Willie. When the land that their ancestors worked on is offered to Boy Willie, Boy Willie decides to sell the piano as a down payment. Boy Willie thinks that it’ll b e better to have the land and m... ...to sit in her home unused. She loses all ties with her heritage while in Pittsburgh and only praises the piano for it’s meaning from what she sees on the outside of the piano. The song symbolizes how worthy the piano is; it has to be played. The song is also what makes Sutter’s ghost disappear at the end of the play. It plays a very important role in the play in that it was taught to Berniece by her mother. Perhaps her mother appeared to Berniece spiritually at the end of the play to urge Berniece to play the song again to get rid of Sutter’s ghost. Having Sutter’s ghost appear to Berniece doesn’t only motivate her to play the song, but also sends Boy Willie back to Mississippi. After frightening both Berniece and Boy Willie, it is clear to the two that the piano is more significant than they both thought before. August Wilson does a very fine job by presenting three symbols: the piano, Sutter’s ghost, and the song. All three symbols play major roles and are the foundations of the play. The symbols here allows the reader and audience to tie the history of the Charles family and the feud between Boy Willie and Berniece together. It’s a relation between the past and the present. Taking a Deeper Look at The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Essay Taking a Deeper Look at The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Winner of multiple awards such as the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize, August Wilson is known most for his forceful cultural plays. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wilson was born to a white father that later abandoned his family, and a black mother. Wilson dropped out of school in the ninth grade after being accused of plagiarism. Wilson after went to public libraries and read various books; this was an initiation for Wilson and his successful future. When Wilson first started writing he didn’t think he was able to write his own works because of such great writers before him. â€Å"Quote black literature criticism†. However Wilson has managed to accomplish great works such as his second Pulitzer Award winning play, The Piano Lesson. The play introduces an outstanding and dynamic cultural view of many black Americans in the twentieth century. It conveys a family feud that is set off by a piano, a miraculous piano. In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson introduces two siblings, Boy Willie Charles and Berniece Charles Crawley, set in 1937. Wilson first reveals that Boy Willie lives in Mississippi, and Berniece lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (set of the play). This identification of the two allows the audience and reader to know that there is and will be a difference between the two siblings. The play is about the two siblings and their conflict between the piano. During slavery time, Boy Willie and Bernieces’ grandfather’s (Willie Boy Charles) slave owner Sutter had exchanged their grandmother and uncle for the piano as a gift for his wife. After getting worn out of the piano, Sutter’s wife missed her slaves so much, Sutter had Willie Boy to hand-carve the faces of his wife and son’s faces on the legs of the piano. However, Willie Boy didn’t stop there; he carved all of their ancestors on to the piano. The conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece is set off when Berniece’s husband dies due to stealing the piano with Boy Willie. Because of this, Berniece blames her brother for the cause of her husband’s death. She moves to Pittsburgh after and leaves Boy Willie. When the land that their ancestors worked on is offered to Boy Willie, Boy Willie decides to sell the piano as a down payment. Boy Willie thinks that it’ll b e better to have the land and m... ...to sit in her home unused. She loses all ties with her heritage while in Pittsburgh and only praises the piano for it’s meaning from what she sees on the outside of the piano. The song symbolizes how worthy the piano is; it has to be played. The song is also what makes Sutter’s ghost disappear at the end of the play. It plays a very important role in the play in that it was taught to Berniece by her mother. Perhaps her mother appeared to Berniece spiritually at the end of the play to urge Berniece to play the song again to get rid of Sutter’s ghost. Having Sutter’s ghost appear to Berniece doesn’t only motivate her to play the song, but also sends Boy Willie back to Mississippi. After frightening both Berniece and Boy Willie, it is clear to the two that the piano is more significant than they both thought before. August Wilson does a very fine job by presenting three symbols: the piano, Sutter’s ghost, and the song. All three symbols play major roles and are the foundations of the play. The symbols here allows the reader and audience to tie the history of the Charles family and the feud between Boy Willie and Berniece together. It’s a relation between the past and the present.