Is it Okay to Smoke in the Car?

Is it Okay to Smoke in the Car?The first step in understanding potential energy chemistry definitions is defining the term itself. Energy chemistry is the study of how matter interacts with the environment in order to release energy to its surroundings. If you are in a long term relationship, you might be wondering whether or not it is safe to allow your girlfriend to smoke on the side.It all started one day when my girlfriend and I were in the car heading out for some car pooling. I took out a cigarette and put it in the ashtray so that she could have some when we got home. The usual scenario where we would smoke would be when she had gone to the store, had time to smoke, and had come back from work. But she would have stopped smoking right after that if I had given her the option.If you think about it, we really don't have anything against each other if we smoke outside. She doesn't like smoking, so I don't mind if she smokes. I don't know how else we would have ended up together i n the first place and probably wouldn't have gotten into a relationship if we didn't already share the same interests, but we were together.What makes me uneasy about this is that I asked her to light up before we had to leave for work. So the next time she needs to smoke, she'll be tempted to do it inside where I cannot get her out. Now you might be thinking that my problem is insignificant, and that she might just be bluffing about smoking in the car.Well, I feel the same way about giving her a little bit of money, or a little bit of time to herself. And she really didn't want to take the cigarette, but because we had to go somewhere she thought it would be nice to light one up and smoke.That may be why her question stays with me every single time. So, this question has two parts: 'Is it okay to smoke in the car?'Another friend of mine had asked his girlfriend the same question, and I must say that they did not have a good experience as well. But after hearing their story, I can n ow understand how it can be a challenge to let someone smoke in the car. But in the end, if you don't want someone to smoke in the car, you need to ask them to put it out themselves.

How to Regain Confidence

How to Regain Confidence One of the biggest reasons that students do not reach their full potential is their lack of confidence. I'm sure we can all recall a moment where we've had a setback and this has left us feeling doubtful about our future actions. Set backs at school and university can be equally bad for a young person. With a bad exam result, for example, anxiety and fear can develop which can then have a negative impact on future exam success. In this blog post, Daniel S provides some useful advice on how to regain confidence and make sure you ace those exams! Most importantly this advice can help you be more confident when speaking english. Daniel S is an experienced tutor specialising in interview skills and public speaking, as well as teaching English language and literature. ...... How to Regain Confidence Most of us know someone who we envy for their apparent confidence and sense of ease. Ironically, making it  seem  easy is a clue to perhaps the simplest path to self-possession. Of course, we would rather feel genuine confidence than fake it. But with a strange alchemy, the two are intimately connected, intertwined like a double helix, the one feeding the other. Fear is necessary and powerful, of course, protecting us from danger and helping calibrate our responses to what’s around us. But too often in modern life it arises inappropriately and stops us from performing as well as we know we could. Mainstream wisdom touts countless strategies of varying complexity that focus on the self or focus on others. Often, they go something like this: Recipe for Self-Confidence  (which is not a secret recipe but just because it’s made of everyday obvious items, or is easy to understand, doesn’t make it easy to follow). Preparation time: a few moments to a lifetime. Cooking time: ditto. Ingredients: In no particular order, mix together in a living soul all or some of the following: standing tall, speaking slowly, breathing deeply, knowing yourself, believing in yourself, living by your principles, preparing well, dressing well, being kind and generous, thinking positively, rejecting negative thoughts, setting small goals and achieving them, focusing on solutions, changing small habits to acquire the habit for changing big habits, smiling, exercising, and being grateful. Garnish with knowledge, competence, loving kindness. Method: The next thing to do (which can be done firstâ€"unlike conventional recipes, you can start cooking up confidence at any time) is to remember that confidence is as confidence does, behaves, appears, or simply pretends to be. The apparent cool composure of a person on stage talking to five hundred people does not mean inside they are not terrified, grim and wishing they were anywhere else. Even some of the most seasoned performers have admitted to stage fright every time the curtain goes up or the camera rolls. Barry Humphries, the late Carrie Fisher, Kirk Douglas, William Shatner, to name a few, have all spoken about it publicly. Brian Wilson once said, “I have stage fright every single concert I've ever done. It's absolute living hell.” As in  The  Wizard of Oz, within bold fabulous creatures may sit shy humans operating the levers and switches that let the outside world see something else entirely. Conversely, normal souls with normal fears can appear more confident simply by telling the world as much. The word itself is from the Latin: fidere, “to trust”; and com, meaning “with” or used as an intensifying prefix, i.e. “to trust a lot”. Fidere also means faith. And on this spins the whole premise. Confidence is a quality that does not exist unless we say it does. It is as changeable as wind, fickle as a teenage crush, as powerful as any known force. Religions, ideologies, stock markets and love all depend to varying degrees on our hopes, beliefs and mutable points of view, and the confidence, high or low, that derives therefrom. What we think as individuals or as groups massively influences the world we live in. Presentation: A famous self-help book is called  Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway. The title points to the fragile heart of the matter. Be bold, it says, and all shall pass. But it also accepts that fear is a precipice, an edge, sometimes the thinnest part of a moment in time when we may decide to step back and not act after all. The book encourages us to reconsider those moments, to choose to go forward. And the beautiful kicker is, each step forward increases confidence and reduces fear. The scared actor may suffer and shake before striding onstage but they still do it. Perhaps it seems daft to suggest a matter so important to our wellbeing can be reduced to a simple formula, but it can. Sometimes we just need to remember to keep moving forwards and confidence will join us. ..... Daniel S is a trained interviewer with fifteen years experience of publishing and investment banking. He is also a writer and journalist, the author of three books, and he specialises in teaching interview skills and confidence as well as public speaking and a wide range of English at all levels for students and adults alike. If you would like to contact Daniel S or would like him as a tutor for your child, please send him a message through his profile. Alternatively for more tutors specialising in a range of subjects go to the Tutorfair website. Checkout out more  Tutorfair blogs  here: Five Strategies to improve Academic Performance Power Nap Your Way to Exam Success Photo credits: Rydon Bede Pix

Study More Effectively Using Deliberate Practice - PART 2

Study More Effectively Using Deliberate Practice - PART 2 Improving Academic Performance In a previous blog post on deliberate practice, we learned that it takes focus, motivation, feedback, and a desire to uncover the underlying elements of the big concepts. More importantly, we learned that it is the way to build new skills, be they academic, athletic, musical, or anything else. Let's now look at a few different examples of the concept in action, as well as explore what deliberate practice, in an academic context, involves in a bit more detail. Deliberate Practice in a Low Performing Charter School There is a charter school system called Knowledge is Powerthat is located in low-achieving, urban areas Students were tested in math proficiency before the beginning of the KIP program, and only 17% scored proficient. After changing to a curriculum based on the ideals of deliberate practice, 84% achieved proficiency. When a student enters the program, called KIPP, he or she must sign a contract that promises to persevere and follow through when the going gets tough. All students attend school from 7:30am to 5:00pm, and even have to be in attendance on some Saturdays and a few weeks throughout the summer. This is a big commitment. But the leaders of the program say that it is not just about putting in extra time. It is placing motivation, passion, and focus at the forefront of education and making sure that the teachers are instilling these ideals into the students at all points in the educational process. The staff creates a culture of discipline. The students learn, through training, a dedication to hard work and perseverance. And, they learn how to study the right way, with intense focus, effort, and a passion for improvement. So far, this method of teaching by deliberate practice has seen positive results in low achieving schools. These studies (and others) demonstrate to us that focus, determination, and motivation go a very long way in achieving academic success. How Important is Deliberate Practice? The term ‘deliberate practice’ was created by a man named Anders Eriksson, who studied people that had acquired expert performance in a subject and had excelled. He found that the main thing separating these geniuses from ‘normal’ people was the amount of time spent doing deliberate practice. Yes, of course natural ability helps a person excel, but Anderson found thatpracticing more and differently, more deliberately, than others was much more important than natural ability in the development of skill. Geoff Colvin, a past editor for Fortune Magazine, wrote about the properties of deliberate practice. They are as follows: Deliberate Practice is designed to improve performance. This means that the right type of practice is not, for example, just going out on a golf course and hitting as many balls as possible every day for 10 hours a day to become a professional golfer. It involves careful study and review of your shots, tweaking your form, and repeating. The practice needs to be repeated frequently. Your talent, skill, sport, academic subject, etc. needs to be treated as a priority when it comes to daily time management. A feedback loop, some sort of assessment based on whether or not you did things correctly and how you should adjust your technique and practice style based on the results, needs to exist. A popular quote outlines the reason beside the necessity for a feedback loop quite nicely: “The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again and expect different results.” Time spent in practice needs to be mentally demanding. The brain should be fully engaged in order for deliberate practice to have its full effect. It should be very difficult to sustain this type of focused practice for more than a few hours. The tasks that are being practiced need to be difficult. If you are not constantly testing yourself and trying harder problems or skills, just coasting through the material, you will not reach your full potential. Finding things that are particularly challenging and working through them gives room for growth and allows progress to be made towards reaching ‘expert’ status. When you start to do things that push you out of your comfort zone, that is when you will truly excel and get better â€" that’s how skill is built in the brain. You might see how these properties of deliberate practice can be applied to improving your ACT or SAT score or getting better grades in school, but it can be helpful to use these rules in any area of life where you’d like to improve your performance and build your skills. As we’ve said a few times in this article, if you’re willing to put in the time, the focus, the motivation, and practice in the right ways, you can be well on your way to becoming an expert. Even if you aren’t looking to be the next Einstein, deliberate practice can get you that A in Calculus, or that higher standardized exam score, or better scores on tests in general. Deliberate practice gives you the tools you need to drastically improve your academic (and other types of) performance.

Executing the Mentally Impaired

Executing the Mentally Impaired John Coffee (Michael Clarke Duncan) awaits execution in The Green Mile Last week attention was called to the topic of intellectual disabilities (ID) and the death penalty when a Georgia court granted a last minute stay of execution for a man with an I.Q. of 70 (the widely-accepted threshold for ID). The courts intervention was a relief for many, and a surprise to those familiar with criminal law in Georgia and elsewhere. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia eleven years ago, states have been reluctant to set up legal tests which would classify inmates as intellectually disabled, leading to a system which clearly favors execution over mental care or rehabilitation. In Georgia, a defendant must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is in fact mentally handicapped. This ensures that judges and juries will be very hesitant to rule in favor of an ID claim and most will be sent to death row. This has been the fate of numerous ID claimants in Texas where the legal standard required to pass as mentally handicapped (or mentally retarded, as the outdated legal text still reads) is so strict that almost anyone with a pulse and an operational nervous system is eligible for lethal injection. The Texas courts test for intellectual disability is based on seven Briseño Factors, named after the case which established the precedent. A Google search of the term reveals a large collection of stories about unjust sentences to be handed down to our most helpless citizens. To be considered intellectually disabled under the Briseño Factors, a defendant must prove to a jury that he or she lacks proper functioning in all seven areas covered by the test. These factors were created by judges instead of doctors, they are not scientifically based, and they include things such as the ability to plan a faculty observed in many zoo animals as well as nearly every human who ever lived. In addition to standards that could be met by an animal, the Briseño Factors also provide that courts should disregard an ID claim if friends or family members of the defendant do not believe he or she is mentally disabled. Regardless of feelings on the morality of the death penalty, surely there are few people who would suggest that systematically executing mentally handicapped prisoners is acceptable. Affronts to human rights such as this happen around the world every day, but should not be common news in a nation that prides itself on fairness and justice. Just as tyrannical governments in past centuries have sought to quietly eliminate undesirable populations, states governments right here at home are executing people who by all civilized standards should be safely confined from the general population and properly treated. The execution of mentally handicapped people is a disgrace to our society and a slap in the face to human rights. The only way to tackle the issue is by making yourself and others more aware of what happens to these poor unfortunate men and women. Stories of prisoners with intellectual disabilities facing the death penalty: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/category/categories/issues/mental-retardation http://www.thenation.com/blog/169243/updated-texas-executes-man-iq-61 http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_8a7ef928-9fe2-515d-9e44-ee6a700606a1.html

The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast

The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast Youve always wanted to learn a new language. In fact, its top three in your bucket list. You were originally encouraged because everybody selling language products said it was easy.Then reality hit. Boom!You were getting nowhere. You tried everything but nothing works! You were bored to tears and ready to give up.But thank heavens you found this post at FluentU, because guess what? Theres hope.There is a better way.  What if I told you that there’s one thing you can do that will skyrocket your learning?And what if I tell you that it has been proven to work over and over, and you don’t even have to dial a 1-800 number for it?Sounds good? Great!We need a proper set-up to best understand this effective secret, so lets start with a short background on the language learning process. The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast: The 6 Stages of Language LearningUnless you’re a linguistic genius, learning a new language will require you to go through these phases: Intro duction, Recognition, Familiarization, Proficiency, Deeper Proficiency and Mastery.IntroductionThis first stage refers to the initial few times you come across a language. This may come in the form of overhearing native Korean speakers in the subway or pressing the wrong key on the remote and ending up watching a French flick. You get your first tastes of the language and find the utterances weird or funny. It’s like Jim Carrey sounding off his gibberish antics.RecognitionYoull enter this next stage when, because of repeated presentations, you are now able to pick out the language from other languages. You may recognize the tones, rhythms and guttural utterances, or you may also recognize patternsâ€"such as the most commonly repeated letters. This means that you may not understand anything on a newscast in Japan, for example, but you know it’s Japanese.FamiliarizationFamiliarization is an advanced form of recognition in which you know the most fundamental elements of the languag e. For example, you know how to say thank you, please or good morning in Spanish. Perhaps you can also count in the language. You wield the most basic vocabulary and know the equivalence of words like house, girl, boy or beautiful.ProficiencyWhen you are able to converse naturally with a native speaker, you are said to be proficient. Your grammar may not be perfect, but you know the rules well enough and hold sufficient vocabulary to make yourself understandable to a native speaker.Deeper ProficiencyDeeper Proficiency comes next, and is an advanced stage where you speak the language as well as a native speaker. You are well informed in the nuances of the tongue and hold equal, if not more, vocabulary than the natives.MasteryMastery happens when you not only converse just as well as a native speaker, but you are able to talk formally or academically in the adapted language as well. This higher form of discourse, which is the result of years of training and immersion, is something tha t even native speakers don’t aspire to.Most people stay in the Familiarization phase all their lives. They may not have enough time or drive to get to the next level, or their study strategies are so ineffective that they bore themselves to tears.Many people also find themselves there because advancing to the next stage, Proficiency, requires a great deal of work. For example, you are considered proficient in the Chinese language only when you are able to understand 2,000 characters.Well who has the time to have 2,000 characters down pat?!With all that’s going on in our daily lives, learning a new language, unless our very livelihood depends on it, usually goes to the back burner. Most people never even see  the numerous ways you can make more time for language learning and just give up.But just like I said, theres a much better way.Repetition vs. Effective RepetitionOkay, I let the cat out of the bag with the title.What I’m referring to here is repetition.No, not really. What I’m really talking about is effective repetition.There’s a huge difference between the two. Mere repetition will not cut it. We need to be very careful because the much exalted concept of repetition just might be the fastest way to make a subject bland and boring.Try memorizing a 100-word vocabulary list from a piece of paper.Not so easy, is it? Notice that you can’t easily store the words in your long-term memory no matter how hard you try. That’s what pushing a rock uphill feels like.In fact, repetition used in this manner will only make your goals harder to reach because the brain will only pay attention to things that are novel, surprising and shocking, and there’s nothing duller than a laundry list of vocabulary words given by a teacher to be memorized.Is it really a surprise then that people give up and imagine the task to be impossible?Okay, so lets take a look at the better alternative: effective repetition.What is Effective Repetition?Effective repetition interes ts the brain into paying attention.And when the brain is paying attention, that’s when long-term memories are created. For example, do you still remember what you had for breakfast two Tuesdays ago? Highly unlikely. That’s because you were not paying attention.But how about this, do you still remember the face of your first love from years or decades ago?Many will not only recall your first loves name and face, but you might even remember the persons eye color, the smell of her hair or the way he smiles. You could even still hear their voice, the way he or she speaks and how it makes your heart skip a beat. You might even remember every conversation you’ve had!You were really paying attention, werent you?Effective repetition uses the same mechanism in the brain to make you learn the language faster. It’s effective because it taps into how our brains work. Just as you remember your first love’s mannerisms, you’ll find it easier to recall the nuances of a language.Like I s aid, effective repetition interests the brain into paying attention. So, how do we do that, exactly?Well, we don’t have any room for rote memorization here. That method doesn’t really work for the long term.We need to make the repetition memorable, and we do that by engaging the five senses.How to Make Effective Repetitions with the 5 SensesLet’s suppose again that you’re tasked with memorizing a list of the 100 most common words in Spanish. By using our sense of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and incorporating them into the learning process, we can make that list very memorable.Let’s deal with each sense briefly:SightIn order to increase retention in your language learning endeavors, you need to see pictures, not words. That’s because our brain works pictorially, hence the term photographic memory. This explains why a photograph works better than a word, and why videos are more effective learning tools than words on the blackboard.So anytime you wish to memoriz e vocabulary, always associate the word with a picture. The more vivid, the more colorful, the better. This way, you get into the arena of effective repetitions.An awesome way to learn words effectively with photos is using  FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.Each hand-picked video is transcribed and translated, plus every word comes with an image, in-context definition and multiple example sentencesâ€"so you can engage both your sight  and  hearing!Another tip to improve retention using sight is to use interesting fonts and different colors when making a vocabulary list. You could use red font for feminine cases or gender-specific words, for example, or increase the font size for easy viewing.HearingFor effective repetition, try making a song out of the words you need to memorize. Put on a catchy tune and watch your memory speed soar. Creative preschool teachers have used this technique with great success. (Imagine memorizing the alphabet without the ABC songâ€"just try stringing those 26 letters together without a tune yikes!)A catchy tune you could use to memorize vocabulary is the song Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music which goes: Doe, a deer, a female deerAnother way to increase vocabulary retention is to study a foreign song by translating the lyrics into English. Since you now have words used in a certain context and have sung them to a specific tune, youll find it easier to mine the song for vocabulary words. Feliz Navidad, anyone?TasteWhen you pair a food-related word with its actual taste, you make the memory connection so much stronger. That is, the fastest way to learn the words for orange in any language is to eat one while memorizing. It will burn the translation into your head. This goes true for any food word.Effective repetition  is very vivid when it comes to taste. Try closing your eyes for the full effect.If the w ord you are trying to memorize is not accessible through the sense of taste, see if it can be approached through the sense of smell, which we’ll discuss next.SmellHave you ever been brought back to a certain place or time just because you got a whiff of something? You were happily walking on a busy street and suddenly you smelled the perfume used by a long-lost lover. Then suddenly, it all came back to you like it was yesterday, all the beautiful memories with that special person.The sense of smell is one of the most potent memory enhancers, and yet how many language learners incorporate it in their study? If you think looking at pictures is effective, just wait until you enlist the help of your nose.Although not many of your vocabulary words will necessarily be accessible through smell  (just like with taste), you could also use a scented candleâ€"try rosemary or lavenderâ€"to enhance your memory. And for those words that do have a scent, you’ll discover that the memory connec tion is simply on another level.Touch/KinestheticSome people learn best when they move: the kinesthetic learners. They learn a word best when they associate it with a certain gesture or action. And this gesture might be suggestive of the word or be completely random.For example, when memorizing the Spanish word redondo (which means round or circular), you might draw a circle repeatedly with your fingers to learn kinesthetically. Or when memorizing saltar (which means jump), you could actually jump.Doing actions like these are effective repetitions that help anchor the memory. It may look like just goofing around, but it’s actually a very efficient memory technique.So when you need to memorize something, straight up repetition just won’t cut it.Go for effective repetitions by engaging your five senses! It will make a world of difference.

Assumptions People Will Make About Your Time in Law School

Assumptions People Will Make About Your Time in Law School Image via Pexels When you talk to people about becoming a lawyer, you’ll probably get one of two different types of looks. How do I know? I give my younger sister one of these two looks every time she comes to me with an overdue assignment or is lazying about when she should be studying. She wants to be a lawyer and she’s made good progress to get there, but I’m sure when she voices her occupation of choice to others, she’ll get one of these two looks. One is a look of sincerity and pride. They’re happy you made such a choice and seriously impressed that you would go through the rigors of study to get your law degree. The other is a look of disgust. They’re none too pleased that you’ve picked such a profession because to  them all lawyers are crooks well, that is until they need one. Some people are this way only because they don’t understand what it means to be a good, honest lawyer and the hard work that goes into becoming a lawyer. As in any profession, there is always one bad apple in the bunch, but don’t throw out all the lawyers because one cheated on his bar exam. Here are some assumptions people make about your time in law school that are completely false or only half-true. Some people assume that law school professors held your hand through your courses. Nothing could really be further from the truth. People might assume that it is the law professor’s job to hold the hands of each law students and walk them through their courses to safely ensure that the school produces the best lawyers in the nation (and subtly upholds its reputation). Some undergraduate classes are filled with compassionate professors who live and breathe their students’ achievements but this is not the case in graduate school or law school. Professors at the grad level have made their own achievements and will only give you enough wings in order for you to fly on your own. Being a professor is a privilege, but it is also a job. Professors get paid regardless of how many people pass or fail their class. Some people assume that law school will absolutely prepare you to pass the state bar exam. This is an assumption that many people make but it really has no basis. In one way, law school does prepare you to sit for the bar exam and pass it. That is, after all, the goal. However, law school like any other school gives you the facts you need to become a lawyer. It puts you on the right path, it does not take you to the destination. Law school will tell you to make wise, informed decisions about any particular case; it won’t necessarily tell you how to do it. Applying what you have learned in the classroom to a real-life or hypothetical situation has to be learned all on your own. The bar exam takes both knowledge and knowledge application into consideration. Some people assume that the life of a lawyer is an exciting roller-coaster, kind of like we see on TV and in the movies. Being a lawyer actually is not that exciting. Of course, you get the daily moral fix of knowing you are pushing the world one step closer to justice. But talk to any lawyer and you will find that they do the same routine tasks every day. Lawyers actually sit in their offices for long hours pouring over legions of court documents and past court documents and writing up documents. They also spend time logging their time so they will know what to bill each client. TV shows like ‘Blue Bloods’ and ‘Law and Order’ have made us think that the life of a lawyer is pretty glamorous. These shows fail to show all the paperwork, research, and hours of reading, comprehending, and writing that has to be done before ever setting foot in a court room. Some people assume that doors will just open up for you once you officially get your law degree. No more doors will be open to you than someone who gets her medical degree or someone who gets a degree in business administration or accounting. A law degree can give you credibility. Passing the bar exam signals that you have a decent work ethic, that you are willing to go through a long and tedious process to reach a goal, and that you have a reasonable level of intelligence and ability to comprehend and think critically. With all the help you can get throughout law school, nothing comes easy. You still have to apply yourself and work hard and that’s just like any other serious profession. Some people assume you make a lot of money just by waking up in the morning. Reality check here, most lawyers do not make that much more money when you take into account the time, cost, and mental, emotional, and relational energy that is spent trying to become one. Don’t let friends and family especially hit you up for green backs when you haven’t paid the rent on your studio apartment or even bought decent food to eat for the week. Just starting out, lawyers will make on average anywhere from $40K to $65K and that’s on the low end of the salary scale. Even though there is a considerable amount of negative attention placed upon it and brought to it, being a lawyer is an honorable and fulfilling profession. There will always be corrupt lawyers just like there are corrupt business people, corrupt politicians and corrupt doctors. But this should be the least of your concerns. With the right goals and the will to stick to your studies, you can become the best lawyer you’ve always dreamed you would be. Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

Santa Ana Tutor 4 Tips to Solve College Acceptance Issues

Santa Ana Tutor 4 Tips to Solve College Acceptance Issues Tips from a Private Santa Ana Tutor: 4 Tips to Solve College Acceptance Issues Tips from a Private Santa Ana Tutor: 4 Tips to Solve College Acceptance Issues At this point in the year, students are getting notifications from the colleges and universities they applied to. Some students will get accepted into their dream school while others may have some disappointing news to cope with. However, one thing most applicants dont think about is how to solve some common issues. The college application season can be overwhelming, and its easy to overlook a couple of important things particularly if students are going through this process unaided. So, what can students do to solve a few of the most common application problems?   (Dont hesitate to book your Santa Anta admissions consultant from TutorNerds.) 1. Major field of study Sometimes students are 100% sure they want to study one thing then discover there might be more opportunities than they had originally thought. For the most part, students dont have to make a final decision regarding their major until they start their junior year of college. However, if one of the majors a student is unexpectedly considering isn’t offered at the college, they attend they may have to do some problem solving. This is the time when students have the opportunity to weigh all of their options before making a decision. Although there are many solutions, two real options are to attend a school that has a diverse range of majors or find out if its possible to transfer within the university system. For example, the UC and Cal State systems both have several campuses with varying specialties (READ: College Grads: 5 Ways to Polish up Your Online Presence). 2. In state vs. out of state One common issue among graduating seniors is whether not to go to an in-state or out of state college. In some cases, students are excited to attend an out of state school and explore a different part of the country but later decide theyd rather be closer to home. The opposite may also hold true. In either case, its a good idea to sit down with family and think about some solutions in case the student is unsure of their final choice. For instance, are they able to visit home often throughout the semester or can they apply to a university exchange or study abroad program? 3. Finances Dealing with financial issues is one of the biggest problems college students will face. If there are unexpected financial issues students are encouraged to brainstorm for as many solutions as possible. First, there are hundreds of scholarships that award small amounts of money but students can apply to several of them. Students who need to work 20 hours or more per week can apply for part time status along with reduced tuition. Some high demand majors will hire students as interns were they can make a hefty hourly rate during summers or on weekends. For the most part, the more creative and open-minded students are the more likely they will be to find a way to pay for tuition and fees. 4. An unexpected acceptance Once in a while, a student will be accepted to a school they thought was a shot in the dark. Perhaps they were planning on attending a specific university but found out last minute they were accepted to the college of their dreams. Although many people feel this is a good problem to have, it can still be stressful to consider going to a different campus and having a different experience than they had originally thought. In general, most students accepted into their dream school (and who can afford to attend) will choose that option. However, if there are some last minute changes students are encouraged to talk with their family about how they will deal with them when the time comes. Having college acceptance issues? No worries! TutorNerds has the best Santa Ana admissions consultants in Orange County. Our experienced Santa Ana tutors have a 97% acceptance rate. Call us today to learn more about our tutoring services. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.