My Participation In The Prince Of Wales Robotics Team :: essays research papers

My Participation in the Prince of Wales Robotics Team TOPIC 2. An experience or achievement that has had significant meaning in your life ( You may discuss an obstacle that you have overcome ) The intellectual achievement that I feel is my most prominent academic experience is participating, for the second consecutive year, in the Prince of Wales Robotics Team. This was an opportunity to gain valuble insights into designing and manufacturing electrical robots with fellow teammates and professional engineers. Firstly, in connection with my involvement in the Robotics Team, I was able to learn the systematic ways of applying textbook material to realistic problem solving. This was my greatest challenge. As a member of a core group, we were able to devise a functional remote-controlled robot designed to achieve a specific task under the constraints of time. As a consequence of team effort and ingenuity, we ranked first in our province of British Columbia at the 1996 National Championships. Another aspect of my participation with this high school club in problem solving was to acquire the neccessary funds in the construction materials, competition fees as well as for personal expenses required for traveling outside the province for competitions. Fund-raising was both stressful and difficult due to the fact that corporate sponsors had limited resources and could not finance to the extent that had been previously predicted. As time progressed, the situation worsened simply because the district school board received financial cuts due to the reduced provincial budget. The problem of convincing sponsors outside of the norm became a task in itself. With this type of experience, I am sure that I can organize a better fund-raising scheme as an active member in future groups. However, without any doubt to have a successful fund-raising campaign, promotion is definitely necessary. The main reason for this is that if the knowledge of about the team was other than "we need financial sponsors", then they could have been more comfortable and probably even willingful to donate larger sums of money simply because they "could see" and trust where the money was being spent. Hence, how to get people familiar about our Robotics Team became critical. For instance, during last year's promotion scheme, I performed the usual marketing mix with our team. Such a mix consisted of distributing invitations for a Robotics Cocktail Party, sending out business letters to target corporations and finallly, voicing the team's bulletin in the school announcements. I believe the promotion of the team was not intensified throughout the school year because it did not leave a lasting impression, or sufficient information about the Robotics Competition itself to potential

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in the House on Mango Street

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in The House on Mango Street In my essay I am going to write about the Mexican gender based prejudices and stereotypes which affect the women of Esperanza’s neighborhood in Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street. I would like to point out the lives of the main women characters and their dealing with the prejudices in everyday occasions.Futhermore, I want to talk about Esperanza and her attitude towards the surrounding situation and also mention the historical background of the problem. From my point of view, the fact that the women come from the Mexican community has essentially influenced their lives. It has actually predetermined them in a way that the women are not able to set free for the rest of their lives. During the novel the reader gets to know some of the Mexican prejudices in relation to women which all the female characters have to face.The sexist prejudice is clear from having read few lines of the novel wher e Esperanza, the narrator, explains the meaning of her name with the connection to the Chinese signs of the zodiac, â€Å"I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong† (Cisneros 10). This tells the reader one important fact. The Mexicans are proprietary towards their women and wives and they tries to take over the women’s lives. It is very difficult for the women coming from the Mexican community to live their own life themselves and to be independent of their social background.This observation is confirmed by Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez in her work on the relationships of women with men in the novels based on this phenomenon, â€Å"women characters do not initiate events in their own lives; instead they endure poverty and racism from the society at large and oppression under the men in their lives. They do not get to choose their spouses, and when they do pick a boyfriend, and get pregnant, they are conside red bad girls. They do not have choice-before or after marriage† (131). The author of the book gives a notion what the status of women in the Mexican community in the novel is.They are supposed to stay at home, preferably, â€Å"behind a rolling pin† (Cisneros 31). Moreover, many of the women are locked at home or cannot leave the house without their spouses’ permission. This fact is obvious at many times in the novel. At first, when Esperanza talks about her great-grandmother, she describes her as a woman that had spent all her life on her elbows by the window. At this point, where Esperanza describes her great-grand mother, she also says something about herself, â€Å"I don’t want to inherit her place by the window† (Cisneros 11).Later, this fact is emphasized by the story of the woman called Rafaela, whose fulfilment of the life is to sit by the window. As the narrator reports, â€Å"Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out t he window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at† (Cisneros 79). The women are regarded as the property of their husbands or their fathers, never independent. In my oppinion, the situation is even made worse by the fact that the protagonists are living in the United States.The women maybe would have accepted this role if they had lived in Mexico, where they would not see any difference in other women’s lives. That is impossible for them now, to fit in the community rules that are expected to be obeyed. Instead, some women pretend to be a part of the traditional society on the one hand, but on the other, they are more American than Mexican. This is the case of Sally, a young Mexican girl from the community of Chicanos, with a strict father and brought up in a very strict, religious and tradionally Mexican family. Sally who must obey her father and accept his way of life and who wants to be an American.For a clearer explanation, her behaviour is described as follows, â€Å"and why do you always have to go straight home after school? You become a different Sally. You pull your skirt straight, you rub the blue paint off your eyelids. You don’t laugh, Sally. You look at our feet and walk fast to the house you can’t come out from† (Cisneros 82). This girl struggles with two different worlds but unfortunatelly, the vicious one for her wins. She becomes a part of the sad community of women who are locked at home and their only release is in their dreams.Sally’s fate is deteriorated due to the relationship with her father, who strikes her because she is a girl and her father wants to take over her life, â€Å"until the way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt. You’re not my daughter, you’re not my daughter. And then he broke into his hands† (Cisneros 93). The story a bout Sally is a typical example of the struggle. At the end, Sally gets married and her life turns out to be the same sad story. The narrator comments on this, â€Å"Except he [husband] won’t let her talk on the telephone.And he doesn’t let her look out the window. And he doesn’t like her friends, so nobody gets to visit her unless he is working. She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission† (Cisneros 102). Sally, like the rest of the women characters, ends up in this kind of relationship with her husband, even if she had the opportunity to escape from her fate, because if she had been more determined in her struggle, she would have succeed. The narration about Sally is important in the novel because it shows Esperanzas’ feelings towards the sexist and racial prejudices she lives in.Esperanza, as the narrator, gives the personal outlook on the women from her surroundings. Esperanza is the exception of all the women ch aracters in the novel. She is aware of the poor situation and even of a poorer shift from it. â€Å"Esperanza is handicapped by her Hispanic background and the family’s modest financial means† (Szadziuk 115). She observes the world around her and feels lonely in her feelings, nobody shares her thoughts, her ideas. She feels like the trees down the street and as she admits, â€Å"four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city† (Cisneros 74).Like a struggling tree, Esperanza copes with obstacles that would suppress her, and her inner strength will help her reach towards a better life. This young girl is the only women in the novel who is deeply determined to change her life, to set free and to be on her own. She might seem naive in her way of achieving it, â€Å"Not a flat. Not an appartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own† (Cisneros 108). Nevertheless, the escape from it will n ot be as easy as thought at first. Once is Esperanza told by her friend, â€Å"when you leave you must remember to come back for the others.A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t forget who you are† (Cisneros 105). The circle is closed and fulfilled. Even if Esperanza escapes, she will not be free of her background. In comparison with other women characters in the novel, Esperanza has the support of her family, especially the support of her mother who encourages her and her siblings to be determined and to be strong in gaining their dream. The mother’s support is based on her own life and unhappines, â€Å"shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down.You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains† (Cisneros 91). Mother who suffered from discrimination is now resolved to protect her children from having a similar experience. Unfortunate lly, Esperanza experiences some oppression anyway and she describes it, â€Å"Those who do not any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake† (Cisneros 28). Little Esperanza learns about a hardship very early in her life.She does not understand it at first but afterwards she fully realizes what means the arrogant voice of nun who asks her where she lives. Esperanza, unaware of anything, points to her house. Just later she realizes how important for her is to escape from this social oppression and racial discrimination and longs for her own house, a house she would not be ashamed of, a house she could point to when someone aks where she lives. Futhermore, the women characters and all Mexican immigrants living in the United States in general suffer from a particular feature typical of the immigrant community.Their poor situation is mad e worse by it. That is the homesickness. This is very difficult to explain because in this case it has a historical connection to 1848 when the former Mexican lands became American property and millions of Mexican citizens suddenly lived on American territory. For an illustration of this event: Chicanos and Chicanas have always been in New Mexico, Texas, California, Colorado, Illinois and other North American states. The Gonzalezes, the Dominguezes, the Garcias, the Fernandezes have lived in these states ever since they can remember.Their great, great grandmother had a house in San Antonio, or in San Diego, or in Sante Fe, long before 1836 and 1848 when these territories became American. (Poniatowska 39) From the citation of Elena Poniatowska it is obvious that the Mexicans are not initially responsible for the problems of the Mexican community in the United States nowadays. They miss their native country so they try to compensate the sorrow for living more culturally orthodox life abroad. In the novel, the problem of homesickness is portrayed mainly in the story of Mamacita, a mother of one of the inhabitants of Mango Street.Even if she is not a one of the descendants of the immigrant family but actually a Mexican citizen, Mamacita comes to Mango Street to live with her son, who sees his future in reaching the American dream. As she does not speak English, the difference between the Mexican and the American culture is much more visible. Mamacita represents the old, initial kind of immigrants, who long for going back to their native country whereas her son presents the young, Americanized population of the Mexican community. Two different worlds which can never be united.The reader learns more about it through the eyes of Esperanza, as she reports, â€Å"She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull† (Cisneros 77). Mamacita is unwilling to adjust a nd wants to go back to her native Mexico even if life can be harder and poorer there. Esperanza continues, â€Å"Ay, she says, she is sad. Oh he says, Not again. Cuando, cuando, cuando? She asks. Ay, caray! We are are home. This is home. Here I am and here I stay. Speak English.Speak English. Christ† (Cisneros 78). Mamacita and her son are examples of eternal fight for the unity of two different worlds which can never link up the gap between each other. In conlusion, the racial, gender based and social prejudices in the Mexican community in the novel are very essential. In every story the reader may see the stereotypes which affect the protagonists. Each of them deals with it differently but with the same result. They are not able to set themselves free from their social background and their origin pursues them all their life.Nonetheless, some of the women characters chose this way of living from their own choice, voluntarily. Specifically, the words of Elena Poniatowska poin t this out, â€Å"To say that Mexico abandoned its people would not be false, because Mexico abandons all poor Mexicans. The poor choose the American dream and the American way of life on the other side of the border, because they don’t see a future for themselves in their own country† (Poniatowska 41). Whether the immigrants have chosen to live on the margin of society in the foreign country of own accord or not, their cultural heritage follows them all the time.Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1984. Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. â€Å"Crossing Gender Borders: Sexual Relations and Chicana Artistic Identity. † Melus 27. 1 (2002): 131-50. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk> Poniatowska, Elena. â€Å"Mexicanas and Chicanas. † Melus 21. 3 (1996): 35-42. Szadziuk, Maria. â€Å"Culture as Transition: Becoming a Woman in Bi-Ethnic Space. † Mosaic 32. 3 (1999): 109-30. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk>

Do you think the strategic Essay

Do you think the strategic use and display of emotions serve to protect employees, or does covering your true emotions at work lead to more problems than it solves? By farhanzscania As this chapter has shown, emotions are an inevitable part of people’s behavior at work. At the same time, it’s not entirely clear that we’ve reached a point where people feel comfortable expressing all emotions at work. The reason might be that business culture and etiquette remain poorly suited to handling overt emotional displays. The uestion is, can organizations become more intelligent about emotional management? Is it ever appropriate to yell, laugh, or cry at work? Some people are skeptical about the virtues of more emotional displays at the workplace. As the chapter notes, emotions are automatic physiological responses to the environment, and as such, they can be difficult to control appropriately. One 22- year-old customer service representative named Laura who was the subject of a case study noted that fear and anger were routinely used as methods to control employees, and employees eeply resented this use of emotions to manipulate them. In another case, the chairman of a major television network made a practice of screaming at employees whenever anything went wrong, leading to badly hurt feelings and a lack of loyalty to the organization. Like Laura, workers at this organization were hesitant to show their true reactions to these emotional outbursts for fear of being branded as â€Å"weak† or â€Å"ineffectual. † It might seem like these individuals worked in heavily emotional workplaces, but in fact, only a narrow range of emotions was deemed acceptable. Anger appears to be more acceptable than sadness in many organizations, and anger can have serious maladaptive consequences. Others believe organizations that recognize and work with emotions effectively are more creative, satisfying, and productive. For example, Laura noted that if she could express her hurt feelings without fear, she would be much more satisfied with her work. In other words, the problem with Laura’s organization is not that emotions are displayed, but that emotional displays are handled poorly. Others note that use of emotional knowledge, ike being able to read and understand the reactions of others, is crucial for workers ranging from salespeople and customer service agents all the way to managers and executives. One survey even found that 88% of workers feel being sensitive to the emotions of others is an asset. Management consultant Erika Anderson notes, â€Å"Crying at work is transformative and can open the door to change. † The question then is, â€Å"Can organizations take specific steps to become better at allowing emotional displays without opening a Pandora’s box of outbursts? â€Å"

The Most LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges in The Country

The Most LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges in The Country SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In general, colleges are consistently becoming more LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) friendly. Young people are more accepting of different sexual orientations and gender identities, and those attitudes are reflected at a growing number of US colleges. However, there are still many college campuses that have reputations for not being inclusive or safe for members of the LGBTQ community. If it's important to you to be at a school with a vibrant LGBTQ community, you should consider looking at specifically LGBTQ-friendly schools. In this article, I'll do the following: Define an LGBTQ-friendly school Explain why you should consider an LGBTQ-friendly college Provide lists of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities Give advice for how to use those lists and do effective research to determine if a school is LGBTQ-friendly What Is an LGBT-Friendly College? An LGBT-friendly college makes its LGBTQ students feel safe, accepted, and comfortable on campus. It offers plentiful resources to provide support and counsel for LGBTQ students. Furthermore, the students at LGBTQ-friendly colleges are accepting and supportive of members of the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ students feel at ease expressing themselves around non-LGBTQ students, and the student body treats LGBTQ students with tolerance and respect. If you're looking for specific orientations like gay friendly colleges, generally colleges that I say are LGBTQ-friendly are gay friendly as well. Why Should You Consider an LGBTQ-Friendly College? If You're an LGBTQ Student If you go to an LGBTQ-friendly college as an LGBTQ student, you'll be in a more accepting, supportive environment. Being in an inclusive place can have a positive impact on your quality of life and academic performance while you're in college. Also, you'll be around more LGBTQ students who are out. LGBTQ students at LGBTQ-unfriendly colleges often don't feel comfortable coming out and expressing their sexual or gender identities. Perhaps most importantly, at an LGBTQ-friendly college you'll have more support services, organizations, and programs designed to help you as an LGBTQ student. You'll be able to befriend other LGBTQ students in LGBTQ student groups and get mentorship and counseling from an LGBTQ resource center. Many LGBTQ-friendly colleges even have orientation programs specifically for LGBTQ students to help them get acclimated to college life. If You're Not an LGBTQ Student If you support LGBTQ rights, you're more likely to be around like-minded people at an LGBTQ-friendly college. Generally, people tend to be happier if they're in a community with others who share their political and social views. For many college students, equality for and acceptance of LGBTQ people are important social issues. Even if you're not an active ally of the LGBTQ community, you can benefit from attending an LGBTQ-friendly college. Ideally, the college experience should broaden your horizons and expose you to diverse people and communities. At an LGBTQ-friendly college, you're more likely to learn about LGBTQ issues and befriend LGBTQ students. Lists of LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges I'm providing you with two lists of LGBTQ-friendly colleges from two different sources. Both have clearly defined criteria for their rankings, and they're reputable sources. The first list from Campus Prideis more reflective of the available resources for LGBTQ students. The second list from Princeton Review is more reflective of on-campus attitudes and treatment of members of the LGBTQ community. The only school that made both lists is Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Campus Pride Campus Pride is a non-profitdedicated to creating safer, more inclusive LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. The top 25 LGBTQ-friendly colleges are based on scores from the Campus Pride Index. The Campus Pride Index includes more than 50 self-assessment questions sent to colleges that correspond to 8 different LGBTQ-friendly factors: LGBTQ Policy Inclusion LGBTQ Support and Institutional Commitment LGBTQ Academic Life LGBTQ Housing LGBTQ Campus Safety LGBTQ Counseling and Health LGBTQ Recruitment and Retention Efforts The List The top 25 LGBTQ-friendly colleges are listed in alphabetical order. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) Elon University (Elon, NC) Indiana University-Bloomington (Bloomington, IN) Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY) Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ) Penn State University (State College, PA) Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) Rutgers-New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ) San Diego State University (San Diego, CA) Southern Oregon University (Ashland, OR) The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) Tufts University (Medford, MA) University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, CO) University of Louisville (Louisville, KY) University of Maine at Machias (Machias, ME) University of Maryland-College Park (College Park, MD) University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Amherst, MA) University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN) University of Oregon (Eugene, OR) University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) University of Vermont (Burlington, VT) University of Washington (Seattle, WA) University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (Green Bay, WI) Williams College (Williamstown, MA) Cornell is LGBTQ-friendly. Princeton Review The Princeton Review rankings of the most LGBTQ-friendly colleges are based on students' answers to the survey question "Do students, faculty, and administrators at your college treat all persons equally regardless of their sexual orientations and gender identity/expression?" The List Schools are ranked from 1-20 with #1 being the most LGBTQ-friendly school. However, there don't seem to be any major differences between the environments at #1 and #20. 1. Emerson College (Boston, MA) 2. Warren Wilson College (Asheville, NC) 3. Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY) 4. Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA) 5. Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH) 6. Yale University (New Haven, CT) 7. Stanford University (Stanford, CA) 8. College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME) 9. Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA) 10. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI) 11. Smith College (Northampton, MA) 12. New College of Florida (Sarasota, FL) 13. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA) 14. Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) 15. Pitzer College (Claremont, CA) 16. Brandeis University (Waltham, MA) 17. Prescott College (Prescott, AZ) 18. Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA) 19. Mills College (Oakland, CA) 20. Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY) How Should You Use These Lists? If you want to go to an LGBTQ-friendly college, you should research the schools that interest you on the Campus Pride or Princeton Review list to determine if you want to apply to them. Keep in mind that some of these colleges have a specific focus. Mills, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Wellesley are women's colleges. Also, Emerson is devoted to the study of communication and performing arts. Besides the school being LGBTQ-friendly, think of other factors that are important to you in a college including cost, size, selectivity, location, and the majors offered. Look at the school's website, and use guidebooks, college finders, search websites, and other ranking lists to help you in the college selection process. If possible, consult with teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni. Research colleges to find the right one for you! What Should You Do if a School You're Considering Didn't Make the Cut? Just because a school didn't make either list doesn't necessarily mean that it's LGBTQ-unfriendly. If there's a school you're interested in, you can look up its score on the Campus Pride Index. The Campus Pride Index scores schools from 1-5 stars. Schools that get a 5-star rating are the most LGBTQ-friendly. However, many schools don't take part in the Campus Pride Index, including Stanford, which ranks as the #7 most LGBTQ-friendly school in the Princeton Review rankings. Contact a representative from the LGBTQ resource center or student group to get more information about the atmosphere on campus. Usually, you can find those contacts on college websites. If there isn't an LGBTQ resource center or student group, it's probably not an LGBTQ-friendly school. Also, you can consult other sources that evaluate how LGBTQ-friendly a college is. On Niche, you can search for a specific college. Under "diversity" for each school's guide, there is a category called "gay pride" that describes the atmosphere for LGBTQ students on campus. Similarly, on the College View finder, you can search for schools that are LGBTQ-friendly. Additionally, if you look at a specific college's profile, you can see whether the school has gay and lesbian organizations. Finally, The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life is a good resource. This book from the Princeton Review doesn't identify LGBTQ-friendly colleges, but it does offer advice from students and administrators at more than 70 of the nation's top colleges about how to excel on campus as an LGBTQ student. What's Next? Because financial concerns often influence the college selection process, check out this list of colleges that meet 100% of students' financial need. Also, learn more about the 28 best liberal arts colleges in the country, many of which are LGBTQ-friendly. Finally, to make sure you get into the college of your dreams, read this post on the important college application deadlines you can't miss. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Which High School Electives Should You Take

Which High School Electives Should You Take SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Electives are some of the coolest classes you can take in high school. They can cover almost any topic, from pottery to poetry to Portuguese, but just like any other course you take in high school, colleges will be looking at your electives to see which classes you chose and the grades you got in them. So which high school electives should you take, exactly? In this guide we'll cover how to choose electives that you both enjoy and can use as a way to strengthen your college applications. What Are Electives? Electives are classes students can take that are not specifically part of graduation requirements. High schools require students to complete a certain number of credits or hours in order to graduate, but core classes (such as English and math) don't fill all those hours, so you fill the free spaces in your schedule with electives. Why Are Electives Important? Like other high school classes, electives are a way for colleges to judge your interests and academic abilities. College admissions officers will be looking at which subjects you choose for electives and the grades you get in those courses. Electives, more than many other courses, offer a way to show your personality and interests to a school. For example, taking English your freshman year of high school doesn't tell colleges much about your personality because you probably had to take it (although the rigor of the course and the grade you got do tell them about your academic abilities). However, taking several painting classes or multiple courses in computer programming as electives can show colleges what you're passionate about. In addition to bolstering college applications, electives can also play a role in helping you discover new hobbies or career interests. Because electives cover such a wide variety of topics, they can introduce you to subjects you may not otherwise have learned about, and you may find some of those subjects really cool! For example, taking an elective in nutrition because you want to learn how to eat healthier could cause you to discover a passion for diet and well-being that leads to a career as a dietitian, nurse, or other health careprofession. It's possible for you to choose your career based on one really great elective you took in high school! Looks like somebody really enjoyed their animal science elective Examples of Commonly Offered Electives The options students have for electives can vary widely between high schools, due to a number of factors like location, financial resources, size of the student body, and student interests. Below are a few of the most commonly offered high school electives, organized by category. Computer science: programming, graphic design, web design English: journalism, creative writing, speech and debate Family and consumer science: nutrition, child development, culinary courses Math and Science: environmental science, zoology, astronomy, statistics Social Studies: psychology, anthropology, economics Visual and Performing Arts: drawing, painting, photography, choir, band Looking for even more electives? We've compiled a complete list of high school electives so you can see all the possibilities! How Can You Decide Which Electives to Take? So now that you know electives are cool and important, how do you decide which ones to study? Follow these 5 steps to figure out which electives are best for you! Step 1: Learn Which Electives Your School Offers To find this information, look through your school's course catalog, which most high schools send to students or have available on their website. If you can't find the course catalog, ask your guidance counselor for a copy. Course catalogs list every class a school offers, usually with a 2-3 sentence description for each class. Courses are usually organized by subject (such as math, science etc.) so the electives may not all be grouped together. It's a good idea to at least skim through each section and course description to make sure you know all your options. Even if you don't love you science, your school may offer science electives on topics you find interesting, such as marine biology or forensic science. Electives are a great chance to go beyond your normal academic boundaries! Step 2: Figure Out How Many Electives You'll Be Able to Take If your school doesn't automatically do this,either on your own or with your guidance counselor,draw up a rough plan of the classes you need to take in order to graduate. To figure this out, firstlook at your high school’s graduation requirements. High schools usually require that students complete a certain number of years of math, science, English, social studies, foreign language, and physical education classes, possibly along with some other courses like religion or health. Makeblank spaces to represent the number of classes you can take (for example, if you have eight class periods in a day and your school year is divided into semesters, make a column for each semester of high school you have left and put eight lines under each of those semesters). But I've got a blank space baby, and I'll write your (course) name. Image via Taylor Swift Blank Space Next, fill in each of the required classes you must take. You don't need to know specificcourses right now. If you know you need three years of science to graduate, write â€Å"science† in a blank space under six different semesters. Thenlook at entrance requirements for a few colleges you are interested in and add any additional courses you’ll need to take in order to meet those requirements. Remember to leave room for lunch! Afteryou have filled in all your required classes (it’s a good idea to check your plan over with your guidance counselor), the blank spaces you have left will be when you can take electives! This planning will give you a rough idea of how many electives you'll be able to take in high school. Maybe you have free space every semester and will be able to take a lot of electives, or maybe your required courses take up most of your schedule so you'll only be able to take a few. This is good information to know early because if you know you won't be able to take a lot of electives, you can make those you do take count by choosing the electives you're most interested in.It also prevents you from taking too many electives early on and running out of space for your required classes. Step 3: Decide How Rigorous You Want Your Electives to Be Are you applying to top schools and want your electives to behigh-level or AP courses? Or would you like your electives to be spaces in your schedule that are less demanding and give you more time to focus on other classes? Ifyou're applying to competitive schools and want to show you had a rigorous course load throughout high school, choose honors or AP courses for electives, or possibly higher-level foreign language classes. Some commonAP courses to take as electives include environmental science, statistics, and psychology. Electivesdon’t always need to be demanding courses though, especially if you are already balancing other difficult classes, perhaps with extracurricular activities or a job on top of that. Don'ttake particularly difficult or time-consuming electives if they will cause your grades in core classes to suffer. To decide, think honestly aboutthe competitiveness of the schools you’d like to attend and the amount of time you’ll have in order to determine how difficult the electives you take should be. You can also alternate between harder and less difficult electives, especially if you know a certain year or semester will be more difficult than others. Step 4: Look for Electives Related to Your Academic Focus A good way to develop a strong college application is to have a clear interest in a particular subject (most likely the topic you plan to study in college). This subject can be anything: biology, writing, playing the piano, computer programming... Colleges like to see passion and dedication to a specific topic, and electives are a great way to show them what your interests are. Choose electives that relate to your main academic focus. For example,if you want to major in business, you could take electives in economics, personal finance, and accounting, or if you want to go to med school, you can make sure to take the main AP science courses (AP biology, chemistry, and physics) along with additional science electives like human physiology and nutrition. Not all ofyour electives need to relate to your academic focus, and it’s fine to have more than one area of interest, but at least some of your electives should relate to what you’d like to study in the future to help show colleges that you are well-educated on the subject and are interested in learning a lot about it. Gothrough your school’s list of electives and mark all the ones that relate to your academic focus. Then read through their descriptions to see which ones you find most interesting so you know what electives to take in the future. Step 5: Look for Electives You Find Particularly Interesting As Imentioned above, electives don't always need to relate to your academic focus; it's OKto take a few that just sound cool. Read through your school's course catalog with an open mind, asking yourself the following questions: Do Any of These Electives Relate to Your Hobbies? For example, if you like playing video games, you can take a class incomputer programming, or, if you like fashion, you can take a class in sewing or fashion design.Students oftenget higher grades in classes they're interested in because they are more motivated to learn and study the material. Which Skills Do You Wish You Had? Do you not know how to cook? Do you get nervous speaking in front of audiences? Would you like to know what to do if your car breaks down? Are you thinking about writing a blog but don't know how to start? Electives can help with all of these things! High school is a great time to learn new skills before you head off to college. Some electives that can help you expand your skill set include web design, public speaking, personal finance, and culinary classes. Can Any of the Electives You're Interested in Also Relate to Your Academic Focus? You can get creative with how you connect your electives to what you plan to study in college.When I was in high school,I knew I was going to study biology in college, so most of my electives were science classes. However, I also took a photography class because I thought it sounded interesting. To connect the class to my interest in biology, my final project was a photo catalog of a local forest's tree species that I ended up later using for a biology project on biodiversity. Ifyou do choose to do something like this, make the connection clear for colleges because they may not be able to infer it themselves.Youcan do this by mentioning the connection in your personal statement or asking teachers to include it in their letter of recommendation. Remember,not every elective has to relate to your academic focus, and don’t try to invent connections where none exist. Any of these interest you? Take an electivethat focuses on one of them! Key Takeaways High school electives are important because they offer you a chance to study new topics while providing colleges with another example of your academic abilities and interests. Colleges like to see a deep interest in a particular topic, so at least some of your electives should relate to your academic focus (and remember, there are creative ways to do this.) Also remember to choose electives youare legitimately interested inbecause electives are one of the few areas in high school where you can take pretty much any course you want! What's Next? Looking for a list of all the electives that are offered in high schools? We've got a complete list of electivesfor you! Browse through it to see which subjects strike your fancy. Also thinking about which foreign language to take? Read our complete guide to choosing a foreign language so you know which is the best language for you to study. Considering the AP or IB program? Learn the differences between the two and which program you should take. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

HE 491 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HE 491 - Article Example They discovered the roles of professional and political collaboration, and overall felt empowered to make a difference in their careers. Breast Cancer Advocacy Internship A study on breast cancer advocacy training supported a need for students ‘to become politically active professionals who participate in organizations that not only assist them professionally, but which affect the health and well-being of the communities in which they live and serve.’ This study revealed that many students had an increased sense of connection to the issue of breast cancer prevention and awareness through advocacy training. They developed a sense of empowerment in being able to impact the issue through political awareness and advocacy action. This study made them more aware of real life practical applications of what they were theoretically learning inside the classrooms. It gave the students a chance to explore innovative approaches to the dilemma, as well as become professionally aware of the collaboration needed among the professional and political community. More than anything, students developed a sense of urgency and a need to become actively involved in the issues surrounding breast cancer awareness, prevention, and research in their own communities.

Nursing Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Leadership - Case Study Example a result of the general assumption that nursing probably has the least status in healthcare something that has been a cause for bad treatment of nurses by other employees who look down upon them (Manojlovich, 2007). On a more important note, if their leader does not exude confidence and some control over her environment, the nurses under her similarly end up lacking in confidence. Manojlovich advances that nurses can find power in three ways. Control over content of nursing practice where they establish their area of expertise and act as they know. It implies that they can gain power by being professionally autonomous where they have control over their work. Secondly she posits that they can attain power through control over context of nursing practice. This entails involvement of nurses in the running of the hospitals where they are informed and participated in the decision making process. According to research, reveals Manojlovich, control over content and context are the defining characteristics of the rated magnet hospitals. Lastly, nurses can gain power through control over competence of nursing practice. Here, nurses need to gain sufficient competence in their work and this can only be achieved via proper training. It has been argued that the low level education that nurses are offered before joining the practice has been a major contributing factor to nurses feeling powerless. Compared to other employees, nurses have been traditionally viewed as less learned thus the mistreatment. To attract staying nurses would therefore require that they are offered higher level training so that they feel confident enough while dispensing their duties. It is understandable that without proper feeling of power among the nurses, their work will be poor and turnover rates would probably remain high or even increase. Therefore, it is an utter necessity for Nancy to motivate her staff into their gaining some confidence and therefore power. First, as a manager herself, she