How to Make Some Extra Profit Starting a Tutoring Business

How to Make Some Extra Profit Starting a Tutoring BusinessTutoring is a lucrative business, but it can be quite hard to start up and sustain if you are not equipped with the right marketing strategies. Read on to find out how you can make some extra money without investing too much.There are a number of people who ask themselves how to make money from tutoring? The simple answer is that there are many ways in which you can make some decent money from this. In fact, tutoring is a fairly lucrative business but it does require a lot of hard work and dedication to bring in good profits.Firstly, you should take time out to contact your potential clients or students and personally thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to contact you. You can offer them some free tutoring at your own place. For a fee, you can offer personalized, customized instruction. This can help them to further hone their skills so that they will be able to pass their examinations as well as their exams in the future.You can also conduct marketing campaigns to promote your tutoring services. You can post flyers around your neighborhood or do it yourself through your email list.Finally, you can also advertise in different tutoring magazines such as the magazines that specialize in educational courses such as Math and English. With the right advertisement strategy, you can tap into the interest of your potential clients.Once you have succeeded in getting some clients, you need to market yourself. Your marketing plan should include both online and offline advertising. You should make a website that showcases your services as well as other tutoring services that you offer. Furthermore, you can create a blog or forum that you can use to interact with your clients.Above all, you should make sure that you do not get carried away by your own popularity and drive to make a fast buck, as this will hinder your success in setting up a successful tutoring business. With an effective marketing plan and a great mindset, you can indeed start up a profitable tutoring business.Hopefully, these few tips will help you make some good profits while you work towards becoming a certified tutoring professional. Good luck!

3 Mistakes New Guitar Players Make With Strings

3 Mistakes New Guitar Players Make With Strings Suzy S. The guitar strings you choose and how you care for them can make a huge impact on your playing ability! Here, Warner Robins, GA teacher  B. Greg C.  shares the three mistakes that can hinder your learning As a teacher and as a musician, I have found time after time new players making the same three big mistakes with their guitar strings. These issues may seem small, but when it comes to learning to play the guitar, these amount to huge failings. Beginning players already have a hard time and enough frustration to deal with learning fingerings and fatigue of the hand. Handling these three issues will help alleviate some of the frustration and help make playing and learning easier. Not Keeping the Guitar In Tune The first mistake is not  keeping the guitar in tune. Some new guitarists may not hear the tonal differences right away while playing, but most will wonder why the chord sounds slightly foul, or more foul than usual. Tuning the guitar with a tuner before any practice session helps a great deal in the quality of the chord. When two or more strings are not correctly tuned the chord can have a quality to it that simply frustrates you compared to what you remember hearing during your lesson. This adds to the frustration of checking fingerings and the structure of the chord. Tuning should become a habit before you play give it a shot before you start practice! Choosing the Wrong String Gauge String “gauge” or thickness is a touchy subject at times. While your instructor should be aware of what music tastes you have and what sound you want to get when learning, be wise in your choice of strings. Using a light or extra-light gauge on acoustic guitars and medium-light or light on electrics will make learning as a beginner much easier. The smaller diameter of the strings makes learning the motor skills and muscle memory easier. The lighter gauge strings also make finger fatigue less of an issue. You won’t be fighting the strings and trying to understand why that new chord is buzzing (from lack of pressure) or why the strings do not sustain as well. After you start to get the skill and muscles built up, then worry about going with the fat juicy sound of heavier-gauge string sets! Not Remembering to Change the Strings Last but not least is knowing when to change your guitar strings. Uncoated strings “die” or “deaden” over time and some break, and even coated strings die eventually. As a beginner, you should consider changing uncoated strings once every month if you are practicing 30 minutes for three to five days a week. If you are practicing less you can go a little longer; if you practice more then consider changing them more often. To keep the strings clean, be sure to wash and dry your hands prior to playing, as this reduces the oils, dirt, and sweat accumulating on the strings that cause the metal in the string to deteriorate. You can also wipe the strings with a dry cloth or a string wipe, which helps remove some grime. When a string deteriorates it will not stay in tune well, has a chance of breaking, and does not sustain as well. Coated strings can be great for beginners, but uncoated do tend to have a different sound and a different feel. Whether you choose coated or uncoated, be sure to look them over and change them when they need it. Hope this helps some of the newer students! Best wishes to your endeavors as a musician, and keep the beat going! B. Greg C. teaches guitar and music theory in Warner Robins, GA. He is a  2010 Graduate of Berklee College of Musics Guitar Program and has been teaching students on and off since 2005. Learn more about Greg here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  veni markovski

How To Get Into Business School

How To Get Into Business School Bad news: with regards to business school admissions, it is a whole lot more challenging today than it was 5-10 years ago. More and more employers are demanding that employees carry business degrees for senior-level positions. Employees are listening and loading up admissions committees with applications. This makes it harder for you. But, Varsity Tutors is available to help with more information on business school admissions strategies. And the best part is: we have private tutors waiting to help you improve your GMAT and overall application. Today, business schools can be more selective, and they are looking for the next CEOs and senior leaders at Fortune 500 companies. If you can prove you have that potentialyoure inif not, youre out. Heres how to prove you have that potential: Know yourself: What do you want to do with your life? If you dont have an answer, youre already one foot in the hole. If you know what you want to do AND HOW TO DO IT, youre a step ahead of the rest. Let your application materials show that. Know the school: Please, dont spew out stats about the school like its ranking and how many students apply. Instead, try to connect with your school on a deeper level. Look for its mission statement, student/professor testimonials, and employment data about alumni. Maybe the school has connections to non-profits or social causes? How do you fit in with that and with the school? Let your essay and other application materials show that. Work experience: This is the most important factor in your entire application. You should have a couple years of professional experience (full-time positions, not internships). Admissions want to see that you are already on your way to a great career, and that their education will take you one step further. You need to prove that this school will help you get a better job, not your first job. And thats the difference between an internship and full-time job experience. What youre paid doesnt matter: But who you work for does. Being in Googles Accounting Department at $35,000 a year is more valuable to admissions than working as an accountant at an unheard of firm in Ohio at $100,000. Start a business: Yes, we understand that one does not simply roll out of bed and start a successful business. But, think about it. Other students are doing it, and theyre taking your seat at business school. Entrepreneurial skills are a must, but you can also prove you have them by creating new departments or projects at your current job. You will need these skills as a senior-level manager or higher in your future career. So, prove you have that potential by doing it now. When to apply: Its best to have 2-4 years of professional working experience, then apply. But, schools will consider the quality of your experience. Ask yourself this: Have I made a significant impact on my company? If yes, then youre ready now just convince admissions that you have. Apply in the first round: You can dramatically improve your chances if you can meet the first round of applications because thats when the most seats are available. If you wait until the third round, you will have a lot more competition for fewer seats. But, its still important to submit a strong application. If youre rushing through your app and GMAT prep just to meet the first round, youre not doing yourself any favors. Applying to business school takes time, and you can always wait until next year. Personal experience: For whatever reason, business schools have always been attracted to students with interesting experiences, such as: climbing Mount Everest, hiking the Appalachian Trail, living and studying in Hong Kong, etc. Those students make everyone else seem boring. Still, you dont have to go to the moon to get into Stanford, but you should do something different and interesting like starting a business, a really cool social cause, or a popular blog. Essay: Try to show who you are as a person, a professional, and as a student at their school. Dig deeper than your academic/professional accolades. What is the most remarkable thing you have done in your career? Something more than working 70 hours a week and getting an early promotion, something that is unique. One student wrote her essay about learning how to shoot guns. This helped her become more connected at her company because the senior-level execs all talked business at the shooting range. And with that essay, she got into the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, according to the Washington Post. Letters of recommendation: Just like your essay, these should tell the story of who you are as a professional. Try to avoid former professors, and ask your supervisors at work. They will be able to write more persuasive letters that better speak to your professional abilities. GMAT: Top schools want to see GMAT scores in the 90th percentile (700-800 with a 5-6 on the essay). But, every school looks at the GMAT differently. Some place a major emphasis on it with strict minimum requirements. Other schools, like the Wharton School, claim they dont have a minimum GMAT requirement. Every school considers it, but the difference is that some schools look at it first, and others look at it last. The average score for all students accepted into business school in 2010 was 624, and that will remain fairly steady for a few years. Varsity Tutors is here to help you improve your chances of getting into business school. Contact us today for more information on business school admissions and how a private GMAT tutor can help you.

Teach Cooking Classes That Are Appealing to Students

Teach Cooking Classes That Are Appealing to Students How to Start Teaching Your Own Cooking Classes or Workshops ChaptersStand Out from the Crowd with Original Cooking LessonsHave an Online PresenceStay in Touch with Your StudentsCooking is an interesting field since everyone needs to eat in order to stay alive. Whether somebody’s a foodie or not, it's a skill they should have, especially if they want to learn how to cook nutritious food for themselves and their family.You don’t need to have attended a prestigious cooking school to be able to teach cooking classes! However, you will need to have spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen, have some hands on experience, and be familiar with the recipes you want to teach.Of course, you probably won’t become a Michelin Star chef, either, but that’s not why you’d teach private tutorials. You should teach private cooking tutorials because you want to share your knowledge of the culinary arts with other aspiring chefs.  Private classes provide wonderful alternative jobs for teachers in gastronomy, away from the anonymity of big cooki ng schools.Whether you want to teach molecular gastronomy, cooking classes for beginners, kids cooking workshops, or team building cooking classes, how do you find students?This is the question that we’re hoping to answer in this article. Let’s go! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOr ganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsStand Out from the Crowd with Original Cooking LessonsI’m not going to lie, you’re not the first person to think about teaching cooking privately. Private cooking tutors are popping up everywhere thanks to the popularity of cooking with shows like MasterChef and The Great British Bakeoff and the number of people who want to learn to cook.Make sure that you offer quality cooking lessons, it could affect your ratings. (Source: geralt)Whether you love or hate these shows, you can’t deny that they’ve inspired a lot of budding chefs to pick up their pots and pans and start cooking or baking. At the moment, it seems like you can't go onto Facebook without seeing videos of people making baked goods, muffins, cookies, or something with chocolate.In addition to inspiring many to become private cooking tutors, the fact that more people want to cook means that you’ll have more potential customers.Of course, don’t think that it’s a piece of cake. The higher demand, the higher supply tends to be. This means that you’ll need to find a unique selling point to differentiate yourself from all the cooking tutors online.Follow our best advice for hosting a cooking workshop!You could offer wine pairing sessions as part of your lessons. (Source: Oldiefan)When it comes to cooking tutorials, you’re spoilt for choice. This means findin g your niche and differentiating from other tutors can be quite difficult. Preparation is key when it comes to offering quality tutorials.So how do you do this?  Look at the trends:Look at the bookshops and see which the best-selling cookbooks are. This will help you find out which types of cooking are popular. If every cookbook in the bestsellers is about baking, cakes, or pastry, then there are probably students who want to be taught this.Are you an expert in local cooking, such as Italian cuisine (pasta dishes are great for beginners), or gourmet cooking? Don’t hesitate to mix things up and play off your strengths. It might be worthwhile teaching some of your family recipes to your students.If you’re a wine connoisseur, you could find students who want to learn how to pair wine with a certain ingredient. Why not offer a special tasting session?You could also offer lessons on cooking with common utensils, knife skills, or preparing tasty homemade meals on a budget.If you're te aching kitchen safety for kids, teens, or adults (which is becoming increasingly popular), make sure that you've got the relevant  experience in professional kitchens.Adding a sprinkle of creativity to traditional or popular dishes could be a good idea. If your background's in nutrition, you could think about making healthier versions of traditional dishes. While kids can be a handful during lessons, showing them interesting cooking techniques in new ways can help keep them engaged during the class.Organic fruits and vegetables, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and healthy eating are all very popular at the moment. If you’ve the necessary skills and have found your niche, don’t hesitate to offer classes in it.Have an Online PresenceThe internet is essential for anyone looking for information. Getting your smartphone out and Googling something is an everyday occurrence.On average, people look at their phones 150 times a day, every 6 and a half minutes. This trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Videos accounted for two thirds of data traffic on smartphones.  There are 39,000 searches every second on Google, 227,000 connections to Facebook every minute, and 4 billion YouTube views per day (25% of them from mobile).Learn how you can make your cooking classes lively!  Instagram is a good place for inspiration and sharing pictures of your recipes. (Source: stevepb)But what does it all mean? You can be present and omnipresent online!Start a blog: There are plenty of resources for those wanting to make a blog: Wix, Overblog, WordPress, etc. You don’t need to be an expert in coding to make your own blog from scratch. You can share your passion for cooking on the web and make yourself more visible to potential tutors.Maintain the quality of your content: make sure you have quality photos from your classes! If you want visitors to your site or blog to be interested in your classes, there’s nothing better than photos of delicious food! Pay particular attention t o lighting to avoid shadows. You don’t need an expensive camera, either. A decent smartphone can take good photos of food (just ask Instagram!).Make videos: As the figures before show, videos are the future of the web. To gain your audience’s attention, you should have a couple short videos, being careful not to go over two minutes since that’s when people’s attention can start to dwindle. You should also think about the sound, especially if you don’t have decent audio equipment. Furthermore, there may be people watching your videos without sound. Include text or subtitles explaining the measures and ingredients. Again, pay attention to the lighting so that your food looks good.Use social media: You’ll still put your photos and videos on your website. However, don’t forget about social media channels! Instagram is great for visual content and Facebook has a huge user base. Focus on these two channels and don’t forget to use stories on channels like Snapchat to share what you’re up to! You could maintain a virtual culinary school where students can share ideas with one another.Share content with your students between lessons: Use email and social media channels to share a recipe for the next lesson. Enthusiastic students will probably want to do some prep before class and peruse your menus.Use Superprof! It’s simple and free! There are thousands of potential students on Superprof. You just have to sign up, complete your profile, set your rates, and wait for potential students to get in touch.As you’ve probably understood, it’s almost impossible not to use the internet when it comes to teaching cooking classes.Stay in Touch with Your StudentsSocial media and blogs allow you to create a link with your students. You can introduce yourself, show off the classes you offer, and get in touch with students before you even meet them for the first time.  You can answer their questions, help them with recipes, advise them on fundamental cooking res ources, and offer advice and tips on basic cooking techniques.If you’re just starting out, you should get in touch with friends and family members to ask them if they could help you get some photos and videos of you at work. When potential students see how fun your lessons look, they’ll want to sign up.Don’t forget to highlight positive reviews from current and former students to attract new students. These students are your best advertising tool, so make sure you maintain a good relationship with them.Tutors who offer good classes will end up with even more students. (Source: RitaE)On Superprof, we highlight recommendations from former students. For example, Sina teaches Cambodian cooking in Paris: He’s got a 5/5 rating and plenty of glowing reviews.Céline had this to say about him:“Sina is an excellent teacher who takes the time to help us learn about the flavours from his country while giving us useful advice! We had an excellent evening and dinner was a success!”Lou lou was also won over by his Asian cooking:“I organised a cooking class at home with 5 friends. We had an unforgettable evening and learnt about some delicious and sophisticated cuisine. Everything was well organised, the ingredients were fresh, and the atmosphere was great. I highly recommend him for anyone wanting to have a great evening.”You could also put together a little competition between your students where the best students wins a little prize and mention it on your social media channels. Make sure that your exchanges on social media are warm and friendly in order to create a community of budding chefs and increase the number of potential students.  After all, cooking is all about sharing. Make sure that your lessons have the same atmosphere as meal with friends or family members.In short:A chef isn't automatically good tutor. Finding students can take time and effort, especially for those just starting out. Regardless of your cooking methods, as an instructor, you'll need to have teaching skills, too.Keep in mind that when you give private cooking classes of any kind, you need to want to share knowledge.Keep up to date with current trends to find potential students.Have an online presence. If this isn’t your thing, you should probably learn more about it.Now that you know all this, learn how you can prepare for your next cooking lesson!

SAT Subject Testing Online SAT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace

SAT Subject Testing Online SAT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace SAT Subject tests are the assessments tests taken by students in specific individual subjects in order to analyze their skills and knowledge in a particular subject. SAT Subject testing is the process of testing students according to their own preference of choice in a subject. This testing gives the students the opportunity to showcase their strength in their selected subject and these scores will be later sent to colleges and universities for the admission process. SAT Subject tests are standardized tests and are recognized by colleges and universities in the United States. There are about 20 SAT subject tests given in subjects like Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Foreign languages etc. So students can select the subjects in which they are interested in and can get good scoresin the test accordingly. However it is important for the students to check the admission requirements from their respective colleges or universities before taking the test. Since some colleges prefer test scores only in few particular subjects, it is recommended to verify it with the college officials. The test paper in these tests consists of multiple choice questions and the students are given a time period of 1 hour. These tests are designed such that they examine the students ability to answer questions from the important concepts of the subject and to manage time simultaneously. Subject test scores allow students to display their academic talent and it helps them to get enrolled into specific majors or programs in a college.

4 Things to Know Before Starting High School

4 Things to Know Before Starting High School This post is part of a week-long series to help new high school and college students prepare for their freshman year. Throughout this week, visit the Varsity Tutors blog for advice, tips, and tricks for this critical transition. As the first day of high school approaches, your uncertainty about whats to come may be growing. Youre about to face a new school, new teachers, and new classmates. While this can feel intimidating, high school also includes a wealth of opportunities that middle school never did. In an effort to feel more at ease going into this transition, its important to be as prepared as possible by gathering insights on what to expect. There are many things to know before starting high school: it requires an increased work ethic, it invites you to challenge yourself, and it allows you to explore new interests, for instance. Excited to begin high school, but looking to feel better prepared? Keep reading to learn four things you should know before starting high school: 1. High school will demand a stronger work ethic than middle school The transition from middle school to high school is rife with new expectations, one of which is a stronger work ethic. Once you start high school, youll be tasked with more homework, projects, quizzes, and tests. At the beginning of the semester, you may be given a syllabus in each class, often outlining major due dates throughout the semester. Set aside time to mark these in a planner or an online calendar. This way, you can better track assignments in all of your classes and properly structure your study sessions. 2. High school is an opportunity to challenge yourself High school opens many new doors, both socially and academicallyyoure presented with a multitude of extracurricular and academic options that you likely didnt have before. That being said, strive to select activities and courses that will pose a challenge. This may sound intimidating, but its important to continually task yourself with learning new things and expanding your skills. If youve always wanted to learn more about coding, for example, inquire about any possibilities for advancement on your schools campus. Whenever you have the option to choose electives, select ones that will teach you new and exciting course material. Speak with your parents, teachers, and academic counselor to discuss which classes and activities may be ideal for you. [RELATED: How High School and College Students Can Setand AchieveAcademic Goals] 3. High school requires you to make proactive decisions A big difference when starting high school is that you now must be a more proactive student. Whether it be in your classes or your extracurricular activities, make choices that will ultimately set you up for success. It can be tempting to skip a study session or meeting time, but this could hurt your overall grade or participation in your activity. You must stay on top of all of your assignments, activities, and outside responsibilities. If you notice youre not grasping a particular concept in your geometry class, its up to you to do something about it. Ask your teacher for extra help at lunch, find a friend who can help you with homework, or consider tutoring. Dont wait until you fail an exam to seek assistance. While you arent filling out college applications just yet, its key to remember that letting grades and participation slide early on in your high school career can affect you down the road. [RELATED: Time Management Tips for Students] 4. High school is a time to explore your interests High school presents you with many activities and opportunities at your fingertips. Youll be presented with a plethora of extracurricular activities, sports teams, and academic tracks. Exploring your interests also sets you up to meet other classmates and to boost your eventual college applications. As you begin high school, identify your interests and skills to find the right fit for you. For example: Are you organized, and do you enjoy planning events? Student council may allow you to be involved in the planning of school activities. Are you concerned with global human rights? You might enjoy your high schools Amnesty International club. [RELATED: Should You Join a High School Language Club?] While starting high school can feel intimidating at times, it challenges you to become a better, more thoughtful student. Youll be presented with many new academic and extracurricular opportunities, and its up to you to make the most of them. Good luck! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

What Your Medical School Essay Reader is Thinking

What Your Medical School Essay Reader is Thinking The following piece was written by Dr. Michelle Finkel. Michelle has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert seriesand is a former HarvardMedical School faculty member. She is the founder of Insider Medical Admissions. If you havent yet had a chance, please take a look at my last piece on writing a medical school personal statement. As I mentioned then, I wrote my personal statements for medical school and emergency medicine residency without much of a clue as to what went on behind the closed doors of medical admissions committees. But I quickly gained a lot of insight when - years later - I found myself reading essays and making admissions decisions as a Harvard Medical School faculty member. In assessing application essays, first at Harvard and now as a professional medical admissions adviser for over six years, I have learned that as much as its hard to believe - faculty are people too: They dont want to be bored. They need to be convinced. And they dont want to miss dinner (keep your essay streamlined and succinct). My last entry had a reality show theme, so Ill continue in that vein, offering you more of my confessions about reading personal statements: Creative non-conformists with wacky personal statements make me shutter. There is no question that being different is an asset in medicine. Those who think outside the box consider diagnoses that others miss, craft approaches to tough patients that others dont conceive of, and come up with solutions to systemic problems that can positively change medicine as a whole. However, being different does not mean being unprofessional. Yes, you want to distinguish yourself in your personal statement, but you want to do that by showcasing your unique and impressive pre-professional accomplishments, not by submitting a zany essay. Think of it this way: It would be a shame to annihilate your career goal because youve made a reader cringe when you were simply trying to write imaginatively. This is not to say your personal statement should be boring! By using good writing techniques crafting a catchy intro, using robust language, even choosing a compelling sequence you can write an outstanding essay while still showcasing your accomplishments. For the skeptic who insists, Michelle, Im special. I can do something wild and not scare off the reader, I will tell you the following anecdote: In all of the time I read essays at Harvard, I remember only one applicant who submitted a truly wacky essay who still received rave reviews (there was a lively discussion about his weird personal statement, however, before he got the thumbs up). This person was a true superstar applicant. He came to our program, was loved by patients and staff alike, and eventually became an emergency medicine chief resident. The point of this story? I remember him because he was an outlier the only applicant in years of assessing candidates whose strange essay did not kill his candidacy. Much like CPR, the vast majority of eccentric essay writers don't respond to heroic efforts to save their candidacy. Take home point: You get one bullet. Dont use it to shoot yourself in the foot. When an applicant does not put a lot of work into his/her essay, I do not put a lot of consideration into his/her candidacy. Im amazed at how many applicants study hard for the MCAT, prepare zealously for tests, and yet dont spend the time necessary to write a strong essay. Of course top grades and competitive MCAT scores are essential for a viable medical school candidacy (you must be this high to ride), but the essay is the admission committees clearest window into what youve done and what your priorities are. It is your way of distinguishing yourself colorfully. Conversely, it allows the committee a means to screen out applicants whose lack of effort or poor judgment is reflected in the personal statement. Writing a great essay takes work and a lot of lead time. Before you hit the keyboard, consider alternate approaches three or four topics for your introduction, for example. Also, make a list of all of the accomplishments you want to highlight. Moreover, don't overlook the basics: Start with an outline to ensure sound organization, develop graceful transitions between paragraphs, and provide convincing examples that support your assertions. Don't let the red ink frighten you. Expect to write ten or more revisions of the personal statement before you are ready to submit. Get help from someone who has extensive medical admissions experience by accessing the resources available to you: If you are fortunate to have an adviser, relative, or family friend who has sufficient expertise, ask that person to review multiple drafts. You may not require the services of an experienced admissions consultant. A motivated applicant who has strong interpersonal and communication skills and full access to sound medical advising can not only survive, but thrive in the applications game. However, for those applicants whose advising resources are less optimal, who are targeting highly competitive institutions or programs, who are applying with specific geographic constraints, who are coming from lesser-known or international institutions, or who do not feel sufficiently confident in their current writing and interviewing skills, the right admissions consultant can make a positive difference with long-lasting consequences. Bottom line: Writing your medical essay is not the time to pull an all-nighter. Now, leverage the knowledge Ive given you above to anticipate a future readers objections so that you can strengthen your personal statement and reach your career goals. VisitInsider Medical Admissionsfor more information, or check out Dr. Finkel onFacebookandTwitter. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Video Games and ADHD

Video Games and ADHD Videogames are everywhere - on our phones, online, in our homes, at friends houses and even at school. Parents of kids with ADHD often ask about the effect that videogames may be having on their child. They want to know if videogames will make their childs ADHD worse, or if spending too much time playing videogames may have caused their childs ADHD in the first place. Some parents have such a hard time getting their kids to stop playing videogames that they wonder if their children are actually addicted to their screens. For starters, theres no evidence to say that videogames cause ADHD. There are some studies showing that kids with ADHD spend more time playing videogames than kids without ADHD, but the relationship isnt necessarily causal. It might be the case that kids with ADHD choose to spend more time playing because they crave activities that are highly engaging and provide immediate rewards. Parents of kids with ADHD may also allow more videogame time. It can be so challenging to get some children with ADHD to turn off videogames, that parents can understandably get worn down by all of the battles and negotiations. While videogames may not cause ADHD, growing evidence suggests that playing videogames regularly may in fact make ADHD symptoms worse. This may be because of the way that videogames interact with the ADHD brain as well as the documented negative impact of regular gaming on sleep, academic skills, social skills, and physical activity. Time spent playing videogames is time devoid of social interactions that teach kids with ADHD important social skills that dont come naturally. Its sedentary time with an absence of the important physical activity needed to help keep ADHD symptoms in check. And its highly stimulating time in the evening which makes it harder for kids with ADHD to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Equally concerning is evidence showing that kids and teens with ADHD are in fact at increased risk for developing problems with videogame and Internet overuse or addiction. If as a parent you are concerned about how much time your child spends playing videogames, or the way they react when they arent allowed to play, then I would encourage you to trust your instincts and take action. You can start by setting firm limits around the amount of videogame time you allow. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids over the age of two spend no more than 2 hours watching screens each day. Since videogames represent a fraction of a childs daily screen time, I recommend limiting videogames to no more than 30 minutes per day. If your child refuses to turn off videogames after 30 minutes, then you may need to eliminate videogames altogether for a few weeks. Then reintroduce them with a firm 30 minute rule in place. If the struggle continues, then you will need to take the videogames away again until your child learns that you mean it when you say, Its 30 minutes or nothing. Without a doubt your child is going to complain that other kids get to play vid eogames all the time! Just remember those other kids may not have ADHD or parents who are as informed and diligent as you are about setting the limits that their children need. While videogames themselves are not to blame for their ADHD, videogames unfortunately exacerbate ADHD conditions and prevent kids with ADHD from pursuing activities needed to help manage their systems and build skills to overcome their symptoms. Prioritizing activities that build social skills, as well as activities that include physical activity, will help kids with ADHD manage their condition. And setting firm limits now on your childs screen time videogames included will pay off immediately and in the long run. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Tips For a Great First Day of School

Tips For a Great First Day of School The new school year will be here before you know it. Start this school year the right way, putting your students at ease and setting the tone for a positive year. Here are a few tips to make the first day of school great: Greet everyone individually. Ease everyones nerves and offer a warm, personal welcome to each student who comes through the door. Introduce yourself and ask each persons name, repeating them as they are spoken. Break the ice. Make everyone feel a little more relaxed with a few fun name games or activities that get everyone acquainted. This helps new classmates remember one anothers names, too. Share classroom rules. Set expectations right away for how your classroom will run and what is and isnt acceptable student behavior. Talk about your classroom management rules and the consequences for breaking them. Go through the routine. Post the daily schedule somewhere central and review it once youre finished with introductions. Your everyday routine is key to keeping your students on track make sure they learn it quickly! Run through any FAQs. Often, students want to know the basics right away, like when to use the bathroom, where to hand in homework, and what activities are allowed after classwork is finished. Establish your procedures (and hang them in a visible location). If you want your classroom to run like a well-oiled machine, you need to explain your classroom procedures and practice them. Go over them on the first day and reinforce in the weeks to come.