Organic Chemistry Program at UC Davis

Organic Chemistry Program at UC DavisThe University of California Davis is one of the top research universities in the nation. It is also one of the most recognized ones because of its great program that includes such disciplines as biology, botany, cell and molecular biology, earth and atmospheric sciences, environmental studies, geology, engineering, mathematics, physics, and many more. It also has a highly renowned degree in music and is known for producing outstanding pianists and musicians. But the most interesting thing about this university is that it also offers undergraduate degrees to students who wish to pursue degrees in many different fields of study, including many at UC Davis College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.One of the first four-year bachelor's degrees that a student could take is the degree in organic chemistry. This is taught by Prof. R. Allen. A student could possibly earn this degree through a transfer from a campus of the department of Agriculture.Prof. Allen has devised a course study and assessment system that allows every student to concentrate on the study of organic chemistry, which he feels is important to become successful in many fields of study, and also to make an important contribution to society in a practical way. He believes that the student's personal goals should be the most important thing in pursuing his or her career. For example, students would study organic chemistry because it is an interdisciplinary subject, in which chemistry and biology are usually at opposite ends of the spectrum. Chemistry and biology can also learn from each other in ways that will lead to further discoveries.This program's structure is based on a field's level of specialization. In the case of organic chemistry, the introductory lecture sets a base for the student and teaches him or her to appreciate the most important and popular concepts of organic chemistry, such as the role of enzymes, the nature of organic compounds, metabolism, oxidati on, and bonding. As the student progresses, the syllabus moves to more important topics and then later to field-specific subjects, such as biochemistry, biophysics, organic petrology, and etc.There are certain requirements to attend this university like a GPA of 3.0. Students must also have two years of high school education if they intend to pursue a career in this field. However, the common aspiration of a student wishing to get this degree is to enhance the opportunities of a person's career in the world of science. These opportunities are realized through a well-rounded educational experience through a number of courses in different branches of science.Students who intend to enroll in the classes of organic chemistry must be ready to take rigorous courses of study and they have to face the challenges of an intense college life. The course syllabus of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is broad and encompasses several branches of science and its related technologies. There are numerous career options for graduates with the degree in organic chemistry.There are more than 100 majors and minors offered in this department and all of them are easily accessible by any science majors. Students who are planning to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry can also find it useful to complete their pre-doctoral training in another institution of higher learning like the academe, to put themselves in a better position for a good postdoctoral career. Additionally, it is a good idea to research well before opting for a course to make sure that the program meets all your expectations.

Square Meters to Feet

Square Meters to Feet Square meter is considered the SI unit of area. If a square has a side length of exactly 1m, then the area of such a square is defined as 1 square meter. The SI unit of length is meter and since area is calculated using length, square meter is simply derived from meter. Square meter can be converted to other units as well and one of the unit to which it can be converted is square feet. These square feet can be in turn converted to feet. Example 1: Given area of a rectangle is 50sq meters and the width of the rectangle is 21.6feet. Calculate the length of the rectangle in feet. Area of a rectangle, A = length * width Given: width of the rectangle, l = 21.6ft Area of the rectangle, A = 50sq feet First we should convert the units of area from square meters to square feet. Standard conversion: 1sq meter = 10.764sqft This implies Area = 50sq meters = 50 * 10.764 = 538.2sq feet So length of the rectangle = Area/length= 538.2/ 21.6 = 24.92feet Example 2: Given area of a square is 18sq meters. Calculate the side lengthof the square in feet. Area of a square, A = (side length)2 Given: Area of the square, A = 18sq meters First we should convert the units of area from square meters to square feet. Standard conversion: 1sq meter = 10.764sqft This implies Area = 18sq meters = 18 * 10.764 = 193.7sq feet (approximately) So side length of the square = (Area) Area = (193.7)= 13.92feet (approximately).

Better English Pronunciation with Poetry Stanley Kunitz

Better English Pronunciation with Poetry Stanley Kunitz For a few months now Ive been working with one of our favorite students. His English grammar is nearly perfect, but he has great difficulty with pronunciation. Most of our lessons have therefore focused on reading very elementary texts that focus on sounds and syllables, but dont offer much in the way of intellectual stimulation.Stanley KunitzFinally last night, it hit me that poetry might be the way to go. It offers intense training on the sounds of English, along with something intellectual. For some reason I started him off on Walt Whitman, who is no doubt a great American poet, but who often uses vocabulary and constructions that are outdated by about 100 years. After the class I searched my book shelf and came across a collection of poems by Stanley Kuntiz, the 10th Poet Laureate of the United States.So Then I started thinking that a really great way to practice would be for students to not only be able to read great poetry, but also hear it read by a native English speaker. I g ot Teauna to read the poem, because everyone says shes got the clearest voice.Our resources are admittedly limited at this point, so the sound and quality of the below video of Teauna reading the poem may not be the best. Anyway, we hope that this, combined with the original text of Halleys Comet provided below will help you work on your English pronunciation. Expect more of these in the future! Halleys Cometby Stanley KunitzMiss Murphy in first gradewrote its name in chalkacross the board and told usit was roaring down the stormtracksof the Milky Way at frightful speedand if it wandered off its courseand smashed into the earththered be no school tomorrow.A red-bearded preacher from the hillswith a wild look in his eyesstood in the public squareat the playgrounds edgeproclaiming he was sent by Godto save every one of us,even the little children.Repent, ye sinners! he shouted,waving his hand-lettered sign.At supper I felt sad to thinkthat it was probablythe last meal Id sharewith my mother and my sisters;but I felt excited tooand scarcely touched my plate.So mother scolded meand sent me early to my room.The whole familys asleepexcept for me. They never heard me stealinto the stairwell hall and climbthe ladder to the fresh night air.Look for me, Father, on the roofof the red brick buildingat the foot of Green Streetâ€"thats where we live, you know, on the top floor.Im the boy in the white flannel gownsprawled on this coarse gravel bedsearching the starry sky,waiting for the world to end.

Top tips for starting university

Top tips for starting university Settling into university can be challenging. The ultimate worry of making sure you find friends is always at the back of your mind, let alone the worry about how you’re actually going to get on with your course. Flyer after flyer is being pushed in your face trying to get you to join societies and you are experiencing an information overload. People are telling you that freshers is just easy and fun but you’re finding it pretty intense, and rightly so. Here are some top tips to help you get through those first few weeks of term: Try not to worry. Remember that everyone is in the same boat so they will want to make friends quickly.  At university, you have the opportunity to meet lots of new people, in your hall, your course or through any clubs you join so it is highly likely that you will meet your kind of people very quickly. Finding your way around. Universities can be huge spaces and they can be very hard to find your way around, especially if your university is spread around a town or city rather than on a campus. Universities will provide maps so make sure you get your hands on one of those and look out for signs and student reps to point you in the right direction. There should be plenty of people around to help you in your first few weeks so don’t be afraid to ask. Join clubs/societies. Universities have an endless list of societies so go to a freshers’ fair and find out about them. Even if the ‘flyer after flyer in your face’ is driving you crazy, try and be patient and talk to students and you will find something or maybe many things that will appeal to you. Then sign up to as many as you like and narrow it down later. You can’t do it all but being a part of some clubs, whether they are something you are familiar with or something that is new to you is great experience and helps you balance your studies as well as make new friends Contact hours. So it might seem strange that you only have between six to nine contact hours a week (or maybe less), whereas others have about twenty five. But everything should balance out. If you have less contact hours then you will have more reading and assignments to complete whereas those with more contact hours will have less. Either way no subject should feel undermined by the amount of contact hours they have. The classic arts vs science rivalry will probably occur but it is important to remember that this is just ‘student banter’. You chose your subject for a reason and that is all that matters; don’t let anyone put you down about it Organising your time. If you have less contact hours then it can sometimes be hard to organise your time as all of a sudden your day seems to disappear having only had one lecture and one seminar. So… note down your timetable and try to do bits of reading/preparation in between commitments either at the library or a study room so you don’t have to spend your whole evening doing this Lectures and seminars. Find out what your department’s policy is on these. Of course it is best to attend everything â€" get your money’s worth from your degree. But you especially don’t want to be caught out by missing something that is compulsory as this will be recorded and could lead to consequences. If you have a genuine reason for missing academic commitments then contact your department tutor beforehand so you can be excused Note taking from lectures and seminars. Try not to write everything down as then you won’t really take in what you’re listening to but instead try to make notes that are in short form which you can understand. If you are provided with a hand-out beforehand then take this with you so you can underline important points and write extra detail when needed Going out. Freshers’ week has loads of opportunities to go out and you will be spoilt for choice on what to do. Have fun and enjoy it but don’t worry if you fancy a night off. You might still have commitments in the day and so try not to completely exhaust yourself or miss your lectures/seminars. Introductions are important to attend as you will be given information which will help you for the rest of term. Of course, you should enjoy your nights out and have fun, even after freshers’ week has finished, but just remember to manage your time effectively Remember you’re on a budget now. Be sensible with your money but don’t panic if you spend a lot of money in the first few weeks. There will probably be a lot of activities put on to begin with which cost, as well as paying for membership to clubs. So the first couple of weeks tend to be more expensive, just remember to budget from then on. If you’re a bright spark, in need of some extra money, why not try tutoring? We know this great socially responsible website called Tutorfair. Don’t worry if Freshers’ week isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. There is a lot of build up about freshers’ week but although it can be good fun, it can also be very tiring and you might experience some normal teething problems when starting uni. For some, you might be living away from home for the first time as well as starting a new course so don’t worry if you don’t find freshers’ week as amazing as people say. University is a fantastic experience and you will agree but perhaps not straight away. Ask for help if you need it. Although you are no longer at school, it is still absolutely fine to ask for help whether this is on academic or pastoral matters. It is fine to contact your tutors if you are unsure of something or equally if you think something personal is affecting your work. Most tutors have office hours when they can see students so use them or email them. There will also be pastoral services available run by staff as well as other students so use them! That is what they are there for and nobody will judge. So starting university may be a bit of a whirlwind but you will have fun. Just remember… ‘Don’t let your degree get in the way of your education’. Whether you're  studying History, Maths or English, some university topics can be more challenging than others.  Tutorfair  can help you find the right tutor to give you the extra support you need to ace those exams.

5 Reasons to Play Sports over the Summer

5 Reasons to Play Sports over the Summer Orange County Summer Tutor Tips: 5 Reasons to Play Sports over the Summer Organized sports activities are a huge part of many childrens upbringing. However, the sports season can get to be overwhelming for some students when combined with academic responsibilities and increased homework assignments. If this is the case, summer can be a great time for kids to participate in sports and athletic activities. In fact, students who are not a fan of organized sports can still benefit from more independent forms of physical activity. In order to receive an overall well-rounded education, its a good idea for kids to learn about health and fitness to keep their body feeling well in addition to keeping their mind sharp through academics. 1. Socialization and teamwork Organized sports provide an excellent opportunity to develop essential social skills such as teamwork. The majority of the academic year is focused on individual achievements thus summer sports activities are a great opportunity to learn the value of contributing to a team. Depending on the child’s age and athletic goals, sports activities are ranging from fun and lightly competitive recreational leagues and camps to highly competitive regional sports teams. Summer is also a great opportunity for kids to try out different organized sports to see which ones they enjoy the most. Many sports camps are only one week long and can offer children a variety of choices (READ: 10 Reasons You Need a Summer Tutor). 2. Self-esteem The academic year requires kids to be very competitive if they are going to succeed, especially as they grow older and get closer to college applications. Childrens sports teams are also competitive, but they provide coaching that helps players track improvement and focus on personal goals as well as playing a valuable role as part of a team. Children who gain athletic ability will often be able to enhance their self-esteem and make growing up a little bit easier. 3. Fitness and nutrition Knowing about health, fitness, and nutritious eating habits is also part of a well-rounded education. When children play sports over the summer, they learn about what types of foods can fuel their body and give them more energy and which foods just make them more tired. Kids can also learn about athletics through kinesthetic learning and coordination, which can help their overall fitness and keep them healthy through their teenage years (READ: Irvine Summer Tutor Tips: 5 Ways to Transition to Summer). 4. Problem solving Problem-solving is also a valuable aspect of playing sports, whether in an organized league or a casual neighborhood game. There are tons of variables that need to be addressed when it comes to focusing on a goal of beating another team or learning how to cope when a player is out sick. When children learn to problem-solve as a group or with the help of a coach they learn valuable skills that can be used in a classroom setting as well as in life in general. 5. Making a commitment Choosing a sport to play over the summer also helps children learn about the importance of making and keeping a commitment. If children can choose which sport or athletic endeavor they want to participate in they have a little bit of choice over their schedule and can learn that sometimes it’s a challenge to keep a commitment even to something fun. Learning to prioritize multiple activities (especially for older students who need to multitask) is an important part of growing up and learning to thrive during challenging periods. The summer is an ideal amount of time to commit to something because, if kids end up choosing an activity they dont enjoy, the commitment will only go on for a couple of months at most. Did you know that you can have fun, play sports, AND catch up on academics during the summer? Our private Orange County summer tutors work with your schedule so you can enjoy your summer break. Call us today to learn more! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Weve made the Public Video Pledge for the 2014 italki World Cup Language Challenge!

Weve made the Public Video Pledge for the 2014 italki World Cup Language Challenge! Were Doing it!  So Should You! If youre taking the Langauge Challenge and really want to succeed, were giving away 50ITC if you make a Public Video Pledge!   Why would you ever want to do this? (Click here for more details)   Please take some time to motivate and encourage our Public Video Pledge Challengers  by commenting on their Notebook entrees! Lindsaydoeslanguages from England Lindsay is a veteran italki Challenge winner.  Shes a Polyglot and well known blogger and vlogger on her popular Language Learning website Lindsaydoeslanguages.com.  Shes going to be blogging about her experiences tackling Portuguese throughout the Challenge.  Send her some words of encouragement on her  Notebook entry! Lindsay also thinks that England will win the World Cup! Kobinata Reiko from Japan This is Kobinatas 3rd italki Challenge! She has committed to learn English and Chinese and will be taking 25 hours worth of lessons in both these languages! She is also one of our most beloved Japanese Community Tutors. We received a great Testimonial Story about her from Alisa, who is learning Japanese on italki.  Her Public Video pledge is below.    Please comment on her Notebook entry! As Kobinata hails from Japan, we have a strong feeling she wants Japan to win the World Cup! Søren (aka Koko the Polyglot)   from the United States Søren is also a Language Challenge veteran.  He took the last Challenge where he came oh so close to reaching his goal but just sputtered towards the end.  It just goes to show you that even the most talented language learners have trouble staying motivated.  Hes determined to finish this Challenge though as he was one of the first Challengers to submit the Public Video Pledge!  Now the whole world will be watching and cheering him on.  Søren will be learning Catalan.  You can follow his progress on his language learning blog site Kokothepolyglot.net.    Send him words of encouragement in his Notebook entry. Søren predicts that its Denmark or Sweden winning the World Cup!  Lets see if hes right! Vero from Italy Vero, who is also one of our Professional Teachers teaching Italian and Spanish is taking the Challange to learn French! Shes already got a good foundation but hopes that the Challenge will take her French ability to the next level. Read her notebook entry here and leave some words of encouragement! Vero, who is Italian, wants Italy to win the World Cup. Andy from England Andy is learning French for the Language Challenge. In his own words, while its very straightforward for me to practice reading and writing, the speaking and listening aspect is much more difficult. Im still translating a lot in my head, things arent coming to me and flowing as naturally as they would, so i think a nice intensive period doing lessons is really going to help! This is exactly why we run the challenge! Leave some comments on Andys notebook entry here. Yet another Challenger from England.  Yet another Challenger rooting for the British National Team! Rachel Boyce from England This is a great Public Pledge from Rachel who just happens to be one of our Professional Teachers teaching English. She is taking the Challenge to kickstart her Russian which as you can tell from her Public Pledge is starting from the beginning! Give her some love by commenting on her Notebook Entry! Its not very hard to guess what team Rachel wants to win the World Cup?  Just look where she is from (even though shes living in Italy) Rob from the United States Rob, who is fluent in Sign Language, struggles with learning new spoken languages.  As hes making a move to Mexico, hes determined to learn Spanish from scratch!  He made a great Public Video Pledge video where explains his motivations to learn this and his commitment to succeed.  Please send some words of encouragement in his notebook entry. Rob predicts the host of the World Cup Brazil to take home the trophy! JasmineEnglishTime   from the United States JasmineEnglishTime is one of our Community Tutors who teaches English and has signed up for the Language Challenge to improve her Mandarin.  She already has a strong foundation in Mandarin (as you can see/hear from the below video) but she wants to take it to the next level and even pass the HSK4 exam as one of reasons for taking the Challenge.  Give her some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. JasmineEnglishTime doesnt mention anything about the World Cup but were assuming shes rooting for the United States! Chad   from the United States Chad is a college student who is majoring in Chinese so he actually speaks quite fluently already (check out his pledge!). Hes mainly taking the Challenge to push his Mandarin ability to the next level. He specifically wants to improve his fluency and grammar and expand his vocabulary.  Give him some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. nuriayasmin   from the Germany nuriayasmin is actually a Professional German Teacher who has taught over 1400+ hours on italki! To put things in perspective thats 60 days or 2 months of taught language lessons However, shes actually the Challenge to learn both Spanish and Hungarian! Show her some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. nuriayasmin really doesnt care for the World Cup but if she were to root for a team it would be Spain! Victor   from the Dominican Replublic Victor represents our South American contingent for the World Cup Language Challenge. Victor is committing to to 3 English lessons a week to finish the Challenge and wants to improve his English skills. He wants to focus on his fluency and also his confidence in speaking. He sounds pretty good already but theres always room for improvement (judge for himself).  Give him some support by commenting on his Notebook post here. When asked who he thinks will win the World Cup, Victor is very confident and gives a resounding Go Italy! to support his favorite team! Fermin   from Mexico Fermin is one of our Language Challenge veterans who participated in our last Challenge. Hes back again and is now focused on learning Mandarin for the World Cup Language Challenge. Fermin is also one of our Community Tutors teaching Spanish.    Send him words of encouragement in his Notebook entry. Fermin wants Mexico to win the World Cup! Leigh Davis   from Northern Ireland Leigh is already very fluent in Spanish (check out his video below) but he really wants to take it to the next level!  He also will be visiting Spain to test his Spanish.  Please wish him good luck by commenting on his Notebook entry. Leigh did not tell us who he wants to win the World Cup but we feel its probably Ireland! Massimo Grazzi   from Italy Massimo, who is also one of our Professional Teachers loves to teach Italian language and culture, but this time he wants to refresh his Russian! He seems really determined to complete 25 hours to finish the Challenge! We are all confident he will make it! Lets support him by commenting on his Notebook entry. Obviously, Massimo wants Italy  to win the World Cup! Fabricio Carraro   from Brazil Fabricio  is from Brazil and he loves languages. His passion is Italian, but for our  World Cup Language Challenge he wants to focus on improving his Japanese. Fabricio  is committing 3 to 4 Japanese lessons a week to finish the Challenge.  Give him some support on his Notebook entry. As we all expected, Fabricio wants Brazil to win the World Cup! Sandrah   from the United States Sandrah is a student living in California. She is really excited about our World Cup Language Challenge and she wants to learn French. She will be taking 2 to 3 lessons a week with a French tutor. She hopes that at the end of the Challenge she will be able to speak some actual French! Read her Notebook entry and leave some words of encouragement. Sandrah wants Spain to win the World Cup, but her second favorites are Brazil, Italy, and Germany! Fabio   from Spain Fabio is taking the Challenge to learn English and has committed to taking 25 hours of language lessons in 2 months.  Give him some support by commenting on his Notebook post here. Fabio feels that Spain will repeat as World Cup Champions! FutureSpy   from Brazil FutureSpy can speak Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish, and Japanese. This time he took our World Cup Language Challenge to improve his skills in French. It seems he already has a very strong foundation in French (as you can hear from the video below), but he wants to become more confident with this language. Lets wish him good luck by leaving some comments on his Notebook post here. FutureSpy didt say who he wants to win the World Cup, but we think its probably Brazil! Adri   from the United States Adri is learning Japanese and she is tanking the World Cup Language Challenge to learn more about grammar, vocabulary, and sentences structure. Please send her some comments of encouragement in her Notebook post here. Adri will support the USA team during the World Cup! Even though the Challenge has already started, you still have time to make a Public Video Pledge. Dont forget we’re giving away 50ITC if you make a Public Video Pledge!!! Weve made the Public Video Pledge for the 2014 italki World Cup Language Challenge! Were Doing it!  So Should You! If youre taking the Langauge Challenge and really want to succeed, were giving away 50ITC if you make a Public Video Pledge!   Why would you ever want to do this? (Click here for more details)   Please take some time to motivate and encourage our Public Video Pledge Challengers  by commenting on their Notebook entrees! Lindsaydoeslanguages from England Lindsay is a veteran italki Challenge winner.  Shes a Polyglot and well known blogger and vlogger on her popular Language Learning website Lindsaydoeslanguages.com.  Shes going to be blogging about her experiences tackling Portuguese throughout the Challenge.  Send her some words of encouragement on her  Notebook entry! Lindsay also thinks that England will win the World Cup! Kobinata Reiko from Japan This is Kobinatas 3rd italki Challenge! She has committed to learn English and Chinese and will be taking 25 hours worth of lessons in both these languages! She is also one of our most beloved Japanese Community Tutors. We received a great Testimonial Story about her from Alisa, who is learning Japanese on italki.  Her Public Video pledge is below.    Please comment on her Notebook entry! As Kobinata hails from Japan, we have a strong feeling she wants Japan to win the World Cup! Søren (aka Koko the Polyglot)   from the United States Søren is also a Language Challenge veteran.  He took the last Challenge where he came oh so close to reaching his goal but just sputtered towards the end.  It just goes to show you that even the most talented language learners have trouble staying motivated.  Hes determined to finish this Challenge though as he was one of the first Challengers to submit the Public Video Pledge!  Now the whole world will be watching and cheering him on.  Søren will be learning Catalan.  You can follow his progress on his language learning blog site Kokothepolyglot.net.    Send him words of encouragement in his Notebook entry. Søren predicts that its Denmark or Sweden winning the World Cup!  Lets see if hes right! Vero from Italy Vero, who is also one of our Professional Teachers teaching Italian and Spanish is taking the Challange to learn French! Shes already got a good foundation but hopes that the Challenge will take her French ability to the next level. Read her notebook entry here and leave some words of encouragement! Vero, who is Italian, wants Italy to win the World Cup. Andy from England Andy is learning French for the Language Challenge. In his own words, while its very straightforward for me to practice reading and writing, the speaking and listening aspect is much more difficult. Im still translating a lot in my head, things arent coming to me and flowing as naturally as they would, so i think a nice intensive period doing lessons is really going to help! This is exactly why we run the challenge! Leave some comments on Andys notebook entry here. Yet another Challenger from England.  Yet another Challenger rooting for the British National Team! Rachel Boyce from England This is a great Public Pledge from Rachel who just happens to be one of our Professional Teachers teaching English. She is taking the Challenge to kickstart her Russian which as you can tell from her Public Pledge is starting from the beginning! Give her some love by commenting on her Notebook Entry! Its not very hard to guess what team Rachel wants to win the World Cup?  Just look where she is from (even though shes living in Italy) Rob from the United States Rob, who is fluent in Sign Language, struggles with learning new spoken languages.  As hes making a move to Mexico, hes determined to learn Spanish from scratch!  He made a great Public Video Pledge video where explains his motivations to learn this and his commitment to succeed.  Please send some words of encouragement in his notebook entry. Rob predicts the host of the World Cup Brazil to take home the trophy! JasmineEnglishTime   from the United States JasmineEnglishTime is one of our Community Tutors who teaches English and has signed up for the Language Challenge to improve her Mandarin.  She already has a strong foundation in Mandarin (as you can see/hear from the below video) but she wants to take it to the next level and even pass the HSK4 exam as one of reasons for taking the Challenge.  Give her some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. JasmineEnglishTime doesnt mention anything about the World Cup but were assuming shes rooting for the United States! Chad   from the United States Chad is a college student who is majoring in Chinese so he actually speaks quite fluently already (check out his pledge!). Hes mainly taking the Challenge to push his Mandarin ability to the next level. He specifically wants to improve his fluency and grammar and expand his vocabulary.  Give him some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. nuriayasmin   from the Germany nuriayasmin is actually a Professional German Teacher who has taught over 1400+ hours on italki! To put things in perspective thats 60 days or 2 months of taught language lessons However, shes actually the Challenge to learn both Spanish and Hungarian! Show her some support by commenting on her Notebook post here. nuriayasmin really doesnt care for the World Cup but if she were to root for a team it would be Spain! Victor   from the Dominican Replublic Victor represents our South American contingent for the World Cup Language Challenge. Victor is committing to to 3 English lessons a week to finish the Challenge and wants to improve his English skills. He wants to focus on his fluency and also his confidence in speaking. He sounds pretty good already but theres always room for improvement (judge for himself).  Give him some support by commenting on his Notebook post here. When asked who he thinks will win the World Cup, Victor is very confident and gives a resounding Go Italy! to support his favorite team! Fermin   from Mexico Fermin is one of our Language Challenge veterans who participated in our last Challenge. Hes back again and is now focused on learning Mandarin for the World Cup Language Challenge. Fermin is also one of our Community Tutors teaching Spanish.    Send him words of encouragement in his Notebook entry. Fermin wants Mexico to win the World Cup! Leigh Davis   from Northern Ireland Leigh is already very fluent in Spanish (check out his video below) but he really wants to take it to the next level!  He also will be visiting Spain to test his Spanish.  Please wish him good luck by commenting on his Notebook entry. Leigh did not tell us who he wants to win the World Cup but we feel its probably Ireland! Massimo Grazzi   from Italy Massimo, who is also one of our Professional Teachers loves to teach Italian language and culture, but this time he wants to refresh his Russian! He seems really determined to complete 25 hours to finish the Challenge! We are all confident he will make it! Lets support him by commenting on his Notebook entry. Obviously, Massimo wants Italy  to win the World Cup! Fabricio Carraro   from Brazil Fabricio  is from Brazil and he loves languages. His passion is Italian, but for our  World Cup Language Challenge he wants to focus on improving his Japanese. Fabricio  is committing 3 to 4 Japanese lessons a week to finish the Challenge.  Give him some support on his Notebook entry. As we all expected, Fabricio wants Brazil to win the World Cup! Sandrah   from the United States Sandrah is a student living in California. She is really excited about our World Cup Language Challenge and she wants to learn French. She will be taking 2 to 3 lessons a week with a French tutor. She hopes that at the end of the Challenge she will be able to speak some actual French! Read her Notebook entry and leave some words of encouragement. Sandrah wants Spain to win the World Cup, but her second favorites are Brazil, Italy, and Germany! Fabio   from Spain Fabio is taking the Challenge to learn English and has committed to taking 25 hours of language lessons in 2 months.  Give him some support by commenting on his Notebook post here. Fabio feels that Spain will repeat as World Cup Champions! FutureSpy   from Brazil FutureSpy can speak Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish, and Japanese. This time he took our World Cup Language Challenge to improve his skills in French. It seems he already has a very strong foundation in French (as you can hear from the video below), but he wants to become more confident with this language. Lets wish him good luck by leaving some comments on his Notebook post here. FutureSpy didt say who he wants to win the World Cup, but we think its probably Brazil! Adri   from the United States Adri is learning Japanese and she is tanking the World Cup Language Challenge to learn more about grammar, vocabulary, and sentences structure. Please send her some comments of encouragement in her Notebook post here. Adri will support the USA team during the World Cup! Even though the Challenge has already started, you still have time to make a Public Video Pledge. Dont forget we’re giving away 50ITC if you make a Public Video Pledge!!!

6 Childrens Book Characters Who Would Excel In Business School

6 Children's Book Characters Who Would Excel In Business School pexels.com Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat is a smooth talker. You saw how quickly he took over the children’s house and home in the books! He talked his way right inside and roped the children right into his schemes, selling them big dreams of what they could do and of all his inventions. He’s a pretty slick character himself and we bet that if he could find his way into business school, he and his red and white striped hat would rise straight to the top. Corduroy While Corduroy was shy at first, this teddy bear found courage and sought out his dream of finding a button for his overalls. Though it was a struggle, he remained tenacious until his dreams were a success. These are some of the same qualities necessary to succeeding in business school and in owning your own business. It is a lot of hard work to run your own business and can often be discouraging â€" but you should never give up on your dreams, a concept that Corduroy conveys. And with that name and sense of style, imagine the fashion empire he could have gone on to create! Waldo Where’s Waldo has been around for a long time and has become an iconic children’s book character. With that red and white striped sweater, round glasses, and knitted cap, he is recognized worldwide. And you know who else is famous for wearing the same simple outfit every single day? Businessman extraordinaire and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg himself. He claims dressing the same way every day allows him to focus his energy on more important decisions at work.  Waldo is already ahead of the game! Another one of the biggest indicators of a successful business person is the ability to keep the public talking about himself and his product. How many countless hours did we spend as children searching fruitlessly for Waldo, pouring over labyrinthine images hoping for a glimpse of those red and white stripes? Waldo does a good job â€" people will pay to keep trying to answer the question of Where’s Waldo?, a mystery that’s keeping children and adults up late at night wondering for years. pexels.com The Boy For many, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a heartwarming story of the selfless and unconditional love that The Tree has for The Boy. Yet, it also can be viewed from an entirely different perspective where The Boy was actually an exploitative genius. He got all the capital and investments that he needed to succeed in life and accomplished everything that he needed to. He chose a sound investor, and by the end of the story, had given back The Tree her investment with interest. Perhaps if The Boy had gone to business school, he could have honed his already sharp business acumen so that he could have avoided exploiting The Tree in his inexperience. Sam I Am Sam I Am was a revolutionary businessman on his own. He came up with his own, totally unique product: green eggs and ham (I mean, who else would think of that?). He marketed the hell out of them too, showing how versatile his product was. You could eat it in a box with a fox, with a goat on a boat, even on a train in the rain! And how catchy is that rhyming marketing scheme? And he got the biggest, toughest critic to invest and endorse his project â€" after that, he was set and sure to have a smash hit product on his hands. Imagine how good he would be in business school? He would define excellence. Strega Nona There is nothing more marketable than a lovable granny, and on that, Strega Nona owns the market. People often create cute grandmas to be the face of their brand because it will help it sell more, but that is a lesson Strega Nona learned without even going to business school. She knew how to market her product accordingly, knowing that nothing could sell pasta better than an Italian grandma. She may have had some hiccups in her production where her magic pasta pot goes haywire and overproduces, but since she got into business school and learned the tricks of the trade, she would be on her way to the top of the market. Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.