I Cannot Stress This Enough

Tips for Job Interviews:

So people are graduating high school/college and I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of solid interview tips so you’re not only surviving on that MSG Ramen diet.

1.) Research: Know at least a little about what position you are applying for. Sounds obvious, I know. But I mean about the company or organization itself. You’re applying at Subway? Know a little bit about the company’s history or what a Sandwich Artist is.  Applying at a store? Know that clientele that frequent the store, etc. Applying for a desk position at a college? “I was amazed at the new addition to the library and the dedication to student life and improvement just stood out to me that this is a university driven towards student success and something I would be proud to be a part of and strive for.” It’s like giving the hiring manager a high-five. Says why you chose them. Make them feel desirable in interesting to you.

2.) How to dress:  When it doubt, always overdress. Nobody is gonna not hire you because you wore a nice suit to a gas station cashier interview. You’ll be taken more seriously than the khaki shorts and white t-shirt you were wearing to that cookout yesterday. Not sure what colors to look for? Black is your safest bet. Black and white are neutral if you have absolutely no clue. Pro tip:  If you listened to number one and know the color of the uniform, try and incorporate that into you clothing selection because it helps hiring managers to see you like their co-workers. (e.g., If you’re applying at a hospital where the unit wears, say, maroon scrubs, try wearing a maroon top or tie.)

3. Behavioral Questions: It’s inevitable. Most jobs are going to give you a series of behavioral questions to gauge you as a person. It is what will divide you from other candidates. What’s a behavioral question? Here’s some examples: “Name a time when you provided exceptional customer service”, “Describe an instance when you had to resolve a problem/confront a coworker/maintain professionalism”, etc. Come PREPARED to name instances. Have about 3-5 in mind and get ready to tweak any of them to fit the frame of the question. Practice speaking in the mirror, to a friend, record yourself etc. But practice saying it out loud because you don’t want to stumble. (InterviewStream is a helpful website!) Answer completely! Explain how your response fits the mold through the story. Tell how you felt at the time and the outcome of what happened. It’s to figure out you as a person. (e.g. “I did ___ for a customer/client/patient/whatever. They were having suchandsuch issue and while what I did was so mundane, it really made their day. It was something that comes so naturally to me that I didn’t realize the impact it would make and it felt good to provide a service that wasn’t simply a run-of-the-mill thing we normally did working for ___). You feel me?

4. Critical Thinking Questions: Some jobs may present you with critical thinking questions the require pause for thought. An example for if you were, say, a nurse: “You have four patients. One with pyelonephritis and no signs of infection, one with a fractured femur with no pain, one with a fractured hip and leg who is leaving tomorrow, and one with diabetes mellitus and an open wound ulcer. A PCA tells you the the fractured hip patient has a blood pressure of 90/60 but says she feels fine, the charge nurse informs you that your pyelonephritis patient is having difficulty breathing and is sat at 89%, another PCA tells you your DM patient is difficult to arouse, and your fractured femur patient is screaming that he is rating his pain a 9/10 and is disturbing other patients. What do you do, who is your priority, and what is your plan of care?” A tad overwhelming. The interviewer is looking at you, you’re processing your options, there’s a lot going on. Take a breath. It’s OKAY TO ASK FOR A MINUTE TO THINK. IT’S NOT A TIMED EXAM! Voice your thoughts! Give complete responses. Even if saying “I would take vitals” sounds OBVIOUS, still say it. Go through your thoughts out loud because you may forget something that speaking it aloud could help. “I would take vitals” would lead to “I would perform an assessment” to “by listening to her lungs and taking his glucose” etc.

5. Body Language: Be open! Have your body turned towards your interviewer, look him/her in the eyes when you respond to a question, smile, nod, do not interrupt, sit up straight, know what you’re doing with your hands and feet (e.g. if you’re a chronic knuckle-cracker/hand rubber, fidgeter, etc.). Body language is one of the most helpful ways an interviewer can gauge your interest.

6. Strengths and Weaknesses: Strengths are easy. Everyone can come up with a good strength (Flexible, self-starter, love constructive criticism, love to learn, great team worker, etc.). Weaknesses though? Weaknesses are tricky. Rule number one: DON’T BE THAT DOUCHE THAT SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF “I work too hard” because nobody is impressed. But don’t also say something like “I am not a morning person” because what if they need you for mornings? No. Find a sweet-spot. Find a weakness that can be improved and isn’t a mere personality trait. Explain the weakness and how you have worked to improve it in the past and what has been effective. (e.g. I have issues with time-management. I have learned to get tasks done as soon as they are delegated to me rather than putting them off. or I have learned to prioritize which tasks will be the most time-consuming and which can be handled quicker so that all of the tasks get effectively completed.)

7. “What are your long-term goals/how long do you plan on staying here/where do you see yourself in x years”: Ah. Do I confess to McDonald’s that I have no intention on making a career out of this and that I only want to work here for the summer and risk not getting the job? Hell no. Don’t lie but don’t be completely truthful either. Keep it open-ended. If you intend on using this job for a bit of cash, have something else in mind as your end-game, or plan on using this job as a stepping-stone, that’s just fine. But don’t go on record as saying something like “Oh I intend on working here for a few years” because you know you’re lying. Say something to the tune of “For as long as I can/am able”. Be creative in your phrasing. Unless they ask you to specifically name an amount of time, variations of that response tend to work. Important thing to note is WATCH WHAT YOU SAY HERE. If you want to go far in the company, say that you want to pursue leadership opportunities and such. Do NOT say “I don’t want to just be a ____” because that is condescending and rude. 

7. “Do you have any questions for me?”: ALWAYS. HAVE. QUESTIONS. Always have them! Even if it is something that you already know about, ask. Here are some go-to questions I have for interviews “Are there any leadership opportunities available?” “How long is orientation?” “Are there more ways for me to become involved or any committees I can join?” Having questions shows INTEREST. 

Feel free to add more tips, people!

Albert Einstein on reality, rationality, and harnessing our human “passion for comprehension” 

It should come as no surprise that investigations have shown that many for-profits do in fact target low-income people who can’t pay. These people areoften minorities.

Steve noticed the same thing at his school: “Most of my students made minimum wage, and over half were black. Every one of my students had a loan, and it’s all they ever talked about. Some felt strong-armed into them, but some wanted them. They lived off of them. They wanted the loans as another source of income because they couldn’t make ends meet with their regular jobs. They took a few classes to keep up appearances, but I would always know why they were really there. Every college has these students, but at my college, I had several in every class I taught. I never knew what happened to them after the semester and they were 20 or 40 grand in debt. Many struggled to make ends meet, and the college offered an easy way to get loans. What did you think was going to happen?”

For-profit universities vastly prefer loans – and the long-term, interest-bearing income they generate – to straight cash payments. So much so that they often don’t take cash: “One student in particular told me that she had $20,000 from an inheritance in cash, but ran into roadblocks everywhere. My college wouldn’t accept cash, so she tried a check. They told her they couldn’t, since they had too many issues with bounced checks. She then tried paying online in full, but she was told she shouldn’t because ‘What if you decide to drop a class? Would you still want to pay for it?’ She then tried monthly payments, but she was informed she was too late to sign up. She could only take a loan.”

I Teach At A For-Profit College: Here’s Why It’s A Scam

Study Tips

- Eat before you study.

- Have a small healthy snack with you whilst studying (just in case hunger strikes).

- Prepare a large, clean workplace.

- Prepare everything you will need before sitting down to study (pencils, computer, notes, etc.)

- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

- Put some music on quietly.

- Take breaks. I usually do it in durations of 25 minutes studying, then a 5 minute break and then I repeat that as many times as needed.

- Always write down definitions of important words!

- If you don’t understand something underline it in red and ask the teacher next time you see them.

- Always stay updated with the news.

- Research, research, research.

- Read over your notes.

- Don’t overcomplicate your note taking or it will end up confusing you.

- Keep it simple.

I’m never over the fact that Juliet, though sunshiney, loving and in many ways naive, is actually a ridiculously morbid and very calculating person.  I love her for it, honestly, and I hate when people cut those lines or play it as though she isn’t these things.

Like, my love for Juliet Capulet knows no bounds as it is–she’s defiant, she’s passionate, she’s nonviolent, she’s loving, and basically  the coolest.  But I feel like the fact that she’s kind of a manipulative genius at times, and a somewhat creepy Gothic romantic at  others is so often overlooked, and I can’t imagine why, because that’s great!

I mean, it’s clear how intelligent she is, and how easily she manages to say what her parents want to hear, without even once letting on what she’s really saying, as the audience knows, most notable in Act III, Scene VL

Indeed, I never shall be satisfied With Romeo, till I behold him—dead— Is my poor heart for a kinsman vexed.

Where she basically knows how to simultaneously say that she’s grieving both for the loss of Tybalt and Romeo, while letting her mother hear that she wants Romeo dead, and then later in the same scene:

I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam ,I will not marry yet. And when I do, I swear It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!

Where she manages to basically throw it all out on the table–she’d rather marry Romeo than Paris–and still words it just so they have no idea.  This is an extremely subtle and deft crafting of word and communication and how people hear things.  The girl is basically a genius and could probably have made a terrifyingly good con artist if she wanted.

But then I also love the fact that lots of her other lines are oddly morbid, and that she clearly loves and enjoys darker things, and isn’t quite the wilting, delicate flower people seem to portray her as.  I mean, one need mostly just look at her speech in Act III, Scene II, which I’ll do here, and then it becomes a wonder no one modernizes R&J and makes her an adorable Gothic princess, in a way. 

Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus’ lodging: such a wagoner  As Phaethon would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway’s eyes may wink and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalk’d of and unseen. 

This part isn’t terribly dark, but it’s got the feeling of a battle  cry, in a way, invoking horses of the gods to go away, commanding the sun to set.  It’s intense stuff.

Lovers can see to do their amorous rites By their own beauties; or, if love be blind, It best agrees with night. Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black, And learn me how to lose a winning match,  Play’d for a pair of stainless maidenhoods:

To me, at least, there’s something witchy about this: it reminds me, in a way, of Lady Macbeth’s “Come, thick night,” speech, where she’s powerful, literally calling evil spirits to do her bidding and change the course of what’s to be done.  Obviously, Juliet isn’t a witch and no spirits come to her aid, but the thought is there, as is her love for darkness, her disdain for light, her romanticization of the night and its cover and the color black.  It makes me want to picture a modern Juliet painting spider-webs on her fingernails and watching the starts for hours in the dark, and listening to The Cure.  

Hood my unmann’d blood, bating in my cheeks, With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown bold, Think true love acted simple modesty. Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;  For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night Whiter than new snow on a raven’s back. 

Again, this is something she very clearly loves and thinks is gorgeous, and it’s morbid and dark and rich.  And yet she’s so constantly written off as this silly little girl, foolish and flowery in the way people read her or perform her.

Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow’d night, Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, 

Honestly, just to drive the point home, she’s thinking about her lover’s death making him scatter into the stars and literally becoming part of the night.  She wants to be Night’s lover, in an indirect kind of ways, and the fact that she twines darkness with Romeo in this image, indicates that she associates love and things she adores with darkness.  It’s certainly a love for the dark that I’d put into a Gothic Heroine of later literature.

And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun.

And finally, she concludes with calling the sun “garish,” which, if anything, makes me think of a line in a song from Phantom of the Opera–”Turn your face away/ from the Garish light of day”–which also associates romance with darkness, and a contempt for light.  But this isn’t meant to make her bad or wrong, simply private and rich and dark.

So basically, this all boils down to two things:  One is that Juliet Capulet should not be written off as stupid because she is literally too clever for anyone else.  The other is that I don’t get why people portray her wearing all white, or bright colors so often in modern adaptations, because there’s literally text-based justification for goth!Juliet if you wanted.

TL;DR Juliet Capulet is my cunning Goth Daughter who I love to hell and back and would kill someone for and I hate that people do not like her or put a lot of thought into her.  Also, if you’re ever thinking on it, consider goth!Juliet who loves spooky things and sneaking out at night. It could go very well with pastel!Romeo.

help for help

Teaching Skills, Not Just Content

Shira Lurie is a PhD hopeful in Early American History at the University of Virginia. Her exploration concentrates on well known political clashes over the American Revolution's legacy in the early republic. You can tail her on Twitter and on her site.

This year I TAed a course on the historical backdrop of Colonial British America for the most part non-history majors. A few understudies were there out of general interest, yet numerous were utilizing the course to satisfy a circulation necessity. While I positively trust that the investigation of history is imperative for everybody, I likewise needed my understudies to see the class as by and by advantageous and, most importantly, helpful for their prospects. I think this is one of the more subtle, yet noteworthy difficulties in post-optional educating: it is regularly the case that the greater part of understudies we instruct won't seek after professions in our field. We likewise know, likely from direct experience, that post-exam cerebrum channel is a fight no instructor can completely win. As TAs, our first obligation is, obviously, to educate content. Yet, given that our understudies will probably not utilize, thus overlook, the vast majority of the data they realize, by what means would we be able to guarantee an effect comparable to the time our understudies go through with us? I think in any event part of the answer is to chip away at ability improvement.

I chose that there were sure abilities I could concentrate on over the semester that would serve my understudies well in whatever professions they in the end sought after. Notwithstanding future convenience, investing a portion of class energy in expertise advancement additionally gives understudies chances to track their own particular advancement in specific zones. Here are a few aptitudes I underlined this semester and a few thoughts on the most proficient method to create them:

Composing

I started the term by disclosing to my understudies that written work would be a high need for us since great composition can separate them in whatever order they pick. About each different class I would break them into little gatherings and have them compose a couple sentences on a given brief or idea. For instance, I would give every gathering a term that they may need to recognize and dissect on the last, most decisive test. We would then put them up on a projector and investigate them as a class. This permitted understudies to get criticism on their composition and to thoroughly consider what makes a compelling sentence, section, and contention. It additionally empowered them to rehearse for the exam.

ARTICULATING AN ARGUMENT

Scientific speculation and the capacity to marshal proof in administration of a contention are likewise generally pertinent aptitudes. It is likewise essential to have the capacity to survey the contention of someone else and give reasons why you concur or oppose this idea. I had my understudies respond to the contentions of the books we read in class, and also to the feelings I and different understudies would voice. Contemplating a power's sentiment and having the capacity to mindfully voice resistance are profitable aptitudes that require sharpening. For instance, I set up a sentence from the book we were perusing on the board and sorted out understudies into two gatherings: the individuals who concurred and the individuals who couldn't help contradicting the sentence. The understudies then discussed with each other, offering proof from the book and different readings to bolster their focuses.

Open SPEAKING

While I didn't have my understudies give formal presentations, I saw investment in class exchange as a decent open door for them to hone their open talking aptitudes. I urged understudies to illuminate any ambiguous dialect they utilized and to work off of every others' focuses. I additionally attempted to discover chances to urge shyer understudies to talk up. For instance, amid gathering work, I requested that calmer gathering individuals be the ones to represent their gathering's commitment when we returned together as a class. This gave them an opportunity to rationally plan and even record their remarks on the off chance that they favored.

12 Pieces of Advice From Graduating Seniors That Every Freshman Should Follow

University graduations are officially over! As graduates make plans for their future and take on more responsibilities, many college seniors are looking to bestow you with their wisdom. While others prompt you to seek internships, others wish that you take care of your mental health before anything else.

Take a look at these helpful wise and comforting words from people, who have experience in the struggles of being a student.

Keep reading

HOW TO STUDY A WEEK BEFORE AN EXAM

Day 7

List out all your topics, and highlight those you are least familiar with. I also love listing out the resources/materials I have to study. 

You should start reading and annotating the materials you are unfamiliar with.

Day 6

If you have not started making notes at all, it wouldn’t be wise to start making notes now. 

Instead, try to annotate things, write down explanations next to the things that you don’t understand, or definitions that you think can be elaborated.

Remember to be exam-oriented. Don’t spend time on things that are very trivial, or things that won’t be covered in the exam anyways.

At this stage, you should be focusing on annotating and enhancing your understanding of the materials.

Day 5

You should make sure you have most of your notes ready and that you have digested everything.

If you haven’t done a summary card, you should probably do it at this stage. This is a great way to consolidate your information.

Get a bunch of index cards. Write out the title of each chapter on each card.

Write the outline of the chapter. Alternatively, you can make a question attack plan for each chapter.

Turn over and write down some key terms that you don’t know. Or, you can write down some common mistakes, formulas etc, depending on your subject.

Day 4

With 4 days left, you should start memorizing things now. Focus on spellings and key terms. 

By memorizing, you can do the following:

Read the notes out loud, and repeat them by not looking at the paper (this is the way I personally use!)

Try to memorize, and cover the sheet and rewrite everything

Teach yourself, or to an audio recorder, or to a friend

Draw a mindmap without looking at your notes.

Day 3

You should go for some practice questions by chapter. 

You may also try to complete the exercises at the back of the chapter in your textbook. 

Don’t just do the practice question and throw them away. Make full use of it:

Check the answer. Find out what you failed to get right and failed to write down on the answer paper.

Understand your mistake. Understand why you make the mistake, and how you can avoid it.

Take notes of your misunderstanding and mistakes (as well as the correct answers). This will help you to avoid making the same ones.

Day 2

Repeat what you have done on day 3. 

Some teachers may also offer some mock papers or practice papers, or you may also try to complete past papers here. 

Day 1

You should do your very last review here. You should make sure you read through the following this day:

Your summary cards

Your notes

The notes you have made while doing the practice questions and papers

If your exam involves some formulas or difficult keywords or definitions, you may need to memorize them again this day.

Day 0

Now that’s everything. With all the preparation above, you should be very confident since you have got everything covered! All you have to do is to take a good breakfast and focus during the exam! Good luck!

For more details, check out the article on Students Toolbox!

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Topics from A-level that are used lots in a Maths degree:

Note: This is just based on my experience of degree and A-level Maths and Further Maths. At degree I studied mostly applied mathematics and statistics/probability so this is based on that.

Differential Equations

These are particularly important in applied mathematics. I don’t think I’ve taken an applied module without them. If you haven’t done them in A-level, they are covered extensively in first year. 

Differentiation/Integration

Also key to applied mathematics, but also in probability and statistics. Methods are covered in first year too. Oh and in analysis too, but that tends to look at calculus in a new light. 

Matrices

These are everywhere. Particularly multiplying them, taking the inverse, eigenvalues and eigenvectors (these are in everything - even statistics), Diagonalisation comes up a bit too (probability, statistics). 

Vectors

Mostly the scalar product and vector product (these are everywhere). Not so much the geometry. Kinda like M2 where you have 3D motion, finding x, v and a etc. Most things become multi-dimensional as the degree progresses so just kinda know what a vector means.

Polar Co-ordinates

Loads of them in applied maths, but converting between Cartesians and Polars is probably the main thing from A-level Further Maths. I can’t really remember what is covered in FP2 but yeah. Most of the stuff at degree is new. 

Exponentials/Logarithms

How could I forget these??? I’d advise being really fluent with them because you’re kind of expected to know the log rules and converting between exponentials and logarithms. You were on my course anyway. Also the graphs of them are pretty important. 

Hypothesis Tests

If you’ve done S2 then lots of Statistics at degree is based around hypothesis testing. It’ll all be taught from scratch in first year but yeah. And it’s probably less confusing when you do it at degree. 

Complex Numbers

Just knowing how to manipulate really. They come up every now and again. Not to the extent that they do in FP2. 

Curve Sketching

Lecturers love putting this in exams because they know we hate it. I can’t remember doing a lot of it in A-level though, but yeah practise drawing trig functions and logs/exponentials and quadratics/cubics. 

Trig

Mostly just being fluent with trig identities because it’s another thing you’re just expected to be able to use when needed. Cos2x is a particularly good one to know. Hyperbolic trig also comes up. But really just knowing the exponential form because lecturers seem to love putting it in questions. 

Obviously it depends on what modules you take. At Notts you can take optimisation, game theory and graph theory in third year which follows on from Decision. Pure Maths is pretty much all new (I think OCR MEI FP3 has some group theory though). 

The main thing is to pay attention to first year because most of it is methods and skills that will be needed in second year. I mean, some of first year you’ll never touch again in your final years but yeah, most of it is useful. 

Also don’t worry if you haven’t done Further Maths. From my experience the content from Further Maths was covered at a relatively slow pace and at first you may have to work harder than people who did do FM, but you’ll catch up really quickly.