3 Things You Must Do After an Admissions Interview

3 Things You Must Do After an Admissions Interview An admissions interview is an excellent opportunity for you to meet with a representative of a prospective school. You will be able to speak with him or her and to gauge whether your interests and values align with those of the college. These are the top 5 question to ask in an admissions interview. However, remember that your post-discussion follow-up is just as important as the admissions interview itself. Here are three things you must do after an admissions interview to leave a positive impression and to use the meeting to your advantage: Write a thank you note The first thing you must do after an admissions interviewis write a thank you note to the person you met with. Thank the interviewer for his or her time and consideration, and emphasize your interest in the school. Including a sentence or two about a part of your conversation that you particularly enjoyed will personalize your note and help it stand out from others. If there is a talking point that you did not mention in person, consider including it briefly in your note. Email is acceptable, as is traditional mail. Ensure that you thank all involved parties (if there are multiple), and reword each note so your interviewers do not receive the same stock message. Finally, remember to send the note promptly within 24 hours, if possible. A timely, thoughtful thank you will help you shine as a responsible and ideal candidate. Here are some tips for writing a thank you note after an interview. Reflect on your interview While your interview experience is still fresh in your mind, take the time to reflect on what went well and what you would like to improve upon in the future. Consider creating a list of questions that allowed you to speak well about yourself, and a list of questions that stumped you. In doing so, you will then have a document of typical interview questions that may help you at a future meeting. You can also cross-check these questions with lists you find online. Write out the key points of your conversation, especially ones where you felt a connection to your interviewer. Beyond the actual content of your interview, gauge your nervousness and state of mind pre- and post-interview. Knowing how your body responds to an admissions interview will help you mentally prepare for similar situations, and it will allow you to develop conversational skills for professional settings. Keep these notes in a safe and accessible place so you can refer to them at a later date. Complete and strengthen your application You may have interviewed during or after the application process was complete. So, if you are still compiling your application, the final thing you must do after an admissions interview is double-check the requirements specific to that school. Ensure that you have polished your essays, checked the status of your teacher recommendations, and paid your application fee. If necessary, request the help of family, friends, teachers, or writing tutors. There is nothing like an incomplete or weak application to compromise a strong in-person impression. Confirm that all of your paperwork is complete with the college, and if you have questions, email or call an admissions officer. Allow him or her ample time to respond to your inquiry. If you don't have a writing tutoryou may want to consider hiring one to help you with your applications! If your admissions interview took place after you finished applying, seek out other opportunities to strengthen your portfolio. Consider locating the email address of a professor whose work interests you, perhaps in your desired major. You might begin a casual conversation about a shared point of interest, such as his or her research or a relevant current event/news article. Do not expect a lengthy or detailed correspondence, as many professors are busy, but the fact that you have reached out may provide you with a slight advantage. It is not easy to speak about yourself in humble, yet positive, ways, as is necessary in an admissions interview. Enjoy the accomplishment of participating in an interview, and do not forget to follow up with your interviewer, as well as with your application. Reflecting on your experience will also make you a stronger applicant for both this school and others. Good luck!

Office Politics 101 Play Positive - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Office Politics 101 Play Positive - Introvert Whisperer Office Politics 101: Play Positive What’s the worst Office Politics you ever witnessed play out around you? Share in the comments! Power-Influence-Office Politics: it comes down to your Strategic Relationships and understanding of how you build each one of these elements. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that outlines all of this and meaningful actions you can take today!  Start watching now by clicking here! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

What is it Like to Attend Virginia Tech

What is it Like to Attend Virginia Tech The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Caroline is a Washington D.C. tutor who specializes in ACT prep tutoringand Biology tutoring. She is a 2013 graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelors degree in Microbiology. See what she had to say about her undergraduate experience: 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? Caroline: A lot of the charm of Virginia Tech is its rural campus. The town of Blacksburg is small and friendly, and I have never felt threatened walking across the campus or down Main Street. There is a fantastic, free bus system for students that runs to the major apartment complexes and to several stops on campus. There are also many bike racks and fairly light traffic so that biking is not daunting. Tech is also unique because freshmen are allowed to have cars on campus, which is a bit of a rarity in larger universities. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Caroline: People are daunted by the class size of Virginia Tech, but the professors are remarkably available. They are required to have set office hours that you can attend with questions and most professors frequently encourage their students to take advantage of them. Most classes have TAs, though you will interact the most with them in lab classes (I was a Biology major, so I had lots and lots of labs). My academic adviser was my best resource at Tech, and also became my boss when he allowed me to work in his lab. We are still in contact and he is always available if I have questions or need advice. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Caroline: Virginia Tech freshmen are required to live on campus their first year and I believe that it was a very valuable opportunity for me. The freshman rooms are typical, small dorms with two people per room. Some have air conditioning, though most dont. This is really only an issue at the beginning of the year however, because by September its usually cooled off and all rooms have very efficient heating. If a student decides to stay in dorms for the rest of their academic career, they can live in very nice suite- or hotel-style dorms. All of the academic buildings are on one side of the campus and dorms (and food!) on the other, so it really does feel like a large community when walking around on the student side of campus. No dorm is more than a 15-minute walk away from class and no more than five minutes from food. The dining halls are amazing, and include one buffet-style and many other a la carte options in multiple dining halls including lobster, Chik-Fil-A, Pizza Hut, and Dunkin Donuts! 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? Caroline: The largest majors at Virginia Tech are the Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer), and Design (Industrial and Architectural). I was a Biology major with a focus in Microbiology. Virginia Tech is a research university, meaning that many professors are required to perform research as part of their job. Finding research opportunities in Biology was simple and really has helped my career potential after graduation. Professors of Biology were passionate and engaging, and were some of my favorite people outside of the topics they discussed. There are many clubs for all Natural Sciences and Engineering as well. 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? Caroline: Freshman year was a rush of meeting new people in my dorm, classes, and clubs. Every freshman is there to look for friends and with over 20,000 undergraduate students, there is very likely to be someone at Tech whom you will become close with. Greek life is present and very active at Virginia Tech, with many of the major organizations represented, but it is not overbearing. The houses are set apart from campus and I never felt any pressure to follow the typical Greek path. I became a brother of Alpha Chi Sigma, the professional chemistry fraternity, and still keep in contact with other brothers and miss the many events that we sponsored in the Blacksburg community. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Caroline: Another perk of a large research university is the diversity of well-known companies that recruit at Tech. Major STEM companies recruit frequently, and there are separate job expos for engineers and other well-represented groups on campus. The Career Center is a very good resource to use to prepare for the interactions at these expos as well as for interviews after graduation. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Caroline: Dorm lounges are frequently filled with groups of friends on the weekends, but tend to thin out and quiet down during the week. It is very common to see people studying on weeknights, though it is still a more active area than the library would be. The student union is very nice and spacious, and many students choose to meet in small groups there to work on projects or grab some food while they study (there is a Sbarro for tasty pizza, as well as a couple of other food options). The library is an excellent place to study and is truly massive. It has more than enough computers for everyone and tons of table space. The wi-fi is strong across campus and very fast in the library, so you can bring your laptop and scope out a table quickly. There are even study rooms that are free for any student to use. You can shut the door for an intense study session, and they even have large whiteboards for working on practice problems or organizing your ideas. 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? Caroline: Blacksburg is a small, rural town with many less people than the student body of Virginia Tech. If you want a large, fast-paced, urban environment, then Blacksburg is not for you. However, I adored it because of the numerous hiking opportunities nearby (youre literally in the Appalachian Mountains and will often run into hikers doing the full Trail or parts of it). My favorite doughnut place in the word was right down the street from my apartment, and was a local business that had been there for decades. The restaurants downtown are fantastic. Downtown Blacksburg really picks up on the weekends and especially on game days. I absolutely love going to Hokie Football games, and the town swells in size as alumni flood in from every bordering state to support their favorite team. If downtown and sports arent your thing, however, you can always hang out on the Drillfield (a massive quad) in the middle of Techs campus and read or participate in club sports that practice there ever y evening. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Caroline: As Ive mentioned, Virginia Tech is a pretty large university. Coming from a small private high school, I was afraid the large class size would be daunting and uncomfortable. Instead, it pushed me to work harder and try to stand above the average. In more general classes, like Intro Chemistry, a class size of 300-400 is not uncommon. However, as you become a more specialized student, your classes will shrink. My 400 level senior Biology classes frequently had 30-50 people, which was an ideal learning environment for the more challenging material. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Caroline: In one of those large classes I was talking about, Ecology, there were about 300 other students. The professor was gregarious, passionate, and engaging, but the material was difficult for many people. He would make a point to test you on your understanding of concepts, not memorization of facts, and most of his test was reasoning through questions that you hadnt been hyper exposed to in lecture. I would study as much as I could, take tests, and go home feeling like I had failed. Somehow, the subject just clicked with me, though. I got high scores on all of my tests and ended up explaining concepts to classmates when they realized that I understood them. At the end of the semester, I placed out of my final exam because of my high average grade. On the last day of class, our professor walked in with an armful of roses. He told us that it was his tradition to give something back to the hardest working students in his class every semester. He called out names one by one, and gave out a rose to the students (male and female!) with the highest averages in the class. When he finished giving out single roses, there was one full bouquet sitting on the table in front of him. He called out my name, shook my hand, and gave me an armful of flowers in front of the class. I had managed to get the highest average score and I could not have been prouder of any experience at Virginia Tech. Check out Carolines tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

English Modal Verb Video 2 Might

English Modal Verb Video 2 Might The second video in our series on English modal verbs covers might. This is a modal verb that is very frequently used by native English speakers, but rarely used by students. Learning to use it will make your English sound more like a native speaker.After the video, try doing some of the modal verb exercises below.Rewrite the sentences below using might.I am possibly going to visit Argentina next year.If it is nice out, Ill probably go to the park.You may want to bring an umbrella today, I think its going to rain.If I had been a better student, I could have been fluent in Spanish when I went to Argentina.It would be fun to go somewhere warm this winter.Youll find our first video on English modal verbs here. ghdir I might visit Argentina next year.If it is nice out, Imight go to the park.You may want to bring an umbrella today, I think it’s might rain.If I had been a better student, I might be fluent in Spanish when I went to Argentina.It might be fun to go somewhere warm this wint er

How to Fight Plagiarism in the Digital Age

How to Fight Plagiarism in the Digital Age Plagiarism isnt a new problem, but it has become a more obvious issue in todays digital age, where a world of information is at every students fingertips, and its too easy to copy, paste, and save. How can you teach your students not to plagiarize and deter this unethical behavior? Here are a few suggestions: Educate them about it. Your students have grown up using technology, but dont assume that they know what it means to plagiarize. Explain that stealing others work, intentionally or not, is cheating and will get them in big trouble. Give examples of work that has been improperly cited or copied verbatim (or close). Create a handout so that there is no confusion. Give clear guidance. Articulate your expectations of students. Clearly, you dont want them stealing paragraphs from the internet, but when and how should they cite sources? Are there situations where it is acceptable to incorporate ideas shared by others into ones own work without crediting the source? Discuss the consequences of plagiarism. Your school and/or district probably have guidelines in place regarding the punishment for academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Go over these rules as well as your own with students. Use plagiarism checkers when grading. There are plenty of software tools and websites out there that will help you check that your students are not copying work from any published sources. Ask your school technology department if they have a recommendation or if your school already has a subscription to a tool. Talk about the importance of not copying other students work, too. With social media and photo text messaging, its easy for students to help each other out with a quick snapshot of homework or notes. Let students know that you are watching for writing assignments and written responses that look identical or very similar and that the consequences of copying each others work are the same as plagiarizing published work. Ultimately, its important that you remind students that those who plagiarize are only cheating themselves. Establish rules, educate your students on best writing practices, and use tools to help you keep your students honest.

4 Most Reliable Food Delivery Apps

4 Most Reliable Food Delivery Apps Image via Pixabay Seamless Reliability is basically in the app’s title: ordering from Seamless if truly a seamless process that goes off without a hitch. The number of restaurants that are on Seamless depends on the location, but if your favorite sushi place is on this app, order right now. The timing of delivery also depends on the restaurants, but the delivery drivers are usually outside your door between 25 and 40 minutes. There is very little human contact involved (thank goodness) and you can pay and tip directly on the app. The app is also good about relaying information, like substitutions and modifications to your order, to the restaurant, and their customer service is excellent. In addition, they also e-mail you with promotions all the time that will help discount your order. GrubHub GrubHub is also extremely reliable and highly prevalent on most college campuses. Similarly to Seamless, GrubHub delivers food usually between 25 and 40 minutes (however, like I said this is restaurant-dependent), and modifications to the order are relayed between the app and the restaurant 99.99% of the time. If the food/delivery is not up to standard, the customer service line is fantastic and if you call them about something that is out of their control, they are great about directing you to someone who can actually help you. They give you a number to use to communicate with your delivery driver and you can even track your order (I’m always drooling while looking at the tracking part of the app because I’m so hungry). Like Seamless, you can pay and tip directly on the app. Be sure to use an e-mail that you check regularly so that you can take advantage of the promotions and discounts that they have. Image via Pixabay Door Dash Door Dash is an app that I only discovered six months ago, and I used it a bunch at school and a little bit at home. They had many more restaurant options compared to Seamless and GrubHub, however, they weren’t as reliable as those two apps. For example, sometimes substitutions and modifications aren’t told to the restaurant, even when you explicitly state something. However, I do love their advance tracking system. It’s similar to Uber Eats where you can track the exact location of the delivery driver’s car. When I have had issues with Door Dash, they are very accommodating about refunds and will make sure that the refund goes through the minute you complain. You can use Apple Pay, which is great and easy for iPhone users, and you sometimes get a small delivery discount when you sign up using Apple Pay instead of a credit card. Uber Eats I love Uber and I love Uber Eats. They have the best delivery times compared to any of the apps I’ve used and you can track the car using the GPS feature. They are great about refunds when something isn’t up to your standard and are good at communicating with the restaurant about your order and any changes you’ve made to it. All of the delivery drivers that I have had through Uber Eats have been kind, efficient, and have been great about updating me about their location (little did they know that I was staring at the order tracking feature of the app the entire time I was waiting for my food to come). If you don’t already have Uber Eats on your phone, I recommend you download it ASAP (also, side note, if you don’t have regular Uber on your phone you should download that too because they are also reliable and efficient). Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. If you like ordering out as much as I do, then download these apps right now. It’s cold outside, it’s not worth it to walk in the freezing cold or drive in the snow just to get a big, warm slice of pizza. So, what are you waiting for? Order delivery now!

Why The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard

Why The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard Photo by jaypacres via Flickr. Researchers in the 1970s began delving into the act of writing and the affect it has on the brain. During a study involving children and their memorization of abstract shapes, they found that the children who retraced the shapes with their fingers memorized them more efficiently than the children who just looked at the shapes. There have been several more studies since that time that highlight the link between writing by hand and better memorization and learning, such as the  study  conducted by researchers Anne Mangen,  of the University of Stavanger in Norway, and Jean-Luc Velay, a French neuroscientist, which show that learning letters in an unfamiliar alphabet by hand rather than typing may lead to longer-term memories, and suggest that handwriting has unique cognitive properties that help to shape how children learn to read and write. The study also suggests that the act of holding a pencil and shaping words connects with the motor area of the brain, creating a motor memory, and making it easier to recall the information connected by the movement. The fact that Johnny B. was copying down his notes twice was, in fact, instilling a motor memory into his brain, so he was more likely than the rest of us who just stared at the chalkboard to remember the steps to solving the problems on our tests. Once I began mimicking this, I didnt become a whiz of any sort, but my test scores did improve, and I did feel a mental focus I had been lacking before I started writing down each step in the problems. John Paul Titlow, technology journalist in Philadelphia, speaks on this phenomenon via  Readwrite. Ive long noticed that when Im writing in a paper journal, it mentally feels different than when Im typing out my thoughts on a computer, he said. Technology versus pen and paper The advent of technology has certainly made the process of writing by hand a lengthy one, as it is much quicker and more efficient to tap a few keys than to engage in shaping letters. However, Velay, the French neuroscientist in the above study, mentions that writing is essentially what has created technology. Citing  studies by Jay David Bolter, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Walter J. Ong, professor of English literature, she writes, From using clay tablets and animal skins via the medieval manuscript and the ancient papyrus roll, to the mechanization of writing with the printing press and the current digitization, writers have always had to handle physical devices and then apply these to some substrate. It would be foolish of us as a civilization to not fully realize the effects writing has on not only our childrens development, but our development as adults and our journey through college. As more and more technology is involved in our learning process, the less writing were engaging in. For example, the law in Illinois does not require handwriting training and leaves it up to the districts to decide how it will be taught. Athough  Mary Fergus,  spokeswoman for  the Illinois State Board of Education, said most of their schools take the time to teach longform, she also said that there has been a heightened focus on typing skills. Developmental and learning benefits aside, writing also increases productivity and focus, whereas typing and being plugged in can prove to be immensely distracting. As Chris Gayomali for Mental Floss wrote, The computer in front of you is a time-sucking portal to puppy videos and ex-boyfriend/girlfriend stalking. Typing and doing work on a computer indeed offers plentiful ways to distract yourself and procrastinate, whereas a pen and paper only allow doodling as the biggest distraction. Leveling the writing field There are many apps that attempt to mimic the art of handwriting, such as Penultimate and iTrace, but many question this attempt. The whole idea behind writing is to form the connection between the brain and the motor skills of the hand, and while tracing letters on an iPhone may be better than simply tapping keys, its effect isnt the same. Wendy Carlson, a handwriting expert and forensic document examiner, said in an interview  that if you are typing or texting, its a matter of punching and finger-moving. You are doing very little thinking because you are not allowing your brain to form neural processes, she said. While the advent of these various apps is a great attempt to bring handwriting and technology together, there is still more research to be done in order to discern whether, say, Johnny B., would have received the same benefits by writing with an app on his iPhone than actually writing with a pen and paper. Writing may be deemed inefficient or even obsolete in the years to come, but with 33 percent of individuals having difficulty reading their own handwriting, I think its safe to say its an area that should be of great concern. With our laptops, tablets and smartphones, many of us may scoff at the romantic notion of handwriting, labeling it an ancient and crazy pastime. Just remember, while students were scoffing at crazy Johnny B., he was scribbling to the top of his class.