Body Chemistry - The Key to Training Success

Body Chemistry - The Key to Training SuccessAs you develop your training with cuing, you will begin to learn about the body chemistry. Every athlete knows that he is going to have to work on each element of the game in order to prepare and to become a better athlete. You need to develop an understanding of these elements so that you can perform properly and be a competitive athlete.A vital body chemistry is what most athletes focus on first. This is what influences the way that your body reacts to training and other activities. It includes the concentration of blood and oxygen as well as the activity of the muscles, nerves, and organs. In other words, the body chemistry controls how your body reacts to physical exertion. You must be able to develop the proper chemistry for success.The blood flow in the body, including the oxygen and nutrient levels, is important. You will want to keep a good flow of blood throughout your body so that it can help provide fuel for the muscles and the h eart. If your blood is clogged with lactic acid, the muscles may not be able to function properly. Additionally, the blood is an important component in healing.The body chemistry also controls the way that your mind functions. Your brain reacts to mental stimuli in a way that can affect the way that you react to physical stimuli. If you have an abnormal reaction to physical stimuli, this may cause problems when you are performing a particular activity.The blood glucose level is another vital element. When your glucose level becomes too low, you are in danger of not being able to perform at your peak ability. You must maintain a proper level of glucose throughout your body to ensure that your performance is not compromised.One final area of body chemistry that you need to know about is your hormone levels. As you work on your training, you are going to discover that you are going to have to lower your cortisol levels. Cortisol is an enzyme that helps to keep your blood sugar levels r egulated. When you are training, your body can become overly sensitive to the cortisol levels and have problems regulating your blood sugar.Cortisol can be decreased by lowering your daily cortisol levels to normal. It is important to keep these hormone levels regulated so that your body does not become sensitive to them. This can occur if you lose a significant amount of weight quickly. These are just some of the components of the body chemistry that you will have to be aware of.Learning about these body chemistry aspects of training will help you to understand that the body chemistry can influence the way that you train. You will need to learn how to determine the best ranges that you should be working in for your body. For example, the pH level of your body is going to affect the intensity of your workouts. Therefore, you should pay attention to the pH levels in your body so that you can create a workout that is appropriate for your body.

How to Unleash Your Mind Power 5 Ways to Learn Any Language with a Growth Mindset

How to Unleash Your Mind Power 5 Ways to Learn Any Language with a Growth Mindset You can learn any language.There, I said it.How can I make such a bold claim, without knowing you personally?Because I know you have thoughts.And by using  your thoughts to  develop a growth mindset, you can absolutely  learn a foreign  language.Yes, even  if youve never learned a language before  or if you think your  memory isnt the sharpest.And for those of you who have been learning languages steadily for some time now, if this is the first youve heard of a growth mindset, prepare to be amazed.Ive taken the five main elements of a growth mindset and applied them to language learning, sharing  specific actions you can take today for incredible results. Are you ready to redesign  your mind? What Is a Growth Mindset?You might not have seen the name  Carol Dweck before now, but this world-renowned Stanford University psychology professor is  a bit of a celebrity  in the field of motivation. She has spent decades studying  why people succeed, and that research  is  what led to her r evolutionary discovery of mindsetsâ€"which  well be using to succeed in learning a language.In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,  Dweck explains that there are two contrasting mindsets people may have: fixed and growth. While this isnt a black-and-white situationâ€"you probably fall somewhere on a scale between the two, depending on the situationâ€"were going to look at them individually to better understand each.People with a fixed mindset are concerned with judgement, afraid of failure and cannot self-correct. They generally stick to what theyre good at so that others will view them as successful, and they think intelligence is somewhat fixed.People with a growth mindset see value in improving and learning, love challenges, self-correct and believe in effort. Theyre not afraid to make mistakes while trying something new, as they know thats simply whats necessary when you learn by doing. They agree you can significantly change how intelligent you are, at any point in time.Not only will a growth mindset help you learn new skills and overcome setbacks in any area of your life, but its also the key to learning a foreign language, as youll see in the five tips below.How to Unleash Your Mind Power: 5 Ways to Learn Any Language with a Growth Mindset1. Change Your Inner DialogueDepending on where you currently fall on the fixed/growth mindset scale, acquiring a growth mindset can be a big change, and will require development. Youll literally need to change the way you think, and I have some action items below which will help you do this.But bear with me here, because this step is vital  to learning a foreign language. Dweck writes in her book:The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.Its equally true that  the view  you adopt for  yourself profoundly affects how well you learn a language. So, how should you  think of yourself  with a growth mindset? First, no more I cant ~ or Im so bad at ~ statements. While it is i mportant to be able to identify your weaknesses (as well see in #5), the language you use to  pinpoint these matters.Then, we need to eliminate fear of failure, and furthermore, the idea of failure altogether. Especially in todays society with pristine profiles, photos, websites and online portfolios plastered all over the Internet, many of us have this false idea that anything less than perfect is failure.What you usually dont see online is the behind the scenesâ€"the grit, effort (and mistakes!) it took to get there. Being imperfect is not failure; its perfectly natural. And when you begin learning a new language, theres a ton you wont know. Thats because youve just started learning!When theres a lot you dont know, youre going to make mistakes, youre going to feel unsure and youre going to have questions. This is how you acquire new knowledge and abilities.People with a growth mindset understand to their core that qualities can be cultivated; youre not born with it. By putting in continual effort and following the four tips to come, you can learn a foreign language. Take your focus away from success/failure, and place it on the learning.Heres an example of how you might change your thoughts:Fixed mindset: Im so bad at Chinese; people never understand me and I can never remember the words for what I want to say!Growth mindset: Today people had some trouble understanding me, so Im going to work on my pronunciation with my language partner. It may be hard for me to remember words right now, but I will study with FluentU to improve over time.I highly recommend reading Mindset to help you develop this type of thinking, but here are three actions you can do which will also set you on the growth mindset path.Actions to change your inner thoughts:Create inspirational quotes: Find some relevant quotes in English (such as any of  these, these or these) and translate them into your target language. If youre not a beginner, go ahead and search for the quotes directly in your target language, skipping the translation process. Write them out by  hand on notecards and post them up in your room. Put one on the bathroom mirror and read it aloud every morning and night, and bring a few more quotes (or copies) to work. Change your phone and computer backgrounds to one of these quotes. Read it again and again, and youll actually begin to change your thinking.Identify worry/fears: To help overcome any fears of failure or leaving your comfort zone (#2), I recommend using Dale Carnegies method to overcome worry from his lovely book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. For any  situation that makes you uneasy, ask yourself, Whats the worst that could possibly happen? Mentally picture the worst that might happen,  and write it down. Then, accept the worst (pretend thats what has happened), and try to improve on it.Stop comparing: You can gain awesome motivation and tips from polyglot stars, but dont let yourself into the comparing trap (i.e., Ill never be li ke him, But she went to an immersion high school!, etc.) Be on the lookout for comparingâ€"especially when browsing social media or interacting with fellow language learners in your class or at language exchanges. You need to catch yourself in the act, and then change your internal dialogue. The next time you come across someone with a higher skill level in your target language, rather than compare, ask them for advice! Remember, they were once at your exact level.2. Push Outside of Your Comfort ZoneAnother big characteristic of people with a growth mindset is that they push beyond their comfort zone. Pushing beyond this zone will feel, well, uncomfortable!â€"but its necessary to gain new skills, like  speaking a foreign language.If you want something to become easy and familiar, you have to do it over and over; you cant avoid it. Our natural hesitancy, however, is to stick to the comfortable. To remind me to watch out for this tendency, I have a quote up in my room that says:Choose growth over comfort.Any time Im hesitant to make a phone call in French, for example, those four words remind me that being uncomfortable or nervous for the duration of a quick phone call will only help me become more at ease in the long run. The more I do it, the less of a big deal it will seem.If youre just starting out learning a language, youll soon become comfortable with the present tense, or some  basic words when speaking and writing. Its a lot easier to say I went than to learn and use a more accurate description such as I fled, I drove, I set off, I moseyed on over, etc. Our third action item below will help you get past this very language comfort.Another phrase to remember is Start before youre ready.So many people unfortunately take away their own opportunities to learn by thinking they arent ready. Im not good enough for a conversation partner, I couldnt understand a movie or I cant order from an all-Chinese menu are all thoughts that will prevent you from improving.Ag ain, its doing the actions that will make you ready, or rather, allow you to progress. The sooner you jump in and leave your comfort zone, the sooner that zone will expand to where youve gone.Dont forget that you can also push outside of your comfort zone when it comes to learning  methods. Maybe youve been sticking to homework assigned in your language class, or to one favorite language learning app, for example. Expand your learning tools and give some new methods a try.Actions to push your comfort zone:Go to a language exchange:  Go to a language exchange or have a video call with a native speaker before youre ready. If youve never done this before, now is the time. If youre nervous, know that all of the other language learners were once in your exact shoes; they had to start somewhere. Prepare a quick intro and a few questions ahead of time, so that you have somewhere to start. Remind yourself throughout that its all a learning experience.Make calls on G+:  Every two weeks, load up $5  on Google Hangouts,  call a business/hotel/restaurant/university somewhere in the world where your target language is spoken and ask them some basic questions. Even if its your first month of language learning, you can do this!  The distance and triviality of the call should make you much calmer and relaxed.  Make several calls during a single session, and feel free to  choose a target topic/phrases each week to focus  the calls.Eliminate five:  Choose five foreign words that you use most frequently (i.e., good, bad, go, etc.). For the next week, youre not allowed to say or write these words. Instead, look up synonyms before the week begins, and carry them around with you. You could do a week of adjectives, another week of five verbs, etc. If you arent using your target  language that frequently, feel free to extend the ban to several weeks or a monthâ€"though we recommend increasing your frequency too!Block  sites: Use a free site blocker (like this Chrome extension) to blo ck your regular news site and delete any news apps you might have in your native language from your devices. Replace it with a news site in your target language by adding it to your browsers favorites bar and downloading any apps. For the next three weeks, every time you want to check the news, use the site in your target language.Have a weekly hour of attack: Keep a running list of the hardest/scariest/most confusing topics for you right now. If you were an  English learner, for example, topics might include if clauses,  who vs. whom, take vs. bring or  how to ask questions.  Spend one hour each week investigating these topics in-depth. (Feel free to break this into two half-hour sessions, by the way.) Start with the first topic  on your list  and look up various explanations of the concept (blog posts, websites, workbooks, etc.). Ask a tutor or teacher for help if its still unclear after referencing a variety of sources.Then, look for usage examples in various media (podcasts, sho ws, FluentU clips, magazines, etc.). Finally, bring together all youve learned into an ultimate resource on the topic. I make a rough draft on printing paper as I collect information, and then neatly write the final page of notes in a notebook used just for this purpose. You might end up spending several weeks (aka several hours) on a single concept. The goal is to know the topic so well that you could teach someone else, and your final page of notes will be a great tool for reference and review.While Ive personally only used this technique with tricky grammatical topics (after all, those are often the scary topics we want to avoid), you can certainly adapt it for  themes  as well. You might explore  broad themes like  home and  weather, or more specific topics like a current event, ordering food at a restaurant or writing an email.3. Pursue Your CuriositiesPeople with a growth mindset plunge in wholeheartedly, because they have a genuine desire to know more. Perhaps the language it self is a huge curiosity for you, but more likely you can pair another interest with your target language to authentically get pulled in.Julia Childs account of learning to cook French cuisine in her delightful book My Life in France is absolutely  fascinating. At the age of 37, upon moving overseas to Paris for her husbands job, she became so curious about and interested in French cuisine that it ended up shaping the rest of her life.It was speaking with the vendors at the local markets and with chefs at restaurants that helped her French to progress. She wanted to know more about the foods and their preparation, so she needed the language to find answers. Here are two  quotes from the book that show just how strong Julias passion was for French cuisine:One of the things I loved about French cooking was the way that basic themes could be made in a seemingly infinite number of variations I wanted to try them all, and I did. I learned how to do things professionally, like how to fix properly a piece of fish in thirteen different ways, or how to use the specialized vocabulary of the kitchenâ€"petits dés are vegetables diced quite finely; a  douille  is the tin nozzle of a pastry pan that lets you squeeze a cake decoration as the icing blurps out.When I wasnt at school, I was experimenting at home, and became a bit of a Mad Scientist. I did hours of research on mayonnaise, for instance, and although no one else seemed to care about it, I thought it was utterly fascinating.Julia admits  that she made so much mayonnaise during that phase of experimentation  that she and her husband could hardly stand to eat it anymore, so she actually started dumping batches down the toilet! What a shame, writes Julia, But in this way I had finally discovered a foolproof recipe, which was glory!  Clearly Julia was propelled forward by the desire to know more about French cuisine.Some interests may align strongly with a languages culture, but definitely dont limit yourself to cooki ng in French, dancing tango  in Spanish or doing taekwondo in Korean, for example.Actions to pursue your curiosities:Use Google or Wikipedia to look up curiosities: Often, when I have a small curiosity to learn about something, Ill do a quick search on Google or Wikipedia to learn a bit about it. Im assuming you probably do the same. So for one week each month, do every single Google and Wikipedia search in your target language. For that week, you could change your Google location to a country where your target language is spoken (heres how to do that). Or, you can change your home page to the Google domain of a country that speaks your target language (e.g., www.google.co.jp is Japans Google domain).  Heres a list of Google domains. On Wikipedia, the language settings are on the left-side panel.Start a passion project: Start a focused project exploring something youre excited about. This is something youd do in your free time purely out of interest and pleasure. Today, the term pas sion project is often equated with a small side business, but generating income is not what were aiming to do here. For a quick non-language-related example, Sarah Coyne  loves national parks, sending snail mail and painting, so she began a personal project called Post for the Parksâ€"which uniquely combines all three interests.Here are some  ideas for your project: writing a childrens book in your target language, interviewing immigrants (or natives of another countryâ€"dont forget you can do Skype interviews too!) about a topic of your choice, making a calendar in your target language tracking an event (political, historical, current, science, etc.) or composing a song with lyrics in your  target language. For more ideas, consider tweaking one of these school project ideas to involve  your target language and interests.4. Take On Challenges That Will Stretch YouA  fourth quality of people with a growth mindset is that they wont shy away from a hearty challenge. In this instance, I m using the word challenge to signify an undertaking that should be quite difficultâ€"think 48 Hour Film Project,  Tough Mudder  or The Big Moment  (Anyone else remember that 90s TV show?).So ideally there should be a hard deadline, a shorter timeline (from two days to three months), and it should feel like a sprint. Its not something you could do all the time, such as Study 10 minutes every day this month. Rather, this is on top of your regular language practice time.Make sure your challenge lines up with your learning objectives. For example, if youre learning German in order to read  original works of German philosophers, a speaking challenge clearly wont be the best way for you to  get there.Once youve chosen your challenge and start date, begin telling  all of your friends and family about it. This will help hold you accountable. You might even find someone who wants to do the challenge with you, which would be excellent for accountability! Share your progress throughout the ch allenge so you dont lose steam.Like the passion project, your challenges could take on many shapes and sizes (and should be interesting to you), but here are a few ideas to get you started.Possible  challenges to take on:1000 Words Challenge:  If youre a total beginner, try the 1000 Words Challenge, created by  Vocab Express in association with  Oxford University Press. You get a free account with a simple registration (email, username, password), which lasts the duration of the 1000 Words campaign. The current languages offered in this particular platform are French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese and Arabic. Vocab Express has organized the 1000 words by category, and it  teaches you the vocab through various learn modes and tracks how much youve learned. Youll have to give yourself your own deadline, though. How about three months?Add1Challenge:  The Add1Challenge  was designed specifically for language learners. The goal is to hold a 15-minute conversation with a native speaker in 90 daysâ€"even if youre starting  from zero. The challenge is for serious participants only, as you must pay 97 USD to join the community. Whats more, if you dont submit a required video by the deadline, for example, youll be removed from the Facebook groupâ€"no refund. But if youre all in, the support from the community and structure of this challenge can produce incredible results.Ignite presentation:  Igniteâ€"whose tagline is Enlighten us, but make it quickâ€"is a type of presentation where you have 20 slides, which automatically change every 15 seconds. That means you have 5 minutes to give the presentation. For a language challenge,  prepare and give an Ignite presentation in your  target language about something important to you. Due to the automatic advancement of the slides,  youll have to  practice to get your timing rightâ€"so those repetitions will be great for getting comfortable in  your target language. Choose a specific deadline thats honest ly challenging for you. Olivia Mitchell, who prepared her first Ignite presentation  in 3 hours,  shares her tips for speedy preparation here.5. Examine Yourself and Self-correctThe final major  quality of people with a growth mindset is that they regularly examine themselves and confront the truthâ€"good or badâ€"to self-correct.  If you dont know whats not working, how can you fix it?We said earlier that you should  eliminate negative language from your internal dialogue (i.e., I cant ~), but positive, talent-based praise is also a slippery slope. If you  repeatedly tell yourself Im so good at vocabulary, a fixed mindset would  want to prove that statement true, which makes it hard to admit when something needs attention. (A better praise, by the way, would be one that praises effortâ€"not abilityâ€"such as,  Im working so hard to learn this  vocabulary. Gold star for me!)Since people with a growth mindset know its effort that produces results, and arent afraid to be seen as faili ng,  they more accurately assess their progress, strengths and weaknesses. Regularly assessing your language-learning progress from day one will allow you to spend your study time more efficiently, working on what actually needs the most attention. This, in turn, will drastically speed you closer to your goals.Keep in mind that youll want to measure both your language skills and  your language-learning methods. Maybe youve been listening to podcasts for Japanese learners every day  on your way to work, but youre often distracted by the traffic and havent held on to a single phrase that was taught. Taking the time to stop and reflect on your methods will allow you to realize something needs to changeâ€"perhaps you should  listen to Japanese music on the way to work instead, and listen to the podcast in the evening with a transcript in front of you, for example.Actions to examine yourself and self-correct:Set specific goals: In order to examine your progress, the first step is to know where youre headed. Sit down for 15 minutes and write down your language goals.  Use this guide to set effective language-learning goals, and you can download a  free goal planning sheet here  made specifically for language learners by  Lindsay Does Languages. The worksheet is great because in addition to your goals, it has you pinpoint exactly how youll measure your progress. You might end up inventing  some sorts of  tests  so  that you can track hard numbers/documentation, to see change over time. (I record a video of myself speaking unscripted in French for about 5 minutes each month as one of my ways to measure progress, for example.)Have monthly check-ins:  Check in at least monthly. Block off 15 minutes at the end of each month by writing it in your planner or scheduling it on a calendar app. A good time to do this scheduling is right once youve finished your goal setting; go ahead and pencil them  in for the next 6 to 12 months. When you sit down, look at what youve tracked over the previous month. Ask yourself basic questions: What went well? What didnt go well?  Are my methods  effective?  Celebrate your progress  and make a plan of attack that adjusts your methods and hones in  on your weakest skills.  Keep a color calendar:  Last spring, I used four different colored highlighters to track how much time I was spending on the  four skillsâ€"speaking, reading, writing and listeningâ€"in my paper planner. When I went to a language exchange, I colored in that time slot with the color for speaking. When I watched a movie in French, I colored in listening. At the end of each week I would  look back and easily see how  I had  spent my time, and plan for the next week accordingly. I tracked all four skills because I wanted to learn all four, and I used paper because I prefer it, but you might want to track something else or use a slightly different system. Note that time doesnt necessarily equal progress in that skill, but this is  a nice basic way to get you started  self-examining.Ask for feedback:  Tell  your private tutor/classroom teacher/language exchange partner that youd like to know the top three areas where you need the most work. Give them some notice so that your teacher/tutor/partner can pay attention during the next couple of class periods/sessions to give you accurate feedback. This  will help you fix mistakes much quicker because theyll be clearly identified for you!By developing these five qualities of a growth mindset, you can nurture thoughts that will not only help you learn any languageâ€"but change your entire life.Rebecca Thering is a writer, editor and English teacher who has lived abroad in Spain, South Korea and France. Valuing education and things that aren’t things, she inspires and helps others by blogging  about her experiences abroad, cultural insights and self-improvement pursuits at Rebe With a Clause.

Teacher of the Week #6 Amera

Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Eid Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Eid This week, we are proud to feature a rising star,  Amera Eid  as our Teacher of the Week. Amera teaches Arabic on italki and has an impressive 5.0 feedback rating. Check out Amera speaking Arabic in this video with Fluent in 3 months:  Heres what some of her students had to say about Ameras class: Amera is very encouraging and is patient with me. She always gives me time to repeat or practice my new words and sentences. I feel very comfortable in my attempt to express myself in Arabic. I love my teacher! ?? michaeljarman Amera is awesome! Ive already learned so much in one half hour intro session! Looking forward to continuing more intensively with her.   nicklesb Book a lesson with her by visiting her profile here. Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Eid Teacher of the Week #6 Amera Eid This week, we are proud to feature a rising star,  Amera Eid  as our Teacher of the Week. Amera teaches Arabic on italki and has an impressive 5.0 feedback rating. Check out Amera speaking Arabic in this video with Fluent in 3 months:  Heres what some of her students had to say about Ameras class: Amera is very encouraging and is patient with me. She always gives me time to repeat or practice my new words and sentences. I feel very comfortable in my attempt to express myself in Arabic. I love my teacher! ?? michaeljarman Amera is awesome! Ive already learned so much in one half hour intro session! Looking forward to continuing more intensively with her.   nicklesb Book a lesson with her by visiting her profile here.

The Bruice Organic Chemistry Blog

The Bruice Organic Chemistry BlogThe Bruice Organic Chemistry blog can help you understand some of the complexities involved in chemistry. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to this type of knowledge, or is educated enough to understand the importance of what you read on a daily basis. With this in mind, this might be a great idea for those who are just getting started in their career as well as for those who are trying to learn more about the field of chemistry.One thing to note with the Bruice blog is that most of the posts and articles written by Dr. Dre will come from a personal experience. In other words, it can be difficult to interpret a reading on a daily basis if you don't have direct personal experience to relate to.The Bruice Organic Chemistry blog is also great for those who are in a field that doesn't require a large amount of training or experience. The same goes for those who are simply interested in learning more about chemistry.The Bruice Organic Chemistry blog w ill explain in simple terms some of the basics that are involved in chemistry. The reason why this is helpful is because a lot of the topics that need to be covered are actually fairly simple. Often times, reading about chemistry can be very confusing, especially to someone who is new to the field of chemistry.The comments section of the Bruice Organic Chemistry blog can be a great resource for those who want to get an understanding of how they can apply what they read on the blog to their professional lives. People who are new to chemistry often find it hard to learn what they need to know before they enter a field that requires a great deal of learning.In addition to talking about the Bruice Organic Chemistry blog, Dr. Dre's chemistry podcast can also be a great resource for those who are just starting to learn about chemistry. Because Dr. Dre puts so much emphasis on the podcast, it can provide those who want to learn more about chemistry for a great resource.Just make sure that you take your time when learning about chemistry. Sometimes, learning about it can be easy, but it might take a long time for someone who just started out.

Online Chemistry Tutors

Online Chemistry TutorsWhether you're working towards a degree in Organic Chemistry or if you're just looking to improve your Chemistry grades, you can find an online Chemistry tutor in the form of a website or a private tutor. However, you will need to consider which type of online Chemistry tutor will suit your learning style, their availability and the time that you have to spend with them.When you start to look for an online Chemistry tutor, it is important to check if they offer the format you're looking for. For example, if you are someone who wants to take Chemistry courses at the most convenient time possible, then you may want to check with them to see if they offer 'live' learning.For a teacher who is teaching a class of two students, this means that the student who is the instructor of record can actually talk with the students individually while the other student is taking their test or homework, so that they can watch what their students are doing and ensure that they're doing their homework correctly. It can also mean that the teacher can set up a time to take the students' test or assignments together, allowing you to take your test with your classmates.Another option that you may want to consider if you are looking for an online Organic Chemistry tutor is the possibility of taking 'homework lessons.' This can mean that you get to interact with the online tutors in the same way that you would with a real one and that you get to spend the rest of your day in class with the tutor and get feedback from them as well.Online tutors will usually work from home or from their own offices, so that you don't have to worry about travel time. However, it is always important to remember that in the long run, whether you choose online, a live online or a private tutor, the price that you pay will be based on the amount of work that you do each week, not whether or not you are able to afford the tutor.If you decide to use an online tutoring service, it is import ant to make sure that you have enough knowledge about the materials to which you are taking the classes, and that you have all the online experience you'll need to communicate effectively with the online tutors. If you have a good knowledge about the content of the course, then you should be able to communicate well with the online tutor, as you probably would face to face.Finally, when you are going to look for an online Organic Chemistry tutor, it is important to make sure that you take your time to decide on the best online option for you. You don't want to waste your time or money by taking an online chemistry tutor who isn't available.

Recession Can Not Slow Interest In Elite Colleges

Recession Can Not Slow Interest In Elite Colleges The stacks and online databases of hopeful, entrance applications for the incoming 2009-2010 freshmen class have grown sharply for the nations top, competitive schools, decreasing the chances of acceptance, according to The New York Times. Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale and Brown are some of the more recognizable schools that saw increases in applications. These schools have traditionally been highly selective, and they have scrutinized applications further, making it one of the toughest years for hopeful students. The Times reported that the percentage of students accepted into these competitive colleges has been or near record lows. Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard since 1986, told The New York Times that Harvard had a record high number of applications for this year with 29,112. This marked a 6% increase from last year. He said that the percentage of students admitted dropped from 8% last year to 7%. Dartmouth had a similar numbers with 18,130 applications and a 12% acceptance rate, both of which were records. Stanford had a 20% increase in applications with 30,350 with an estimated 7.5% acceptance rate, which would be its lowest in school history. Furthermore, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton all experienced increases in applications. Brown reported increases of 21%, Yale 14%, Columbia 13%, Cornell 3%, the University of Pennsylvania 4% and Princeton said it was up 2% as of January, according to The New York Times. Despite the increase of interest in Ivy League Schools and many other elite, selective colleges, many liberal arts schools had a decline in applications, according to The New York Times. Williams Colleges, in Massachusetts, overall applications dropped 20%, which increased the percentage of accepted students to 20%. The New York times attributed the schools drop to its location. The New York Times reported that travelling to and from school could be expensive because Williams College is distant from any major city or airport. Middlebury College in Vermont had a 12% drop in applications for similar reasons, according to The New York Times . Amherst, a Williams College rival, in Massachusetts reported that applications were down 1%; however, the college boosted its admission rate to 16% because Amherst wants to increase its number of first-year students by 25. Wesleyan University in Connecticut, however, had a 22% increase in applications, dropping its admission rate by 5% to 22%. There were not many changes in the common application, an online application that over 350 universities accept, according to The New York Times. The Times also reported that there has been a surge in applications for major, well-known public universities. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and The University of Virginia in Charlottesville all saw gains in the number of applications. Because of these increasing statistics, students will find it increasingly difficult and more competitive to get into these elite universities. The chance of that acceptance letter bearing good news in the mailbox is greatly decreasing. The U.S News and World Report reported its rankings of the best, national schools in mid June, 2009. 1. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA 2. Princeton University: Princeton, NJ 3. Yale University: New Haven, CT 4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cambridge, MA 4. Stanford University: Stanford, CA 6. California Institute of Technology: Pasadena, CA 6. University of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, PA 8. Columbia University: New York, NY 8. Duke University: Durham, NC 8. University of Chicago: Chicago, IL 11. Dartmouth University: Hanover, NH 12. Northwestern University: Evanston, IL 12. Washington University: Saint Louis, MO 14. Cornell University: Ithaca, NY 15. Johns Hopkins University: Baltimore, MD 16. Brown University: Providence, RI

Learn Hindi Tools for Improving Hindi Conversation Skills

Learn Hindi Tools for Improving Hindi Conversation Skills 6 Tips for Improving Your Hindi Conversation ChaptersWhy Can’t I Speak Hindi?Practise Your Listening Skills in the Hindi LanguageLearn to Speak Hindi With Conversation PartnersImmerse Yourself in Hindi Language and CultureSo you’ve signed up for Hindi language courses, you’ve learned the Devanagari alphabet, practised your vocabulary, done all your grammar exercises, but your conversation is limited to the basic words and phrases covered in your beginners’ textbook?Despite all the time you have put aside to study Hindi verb declensions, you still aren’t able to communicate fluently?Here are some Superprof tips and tricks to improve your conversational Hindi. GiusyHindi Teacher 5.00 (3) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnchalHindi Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NehaHindi Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AkshayaHindi Teacher £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SuhaniHindi Teacher 5.00 (4) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutor s MedhaHindi Teacher 5.00 (2) £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PriyankaHindi Teacher £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SaurabhHindi Teacher £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Can’t I Speak Hindi?How is it that, even though you have been learning your vocabulary religiously, done all the written exercises to learn sentence structure and basic phrases, you still can’t get out more than simple greetings in spoken conversation?That is because you learn languages on several levels. They can be divided into:Written and oral comprehensionActive and passive vocabularyWritten versus Oral ComprehensionReading something - whether in the Hindi alphabet or transliteration - and hearing it are two different things. Unless you really have an excellent ear, there will always be a certain variation in what you hear when you read a vocabulary list and what you hear when the words are spoken by a native speaker.For one thing, someone with Hindi as his mother tongue will probably be speaking faster than you. When you read, you have all the time you need to consider the Hindi words and figure out their meaning. For another, he or she might be speaking a dialect that pronounces things slightly differently, whereas the words will always look the same when written down.Understanding each other and having a conversation in Hindi is essential for good international relations! Photo credit: UK in India on Visual huntActive versus Passive VocabularyThen there is the difference between passive and active vocabulary - the difference between understanding and speaking.It’s easier to understand something that is said because all you need to do is remember the vocabulary. Hopefully, your grammar lessons included enough examples of Hindi phrases that you can eventually automatically comprehend which word is the subject, object and verb.However, when you try to speak yourself, you not only have to find the right words but also:arrange them in the ri ght orderdecline the verb tenses,use the right gender,match adjectives in number and gender to the nouns, etc.This may come easily when faced with words on paper, but in front of a live person who is waiting for an answer, perhaps impatiently, whom you feel might be judging you, you often freeze up. Maybe you’re also afraid of getting it wrong and being misunderstood, of your pronunciation not being up to par.All this comes together to make having a conversation in the Hindi language more difficult than reading or writing. It’s also why it’s often easier to speak a language while drunk - while you still need to call forth the words from your passive vocabulary, you stop overthinking things and simply get the words out.But since we at Superprof cannot condone drunken language learning, here are some tips for improving your ear and improving your conversation.Practise Your Listening Skills in the Hindi LanguageThe first part of a conversation is understanding what people are tel ling you. This means improving your listening skills and learning to understand Hindi spoken as a native language.How to learn Hindi through audioOne way to get used to the tones and rhythms of the Hindi language is to listen to an audio recording.   It frees you from visual stimuli and lets you focus on the rise and fall of the language.This is a good solution for learning Hindi on the go. You can listen to audio files almost anywhere - on your daily commute, while out jogging, while doing grunt work or just before going to sleep. Just remember: safety first! You need to be able to hear your surroundings if you are outside or working.So what kind of audio files are good for practising your Hindi?listening to Hindi music.Tuning in to a Hindi online radio station or podcast.Downloading your favourite Hindi books as audiobooks.Learning Hindi in a classroom is the first step - immersing yourself in Hindi language and culture is the next! Photo credit: WorldLitToday on VisualhuntLearnin g Hindi through Hindi videoBut while listening to the Hindi language is good for learning the rhythm of Hindi, the best way to get used to Hindi conversation is to actually see someone speak - after all, the Indian culture is different from ours. There are going to be different visual cues and body language.For example, where we might nod to show we understand or to punctuate a sentence, in many parts of India they dip their head slightly to the side.Body language and facial expressions are as important a part of learning a new language as knowing your Hindi vocabulary by heart.For that, you need to see people speaking Hindi. And there are several ways to do that:Learn Hindi online with video blogs, tutorials and YouTube videos. They don’t have to be about learning Hindi, you can watch videos about anything that interests you.Watch Indian TV via satellite or online libraries.Watch Bollywood movies. Not only will you have fun and learn about the Indian culture, you will also practi ce your Hindi through listening to dialogue.Careful, though! Not every Indian video will be in Hindi - they could be in Nepali, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi or Bengali.Learn to Speak Hindi With Conversation PartnersBut though improving your listening skills is a good start, it’s not quite enough for your conversation skills. For that, you need the give-and-take of an actual conversation. This is the best way to learn Hindi expressionsBut how can you speak to a native speaker without going to India?The best way is to hook up with a language partner.Often, this takes the form of a language exchange. You find someone who speaks Hindi and who wants to learn to speak English, and you each spend some time talking exclusively in each language.There are various ways you can get in touch with a potential language partner.Finding the right Hindi language exchange partner is the first step to improving your Hindi conversation! Photo on Visualhunt.How to learn Hindi with live la nguage partnersA nice way to learn Hindi and make new friends is to meet up with a language partner in person. There are several websites that can pair you up with a native Hindi speaking course near you.Or you can see if your local university offers Hindi as a subject. If it does, you can go there and put up a notice on the message board if they have one, advertising for someone to speak Hindi with.You can also ask local Indian restaurants if you can put up a notice, or in shops that sell Indian products.Be certain that you first meet in a neutral location, such as a café. Ordering food is also a good way to break the ice!A good way to make sure you have something to talk about the first few meetings is to both read an article or book or watch the same Hindi movie and discuss it.Language partners onlineThere are a number of apps and websites that let you chat with people from various countries - whether you want to learn Portuguese, learn Korean, learn Arabic or learn Chinese. Mos tly, it’s written - so they are not necessarily ideal for practising speaking. However, this is a good intermediate solution for learning the give-and-take of conversation while still leaving you time to order your thoughts.A few apps and websites where people can post their interest in language chats are:Conversation ExchangeItalki  My Language ExchangeSome of them, though, offer written or face chats on-site (or in-app) such as:Open Language Exchange  Scrabbin  Tandem (app)HelloTalk (app)Another option is to get a private tutor in Hindi, either live or via Skype.Immerse Yourself in Hindi Language and CultureThe best possible way of learning a language, though, is through immersion. And that means going to India.When choosing where in India you want to live, be sure to choose someplace where Hindi is the main language. For while Hindi is the official language of India for many purposes, it is only one of many. Mostly it is spoken in northern India, in the following states:BiharCh hattisgarhDelhiHaryanaHimachal PradeshJharkhandMadhya PradeshRajasthanUttarakhandUttar PradeshThere are some other places, such as Mumbai, where Hindi is spoken, but there it is very much influenced by the Marathi language, so unless you have an internship at a Bollywood studio, you should stick to the areas above.It’s even better if you can take a language course at the same time to improve your knowledge of grammar rules and pronunciation.Take an immersion holidayThere are a number of companies that offer immersion holidays, or you can plan your own. The idea is not to stay in the tourist hotels, but somewhere you will be forced to interact with locals, going to the market, maybe even taking on a small job for a few weeks.This means that in that time you will be speaking nothing but Hindi, hearing nothing but Hindi and reading nothing but the Hindi script. The phrase: “Do you speak English?” is taboo on an immersion holiday!Immerse yourself in Indian culture by learning Hind i in India - during an immersion holiday. Photo credit: Claudio Nichele (@jihan65 on Twitter) on VisualHunt.comBecome an au-pair in IndiaIf you want to stay a bit longer, becoming an au-pair is a possibility.As an au-pair, you will live with a Hindi-speaking family and help around the house (au-pairs are often used as nannies, so getting on well with children is a plus!). In exchange, they will speak Hindi to you and you will live in India with free room and board.You will generally have a little bit of pocket money and some au-pair agencies will also offer Hindi language classes to help you with your possessive pronouns and subjunctive.Or why not try a private tutor to learn Hindi, and get support both in grammar and conversation!

TakeLessons Rock Star Teacher of the Week Kasey M.

TakeLessons Rock Star Teacher of the Week Kasey M. ksurmacewicz Our latest Rock Star Teacher of the Week is a wonderful example of    a teacher who goes above and beyond for her students and truly wants them to get the most out of their lessons and the fact that she has 12 continuing students certainly shows how much they enjoy taking lessons with her!   Meet Kasey M. from Richardson, TX, who specializes in classical piano and vocal lessons, as well as beginner and intermediate music theory.   Kaseys experience in music began at the age of five in her mothers private piano studio and continued through college at Angelo State University where she studied Music Education.   Throughout her college years she participated in numerous praise and worship bands, and after completing her first CD, she was able to use the money from sales to travel to Washington State to do mission work for a summer. Kasey describes herself as patient, fun and imaginative, and loves passing on the gift of music to anyone wanting to learn!   When teaching she believes that the student and teacher are a team and should work together to tailor lesson curriculum to fit each individual student’s needs and goals.   She also has a very impressive introductory video which gives potential students a feel for what lessons with her will be like.   Congratulations on all your accomplishments Kasey, and thanks for being such a great example for our TakeLessons teachers!

How To Avoid College Admissions Red Flags

How To Avoid College Admissions Red Flags Imagine being a college admissions officer, and your job is to say no to 75 percent of the applications you see. Youre supposed to decline students, and when you accept students or give your approval, you must have a very good reason. When you decline a student, there are no questions asked. So, admissions officers jobs are easier when they decline students, and some are just looking for reasons to decline you. If you claim to volunteer for 100 hours of community service every week or your application is full of typos, youre probably not going to make it to the next round. Avoid these following pitfalls to improve your application. The US News World Report asked a group of college admissions officers and deans at the Unigo Admissions Experts Network what they are looking for in students applications. Ralph Becker, Ivy College Prep, LLC told the US News World Report that the two biggest red flags are exaggerated extracurriculars and over polished essays. Your essay should be free from grammar errors; however, if your mom or dad wrote it for you, an admissions officer will know immediately. A writing tutor can help you make your essay error free and help you find your own voice. If your essay causes red flags, some colleges may even dig up your SAT/ACT essay and see if the writing styles are similar. If they are not, then youll find your application in the wrong pile. Consider getting professional assistance from either an English teacher or writing tutor to help you write an essay that is true to you. Becker also said if you are trying to portray yourself as someone youre not through exaggerated extracurriculars, admissions counselors will red flag your application instantly. He said that the University of California has a truth-in-application program, which statistically examines and verifies activity claims. It places an average number on extracurriculars (say at 8 hours a week). And if your application claims that you have well over 8 hours a week, it will place you in a higher percentage of likelihood. If you claim a lot of activity, you may fall in the top 90 percent of students in terms of extracurriculars, which will create a red flag. Colleges will then try to verify that by doing some research on you. Nancy Meislahn, dean of admissions and financial aid,Wesleyan University advises students not to leave blanks in their application literally and figuratively. According to her, colleges want to see your story. They want to know how you became who you are. Just tell that story from beginning to end. Anything that does not seem authentic or true to you could create a red flag. Ralph Figueroa, director of college guidance, Albuquerque Academy, said that he applies the do-you-want-to-be-this-students-roommate test when he reviews applications. He said he is looking more so for positive traits than red flags. Colleges are trying to build a community, so red flags about characterhonesty, integrity, and behaviorcan be extremely damaging, he said. He recommends that students just be honest about their accomplishments and just be themselves. Colleges will see the good in you.