Variable Expressions Online Tutoring

Variable Expressions Online Tutoring Variables are the alphabets written in an expression and they are denoted by letters or alphabets because they can take in any number as their value according to the given question. Therefore unlike constants which are fixed as they are numbers, variables vary in every question and we have the choice to assign them numbers as per the given question. Variable expressions are the expressions which contain variables along with the constants and these variables help us estimate the value of the given expression. Example 1: What is the value of the given algebraic expression, 4x 3+ 2x+ 9 if the value of x is 2? Now we have to find the value of the above expression when x = 2 and in order to find the value, we should plug-in 2 in the place of x. This implies: 4x 3+ 2x+ 9= 4(2) 3+ 2(2)+ 9. This gives: 8 3+ 4+ 9 Now calculate the values starting from the left side of the expression. 8 3+4+9= 18. Hence the value of the expression is 18. Example 2: What is the value of the given algebraic expression, 5a + 6 + 10a if the value of a is -1? Now we have to find the value of the above expression when a = -1 and in order to find the value, we should plug-in -1 in the place of a. This implies: 5a+ 6+ 10a = 5(-1) + 6+ 10(-1). This gives: -5 + 6 - 10 Now calculate the values starting from the left side of the expression. 1 10= -9 Hence the value of the expression is -9.

A Day in the Life at Yale University

A Day in the Life at Yale University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Elena graduated from Yale University in 2013 with a Bachelors degree in French and the History of Art. She is a New York City tutor specializing in SAT prep tutoring, ACT prep tutoring, Writing tutoring, Literature tutoring, and many other subjects. See what she had to say about her undergraduate experience: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Elena: The campus is in the urban city of New Haven! Despite its gritty past, New Haven today feels very safe and the area around Yale is absolutely charming. There are campus buses, but they are often unnecessary as the majority of campus is quite centralized. Science students might want a bike, since the trek up Science Hill can feel arduous. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Elena: The professors, academic advisers, and TAs are incredibly welcoming! All professors have office hours, and students can go and talk to even the most influential of intellectuals. I have had many a coffee date with a professor or TA, and I have been known to email them frantically, receiving a response in the same day with a kind word or two. My academic advisers have written me recommendation letters, and one of them I have known for all four yearswe even met up in Paris when I was studying abroad there! VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Elena: Quite honestly, the best way to describe dorm life at Yale is to relate it to Hogwarts. Hilarious, I knowbut true! Like Hogwarts, Yale has houses; at Yale, these are called residential colleges. Each freshman is sorted into a residential college before arriving on campus. Each of them is meant to be a microcosm of Yale, so they are highly diverse. Your freshman year, ten residential colleges out of the twelve house their students on Old Campus, a huge quadrangle where all the freshman live. The dorms are all suite style. I lived with five other roommates; we shared a bathroom and a common room among us. Your sophomore year, you move into the residential college, where you can stay for the next three years if you would like to. Each residential college has a dining hall, a library, a gym, and tons of other facilities: a beautiful common room, music practice rooms, often extra libraries, and perhaps a dance studio, basketball court, climbing wall, photography dark room, or potte ry studio. Theyre quite amazing; each college also has a central courtyard and many have Neo-Gothic architecture, lending to their resemblance to castles. Each residential college has a lot of pride, but they are also all unified under Yale College, and all undergrads can access the other residential colleges and eat in their dining halls. There is also the main Commons dining hall which is huge (and very Hogwarts Great Hall-like). These automatic communities provide an incredibly easy way to meet people and make friends, not to mention all the extracurricular activities that provide social opportunities outside of the colleges. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Elena: Yale has historically been known for its Humanities and Social Sciences programs. These remain incredibly strong, but recently the Sciences have been gaining traction as well. I double majored in French and the History of Art. Both of these programs are one of the best if not the best of their kind in the country. The faculty in both were incredibly strong and welcoming. The French department especially has a very strong endowment, so I received grant money on two occasions to travel for study and research in France. The Art History department was also well supported, and I took an Art History class the fall semester of my senior year; we were able to travel to Italy to recreate the Grand Tour about which we were learning. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Elena: As I mentioned when discussing the residential college system, Yale makes it very easy for freshmen to make friends via these built-in communities. All freshmen live together on Old Campus and there are residential college events just for freshmen toward the beginning of the year. I made close friends immediately through my college, and I also made friends through the dance troupe that I joined in September of my freshman year. In the second semester of my freshman year, I joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority in order to expand my social circle. Greek life, however, does not play a huge role on campus, and I later disaffiliated because I felt I had too much on my plate. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Elena:The Career Center is very helpful for people looking to enter into fields with a very set hiring process: banking, consulting, Teach For America, etc. As someone looking to work in the Arts, I did not find it that helpful. The Fellowship Office was hugely helpful for me, though; they helped me become a finalist for the UK Fulbright Scholarship. Many major reputable companies are consistently recruiting on campus, though most are either in banking or consulting. If you want to go into those fields, youll definitely be at the top of the heap in terms of recruiting. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Elena: Yale has a veritable cornucopia or study spaces. As I mentioned, each residential college has at least one library (though usually more), plus a snack bar (called the buttery) with a lounge/common area. There are also computer labs in each college. Beyond that, Yale has the second largest university library system, and it has one massive library (Sterling) plus an underground student library (Bass), as well as tons of specialized libraries for the Arts, Sciences, Medicine, etc. Its library heaven. Since there are so many, spaces are very rarely crowded, and if they are, you can always find another space to go. One of my favorite places is the Sterling Memorial Library stacks, where there are old desks deep in the bookstacks that look out through stained glass windows onto Yales campus. It feels like youre hidden away in academia! VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Elena: New Havens main attraction is definitely Yale, but there are also great restaurants and bars around campus. Downtown is in fact very close to the campus, so students usually stay in that area to go out at night or for meals. There is also East Rock park where students can hike or go for runs. Its not the most exciting place, but it is definitely far and above a small, boring college town. Its still a hopping city with fun, interesting places. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Elena: The student body at Yale is about 5,300 undergraduates (I believe). It can feel big at times, but it can also feel quite small (often thanks to the residential college system). Class sizes max out at about 200 for the largest lectures, and the smallest class Ive taken was a graduate seminar with two other students, myself, and the professor. As a humanities person, many of my classes were seminars, and I regularly took courses with about 7 people. This close interaction with professors was absolutely incredible; it was probably one of my favorite things about Yale. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Elena: I mentioned the Art History course I took where we travelled to Italy to recreate the Grand Tour: it was taught by a specialist in Ancient Greek art and one in British art specializing in the Grand Tour. When we were in Italy at the Temple of Paestum, an ancient Greek temple, I was struck by what a unique experience I was having: to be standing in front of this ancient temple, discussing it with one of the experts in ancient Greek art, and then to have her British counterpart discussing how 18th century tourists would have viewed the temple. I could not get over how lucky I was to be in situ with these two great minds, viewing layers of history. Check out Elenas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

x Intercept Definition

x Intercept Definition The point on a graph where the curve of a function crosses the x axis is known as its x intercept. The value of y coordinate is zero at the point where the graph intersects the x axis. To find the x intercept of an equation, we put the value of y as zero in the equation and solve the equation to find the corresponding value of x. Example 1: Find the x intercept for the following equation of a line: 3x 5y = 12. Solution: In order to find the x intercept we need to put the value of y = 0 in the equation and solve the equation to find the corresponding value of x. 3x 5 (0) = 12 3x 0 = 12 3x = 12 x = 4 Therefore the x intercept for the above equation of line is (4, 0) Example 2: Find the x intercept for the function y = x2 x 6 Solution: For finding the x intercept of the above function, the value of y is taken as 0. As a result we get an equation with terms having variables x and x2 on one side and zero on the other side. We need to solve this equation to get the corresponding value of x. x2 x 6 = 0 x2 3x + 2x 6 = 0 x( x- 3) + 2(x-3) = 0 (x+2) (x-3) = 0 x +2 = 0 or x 3 = 0 x = - 2 x = 3 Thus the x intercepts for the above function are (-2, 0) and (3, 0).

A Day in the Life at Princeton University

A Day in the Life at Princeton University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Laura is an Austin tutor specializing in ACT prep tutoring, SAT prep tutoring, Writing tutoring, GRE prep tutoring, and more. She graduated from Princeton University in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in English. Check out her review of her alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Laura: Princeton is located in the quiet town of Princeton, NJ. Princetons campus is peaceful and gorgeous; its mostly designed in a collegiate Gothic architectural style that is reminiscent of Oxford or Cambridge. On the north side of campus, the main humanities building (McCosh), the main library (Firestone), the chapel, and many of the dormitory buildings are among the most beautiful buildings youll ever see and I still cant quite believe that I got to spend four years living in and around the famous Blair Arch. You will get spoiled with the beauty of the campus all my friends note that this is something that they really miss! Almost all students live on campus, and that means that its easy to get around campus by foot. Most of my classes were a five-minute walk away from my dorm room. The engineering quad is the farthest from the center of campus, and so a fair number of engineers do use bikes to get around but even this isnt necessary. Only a few students own cars, and they are useful only for leaving campus and not for getting around on campus. A train line runs onto campus, which is a much easier option for transportation if youre going to the airport or into New York. The campus is extremely safe Im very sensitive to danger, but even I would sometimes walk home alone from rehearsals or club meetings at 2 am. You can always call campus security for an escort between buildings, however, and there are blue phones all over campus which you can use to call security in case you feel unsafe at any time. But honestly, youll probably never need to use them. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Laura: Extremely available! This, to my mind, is the number one advantage that Princeton has over other major research institutions the professors take their undergraduate teaching extremely seriously and consistently prioritize their undergraduates. Its often said that Princeton is a liberal arts college (accessibility of professors, emphasis on undergraduates) with the advantages of a major research university (huge library, professors at the top of their field) and its really true! There are lots of opportunities to get to know your professors: from freshman seminars (aimed at allowing first-year students to work with top professors in a variety of departments), to college dining halls (each dining hall has several faculty fellows who eat there regularly), discussion sections for classes (all faculty are required to lead precepts alongside their graduate student teaching fellows), and of course, office hours. One of Princetons unique qualities is that you can often work with the top professors in a department even without majoring in their field; many top Princeton professors voluntarily choose to teach introductory courses. Students all work one-on-one with a top professor on their independent work in their junior and senior years. All students must complete one or two junior papers (medium-length research papers) and a senior thesis. For most Princeton students (myself included!), this is one of the highlights of their Princeton careers most seniors produce theses that are longer and smarter than anything theyve ever written before. Students can also choose to apply for a creative thesis, which might be a book of fiction / poetry or a performance in a play (with a critical analysis element). Of course, the amount of contact you have with your professors partly depends on you. If youre like me and seek out small seminars, you can interact almost solely with professors throughout your four years. If you prefer large lecture courses, its possible to largely avoid professor contact until you start your independent work junior year. My number one piece of advice to incoming students is to pursue every opportunity to get to know their professors. You will have the most brilliant scholars in the world teaching your classes, and they really, honestly want to get to know you and to help you in any way they can. Take advantage of it! Academic advising is run through your residential college for the first two years, and through your department for the following two. Residential college advising is fine; departmental advising is much better. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Laura: For the first two years, students are placed in one of six residential colleges (Mathey, Rocky, Butler, Wilson, Forbes, Whitman), which serve as your de facto community for the first years on campus. Student meal plans (which are required for all incoming students) allow you to eat in any of the college dining halls, but most students end up eating at their own because they know so many people there. Indeed, the residential college system means that you can go to the dining hall at any time and see people you know much of my free time in college was spent lingering in the dining hall over dinner, as new friends kept arriving and sparking new and vibrant conversations. In the second two years, students still live on campus (housing is guaranteed for everyone), but they have a wide variety of eating options: going independent (students have their own kitchen and cook for themselves), joining a co-op (a group of students alternate cooking for one other), staying in the residential college (eating in dining halls), or most famously and popularly, joining an eating club. About 70% of students choose the last option, but its definitely not a required part of Princeton life. I stayed in my residential college (Mathey the best one!) for four years, but I still ate with my friends from eating clubs or co-ops regularly because everyone gets guest meal passes which allow them to invite their friends to dine with them at their club / college. Dorm rooms are generally quite nice; most students live in doubles or quads their first year or two (quads generally have two bedrooms and a large common room, doubles usually have one room) but in later years, you can either live in a larger suite or get a single room for yourself. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Laura: I knew that I wanted to be an English major even before I arrived on the Princeton campus, and I chose Princeton partially because I knew that they had one of the top programs in the country. Astonishingly, the department exceeded my expectations; professors in the department are both brilliant scholars, and inventive and generous teachers. There were also fantastic departmental resources available; the English department even funded me to go to England to do independent research the summer before my senior year! The most popular majors are Economics and Political Science, but the smaller majors are every bit as good as the larger ones (if not better). Indeed, Princeton has run campaigns encouraging students to follow their passions and pick unorthodox majors, where class sizes are small and where students will receive intensive faculty guidance. The Woodrow Wilson school (or Woody-Woo), a Public Policy major, is a signature Princeton major which uniquely helps students think about policy-making as undergraduates. But departments are strong across the board, in the humanities, sciences, social sciences and engineering. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Laura: I found it incredibly easy to make friends at Princeton because of the diversity of organizations which allow you to carve out a niche (or multiple niches!) for yourself. The residential colleges make it easy to get to know people in your first two years, and they run further programs to foster a strong sense of student community, including weekly discussion tables and college trips to NYC. I ran a Philosophy Table discussion group which mimicked a language table, but talked about abstract philosophical questions instead! Most students on campus are involved with multiple organizations I was very active in an Episcopalian student religious organization, a Shakespearean theater group, and the English department community and this made it easy not to be pigeonholed in a single group. Youll also get to know people through your classes; many students at Princeton really do want to continue class conversations over lunch after class is over. Greek life is not very prominent on campus; they exist, but they operate largely under the radar. Much more popular are Princetons eating clubs, social organizations which 70% of students join. Eating Clubs are either sign-in or bicker clubs; sign-in clubs allow you to join by simply putting your name on a list, while bicker clubs ask you to go through a process like a sorority / fraternity rush. Most students join eating clubs in the second half of their second year, but you can continue to join in later years (which means you can switch your eating club or change to another dining option at the beginning of any semester). Students dine in their eating clubs and attend social events there in the evenings, but only a few officers live there; evening events are usually open to non-members as well. Each of the eating clubs has its own reputation and they become a crucial part of many Princeton students identities. But its perfectly possible to be very happy at Princeton without being a part of an eating club as well. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Laura: The Career Center has an active presence on campus, but I never used them because professors did such a fantastic job helping me make my post-graduation plans. I went on to a Ph.D. program, and my advisors in the English department walked me through every step of the process, helping me select schools, write personal statements, and decide which school to accept. (I went on to an English Ph.D. program at Harvard.) But my friends who did use the Career Center found them generally helpful, and they continued to receive help after graduation, both in compiling resumes and recommendations, and in being put in contact with alumni in the field. Many companies from across the country recruit directly on the Princeton campus and there are regular careers fairs which allow you to talk to lots of different possible employers. Its also worth noting that Princeton has an incredibly strong alumni network that helped many of my friends get amazing internships and interviews in their chosen field. Princeton alumni are passionate about their school, and they come back, year after year, for Princetons elaborate three-day reunion celebration every May. Because of this loyalty and love of Princeton, alumni are almost universally eager to help undergraduates and recent grads succeed in their chosen field! VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Laura: There are lots of different places to study around the Princeton campus. Dorm study rooms are well-maintained and generally include some kitchen equipment for snacks, residential colleges and eating clubs have small libraries for quiet study near the dorms, and the Frist Campus Center, though loud, offers a large array of dining and caffeination options. Princetons main library is Firestone; while the main reading-rooms get quite crowded around exam-time, there are always enough working spaces on lower floors of the library, which still have natural light thanks to skylights. Seniors are also able to request carrels in Firestone, where they can store books for their senior thesis and where they can study; these are quite cramped, but they do ensure a quiet working space at all times! You can also choose to study in one of specialized libraries (East Asian studies, Architecture, Art, Engineering), many of which are quite beautiful! VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Laura: The area of Princeton immediately around campus is beautiful and exquisitely maintained with expensive restaurants and shops, four ice cream / fro-yo shops (Princeton students consume a lot of ice cream!), and a hotel. Because the restaurants immediately around campus tend to be expensive (Panera is the best inexpensive dining option), students generally walk down Nassau Street to access an array of less expensive dining options a bit further from campus. Very few students have cars (its hard to get on-campus parking before senior year) and buses are available, but not super easy to use, so students tend not to leave campus very often. Some students get frustrated by the town of Princeton, but for the majority of students, life happens almost entirely on campus. For those who do want to get away from campus, it is definitely possible. A train, affectionately known as the Dinky, runs directly on to the Princeton campus and connects students to the NJ Transit line. In one hour, a student can get to the Newark airport or to New York City itself! Most students go to New York at least a few times during their four years at Princeton; the residential colleges organize sponsored trips to New York to see Broadway shows and operas at an extremely reduced price (bus transport included), and classes sometimes take their students to the city for field trips (usually plays / operas or museum visits). A few students make New York a more regular part of their social life and visit the city more often. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Laura: Princeton has around 1,300 students in each class (5,300 undergraduate students total), plus 2,500 graduate students. For me, this was the perfect size; large enough that I continued to meet new people from my class through the end of my senior year and small enough that I constantly ran into people I knew as I walked around campus. Because there are so many more undergraduates than graduate students (and because grad students generally live on the far edges of campus), Princeton truly feels like an undergraduate campus. Class sizes are excellent at Princeton. Most of my classes were small seminars (averaging 10-15 students), some were small lectures (30 students), and a few were larger lecture courses. Lectures in the humanities are rarely larger than 80 people, though science courses can be larger. But every course has a small section / discussion component called a precept, which will allow you to ask questions and discuss the material from class. The precept system worked very well for me; I often had professors running my precepts, and the few graduate students who taught my precepts were generally good. (A graduate student will never teach a lecture or a seminar at Princeton.) VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Laura: One of my most memorable class experiences was an intensive sequence of courses aimed at freshmen called the Humanities sequence (HUM 216-219). Over the course of two semesters (technically four classes), we read the great books of Western Civilization, from the ancient Greeks to the end of the nineteenth-century, working closely with five top professors from different departments each semester. The course was interdisciplinary, asking students to think in terms of history, literature and philosophy, and brought together a fantastic group of students who were eager to immerse themselves in the best works of the human mind. Because the workload was so intense, the group coalesced into a social as well as academic community; many of my closest friends at Princeton came out of this course. By the end of the term, we made class t-shirts with pictures of one of our professors on the front, with the motto: T.K. Rabb [the professor] is our philosopher-king. Crazy nerdy, but very fun. I also have to mention Chemistry 207 (Advanced General Chemistry) a course that I took to fulfill my science requirement, which ended up being an extremely enjoyable course. The class combined intense academic work with consistently amazing demonstrations; the professors joked that they tried to orchestrate at least one explosion per class. They also periodically tested the validity of popular movie scenes etc.; one day, we tested whether a person could really outrun a burning fuse by going to the back of the chemistry building, having one student volunteer dress up as Zorro (complete with black mask, black hat, and sword) and then run as fast as he could alongside a trail of gunpowder. And Zorro won! Check out Lauras tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

What is it Like to Attend Knox College

What is it Like to Attend Knox College Rachel earned her bachelors degree in secondary education from Knox College. She specializes in AP Human Geography tutoring, SAT Reading tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, she shares her experience at Knox College: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Rachel: Knox College is located in Galesburg, a small city in western Illinois. Since Galesburg is small, many things that Knox students like to do are within a reasonable walking distance from the school. The campus dominates a sleepy section of the town about four blocks away from the Galesburg Amtrak station. Since the Amtrak goes to Chicago (about a three hour trip), youll see Knox College students on the train every weekend. Theres a bus system in Galesburg, but it can be inefficient. Since everythings so close, your best bet is to walk or bike in the warmer months. Though Galesburg does not have a spectacular bike system, most students find biking to be a great option. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Rachel:Knox professors are well-published and conduct extensive research, and they strive to include interested students in their research projects. Many of my classmates have been published in prominent academic journals because of their work with Knox professors. Students are able to choose their own academic adviser after they declare their major, so students are often able to find advisers who understand their academic style and their personal goals and challenges. Advisers are very understanding and act as advocates for their advisees. How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Rachel:I loved dorm life at Knox! Most students live on campus, even juniors and seniors. This was an amazing experience, because it increased the likelihood of those random social encounters that lead to lifelong friendships. The dorm buildings themselves are clean and a fairly decent size. Students at Knox love being active on campus. From the creative types hanging painted bottles on trees, to the friendly, yet surprisingly competitive, Ultimate Frisbee players, you will definitely run into folks who are doing cool stuff and want you to join. Students at Knox are incredibly inclusive, so its very easy to get involved with all sorts of formal and informal student groups. There are a couple of different dining halls that serve decent buffet-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Theres also a very nice gym, indoor and outdoor track, and pool free to all students. Though I was not involved in athletics, about a third of the campus was. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Rachel:Knox students are interested in a wide variety of topics. The focus of any program in a liberal arts college is to build critical thinking, writing, and analytical abilities, so all of the programs at Knox encourage these skills. Knox also has strong science programs, particularly in chemistry and biology. Students have a multitude of opportunities to conduct high-level research alongside Knoxs science professors. I chose to major in secondary education. The program at Knox allowed me to explore the strengths and problems of K-12 public education in America. I really enjoyed my student teaching term teaching social studies at Galesburg High School. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Rachel:Knoxs small size and their focus on recruiting students from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests makes finding good friends very easy, regardless of what activities you choose to participate in. Students who do their homework in the Gizmo or the Roger Taylor lounge will often find a friendly bunch of people to hang out with while they do so. There are many organized groups and activities for students, and its very easy to become involved in anything. About a quarter of campus is involved in Greek life at Knox. Students at Knox join Greek organizations for the friendships, networking, leadership, and philanthropy opportunities. Since there are a bevy of other student groups and organizations at Knox, however, non-Greek students involved in any club get these opportunities as well. How helpful are the Career Center and other student support services? Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Rachel:I must admit that the Career Center at Knox was a bit disappointing in my time there. Most students at Knox are interested in graduate school, creative vocations, and social justice work, so there aren't too many recruiters for big commercial companies on our campus. Knoxs best strength in career services is the opportunity the school offers its students to make close, personal connections with their professors, who are often able to guide students toward job prospects that might not be advertised on standard job listing boards. Knox also offers strong internship programs. Many of my classmates who were interested in business and law were able to find job opportunities after graduation through Knoxs internship programs. How are the various study areas such as libraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Rachel:The study settings at Knox are top-notch. Seymour Library, the main library, is huge. Its equipped with comfortable furniture and each floor has a designated volume level. Chat with your friends on the first floor, do your group projects on the second floor, and enjoy quiet time on the third floor. Theres also an extensive science library in SMC (the Science and Math Center), as well as a music and performing arts library in CFA (Center for Fine Arts). The only times I ever noticed study or work spaces being overly crowded were in the computer labs during finals week. Describe the surrounding town. Rachel:Galesburg is a small city in the middle of the vast cornfields of western Illinois.The people who live in Galesburg are down-to-Earth, kind, and invariably full of interesting stories. The downtown area of Galesburg is within six blocks of Knox campus, so students visit frequently. Something special about Knox is the Green Oaks nature facility, about 45 minutes away from campus. Green Oaks is a restored forest maintained by Knox, and all students and alumni are welcome to camp there. Knox offers the Green Oaks term every other yearan off-campus study experience where students study environmental science, conduct anthropological research, or work on their creative projects. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Rachel:Class size is one of the biggest reasons to attend Knox. The school is pretty small, but not so tiny that you run into the same people everywhere you go. Most of my classes had under 15 students, which allows students a lot of opportunities to make strong connections with their professors and their fellow classmates. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most. Rachel:My course in anthropology and human origins with Jon Wagner was one of the most interesting classes Ive ever taken. Every class would start with Jon wheeling in a large cart full of hominid skull replicas for us to examine. Check out Rachels tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Adjectives to Pair with Your Wine

Adjectives to Pair with Your Wine For the past few weeks, Teauna has been teaching  a student who is a boutique wine producer in Italy. Shes getting ready to come to the U.S. and begin selling her wines, so the topic of conversation in their classes has been, big surprise, wine.Talking about wine is interesting, because it brings up a lot of adjectives that are used in novel ways. I was thinking about that this week, and remembered the comedy Sideways, about two men on a road trip in Californias wine country.The clip below isnt funny, but is uses some great adjectives to talk about wine. If you want a funnier clip from the movie, check this one out.Watch the video below, then try to answer the listening questions. Answer the questions in comments and we will give corrections.What adjectives does he used to describe the Pinot grape? What do you think these mean?How does he describe where Pinot grapes grow?Who does he say can grow Pinot?What adjectives does he use to describe the wine produced from Pinot grapes?What, i f anything, do these tell you about its flavor?How did the woman in the scene become interested in wine?We hope that was a tasty listening exercise! If you want to learn more about English adjectives, go here. Also, as this exercise should point out, we can give very personalized English classes. Click here to learn more.

Difference between SINCE and FOR English Lesson via Skype

Difference between SINCE and FOR English Lesson via Skype Many of my students have difficulty with understanding the difference between SINCE and FOR.As youve probably noticed, I dont like lengthy complicated   explanations, so a while ago I created this short video lesson that will help you better understand the difference between them. Hopefully, this is clear. Difference between SINCE and FOR - Video Lesson Don't keep this to yourself, tell the world: Difference between SINCE and FOR - Transcript Hi there.  Welcome to Harrys World of  Words and Phrases and English in a  Minute.Were now going to talk about the  difference between  SINCE  and FOR. They  can be used in lots of different ways.Just to try and simplify matters, Im  just going to give you a couple of  examples as to when we use them and the  differences.SINCEwe always use with the  perfect tenses.  Okay.  And when we use since,  we go back to the beginning,  when  something started.So let me give you  some examples.Ive known about the job  since January.  go back to JanuaryI have  not been to the zoo since last year.  go  back to last yearHe has wanted to go to  America since he read the stories of  Huckleberry Finn.  going back to his  childhoodOkay. So lets look at for.FORwhen  we use for its always about specific  periods of time.Im going to give you  the exact same examples but just show  you how we can use for.I have known  about the job for six weeks.  at a  specific period of time six weeksI have  not b een to the zoo for eight months. that particular period of time,  specific  period of eight monthsI have wanted to  go to America for years.  a specific  period yearsOkay. So these are the  differences between since and for and  how we use them in English.Don’t forget that we can only use SINCE with HAVE, HAS or HAD (the perfect tenses)Okay.  So as always subscribe to our  YouTube Channel Learn English with Harry and join us on www.englishlessonviaskype.com and well catch up with you very soon. For or Since? MP3 https://www.englishlessonviaskype.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Difference-between-Since-and-For.mp3 Difference between SINCE and FOR - What's the Difference

5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language Learning

5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language Learning When a native speaker  starts talking in your target language, does it sound like Charlie Browns teacher blabbing?Blah, blah, blah.Do you struggle to understand when  listening in your target language?Do you spend whole conversations stressing that you cant find the right words to say?Believe it or not, this can happen to you even if youre  great at reading, a wizard at learning vocabulary and have translation skills that would make a baby laugh  (which is actually a good thing).You might begin to wonder whether youll ever be able to hold a nice, natural-sounding conversation.No matter how you feel about listening to your target language, and no matter how much progress youve made so far, the importance of listening is undeniable. Why Listening Is Vital for Language LearnersMany language learners focus a lot on speaking. They dont spend as much  effort on  quietly listening.Listening seems like it should be simple, or secondary to other more active language skills. To the surprise of many new learners, listening to a foreign language is difficult. If youve ever had to sit for a second language test, youll know that the listening section is almost always the hardest.But, listening is a vital skill for language learning.Research  shows that when we communicate, we spend around 40-50% of our time listening, 25-30% speaking, 11-16% reading and only 9% writing (although that last one might have changed in recent years due to the rise in social media).That means we spend about half the time listening!The question is: Do you spend half your language learning time on listening exercises?… if youre anything like me, you probably dont.5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language LearningThe solution is to spend more time listening in our second language. However, its vital that we learn to listen effectively.Often, weve not been specifically taught how to listen in a foreign language, or if we have weve not been taught properly.Lets delve into the resear ch to find why listening is important and how we can improve our foreign language listening skills.1. Listening Is an Active ProcessIf youve ever sat in a group of people speaking in a foreign language, youll be familiar with the uncomfortable feeling that you should be joining in. You feel like, if youre not saying something, youre not really engaging in the conversation.Nothing could be further from the truth. The problem is that  youre confusing a silent process with a passive process.Listening is a very active process, despite the fact youre not saying anything. Thats why youre so tired when you go home after a social event in another language.Getting over the feeling that we are “doing nothing” is a key step towards listening effectively.One solution is to employ active listening techniques, to remind yourself and others that youre involved in the conversation even if you dont speak so much.Here are some tips to show that you are actively listening:Make eye contact with the person whos talking.Lean forward slightly to show interest. If youre actually listening this should be natural.Nod your head slightly to show youre understanding.Make agreeing noises and nod your head if you agree with something theyve said.Dont look distracted by fidgeting, playing with your phone or looking off into the distance.2. The “Silent Period” Is GoldenChildren who learn a second language often go through a  â€œsilent period”  where they dont say anything. Language teachers and researchers  havent totally agreed whether its a necessary stage of language learning, or how long it should be. But, they do agree that many children experience it.Its fair to say that most adults dont go through any silent period at all. We often try to jump straight into speaking.The problem with trying to speak from the beginning is that a period of silent listening can actually be hugely beneficial.One big reason is that speaking can be quite a nerve-racking experience. I find it as stre ssful as performing on stage. As new learners, were thinking so much about what we should say next that we dont fully experience what the other person has said. We suffer from “task overload.”Allowing yourself to be silent lets you get the most from listening.However, speaking successfully in a foreign language can also be very rewarding. Speaking motivates us to continue learning. And we wouldnt want to lose our motivation, would we?The answer isnt to give up speaking altogether. Its to give ourselves permission to be silent, and not beat ourselves up if we dont say much. Speak when you can, but you dont have to force it.We can benefit both from the motivation of speaking and the listening benefits of a silent period.3. Your Brain Is a Foreign Language GoldfishWould it surprise you to learn that your short-term memory is even shorter in a foreign language?When you think about it, it makes sense.  How often have you forgotten what someone has just said in your target language?   For me, at least, it happens a lot more than in my native tongue.Listening is a vital step in overcoming this problem.But, why does it happen?Not to get into too much detail, although it is fascinating, this effect might be due to how our short-term memory works. When we listen to someone talking, our brain starts processing the information by “segmenting” it into small chunks to store in our short-term memory. It splits them up based on our knowledge of the “rules” for how the language is spoken. Instead of storing the actual words “a green goldfish,” our brain would maybe convert those words into an image of a green goldfish for storage.In a foreign language, we arent familiar with the “segmentation rules” for how the language is spoken. Our short-term memory has to store all the words individually.One reason why listening is so important in a foreign language is that it helps us become familiar with those segmentation rules.Not only will it boost your understandin g, it will improve your speaking in the language too.Learning segmentation rules is usually an unconscious process, so the easiest way to learn them is to get lots of listening practice.Here are some ways to become more familiar with a languages segmentation rules:Watch films in your target language.Read a book while also listening along to the audio book version.Attend social events with natives and spend time just listening.Listen to the radio in your target language.Watch videos online in your target language.FluentU is one great way to find interesting, approachable video content in your target language. It provides carefully selected videos from all over the Internet in your target language, many featuring natural, casual speech. It also provides dynamic subtitles which go along with the video, which means that you can see how the spoken segmentation rules relate to the written phrases.4. Our Listening Strategies Are Upside-downIf you learned a language in school, what listenin g strategy were you taught?Myself, I remember that a listening exam went like this: listen to a tape (Yes. It was all tapes in those days) and then translate what wed heard. The specifics were important, the difference between a pass and a fail. You would lose marks if you messed up the gender of a word, for example. As far as I can see, thats still how listening is still taught in my home country.Language researchers call this a  bottom-up listening strategy.Bottom-up listening is an okay strategy to use in the classroom. It means carefully listening to each word, pronoun and sentence structure to work out what has been said. Unfortunately, its not a complete listening strategy for use in the real world.In the real world, you cant spend all your listening energy focusing on specific grammar while people speak. Theyll keep talking and youll be lost.Top-down listening, on the other hand, is a great strategy to add more understanding of whats being said.Top-down listening strategies f ocus on concepts. Bottom-up listening strategies focus on words. Both are necessary to be an effective listener.It basically means that you learn a little about the spoken topic beforehand. Here are a few suggestions for implementing a top-down listening strategy for some common activities:If youre going to see a movie or theater play in a foreign language, read the story first.Read up on the topic before going to see a presentation.Try reading about or predicting the content of an audio passage before you listen to it. This will get your brain focusing on concepts and not just specific words.Hang about with a friend who repeats the same anecdote when with different people. You already know the story, so your comprehension will go up dramatically. Its also a great way to make a potentially annoying situation into a useful learning exercise.5. The Gist Is Only Half the Story (or Less)Finally, one thing that we often neglect when listening in another language is to check exactly how m uch we have understood.Beyond a certain level of language ability, we often “get the gist” of what was said. However, sometimes we havent understood as much as we think.Next time you listen to something in your target language, try these six short, easy exercises to prove to yourself that youve understood what was said:Try drawing a picture of what was said.Ask yourself some questions about it and try to answer them.Provide a summary of what was said.Suggest what might come next in the “story.”Translate what was said into another language.“Talk back” to the speaker to engage in imaginary conversation (I do this when listening to the radio).Commit to ListeningAs you can see, listening is pretty important. Are you ready to commit to listening better in your target language?Just remember to use active listening techniques, allow yourself to have a silent period, listen lots to learn  the segmentation rules  of spoken language and flip your listening upside-down by incorpora ting top-down listening strategies.When you follow the exercises to check how much youve understood, youll be amazed at the change!Alex Owen-Hill is a European freelance writer. He writes about science, travel, voice-use, language and any of the hundred other things hes passionate about. Check out his website at www.AlexOwenHill.co.uk. Any questions? Connect with him on Twitter at @AlexOwenHill and ask away! And One More ThingIf youre digging these learning techniques, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interac tive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet  or, better yet, download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or Google Play store.