The benefits of getting your university education abroad
Studying abroad offers a wide range of benefits for university students on both an academic and personal level. The cultural experience alone is worth getting an education abroad, not to mention accruing a number of professional skills that would be more difficult to hone in your home country. The following offers a few of the many advantages you can obtain from attending an international school and getting your university education abroad.
Learn How to Live in a New Culture
There’s no better way to learn a new culture than to live among the natives of that country. By getting your university education abroad, you get the opportunity to do just that. Your friendships with local students will give you a better understanding of their culture and ethnic background. You can also learn much from being exposed to philosophies and ideas that are different from your own.
Living and studying in another country helps you learn how to adapt to a new environment. Depending on your profession, this could be a big advantage in acquiring a good job and advancing in your career upon graduation. The experience of living abroad could come in very handy when applying for a position in a company outside of your home country.
Learn Foreign Languages
While studying abroad, you can also commit to learning a new language. You will have ample opportunity to practice with local students or native speakers you meet on a daily basis during the course of your day. There’s no better way to sharpen your language skills than practicing every day with native speakers of that country. A new language will enhance your education and give you an edge over your peers.
In today’s multi-cultural society, knowing several languages is a plus in the workplace. Many American companies have subsidiaries all over the world and often need managers and administrative personnel who can speak foreign languages. This makes learning a foreign language an asset for your professional career.
Learn from New Teaching Styles
Getting your education in an international school abroad will also expose you to different teaching styles of university professors from other countries. The challenge of this experience will take you outside of your “comfort zone” and enable you to hone your personal and professional communication, people handling and social skills.
If your education consists of always being among individuals you feel comfortable with or in situations that are well within your capabilities, there will be little challenge in expanding your knowledge, abilities and skills. Education is not just about book learning or memorizing facts and figures. It is about learning how to apply the knowledge you are obtaining in your life and environment.
Broaden Your Abilities and Skills
Studying in an international school abroad challenges you on an academic and professional level. It helps you to develop your character and grow in maturity and responsibility. If you have never left your homeland before, this experience may be just the catalyst you need to change for the better.
Many students that have studied abroad have gained a greater appreciation of their education. The experience helped them to gain a better understanding of themselves as individuals and fostered greater self-confidence, independence, creativity, etc. in their personal development and growth. They learned how to capitalize on their strengths in order to benefit from them more. At the same time, they learned to recognize their weaknesses and transform them into strengths that would help them in the future.
These are but a few reasons why it is worthwhile to get at least part of your education abroad. The academic and personal benefits will do much to enhance your future.
Today’s guest post is by Ryan Ayers, a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he explains a few benefits of studying abroad and aims to encourage further study through degrees in diplomacy.
The benefits of being a student athlete
Getting a college education is difficult enough, so trying to do it while training at a high level is an incredibly daunting task. The enormous pressure to perform well at games can adversely affect studies and vice versa. Fortunately, the special needs of student athletes are recognized by schools and athletic commissions. Several benefits are provided to help them achieve their full potential both in sports and academics. These typically consist of the following:
Tuition
Student athletes could have their tuition either fully waived or partially subsidized by the school depending on their sport and level of talent. This is the biggest draw for most young people. Tuition fees in the US and practically everywhere else in the world can be very high and an athletic scholarship is the only path towards college education available for many teens. It allows them to lay a good foundation for their future whether or not they continue to pursue sports after graduation. Having a scholarship also frees them from the burden of paying students loans once they get jobs.
Tutors
The typical day for student athletes usually involve waking up long before dawn, going to practice, rushing to class, and finally coming back to afternoon training. They barely have time to attend to homework and other requirements. When they go to class, they are often extremely tired and have trouble concentrating on the lectures. Proper time management and diligence allow many to achieve sufficient balance. However, some athletes need a bit more help in the form of tutors and advisors so that they can catch up on lessons and keep their grades at a decent level. Schools generally provide these if requested.
Free Meals
Nutrition is vital to anyone who wants to play at a high level. The amount of training that they do means that student athletes burn a lot of calories in a day and these have to be replenished for adequate recovery. Schools can arrange for free meals from the cafeteria up to a certain amount per semester. This ensures that the athletes will never have to go hungry just because of lack of money, and that they will always be adequately fed and strong enough to withstand the rigors of their daily schedules.
Health Insurance
The amount of training that they do can compromise their immune system and make them susceptible to injuries. Indeed, student athletes often get sick or injured while preparing for a long season. Such incidents will not only make them miss class but also important games, thereby compromising the team’s campaign. Without a job, students will have a hard time footing the medical bills by themselves, especially for injuries that require prolonged physical therapy. It is only fitting for schools to cover their health insurance so that they can get the best treatment right away.
Gear and Clothing Allowance
Every sport has its own specialized equipment necessary to play the game. Schools are expected to make training venues available to the student athletes like the gymnasium for basketball, the field for football, and the track for running. Gear such as shoes, jackets, balls, and uniforms are also provided each season so that they can train well and display the school’s colors with pride.
Although combining studies with athletics is a tough task, the infrastructure is in place to allow young athletes to excel on both fronts. These perks make the demanding lifestyle sustainable and even desirable for many students. If the athletes can make full use of these benefits, then they can look forward to several fruitful and memorable years in college, and even beyond.
Today’s guest post is from Ryan Ayers, a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he explains a few benefits to being a student athlete and aims to encourage further study through online athletic administration graduate programs.
Music Careers for you music loving student
If you have a child that it passionate about music, then it is good to know that there are really great career options for them later in life. Having an understanding of what these are can allow you to share them with your child to help them find the right path. There are a few career options worth looking at.
Orchestra Director
While the role of orchestra director or conductor may seem easy, in reality it is quite difficult. They must learn the entire score rather than just the sections that the musicians learn. With this, they must lead the entire orchestra through practice as well as the concert. There are a number of different things that can contribute to the amount a person will make in this position. However, at the top of their career they can make $20,000 per concert or more.
Music Producer
Mixing and recording music is essential to every album that has ever been released, which is why this is an important job. The other nice thing about this career is that it is something that your child can do while they are young. As long as you have internet and mixing software, your child can practice for this career long before they are old enough to do it professionally. The one thing to keep in mind with this though is that there is a lot of competition out there since almost anyone can get this software. This is why it is important to work hard and start young if this is something your child is interested in.
Music Therapist
If your child has a love of music as well as helping people, then this may be just up their alley. As a music therapist, you focus on helping people through trauma or pain with music. There are a number of different things that they will be required to do, including analyzing the situation, singing, playing instruments, improvising for songs and having an extensive knowledge of music. Though the average salary for this career is around $50,000 a year, it can increase with experience and location.
Composer
There are many practical applications for a composer in the musical industry. They are needed by musicians who have words but no tune as well as many other things. This is nice because it can allow your child to be creative and freely express themselves through their arrangements. The pay for this is dependent on a number of factors, though this can be a high paying opportunity for them.
Writers
Poets who love music tend to write songs. This is important because many vocalists today do not write their own material. They need someone who can create the lyrics that will move people. Along with the words, they may also be required to write the arrangement for the song as well. This can be another tough career to get into because there are many people that write music so it is very competitive.
There are many things to think about when your child has a love of music and wants to pursue it as a career. The best thing to do with this is to have them take all the music courses they can when they are in school. With this, those who attend college for music and get a degree tend to have a higher rate of success in their chosen field. With this, you may find that certain careers, such as with therapy, will require a specific degree. This is why it is best to help expose your child to many different aspects of the musical industry so they can discover what they really want to do and take the necessary steps to prepare for this career.
Today’s guest post is from Joshua Turner, a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he explains a few career opportunities relating to the field of music and aims to encourage further study through an online masters degree in music education .
Careers related to a computer science degree
Skilled workers with a background in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are currently in high demand in the US. In fact, figures published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that STEM jobs will grow by 21.4% in the next decade. To put this in perspective, the average growth for all other jobs will be a modest 10.4% during the same period of time. BLS statistics also show that computer science graduates can expect to earn a median annual salary of $100,660. Here are some of the hot career options you can pursue with a computer science degree.
Computer and Information Systems Manager
In general, a computer and information systems manager oversees all computer related activities in an organization including the installation of new hardware and software, up-grade of existing hardware and software, securing company data, as well as keeping an eye on new technology developments. Other common job titles for this position include IT security manager, chief information officer (CIO), IT director, and chief technology officer (CTO). The annual pay for computer and information systems managers can go as high as $143,380 depending on employer and working experience.
Database Administrator
Most businesses normally store large amounts of information, some of which is very sensitive, including clients’ contacts, clients’ bank account details, and employees’ social security numbers. In an organization, a database administrator has the unenviable task of installing, configuring, and maintaining databases that store such data. In addition, he or she has to upgrade database structures, back up data onsite or offsite, and ensure databases perform at optimum levels. In Virginia, these professionals earn a salary of about $91,460 while those who work in Massachusetts take home $83,480 every year, according to the BLS.
Computer Hardware Engineer
Of course, there is more to computers than just software. For this reason, computer manufacturers require computer hardware engineers to design and develop chips, routers, and circuit boards. Furthermore, they liaise with software engineers to ensure that the hardware products they are developing work seamlessly with software programs. Aside from that, they collaborate with computer hardware manufacturers to bring to market properly functioning products. According to the BLS, the best places to work as a computer hardware engineer include California ($114,560), Maryland ($105,250), and District of Columbia ($108,260).
Software Engineer
The work of a software engineer is to develop programs and applications that can run on devices such as laptops, desktop PCs, and mobile devices. They also test the applications to eliminate software bugs and develop software upgrades as well. You can work for financial institutions, learning institutions, government agencies, medical facilities, and even the military. For this work, you can earn $100,160 in Washington, $101,050 in Virginia, and $91,970 in Colorado. The BLS expects work opportunities for professionals in this STEM niche to grow by 30% through 2020.
Web Developer
Technology has made it easy for people to communicate, trade, bank, and watch events in real time online. To make this happen, businesses and organizations rely on web developers. Responsibilities include designing and writing code for websites, integrating graphics, video, and audio into websites, as well as creating web applications. Another important duty is testing websites to ensure that they work well in all major browsers and mobile devices. The average pay stands at $66,100 although employers in Massachusetts, Washington, and District of Columbia pay a median annual salary of $74,000, $72,430, and $81,150 respectively.
If you would like to pursue a career that is most likely to grow in the near future, enrolling in a computer science program is a good starting point. You can work for a wide range of Fortune 500 companies including manufacturers, e-commerce retailers, banks, oil and gas companies, law firms, and social media companies. Depending on your expertise, you can work as a software developer, computer hardware engineer, database administrator, or computer and information systems manager. The pay depends on employer, location, and working experience.
Today’s guest post is by Ryan Ayers, a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he describes a few computer science degrees and aims to encourage further study with a master’s degree in computer science online.
6 Dorm Safety Tips for Students
While student dormitories are not exactly danger zones, students who reside in dormitories should observe safety measures to keep their property safe from thieves or accidents such as fire. For the most part, it only takes common sense to prevent potential accidents in student dormitories. For instance, you should not leave candles or hot cigarette butts burning inside your room. According to the National Fire protection Association (NFPA), the number of dormitory fires reported between 1980 and 2009 increased by 17% and on average, dorm fires destroy property worth about $20.9 million, cause 3 deaths, and 38 fire injuries every year. These statistics show the importance of taking fire safety seriously. Here are some dorm safety tips that you can take as an individual student to keep your dorm safe.
Cooking
Figures published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission show that cooking accounts for 72% of all dorm fires. With this in mind, you should only light fires or cook in designated areas and you should always monitor your cooking. If you have to leave the cooking area, ensure you switch off all cooking appliances such as hotplates, microwaves, or portable grills. You can always continue cooking after you attend to any issue that requires your immediate attention. Remember to store flammable liquids away from heat sources. It is also wise to wear short and close fitting clothes. Loose clothes can easily get in the way and catch fire.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire, which is a product of a chemical reaction called combustion, requires oxygen to continue burning. A fire extinguisher contains chemicals that deprive fire of oxygen and most university and college dormitories have portable fire extinguishers that you can use to put out small fires. The rule of thumb is to use the right type of fire extinguisher when putting out a fire. For example, you cannot use a class A fire extinguisher to put out a class B fire (any fire that involves gasoline, oil, or kerosene). Use the PASS technique when handling a fire extinguisher. This means pull the safety pin, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, squeeze the trigger, and sweep the extinguisher from side to side.
Evacuation
If you hear the fire alarm go off, head to the nearest fire exit as fast as you can. Of course, you can try to evacuate other engineering students the dormitory. If there is smoke, avoid the temptation to run. Instead, walk carefully in the direction of the nearest fire exit. When everyone gets out of the dormitory, close the door behind you and remove the key. Do not attempt to re-enter the building unless a qualified person says it is safe to do so.
Personal Items
Always keep your door locked when you leave to attend classes or go out with friends. Use engraving techniques to mark electronics such as TV’s, laptops, and mobile devices. It is advisable to install applications that can help you track anyone who tries to steal your electronics.
Suspicious Persons
If you come across suspicious people, do not confront them or try to be a hero. Use hotlines or email addresses provided by your learning institution to alert the security personnel. Additionally, inform your maintenance department of broken doors or windows, if any, and of course, you must never hide your dorm keys under the doormat since most burglars know all the usual hiding places.
Social Media
Do not publish your personal details, travel plans, or credit card details online. A determined burglar, stalker, or kidnapper can use this information to track your movement. If you plan to travel over the weekend, call your friends or parents and inform them.
Your personal safety as well as the safety of other students is paramount. To start with, always monitor your cooking. Secondly, use the nearest fire exit if you hear a fire alarm. Thirdly, learn how to use a fire extinguisher to put out small fires. Finally, do not leave your dorm room door unlocked while away.
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This guest post is from Sarah Daren, a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she offers a few safety tips for students and aims to encourage further study with a bachelor of science in health information management.
Sink or Swim: A Guide to College Graduation Rates
College graduation usually conjures up images of black hats getting thrown into the air and refrains of pomp and circumstance. What you don’t see, however, is the swell who started at the same time as the robe-clad flock but aren’t graduating — a number that would triple the size of grads (and make the ceremony even longer). In fact, at four-year colleges only 31.3% of students actually graduate from the school. The other 68.7% might be sitting at home, working a job that doesn’t require a degree, or maybe they’re still chipping away at the books after switching majors or signing up for a lengthy program. The latter is evident: The number swells to 56% who graduate within six years of starting. On the surface, it might seem like today’s student is lazy or lacks follow-through, but a closer examination reveals steep costs of schooling and family responsibilities a bigger decision-maker for college dropouts. Of course, the numbers vary widely across colleges when looking at college graduation rates, with some earning gold stars for graduating their students and others earning the nickname “dropout factories.” We take a closer look at the best and worst of 2-year and 4-year schools to help degree-seekers navigate to a college that will help them stay afloat.
Courtesy of OnlineColleges.net
5 ways to help your college student build a credit history
College students will be inundated by credit card offers the minute they take out their student loans, but most of these offers come with an abundance of fine print that could leave your student paying heinous interest rates for the most minor transgressions (like a payment that’s late by just a few days, for example). These options provide more ways to ruin credit than build it. So if you want to help your student start off on the right foot where his credit score is concerned so that he can buy a car or get a lease on his own after graduation, here are a few methods you can use to help your college student build a credit history:
- Open a bank account. Okay, so the money he’s got in the bank won’t actually boost his credit rating, but it’s something that most lenders look at, so before he can even start to build credit he’ll need some cash on hand in order to be eligible. No lender wants to extend a line of credit to a person who doesn’t even have a bank account, so this is an essential first step in the overall process.
- Co-sign on a car. Since he won’t start paying his student loans until after school, and paying off loans is one of the best ways to build credit, perhaps you’ll want to help him out by fixing him up with a car before he heads off to college. Many parents want their kids to have reliable transportation when they’re away from home anyway, but by co-signing you can help him to get a better loan and lower interest rates on his purchase while still having the asset in his name. Just make sure his name appears first so that his credit will get the bump from the payment history.
- Share a credit card. Although sharing a credit card with your teen can be a frightening proposition, it’s still a great way to build credit. And if you don’t want him going wild with spending, simply sign up for a gas or grocery card that comes with a manageably low limit. You may be helping him to pay for essentials like fuel and food anyway, so this can kill two birds with one stone. Again, you’ll want to make sure that he’s getting at least equal credit for payments on the card, though.
- Open a secure credit card. If you’re not too keen on risking your stellar credit rating by sharing a card with your inexperienced college student, then opening a secure credit card is a fantastic alternative. In most cases these cards are provided by the institution you bank with, and he’ll simply have to provide a deposit (say $500-1,000) as collateral, after which he’ll be issued a credit card with the same limit. He can then make purchases and pay the balance monthly in order to build credit. After a set amount of time (a year, perhaps) he’ll get his deposit back with interest and he can keep the card if he chooses.
- Put a bill in his name. Nothing says reliability like someone who pays their bills, so putting some in your student’s name could help to build his credit. But be careful; not all bills qualify. While a landline could be used, a cell phone bill won’t help at all (since mobile carriers only report delinquencies to credit institutions). Utilities like water and power will also work, provided payments are made on time and in full. Students can seek the best deals on credit cards on sites like http://www.ratesupermarket.ca, but there are simpler ways to build credit than by risking the temptation of plastic. Putting bills in his name may be a safer way to help your student build credit in college.
5 ways to go green on campus
If there’s one thing that’s almost universally true about teenagers it’s that they’re fairly self-involved, and getting them interested in altruistic pursuits can be a chore. But as they get older and start to figure out who they are and what drives them, it may become easier to get them fired up about social and environmental challenges. Most young adults are full of energy and they want to do their part to make the world a better place. If you want to give your own college student some direction, you might suggest that he join the ongoing crusade to make the Earth a cleaner, greener place for all of humanity through his eco-friendly efforts. And here are just a few ways that you can get him on board with doing his part for the environment, and hopefully urging others to go green on campus.
- Provide reusable products. Before you send your child off to college, he’ll no doubt need a slew of new stuff to take with him. While you can certainly reuse items from around the house rather than buying brand new, or make efforts to purchase products made from recycled materials, you might also consider looking for ways to reduce the impact of the many disposable products he’s likely taking with him. For example, you could get him a razor and strop for shaving so he won’t have to toss razor cartridges anymore. And plenty of college students looking to cut costs have resorted to old-school hankies for their winter colds rather than using tissues. You could also give him reusable totes so that he never again has to take plastic or paper bags from a store.
- Organic linens. The twin XL bed is an odd size, practically only used in dorms, which means his favorite sheets are staying at home and you’re purchasing new bedding. But instead of grabbing any old thing at the store, consider looking for all organic linens (sheets, comforter, pillows, even curtains) as a way to cut his carbon footprint when he’s getting his zees.
- Locally-sourced goods. One great way to encourage your student to go green on campus is to help him find options around town where he can get locally-sourced and organic goods. You could start by looking for a weekly farmer’s market nearby where he can get some fresh fruits and veggies for his dorm room. And you may also find markets, restaurants, and even clothing stores that provide the community with greener goods.
- Conservation. One of the easiest ways to go green (aside from using recycling bins on campus) is to try to conserve energy and water. Even though he’s not responsible for air conditioner system maintenance in his room, perhaps he should think about leaving the AC off and finding other ways to stay cool. He could also unplug electronics when they’re finished charging or not in use. And as for water, he might consider showering every other day instead of daily. It’s doesn’t take much to cut energy and water consumption significantly, even on campus.
- Outreach efforts. While your student can certainly do his part, he might be so gung-ho about environmentalism that he wants to involve others. In this case there are likely clubs he can join on campus or national groups that he can sign up with. At the very least he can tell his peers about easy changes they can make on behalf of the planet and their own continued existence.
How to handle problems with college professors
It’s actually not that uncommon for students to have trouble with their college professors. With giant class sizes, at least early on, professors don’t exactly have the time to devote individual attention to students. And when facing a nameless sea of students, it’s no surprise that they grade papers quickly and without discrimination. But your student may start to feel like a certain professor is singling him out for abuse for some reason. Often this isn’t the case; it’s merely in your student’s head since the teacher probably couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
However, it could be the case that your kid is not making a mountain out of a molehill, and that a teacher really is going out of his way to give your student bad grades or embarrass him in class. If this is the case, there are a few pieces of advice you might want to give your child.
Examine the situation
If your student is smart he’ll simply try to ignore the situation and make the best of it. After all, not every teacher is going to like him, and he should take some time to consider whether or not he brought the negative attention on himself through his own behavior in class or the quality of his work. If, however, he is doing the assignments as detailed and the teacher is failing him, perhaps it’s time to examine just what has gone wrong in the equation. And there are certain steps that your student will want to take in order to address the issue like an adult.
Make an appointment with the professor
The first thing he should do is schedule an appointment during office hours to speak to his professor privately. He should come prepared with the work in question and a list of items he’d like to address pertaining to why he has been unable to obtain the grade level he’s used to. He needs to ask the teacher to offer specific examples of how he may improve so that his work meets the criteria for the class. The professor should be able to look over the work and offer details of why your student has received particular grades, whether it concerns the technical aspects of essay writing, the accuracy of answers given, or even the depth of insight and personal thought (or lack thereof) offered by your student. If he is unable to answer to your student’s satisfaction then it may be time to take a complaint to the next level.
As a last resort, approach administration
The only problem with approaching a department head or the administration to file a complaint about a professor is that this authority will almost certainly advise your student to deal with the issue himself. Often these people are fairly busy and they don’t have time to get involved in every kerfuffle between a student and a teacher unless there is a serious issue at stake (such as discrimination or harassment, for example). For the most part, they feel that students are going to have to learn how to deal with people they don’t get along with professionally at some point, and now is as good a time as any. This is true whether a student receives an English, biology, or health administration degree. That said, your college student must do what he feels is right, even if that means filing an official complaint. But he must also be willing to deal with the consequences of his actions and take responsibility for his part if he bears any.
Preparing for your college student’s first trip home
Once you’ve sent your teen off to the Ivory Tower to fill his head with knowledge, your first thoughts are probably of when you’ll see him again. You may have to wait until a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, when he’ll have some time off from school, and that can be a long wait for a parent who has spent the last eighteen years seeing a child every day. So you may be tempted to smother him with parental love from the moment you pick him up at the airport to the second he tears himself away from your grasp to go back to school. But while you’ve been missing him he’s no doubt grown accustomed to living his own life. It’s the way of things. However, he’s likely been a little homesick, and when he comes to visit he’ll be jonesing for some of his faves. So here are just a few tips to prepare your college student for their homecoming.
Make travel plans
The first thing you’ll want to do is make all the travel arrangements. If you leave it up to your student he might not make it home at all, so you should probably ask him to send you his schedule so that you can start looking for tickets that coincide with his time off from classes. As you probably know, booking early, especially for holiday travel, can provide you with the best prices. Your student, on the other hand, might wait until the last minute and end up without a ride. So it’s probably best to take on this task, at least the first time around. Later on he can learn to make his own travel arrangements, but with the stresses of his first semester (and his first time away from home) to deal with, you don’t want to pile too much on, especially if you’re keen on seeing him.
Make preparations for the homecoming
Once the arrangements have been made it’s time to start thinking about how you can make his first trip home special. A good place to start is by prepping his room, and that means removing the boxes of stuff you’ve been storing there in his absence. You could also do a deep clean (steam vac the carpet and the mattress, for example) and air out the room so the place smells fresh. Clean linens will complete the effort, and you could always add something extra like chocolates on the pillow just for fun. Of course, he’ll probably also crave favorite foods, so aside from the holiday cooking you might want to prepare a few dishes ahead of time, such as sealed bags of cookies or cakes that he can take back to school with him after his trip.
Give them some space
Finally, you should think about what he’ll want to do while he’s home. Your first inclination may be to schedule every minute of his visit with fun stuff, but keep in mind that he’s on a break from school. He probably wants to lounge around and sleep in for a change. In addition, many of his friends may be back in town for the holidays, as well, and he’ll probably want to see them while he has the chance. So you might want to waive his curfew and try not to hold him to more than one or two mandatory family functions (like Thanksgiving dinner, for example).
If only you could have convinced him to attend USC online rather than going in person, you would have had him home all the time. But as it is you’re going to have to settle for breadcrumbs, at least for a little while. And unless you want the entire time to be spent arguing, simply do your best to make him comfortable and accept the time he’s willing to give you and the family.
