5 Pieces of College Prep Advice from an Student

IvyWise Pro Bono Student Eunice Gives Insight and Advice Into Her College Admissions Journey Often the college prep advice that students can best relate to is that given by peers going through the same journey. So what insight do students currently navigating the college admissions landscape have for others? We caught up with pro bono student Eunice to get her take on what students need to keep in mind when applying to college this fall, and some advice for students who may be just starting the college prep process! At, we work with a wide variety of students in various stages of the admissions process, including a number of pro bono students. Our students have a wealth of insight, and every so often we like to check in with some of our pro bono students to see how their admissions process is going and what advice we have for others. Check out Eunice’s college prep advice and watch her video diary below! Your College Application Essay Isn’t a â€Å"Formula†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Throughout high school I’ve always been taught the very professional, formula five-paragraph essay, but the college essay is very creative in that it has more space than a simple formula.† It’s important for students to remember that their college application essay or personal statement is an opportunity to get creative and let the admissions office learn something about you that can’t be found anywhere else. Don’t focus on creating an academic-type essay that just lists what’s already on your activity list. Instead, get creative and dig deep to find a topic that gives more context to your interests and who you are as a student and person. There’s no formula or â€Å"right way† to write your college application essay, so take time to brainstorm, write, edit, and revise your college application essay until it’s something you’d be really proud to submit. Welcome Feedbackâ€Å"The college admissions process is a process in which you should truly welcome feedback†¦what you may be thinking is very clear on your essay may not be clear when someone else reads it.† Writing a creative and compelling essay is hard, and often an exercise that some students are not used to. This is why it’s important for students to welcome feedback on their essays, as well as other components of their college applications. Your college counselor, independent counselor, and even teachers and parents can offer valuable insight into how an essay reads. Your college counselor can also give feedback on your activity list, supplements, and more. Use the resources available to you to get the most comprehensive feedback possible and use it to submit applications that represent the best version of you! Check In On Yourselfâ€Å"It’s really important for you to check in on yourself during this college application process because it’s inevitable that for many people it’s going to be very stressful and very intense no matter how much you prepare for it...it’s important to check up on yourself and for ideas to ruminate and have some time for these ideas to develop.† Don’t let the college admissions process consume you! Yes, it’s a lot of work and can be stressful, but it’s important to take a step back and reevaluate if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed. Take some time to do the things that you enjoy and spend time with your family and friends. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. This process is about you, so check in on yourself and make sure that you’re taking advantage of all the support available to you. Follow Your Passionsâ€Å"If you truly fill up your high school experience with things that you love doing it’s going to go past in like a minute.† The college admissions process is about self-discovery. Students should use their time in high school to learn about the things they’re most passionate about and pursue them! Work to identify your passions and interests early on, and fill your time with activities, outside reading, and other initiatives that can help you delve more deeply into those interests. Don't do things that you think will â€Å"look good† to admissions officers. They’re looking for authenticity, not a packaged student who fits a mold you think they’re looking for. Fill your time with the things you truly love, and you’ll have a rewarding admissions season come senior year. Focus on Collaboration Not Competitionâ€Å"Have a really great support network of people supporting you throughout this process rather than feeling so intensely in competition with other people.† The college admissions process can be extremely competitive, especially if you’re applying to some of the most selective colleges and universities in the US. However, your peers are a source of support, so don’t feel like you need to be in constant competition with them. Not only can that ruin friendships, it can also make for a very unfulfilling high school experience if you’re constantly worried about how you’re doing in comparison to others. Instead, work to collaborate with your peers. Find ways to better explore your interests together and learn from one another! What advice do you have for students applying to college this fall? Tell us in the comments below! If you plan to apply to college this fall or in the future, get on the right track by downloading our free College Planning Checklist!

How Proper Tire Inflation Can Help the Environment

When tires are not inflated to the pounds per square inch (PSI) rating recommended by manufacturers, they are less â€Å"round† and require more energy to begin moving and to maintain speed. As such, under-inflated tires do indeed contribute to pollution and increase fuel costs. Get Better Mileage An informal study by students at Carnegie Mellon University found that the majority of cars on U.S. roads are operating on tires inflated to only 80 percent of capacity. According to the website, fueleconomy.gov, inflating tires to their proper pressure can improve mileage by about 3.3 percent, whereas leaving them under-inflated can lower mileage by 0.4 percent for every one PSI drop in pressure of all four tires. Fuel Costs and Emissions That may not sound like much, but it means that the average person who drives 12,000 miles yearly on under-inflated tires uses about 144 extra gallons of gas, at a cost of $300-$500 a year. And each time one of those gallons of gas is burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere as the carbons in the gas are released and combine with the oxygen in the air. As such, any vehicle running on soft tires is contributing as much as 1.5 extra tons (2,880 pounds) of greenhouse gases to the environment annually. Safety Besides saving fuel and money and minimizing emissions, properly inflated tires are safer and less likely to fail at high speeds. Under-inflated tires make for longer stopping distances and will skid longer on wet surfaces. Analysts point to under-inflated tires as a likely cause of many SUV rollover accidents. Properly inflated tires also wear more evenly and will last longer accordingly. Check Pressure Frequently and When Tires Are Cold Mechanics advise drivers to check their tire pressure monthly, if not more frequently. The correct air pressure for tires that come with new vehicles can be found either in the owner’s manual or inside the driver-side door. Beware, though, that replacement tires may carry a different PSI rating than the originals that came with the car. Most new replacement tires display their PSI rating on their sidewalls. Also, tire pressure should be checked when tires are cold, as internal pressure increases when the car has been on the road for a while, but then drops when the tires cool back down. It is best to check tire pressure before heading out on the road to avoid inaccurate readings. Congress Mandates Technology to Warn Drivers As part of the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act of 2000, Congress has mandated that automakers install tire pressure monitoring systems on all new cars, pickups, and SUVs beginning in 2008. To comply with the regulation, automakers are required to attach small sensors to each wheel that will signal if a tire falls 25 percent below its recommended PSI rating. Car makers spend as much as $70 per vehicle to install these sensors, a cost that is passed along to consumers. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some 120 lives a year are saved now that all new vehicles are equipped with such systems. Edited by Frederic Beaudry.

Victor Wooten Redefines The Word Musician - 822 Words

Victor Wooten redefines the word musician. Regaled as the most influential bassist since Jaco Pastorius, Victor is known for his solo recordings and tours, and as a member of the Grammy-winning supergroup, Bà ©la Fleck The Flecktones. He is an innovator on the bass guitar, as well as a talented composer, arranger, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. But those gifts only begin to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan. Victor is the loving husband and devoted father of four; the youngest sibling of the amazing Wooten brothers (Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph), and the bassist in their famed family band; the student in the martial art of Wing Chun and the nature survival skill of Tracking; the teacher of dozens of Bass players at his†¦show more content†¦With the Flecktones in full flight, Victor set his sights on a solo career, first forming Bass Extremes with fellow low-end lord Steve Bailey (leading to an instructional book/CD and two CDs, to date), and finally releasing his critically-acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands, in 1996. Soon after, Vic took his solo show on the road with drummer J.D. Blair. Momentum and accolades built with successive tours and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and the double CD, Live In America in 2001. Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine s Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov t Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears, not to mention the stellar work with guitarist Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers with the group Howe Wooten and Chambers. Fresh off sold-out tours with the Flecktones and Bass Extremes (with Bailey, Watson and Oteil Burbridge) in 2004, Victor is re-focusing

Chavezs Speech free essay sample

is that ofâ€Å"[t]hree other children in Earlimart†¦ suffering from similar fatal diseases† (40). This predicament should most certainly raise some eyebrows and cause suspicion towards those who are in charge of such associations where they let this happen. So perhaps Ceasar Chavez was so successful, in part, due to these tools which truly do work wonders. Utilizing them are easy and one can see how useful they are, even used lightly.inswere convinced that the treatment that farm workers faced was less than ethical. Chavez’s Speech How was Ceasar Chavez such a good speech writer? One of the secrets is here. Chavez used ethos, pathos and logos in his speech, â€Å"lessons of Martin Luther King Jr.† to entice his listeners until theyFirstly, the writer creates ethos by talking of Martin Luther King Jr. Early on, Ceasar Chavez uses â€Å"truly be free at last† (5) in reference to MLK Jr. to appeal to the audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Chavezs Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This shows that Chavez is credible in that he knows what he is talking about. Another such example of ethos is â€Å"[t]he purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation† (9). Both of these acknowledge the author’s predecessor, forcing the idea that he knows how MLK Jr. would respond to this, and is going the same direction. Secondly, Chavez weaves pathos into his speech to instil pity and hopelessness in the hearts of the crowd members by speaking of the horrible conditions of farm working. First, he states, â€Å"the farm workers who are waging desperate struggles† (26). The writer exerts the heart wrenching truth upon the audience with this part, blanketing them with dread. After that, Chavez talks about the food, one being â€Å"the table grape†¦ pesticides soak the fields, drift with the winds, pollute the water, and are eaten† (31). This sheds light onto the fact that despite the laborers’ best works, the food they produce will never be safe. Finally, the writer uses logos by finding facts that nobody could deny. Chavez has uncovered many of these facts, one example of which being â€Å"four other children suffering from cancer†¦ 1200 percent above normal† (38). The rate at which this is going calls the listeners to action.One other tance