* Read forums, student blogs, and message boards online

The Internet is an excellent venue to gather information about the admissions process of various schools and colleges. Online message boards will also give you an idea about the admission process of a specific school where you want to enroll to. If you want to know the opinion of a school’s current students or those of your fellow applicants, you can go to student forums online. You can also post questions regarding the admission staff, the interview, and the questions frequently asked by the admission officers at forums and blogs.

* Ask students, admission officers, and alumni

Aside from the various blogs and message boards, you can also access first hand information about the application process from people who are currently studying in the school where you want to apply. Other sources of relevant information are the alumni of your dream school. It is also helpful if you get information from other applicants who are either passers or  non-passers. This way, you will have an idea about the mistakes you have to avoid when you do your own application. The admission officers are also among the best people whom you can inquire about the admission procedure.

Another helpful thing you can do aside from asking people is practicing admissions exams online. It is also a great aid if you read an excellent sample personal statement essay and use it as a guide in writing your own.

How to get a student health insurance

Each school has a certain set of requirements to make one eligible for a student health insurance. The usual requirement for a student health insurance is that the student should be within the age range of 17 to 29 years old. There are two options for those who are interested in getting a student health insurance policy. Students can actually get one from the college or university where they are currenly studying at. Another option is to get the insurance policy from a private insurance company. An insurance policy provided by a school is much cheaper than an insurance policy granted by a private company. A student health insurance from the school or university may come as a group package or as individual packages. An individual insurance package is ideal for those who have a special medical need. One of the most important things to do when choosing a student health insurance is to analyze and make sure that the insurance policy covers the basic expenses.

A student health insurance is just one of the things you have to be knowledgeable about when you are planning to apply to a college or a university. Other important things you have to keep in mind are the admissions exams and personal statement. You can practice the exams online to prepare you for the actual exam. For the essay, you can read a well-written sample personal statement essay to give you an idea on how to write one.

* Foreign students can get an idea about the structure of a personal statement essay in the US

The guidelines in writing a personal statement essay may vary from one country to another. By reading others’ personal statements, foreign students will have an idea of how the personal statements in the US are structured. An excellent personal statement essay can also give the students an idea about the things the admission officers are looking for in a personal statement.

* Foreign students will have an idea what themes to avoid

Themes and topics frequently used by other foreign students should be avoided when writing an effective personal statement. Reading various personal statement essays will help the foreign students determine and avoid overused themes, such as self-pitying themes, when writing their own essays. Instead of writing personal statements that appeal to pity, foreign students should write an essay emphasizing their potential and courage as they pursue their studies abroad. A personal statement with this theme will convince the admission officers that the foreign student really wants to pursue his or her study abroad that he or she is willing to leave the comfort of home.

* Time management

Time management is among the important secrets of people who preserve their romantic relationships without sacrificing their studies. Planning and scheduling your academic work will give you a chance to explain to your partner that you will be spending some of your time studying, writing term papers, and preparing for exams. By planning and scheduling your activities, you will achieve balance between your social and academic life, which is very important to help you get through your student life.

* Communication

It is really important that you maintain the lines of communication with your partner no matter how busy you are. There are various ways to show your partner that you have not  forgotten him or her even though you are very busy. You can spare a short time to call, email, or text your partner in between study sessions. The few minutes you spend communicating with your partner will also help you relax and have a break from a tiring study group session.

However, before you worry about balancing your academic and social life, you have to make sure that you are going to be admitted to the school that you want. The application process in many schools include the passing of the entrance exam and the submission of a personal statement. To guide you in writing your personal statement, you can read a sample personal statement essay on the Internet.

* Prestigious schools offer a higher quality of education

This belief may not hold true to every prestigious school. You can expect, however,  quality education from many prestigious schools because a school’s reputation is usually earned by providing high-caliber education. In many prestigious universities and colleges, you will find various top-tier programs to choose from. A reputable school is also teeming with excellent professors who are masters in their own fields.

* Prestigious schools will open various career opportunities

Although some prestigious schools are expensive, some parents still send their children to reputable colleges and universities because they believe that this is a good investment; a degree from a prestigious school will secure a bright career for their kids. This doesn’t mean, however, that the school is the only factor considered in order to have a good employment. Personal merit is still the deciding factor for a bright career. A degree from a prestigious school, however, gives a student an edge over the other applicants because there are still various companies that prefer applicants from a reputable school.

Applying to a prestigious school can be quite challenging yet rewarding. Aside from having to pass the entrance exams of the school. It is also necessary to submit a personal statement. To have an idea on how to write this, you can use a sample personal statement essay online as a guide in writing your own.

As one of the very important factors that could make or break your chances of getting admitted into your desired school, it is important that you write an attention-grabbing and technically clean personal statement essay. It is also important that you know the characteristics of a badly written essay so that you will be able to avoid the common mistakes that could lead to a poorly written personal statement. Below are some characteristics of a badly written sample personal statement essay.

* Too idealistic and vague

This common error can be seen in personal statements that claim to “create a big change in the society” using education without providing specific details that would make such  statements achievable and believable. Without the concrete details that would support this type of statement, your desire to help will be seen as artificial and insincere. To make your personal statement essay effective, support it with concrete details.

* Use of highfalutin words

With the purpose of impressing the admission officers, many applicants use highfalutin words in their personal statement essays. This, however, creates an opposite effect. The use of big, polysyllabic, highfalutin words will make your personal statement essay sound detached and robotic. This will also give the admission officers the idea that your sole purpose of writing your admission essay is to impress them. You have to remember that when writing an effective personal statement or admission essay, the language you should use is conversational but at the same time not very informal.

Types of federal loans

Federalloans come in three popular types: Stafford loans, Perkins loans, and Plus loans. Stafford loans are commonly obtained through financial institutions such as credit unions, banks, or even government agencies. Based on your financial need, you may apply for subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford loans. For low interest rates, another good option is the Perkins loan. The Plus loan, meanwhile, helps parents support the college education of their children. To qualify, the credit history of the parents should first be evaluated.

Other sources of student loans

Aside from banks and credit unions, private lenders can also be a source of student loans.Though you may easily qualify for these, the only downside is that loans offered by private lenders usually have higher rates.

If you’re already working, you may also ask your employer if the company has a financial program for employees who want to finish college or pursue graduate studies. Some employers may cover a percentage of the tuition in exchange for your service or prolonged stay in the company.

Quick tip when applying for student loans

Always look at the fine print. Read the terms and conditions carefully. Know what you can afford to pay and how you can cut back on other cost. Ideally, you should look for lower interest rates or better payment schemes. Just remember that the approval of student loans depends on your financial capability and credit standing.

Photo Credit : UlloaSullivan

Majors for medical school

Investing knowledge in science classes is vital to earn a degree in medicine. Having a major in Chemistry, Physics, or Biology is best for people looking to get into a medical school. The logic into taking up these majors is that the theories and experience including the training gained is directly relevant and used in medical school.

Majors for law school

There are a wide variety of majors that high school students wanting to enter law school can look into. You can choose to take more popular majors that directly correlate to preparing you as an effective student in law school. These majors include Criminology, Political Science, Philosophy and Psychology. Having a major in these fields is an advantage because some areas of study in law school relate to human behavior and political structures as well as require thorough research and critical analysis.

If you do decide to enter medical school or law school, what’s more important is your openness to new things. Even though you have a BA, not a BS, but you want to go to medical school, you should be prepared to diversify your skills and to catch up on your readings. Remember that when you get accepted to a medical school or law school of your choice, you have to spend some time and effort in learning new things.

Photo Credit : dbking

Be aware and alert at all times

Being fully aware and alert is vital to being able to avoid sexual harassment. But before you can avoid it, you have to know what it means. Thus, it is essential to know that sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome sexual behavior. It is very relevant to have a broader perspective on sexual harassment. Just browsing the internet will be very helpful in finding out the more common forms of sexual harassment.

In the school setting, the perpetrator can involve schoolmates, friends, strangers, and even school employees (staff, teachers). You have to arm yourself against people who are causing you to become uncomfortable because of their verbal and nonverbal gestures that are sexual in nature. And more importantly, when you become a victim yourself be sure that you know who to seek advice from and where to reach them.

Pointers to avoid sexual harassment

* Know your surroundings. Being aware of the people around you and the places that surround you is vital. Just the same, it is also important that you avoid unfamiliar faces and places where your friends or acquaintances may want to bring you. School life often involves many extracurricular activities outside the school campus. Gather enough information about these activities before you decide to join them.
* Assess the manner in which you dress up. Dressing up is one factor to getting attention; it is always best to know how to dress to invite wanted attraction and not unwanted attraction.
* Sexual harassment also includes joking and teasing. When you avoid such behavior, you will surely avoid sexual harassment.
* Let people around you know how you feel about sensitive issues such as sex. Seek help especially from your school or educational institution if you think you have been sexually harassed.

Photo Credit : newmani_2007

Learning how SWOT analysis works

To conduct a personal SWOT analysis effectively, know by heart how it is done, why is it done and the manner in which the findings are interpreted. The process requires answering to a set of questions that are relevant to your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. For your SWOT analysis process to suit your situation, the questions need to be designed to your academic objectives. Browse online for relevant materials on personal SWOT analysis for help in conducting your analysis.  Formulate your questions in such a way that it focuses on your personal traits, experiences, training and education. Enumerated below are some helpful questions:

1. Strength – Which are my most exceptional skills?
2. Weakness – I am having difficulties in writing which part of an essay or a paper?
3. Opportunity – I am interested in the programs offered by which college or university?
4. Threat – To get my college degree, what factors stand in the way?

Knowing yourself better

The best way to answer and get an efficient result is to answer the questions as honestly as you know yourself. Remember that the data you put in this process will be the same data that will be analyzed and interpreted. When answering the questions on the test, try to answer as honestly as you can. It is significant that, as you reply to the questions, you also find out what other people think as your strengths and weaknesses.

Interpreting the data gathered

After all the questions are answered, sit down and review the results. Assess your answers and relate it to your academic status using the results to choose the best academic career suitable for the person that you are. The following are some tips that can help you analyze and make your decision:

* Pick a course that capitalizes on your strengths
* An academic career can be an opportunity to make your weaknesses irrelevant by focusing on your strengths. This doesn’t mean however that you need not face your weaknesses while pursuing your academic ambition but you can use it as a chance to strengthen your weaknesses. Attending workshops, seminars, group discussions, and other extracurricular activities will help you improve on your areas of weakness.
* Take advantage of all possible opportunities that will help your personal and academic traits excel.
* Threats are inevitable to each ones’ ambitions and career perspectives. Identifying these threats however will provide a more focused solution as early as possible. When you are able to anticipate these threats using the information gathered, you will be able to prepare or avoid possible hurdles to your academic objective.

Photo Credit : paul danger Williams