A Simple Formula for Academic Essay Writing

A Simple Formula for Academic Essay Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing Academic writing is simple, really. It is simple to write essays if you know how to write them. Today on the show we will provide you with a simple formula for academic writing. Join Cath Anne on Episode 50 for a tried and true formula for writing academic essays. Use this formula on essay exams, in formal written essay assignments and even for college entrance exams. Looking for study tips, help with essay writing, or advice on how to be a better student? Welcome to The Homework Help Show, a weekly show where we teach, assist, and offer valuable insights for student life. From study hacks to writing tips, discussions about student mental health to step-by-step guides on academic writing and how to write a resume, weve got you covered. Want your questions answered? Write them below or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #askHHG TRANSCRIPT: Cath Anne: [00:00:00] Hi guys and welcome back to our channel. My name is Cath Anne and this is Episode 51 of The Homework Help Show hosted by Homework Help Global. Here on the show we provide you with valuable content for your academic and student life. We just recorded our fiftieth episode of the show and in order to celebrate we went back to review some of our favorite academic tips and put them into a little compilation video for you guys. As always, dont forget to connect with us on our social media platforms. All Of our information is linked and listed in the description box below and please let us know if you like this type of video. Jump into the comments section and let us know if this is something that you want to keep seeing more of as well. Maybe share with us one of your favorite academic tips as always. If you do like the video feel free to give it a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe to her channel so you dont miss out on any more of our content Today we will cover everything from writing and taking to problem solving and student mental. Lets jump in. Cath Anne: [00:01:23] Okay lets start with some writing tips from writing a thesis statement two youre doing a line to writing a strong conclusion. Cath Anne: [00:01:32] Dont use contractions. Now what are contractions? Again, this is for academic writing. Contractions are words like dont, cant, shouldnt, couldnt, wouldnt, isnt, havent, and hasnt. So these are the shorter forms of words like do not, cannot, could not, would not,, should not, is not, have not and has not. It is better to write out the word in full with the academic paper or in your business writing because it just looks more professional. Notice how for example with cannot. It is one word. Its condensed into ca-nn-ot whereas if you write do not, it still remains as two separate words so thats important to note when you are expanding contractions. This is a really important one because its something that can really slip your mind when youre writing an academic paper and its really important to be attentive to using tractions through your paper. So always make sure that you go over your paper before you get in and make sure that you are not using contractions befo re you handed in because this is one that professors really do not like. It makes your writing seem a little bit too kind of easygoing colloquial so make sure you are avoiding using contractions. Expand those words and sound more fresh. Cath Anne: [00:03:11] Avoid it there are or there is when we write we dont want our sentences to be too wordy or convoluted. We want our sentences to be concise and to the point so use it there are, it adds words that really dont need to be there. Theyre kind of redundant and are not required. Cath Anne: [00:03:32] So for example there are many issues that politicians face daily so that adding a little bit of time and words to your point. You really dont need there are at the beginning of this sentence. Instead you could just write politicians face many issues on a daily basis much more simple, its much more to the point. Cath Anne: [00:04:00] Avoid words like really, very, a lot, and so. So the reason for this is that it weakens your writing when youre using these words. You really do not need to use these words. When you use some of these words it makes your writing not as strong so it makes it come across as a little bit more amateur and you really dont need to use these words. Cath Anne: [00:04:25] Lets talk about what the differences between passive voice and active voice and Im going to use an example to do this. Immigration reforms were implemented by Trudeau that is written in the passive voice. Here we have the past tense of the verb to be. So we have were and we also have the past principle of the verb to implement so implemented and now we also have the word by which is usually something that indicates that we are speaking in the passive voice and as you can see it is just not a very strong sentence it doesnt. It takes away from what Trudeau has done it doesnt put him kind of front and center with the sentence so the sentence would be much stronger if it was written as Trudeau implemented immigration reforms. Cath Anne: [00:05:23] This strengthens the message of the sentence. So there is a difference between the strong verbs and weak verbs. Lets do another example a weak verb is he gave assistance to my friend. So here were using the word gave with the noun assistance. As you can see the word systems can be actually used as a verb. So a stronger way to say this would be. He assisted my friend. Its much more direct and much more straight to the point and the verb is much stronger. You get stronger sense of what the writer is trying to say when theyre using that type of fire. Cath Anne: [00:06:05] You want to explore other points of view and this is absolutely necessary when you are writing an academic paper because you dont only want to provide one view of a topic or one analysis of some research because you want to have a well-rounded analysis. So by presenting and exploring other points of view youre also going to have a stronger argument because youre going to understand what the other person or what the other group of people will say about the topic and you will be able to therefore strengthen your argument. Cath Anne: [00:06:43] One of the first things you want to do when youre beginning to write an essay is make sure you understand the topic and the question thats being asked. When youre doing an essay you really want to take the essay prompt and kind of deconstruct it deconstructing the essay question really helps to kind of frame what youre going to write. It is really important to structure your essay because this gives it a logical flow at one of the most basic and helpful ways to structure an essay is to use the five paragraph structure and because of. Five paragraph essay format is so common your professor will know or your reader will know what to expect. So if anyone hasnt heard of the five paragraph essay Im going to go through it a little bit more in-depth. But basically what it is, its an introduction, three body paragraphs, and then a conclusion. There are tons of templates that you can use if youre a type of person that likes to use a template. Certainly take out a piece of paper and write down your eight your topic and your research question or a thesis and then use three body paragraphs and your conclusion and that gives you a bit of an outline to work with. Cath Anne: [00:08:01] Many of us do not give ourselves enough time to edit. A lot of students do not edit their work but even if you are an incredibly amazing writer youre still going to be need to edit because youre gonna make mistakes. Its just the nature of human beings we all make mistakes so we all have to edit. So make sure that youre giving yourself a lot of time to edit and proofread. And again I know that it is best to save paper if we can, but in this case it can be really helpful actually to print off your essay and do the same thing that you did with the initial essay question just go through and highlight things underlined things cross things out and then you can go back onto your computer and type up and insert all of the edits that you made. Cath Anne: [00:08:56] Paraphrasing refers to the process of taking some language and reworking it in your own words but still capturing the same theme and you really want to make sure that youre not plagiarizing when you do this because it can be really tempting especially if somethings written very eloquently and you dont feel that you can do it justice to kind of copy it and think that no one will notice. That is not the case because we have programs now which can track whether things have been plagiarized or not. So it is likely that when your prof runs something through the plagiarism checker and it comes up as plagiarized then you could be docked for that. So make sure when youre paraphrasing really break down the concepts. In the same way that you did in the initial question really breaks down the concepts in that paragraph. If you think its a really strong paragraph that you want to include in your essay then certainly use it but you have to put it in your own words so make s ure youre going through underlining highlighting circling and then reworking it in your own words. And theres no shame in using a thesaurus or a dictionary to kind of flesh out and figure out new words to use that capture the same essence. Cath Anne: [00:10:23] Make sure you do your research prior to writing and sees the statement being familiar with the information out there will help you to find a legitimate argument and be familiar with the topic that youre discussing. It will make it way easier for you to write an effective thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:10:43] Dont bury your thesis statement in the body of your first paragraph. You wanted to be at least. The second to last paragraph or the second to last sentence or the very last sentence in your introduction paragraph. Cath Anne: [00:10:57] Finally be creative and use your own words when you copy another persons opinion or argument. You are risking the Tanz of plagiarism. Writing a well crafted original thesis statement will get you good points with your professor and make you stand out as a student when you were writing a thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:11:18] Make sure to avoid restating the that is given by the professor on the exam. This might be tempting because it just seems easier. However it is indicative of lazy and boring writing. This will only go to show your professor that you dont care very much about the essay question and it wont bode well for you on the exam when youre writing an essay for an exam. You want to be creative and show that you can think in a critical way and independently. Be creative. Use the notes that you have already written prior to your exam and draw on those to develop a well-rounded essay that is creative and interesting and engaging to the professor. Cath Anne: [00:12:02] End with a strong conclusion. Most writing guidelines suggest that it is best to restate the points that youve made through out as well as to summarize your essay in the conclusion. However this is also indicative of boring writing and its an ineffective way to end your essay. Think instead about synthesizing the various points that you have made throughout your exam as a question rather than just simply restating although youre not trying to prove a new point youre going to try to synthesize your points into a well-rounded argument that you have also shown in your essay. Think about it as a way to tie everything together at the end of your essay. Cath Anne: [00:12:48] Learning how to study is crucial for academic success and it is important to find methods that work for you. While everyone has their own study style try incorporating some of these tips into your study routine before you begin to study. Cath Anne: [00:13:04] Make yourself comfortable but not too comfortable. You dont want to fall asleep. Grab a snack a glass of water and a cup of coffee or tea. Always study in the same place every time. When you begin your exam recall the place that you studied this will help you with recall on your test and it will help you drum up some of the information that you studied in that specific place. Cath Anne: [00:13:34] Beware the forgetting curve when you begin to study. There is a tendency to forget very quickly this tendency is even stronger when you are studying new information. This tendency is referred to as the forgetting curve. Forgetting occurs naturally when there is no effort made to retain the information. A way to combat this is to review your notes regularly when you are actively studying. Review your notes every 20 minutes to increase your retention of new information. Cath Anne: [00:14:10] The Pomodoro Technique is a cyclical system. You work in sprints and then you take a break. Working in short sprints increases productivity and taking a break. Increases motivation and creativity. All you need to complete the Pomodoro Technique is a timer. First decide on the task you would like to complete for example if youd like to review all of chapter one that will be your task. Set your timer for 25 minutes and work for a 25 minute sprint. When the timer goes off. Make a checkmark on a piece of paper you have at the side of your desk. This will indicate that youve completed one pomodoro take a five minute break then reset your timer and begin a new 25 minute session complete four rounds of Pomodoro. Once you have completed the full four rounds take a longer break this break can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. Get up stretch walk around. And get something to drink. Once you have completed your longer break you will be ready to jump into a another four r ound session of pomodoro active learning is just as it sounds. Cath Anne: [00:15:35] In order to truly learn a new piece of information you must engage with it and trick your brain into working with it. This activates new neural pathways in the brain which creates new space in the brain for new information. There are a variety of ways that you can incorporate active recall into your study routine and Im going to give you a couple of steps about how to do that. Step 1 copy it all down so youre in class. The T.A. Professor instructor puts a question up on the board record that write that down in your notebook. Dont use a computer use a pen and paper or pencil. And dont worry at this point if you dont understand this is part of the process. Step number two. Start small. Start by breaking a problem down and go through step by step breakdown each component of the problem Ruyter equations drawing out all of the concepts that you have learned thus far right out formulas that you have learned and work diligently with the question, putting everything yo u know into the question. Even if you dont get the correct answer this is going to be a step towards your learning process. Step number 3 do active recall. Once you become familiar with all of the steps involved in solving this type of a problem, engage in active recall by taking a new problem and trying to figure it out from the ground up. You can still break it down into steps write out all the formulas and everything that you think you need to solve the problem and come to a solution. And again make sure you are not looking at the answer. The less you make use of those resources the better you are going to be able to adapt and to be able to do this process in a time crunch on an exam. Cath Anne: [00:17:23] So another way to do active recall is to really hone in on the information that you are learning. Let me explain. Have you ever become frustrated at another student because they seem to have spent a very small time in studying when you have been cramming for weeks and weeks and weeks. Well this is likely because they have honed in on specific information that they believe the professor will be putting on the exam and you may have been staying a bit too broad. So what you want to do when you are studying for an exam is to hone in on very specific information that you think will be on the exam and study that information. You can do this by asking the professor questions about what is going to be on the exam. You can look at key themes that arise throughout the course of this semester. If there is a topic that the professor keeps going back to it is a good bet that that will be on the exam. You can look through your textbook as I mentioned and look for practice qu estions because those tend to be the types of information that will arrive on the exam. You can consult with former students of that class and see if they remember anything that may have been on the test in a year before. Cath Anne: [00:18:46] Basically the reason flashcards work is that they promote something called active recall. This means that it helps you to exercise the muscle which allows you to actively retrieve information from the brain which is one of the most effective ways of studying because its helping you to exercise that muscle of retrieving information. And when you do that over and over and over again it actually strengthens that muscle. Cath Anne: [00:19:14] So it might be tempting to use someone elses cards because as I said they can be a little bit time consuming to make and if youre super busy and youre a student you might not want to take that extra chunk of time that it takes to create your own flashcards, but its really important for you to make your own flashcards because 1, you are going to retain more information if you make them and because one of the most important tenets of taking information is actually learning the information and working with it in your brain and that helps you to retain the information. So even though you might save some time using someone elses flashcards they wont be as effective for you if you do because you wont be as familiar with the content that youre creating. Cath Anne: [00:20:10] Exams are tough but we all have to get through them. Creating a pre-study routine and going into their exam with a positive mindset can help to improve your overall performance. Here are some tricks to incorporate into your study routine that will help you to ace your next exam. Cath Anne: [00:20:29] When you receive a multiple choice test, make sure to read it over thoroughly before you begin answering any questions. Review each question. Sometimes professors will provide hints throughout the test that will indicate the answers to other questions. Reviewing it in advance can help you to answer these questions appropriately. Cath Anne: [00:20:51] Answer the difficult questions first in a multiple choice test. This will allow you to use your brain power for the difficult questions to begin with. Then when you have less brain power you can focus on the easier questions. Cath Anne: [00:21:06] When you receive a multiple choice question, read it twice. Because multiple choice questions are seemingly easy to answer and usually quite short we might rush through them and answer them incorrectly. Take some time to read them over twice and this will enhance your chances of answering them correctly when completing a multiple choice test. Cath Anne: [00:21:31] Check your answers at the end of each page. This will allow you more time at the end of the test even if you do not have time to review the whole test in its entirety. You will be able to know that you have reviewed each page as youve got along when there are only a few questions such as on each page. It is easier to check a test for mistakes. Cath Anne: [00:21:57] Understand that its rare for consecutive answers to be the same on a multiple choice test. If youre trying to figure out the difference between a and b consider your last answer. If your last answer was a it is likely that this next dancer is not also say the same stands for true and false questions. If you are trying to narrow it down you can rely on the fact that it is rare for two consecutive answers to be the same. Cath Anne: [00:22:28] When all of the above or none of the above are present, they are correct 52 percent of the time. Cath Anne: [00:22:37] Although you may have the urge to cram before your test or study as much as you can getting at least 8 hours of sleep before your test is essential. Sleep is an active process where the brain works to heal the body and it produces hormones which are beneficial to repair and growth. This is obviously a major component of learning and processing. This is also time for the brain to reconsolidate memories and things that weve learned or studied during the day. So particularly when you are studying for a test youre going to want to make sure you are getting a good amount sleep so that your body can process everything that youve learned. Cath Anne: [00:23:23] When you wake up in the morning from your really good sleep make sure you are having a healthy breakfast but nothing that is too heavy. You want something a bit lighter because when you are digesting a heavy breakfast this can actually take blood flow away from the brain and youre going to need all the blood flowing to your brain. So you are able to piece that test. Also if you are a coffee drinker try to avoid drinking caffeine right up until the exam time. This will give you the jitters before the test and you are also already full of jitters. So you dont want to increase that in your body. Its fine to have a cup of coffee but maybe limit it to half a cup and make sure youre having it with your breakfast early in the morning and not right up until when your test is happening. Cath Anne: [00:24:09] Write down your anxieties and fears do a bit of a brain dumb. Research has shown that when you do this you can actually free up space in your brain and it will improve the grade that you get on your test writing things down will help you to understand your fears and manage them more effectively. Cath Anne: [00:24:27] Arrive at the test ahead of time. Give yourself lots of time to be there and be present for the test you will want time to mentally prepare and rushing or running late to the exam will certainly increase anxiety because you wont feel as prepared and your body wont be settled and ready to take a test. Cath Anne: [00:24:49] Make sure all your materials are ready to go. For example make sure that your computer is working properly that your calculator has batteries and then its turning on. You want to make sure that all of your pencils are sharpened and that your pens are working well as it will ease your mind when you are entering into the task and it will free up space in your mind so that you can focus on just taking the test. Cath Anne: [00:25:14] Develop some pre-test rituals consistent habits and behaviors can put you at ease in a stressful situation. So when your body is ready to be stressed out some of these habits that youve developed along the way can help to put your body at ease for example go for a short walk listen to some of your favorite music and visualizing your success on a on an exam are all strategies that you can use to put your mind and your body at ease before you go into a test. Cath Anne: [00:25:45] Do a short meditation. It doesnt have to be anything long just close your eyes and breathe deeply and relax your muscles. This might not be for everyone however it is an effective strategy. Ive used it myself before going into an interview and I can tell you that it truly does work. Do this for about five minutes you can do it for up to ten minutes. Set a timer on your phone. Think back to a time when you did really well on a test. You ace the test and you scored well that was you in your zone free capture feelings of what it felt like to be in your zone and experience that by recalling how you actually felt in that situation. Think about how you are calm your muscles were relaxed and your motivation to succeed was very high by visualizing success and by putting your body into that state. You were actually helping to manifest a better agree on your test and you putting your body into a state to be prepared for success. Cath Anne: [00:26:45] Avoid sitting or standing around anxious people. Were all familiar with the group of people prior to an exam who are standing outside the gymnasium or the classroom and they are not prepared for the test. So they are evidently swamped with stress. However standing around these people is not going to help you in the least if you know the room is crowded and you know the people are particularly anxious. Dont worry about being a loner. Find yourself a spot to go and just chill there. Think positive thoughts take deep breaths do your basic meditation and focus on your own preparation and your own future success in the exam. Cath Anne: [00:27:28] While academia will require you to study right and take lots of tests it will also challenge you in other ways from dreading group projects to critical thinking skills. Here are some tips that will help you to navigate the obstacles that you will face throughout your academic career. Cath Anne: [00:27:53] Lets talk about the five steps or the five stages in group formation. First we have forming the forming see what happens when the group first meets each other are introduced to each other they share information about their backgrounds and their experiences their interests they learn about the project and they start to gain an understanding of where they will fit within the group and what role they will take on as the group begins to work together. They move into what is called the storming stage. Unfortunately this state is unavoidable. Every group most especially a new group that has never worked together before will certainly encounter a storming stage in this stage. Group members compete with each other for status and they look for acceptance from the others in the group. They have different opinions on what should be done and how it should be done. And these all present challenges in group formation. This stage will come to a closure when the group becomes more accepting of each other and learns how to work together towards a common goal. Third we have the norming stage when the team moves into the norming stage they are beginning to look beyond their individual goals and towards the bigger picture and the larger project. Theyre no longer focused on individual tasks but rather theyre focused on working together. Theyve developed processes and procedures that will help them to work towards larger goal. They respect each others opinions and they value each others differences. Fourth we have a performing stage in the performing stage. Groups are highly effective. They focus on reaching the goal as a group. The team members have gotten to know each other. They work really cohesively. They trust and they rely on each other. Now I should mention that not every group is going to make it to the performing stage. They may just rest in the norming stage and this is completely fine particularly in cases where you are working with people that are in your class and it is just a small group project. Finally we have the adjoining stage in the adjoining stages. The project has been completed and team members are looking to go their separate ways. This stage takes on a new perspective and looks at the team wellbeing rather than the individual project itself. At this stage you will have completed your project and you may want an opportunity to celebrate what youve done together. Its always important to remember that every team every group regardless of what youre working on will follow these stages of development. Knowing the stages and understanding them will help you to navigate the different challenges you encounter. It will help you to understand where you are in the group process and why some behaviours might be coming out. It will also help you to understand your own role within the group and the different processes that your group members are participating in. Cath Anne: [00:31:00] One of the first tips that you can use to enhance your critical thinking skills in academia is to ask basic questions. So what are the day that is that as we know our social world is really complex and there is tons of information to take in and as students when were going through research and literature. It can often be overwhelming and seem very complicated and just be a little bit over our heads. However we can begin to simply by asking very simple questions. Cath Anne: [00:31:32] So a second tip to developing your critical thinking skills is to question your basic assumptions so particularly when youre running a paper or thinking through a problem you are going to be coming at it with your own biases and analyses from everyday life. We all of these basic assumptions and thats okay but that. Academic quality work must extend beyond out basic assumptions towards analysis and the synthesis of information we check our own assumptions at the door we can go into analysis with a clear head. And go into research with an open mind which is really important. Cath Anne: [00:32:15] Although you will evidently be drawing on academic literature and information when you do the research and write papers it is important to remember to think for yourself. While this does not mean incorporating your own opinion or biases into your writing it does mean that you must analyze the situation through a critical lens. So go back and ask. Basic questions as we discussed what is missing. Is there a gap in the literature. What is this research saying. Does it make sense in relation to other research that youve seen on the topic think through the literature using your own power of deduction. So although you will be drawing on resources to make your point you want to make sure that youre using your own critical thinking skills because youll be increasing that critical thinking muscle. Cath Anne: [00:33:05] Here are some steps to implement the Corson method into your routine. If you are facing a complex problem. Break it down into smaller components. If you get stuck ask yourself what is it that I do not understand. Right. Each small question down. And then ask yourself where are you getting stuck. Give yourself at least 15 minutes on each component of the question in order to understand exactly where you are going wrong or what you dont understand. Consult with other students after the 15 minutes. Maybe they have an idea of how to solve the problem that youre not thinking of. If you are truly stuck then go to your professor after the 15 minutes be able to show your professor exactly where you are getting stuck and ask them a very specific question about the problem you are having. What youre hoping to avoid here is going to the professor right away as soon as you get the question without taking the time to break it down and understand where you might be going wro ng or where there might be a misunderstanding. If you use the Corson technique you are strengthening your critical thinking skills. Cath Anne: [00:34:16] As we near the end of our 50 tips I would like to switch gears and move towards a life and side the classroom student life is stressful. It can be difficult to find a balance between doing well in school and everything you have going on outside of school. Too much stress can be detrimental to your health which is why mindfulness and self care are so important. Cath Anne: [00:34:42] So like you know yoga practice and meditation practice you also have to practice gratitude and thats why it here is that way because it is actually just something you have to work on. Many of us dont realize that our brains are not actually hardwired to practice habitude either. Sounds like a weird statement. Were actually hardwired to the other way and be preventive and look for the dangers in life so that kind of prevents us from naturally seeking thoughts of gratitude. So one of the ways that we can practice gratitude is to wake up in the morning before we even get out of bed. We can make a list in our heads of. Three or five things that were grateful for and then other ways to bring to your life is to look at your whole day through a lens of gratitude. So not just in the morning as we navigate your day. You look at things to be grateful for. So. Whereas. Sometimes we see the negative in life. So say were driving in traffic in Toronto and the highway is real ly bad. That can be a really negative experience but if we frame it through a lens of gratitude we might think Im grateful to have a car to be able to commute to work. I am grateful to be able to have the money to put gas in my car and then that gets you towards closer to a lens of gratitude and you approach life in a more graceful way. Cath Anne: [00:36:28] If meditation is not for you there are some other ways that you can navigate stress and overwhelm. So one of the ways its called 5 4 3 2 1, or 1 2 3 4 5, and its actually a mindfulness and awareness technique that you can use when youre trying to go to sleep and youre feeling restless. It will help them to calm down. If youre in a stressful situation it will bring you more mindfulness and just bring you into the present moment and stop any amazing thoughts. Having so what it is basically you start the number five and you and youre thinking of it as you go down. So you start with 5 and you say- you want to think of the five things they see so youre in a room and you might look at five things you see. So five things I see are my computer my phone my microphone my cup of tea and my glasses. And you literally nailed them out loud if youre a worker in class you may not want to hear anything to yourself but if youre in your car or somewhere alone or youre trying to g et to sleep it might be helpful to let me know loud say in your name. Five things you can see. And then you also want to name five things you can hear so I can hear the dripping tap. I can hear my computer fan running. I can hear the wind outside. I can hear my voice. I can hear the German track so you can name things again if you can. If you can only hear so many things. So the idea is that you want to name five things you can hear and then you want to name five things you can feel so I can feel my hands touching together I can feel my legs on the couch I can feel my feet on the couch I can feel the. I can hear the question. So you want the five things you keep getting calm just this process and then you want to do four things each and then three and then do one. And honestly every time I do this hows the vulnerably. So this is an amazing technique they can use. Its very calming and very mindful. It brings you in the present moment and it makes you not think about all that theres s omething going on in your head and also helps you be a little bit more observant. Cath Anne: [00:39:36] Make smart resolutions and what I mean by smart is S M A R T which is the acronym for making a smart goal. Dont make vague statements about your goals. A lot of times we will set goals but we wont be able to attain them because they are too vague. This is where the smart acronym can come in handy. Use the smart acronym to make defined and achievable goals. Lets go through what the smart acronym stands for. Make goals that are specific measurable attainable relevant and time bound. For example dont say I want to work out or say I want to work out three times a week. This is a very specific goal. Its not as vague as I want to work at more measures that will keep track of it and write down how many times you actually go to the gym within the run of a week. This will help you measure your goal and in the long run help you to be more successful. Make sure your goal is something that you are able to attain. So make sure it is attainable. Dont set a goal that is too l ofty. For example if you are not going to the gym at all now maybe dont make a goal to go seven days a week. Start out with 3 and if you get more. Thats great. Just make sure your goal is attainable. You also want to make sure that your goal is relevant. Is it something that means something to you. What does losing weight or getting fit. Going to the gym mean to you. Does it have meaning in your life. Your goals should have meaning because that will help motivate you along the way and if they dont have meaning then you will be less likely to achieve them. And finally you want to make sure that your goals are time bound. Three times a week that gives you a logical timeframe within which to work and it can help you along the way to being more successful. Cath Anne: [00:41:30] Prep your meals. Mealprep can help with time management. Each Sunday take a few hours to go grocery shopping and get everything you need for the week. Plan out a menu and make meals in bulk use a big pot or a crock pot. Make meals in bulk and then freeze them throughout the week so that you have something to quickly grab while you are trying to focus on school and you dont have to worry about meals smoothies are also a great option for breakfast grab and go make a batch of muffins and have them on hand free self in the morning so you can grab it and run out the door to take the bus or drive to school. Cath Anne: [00:42:06] Know your support network. When things get stressful at school it can be really helpful to know that you have some people in your life that you can fall back on and that you can rely on some students living at a distance from their families may not have these building connections so it can help to foster these relationships. Reach out to these people before you go back to school and ask if theyre willing to help with anything while you are in school. Do you need a drive to school when it is a big snowstorm and know someone that has a truck. Connect with them and see if theyd be willing to do this. Do you need a respite from school or being in the city. Maybe you have family living outside the city could you visit them on the weekend and just have some downtime to do some studying at their home. These are all ways to foster relationships but also to secure your support network so that you feel comfortable moving into a new semester and that you feel secure havin g that support network especially if youre living away from home. Cath Anne: [00:43:06] Stress is a normal part of life but there are times in our lives where we have more stress than other times. For example during exam period if you find that you are not responding to situations the same way as you always will. It could be due to stress. Take a step back articulate stress and find a way to manage and cope with stress. Cath Anne: [00:43:30] Be intentional about your time. Create a schedule that works for you complete difficult tasks during your highest energy times and leave simpler tasks to when you have less energy. If you are a morning person and you have a lot of energy in the morning spend your high energy times to complete difficult tasks leave easier tasks until a time when you have less energy. Figure out a schedule that works for you and for when you have the most energy keeping up on your schoolwork is an imperative aspect of managing your time and managing stress. When you let your schoolwork go it could cause undue stress. You will spend your time catching up and this will cause you more stress in the long run. Spend some time throughout the week finishing readings and completing tasks when you keep up on your schoolwork. You will also save yourself stress during exam time because you will be more familiar with the content of your course and you will require less time to study. Cath Anne: [00:44:36] Tip number fifty. Have fun. For some people you are only in college or university once. Make sure you have fun. Culture has time for new experiences a time to meet your friends and learn new things. Always focus on your studies. However make sure that you build in time to have these wonderful experiences get out into the community do some volunteering and spend time with friends. Cath Anne: [00:45:11] Okay thats it for me this week guys. This has been our 50 academic tips episode. We cant believe we just filmed our fiftieth episode and we look forward to providing you with more valuable content to come. So make sure you stay connected with us. We hope you found some tips that you can incorporate into your academic life. As always we love when you connect with us on our social media platforms and if you want to do so all of our information is linked and listed in the information box below. If you liked this video and you enjoyed this format make sure to give it a like and subscribe to our channel. If you have any questions jump into the comments below and wed love to hear some feedback about whether you liked this type of episode and whether youd like to see more. Let us know what your favorite academic tip is. Thanks so much for joining me you guys happy 51sr episode of The Homework Help Show and we will see you next week here on the show. Take care.

Life After Death - Dualism, Monism and Materialism

Many of us have some view or idea of the afterlife – whether it is some kind of utopia or even if there is one at all. Research conducted by Douglas Davies found that around 29% of us believe that nothing happens after death, 8% think that our bodies awaits resurrection and 12% believe that we will come back as someone else. Of course there are some more religious people, 22%, who just think that we should trust in God, the remaining 34% of us believe that our souls passes on to another world. These views can all be classed into the traditional divide used when discussing the soul and life after death. There is the Monist view – the idea that the body and the soul exists as a single unity, the souls existence is dependent on the body,†¦show more content†¦Dawkins taught that we survive death both memetically and genetically. We pass our genes onto the next generation; the body is merely a survival machine for our genes. Through the minds of others we are able t o survive death through their memories of us. Ennius wrote ‘for I shall live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men’. Hick developed the ‘Alternative Materialistic’ view. This provides an alternative interpretation of resurrection. Hick put forward the idea of ‘psycho-somatic unity’, the body and soul are one but we are made of matter and it cannot be separated. Resurrection occurs ‘in another space of an exact psycho-physical replica of the deceased person’. This is the idea that a physical you as an individual being can continue to exist after death. Hick uses the example of a person travelling from London to New York, for the person to be recognisable, their physical appearance and character must be recognisable for the person greeting them in New York. There are many different views regarding the soul and its existence. Many of these views are conflicting and have manyShow MoreRelatedRealism : Reality And Dualism1340 Words   |  6 PagesReality is Dualism There are currently four major theories about the nature of reality and substance— materialism/physicalism, idealism, transcendental idealism, and dualism. Materialism is the theory that there is only the physical and material world. Idealism takes the position that reality is made up of ideas and immaterial. Transcendental idealism holds the idea that our experience of things are shaped by how they appear to us and not by what they are in and of themselves. Both materialism and idealismRead MoreEco-Buddhism7194 Words   |  29 Pages  [  On a physical level too, cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and auto-immune disease as well as diverse ‘functional illnesses’ have become epidemic.  [  What will our governments, corporations and politicians now do with the power of life or death over the biosphere from which our species evolved? Do politicians even understand the scientific facts? Are they as attentive to their citizens and future human generations as they are to the most profitable corporate special interest in commercial

Gay adoptions is a very controversial topic - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 650 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/07/30 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Gay Adoption Essay Did you like this example? Today there are about 153 million kids in orphanages worldwide. With a number that high, we shouldnt hold people back from providing these kids with a home, a family, and an education. You hear so many people say, They are the future, but the same people who say that, arent doing everything they possibly can to help the kids find homes. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Gay adoptions is a very controversial topic" essay for you Create order Even though all of the 50 states allow gay adoptions, in order for them to adopt it can only be joint adoptions. While Gay Marriage alone is a very controversial topic, gay adoption is more controversial because people believe that a family should consist a mother and a father. One argument that people have about gay adoption is that the kids are not being put into a traditional family. They believe that every child should have a mother and a father. I can understand when people say that a child needs a mother and a father in their lives. A mother can teach her child things that a father could never teach, or that a father can teach his child things that a mother could never. But is that a reason to deny a child a family? Is a child better off in an orphanage system, rather than being in a non traditional family? Another argument is about how the the child of a gay couple would be treated by their peers. We have to work on acceptance, instead of working on ways to prevent gays to adopt. Besides the questions of gay couples fitness for parenthood, there is the issue of how the children of such parents would be treated by their peers In this day and age we have to work on acceptance, instead of working on ways to prevent gays to adopt. While it has commonly been used as an argument against gay and lesbian adoption, studies have shown that same-sex adoption does not have a negative impact on children The studies arent saying that the kids and their families wont still face prejudice and discrimination from people in their communities, it just says that it wont impact them to much. The families will still continue to make a living while battling all it. People who believe that gay adoptions should be legal will say, that same-sex adoptions are needed because there are so many children waiting to be adopted and same-sex couples are able to provide the children with stable homes and families. Kids who are in the orphanage just want a home, and a family. As a parent if you can provide the kids with food, shelter and clothings, it shouldnt matter whether there is a mom and a dad. Our number one worry should be to provide the kids with a stable home, and a great family that they can call their own. So many kids spend their whole life in an orphanage system, and they simply age out of the system when they turn 18, without a family and without the skills to make it on their own. In 2016 over 17,000 kids aged out of foster care. They also will never have a home that they could come back to. They never had someone who could guide them, teach them the skills they need to survive out in the world, because others are denying gays to adopt. I dont believe that a gender of a parent would affect the kind of shelter, food, or clothing that they would provide for the child. No one should deny someone love, or family based on the gender. Love is love, and every child deserves that in their life, no one should ever grow up without a family of their own. They are all alone, because people who have never been in their shoes believe that every child needs a traditional family. That kids are better off in the system rather than being in a home with a gay parent.

Comparison Between Wind and Other Poem Free Essays

Compare how Wind and one other poem present weakness and strength. The weaknesses and strengths in ‘Wind’ are attempts to portray the diversity of nature and the ongoing sense that nature has by using the present tense. Hughes switches from hard sounds, ‘bang and vanish with a flap’ and ‘black back gull bent like an iron bar’ representing the hard assonance and from this referring back to the harsh storm. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison Between Wind and Other Poem or any similar topic only for you Order Now However the use of colour in descriptions could symbolize both a negative and a positive, for example, ‘orange sky’ representing the warm colours of summer, also ‘green goblet’ could seem to be related to jealousy however could also be referred to as bright and a symbolic image of summer and the bright colours, linking to the ‘orange sky’. The diversity in ‘below the green corrie’ in terms of portraying weakness and strengths are highlighted through the man and his relationship with nature, it shows the weakness of the writer in terms of competing with nature. In my opinion I believe that not only the writer portrays himself to be the weaker opposition but also can portray the ‘bandit’ like and the ‘swashbuckling’ mountains to eventually be seen as the weaker opponent to another side of nature. For example, ‘a sunshaft had pierced the clouds and their leader’ could represent the light controlling the intimidating mountains and almost converting it to something more hopeful and positive. This could be the sun, the main character in nature, controlling them without choice, this takes away the sense of fear and the negativity of the ‘bandits’ and creates a positive image. Both ‘Wind’ and ‘Below the Green Corrie’ clearly share the same structure in terms of the negative openings to each poem. They both clearly and dynamically highlight the dangerousness of the situations automatically. MacCaig begins with a negative image of ‘the mountains gathered round me like bandits’ which really presents the fearful situation. In contrast to this ‘Wind’ also presents this. Hughes immediately beings with a metaphor, ‘This house has been far out at sea all night’ comparing the house to a boat, ‘at sea’ (isolated), this really emphasises the danger. They both begin presenting their negative images, those that seem to place both in a vulnerable position. ’ The mountains gathered round me’ show the vulnerability of the character, contrasting that ‘this house has been far out at sea’ also shows this, the use of ‘at sea’ creates an image of isolation, placing the so called house in a vulnerable position also. How to cite Comparison Between Wind and Other Poem, Essay examples

Proprietary Estoppel free essay sample

Critically assess the contribution that the equitable doctrine of proprietary estoppels makes to modern land law. ’’ During the Norman conquest in 1066, William the Conqueror instead of rewarding his followers with money and titles, he in-turn awarded them titles to lands and, in turn depleting the native-landholders of their lands. However, William claimed ultimate possession of virtually all the land in England over which his armies had given him  de facto  control, and asserted the right to dispose of it as he saw fit. Henceforth, all land was held from the King. Initially, William confiscated the lands of all English lords who had fought and died with Harold and redistributed most of them to his Norman supporters (though some families were able to buy back their property and titles by petitioning William). These initial confiscations led to revolts, which resulted in more confiscations, in a cycle that continued virtually unbroken for five years after the Battle of Hastings. We will write a custom essay sample on Proprietary Estoppel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To put down and prevent further rebellions the Normans constructed castles and fortifications in unprecedented numbers,  initially mostly on the  motte-and-bailey  pattern.The conquest of England and the unrivaled possession of lands by the King, shaped the law regarding title to lands of the United Kingdom, the theory carried forward was ‘All lands belongs to the Crown and the only person who is capable of owning land is the Monarch. ’ This theory basically means that the subject cannot own the land upon which he lives of runs his business, but he is allowed the use of the land by the Crown. What the subject own s is a series of rights and duties in relation to that piece of land.Understandably lawyers have given a name to the interest in land which the subject holds, and that name is an ‘estate in land’. So the land belongs to the Crown and the subject owns an estate in the land, which gives him certain rights in relation to it. Thus a freehold owner to render services to the Crown in return for the right to use the land, but these services are now performed only in the rarest of cases and tend to be regarded as an honor rather than as an obligation (for example, the duty to supply a pair of gloves for the monarch to wear at his coronation).The Doctrine of Estoppels in modern day land law, is a legal term referring to a series of legal and  equitable  doctrines  that preclude a person from denying or asserting anything to the contrary of that which has, in contemplation of law, been established as the truth, either by the acts of judicial or legislative officers, or by his own deed, acts, or representations, either express or implied. The term Estoppel derives from the French word estoupail which means â€Å"stopper plug’’,   referring to placing a halt on the imbalance of the situation.Where a court finds that a party has done something warranting a form of estoppel, that party is said to be estopped from making certain related arguments or claiming certain related rights. The defendant is said to be estopped from presenting the related defence, or the plaintiff is said to be estopped from making the related argument against the defendant. Lord Coke  stated, It is called an estoppel or conclusion, because a mans own act or acceptance stoppeth or closeth up his mouth to allege or plead the truth.

Whats the ACT Score Range

What's the ACT Score Range SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You can’t study effectively for the ACT if you don’t know what score to aim for, and you won’t know what score to aim for if you don’t know how the ACT is scored! In this post, I’ll start off with some important background info on the ACT before getting to the good stuff- the ACT score range and what you should know about it. For example, what do these scores mean? What counts as a good ACT score? Read on to find out! ACT: The Basics Although it wasn’t the original college entrance exam, the ACT is now accepted everywhere that the SAT is. In fact,more people take the ACT every year than the SAT. The ACT (or the SAT, if you so choose) will be an important part of your college applications. Admissions officers consider your scores as a measure of academic preparedness- the higher your scores, the stronger your application. Higher-ranking schools have higher expectations when it comes to ACT scores, so if you want to be a top applicant, it's important to know what scores you should be aiming for (don't worry, we'll get to that shortly)! The ACT Score Range The ACT is scored out of a total of 36 points- this is known as the composite, or total, score. The lowest possible composite score is 1. This score is calculatedby averaging all the ACT sections. There are four sections, or tests, within the ACT. Each test is scored out of 36 points, with the lowest possible score of 1- just like the composite score. Here's some information about what to expect for each ACT section (click the links to read more about each topic): English–75 total questions Math–60 total questions Reading–40 total questions Science–40 total questions There’s also the option to take the ACT with a writing section. Some colleges require you take the ACT with Writing. This doesn’t affect your composite score, but your writing section will be sent to colleges in addition to the scores above. There have been some changes to the ACT Writing section this year, so be sure to check out our guide for more info. A Better Understanding of ACT Scores Here's where we start to make sense of this score range. A score range of 1-36 isn’t necessarily easy to wrap your head around, unlike a standard test scored out of 100 points. While it’s helpful to know about the maximum and minimum scores, the range doesn’t really tell you what’s average or normal for a student like you. Lucky for us, millions of students take the ACT every year, and we have access to information about how they’ve scored. National ACT Performance Here's what we know about the ACT score distribution on a national level: The average composite score is 21 points, out of a possible 36. The 75th percentile score is 24. This means that students who score 24 points had higher composite scores than 75% of all other test takers. Scores of 24+ are generally considered excellent,at least on a national level. The 25th percentile score is 16. This means that students who score 16 points had lower composite scores than 75% of all other test takers. Scores at or below 16 points are generally considered low, at least on a national level. If you want more detailed information on national ACT score distribution, check out this percentile chart. High School and Target College ACT Performance Although looking at national ACT performance is helpful, it can only get you so far. People who take the ACT come from vastly different backgroundsand have vastly different goals- you go to one particular high school in one particular area, and you're probably looking at a specific set of colleges, right? You won't be applying to every single school in the country. You'll want to aim for goal scores that are appropriate considering both your educational background and your future goals. The first steps in this process involve learning how your peers perform on the ACT, and learning how students at your target schools perform on the ACT. To learn what your peers tend to score on the test: Google "[Your high school name] ACT score report" See your guidance counselor Ask your friends Read our guide to understanding ACT scores for more detailed instructions To learn what students at your target colleges score on the ACT (remember, you want your scores to look like theirs): Google "[school name] PrepScholar admissions requirements" to get information on 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores Read our guide to setting appropriate goal scores for more information What's Next? Now that you know all about the ACT score range, you can start learning all you can about the test's content. Check out how to prepare for the ACT English, math, reading, and science sections. If you're particularly ambitious and want to aim for some of those top schools I mentioned earlier, learn how to score a perfect 36 on the ACT. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

How to Get Over Post College Depression

How to Get Over Post College Depression After graduation from college or high school, many students feel energized and positive. However, there are also students who face severe depressions, emotional breakdowns, and addictions. If you feel that something is wrong with you, and you are confused and lonely, then this article is for you. Our tips will help you recognize the dangerous symptoms of post-graduation depression and pull yourself through this tough period of your life. A disclaimer: the best option would be to turn to a doctor for professional treatment. What Are Post Grad Depression and Its Symptoms? You have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Graduation, diploma, bachelor degree, freedom of choice and self-expression. But after caps thrown in the air, you suddenly realized that you dont know what to do in your life and all of your plans for the future that were so bright and clear yesterday just make no sense today. This is what depression is. A stunning feeling of loneliness and emptiness mixed with confusion and lack of energy to even leave your bed in the morning. A lot of people face crises and depressions during their lives. Psychologists claim that there are common ages when an individual is more subject to various mental disorders, for example, the â€Å"half-life crisis† or â€Å"quarter-life crisis.† The main thing about these conditions is that many people of a certain age have similar problems with sleep, self-esteem, emotional control and finances. By the way, if you are having any problems with finances, you should find out how to manage your finances better after college. The â€Å"quarter-life crisis† commonly occurs around the age of graduating from college. This condition might get even worse due to a stressing situation of being unemployed and confused after the graduation which can compile into a severe depression. The main symptoms of post-college depression are: Being disorganized and unfocused Lacking motivation and energy Being sad or annoyed without a reason Feeling like you are running out of time Feeling miserable and worthless Feeling confused and frustrated Falling into addictions – cigarettes, alcohol, drugs Feeling lonely and abandoned Feeling like a failure If you started to feel like you have too many options to choose from and even after getting your degree you are not sure what you want in your life and considering the option of moving back home, its okay – you are just getting mature. But if you cant find the smallest thing that you enjoy and are constantly unfocused or numb, then you need to start pulling yourself out from this state. How to Fight the Crisis? The first step and the most essential one is to confess the fact that something is wrong with you. If you are reading this article, then you have already done it. Congratulations, your recovery journey starts right now! It’s time to focus. Set Up Your Goals Beating depression is not a quick process. You have to start working through slowly. Think about your dreams and your goals, make a list of them: Your life goals – huge ambitions and dreams – to become a successful specialist in a particular field, to find a dream job, to build a family. Year goals – accomplishments you want to achieve in one year – to get a job after college, to rent the apartment, etc. Monthly goals – realistic goals for one month – to get rid of all unnecessary things in the apartment, to send out your resumes to at least 30 companies, to read a book. Daily goals – small steps to take every day – to make dinner, to clean a wardrobe, to buy groceries. As you can see, the smallest steps you take can lead to larger achievements. It might seem like a waste of time, but the pleasure of crossing out the things that you have accomplished is more satisfying than you might think. Moreover, you will have your plan as a reminder that every day you become closer to making your dreams come true. Make a Meal Plan People in depression have a tendency to skip meals. As a result, they feel even more broken down and tired. You have to force yourself to eat to stay healthy and energized. Make a plan of meals for a week and follow it closely. You can always turn to the resources that might help you in understanding what type of food and how much of it you should consume daily. For example, Eating Well, Abbeys Kitchen, etc. When you dont feel the hunger, its hard to recognize that your body is starving. So, don’t forget to check out tips on how you can eat healthy on a budget. Establish a daily schedule Work on the schedule of your perfect day. Dont lay in bed the whole time, find the strength to get up and start living in the real world. Find the time to go for a walk daily, have your social life, and exercise. Dedicate some time to job hunting and your hobbies. Dont forget about daily meals and your favorite TV shows. And the most important one – go to bed and get up at the same time every day. When you have your day organized, you will realize that your entire life can be organized and structured too, so there are no chaotic activities in it. Try to avoid scrolling social media feed all day long – it doesn’t help you to focus on your accomplishment but distract you from your goals instead. Visit a Doctor The most important piece of advice would be to visit a doctor for a prescribed medication. You might be against pills, but some sedative wont hurt – at least you will sleep well. Moreover, a specialist might advise you to practice certain psychological exercises – yoga, meditation, hypnosis, group therapy, support system, etc. Start changing your life today. You can make your living better if you take a chance. And remember that the state you are in now is not permanent, your future is bright!