Touro University International Essays (240 words) - Health

Touro University International James L. White ACC 501 Module 1, Session Long Project Dr. Paul R. Watkins INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to select an organization and write a short description of that organization and my relationship to it. Hopefully, by discussing this topic, I will give the reader some insight on my organization. I will conclude this report with a brief summary of the entire analysis, highlighting some of the most significant parts that the report contains. THE ORGANIZATION The organization I choose to discuss is my job as a military member; I train and mentor incoming Health Service Management Apprentices. My job involves training, medical billing, cost center management, medical terminology, military medical readiness, aero medical evacuation, medical health records, patient eligibility, Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), Safety, customer service and Medical Expense and Performance Reporting System (MEPRS). I have been involved with this organization for 9 years. I spend lots of time doing administrative work (like writing lesson plans, test and performance checks) and after hours mentoring for recruits. I also have other details I must do along with my daily job, such as: security detail, funeral honors, safety monitor, physical training monitor, scheduling monitor, supply and equipment monitor. Conclusion Dealing with things in my organization like supply, equipment, cost center management, medical billing and MEPRS enables me to have contact with account reports and money matters. This will hopefully give me the needed information needed to clearly write on my organization for my session long projects.

ACT Prep Strategies If You Have a Low Test Score but High GPA

SAT / ACT Prep Strategies If You Have a Low Test Score but High GPA SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you have a high GPA, perform well in school, but can’t seem to do well on the SAT / ACT? This is a common pattern, and there are certain strategies that work especially well for you.First, we'll figure out why this is happening to you, and, depending on the reason, suggest ways to improve your SAT / ACT score.Second, we’ll go over what a high GPA but low SAT / ACT score signals to colleges and how to counter that signal. Academic Performance: The Missing Puzzle Piece Between GPA and SAT / ACT Score Many students and parents believe that only SAT / ACT scores and GPA make up a person's academics. After all, college admissions officers often use these two numbers to comprise the whole of high school academics. However, missing from this picture is a hidden variable: academic performance. Academic performance measures how skilled and strong a student is in a fair classroom setting compared to all students in the United States. You can think of academic performance as the percentile that you would get if you were in one huge class with all students in the USA. Unlike GPA, academic performance is a percentile measure, so there's no grade inflation. Because you’re in the same class as the rest of the USA, there is no such thing as an â€Å"easy class† or an â€Å"easy school district.† Unlike SAT / ACT scores, academic performance is not just based on a test. Instead, it’s based on projects, discussions, effort, and everything else that goes into learning. Colleges care about underlying academic performance more than GPA or SAT / ACT scores. Academic performance gets at the core of what colleges want to know: whether you will do well academically when you get to their school. Colleges think GPAs are imperfect because they depend too much on your school district and teachers. They also think SAT / ACT scores are imperfect because academics is not all about tests. However, they can’t measure academic performance directly, so they have to infer it from GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you are prepping for the SAT / ACT, it's important for you to know your true academic performancebefore you begin applying to colleges. Having an accurate idea of your academic performance will enable you to develop a much more effective test prep plan. For example, if your true academic performance is high, yet your SAT score is low, then you should focus on improving your test-taking strategies because it is likely that a few strategic points are holding you back. However, if your academic performance is low, then focusing on strategy likely won't improve your score. Instead, you want to focus more on content. The point is that your true academic performance is also important for you to know! For most students, the three factors of 1) GPA, 2) academic performance, and 3) SAT / ACT scores move together most of the time. If you’re a student who is smart, studies hard, and knows all the content, this will mean you generally have: A high GPA, since you do well in class and get good grades. Good academic performance, since you’d do well even pooled with all US students. A high SAT / ACT score, since you know the content and have prepped enough. In statistics, we say that these three factors are usually highly correlated, or move together most of the time: Ideally, all three factors move together (with only minor discrepancies) because they are related. In reality, the three may be disconnected, but often not by very much. Therefore, usually both you and colleges can tell true academic performance. If you have a high GPA and high SAT/ACT score, it more than likely means you’re a high performer, and vice versa. There is a problem when your GPA is high, but your SAT / ACT score is low. You have mixed signals. How do colleges, or even you, know whether your true academic performance is high or low? When GPA is higher than SAT / ACT score, it’s important to figure out where your true academic performance lies. In this situation, there are some steps you need to follow to find a solution. First, you need to figure out your true academic performance. Knowing your true academic performance will help you prep in the most effective way. We have guidelines below to help you figure out how well you're performing academically. After you learn your true academic performance and prep for the SAT / ACT, your scores may either go up to match your GPA, or they may still fall short of your GPA. In the latter case, it's important to show colleges that your true performance is high- and we'll tell you how to do that too! How to Tell Where Your Academic Performance Really Is Okay, so you have a high GPA and a low SAT / ACT score. How do you tell where your true academic performance is?A good way is to start with your GPA, which is high. We’ll then examine whether your GPA matches your academic performance or is overstating your academic performance. The Most Common Reasons GPA Overstates Academic Performance The most common reasons a high GPA can overstate academic performance are grade inflation and a weak school district. You should begin by examining these two factors. As illustrated in the diagram below,grade inflation reflects the fact that the average grade has been going up over time. While a B average (3.0 unweighted GPA) may have been way above average several decades ago, today, in many schools, it’s far below average. Therefore, that B average, that 3.0 GPA, may not be as high as you think. I have seen a school where getting a 4.5 weighted GPA put you below the average. (It turns out that, at this school, everyone was taking APs, and the AP teachers gave out almost all A’s regardless of performance.) The Department of Education reports more than a .30 increase in high school GPAs in less than 20 years. To learn if grade inflation is skewing your academic performance, you should examine whether your GPA is relatively high compared to your entire grade.You can introspect on this, or you can just ask your guidance counselor for your rank in your class. If your guidance counselor doesn’t have a rank for you, ask 10 of your friends what their GPA is and compare their answers against yours. Remember, since true academic performance is relative to the other students in the USA, you need make your GPA high relative to other current students' (and not on some internal intuitive scale where 3.0 counts as great)! Using your exact rank above, or by asking your friends, you can get a rough idea of your GPA percentile. If you’re ranked 50 out of 200 people in your grade, then you’re 75th percentile. If you ask 10 friends and 5 are below your GPA, then you are 50th percentile. Is your GPA percentile much lower than you thought? If so, that’s a sign of low academic performance. Likewise, is your GPA percentile around the same range as your low SAT / ACT percentile? If so, again, chances are your academic performance is actually low. The second reason that a high GPA can overstate academic performance, even if your class rank is good, is due to a weak school district. By a weak school district, I mean that the average student in your school district is not academically that strong. Sometimes you have a sense of this - you might realize your school district isn’t particularly renowned in your state. However, one way to be sure is to check your school’s average SAT or ACT scores (you can often find this by Googling â€Å"[Your School Name] Average SAT ACT score† or asking your guidance counselor). If they’re lower than 500 per section for the SAT, or 20 for the ACT, then that’s a sign you’re in a weaker school district. If your school’s average SAT score is below 450, and their ACT score is below 18, then it’s likely that, even if your GPA percentile is good, your academic performance compared to the rest of the US is not strong. High GPA? Use the table below to figure out your academic performance Factor Considered Signs of Low Academic Performance Signs of High Academic Performance GPA Percentile: Compute using your school rank. GPA percentile is lower than you expected. GPA percentile is similar to your low SAT/ACT percentile. GPA Percentile matches what you expected. GPA percentile is much higher (20% or more) than your SAT/ACT percentile. School District Strength: Compute using your district’s average SAT / ACT score. Your district’s average SAT score is lower than 450 per section, or ACT score is lower than 18. The lower the average score, the weaker the district likely is. Your district’s SAT score is higher than 500 per section, or their ACT score is higher than 20. The higher the better. Introspecting Other Factors There are more signs that you can use to learn whether your high GPA is reflecting a high academic performance or whether your high GPA is misrepresenting a low academic performance. The key here is to introspect ona number of other factors, some of which will be similar to those above, and others which will be quite different. Introspecting just means looking at yourself honestly. In order to be honest, you have to be critical and accept the fact that you may have flaws. You must also have confidence that there are certain parts of you that are genuinely strong. Introspecting other factors can also tell you whether your true academic performance is high or not. Since this sort of qualitative introspection is very fuzzy, there is no hard line for whether your academic performance is high or not. Use each of the factors below as a weight. As you look through these lists, think about how you feel when you take the SAT / ACT, and, when you answer questions incorrectly, what the most common causes of those mistakes are. It may help to do some practice problems or review an old exam. It may also help to look at your high school transcript and think about the grades you got, how easy it was to get those grades, and how well you understood the material those classes covered. If you have a high GPA and low SAT / ACT score, these factors suggest HIGHreal academic performance: You find yourself especially anxious or nervous during the test. You find that, when you take the test unofficially in a realistic environment, your top score in a section (e.g. math) across many practice tests is much higher than your math score on a real administration of the SAT / ACT. I don’t mean 50 points better, but 120 points or more (on the SAT scale). This is a sign that your skill is actually high, but, during the actual exam, you run into some test-format trouble. You find that, when you give yourself just 20-30% extra time in an unofficial setting, your score shoots up by more than 100 points per section. You spend a lot of time during the SAT / ACT on questions that are much too hard for your skill level. Therefore, you end up putting a lot of time into questions you don’t get right anyway. The SAT / ACT is one of the few tests you do poorly in. On other exams, like in-class tests, AP tests, etc., you perform very well. You misread numbers and words a lot on the SAT / ACT, getting questions wrong even though you know the answer. Don’t count this factor if you genuinely are confused about the meaning of the words or numbers. You didn’t study at all for the SAT / ACT (less than 5 hours). You don’t study for the SAT / ACT because you find SAT / ACT study irresistibly boring. If you have a high GPA and low SAT / ACT score, these factors suggest LOWreal academic performance: Your classes give out a lot of A+, A, and A-s. Your school district is a weaker school district and, therefore, gives higher grades relative to objective skill. Your high grades are due to an easy teacher. Your high grades are due to pressuring the school (such as nagging your teacher for re-grades, parent pressure through PTA or Board of Education). You take easy classes to get better grades. The average GPA of your school is high. You are using the â€Å"weighted GPA† that goes as high as 4.33 or 5.00 but comparing it against unweighted GPAs (perfect students get a 4.00). Your GPA looks high compared to your school rank. Your grades / GPA were a lot lower at another school that didn’t have the properties above. You don’t feel more nervous than the average student during the SAT / ACT. Your classroom (non-SAT/ACT) test scores generally reflect your overall grade in a class and how well you understand the material. In other words, you don’t do particularly poorly on tests in class. You get a lot of questions wrong due to not knowing the underlying concept (e.g. what is volume of a three-dimensional shape, what the grammar rules for parallel construction are etc.) After reviewing these two lists, you should have a good idea of whether your academic performance is low or high. If you have qualities from both lists, figure out which list you have more factors in or which factors you feel have the biggest impact. For either case, we have specific advice for you. If you've found that your academic performance is high, start reading the next section. However, if your academic performance is actually low, skip down two sections for advice specifically tailored to you. How to Prep If Your Academic Performance Is Actually High If your academic performance is high, the good news is that you may have an easier time prepping because you only need to focus on test-taking skills, which are relatively fast to learn. You don’t have to worry about learning academic content, which is usually a slow slog. Also, even if you don’t get your SAT / ACT fully up to your GPA, you have many options to truthfully signal that you are actually an academic high-performer, which can convince colleges to place less significance on your SAT / ACT scores. Your SAT / ACT prep, however; will be quite different from that of an average student’s. Most average students are facing issues on all fronts with respect to the ACT / SAT. They need a little bit of work on content, a bit on timing, a bit on carelessness, and a bit on anxiety. However, for you, it is much more likely that there is one or, at most, two non-content issues holding you back. It is important to identify those issues specifically and focus on them. I had one student who was brilliant at math and could explain the most difficult ACT problem to me in person with no problem. But his scores all came back quite low for his skill. He wasn’t nervous about the test. He never ran out of time. It turns out that he was making a ton of careless mistakes. He understood all the problems and could solve them quickly, but he was just sloppy. I tailored a tactic specific to his situation: I asked him to read each question twice, and underline keywords. After trying that, he immediately scored a 35 (out of 36) on the next ACT. The above example likely illustrates the situation you are in.You have a singular non-content issue holding you back, and everything else is good. In these cases, I would absolutely not use a class or a book- these two options are much too one-size-fits-all. I would use a method that can properly identify and solve the issue, such as introspective self-study, a program that customizes to your needs (like PrepScholar Online Prep), or a skilled tutor who can find your one major weakness (like PrepScholar Tutoring). I will help you identify a few common weak spots for high academic performers with low SAT / ACT scores. For each one I’ll tell you how to identify the weak spot and what to do about it. Carelessness Carelessness is knowing the contents of a question, but making an error purely based on a lapse of attention. Misreading â€Å"integer† as â€Å"real number† counts as a careless error, forgetting what â€Å"integer† means is not a careless error. How to Identify:You know the answer to a question but just misread a number or a word. This is frequently overdiagnosed, so I recommend a more rigorous diagnosis method: Imagine answering the question with as much time as you needed and only starting your work after you've read the question three times over. Would you have avoided the mistake you made? If so, it’s a true careless error. Otherwise, this might be a content error that you’re brushing off as careless. Misreading `cat` as `rat’ is a careless error (clearly you know the difference between the two if you thought about it). Mistakingâ€Å"ambivalent† for â€Å"ambiguous† is rarely a careless error (most students actually don’t have the definitions of both words memorized). What causes carelessness? The main causes are reading too quickly and not focusing on the details. This often causes you to misread the question and thus answer it incorrectly. How to Solve:Do a few practice tests where you give yourself double time. Spend this extra time reading each question twice and underlining keywords. Be paranoid that your eyes might be playing tricks on you. Write down more steps of your thought process than you normally would (in algebra avoid bunching multiple operations into a single line). If carelessness is the true issue behind your low scores, you should see your score increasing as you apply these steps. Once these methods become a common habit, you should be able to apply them more quickly and easily. Begin reducing your time by 25% for each practice exam until you can take an entire practice exam in the standard amount of time while still minimizing the number of careless errors you make. For additional help, look at my strategies for carelessness in my article on SAT / ACT prep for high scorers. Running Out of Time How to Identify:During the middle of taking a section, you feel fine. (If you feel panicked during the middle of a section, refer to the section on anxiety below.) However, as time runs out on the section, you feel more rushed, and, when time is finally called, you’re leaving a lot of low-hanging fruit on the table. For example, during a real test you often find you have correct answers that you just didn’t have 20 seconds to bubble in, or there were still really easy questions that you didn’t get to. How to Solve:There are two strategies to try. First, do a practice test with 50% more time than you’re usually allocated, and see how much your score increases over normal. This provides an upper bound for how much your score can possibly increase. Make sure this increase is worthwhile and what you expect. If it is, then you know that learning better time management skills will raise your exam score. There are many ways to improve your timing skills, but the two major tips you should be using are becoming familiar with the exam and learning when to skip questions. The best way to get familiar with the SAT / ACT is to practice. By regularly completing practice tests or quizzes, you’ll become more familiar with the exam format, how questions are worded, and tricks you can use to find the correct answer more quickly. However, this information will only help if you don’t allow yourself to waste time struggling to answer questions you don’t understand. Therefore, you also need to learn to move on if you don’t know how to solve a problem. If you’ve stared at a problem for 30 seconds and have no idea how to solve it, move on and come back to it at the end if you have more time. Struggling with a single challenging question can eat up a lot of time and cause you to not get to other questions you might have been able to answer much more easily. After you have begun using the above tips, try the following strategy. Suppose you’re given 30 minutes to finish a section. Split the 30 minutes into the first 25 minutes and the last 5 minutes. Aim to finish the section in the first 25 minutes. After the first 25 minutes are done, stop your normal progress on the test. Instead, step back and reassess what the lowest-hanging fruit at this point is- bubbling in answers, reviewing that really easy question you made a careless mistake on, or doing one more question later on that you saw was easy. Do NOT try to make standard progress on the test anymore. See how much your score improves using this method. You should understand that the SAT / ACT is a timed test, and you will always feel time pressure (I’ve gotten perfect scores, and I still feel immense time pressure). The only thing you can do is make sure the time pressure is not preventing you from getting the lowest-hanging fruit. Anxiety Anxiety is primarily an emotional response, not a logical response. If you find that you’re not panicked or stressed during large parts of the test, anxiety is probably not the cause. The worst sufferers of anxiety are overcome with emotion just thinking about the exam. A clear sign you have anxiety is if you don’t spend most of the test time thinking about the questions themselves. Instead, you spend all your time thinking about the fact that you’re taking a test. How to Identify: Anxiety is relatively easy to diagnose. Usually, students with test anxiety will score substantially (200 points on SAT, 10 points on the ACT) better if they are asked the questions verbally with no time pressure. To test this, instead of doing a timed test, have someone read the questions to you (while you have a paper copy for reference), so you can think through the problem out loud. How to Solve: Fixing anxiety is relatively hard compared to diagnosing it. In fact, there are entire fields of psychology focused on the issue of anxiety in different contexts. However, there are definite steps that you can take. The first step is physiological: taking control of your body. Try taking deep breaths between each page flip to calm yourself down. Try meditation before the test and a mini-meditation during breaks. Also, if appropriate, check with your primary care doctor to see if you actually have a clinical medical issue with anxiety. I always hate to go from academic performance into medical territory, but I’ve seen students with extreme anxiety issues who perform better after their doctor found it was actually a medical issue and prescribed beta-blockers to eliminate the anxiety. Second, you have to attack the cognitive part of anxiety. A core reason that anxiety exists cognitively is because you are focusing too much on yourself. You are spending too much time thinking about you taking the test or doing badly on the test. You are obsessed with concepts of yourself. Instead, do everything you can to direct attention away from yourself. Pay attention to what the room looks like. Then, pay attention to the question, how it’s typeseton the page. Finally, pay attention to what the question is asking. You need to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the question at hand. As part of reducing cognitive anxiety, it may help to try to predict what horrible things will happen if you don’t do well on the test. Write these predictions down on paper. You might say â€Å"parents will be very upset; never want to talk to me again,† or â€Å"my academics are ruined.† Then, if you don’t do well, compare that with what actually happens. Turns out, surprise surprise, parents get over it, and you always have the chance to take the test again. You’ll find that your worst fears are not true at all if you write them down beforehand and compare them to what happens. Finally, a tip for actually taking the test. Definitely do the easiest questions first, and give yourself some time to do them. The easiest questions will build your confidence and let you realize that the test can be done. You may not get all the problems, or even get to all the problems, butthat’s totally fine as long as long as you’re making progress during the exam. If you feel the anxiety is caused by being unfamiliar with the test, you should also try taking a few practice tests under as realistic conditions as possible. For some students, this familiarity and exposure reduce anxiety by a lot. If you suffer from anxiety, there are multiple ways for you to improve your test scores. Lack of Preparation for Standardized Tests How to Identify: This issue is the easiest to identify. If you’ve spent less than five hours studying for the test, then you’ve essentially had no preparation for the SAT / ACT. In fact, taking the actual SAT / ACT probably takes more than five hours if you add in transportation time and waiting for the exam to begin, so if you haven't even spent that much time studying for the test, you really haven't begun studying yet. How to Solve: Fortunately, this is also the easiest issue to fix as well as the item most worth fixing. After all, the first few hours you put into ACT / SAT prep will be the most efficient hours you’ll ever spend getting into college. In no other item on the college app can you just put in 20 to 80 hours and tremendously boost your admission chances. If you want to just tick off the box, gather a couple of practice tests and do them. That will get you past the five-hour minimum mark and get your score up effectively. However, if you want to boost your score by more than just a few points, you’ll want to invest in a real program. There are many valid programs out there, and our own program, PrepScholar, lets you prepare easily online. Lack of Motivation to Prepare for Standardized Tests How to Identify: You have at least tried to prepare, but you’ve found it incredibly daunting. Whenever you begin SAT / ACT prep, you find yourself bored. You make excuses to do anything else instead of SAT / ACT studying. How to Solve: This is a very important issue to overcome. If the student is not internally motivated to do well on the test, he or she will not improve much! (I also am presuming here that you, dear reader, are not personally the student because even reading this far into this article shows some baseline motivation.) In this case, examine what has motivated the student in the past. Beating his classmates? Making her parents proud? Getting a monetary reward? The best motivation is if the student wants to go to a good college or get scholarships. However, at this point, anything is fair game. Think about the ways the student has been motivated before and if these same motivators can be used to convince him to prepare more for the SAT / ACT. Talk to him about the ways a high test score can personally benefit him (can get into a better college which can lead to better job prospects, potentially avoid tens of thousands of dollars of student debt etc.) If this doesn’t work, you may want to consider hiring a tutor so the student is interacting regularly with someone who has experience with this issue and can hold him accountable. How to Solve All of These Issues In order to solve any of these above issues, you need to correctly identify it. It’s important that you go through a diagnostic phase first and figure out exactly what your weakness is. Getting treatment for the wrong problem won’t help you at all. Worse, it can hurt you when you don’t see your score improve and get discouraged. The tips above will help you identify the issues and find the right solution. However, if you'd like the solution found automatically, you can look into our Online Prep program where we leverage the data we collected through helping tens of thousands of students succeed on standardized tests. We automatically find your area of weakness and drill it away, which is especially useful if there are only one or two strategic areas you are weak in, like test anxiety or carelessness. How to Prep if Your Academic Performance Is Low If your academic performance is low, the bad news is that improving on the SAT / ACT will be more difficult. However, the good news is that the advice and steps you need to follow for the SAT / ACT are more standard for you. In this case, you don’t have any special weakness with the SAT / ACT. You don’t likely have many anxiety or test format issues that you’ll need special prep to overcome. For one reason or another, your GPA appears higher than it would for other students in the same ACT / SAT position as you. Your high GPA doesn’t make your study plan any different from that of an average student with a low SAT / ACT score. Thus, you should follow the standard guide for students with low SAT / ACT scores. We have many great guides for those with lower SAT / ACT scores who want to go higher, and I’d strongly recommend going through all of them: For the SAT, we have a general guide for raising your SAT score 160+ points, as well as guides for getting at least a 600 on each of the three main sections: Math, Reading, and Writing and Language. Similarly, for the ACT, we have a guide for raising your composite score 4+ points and guides for the Math, Science, Reading, and English sections. One thing you should make sure you do is complete some rigorous SAT / ACT prep. If your GPA is high and your SAT / ACT score is low, then it’s best to prevent the latter from marring colleges’ interpretations of your application. Time and time again, we’ve seen that SAT / ACT scores improve the fastest in the first 40 or so hours. Therefore, I would recommend at least studying that much for the SAT / ACT. Even if your academic performance is moderate, you can still improve your SAT / ACT scores through study, which will make your application look much stronger. Of course, if you’ve put 40, 100 hours, or more into SAT / ACT prep and your SAT / ACT score is still low, then the fact that you’ve diagnosed yourself as a low academic performer tells you exactly what to do: improve on your baseline content and academics. You can do this in many ways: General Strategies: Use an SAT / ACT program with a lot of content focus. Our PrepScholar Online SAT / ACT program devotes more than 50% of lesson time to baseline content and academics. Get a good tutor to teach you the underlying topics. Set aside a certain number of hours a week to improve your baseline content. Having a set schedule will make it easier and more likely for you to complete your studying. Math/Science Strategies: Review your math textbook, and ask for extra help if needed. Ensure that you’ve covered all the math topics on the SAT / ACT. Usually, these tests don’t cover very difficult topics like calculus or matrices, so choose classes that overlap with what the SAT / ACT covers. Focus part of your studying specifically on graphs, what information they provide, and how to interpret them. You can use examples specifically for test prep or study graphs you’ve used or seen in class. If you’re taking the ACT, brush up on geometry as well as algebra, since the ACT tests geometry much more than the SAT does. If you’re taking the SAT, it will still benefit you to know some geometry, but the majority of math problems will be on algebra, so focus most of your studying there. Reading/English/Writing Strategies: Develop your reading skills by reading often and using concepts like theme, tone, etc. to analyze the text. If you’re more comfortable with fiction or narrative writing, broaden your skills by reading more scientific passages, and vice versa. Learn the major grammar rules the SAT / ACT tests so you can nail those questions on the exam. Review some vocabulary lists so you’re more likely to be familiar with words you come across on the exam. Ask your English teacher for feedback on essays you’ve written and ways you can improve. To summarize, if you find that your true academic performance is low, then your SAT / ACT prep process is very standard. Use our numerous guides to help yourself improve. You should also look into our PrepScholar Online Prep program How to Apply to College With a High GPA but Low Test Score The above advice examined why you had low SAT / ACT scores but a high GPA. By using the missing puzzle piece of academic performance, we gave you different advice depending on your situation. Now, hopefully, after following the advice above, your ACT / SAT score will have risen to par with your GPA. After all, the best way to solve this situation is not to find excuses, but to actually improve your SAT / ACT score, so that will always be the best option.However, in case your SAT / ACT score still hasn’t increased as much as you want, this section gives you advice on how to apply to college. This section is also useful to read even before you begin SAT / ACT prep to see how an improved test score can bypass this problem entirely. Having a high GPA but low SAT / ACT score at least is better than a low GPA and low SAT / ACT score. Of course, it’s not as good as having both a high GPA and high SAT / ACT score. For colleges, a high GPA but low SAT / ACT score sends mixed signals - one indicates that your academic performance is high while the other indicates your academic performance is low. Just like above, where we explained how to figure out your true academic performance, colleges will also be seeking your true academic performance.The major difference in this situation is, regardless of your internal assessment, it is always more favorable for you to signal higher academic performance. Conversely, you want to avoid mistakenly signalinglow academic performance. On one hand, colleges hope that you’re truthfully a high academic performer, just not good on the ACT / SAT. Maybe you just dislike tests or don’t do well on â€Å"aptitude tests† like the SAT (versus content tests like the APs). Maybe the SAT / ACT stresses you out. The more you can emphasize this picture, the better you will do. On the other hand, colleges are afraid that you might, at the core, be a mediocre academic performer - that your SAT / ACT score is telling the truth, and your GPA is the one that’s fibbing. After all, GPAs are very difficult to compare across different classes, different teachers, and different schools. The entire reason colleges rely on ACT / SAT scores in the first place is to have a uniform way to measure students across all their environmental variation. Colleges are thus afraid that the high GPA is due to it being goosed up through one or more of so many possibilities: taking easy classes, getting in the teacher's’ good graces, being from an easy school district, or dozens of other ways that GPAs can be artificially raised. The more you can deemphasize this picture, the better you’ll do. To emphasize that your SAT / ACT scores don’t represent your true ability, and your GPA isn’t artificially high, here are some tips: Take classes with standardized tests and curriculum. The IB (International Baccalaureate)or similar program is the best. The grading is not all test based, yet it is standardized, so doing well on this really tells colleges that your high GPA is legitimate. Take other standardized tests, like the AP tests, or competitions like AMC. If you do well on these they definitely are effective at taking the sting off low standardized test scores. However, be aware that, on these tests you may likely suffer from the same issues that caused your low ACT / SAT scores. Have teachers vouch for your top performance, emphasizing that your performance is excellent relative to classmates, that your school is a high performing school, and most importantly, your performance is high relative to students at strongschools the teacher has taught at. Take classes at your local college.The better you can do in a college class relative to the college’s difficulty, the better you’ll be able to prove your skills are high. Perform in nationwide competitions to show that, face-to-face, you rank high. (If the following is somewhat true for you): Emphasize in your essay that your school is a difficult one, it’s ranked highly in the state, and that you have a high rank in the school. Take classes at highly-ranked neighboring high schools and show high grades in these classes. Consider preparing especially for the interview and essay portion of the college application. These items have a large impact on college admissions, and many students who are not especially strong on tests tend to do stellar on these. How will your signaling change if you’re actually a high academic performer versus a low academic performer? Well for one, high academic performers will have a much easier time doing the tasks above because they’ll be able to use their underlying skill to achieve it. However, since the abovesignalingis beneficial, everyone should attempt it whether they classify themselves as a high or low performer.In fact, you can even say that your ability to accomplish the above (e.g. IB classes) in some ways partially makes you a high performer. Your Real Performance and Overplacing Into Colleges What sort of college should you apply toif you have a high GPA but low SAT / ACT scores? The answer is that your competitiveness level will be about halfway between your GPA level and SAT / ACT level. After all, many colleges weigh GPA and SAT/ACT by similar amounts in admissions. For example, if your GPA puts you at the median of a US News rank 10 school, but your ACT puts you in the middle of a US News rank 70 school, you would be competitive at a rank 40 school or so. Note, however, that you’ll have a wider spread, a wider variability to which schools accept you. Some higher ranked schools (especially progressive private schools) might forgive the low ACT score, while other lower ranked schools (especially public state schools) may be quite strict. Finally, you might be wondering about overplacement. Suppose you’re a low academic performer, but using our stellar techniques above, you are able to achieve a school leaps beyond what you would otherwise be able to. Would it be a mistake to go to a school beyond where you otherwise could have gone? On an ethical front, you need to make sure what you say above is true. Not lying in your application, not saying your school is difficult when it is easy, is not only the ethical thing to do, it’s also the operationally smart thing to do because college admissions officers have a ton of data at their disposal. For the best experience for yourself, it is important not to overplace into one particular type of college: the difficult, grind-you-down sort of college. In these colleges, if you get there, and you don’t belong, you run a huge risk of flunking your classes, feeling bad, and not learning. Fortunately, it’s easy to tell which colleges are bad to overplace into: look at the graduation rate of the colleges. Any overall graduation rate under 90% is a huge red flag - these are schools that will chew you up and spit you out if you don’t meet their academic rigor. Do not overplace into these. Conversely, schools with graduation rates above 95% will likely baby you through - these colleges tend to tolerateoverplacement a lot better. Time for a personal story: many of my friends went to theUniversity of Chicago, a notoriously difficult university. I saw them pull all-nighters, recount stories of classmates being expelled for failing, and havepeople generally being pushed to their academic limit. Even the average student was having a hardtime meeting academic goals; I can only imagine an under-qualified student completely floundering in a school as punishing as UChicago. Now, I went to Harvard College, and the mythical motto there (with a huge dollop of truth) is that it’s hard to get in, but once you do, anyone can graduate. With an overall graduation rate of above 97% recently, this is completely true. Classmate didn’t fulfill a few requirements? I saw my college drop these requirements like flies. Flunking Algebraic Topology? Take â€Å"Magic with Numbers† instead. If you overplaced into Harvard, chances are you’d have a decent time all around, and you’d benefit from the educa tion and degree. The point is, you should focus on the overall graduation rate if you fear the consequences of overplacing. Parting Thoughts Just to reemphasize one final time, the strategies in the previous sections for applying with a low SAT / ACT score are only a band-aid for the underlying problem. If you have a fire in your house, the above tells you how to minimize damage. It’s much better to not have a fire in your house in the first place. Likewise, If you’re high in GPA but low in SAT / ACT, the absolute best solution is to bring up your SAT / ACT score. If you haven’t prepared at all - putting in 40 hours either by yourself or with a highly rated program is the first thing you should do right now! What's Next? Wondering how to start studying?Read aboutthe pros and cons of each type of test prep and learn which method is the best for you. Want to learnwhat your current test score is?Take a practice test! Checkout our official SAT practice tests and official ACT practice tests. Looking for some quick ways to boost your score?Check out ourguides to learn 15 tips forraising your SAT score and your ACT score.

Barn Burning

William Faulkner's Barn Burning through Children's Eye William Faulkner's Barn Burning , Faulkner chose to speak through a little boy, Satoris Snoops his story By choosing Sartoris's perspective, Faulker is Abner's behavior So that people influenced can take action. It is not uncommon to tell a story from a child's point of view, but it does not seem to be a child's story on the surface. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depres sion. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. Barn Burning William Faulkner is concerned about the southern part and its black slavery. The barn grilling problem involves conflict between the father and the child. The theme of this story is focusing on justice. That boy, Satie objected to his father's burning the barn and hoped that people would be treated fairly. His father, Abner, believes his son should respect and support his relatives. Abner thinks family is anyway correct. Faulkner's intention is to show that it is very difficult to choose between his family and justice. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapat awpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story i s the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. Barn Burning In Barn Burning by William Faulkner, Sarty Snopes is a young, poor boy caught in an ethical dilemma. He made enormous efforts to maintain loyalty to his family and his loyalty to himself. Sarty's ideal image of his father and his loyalty to his own bloodline limited Sarty (at the beginning of the story) and sent his father to the authorities for crime. However, his strong moral guidance consciously influenced his ideas through the story, and forced him to do the right thing at last. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a stor y that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, l awless, violent. The use of blood in barn-yaki and barn-yaki is about the boy's struggle to do the right thing after the war. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of an immigrant tenant. In the opening ceremony, he was asked by the patrol judge to look up the barn of the farmer 's burnt farmer. The boy did not tell his father, and he was not compelled to do so, he thought he asked someone to do so. Father Abner Snopes analyzed the burning of William Faulkner's barn in the Civil War. William Faulkner's short story Barn Burning is a teen-year-old boy, Sarty Snopes, gradually noticed that his father, Abner Snopes, refuses to accept peace and dignity from his relationship with others. I will send my hopeless and sad life. Essentially, Sarty is faced with the dilemma of making the right choice and wrong choice between his family (his blood) and his moral conscience. Jane Hills explains this. Barn Burning It is meaningful for Sarty to betray his father at William Faulkner's story Barn Burning. As he was trying to burn Mr. Harris 's barn, the reader was introduced to Sarty' s father. Because there was no evidence, Peace judge rescinded Sartre's father Abner Snopes' father and ordered him to leave. A tough image of Sarty's father appeared online. That place stiffened a while ago (2177). Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression . Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. Barn Burning The barn burns You become a person.You must learn.You must learn to stick to your own blood, otherwise there is no blood to stick to you . As Jane Hills suggests in her explanation, it reveals the central problem of the story. The story is about blood relations, but more specifically how these relationships affect Sarty (the central function of the story). This story explores the internal conflicts and dilemmas Sarty faces. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and econ omic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. The use of blood in barn-yaki and barn-yaki is about the boy's struggle to do the right thing after the war. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of an immigrant tenant. In the opening ceremony, he was asked by the patrol judge to look up the barn of the farmer 's burnt farmer. The boy did not tell his father, and he was not compelled to do so, he thought he asked someone to do so. Father Abner Snopes analyzed the burning of William Faulkner's barn in the Civil War. William Faulkner's short story Barn Burning is a teen-year-old boy, Sarty Snopes, gradually noticed that his father, Abner Snopes, refuses to accept peace and dignity from his relationship with others. I will send my hopeless and sad life. Essentially, Sarty is faced with the dilemma of making the right choice and wrong choice between his family (his blood) and his moral conscience. Jane Hills explains this. Barn Burning Burning a barn Burning a barn is a sad story, as it clearly shows the classic struggle between privilege class and weak class. Over and over, despair is manifested in the hero and the opponent of the story. This story outlines two different heroes and two different opponents. The first two are Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty) and his father Abner Snopes (Ab). Sarty is the hero surrounded by his father's confrontation, Ab is the protagonist of the social structure and the struggle imposed on him and his family. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha Coun ty Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same . Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. Barn Burning The use of blood in barn-yaki and barn-yaki is about the boy's struggle to do the right thing after the war. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of an immigrant tenant. In the opening ceremony, he was asked by the patrol judge to look up the barn of the farmer 's burnt farmer. The boy did not tell his father, and he was not compelled to do so, he thought he asked someone to do so. Father Abner Snopes served both sides in the civil war and it was difficult to let his anger escape. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. Th is is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. The use of blood in barn-yaki and barn-yaki is about the boy's struggle to do the right thing after the war. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of an immigrant tenant. In the opening ceremony, he was asked by the patrol judge to look up the barn of the farmer 's burnt farmer. The boy did not tell his father, and he was not compelled to do so, he thought he asked someone to do so. Father Abner Snopes analyzed the burning of William Faulkner's barn in the Civil War. William Faulkner's short story Barn Burning is a teen-year-old boy, Sarty Snopes, gradually noticed that his father, Abner Snopes, refuses to accept peace and dignity from his relationship with others. I will send my hopeless and sad life. Essentially, Sarty is faced with the dilemma of making the right choice and wrong choice between his family (his blood) and his moral conscience. Jane Hills explains this. Barn Burning In Barn Burning, the author William Faulkner wrote a wonderful story about the poor boy who lives in anxiety, despair, and fear. He introduced the colonel Satoriosunpes, or a long-aged boy, Thirty. Because of the bad living environment, Sarty has to choose between justice and family. At the age of 10, Sarty started to believe that his sincerity will help him make the right choice. Loyalty to his family does not allow him to understand why he warned the De Spain family when he was so young. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: Later, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the rich, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruth less, lawless, violent. Barn Burning As barn has to choose between his family and their doctrine or his own moral and value, the barns burn through the story Barn Burning, the writer William Faulkner conveys the moral growth and development of the little boy Make a critical decision. Readers should be aware that the story of burning a barn was written in the 1930s, during the era of economic, social and cultural turmoil. Faulkner brings these desperate themes to Snoop's story. During the rebuilding of the Civil War, Faulkner began talking about barn-yaki at the southern court and it was a social, cultural and economically unstable period. Faulkner 's barn baked and turned off Naritane burning and unprocessed narrator presents a totally different storytelling approach. In Barn Burning, Faulkner used a third party in a limited omniscised way that allowed him to enter the story of the main character Sartoris Snowpice. From this point of view, the narrator decided what the story had happened in the past and he commented: La ter, 20 years later, he also tells himself. Burning in Mississippi's virtual Yoknapatawpha County Occurred. This is a story that happened in the 1930s when there were social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Burnburning is a story about social inequality, especially the rich land of Spanish houses, in stark contrast to the Sartoris family farming law. Abner is the father of this family. He is indifferent to him. His family kept moving around for this reason. William Faulkner's Barn Burnout happened. Burning Abner's barn plays a vital role in finding potential information and topics. Family obligations This setting plays an important role in determining the context of events occurring in every document. Barn grill in 1930, short story by William Faulkner barn grill explains the typical relationship between rich and poor during the Civil War. The main character Abner Snopes earns a living for his family. He looked down on the rich. Because of the resentment to the ric h, he went to burn out their warehouse to retaliate. The role of Abner in the story is the same. Because he is ruthless, lawless, violent. The use of blood in barn-yaki and barn-yaki is about the boy's struggle to do the right thing after the war. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of an immigrant tenant. In the opening ceremony, he was asked by the patrol judge to look up the barn of the farmer 's burnt farmer. The boy did not tell his father, and he was not compelled to do so, he thought he asked someone to do so. Father Abner Snopes analyzed the burning of William Faulkner's barn in the Civil War. William Faulkner's short story Barn Burning is a teen-year-old boy, Sarty Snopes, gradually noticed that his father, Abner Snopes, refuses to accept peace and dignity from his relationship with others. I will send my hopeless and sad life. Essentially, Sarty is faced with the dilemma of making the right choice and wrong choice between his family (his blood) and his moral conscience. Jane Hills explains this.

School Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

School Counseling - Essay Example Post the diagnosis, I started seeing my struggles in schools in an optimistic light which led me on a path towards self-exploration and self-acceptance instead of being critical and frustrated for being different. I agree with the implications mentioned by the writer in terms of frustration, depression and low self esteem. Overcoming these hurdles is not easy however the key lies in coming to an understanding about the unique way in which ones mind works. 3. I find commendable the way in which the ADHD is addressed not just from the student’s perspective but also that of the teachers, making the approach suggested much more effective and practical. What I feel works best with this approach is the fact that instead of treating the child like something is wrong with him the student’s hyper-ness is treated like it can be used to create a positive impact on his life when used appropriately. 4. The angle with which the topic is approached is highly plausible; that of addressing the severity and the lack of awareness of ADHD being a genuine flaw of the academic teaching staff – teachers. Their inability to spot a child with ADHD and in some cases be indifferent even when they do seems to be an area of genuine concern. 5. I agree with the core essence of the topic which goes right into the root of the problem as far as emotional and behavioral disorders are concerned, looking at all the right places – family, home life, history and background information. The common example of the girl who internalized her problems leading to cutting herself being one I can highly relate. 6. As much as I appreciate the approach suggested by the writer by taking in a holistic view of the individual’s problem to come up with a tailored treatment approach, focus and goals, what concerns me is the critical role time will play in the approach. Collaboration with the individual’s

Developing a Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Developing a Research Paper - Essay Example It is essential to not commit plagiarism in a research project, and part of doing that means keeping meticulous records of where sources are found. Not taking this step will either lead to committing academic dishonesty by failing to attribute an idea to a source, or lead to much more work as one has to re-research things one has already researched to find where the source originated. Secondly, well structured research projects tend to be more cohesive, as every bit of research relates to the topic, because the groundwork has been done beforehand to ensure that everything is on-point and focused. But most importantly, structure simply makes things easier. If one does not structure a research project correctly (having a research question, doing preliminary research, focusing and so forth) one will waste a great deal of time researching things unnecessarily, backtracking over steps already taken, and so

Gorbachev & Soviet Union Essay Example for Free

Gorbachev Soviet Union Essay The disintegration of the Soviet Union was an inevitable matter, and neither the 1991 coup could have prevented it even if it were successful. There were other factors too that contributed to the disintegration of the Soviet. However, Gorbachev had the power to prevent the Soviet from disintegrating, had he acted in a different way than he did after the coup. The coup fails On 19th August, some of the ministers who served Gorbachev, including the minister of defense, Yazov, the minister of internal affairs, Pugo and the head of KGB (Komityet Gosudarstvjennoj Biezopasnost), proclaimed state of emergency. They announced that Gorbachev’s health was a hindrance to his leadership duties, and that due to the poor political and economic situations in the country, a state committee had assumed economic powers. They also sent out messages that no one should disobey the orders of the committee. The leaders isolated Gorbachev in the president’s holiday villa at the Black sea. They also took over the radio and television stations, and instructed the military to roll over tanks in Moscow. The coup was however a failure as some of its members were not confident that it would be a success. Counterargument The failure of the coup radically accelerated the disintegration of the USSR. Also, all of the major organizations and mechanisms that were holding the USSR together, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the KGB, the military, the police, and the office of the presidency, were weakened. They also could not stop the disintegration of the Union because even before the coup was organized, already there were signs of its failure. Therefore, whether the coup happened or not, the disintegration would have occurred anyway. The failed August 1991 coup gave a sharp impetus to the process of the disintegration of the Soviet Union because by the end of the year the USSR had collapsed. Questions have been asked as to why the armed forces never intervened to stop the collapse of the USSR. The answer to this is because the coup and its aftermath increased splits in the armed forces, particularly along ethnic lines. There was also the belief that the coup attempt would fail and that the instigators of a military putsch would be punished. (Treisman 22) What Gorbachev could have done to prevent the disintegration Had Gorbachev acted differently, had he opposed and imprisoned the radicals instead of flirting with them, the USSR might have survived. The author says that the survival of the Soviet Union hinged on the personal determination of one person- Gorbachev’s ability to take advantage of all the powers at his disposal as president of the Soviet Union. Unlimited power as now concentrated in the hands of the general secretary/ president, who, being endowed with emergency powers could have carried out any reforms, completed perestroika, and achieved the same results within a very short time without disintegrating the Union. Gorbachev, like other leaders such as Yakovlev, or Shevardnadze, is said to have realized that the old system could not be maintained without bloodshed and institutionalized terror. The former leader was surrounded by opportunists, and narrow minded bureaucrats who couldn’t accept the end of their privileges. He did not get rid of his subordinates who were a threat to him and the Soviet. Many people did not want the Union to disintegrate, so they hated him because of his refusal to act despotically even if the stake was the future of the Soviet. Counterargument It is argued that perestroika would have been impossible without the leadership of Gorbachev. However, I disagree with this. Gorbachev would have introduced new reforms and enforced them on people, but this too failed. However, it is likely that the entire history of the Soviet Union would be different if someone else would have been in the position. Someone who understood what really needed to be done. Likewise, if someone outside the party leadership had suggested the sort of reforms that Gorbachev instituted, the powerful politburo would never have allowed the individual to remain in power. Because party officials recognized Gorbachev’s loyalty to the Soviet system and to socialism as a world view, they reluctantly endorsed perestroika. As a result of what would have been seen as mistaken judgment, party officials would therefore be extremely diligent in choosing future leaders of the party and would shy away from charismatic, forward thinking leaders. Instead, they would favor reactionary hard-liners for all leadership positions. If Gorbachev had followed the pattern set by Khrushchev and initiated reforms while keeping the reins of control tightly in his own hands, neither the central government nor the republics would have been in a position to quest or resist changes that resulted from the implementation of Perestroika. Another change that might have prevented the dissolution of the Soviet Union would have been for Gorbachev never to have introduced glasnost, which created an unfettered and critical media that in turn fostered a public ready to revolt. Without glasnost, the actions of Soviet leaders would have remained free of public reproach, and Gorbachev would have been able to force the people to comply with his reforms. An uninformed public would have trusted the Soviet government to act in their best interests. Aware of what Gorbachev could have done differently, the hard-liners would have been determined to avoid those same mistakes. With dissidents again in exile or strictly limited in their contact with the outside world and with tightly censored media, the hardliners would have been able to control ongoing influences on public opinion. All forms of Western media would have been banned from the Soviet Union. However, since the people had been exposed to liberalizing forces, the hard-liners would have been forced to resort to Stalin-like tactics to a stamp out all dissent and terrorize the population into submission. (Treisman 25) Conclusion In general, it could be said that Gorbachev’s strategies of leadership were unsuccessful. Although he made a difference in the history of Soviet Union, it is during his era that the soviet disintegrated. Although there were things that he could have done to prevent this, he preferred leading in his own way. His weaknesses are especially seen where the organizers of the coup were not immediately prosecuted. He was also unable to enforce the reforms that could have prevented the Soviet from disintegrating. He would also have denied people the freedom to demonstrate and rebel against authorities. This never happened, as the soviets had become enlightened and knew demonstrations and strikes were their key to freedom. The history of the Soviet Union should be a good indicator of the reasons why we need to choose leaders we can trust to lead us wisely. Works cited 1) Treisman Daniel, The Return: Russia’s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev, Daniel Treisman, 2009

Good Year Tire Corporation :: essays research papers fc

COMPANY BACKGROUND By 1998, Goodyear had a debt of $3.7 billion dollars. From 1995-1998 Goodyear’s principal business was development, distribution, and sales of times for most applications. Goodyear was a multi-product, diversified conglomerate and its’ approach to becoming a global company was having only one single global strategy, instead of tailoring products and distribution to each national market. OVERVIEW OF STRENGTHS Size still matters and Goodyear has size. Its 1999 sales were $12,881,000,000 representing a one-year sales growth of 2%. Its net income was $241,000,000, a lot of money but a decrease of 64.7% from one year earlier. Despite that drop in net income, Goodyear paid a $.30 dividend. Its net income also beat Wall Street’s expectations. It has become the world leader in tire sales as a result of its alliance with Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries. Goodyear ranks No. 130 in Fortune Magazine’s 500 list of large companies. Its product diversity includes the manufacture and sale of tires, industrial and consumer products from rubber including belts, hoses, and tank tracks, and a wide range of synthetic rubber, resins, and organic chemicals. Goodyear supplies tires to European and North American auto manufacturers and construction and agricultural equipment manufacturers and operates more than 900 retail tire outlets that also provide auto repair ser vices. Like many American manufacturers, though, it has extended its reach to include international markets in order to stay ahead of its competition. It has more than 90 facilities in 30 countries, and world-wide marketing operations. Two attributes that any company desires are brand recognition and brand loyalty. Goodyear enjoys both. Its’ blimps are one of the world’s most recognized advertising symbols. In 1999, it ranked No. 1 in six of eight categories to lead its industry in Fortune’s â€Å"Most Admired List†. Leadership categories included quality, innovativeness, employee talent, social responsibility, financial soundness, and long-term investment. Of these, quality is probably the most important in creating and keeping brand loyalty. Its P/E ratio is 15.95, a very conservative number when compared to Internet stocks, which frequently have P/E ratios of 50 or more. The industry (rubber/plastics) P/E ratio is 13.65 while the broad market (8,000 stocks traded on the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ, has a P/E of 39.46. Another strength is its intangibles, which include a 100,000-person workforce, patents and trademarks. Goodyear owns 2,903 patents and five trademarks (Goodyear, Hi-Miler, Vi per, Vintner, and Allegra). OVERVIEW OF WEAKNESSES In 1999, Goodyear’s sales were down from 1998 in Eastern Europe, Africa Middle East market, Latin America market, Engineered Products market, and Chemical Products market.

Lillian D. Wald

Dear Mr. President, To keep the country running smoothly, the citizens must participate in it. If we, the citizens of the United States, don’t do our part, the government will have full reign over OUR society. Essentially meaning that would no longer be a democracy. That is something that we Americans pride ourselves on, being a democracy. We must ensure that we maintain and keep the rights and freedoms that we have. The purpose of this letter is to ask you to consider declaring a new holiday in the name of Lillian Wald.This day wouldn’t just be to recognize her as a person and all of her accomplishments, but what her accomplishments really were- Civil Rights. Lillian Wald’s achievements stretched from the health field to civil rights for children. Her feats have shed a new light on the American society, inspiring to us all. Lillian Wald was a nurse, social worker, public health official, teacher, author, editor, publisher, and most importantly a civil rights act ivist for peace, women, children, the sick, and many others.She had such an unselfish devotion to humanity, which ultimately made her great. It all started when Wald met a young nurse who inspired her to follow in her footsteps. At the age of 22 she had graduated nursing school and enrolled in the Women’s Medical College to begin studying to become a doctor. During her time in college, she managed to be a volunteer nurse for the poor and less fortunate in New York’s lower east side. While volunteering, Wald saw the need for change. Immediately dropping out of med school, she moved closer to the needy.In 1893 Wald created the Henry Street Settlement. Starting off with the help of 10 nurses, she created a small empire that would expand to 250 nurses that treated 1300 patients per day by 1916. All of this needed some kind of funding. Well Wald took care of that with fund raising and volunteer donations. Also made it a point to make all of this racially integrated. Lillian Wald, with the help of some volunteers, treated and cared for the poor and educated people about health, hygiene, and protecting themselves from diseases. But that’s not all.She had now moved her sights to the New York Board of Education. She had made it a goal to make it mandatory to put a nurse in every school, everyday. Of course, that goal had been accomplished, following it by protecting children further by ensuring that their civil rights had not been forgotten. From children she went to help women, and protecting them from being forced into almost slave labor conditions, making sure divorced women weren’t left without money, and giving them the right to birth control. Did she stop there? Not if her name was Lillian Wald!She was also an anti-war activist and fought whole heartedly for peace. But after those efforts went amiss, she didn’t hesitate to do her part and become the Chairmen for the committee on Community Nursing of the American Red Cross. Major industries were her next target, making sure to protect workers with health inspections, and also making sure a nurse was on site at most job sites and factories. Of course all of this hadn’t gone unrecognized; she had been named in the New York Times 12 greatest living American women in 1922.Also she had received the Lincoln Medallion and proclaimed and outstanding citizen of New York. But all of this was a long time ago, and I’m afraid people have forgotten what she has done, which calls for a reminder. Lillian Wald once said â€Å"We have found, that the things which make men alike are finer and stronger than the things which make them different, and that the vision which long since proclaimed the interdependence and the kinship of mankind was farsighted and is true. †She began her journey to achieve her dreams in 1893 when she came across a situation that needed attention now. Her answer to this problem served as an essential stepping stone to all of her li fe’s accomplishments that in time spanned to an international scale. Without her, health care amongst many other things wouldn’t be where they are today. Considering this information, I ask you Mr. President, to make a new national holiday to be recognized in her name, with the thought of our Civil Rights that she made sure we had.

Climates and Climate Related Factors Essay

Tropical wet climates or wet equatorial climates are usually found in areas near the equator as the name states. These areas include the Amazon, Congo, Southeast Asia and are sometimes found in the trade wind belts. The Koppen symbol for this type of climate is Af. This climate has the smallest temperature range in the world being between 2 and 3.6 degrees. These areas don’t have a dry season because of the close proximity to the equator which covers 5-10 degrees. The weather remains constant being warm and wet year around. Tropical wet climates see 60-100 inches of rain annually and experience convective thunderstorms. This climate is known for being seasonless due to the consistency in day to day weather. The reason for thse constant weather patterns is mainly location. The latitude position allows sun coverage directly above creating uniform insolation. Also, the ITCZ creates the year around humid, unstable air. These weather conditions create oxisol and latosol soils which are the least fertile; however, are an ideal location for tropical rainforests to emerge. Tropical rainforests and selva are home to animals such as birds, reptiles and insects. Those who live in these types of climates may use the weather to their advantage with agriculture, forestry, and with slash and burn cultivation. Tropical savanna climates are found further from the equator extending to 25Â °N and S latitude. The Koppen symbol for this type of climate is Aw. Characteristics that make this climate distinctive is the alternation of a wet and dry season. Locations that experience the Aw climate are Africa, S. America, and N. Australia. Winters in this climate are dry with clear skies and are associated with subtropical highs. The summers are wet with many thunderstorms anf convectional rain of the ITCZ. The tropical savanna sees an average of 35 to 70 inches of rain annually which mostly comes from the summer season. The average annual tempeteature range is 5 to 15Â °. A surplus of the water supply comes during the summer. These weather conditions create a laterite soil type making it an ideal location for grasslands and tall grasses to thrive. These grasslands are home to lions, gazelles and zebras. Those who live in these locations can create ranches with animals or use the wildlife to their advantage for ecotourism. The tropical monsoon climate is similar to the tropical savanna climate in the way they both have wet summers and dry winters. The Koppen symbol for this climate is Aw. This type of climate is found in areas such as southeast Asia, western Africa, northeastern South America, the Phillipines, northeastern Australia, and some islands of the East Indies. It isn’t uncommon to see 30 inches of rain within two or three months in the summer. The annual total rain in inches falls within 100 and 200. There is a surplus of rainfall in the summer and a deficit in the winter. The tropical monsoon climates are dominated by offshore winds and seasonal reversal of winds. Latosol soils, red or yellow in color, are found in the Aw climate allowing deciduous forests with some grasses to grow. Birds, reptiles and insects call this climate home. Those who live in tropical monsoon climate can build plantations, grow rice or sugarcane. The tropical desert climate, or Bwh, is found in North Africa and southwestern Eurasia. Moist winds are kept out of this area by the Andes mountains. These locations are found 25-30 degrees N and S latitude. The tropical desert climate experiences very hot summers and mild winters. The annual temperature ranges 15 to 25Â °F with scarce rainfall typically less than 12 inches. Climatic controls that cause these weather patterns are cool ocean currents that cool any air that comes across it and subsidence from subtropical highs. The desert has aridosol soil which is fertile, but requires irrigation. Snakes, birds, reptiles and rabbits call the tropical desert climate home. Those who call the tropical desert home can create jobs by salt mining. The steppe climate, or Bsh, is very similar to the tropical desert climate and surround the Bwh climates except on the western side. They are found mostly on the edges of the desert. Rainfall is somewhat greater than the tropical desert climate and temperatures are slightly moderated with hot summers and mild winters. The weather system is controlled by cool ocean currents and is affected by the rain shadow of mountains. The steppe climate has short grasslands making it an ideal home to many reptiles, snakes, birds, and rabbits. Chestnut/brown soils allow these grasses to grow. Those who call the steppe climate home may take up cattle ranching to earn an income. The humid subtropical climate, represented as Cfa Cwa and Cwb, is located at 30 degrees latitude on eastern sides of the continents. Some locations that experience this type of climate include North America, South America, and Eurasia. The summers at this latitude are warm and hot, while the winters are mild to cold. During the summer, the average temperature ranges between 75 and 80 degrees. These climates receive convectional rain during the summer and cyclonic rain during the winter. Annual precipitation is abundant between 40 and 65 inches. The location of the humid subtropical climate plays a huge role on the climate. It is located in between and on up tilted side of subtropical high pressure cells. There is gray/brown or yellow podsol soil in this climate allowing forest growth. Forests also bring along the forest animals such as deer, raccoons, and black bears. This also makes it an ideal farming area. The Mediterranean or sometimes referred to as the Dry- summer sub-tropial climate, is known as Csa or Csb. These C climates are located 35 degrees North and South latitude. Some locations that experience this type of climate include Southern Europe, Central Chile, and the South tip of Africa. Summers in these locations are hot and dry with wet, mild winters. Average annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 25 inches. Rainfall in the Mediterranean is cyclonic. A large amount of the precipitation falls in the winter and summers are mostly rainless. These weather patterns are controlled by the subtropical high pressure cells. There is a deficit of rain in the summer and a surplus in the winter. The soils in these C climates can be very fertile if irrigated. The soil is a chestnut/brown pedical which is very dry with an abundance of calcium. Chaparrals thrive in this type of climate. They take on a brown/yellow color in the summer and become green in the winter. Mountain lions, bears, deer, coyotes, gofers and birds call this climate home. These areas are used for agriculture with irrigation in the winter. Moving further from the equator at 40-60 degrees North and South latitude is the West Coast Marine climate. The koppen symbols for this type of climate are Cfc and Cfb. Some major locations within this climate are Western and Central Europe, the Western side of North America, and New Zealand. For this latitude, these areas experience very mild winters as well as mild summers. Westerly winds adjacent to the ocean are the reason for the mild summer and winters. It is wet year around due to oceanic influence with an annual rainfall between 30 and 50 inches received mostly in the winter. Podsol or spotosol is the soil type this climate allowing needle leaf forests with some deciduous trees to grow. Deer, bears, birds and other forest animals call this climate home. These forests may be used people for lumbering to gain a profit on the lands. The mid-latitude desert and steppe climates are also very similar. First, the mid-latitude desert climate, or Bwk, can be found distant from the ocean and surrounded by mountains. Some of these locations include central Eurasia, North American and southern South America. The Bwk region receives most of its precipitation during the summer when warming is occurring. This warming also causes the ice to melt and create more of a water supply. The winter is dominated by severely low temperatures and anticyclonic conditions. These low temperatures create a much lower annual temperature range than the subtropical desert climate. The most fertile soil in the world is found in the mid-latitude climate allowing grasslands to grow. These grasslands are home to grass eating animals and the lands are used for animals to graze. The mid-latitude steppe climate, or Bsk, isn’t much different from the desert climate. It’s mainly used as a transition between desert and humid climates. Some areas that experience these climates are in found in the interior southwest of the United States such as Colorado. The temperatures in the Bsk climate are similar to the desert climate; however, have more precipitation and lesser temperature extremes. These climates are similar in the way that they are both grassland oriented, home to grass eating animals, and the land is used for animals to graze. Moving even farther from the equator, between 35 and 55 degrees North and South latitude, is the Humid Continental climate, or Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, and Dwb. Eurasia and North America are a couple locations that have this type of climate. They experience long, very cold winters and hot summers. Precipitation is not high ranging only between 20-40 inches. Westerly winds and storms, especially in the winter play a key role in the weather conditions. The average winter month temperature is usually between 10 and 25 degrees F. Gray-brown podsols are found in the humid continental climate as well as prairie grasses and mixed forest, deciduous and evergreen. There is a large variety or mammals and birds. The humid continental climate is ideal for farming. 50 to 70 degrees North and South latitude is the Continental Subarctic climate, or Dfc, Dwd, Dfd, and Dwc. Locations that experience this climate are Western Alaska across Canada, Eurasia, and Scandanavia. There are extremely cold winter conditions in these D climates with a light amount of snow that falls during the winter; however, little melting takes place until the summer. Cyclonic storms alternate with prominent anticylonic conditions. The annual precipitation is 5-20 inches. Also, continentality is also a key factor in the reason for the cold winters and hot summers. The absolute annual temperature variation has sometimes been as dramatic as -90 degrees F to 98 degrees F. Podsolization occurs here making the soil cold and wet. This is an area where evergreen trees will thrive and be a home to animals such as deer, birds, bears and elk. Many people use these locations for forestry. The last two climates are Tundra and the Icecap which are both cold climates. The Tundra, or ET climate, is located pole ward of the margins and occupies small coastal areas in the Antarctic. The warmest month will only reach up to 32 degrees F making it extremely difficult for plant life other than small bushes and grasses to grow. The ET climate experiences long, cold winters and cool summers. Most of the precipitation falls during the summer, but is less than 10 inches annually that falls mostly in the form of snow. There is a low evaporation level due to the low temperatures. Tundra soil is found in these climates. Polar bears and some birds can tolerate the coldness of the ET climate and many people use these animals for fur trapping. The last climate is the Icecap or EF climate. Antarctica and Greenland are two locations that experience these freezing weather conditions. 50 degrees F is the average temperature of the warmest month found on the very edge of the Tundra. More towards the center of the tundra, temperatures don’t exceed 32 degrees F. There is a sparse amount of precipitation in this climate with only less than 5 inches all in the form of snow. The cause for these freezing temperatures is mostly the latitude location. Also, the distance from sources of heat cause cold temperatures. There is no soil type here, with no vegetation and no economic activity.

Monster A critical analysis Essays

Monster A critical analysis Essays Monster A critical analysis Essay Monster A critical analysis Essay Essay Topic: Film Monster is possibly the most powerful film anyone could ever wish to see. In terms of using a punch to deliver its message this film is the Tyson of this cinematic generation of films. This movie pushes the boundaries of thematic content and attempts to do what few films are brave enough to do, i. e. humanise a serial killer. It is the performance, if calling it that does it enough justice, of Charlise Theron, which makes this boundary pushing not only possible, but also successful. This essay will take a look at this complex story and attempt to examine its relationship with the plot, specifically how the plot is constructed and how it distinctly tells this story. In attempting to create a film like monster, the filmmakers are faced with very real challenges. Now every film it can be said, is challenging to make, but a film this complex, this real, and this emotionally demanding is always going to be tricky. The filmmakers are trying to portray a specific message, that is to say monster is very thematic in its story content. It takes a look at the influences in a persons life, which might possibly lead up to that person going so far as to commit murder. The danger with this is that it could come across as though the film is justifying the murders. I feel that Patty Jenkins manages to strike a balance between overly sympathising with Aileen and making us judge her, rather giving some sense of understanding. She does this by showing Aileens human side and by telling her very complex story in a passionate, real, often hard-hitting way. The problem with telling a biographic story is that the real plot might not naturally fit a specific plot structure, but the filmmakers have managed (however accurately, Im not sure) to construct the plot of Monster in an incredibly detailed, thoughtful and emotionally engaging way. While the story itself spans perhaps twenty years, the plot highlights the most dramatic events and constructs them in such a way, in such an order so as to drive home the themes and messages of Monster in the most accessible and poignant way. The first act begins with the young Aileen. Aided by the voice over narration we learn some of the necessary background information, detailing Aileens tragic childhood. We are given clues as to how and why she started prostituting herself as well as her social/economic background. These all lay a strong foundation from which the story and our understanding can be built on. The first few scenes of the young Aileen hook us into the story. We hear about how Aileen dreamed of becoming famous, of rising out of her situation. They also hint toward the tone and mood, i. e. the genre of the film. It is through this clever use of narration that we can closely identify with, i. e. become familiar with her attitude to life, her world and history of dilemmas. We hear how she always wanted to be taken to a new life, and would do anything (anyone) who she thought might help her get where she wanted to go. These words echo with us as we dissolve forward to the life of the adult Aileen, leaving us to fill in some of the gaps, guessing how messed up her life must have got. We enter Aileens adult life with a lonely shot of her sitting by the highway. This is very appropriate as the previous shot was of her as a teenage girl getting into the car of a strange man on the side of a main road. We can guess that this pattern has been ongoing and we pick up with the adult her having just finished with a client. Soon thereafter the plot takes us right into the inticing incident. In a lonely roadside bar we meet Salvie, a lesbian girl who herself has been searching for something, love and understanding. It is this confrontational meeting of Salvie and Aileen which propels the plot forward. It introduces a brand new element into Aileens life, which sets it off on a changed course we later learn that she was contemplating suicide. At first Aileen is unsure of her how she feels about Sylvie, but it is after Sylvie has invited her out that night, that she realises she has potentially found the friend she never had and always wanted. They go out to the ice rink and soon find themselves involved in a passionate love-making session outside. Suddenly Aileen has found direction. She wants nothing more than to be with Sylvie. This leads up to the first act climax and first major turning point. Aileen returns to the highways to ply her trade, in order to make much needed money. A dubious looking customer soon picks her up. Then in a very disturbing scene, he beats and sodomises her. She manages to free herself and using his gun, shoots him, and then drives off with his car and money. This plot point sets the scene for the rest of the movie. Aileen has committed murder. The atrocities committed to her fuel her hatred for men, which will motivate her to continue her murder spree. She also discovers a means to make lots of money. She also has a goal, for the major plot of the movie is surrounding her murders, indeed, the Sylivie/Aileen plot is also a major plot, but the two plots are so intermingled that it is hard to see them as mutually exclusive. Nonetheless, this climax takes us straight into act two, as Aileen Rushes to make her appointment with Sylvie. After some convincing Sylvie agrees to run away with her and spend at least one week with her. There is a lull in the pace as we see a montage of them renting a hotel, going out, living the dream life they had both always wanted. But soon there is a minor set back. Sylvie goes home to get some cloths and is confronted by her aunt who reprimands her. Sylvie manages to not be deterred and passes the test of her character growth (or de-growth) as she chooses to go her own way with Aileen. Then comes another plot point. In an emotional, reminiscing scene, Aileen tells Sylvie how she always wanted to be president and that she was once told that all you need in life is Love and to believe in yourself. This motivates Aileen to go out and look for a real job. She is extremely unsuccessful and the old Aileen resurfaces as she loses her cool with an obnoxious potential employer. Straight thereafter Aileen is picked up by a corrupt cop who forces her into a sexual favour. These two scenes refocus the plot. We can see that Aileen can do nothing but prostitute herself and they also re-affirm her hatred for men, which will drive her onto more murders. By about the half-way point of the movie, Aileen reaches a point of no return. In a previous confrontational scene in which Sylvie accuses her of not providing for them, Aileen had told Sylvie about the first murder, but she agrees to go out and whore for money. The point of no return comes when in a car with the guy; she hesitates, hesitates, then pulls out her gun and shoots him. She is now a murderer. She knows again what her goal is; survival by murder. She feels that she is doing it for Sylvie and indeed shows us that she loves her in her own way. In a powerfully passionate scene and no-return point in the Sylvie/Aileen plot, Aileen tells Sylvie that she loves her and the two make love. The rest of act two involves a few more murders and some set backs in their relationship. Sylvie goes out to the bar attempting to meet new people, and upsets Aileen. They go to funworld and things look on track once again, as they also make plans for their trip to the Florida Keys. All good times must come to an end, and this happens as, in what is in my opinion the act two climax, they have a car crash and end up on the run. Aileen tells her about the murders and they now have a new clearly defined goal, that is to avoid capture. Act three especially the last fifteen minutes are extremely intense and engaging. The story continues as previous but at a more intense and emotionally engaging level. Sylvie in a surprising and lady MacBeth look a like scene, tells Aileen that she just needs to carry on killing as they need to live. In the most extreme depiction of the murders, Aileen kills a John who was very benign and just wished to help her. Then she mistakenly kills a cop. They realise that things are getting out of hand and Aileen sends Sylvie on ahead or home (not sure) so that she can meet up with her later. She is ultimately however picked up by the cops. The film doesnt relent there as we are dragged ever closer by the power mostly of Charlises performance and specifically the parallel editing in the jail scene. Aileen and Sylvie have a phone conversation, and they both profess their undying love. Matching the very subtle, slow camera movement away from Sylvie, is her ever more dubious questioning. It is a very sudden, very tragic moment when the pennie drops and at various times the audience become aware of the betrayal, albeit understandable, taking place. It is even more tragic to see Aileens response as she admits solely to the murders, saving her only true love of any punishment, thus conveying beautifully the films major theme of the desperation love can drive you to. In the final shot of Aileen being led to the electric chair, her narration is heard. The last hard-hitting message comes as, commenting on something she had heard when she was young about reaching your dreams, she says cynically I guess they have to tell you something. Upon first watching it, I failed to realise how structured this movie actually was. But it is through movies like this that my faith in the Hollywood formula is being reborn. This movie is by no means boring, tiresome or old. It is just perfectly structured. From the first frame it grabs you by the collar and engages you in a two-hour ride of emotions. It is an incredibly difficult story to tell. It deals with issues that many feel are better left undelt with and thus does not appeal to everyone. We are not forced to like Aileen. There are constant emotional checks that cause us to examine our sentiments. Indeed we can pity her, but not necessarily forgive or excuse her behaviour. What this movie does do and I feel this was the filmmakers intention is get us to think a little harder about our own life, our treatment of others our place in society and those less fortunate than us. It also makes us think a bit more before judging someones actions, as we dont necessarily understand their background. It makes us question what a monster is, and if indeed a monster is ever a monster or just someone similar to us who has had a life to tough for them to handle. The judgements to these philosophies are left up to the audience to make, but the reason theses themes and questions are put across so powerfully in this story is definitely in large part as a result of the construction of the totally engaging plot.