Consolidate Student Loans and Shop Online

If you run a home business, you know that budgets can be pretty tight. Saving money wherever possible can be the difference between the business that succeeds and the one that fails. This article represents a broad survey of things you can do, from consolidating your student loans to getting small business deals on supplies, that will help you spend less each month.

Next Time You’re Online, Buy Something

Billions of dollars are spent each year online. Rather than suggest that you hurry and move your business online, I’d like to suggest that you add some of your dollars and cents to those billions already spent. Companies who move operations online reduce their overhead costs and often pass on those savings to you. Computers, airplane tickets, even student loan consolidation, can be purchased or arranged online. It has been my experience that I can find almost everything I want online for less than I can find it anywhere else. Next time you’re thinking about biting the bullet and making that big purchase, spend a little time shopping around online and see if you can’t save a few dollars.

Consolidate Student Loans and Get Your House in Order

Chances are good that you’ve been out of school for a while, but don’t skip this paragraph. If you consolidate student loans or other financial obligations, you will typically save a great deal of money each month on your monthly payments. Running a home business often blurs the line between personal expenses and business operating costs – do yourself a favor and make sure you have your personal financial affairs taken care of before you find yourself overwhelmed with past obligations. The government might not have cared about your credit score when they gave you those student loans, but banks looking to give business loans are a whole different story. Making sure everything is taken care will keep financial doors open that, once they’re closed, are very difficult to reopen.

Score One for the Little Guy

Believe it not, most people want small businesses to succeed. There are a lot of people willing to give you a break on prices because you own a home business, but you might need to ask about it. Office supply retailers and computer distributors sometimes offer discount prices to registered small business owners. The savings are not always monumental, but even the smallest savings multiplied over a year or two start to add up to pretty substantial amounts. Shop around to see if the suppliers you use are willing to offer you a discount on supplies or equipment.

Do Without…For a While

I’m probably not the only person that drove a car that was older than I was during college, or who ate Ramen noodles more than once almost everyday. Don’t forget the lessons you learned while you were a poor college student – the same ability to make do with what you have can save you a lot of money in the long run. I had just graduated from college and I wanted to get a new computer to replace the older, though fully functional one I was using. This was before I took my own advice to consolidate student loans, so money was still pretty tight. I wanted to kick myself when I saw that the price on the computer I bought dropped $300 in three months. Some expenses are necessary and unavoidable. For everything else, look to see if you can manage with what you have for a while longer.

Don’t Do It Alone

Nobody likes data entry – it’s time consuming, boring, and time consuming. If you find yourself spending too much of your day punching numbers into spreadsheets, consider hiring someone or outsourcing it to another company. If you think that you can’t afford the part-time salary, do an inventory of your time and see if what you would pay someone is worth the amount of time you’ll be able to invest into the meatier matters of your business.

I know I’m risking sounding like your father giving you a lecture about money, but remember that a penny saved is a penny earned. A successful business minimizes costs while maximizing profits.

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Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For information about how to consolidate student loans, check out Agilix GoBinder.

Secrets Of Successfully Sitting Exams

Many people work hard studying various subjects to sit for examinations in them. Fine. Hard work is usually a necessary condition for passing exams. Unfortunately it does not follow that it is a sufficient condition! Exam technique can be almost equally as important. It can make all the difference between success and failure or between poor grades and good grades.

As students, we often complain about the examination system. That is usually because we feel the pressure of an uncertain outcome. But like all systems we need to understand its mechanics in order to make it work for us.

What follows is largely concerned with exams needing written answers, rather than mathematically-based subjects.

Frustrating Examiners

This section applies as much to writing course work as to examination answers

When you consider writing essays, also consider the person who will have to read them. He/she has a psychology. Make it work for you, not against you. Most examiners do their job well and effectively but...

Exam assessors usually have a mountain of scripts to wade through. They like to get through them faster rather than slower, with relative ease rather than difficulty. When they find a script which facilitates the two former objects, they are delighted and their disposition towards the writer soars.

A great frustration is caused by having to '.dig' into the essay to discover whether or not the student has given a correct or acceptable answer. Sometimes this job is very difficult. The examiner has to re and reread the essay to discover what is actually being said. Sometimes an actual decision has to be made by the examiner as to whether a correct answer has, in fact, been given, because the composition is so obtuse.

Some method is needed which will avoid this situation and which will improve the examiner's disposition towards the writer.

Writing Effectively

Writing effectively in exams is really not that difficult. There is a simple technique which can be used and adopted to virtually every type of question.

The technique is to divide your essay into three (unequal) parts:

1. An introduction

2. An expansion of 1;

3. A conslusion.

Numbers 1 and 3 are quite short and basically say the same thing except in rather different ways.

1. is critical and is a short version of the answer. This lets the examiner know immediately that you know what you are talking about. It require slight differences of emphases depending on the actual wording of the question.

For example, a question which asks something like "What are the factors which influence..." needs an introductory answer which starts something like: "The factors which influence so-and-so are... " And you mention them in descending order of importance. A question of the type: "Discuss such-and-such..." needs an answer which starts something like: "When discussing such-and-such one needs to take account of..." and then mention the major points which you consider to be important and which you are going to discuss.

There may be other variations in the phrasing of the question, but the approach you adopt needs to be always the same: present the examiner with what is effectively a concise answer to the question. It usually takes no more than a few lines, maybe a dozen at most. He/she will jump up and down in excitement at having found someone who not only knows the answer but who can also actually make it explicit.

2. The expansion of the essay is simply a development to show that whatever you said at 1. is correct or relevant. This takes up most of the essay. Use a new paragraph for every new point. Don't be afraid to be pedantic. End each of these paragraphs by relating what you have said directly back to the question. e.g. "Hence it can be seen that..." and so forth.

If, during the course of writing your answer, you suddenly remember a really major point which really should have come earlier, just "knit" it in as if this is where you always intended it to go. Thus: "Of course, a further point which needs to be given especially emphasis at this juncture is..." Try and make it seem the most natural place to put it. The examiner may think it better put elsewhere, but he will not usually penalise you for that

3. The conclusion will be little more than a restatement of the introduction - but you do need a conclusion. During the writing of the essay you may have thought of some other points not mentioned in the introduction. If so, be sure to mention them in the conclusion.

Read Before You Write

Always spend at least six/seven minutes out of a three hours exam reading the question paper. Read it three times. The first to get a general impression. The second to mark any question which you can reasonably attempt. The third to check that your second reading decisions were accurate - sometimes, in the face of nervous tension, they are not. This is time well spent. As an invigilator, one often groans within at seeing student grabbing their pens and beginning to write before the clock has stopped chiming the hour to commence!

Dividing Time

Unless some questions have unequal shares in the total marks possible, always divide your time equally between the questions. There are severe diminishing returns to each extra minute spent on the present question - more could be added to the overall total by going onto the next.

Conclusions

As already said, don't throw away your hard work during the year through bad or none existent exam technique. With good technique it is, in fact, possible to do rather well with skimpy knowledge (although one does not advocate the practice!), whereas it is commonplace for students to underachieve by neglecting their technique.

About The Author

A K Whitehead

Web Site: www.christianword.co.uk; akw@christianword.co.uk

The author has had many years experience in setting examining, marking and invigilating examinations and has used the above technique to considerable personal benefit.

How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better

If you’re a student attending classes, you have probably experienced many moments when it was hard to make yourself settle down and study, even when an important exam was coming up.

If you’re like most students, you put off studying until the very last minute. The night before the exam, you’ll stay up all night cramming, getting little or no sleep. In the morning, you’ll drag yourself out of bed, psych yourself up with lots of coffee and some cigarettes, and go into the exam feeling exhausted, drained and jittery all at the same time. You’ll find it hard to focus or think, and you’ll be cursing yourself for not starting to study sooner.

And not surprisingly, unless you’re blessed with natural brilliance, or you happen to know the subject matter extremely well, you’ll probably do terribly on the test.

If this is your typical method of studying, you already know it doesn’t work. Every time you go through this ritual, you tell yourself that you’re going to smarten up the next time you face a big exam. Next time you’ll start to study weeks in advance, you say. But instead, you keep repeating this crazy pattern. Why does this keep happening? And what should you be doing instead if you want to get better marks?

A big problem for most people, especially those who are young students, is that life gets in the way. If you’re a student, you probably have a part time job, and like most young people, you also want to have a social life.

Studying can seem very boring compared to all the exciting temptations just outside your door. Or the games on your computer. Even watching old reruns of Sesame Street can seem more interesting than the biology text your teacher is expecting you to master!

One reason we often don’t start studying until the last possible minute is that we have misjudged how long it will actually take us to absorb and understand the material. If your mid-term is still six weeks away, that might seem like plenty of time left before you need to get around to studying. You might find however, that the subject matter is a lot harder to understand than you thought it would be, and all of a sudden there’s no time left to ask someone to explain it to you.

Another reason we often put off starting to study is that we are too overwhelmed with how big the project actually seems to be. Somehow we convince ourselves that putting off a tough study project can be the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by it.

When we are faced with a study project that seems exceptionally difficult and overwhelming, it can be to maintain a high level of interest and motivation for the duration of the learning process.

If you have been guilty of all these bad study habits, it’s not too late to learn some other habits that will work better for you.

First, remind yourself why you want to do better in your studies. Maybe you need a good mark to get into a good college. Maybe you want a chance at a career that will pay you well. Always keep your end goal in mind.

You can put little cards up around your room with inspirational messages, and attractive photographs that will remind you why you want to do well in school.

If you feel very overwhelmed, you can improve your motivation and your performance by breaking up the project into smaller sections, or “chunks”. Each time you accomplish one little bit successfully, give yourself a meaningful reward.

If you have a deadline looming, decide how much of the project you need to tackle at one time.

Let’s say you have six weeks to master the content of a difficult biology text. Looking through the book you realize that if you study one chapter each night, you can get through the book in 28 days, leaving two weeks in which you can again review the material.

With this knowledge you can pace yourself. You know what your assignment is. You know how much you need to read every night. Concentrate on the immediate task at hand. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the entire book at one time. Next, work out a system of rewards for yourself. Give yourself a series of small rewards each time you master one chapter, and a larger reward for completing the entire book.

For rewards to work they must be immediate, and personally meaningful to you. There is no point in rewarding yourself with a new fishing rod if you hate fishing.

Rewards don’t need to be material objects if there is something else that would really motivate and inspire you. How about attending a special concert, or taking a special trip? You decide. Get creative and think of something that will spur you to take action.

It’s very important that the reward take place soon after the work has been accomplished. This creates a sense of positive reinforcement. Give yourself a small reward every time you finish a small part of the job, and a bigger reward when the project is completed. If there is too long a gap between the activity and the reward, it will not have the effect of reinforcing the desired activity.

Besides motivating yourself with a series of external rewards, learn to motivate yourself internally. Tell yourself you’re a good learner. Tell yourself you enjoy learning. Tell yourself you enjoy giving your brain a good work out. Congratulate yourself for your efforts. Tell yourself you love acquiring new knowledge, and let yourself feel a joy in learning. Be proud of yourself for the work you do to gain more knowledge.

For information to sink into your brain and be accessible to you, you need to review it several times, and your brain needs to sleep properly for the memories to be encoded in your neurons. You need to reduce your mental stress. Your brain needs good nutrition and it needs to be in a peaceful, confident state. Drugs and alcohol don’t help the process of learning.

Write out what you are learning in your own words, and find a learning buddy. Practice explaining to someone else what you have learned. This will increase the likelihood that your brain will remember it.

If you start to cram the night before, you are putting your brain at a big disadvantage.

You’re increasing your physical and mental stress, and you’re not giving yourself time to review the material several times. By cutting back on your sleep, you’re not giving your brain a chance to put the information you’ve been studying into the hard drive storage of your brain.

By starting your studies early, and reviewing what you’ve learned, you have a much better chance of remembering and understanding what you need to know when you face a big exam.

Royane Real is a science educator and the author of several books on improving learning. This article is taken from the new short report "Your Quick Guide to Improving Your Learning Ability" You can get the paperback version or download it from http://www.lulu.com/real

The Family University Network: Unplugging Institutional Higher Education

Why not build a Christian family enterprise with the energy, funding, and infrastructure that would otherwise build the state or private educational institutions?

It is common knowledge today that serious moral problems exist in families, churches, schools, colleges, corporations, and political arena. These problems have academic, moral, and philosophical roots reaching back centuries, and have been promoted by the systematic separation of knowledge from faith in God. The significant amount of teaching required to equip people with the ability to discern the times and apply Scripture by faith to all areas of life, requires diligence in all areas of learning, and at all levels of education.

Secular universities are openly hostile to the Christian worldview, and the best of the Christian colleges cannot replicate the family away from home. Nehemiah Institute worldview assessment of 1177 students in 18 Christian colleges over 7 years demonstrated that Christian students are graduating from Christian institutions with a secular humanism worldview, even where their professors have a Biblical Theist worldview. Even the above average Christian colleges are little better than their secular counterpart because the curricula are developed under the same institutional accreditation guidelines, the same text books are used, many of the faculty were trained at secular institutions, and the family learning context is ignored.

Even the best of Christian distance education does not purposefully involve the family in the learning process, nor couple with individual family convictions, nor uses the family knowledge base, nor earns family income. It is time to unplug institutional higher education and bring higher education home.

The establishment of family universities and networks based on the fellowship of the church is one solution. This can help individuals and families implement the Christian philosophy of education through developing their own family university and complementary business as a part of the dominion mandate (Psalm 8). University education needs to be reinvented with a Biblical understanding to strengthen the family and church. Christian people can easily learn how a family university can uniquely provide the humble, relational, and Spirit led ideal Biblical higher education for their young adults to participate in building a strong Christian family, church and culture.

The benefit of a network for learning was forseen by Ivan Illich, philosopher of the 1970s who spoke in favor of home education. He stated that "If the networks I have described could emerge, the educational path of each student would be his own to follow, and only in retrospect would it take on the features of a recognizable program. The wise student would periodically seek professional advice: assistance to set a new goal, insight into difficulties encountered choice between possible methods. Even now, most persons would admit that the important services their teachers have rendered them are such advice or counsel, given at a chance meeting or in a tutorial. Pedagogues, in an unschooled world, would also come into their own, and be able to do what frustrated teachers pretend to pursue today." Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society, 1970.

There is only one such family university network in operation at this time, but the time has come for this concept and therefore this is likely just the beginning of home schooling expanding into home college.

Dr. James Bartlett, PhD, PE ret., is President of Bartlett University which hosts the Family University Network with its Christian business incubator. Dr. Bartlett and his wife Lynn homeschool four boys in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota. Dr. Bartlett can be contacted by calling 701-263-4574 or visiting http://bartlettuniversity.com.

Discover How Online College Classes Work

It's no secret that more and more people are looking to the internet for a convenient way to further their education. Online classes are a great way to obtain an accredited college degree from home and continue to work a full time job. Many times a student can attend classes from their computer and schedule those classes around their job. Some schools allow the student to login to a class at their convenience. Imagine taking a class from the comfort of your own home and not having to deal with parking problems, child care, lunch, or transportation expenses.

You can also get an online degree from top, accredited online colleges and online schools that may not be available in your local area. An online education is also a great option for non-traditional students, the handicapped, people in remote areas, and people with a full-time job or a schedule that doesn’t allow for a traditional education.

Distance education can be delivered in several ways. We will examine two of the many ways education can be delivered via the internet.

One of the most common is through live media. In this type of online classroom, students typically login to a chat room type environment that allows not only for text chat but also live audio chat, similar to many of the popular “instant messaging” programs that are widely used today. The lecture can be heard through the computer speakers or through a set of headphones. The students communicate with the teacher and other students by text chat or simply by talking into a PC microphone. The teacher can also allow students to view him/her in a smaller window on the monitor via a webcam. The lecture can also be recorded and posted to the school website to allow students to listen to the lecture and review the material at a later time according to their schedule, and as many times as necessary.

This type of online class makes it necessary to be at the computer at a scheduled time each day.

One advantage to this type of online college classroom environment is the student receives live instruction with structured classes. It is well known that students working within in a structured setting have a higher probability of success of finishing their degree. An obvious disadvantage would be lack of scheduling flexibility.

Another variation of the online classroom setting involves text messages such as email and message boards. Each class may share a group mailbox or a message board system, which becomes the "electronic classroom". The instructor generally posts lectures on the topic of study, posts the assignments, and provides discussion questions related to the topic. The student can view lectures, notes from the instructor and other students, and assigned projects. The student can also post messages or questions to the instructor and other students.

One advantage of this system is 24 hour access to course materials and the ability to work at one's own pace without regard to scheduling. A disadvantage would be lack of direct contact with the instructor.

In both scenarios students are expected to logon to the class site a certain number of days per week. Students also can contact the instructor via e-mail to ask questions or receive answers. When assignments are due, students send them to the instructor online or by email, where they are graded and returned. Students may also have access to their individual performance reports by logging in to a website where that information is posted. Test may also be taken online. Typically, online classes last five to six weeks.

Although the degree of difficulty is the same for the online classroom as in a traditional setting, the internet has broken down many barriers and is providing educational opportunities for people worldwide that were not previously thought possible.

Tim Arnold has recruited online students for http://www.acit.com and also recruits students via his online college portals at http://www.educationlocation.net/ and http://www.finding-a-college.com.

Student Removals - How to Get the Lowest Quote

The problem with student and any small move comes when a small load has to be transported a long way:- For the moving company, the mileage and road time costs are not much less than for moving a whole house...So your quote is unacceptably high.

There are two ways to approach a solution to high cost removals: You could hire a van, (and there are van hire companies that will rent a small van 21 year olds, sometimes one way), or you could look for a removal company with whom you can part load with someone else going the same way.

One way van hire could be particularly attractive if you could then find a partner to split the cost, and get a one way deal, but the problem of finding a qualifying driver may be insurmountable.

So the problem for most student movers is in finding a company who will part load at a good price.

Moving Tips

1) Spend some time phoning around: There is an element of luck in finding a van going your way.

2) Be as flexible as possible with your date - maybe you can organise someone at your destination to receive your property.

3) Try to find your own partner who is also going your way, and approach a removal company with a joint proposition.

Apply common sense to make sure the job is easy to understand and execute for the remover To get the best price it is vital to convince a remover that your assessment can be trusted.

4) Stop and consider the quantity of your removal:- because removals tend to be arranged before you have packed, peoples own estimates are often hazy, usually under assessed, and sometimes the actual job bears little relation to that described.

5) Package and box as much as possible, for speedy loading, protection, easy trolleying, and secure, tidy stacking on the van.

6) Consider any likely impediments to access or delivery (like locked barriers on campus)

7) Offer all the assurances needed about having your things easily accessible and that you will be ready to go before the van arrives.

The author has spent 25 years in various service industries, including the last 8 in the removals sector. His website http://www.student-movers-forum.com is a resource for all small movers. You can find sources of low age van hire, specialist part load removers, packaging, message boards and advice.

Internship Opportunities at Levine Communications

ENTERTAINMENT & PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW! "As we celebrate our twentieth (20th) anniversary as one of Hollywood’s most prominent entertainment PR firms, I’m convinced that our intern program continues to be one of the most dynamic in the entire entertainment industry. Since 1983, over 2,200 interns have passed through our doors. We now estimate that over 250 hold prominent jobs within the entertainment industry, having begun their career as an intern in our office." -- Michael Levine Prestigious Entertainment Public Relations firm is seeking Interns to assist one of its busy Publicists. This is an unpaid position for dedicated, reliable individuals eager to learn and experience a real work environment and which offers the following:

* Knowledge, experience and opportunity for someone seeking a career in the entertainment or public relations fields.

* College credit in accordance with your educational institution’s policies on internships.

The Levine Communications Internship Program requires a minimum of 15-20 hours per week. Opportunities are what you make them - the more time invested, the more knowledge and experience gained. Duties include working as an assistant to one of the firm’s press agents, doing computer work, information gathering, research, administrative and general office work. Candidate must possess writing and telephone skills and have an obsessive attention to detail.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn about Publicity and Show Business from an accomplished member of the entertainment industry willing to offer general career counseling during the internship period in addition to the experience offered. A desire to explore career positions in PR and/or entertainment is a plus.

ONLY RESPONSIBLE, INTELLIGENT AND DEDICATED PEOPLE NEED APPLY.

This is an Equal Opportunity position.

Positions are available beginning immediately. Interested parties should call Clarissa directly at 310.248.6222, ext. 14, as soon as possible for an interview. INTERNSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE ON A YEAR ROUND BASIS.

Read what LCO interns have to say about their experience: "As a college student who is struggling with my specific direction I can not think of a better way to get hands on experience and gain real knowledge (not out of a textbook) in my field of interest." -- Courtney

"I love learning and I feel everyday that I am learning a lot from this firm. I am learning how to adapt to a new and challenging environment. I am glad that we have regularly scheduled intern meetings because I feel it creates an opportunity for a more open dialog with the president of the company." -- Kevin

"This internship has given me the opportunity to get an inside look at what a public relations firm is all about and how a successful one runs. I am excited to have this opportunity to work for such a successful company filled with hard working, warm and friendly people making my internship at your company a very positive experience." -- C.M.

"Being an intern for Levine Communications is a good educational experience for me. It makes me feel highly valued because I am being given so much more responsibility than ever before. I know for a fact that when I leave here, this experience will have an impact on what I do with my future." -- Bernadette

"My time at Levine Communications has been quite rewarding. I am definitely learning the different aspects of the public relations world and how important research is in PR. As a result, my researching skills have improved dramatically." -- Laura

Contact LCO for information: 310.248.6222 ext. 14 or email clarissa@levinepr.com

Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR, 7 Life Lessons from Noah’s Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.

GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media, without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net

The Challenges College Students Face on Secular Campuses

What is happening on the campuses of secular universities across America? Thousands of Christian students are losing their faith and non-Christian students are becoming entrenched in their unbelief. Why is this happening? Have they discovered that God, in fact, does not really exist, that we live in a careening universe with no divine Pilot at the wheel? Or does something else explain this trend?

The Intellectual Challenge
Christian students on a secular campus face a great intellectual challenge. The underlying principle of the university classroom is naturalism. Students find it everywhere, not just in biology, physics, anthropology, and geology, but also in chemistry, astronomy, psychology, political science, and so on. University faculties defend this pervasive naturalism in two ways: by banishment and by confrontation.

The Banishment Approach
The banishment approach is, of course, the more venerable and the less aggressive of the two. A science professor will state at the beginning of the semester: "Science involves the gathering and analysis of data as the basis for forming hypotheses regarding the nature of reality. It must, therefore, exclude any reference to the supernatural as out of bounds for scientific inquiry. Whether or not God exists, or angels, fairies, pixies, goblins, or the Boogie Man is irrelevant to scientific investigation. Hold to your religious or superstitious beliefs if you want to, but don't bring them up in this classroom. It is off the subject; we don't have time for theological debates here."

Students instantly get the idea that believing in God is anti-intellectual or at least one's faith should be compartmentalized and not allowed to spill over the transom into the science classroom. Be a believer elsewhere if you want, students learn, but come to science as a naturalist.

We Christians cannot accept this banishment. We have made Christ our life (Col. 3:4; Phil. 1:21), and His Lordship extends to every part of our lives. Certainly the One who created the universe at the beginning (Col. 1:16) and who even now sustains it moment by moment (Col. 1:17), has a right to enter a room where his handiwork is being examined and admired.

It is His macro- and micro-planning, organizing, systematizing, and engineering, after all, that makes all science possible. If we did not live in an orderly universe our scientists would be reduced to historians and statisticians who record the millions of haphazard events as they transpire, but can make no deductions, inductions, or educated guesses about what would happen next.

The Confrontation Approach
A more recent and increasingly popular approach in the university classroom is to take the creationist bull by the horns and attack belief in the God of the Bible by any possible means. This is the strategy of journals such as Creation/Evolution and The Skeptical Inquirer. Professors claim the mechanistic/materialistic explanation for origins removes all need for God. Naturalists in the classroom are not above using illogical arguments to win over their students.

For example, they may employ ad hominem arguments, associating belief in a Creator/Sustainer with witch-hunting, skinheads, and the Ku Klux Klan. Or they may use reductio ad absurdum arguments, such as asking how many dinosaur couples went onto the ark, or how Noah could be sure he had both male and female mosquitoes. Or they may knock down straw men, such as claiming victory if they can prove even the slightest changes occur, or limiting creationism only to those who believe the world began in 4004 BC. Or they may commit non sequiturs, such as claiming that since finches differ from one another, therefore, complex, mega-celled organisms evolved from single-celled life forms, and those from non-life.

Of course, we too must be cautious how we make our case, taking care to avoid the same mistakes. But it is difficult to wrestle with an opponent who refuses to fight by the rules.

We need Christian campus ministries because someone must stand up in our university community and affirm the biblical view of origins and of the ground and purpose for our existence.

The Bible clearly affirms these truths about our universe: (1) it had a beginning, all three persons of the Godhead being involved in its creation (Gen. 1:1-3; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17); ( 2) at the beginning, it came into existence out of nothing (Heb. 11:3); and (3) its interdependent systems are all by God's design and under His ongoing control (Job 38-39; Ps. 19:1-6).

The Bible has a name for those whose dizzying intellects lead them to atheism. Psalm 14:1 calls them fools, referring not to the Stupids, but to self-deceived rebels against God. Just to ensure that we don't forget, the same psalm recurs as the fifty-third. Paul describes those who have given up their knowledge of God as those whose foolish hearts have become darkened and who then become arrogant (Rom. 1:21-23). In all three of these passages, the intellectual rejection of God's existence leads to a moral rejection of God's will (Ps. 14.3; 53:3; Rom. 1:24-32).

The Results of this Naturalism
This prevailing naturalism (or anti-supernaturalism) has at least three far-reaching results. First, our college students are taught that truth is relative. Without God as the everlasting, immutable ground of all reality, truth becomes little more than one's subjective perception of it. Those who hold to absolute truth are ridiculed and harassed.

In a recent speech entitled, "The Trouble with Being Open-Minded," Bruce Lockerbie said: "In today's university environment, absolutes dissolve into absolutism and are scoffed at with contempt. Ironically, however, today's students have been taught that some absolutes survive. Here is a sample of these campus absolutes, of which today's students and many of their teachers are absolutely certain! (1) I think; therefore, I am [René Descartes]. (2) God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him [Friedrich Nietzsche]. (3) There are truths but no truth [Albert Camus]. (4) We have neither behind us, nor before us in a luminous realm of values, any means of justification or excuse. We are left alone, without excuse [Jean-Paul Sartre]. (5) Life is hard, then you die. [bumper sticker]."

Modern American campuses are similar to the ancient Athenians, whom Luke describes in Acts 17:21: [They] spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. Since Christianity, with its beliefs and practices, is nearly 2000 years old, they believe it should be jettisoned by all who intellectually have come of age. Second, the faith of our students is challenged in and out of the classroom.

As the Apostle Peter anticipated, people sometimes ask students the reason for the hope that they have (1 Pet. 3:15), and our students should be prepared with a good answer. But Peter also said in 2 Pet. 3:3-4: "in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." This is naturalism's doctrine of uniformitarianism, contradicted at creation itself and a myriad of times since by the catastrophes and the disasters of nature. Our students must learn the flaws in naturalism's model so that their faith can stand firm and not erode away by wave after wave of faculty banishment or confrontational ridicule and the peer pressure from other students.

Third, our students are being taught that not only truth is relative, but morality is relative. Isaiah cries: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight" (Isa. 5:20-21).

The Deifying of Tolerance
On campus, tolerance is praise as the highest virtue, and intolerance as the greatest vice. Senator Dan Coats of Indiana spoke recently on the virtue of tolerance. Quoting G. K. Chesterton: "When the world next tries persecution seriously, it will probably be under some new name," Coats stated that persecution's new name is tolerance itself. Our students are taught not to be judgmental, which has the effect of encouraging them to have no moral judgment at all. Coats recalls that the poet Ogden Nash confessed: "Sometimes with secret pride I sigh / To think how tolerant am I / Then wonder which is really mine; / Tolerance, or a rubber spine."

This deifying of tolerance demonizes any who stand up for moral absolutes and who have the courage to say in love, for instance, to a homosexual, "What you are doing is wrong and is destructive both to yourself and to society." A colleague of mine told me of a Christian student we'll call Ann, whose work at a local AIDS screening clinic brought her into daily contact with practicing homosexuals. She made up her mind to be salt and light in that place, and as a result, struck up a friendship with a lesbian we'll call Florence."

After Ann was confident that Florence could sense her friendship, she asked her why she became a lesbian. "When I was growing up," Florence said, "I was always wanting to play rough, climb trees, go hunting, and other 'guy' things like that. I wanted to be like my father a lot."

"That's funny," Ann said. "I was a tomboy too. I used to follow my dad around trying to do whatever he did."

"You did? And you're straight, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought only lesbians had my experience."

Ann left it at that for awhile. Then, a few weeks later, when Florence was sharing about her first sexual experience (a lesbian one) and describing how strange it all felt, Ann said, "That makes sense. Maybe it's like when I first went on a diet and had to drink Diet Coke. No one who first drinks that stuff likes it, but after awhile they get used to it, and then it doesn't bother them anymore. Maybe gay sex is like that. At first you don't like it, but if you keep doing it, you get used to it."

Florence didn't say anything for a moment. "Yeah, maybe you're right," she finally replied. These two conversations Ann had with Florence brought the lesbian a long way. Not yet all the way to Jesus Christ, but light years closer. If Ann had just shown "tolerance" and ignored the moral difference between her and Florence, nothing would have changed.

Coats says that the irony is how the virtue of tolerance has been stolen from us Christians. It's time for us to reclaim it. We serve a God who makes his sun shine on the evil and the good and sends his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Into an intolerant world Jesus introduced tolerance as something revolutionary. He was branded a drunkard and a glutton and the friend of tax-collectors and sinners. Our friends in academia act as if mulitculturalism were something recently invented. But Paul announced it as the way of the Christ: There is neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian or Scythian, slave or free, male and female (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).

No one has more experience in multiculturalism than the church, which for 2000 years has been taking the gospel to every nation and culture as it fulfills the Great Commission.

We Christians believe in tolerance. But our tolerance is not shallow like that of the academic community. In his speech Coats points out that tolerance has two extremes: permissiveness and persecution. Our non-Christian colleagues on campus stand on the permissiveness extreme--standing for nothing and falling for everything. They believe that Christians are at the other extreme, equating us with racists, ethnocentrists, and homophobes.

But we are not there. We hold Coats' middle ground: persuasion (2 Cor. 5:11, 14-21). It is not that we try to force people into conforming to our (really, the Lord's) standards. To the contrary, we have learned from our Master that outward conformity has little value if the heart is not in it. Rather, we try to change people's thinking, confident that with changed hearts, their actions will follow.

---

* * *Copyright ©2006 Steve Singleton

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles. He has been an editor, reporter, and public relations consultant. He has taught college-level Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses and has taught seminars in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.com for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Check out the DeeperStudy Bookstore for great e-books, free books, and great discounts. Subscribe to his free "DeeperStudy Newsletter" or "DeeperStudy Blog."

CRI Releases Its 2003-2004 College Graduate Survey

Upper Saddle River, N.J. - May 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. has released the results of its 2003-2004 College Graduate Salary Survey. The purpose of this study was to obtain compensation data and information on recruiting and hiring trends for recent and new college graduates. The survey sampled compensation data from 71 organizations, including 1,253 jobs.

The results do not indicate any startling or unexpected results, and for the most part, they are consistent with other studies covering broader employee compensation trends.

Among the most significant findings was that total cash compensation, which consists of salary and bonus/incentives, increased by a respectable 6.1%, even though salaries only increased by a modest 0.8%. This is consistent with the trend of increased use of variable pay elements by many organizations. Variable pay allows companies to offer competitive pay with upside potential, while controlling fixed overhead for payroll costs, and to some degree, lessening the impact of higher salaries on benefit costs (i.e., vacation and time off benefits, retirement, some insurances, etc.).

Some additional highlights:

• Findings for 2004 indicate that the financial services industry is the top paying industry for recent college graduates ($60,900).
• Companies are currently utilizing a wide variety of methods to recruit recent college graduates. The three most equally popular methods are College Career Centers, Employee and Business Associate Referrals, and Internet Job Boards.
• The majority of responding companies have turnover rates of recent college graduates of 15% or less.

Paul R. Dorf is the Managing Director of Compensation Resources, Inc. He is responsible for directing consulting services in all areas of executive compensation, short and long-term incentives, sales compensation, performance management systems, and pay-for-performance, salary administration. He has over 40 years of Human Resource and Compensation experience and has held various executive positions with a number of large corporate organizations. He also has over 20 years of direct consulting experience as head of the Executive Compensation Consulting Practices for major accounting and actuarial/benefit consulting firms, including KPMG, Deloitte Touche (formerly Touche Ross), and Kwasha Lipton.

Looking For a Rewards Program That Offers Free Money for College Students?

With the rising cost of books, tuition and housing, it's no wonder that college students are looking for ways to cash in on anything that can lighten their financial load. It isn't easy trying to balance an exciting social life, education and your finances at any age – not to mention in your teens and twenties. Luckily, there are companies out there who understand the importance of academic success and offer great incentives like free money for college students. And the rewards don't stop there. Here are some other things that companies are offering to help ease the burden:

Free stuff for college students, free stuff for teachers, free money for completing offers, free cash-back shopping offers and the certainty that through top online rewards programs, you will get paid!

All it takes on the part of students is a little time and effort to fill out a few forms and complete offers, read paid emails, take surveys, etc. In exchange, you'll find yourself receiving great rewards like free computers, televisions, free gift cards to your favorite stores and restaurants, free gas cards and much more.

In addition, rewards and incentive programs help make it easier on you when you do have to spend money by offering lots of cash back rewards on items you'd normally purchase. Here are just a few of reward companies' shopping categories:

Clothing, art and collectibles, books and magazines (you can find textbooks too!), DVDs and videos, music, travel items, sports and recreation purchases, and a whole lot more...

Gerardas Norkus is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-in-rewards.com

Great tips on receiving free merchandise and money from top online rewards programs.

(c) Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.

Publishing Guidelines: You may freely distribute or publish this article provided you publish the whole article and include the copyright notice and links in full. A courtesy copy is requested upon publication.

IMT College - Full Online

IMT College - full online

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Now, no matter where you live or what your schedule, you can tap into one of the nation?s leading business schools and learn valuable skill-sets that will have an immediate impact on your current job and help ensure your future success!

Our approach to managerial skills be characterized as attempting to teach all what is necessary to have success in business world and to reach your business goals. Attending our courses you can test your new skills all the time answering on our questions in many tests which are prepared for our students. For each topic or chosen course you can pass exam if you wish and get our diploma. The exam effectively tested skills that you learned in the managerial skills. The skills tested are of the great importance to anyone involved in day to day business life. Maximum points for diploma are 30 and minimum 5. The exam was very well structured and ran at a rapid but satisfactory pace. The concept is excellent.

How does our method of learning work?

Firstly, you must choose one or more courses and inform us by e-mail. After, we shall inform you about all conditions and ways of learning and send you literature in English. You must read materials and literature and after that we can organize internet meeting and discussion. You can openly make questions and need more explanations. At last you will write essay about some topic which is chosen by you. Our professors will read it and send you their opinion about. At the end of our program you van pass examin. All courses are two months long, except stress and time managament which are one month long. For the most number of courses we have special softwears. Choose course promtly because we shall begin our program on 1 of February 2005. As you can notice our prices are very popular and acceptable!

Professors are certificated with great experiance in many different subjects of teaching.

We have large amount of e-books in our members section for self learning wich could help you easier to reach your certificate.

If u want to be a member of our College and use all benefits (E library for example) you can apply for only 50$.

Also there is 24h support on email mirjana@metropola.net

Dr.Mirjana Radovic is a professor at F.Dickinson University,Lacrosse University and Akamai University and of course at IMT College. She has great exsperience in teaching students online and face to face. Also, she is author of seven books related to business management.

Write Your Way Into University - The Personal Statement

The Get Into Uni personal statement writing guide contains systematic instructions on the techniques to help increase the odds of your application, however this article contains a short synopsis to writing your way into university. For most potential students there are some clear reasons why they wish to embark on university. The single best reason is that the subject area fascinates the reader. Please read our personal statement writing guide for more information and access our sample personal statements to read the best sample statements on the web. http://www.getintouni.com/Free/WritingGuide

This article will offer insight into how you should approach your personal statement. One of the typical complaints of Admission Officers is that student personal statements all seem the same; unfortunately, students normally read a number of sample statements on the internet and automatically write a typical personal statement from the range of available sample personal statements found on websites.

It is important to put yourself in the shoes of the Admissions Officer: why would your personal statement be unique, how are you different from the other candidates? Primarily you need to decide how you will divide your personal statement into digestible chucks. The most obvious way is to divide into paragraphs of 100 words. If you aim for between 500 and 600 words at most, it will help your admission officer when they have to read thousands of personal statements to find the perfect student.

So let’s take a look at the way your personal statement should be structured? If you spent, time analysing our sample personal statements http://www.getintouni.com/Samples you will see that each paragraph revolves around one particular incident or the subject area of study. Although the personal statement should logically flow from start to finish, none the less, unlike a book with a distinctive story running through it and building up to a climax, a personal statement is episodic in style and content so each paragraph stands out.

In planning your paragraphs, you must give the Admissions Officer a glow so they will wish to continue the next section. To illustrate the structure, let’s take a look at the typical personal statement organisation. The first paragraph will need to be an exciting and dynamic narrative to capture the reader’s attention. The subsequent paragraphs should outline why you wish to study for your particular field followed by a compelling powerful final paragraph with strong action verbs to give your reader the final push to admit you.

You may find it helpful to prepare a brief synopsis or outline of the way you see your personal statement developing. It doesn’t have to be very long or detailed and, like most personal statements structures, you do not have to stick to it if, as you go along, you find a better route for your journey. Keep it simple and let it serve merely as a quick reminder of where you’re going. It might run like this: First memory – seeing my new baby brother in my mother’s arms. Nursing experience – volunteer in residential nursing home. Visiting the baby clinic – desires to become a midwife sufficed. Goals for the future – career ambitions.

It is important to cover whatever period you intend to include in your personal statement because time spent planning your sequence and the method you feel happiest with will undoubtedly make the actual writing that much easier for you.

The biggest problem you will find is finding the topics of discussion in your personal statement and selecting those topics you want to use and which topics you wish to leave out. Remember that with any form of writing you are practicing the art form. Get Into Uni Oxford Educated editors edit the personal statements for our customers to improve sentences and create a marketing sensation.

A while ago, I was asked to take a critical look at a personal statement, which spanned the student’s life from age two to eighteen. The personal statement made gripping reading but was far too long and the student had not been selective enough in the abundance of material she choose from. The word count ran to 1,500 words – far too long for a personal statement. The task of reducing your personal statement can be enthusiastically undertaken, but the problem is that you need to look at your original brainstormed ideas to organise your material for the selection process. The only criterion you need to apply at this stage is this incident of sufficient interest to the admission officer.

I hope that you agree a powerful beginning is of paramount importance or you will quickly lose the Admission Officers interest. Then, once having captured his or her attention, we have to make sure your personal statement ending is dramatic and in the right place. Each paragraph should be pleasing to the reader and you need to write a natural conclusion. Chekhov once said the essence of good style is simplicity. The best advice is therefore, to keep it simple.

Get Into Uni offers students personal statement editing and tips on how you can get an edge over the competition when applying for university. The website includes sample personal statements, a free writing guide, and all the information you need to get into university.

Your personal statement is crucial to your application. Planning your personal statement is therefore your first step to success. Gain competitive advantage and order the best editing service on the web. http://www.getintouni.com

Our qualified professional writers will edit your statement to perfection – ensuring your application is noticed. We recognise that you are unique and, therefore, you will receive customised advice from your personal writer. Increase your chances today! Copyright © 2004 Get Into Uni

Elaine is founder of Get Into Uni one the UK’s largest student editing companies. Get into Uni is the only British based company that can offer Oxbridge and Ivy League trained editors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These experienced editors help students make the most of the opportunity the personal statement. Elaine has focused her energies on helping students’ better position themselves.

College Tuition Costs are Spiralling

So, our children want to fly away from the nest and further their academic life in college. But with escalating costs, can we afford it? Will they have to take part time jobs to stay afloat or can we supplement their financial needs with college loans?

These are just some of the questions that concerned parents and aspiring students are asking themselves nowadays. It’s hardly surprising when you look at the facts - a 51% increase in fee and tuition costs for public four year colleges and a 36% rise for private four year colleges in the last decade alone. This, coupled with the disproportionate income increases for families likely to have college age children, means that more and more often parents or students themselves are turning to direct loans or private college loans for help.

Why do parents and students need extra help?

Every parent and family is made aware what their Expected Financial Contribution (EFC) will be to their child’s further education when they apply for a place. This is calculated minus any government grants and federal supported college loans the student will be granted. Every family has numerous financial commitments and additional support for your child throughout college could be all too much to bear if you don’t have enough savings or disposable income. But all is not lost! There are other sources of financial support available.

How can the shortfall be covered?

Additional financial support comes in all shapes and sizes. They normally take the forms of unsubsidized federal student loans, state sponsored loans and private sector college loans. It is the latter that has experienced the most significant growth over ten years (a 745% increase) and accounts for a whopping $10.5 billion of aid used to finance college education.

The private college loans available can be split into student loans or loans for the parent:

Student Loans

• Private college loans from banks and other funding sources.

Parent Loans

• Private education loans from banks and other funders.

• Home equity loans to draw down equity from your property. These funds can be used to pay for college fees.

Is it all worth it?

Its all too easy for parents and students to balk at the idea of taking out college loans to enable them to further their education. The hard cash needed to see them through up to four years of study may seem impossible to raise but they just need to realize the benefits this will bring their child and America. College educated individuals earn more than secondary school leavers, they also participate in society more and their children will attain higher levels of education too.

The investment is worth it.

Peter Siu is a successful freelance writer providing valuable advice for consumers when applying online for credit cards, student credit cards as well as other personal & mortgage loans. You can visit his sites at http://www.uscreditcenter.net and http://www.ukcreditcentre.com - His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips on a number of topics.

Business Plan Competitions

The idea of a business plan competition first started in the 1980's at the initiative of some MBA students from Texas and has increasingly gained popularity. Such events happen yearly and rejoice a great affluence of contestants, which highly increases their competitiveness.

Competitions

Organized by Universities

* Babcock Elevator Pitch Competition - Wake Forest University

* Enterprise Creation Competition - Ball State University

* Moot Corp. Competition - University of Texas

* Duke Start-Up Challenge - Duke University

* IBK Capital Ivey Business Plan Competition - University of Western Ontario

* OFC Venture Challenge - Clark Atlanta University

* Venture Adventure - Colorado State University

Held by business organizations

* Jungle Business Plan Challenge - Jungle Media Group

* S.E.E.D. Business Plan Competition - TechKnowledge Point Corp.

* Venture Bowl - National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Carrot Capital

You will wonder probably what exactly do these competitions consist of and where does their popularity come from?

Organizers

Although the organizers and sponsors are usually universities, there are several business organizations that host business plan competitions.

Contestants

Business plan competitions are student entrepreneur events. The contests are organized either for graduate or undergraduate students and it does not necessarily have to be MBA students. The contestants may be student scientists, engineers, MDs or other specialists who strive to create a viable business plan hoping to enter such competitions.

The popularity of such contests also reached some other layers: business plan competitions are also organized with the purpose of giving people the possibility of starting a business. Business plan competitions usually happen as intercollegiate events, but this contest formula has also been taken over by companies who want to facilitate the founding of new businesses.

It is also the case of Ford Motor Company that sponsored the Ford BEST (Building Entrepreneurial Success Today) Business Plan contest in association with SCORE "Counselors to America’s Small Business" and DiversityInc. The BEST Business Plan contest took place in the winter of 2004 and addressed all U.S. citizens over 18. All the submitted business plans were judged by an advisory panel from SCORE.

Why the need to participate in such events?

Besides the cash prizes, that, although quite important, will rarely suffice for financing the foundation of a company, there is the advantage of learning from this experience - this will enrich students' knowledge in a greater degree than the mere theoretical aspects they learn from lectures.

Not in the last place, there is the valuable opportunity of pitching the business plans to quite a lot of investors in a very short time.

How Do Winners Benefit?

Innitially started as a valuable opportunity for the students with bright business ideas to express them within contest conditions, the business plan competitions have become a resource for some investors. There are two categories of results of such competitions:

You would say that choosing from purely theoretical plans would be highly improbable for a venture investor. Yet, that's how many successful firms came into being.

1-800 Contacts

A mail-order contact-lens-replacement company in Draper, Utah. The business plan won the 1995 Brigham Young University tournament in Provo, Utah.

Attorneys @ Work

An Internet recruiting and placement service in Atlanta. Competition: 1996, University of Georgia. SensAble Technologies Inc.

In Cambridge, Mass., won the MIT competition in 1995. Epotec Inc.

Competition: 1997, University of Chicago.

However, having good results in an important competition does not necessarily imply launching a company successfully. There is the risk that some investors consider your plan an academic exercise before really studying it and thus the percentage of trust is substantially reduced.

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.businessplanning.ws where you can find more information about business planning
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared.
Contact:lauracio@gmail.com

College Bound: The Organized Dorm

I can still remember my shopping list for my first dorm room. Years ago we kept it simple -- the must have storage staple was the old dairy crate and that was pretty much it. Those dairy crates organized everything from sweaters and sweatshirts to books. Today the storage choices are almost unlimited (although the budget may not be...), so outfitting a dorm room or first apartment can be a bit overwhelming. I have asked our summer intern (a college student) to share some organizing challenges she has experienced first hand. We have divided the typical college living space into 5 areas:

- Common area
- Kitchen and bath area Desk
- Bedroom or sleeping area
- The always too small and functionally challenged closet.
- Common Area

Question: “A lot of dorm rooms are small and have one common area. What would you suggest to help students keep their common area organized? Also, can you suggest some useful products for storing food, movies, and CDs?”

Answer: Common areas can be a tricky, because you have now entered the zone where your belongings are community property. I would suggest a minimalist approach. If it is for a dorm, keep it simple and portable. There are inexpensive multimedia racks, drawers and even cubes (the “new” dairy crate!) available for storing CDs and movies.

Trunks can provide additional table surface, store out-of-season blankets and sweaters, and even make a good hiding place for your spare laundry and bathroom supplies. If you are furnishing an apartment, make it a group project so that everyone is involved with choices and expense sharing.

Many students store their snacks and munchies where they hang out, so just remember to label them and stay clear of glass. Many discount stores have some really cool and inexpensive dry storage options.

Kitchen and Bath

Question: “Can you give advice on how to keep your stuff separate from your roommates in both the kitchen and the bathroom?”

Answer: In the kitchen -- label, label and label. People are less likely to help themselves to something when it is clearly marked. An alternate system is to divide the shelves in the refrigerator – maybe one for each person and one common shelf? If your budget permits, purchase a set of food storage containers and clearly label them with your name and any warning you may want to include. Unfortunately there will always be those few who will help themselves to anything and everything, so don’t sign a lease with them next year.

There is never enough room in the bathroom, so keep it simple and portable. Buy a shower tote or caddy; a proven product that has been around for years. I recommend girls go for the largest one you can carry while most guys could probably make do with the smaller ones. If finding a surface is an issue consider a hanging dopp kit, which can be easily hooked on to a towel rack. Don’t forget about your towels; consider large hooks for hanging wet towels. Extra towels and toiletries can be stored in a simple 4-drawer storage cabinet also available at many discount stores and other retailers.

The Desk

Question: "What would you suggest for keeping your desk neat and school work organized?”

Answer: There is a wide range of great things on the market today to keep your desk clutter free and functional – you are only limited by your budget and your imagination! Consider increasing the surface area of your desk by placing your notes and class papers in a file cart or create a hanging file box that can fit neatly under or on the side of your desk. Organize your desk by keeping like things together or categorize by subject. Utilize a bulletin board with a calendar for important dates and project deadlines, so they won’t be missed or forgotten.

The Bedroom

Question: “Do you have any suggestions for students on how to maximize this space and still keep as much of your personal belonging in this small space?”

Answer: You can be as creative with this space as you want to be. Take advantage of the total area, including under the bed, behind the door, the walls, and even the college issued furniture. Look for wide underbed drawers; they make the perfect secondary storage unit. Hang a shoe bag behind your door; these pockets can be used for more than shoes -- socks, extra toiletries, small camera, film, batteries, water bottles, and yes even that extra case of beer. Hang a few hooks on the wall or if allowed install a small shelf. If you have a large desk, consider adding a hutch; the additional shelves are very convenient and accessible when working at the desk.

The Closet

Question: ”How do I make the most of this very small space?”

Answer: Years ago my first dorm closet was about 3 feet wide and 9 feet tall. An extremely narrow area in which to cram 9 months worth of clothes and shoes and remember this was the time in my life when I agonized over every clothing detail. Today that limited area would be a snap, because my “mom uniform” does not require a lot of space.

Seriously, most of the time closet space comes is at a premium, so you must utilize every inch. The right type of hangers is key – an item like a multi-tiered shirt or pants hanger can save space and have clothes fit neatly in small spaces. Consider adding another rod for short hang items since most college wardrobes are heavy on short hang pieces. Another product used to increase space and keep things from tumbling down is stacking shelves. If you prefer your sweaters and sweatshirts at eye level, use a hanging sweater bag that attaches to the closet rod. Don’t forget about the floor space -- short stacking baskets work well in this space.

Today’s college student may have a lot more organization and storage options than we did in years past, but with a small budget, some advance planning, clear lines of communication with roommates and a sense of humor, organizing their space can be easily accomplished and they can focus on what’s really important about college. I was referring to learning – what did you think I meant?

©2004 Bridget Messino and Emily Steinecker

About the authors: Bridget Messino is a Professional Organizer, speaker and co-owner of Clutter Free Living, Inc. Her work frequently appears on many Internet sites, on her own organizing site Clutter Free Living (http://www.clutterfreeliving.com), as well as in her monthly Home Organizing Newsletter How to Be Clutter Free. Subscribe to the FREE monthly e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail to mailto:cflnews-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com

Emily Steinecker is a senior at the University of Wisconsin, interning with Clutter Free Living for the summer. Organizing has always been a passion of hers and her dream is to become a professional organizer.

Parents: Take the SAT Challenge!

I keep a box of tissues on the table where I tutor because, as an SAT tutor and college application consultant, I listen to high school juniors and seniors who are so overwhelmed by college pressure that they begin to cry. Not just girls. Not just Ivy League aspirants.

High school students are always convinced their parents don’t understand them. This time the students are right. Parents don’t understand because the college admission process is so much more competitive than it was when most parents applied to college.

These are the ten things I wish I could tell parents:

1. I am convinced that parents have to walk a mile in the student’s moccasins to gain some appreciation for the stress the students are under and to reverse the tension at home. If parents will take an SAT practice test they will feel some of the same anxiety, cringe at their results, and discover that the test is hard. Instead of piling 25 pounds of SAT study books on the desk, parents can commiserate with students over missed problems. Parents and students can become allies rather than adversaries as they face the college admission process.

2. Hire SAT prep tutors who focus on the applicable academic material rather than just the tricks. Increasing a student’s academic preparation for the test in addition to teaching the tricks increases their confidence on the test and in the classroom; teaching only the tricks makes students more insecure because they are relying on tricks rather than on actual knowledge.

3. Have the tutors keep the parents informed about each session so that the parent tracks progress with the tutor rather than pestering the student for information.

4. Have the student try the ACT. All colleges accept it and some students do better on it than on the SAT.

5. Make learning fun. For example, have the students memorize vocabulary using the book Vocabulary Cartoons by Sam Burchers, et al. Also, have the student do the crossword and other word puzzles in SAT Vocabulary Express, the fun book of word puzzles that will increase SAT scores. I wrote it with Michael Ashley, a nationally known puzzler, so that our students would learn to play with words, an important skill for the new SAT.

6. Emphasize getting good grades rather than good SAT scores. Bs in honors classes are better than As in regular classes.

7. Hire an independent college counselor who will work with the family to create a realistic college list, brainstorm for essay topics, establish deadlines for the student, and check all college applications. High school college counselors are overworked and do not have the time to walk families through the process.

8. Realize that the schools parents attended may not be within reach for their child. The number of high school students planning to attend college has increased dramatically; the student may be well qualified for a particular college and may still not get in.

9. Look for colleges where the student will thrive academically and socially. Choosing colleges based on their name recognition and prestige value is a formula that will increase stress, not decrease it. Everyone else wants to go to those schools, too, making them even harder to get into; they are not necessarily the best place for the student. Loren Pope’s book, Colleges That Change Lives, is a good place to start.

10. Support your child through a difficult process. Leave the prodding, nagging, and yelling to the tutors and college counselor. The independent college counselor will tell the student to work harder so the parent doesn’t have to. Why ruin the student’s last year at home?

Parents can make decisions so that senior year is not be so fraught with anxiety that family members begin to avoid each other. And, I hate it when my students cry.

Jacqueline Byrne
Author, SAT Vocabulary Express (McGraw Hill, 10/04)
Partner, Ivy Educational Services, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
http://www.ivyeducationalservices.com

Distance Learning: Balancing Your Education and Busy Lifestyle

Distance Learning is a priority for most who have already set their lives out in one way or another in that their responsibilities have been laid out, and in quite a few cases, would not allow for regular College schedules. This is taken into consideration when looking for a place to study, and this shouldn't mean below par education. It should mean convenience for those interested in education and furthering their portfolios.

Student Commitment

Distance Learning requires a certain amount of commitment as the student must schedule the time to study. This is also reflective in their work as they are not going to afford the time unless genuinely interested in the subject matter. The work from these students shows a clear interest in their progression, and therefore their time is not wasted on courses that they are only taking for UKAS points.

Flexibility

A high standard is reached as there is very little disruption in the pupil's life, and therefore they find that they are able to concentrate on the subject matter fully. These courses are not as expensive as those that have to hire out a classroom, and with the 'email' style of assessment, the cost to complete their course assignments is inconsequential. There is no waiting for weeks for their assessments to be returned to them, and this makes it easier for the student to get on with their work at their own pace. These courses fit into lifestyles as it is usually humanly impossible to gauge when a situation will arise that takes a student away from their studies, but with the Distance Learning option, these students do not have the worry of catching up, or even having to loose out on their whole course and fee because there has been a glitch in their schedule. The course can be put aside, and picked up when the situation is eradicated. For those who travel for work, their course can be taken with them, affording them the time to continue on with their studies.

Different options for different lifestyles

This form of education is taking a front seat for those interested in continuing study after settling into a career, or starting a family. There are numerous reasons for not being able to put your life on hold to study a preferred topic, and this option is sometimes the only way people are able to get the training they need. This should not mean that these people have to put up with inferior courses, or exorbitant fees. For those who are unable to leave their homes, or not able to physically enrol on classroom taught courses, this form of education plays a paramount importance in their lives. Oxford College ODL and Oxford Distance Learning have devised a scheme for the visually impaired by designing their courses specifically for these people's needs, and they are in the process of setting up a program to fit into those people's lives that have difficulty in finding a course that caters for their special needs.

Grading

Distance learning courses are not easy. Because the student is not required to attend classes, it is imperative that a sound assessment of their absorption of the materials is obtained by the tutor, and this is only obtained through assignments that are usually more in depth than the usual grading process that is awarded through classroom taught courses. This takes it's form by enabling the student into not just learning about a given subject, but also showing their understanding of each individual step in essay form which lends to their overall grade. This is particularly important to the student, as the material is not the only information that needs to be taught in a given subject. The student needs to be able to question the material, and use their own reasoning when it comes to analysing what they are asked to absorb which keeps them interested in the course work and sees that they feel more involved with the process of their learning.

In the words of Mike Tomlinson, former chief inspector of schools,

'Too much time is spent preparing for exams which could be used for learning'.

Written by Angela Williams, Education Standards Reviewer ‘UK Education Today’. Distance Learning Courses can be enrolled via http://www.oxforddistancelearning.com. This online college has been recognised in the UK for offering the “best tutoring program to date”.

Building Interaction Into Your Online Course

You've already decided that you're ready to author online and you have your content organized. Now it's time to face the ultimate challenge in online learning - making it interactive!

Interaction in online courses is a two-edged sword. On one hand you want students to participate. This enhances their learning by letting them question and discuss issues in the course. On the other hand, as the instructor, you need to decide the level of interaction you want to have with each student - and build your courses accordingly.

As an illustration, let me relate a poor choice I made in a course I wrote several years ago. Because I wanted everyone involved, I required that each student post at least one message per week to the discussion group. In addition, I required that they respond to two other messages. Simple? Yes. But because I had decided that my level of involvement was to respond to every posting, I was faced with 3 messages for every student every week - and this was only the minimum requirement! I soon found myself bogged down in responding to an overwhelming number of messages.

To decide on your level of involvement, let's look at 5 levels of interactions you can provide.

1. Respond to every email. At this level of interaction, you are reading and responding to every email or discussion sent. Beware. While this may be effective at the beginning of a discussion when there is little interaction, you'll soon be overwhelmed just responding to and encouraging students.

2. Respond to every nth email. This is a more rational view. Here you can decide to pick every 5th posting and respond to it. The danger is that you'll miss a student's best posting or that you'll miss an important question.

3. Respond to 1 message per student per week. You can set the expectation that you'll welcome questions from everyone, but that you'll only guarantee a response to one per week. That will put the burden of composing an effective message on the student's shoulders, rather than just jotting off a quick question every time they think of it.

4. Post provocative questions. This is a great way to get a discussion started. If you choose this route, you may choose not to participate in the discussion yourself - but instead, just summarize it at the end - or not.

5. Employ help. This may be a Teaching Assistant, a mentor, students who have taken the course in the past, etc. You may also choose to separate the types of correspondence - for example, one person may cover technical questions, while another handles course mechanics and you take the content questions.

Now that you've decided on your level of involvement, it's time to design the exercises. Recognize that almost any type of exercise you use in face-to-face training has an online counterpart. So be creative - and try your ideas. You can even ask your fellow instructors for help by saying "In an instructor-led course we would do such-and-such for this lesson. What would you suggest we use to replicate that learning online?"

Keep in mind that the format of the course you are creating will help determine the appropriateness of an interactive exercise. For example, if you have a rolling enrollment, self-paced course where students sign up and work through the materials at their own pace, it may be difficult to assign them team activities.

To get you started here are some ideas for interactive exercises. These cover a variety of levels of interaction, so choose your favorites.

Polls and surveys - ask a series of questions, then summarize the results for the participants. This can be done with a survey tool or you can use a multiple choice exam. Poll early and often. Your first poll might be the type of computer participants use, how they connect to the Internet, and their level of expertise in computer skills. This provides good feedback to you and gives them a profile of the "average" student.

Go and do - give students an assignment to do offline. Then ask them to come back and use one of the other techniques (reflection, chat, summaries) to report on their activities.

Read and react - give students an article, a series of websites, or other assignment. Then ask them to write a short reaction paper based on their readings.

Reflection - ask each student to use their personal note space to reflect on reading/group discussions.

3-word summary - ask each student to summarize their thoughts in 3 words in the discussion group. Others can ask for clarification.

Teams - use teams to create small discussion groups. Then ask one person from each team to summarize the discussion in the larger discussion area.

Office hours - use a chat to hold weekly office hours. Just tell everyone when you'll be "in", then wait for the questions. As an alternative you may decide to offer a chat time to a smaller group or team of students - either to encourage more interaction or to handle what would have been an overwhelming amount of interaction.

Expert panel - invite one or more experts to participate in a live event such as a video or audio conference. Take questions from the audience. Then continue the discussion with the discussion group. If possible, invite the experts to participate in the discussion.

You will continue to discover new interactive exercises that you use with your courses. For a full course on the topic, send an email to elearning@TechTamers.com

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. With more than 20 years in instructional design and elearning, Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com

Choose the Delivery Mode for your e-Learning Course

There are so many ways to deliver instruction online that the topic warrants its own lesson. In fact, deciding how you are going to deliver a course is critical to the way that you design and develop the course!

Your first decision is whether or not you will deliver the course "live" or in a synchronous mode. If you deliver it live, it means that you and the students need to be online at the same time. There are numerous courses delivered this way. One of the oldest models for this is a telephone course.

You can also deliver a teleseminar, which is a fancy way of saying a course via telephone. In a teleseminar, everyone calls into a central number where there is a "telephone bridge". The bridge can handle many simultaneous connections, so everyone can hear one another. And because everyone pays their own long distance bill to the bridge, it's an affordable technology to use. Bridge pricing varies, but if you're paying over $20 per hour to rent the bridge, then contact us and we'll put you in touch with a more reasonably priced vendor!

A variation on the telephone seminar is a video conferencing course. You can use a dedicated video conferencing system or some of the newer internet-based web cameras. But recognize that unless everyone is on a fast line (cable or DSL), the video quality will be disappointing. In fact, unless there is a reason that you need to see one another, I always recommend audio conferencing instead. A good example of the use of audio conferencing is at wizetrade.com where they offer a weekly tutorial using internet audio conferencing. (Click on support to see the weekly schedule. You can tune in free to see how it works.)

Other vendors provide a blended model of live telephone with live web. Three of the largest vendors in this space are webex.com , centra.com , and letsconference.com . For each of these, you call a telephone number to get the audio, then tune into a website to see the slides and other accompanying materials. Some services also offer a web audio option, so that no one needs to pay a long distance fee. Many of these vendors have also included enhancements such as live polls during the lesson, a "follow-me" type of Internet tour of sites, and the ability to carry on conversations during the class via a chat feature. Try to participate in at least one of each brand so that you are aware of the opportunities.

While live delivery has its place in web-based learning, it takes away one of the primary advantages assigned to online courses - the ability to learn anywhere, anytime. So if you want to provide that advantage, then you must assume an asynchronous mode of delivery. This type of delivery requires that you think through all of the course, design each lesson, then post the lessons for the students. Whereas with a "live" course you can assume that the instructor will prepare and deliver each lesson, an asynchronous course takes a lot more prior planning.

Even here there are numerous options. Here are some questions you need to answer as you are outlining the features of your course:
* Will you have an instructor for the course? (instructor-facilitated)
* Will all of the students start and end the course at the same time? (lock-stepped enrollment)
* Will the instructor "release" the learning materials at a particular time of the week or will students be able to progress at their own rate? (student-paced or instructor-paced)
* If you don't have an instructor for a course, how will you handle student questions?
* How will you measure student progress through a course? Do you need to?
* Will you certify course completion or are the students on their own as to whether or not they finish the course?
* How will the choice of instructor-facilitated impact your staffing requirements for the course?
* How will you train the staff to facilitate the course?
* Will you allow student-to-student interaction? If so, how will you facilitate that?

As you can see there are a lot of questions to be answered as you plan a course.

P.S. Did I mention that you can also deliver a course via email? For a good example of an email course send an email to elearning@TechTamers.com

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. With more than 20 years in instructional design and elearning, Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com

An Education in Saving on Textbooks

Every year students flock to the college bookstore to purchase the various textbooks that they require for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. As unbelievable as it may seem textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much, if not more, than tuition.

On the surface the college bookstore may seem like a convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually in-stock and students may purchase new textbooks or opt for the cheaper alternative of used books. In truth the money saved by purchasing used textbooks from the college bookstore is only a fraction of the amount that students could be saving if they shopped online.

More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at a considerable discount off of the cover price. In fact, many major booksellers now have special areas of their web sites that are devoted to selling nothing but textbooks. Online used bookstores are another source for college books as they stock a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. There are also web-based retailers whose inventory is entirely devoted to college books.

Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they browse. Instead, they should investigate the alternatives offered by other online booksellers. Price isn't the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also factor in shipping costs and delivery time when making their buying decision.

Online auctions are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredible bargains when obtaining books via online auctions. One downside is that established retailers have channels in place to ensure that you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time. With an auction purchase, however, you are at the mercy of the auction seller's timetable.

One way that students can really save is by obtaining books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. At this site students can peruse a vast collection of classics that have entered the public domain. In the past students seeking assistance with their studies had to pay for the privilege of that help by purchasing study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Cash-strapped students can now visit Spark Notes for free downloadable study guides as well as free downloadable classics.

Students who elect to buy online will no longer be able to resell their books to the college bookstore at the end of class, but that doesn't mean that they are stuck with the textbooks. Many web sites that sell textbooks also offer students the option of selling their books to fellow bargain-seekers. This allows students to easily recouping a portion of their money.

Textbooks normally consume a major portion of a student's budget, but that doesn't have to be the case, because while the cost of tuition may be set in stone the price of textbooks isn't. By taking the time to do a little research on the best textbook values available college students can save money now rather than acquiring debt to be paid back later.

Copyright © 2004 Heather Wallace

Heather Wallace is founder of http://www.BargainMartian.com Visit to take advantage of the out of this world bargains from leading merchants found in this comprehensive directory of deals, rebates, bargains, coupons, and money-saving offers.