Tips For Choosing A Minnesota Tutoring Center

Tips For Choosing A Minnesota Tutoring CenterYou can find many tutoring centers located in Minnesota, but you have to do some research before choosing one. Depending on the resources and the amount of time you can spend there, a tutoring center can be an ideal resource for you. If you want to get involved in the daily life of your child, take advantage of the opportunities that are available.During your search for a tutoring center, try to check out the MPLS (Minnesota Preferred Learning System) assessment. The assessment is used by employers as a pre-employment screening tool. There are four areas that must be passed in order to be considered for employment in Minnesota.There are certain requirements in order to become eligible for a learner's permit and a license. Other requirements include but are not limited to, the age of 18, income, alcohol certification, household composition, criminal record, driving record, and whether or not you are currently participating in an approved ed ucational program. The MPLS has a specific section that needs to be completed, and the assessment results show if you meet the criteria to be able to do so.The MPLS assessment can be challenging. It can take time and effort on your part to take the assessment. Some are frustrated when they are unable to pass it. This is a good opportunity to learn and realize what you need to improve upon in order to achieve better results.While it is not necessary to make a time commitment, it doesn't look good if you choose a tutor that has been absent for several weeks. This is even more so when the tutoring center provides by telephone. You can check out the times available before calling them up. This will give you an idea of how long you are going to be gone.You may also check with the tutoring center to see what the MPLS score is. The rates of failure for the exam are very low. You should be able to get a good idea of the kind of education you would receive from a particular tutor. The knowle dge should be so detailed that you can put together a good curriculum for your child.Your child's tutor should be very consistent and follow up to their commitments. They should be able to provide direction and maintain your child's attention. They should be able to provide all the information needed, without having to get distracted by one question or another.You should get in touch with each tutor individually so that you know that they understand the demands of your child. They should offer you the benefits of a personalized approach to learning and teaching. When you compare various tutoring centers, it is always best to seek references or testimonials.

This is your brain on Thank You

This is your brain on “Thank You” This is not a post about Thanksgiving, it is  about  Giving Thanks.   Though the Thanksgiving holiday itself is very U.S.-centric, the concept of the importance of gratitude is universal. Since the mid 90s, the concept of gratitude has captured the attention of researchers in the fields of psychology, especially positive psychology, and neuroscience. The strongest pattern emerging from the study of gratitude is somewhat surprising: although expressing gratitude often means thanking someone else, the real benefit of feeling and expressing gratitude is gained by the person expressing gratitude. Even when expressed to no one in particular, expression of gratitude has some real and measurable benefits. Among the benefits described by academic studies of the subject  are  increased happiness, better connections with others, and general improvement of ones relationships. Expressing gratitude routinely trains the brain to find reasons to be grateful, and trains the brain to feel happy about positive experiences. In fact, the field of neuroscience generally sees habitual practice of feeling, acknowledging, and expressing gratitude as a great shortcut to happiness, productivity, and connectedness. As a company that is based almost entirely on connecting people, we believe strongly that the practice of gratitude, and the benefits of expressing gratitude in everyday life are worth celebrating. So, we would like to say: Thank You To all our wonderful users, students, teachers, and tutors: we want to express the immense amount of gratitude we feel seeing the development of our community. This Thanksgiving, we are deeply grateful for all the people donating their time to others by correcting notebooks, writing articles, sharing their experiences in the community discussions, and dedicating the time and effort for learning foreign language from each other, often from opposite sides of the world. We are grateful to see the meaning our effort can take on for those who want to understand speakers of other languages, and willing to dedicate their time and energy to help the online language-learning ecosystem grow and develop. We are glad to express this idea, and hope that you will find many ways to express it, and many people to whom you want to show your gratitude. A common practice recommended by positive psychology is of gratitude journaling. Picking a certain time of the day to do a simple mindful practice of finding reasons to be grateful helps make the habit part of ones life. This kind of continuous practice is familiar to all language-learners. Imagine how hard it would be to learn a language if you simply spent one day each year binging on foreign-language material, and lived the rest of the year unconcerned with your practice. As with gratitude, language learning is a continuous practice of small, but intentional steps towards a goal, a better understanding, and better connection to others. On this Thanksgiving holiday, and in light of this idea of continuous improvement and practice, we would like to share this article about Thanksgiving  written by a Lakota columnist for the Guardian. And, of course, wed like to encourage you to say thank you to someone today, in whatever language you want to pick. Works Cited: Harvard Medical School: Harvard Mental Health Letter Psychology Today: The Grateful Brain US National Library Of Medicine: Gratitude and Well Being This is your brain on “Thank You” This is not a post about Thanksgiving, it is  about  Giving Thanks.   Though the Thanksgiving holiday itself is very U.S.-centric, the concept of the importance of gratitude is universal. Since the mid 90s, the concept of gratitude has captured the attention of researchers in the fields of psychology, especially positive psychology, and neuroscience. The strongest pattern emerging from the study of gratitude is somewhat surprising: although expressing gratitude often means thanking someone else, the real benefit of feeling and expressing gratitude is gained by the person expressing gratitude. Even when expressed to no one in particular, expression of gratitude has some real and measurable benefits. Among the benefits described by academic studies of the subject  are  increased happiness, better connections with others, and general improvement of ones relationships. Expressing gratitude routinely trains the brain to find reasons to be grateful, and trains the brain to feel happy about positive experiences. In fact, the field of neuroscience generally sees habitual practice of feeling, acknowledging, and expressing gratitude as a great shortcut to happiness, productivity, and connectedness. As a company that is based almost entirely on connecting people, we believe strongly that the practice of gratitude, and the benefits of expressing gratitude in everyday life are worth celebrating. So, we would like to say: Thank You To all our wonderful users, students, teachers, and tutors: we want to express the immense amount of gratitude we feel seeing the development of our community. This Thanksgiving, we are deeply grateful for all the people donating their time to others by correcting notebooks, writing articles, sharing their experiences in the community discussions, and dedicating the time and effort for learning foreign language from each other, often from opposite sides of the world. We are grateful to see the meaning our effort can take on for those who want to understand speakers of other languages, and willing to dedicate their time and energy to help the online language-learning ecosystem grow and develop. We are glad to express this idea, and hope that you will find many ways to express it, and many people to whom you want to show your gratitude. A common practice recommended by positive psychology is of gratitude journaling. Picking a certain time of the day to do a simple mindful practice of finding reasons to be grateful helps make the habit part of ones life. This kind of continuous practice is familiar to all language-learners. Imagine how hard it would be to learn a language if you simply spent one day each year binging on foreign-language material, and lived the rest of the year unconcerned with your practice. As with gratitude, language learning is a continuous practice of small, but intentional steps towards a goal, a better understanding, and better connection to others. On this Thanksgiving holiday, and in light of this idea of continuous improvement and practice, we would like to share this article about Thanksgiving  written by a Lakota columnist for the Guardian. And, of course, wed like to encourage you to say thank you to someone today, in whatever language you want to pick. Works Cited: Harvard Medical School: Harvard Mental Health Letter Psychology Today: The Grateful Brain US National Library Of Medicine: Gratitude and Well Being

Where to Find Tutors For Tutoring

Where to Find Tutors For TutoringTutor Unlimited offers help to people interested in becoming tutors and at the same time, they offer information about different courses available for those who are into that field. It is interesting to know that even with a virtual presence, many companies are investing in bringing quality internet facilities to their clients. By making an account on the Tutor Unlimited website, you can get an idea of the availability of various training and education materials offered by Tutor Unlimited.Tutoring has now become a great way to get better earning for your family and get rid of the never-ending work hours. What makes it different from other forms of job is that you don't have to train by teaching others and hence can give all your efforts to the business side of the business. Most of the new programs available for students are already available and offering additional value to your tuition. The training packages offered by the company that consists of v ideo tutorials, online chats, e-coaching, and reading classes are becoming more popular.With the growing popularity of the internet, tutoring is getting a lot more than what it used to be in the past. Now, you can find a number of tutoring centers available in various cities, states, and countries. You can ask around the internet and find out the most appropriate one to attend your training sessions. Some of the most popular programs offered by the tutoring network are the Business, Humanities, and Social Sciences.If you are looking for an online education that is less expensive and gives you full flexibility, then I can suggest you the Internet TV. It is an online career in the service industry, that's why you can earn a living through viewing various programs about business or sports, taking surveys, watching television shows and so on. If you enjoy watching the TV shows, these are the most appropriate ones for you to pick up. The next best option is to visit the websites of your favorite stars or celebrities, because some of them also offer programs related to their work and what they are doing at the moment.Besides the technical expertise, you will also learn about managing projects and production and technology related issues. In addition to this, the tutors will share their experiences in the present for you to benefit.Being a student, you need more time to devote to taking part in tutoring. Moreover, it takes more time and effort to learn the theory and the technique, which are necessary to be effective in this field. Many people tend to think that they would not get any good earning at this. With the Internet, there are several tutorials available, which can help you to overcome this dilemma.Of course, as there are many forms of online tutoring, you can also find the right tutor by surfing the Internet. There are many websites offering information about the various tutoring courses that you can select for yourself. You can find websites offering person al tutoring, business courses, and the role playing games, among others. To sum it up, tutoring is no longer just about the study, but it is also about business, skills, skills development, and helping people with their problems.

Why Go to an English School in Manila?

Why Go to an English School in Manila?Many people choose to go to an English school because they are looking for a more structured curriculum, more interaction with other students, and maybe even some money in their pocket. Even though they are looking for more structured classes, they want to go to an English school in Manila because of the opportunities it provides them.You may be wondering where these schools are located in Manila. It is a good idea to know where you want to study. There are schools around the country that offer an English class, but they do not offer the quality that you want.For example, if you choose to go to an English school in Manila, you will need to pay at least Rp.100,000 dollars per year for classes. If you did not think that you could afford this amount, then you need to think again. In the Philippines, there are many scholarships for students who want to study an English class. In this way, you will be able to get this amount and you can actually save your money for a rainy day.Another benefit that you can get from attending an English school in Manila is that you will be able to learn how to write well. When you have been in your home country for awhile, you will probably already know how to write. However, once you return to your homeland, you will probably not be able to write properly or at all. A good writing class in Manila can help you improve your skills.Learning English in Manila is not as hard as you may think it is. There are many American graduates that go back home every year and study English.As long as you know where you want to go to take your English class, you can choose between classes and programs in Manila or on the other side of the country. This will also make your homework more enjoyable. If you are doing all of your schoolwork online, there is no way that you can get to know each other properly if you have to go on a campus that is 500 miles away.When you go to an English school in Manila, you will get th e opportunity to study with better teachers, get better grades, and have more interaction with other students. The benefits that you will get out of this will far outweigh the cost of paying your fees.

Online Private Tutor Jobs - Top Benefits to Taking Online Private Tutor Jobs

Online Private Tutor Jobs - Top Benefits to Taking Online Private Tutor JobsIf you are thinking of starting a new career, a job as an online private tutor is probably not for you. You have probably heard the term before and have already imagined the responsibilities that go along with it. In most cases, it doesn't offer any opportunity to make a living wage, nor does it provide any position security. However, there are some advantages to the job that makes it worth taking on, if only to satisfy your curiosity in the field of education.You don't need to worry about working outside the office as you would in many other private tutor jobs. There are no set hours, and you are free to do your job whenever you have time. This is great if you have to attend a class during the night or have one day off per week. With such flexibility, you can go back to school whenever you feel like it, and you will never be stuck in a rigid schedule. For many students, this is simply a welcome change from t he time-consuming and frustrating nature of traditional classroom teaching.If you have your own home office, you can even use it to manage and run your online private tutor jobs. A simple menu of assignments, exam dates, and payment options should be available on your computer screen. You can select from one of the many payment methods that are offered by sites, depending on your personal preference and your desire to pay by cash or debit card.Online private tutor jobs also offer the chance to practice the field of education that you've always wanted to try. You can use the internet to find out about different schools in your area, and you can conduct research on different subjects and programs that interest you. This will prepare you well in all aspects of the job - marketing yourself, evaluating student's work, and other aspects that will help you master the art of business management.One of the best aspects of online private tutor jobs is that you have the ability to ask for addi tional financial assistance from your current employer. You can ask for a salary increase, tuition reimbursement, or housing allowance. These types of financial incentives are not usually offered to full-time employees, so you will have a great deal of flexibility in setting your own pay scale.As with many other jobs in the public sector, online private tutor jobs are compensated with a salary, depending on your position. Most positions offer the opportunity to earn more than minimum wage, which is probably part of the attraction for those who are looking for a first-rate pay rate in addition to job security. Additionally, these jobs often offer a variety of additional benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans, and vacation days.If you are curious about the internet and education, online private tutor jobs are a perfect opportunity to check out the world of education. You can make a great living, work from your own home, and meet a variety of people from around the world, all in t he pursuit of the interests and passions that bring you joy.

Your Professional Field Guide to be a Rock-Star Introvert

Introvert Whisperer / Your Professional Field Guide to be a Rock-Star Introvert Your Professional Field Guide to be a Introvert Rockstar-Part Two Part Two If you missed part-one to this article you can catch up here. Which camp am I in? The first thing to notice is that more than likely, you had some X’s in both columns.   While the Meyers-Briggs folks believe you are either one or the other personality type, I’m in the camp that says you are “mostly” one or the other.   That means that you aren’t always consistently behaving as an introvert.   You may have moments when you are a bit more “E” and visa versa. There is also,  a vital but little-known aspect to our personalities and that is: versatility.   It turns out that as we travel through life situations, we learn that we must adapt to the situation in order for it to produce the best results.   We aren’t always aware we are adapting.   When you adapt enough to various situations, it becomes fairly automatic.   As an introvert, we learn where we can be more chatty or demonstrative without sucking up all of our battery life in certain situations like being with our family. As Darwin said: “Change is central to our existence.” Which means that both the “E” and “I” do adapt and the ones that adapt the best, the most frequent and soonest, will be the most successful in life and work.   You can probably think of those people whose personality is rigid and you know these are the people having the greatest difficulty and are usually seriously unhappy. Take heart if you are one of those rigid people! (Or even slow to learn to adapt)   Adapting is a learned skill.   For some people who are particularly self-aware, they pick up adaptation skills very naturally.   For the rest of us, we can learn to adapt.   What you may have thought was the domain of some very lucky people is now yours, should you choose to do so. I’m going to really dive deep into adaptations but first, it’s important to dispel some introvert myths. Myths and Misconceptions When it comes to our personality type, there are a lot of notions attached to it that aren’t entirely correct.   What I’m speaking of is when you hear about any of the following: Shy Anti-social Dislikes people Reclusive If you take Webster’s definition of Introvert, those things are certainly characteristics you could include. Webster’s definition and synonyms: Reserved and shy Turn in upon itself: marked by being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in ones own mental life Bashful, coy, demure, modest demure, diffident, retiring, sheepish When people speak broadly about Introverts that include shy and antisocial, they aren’t entirely correct.   There are other things going on with a person other than their personality.   Usually a shy person suffers from social anxiety and may be systemic to being Anti-Social.   So, yes, you could attach those elements to the word Introvert but not to the personality of Introvert.   This may be a bit of a fine distinction but I think it is a distinction worth noting. The reason for pointing this out is because your personality is a given just like your eye color.   Social anxiety is developed for a variety of reasons and is something that can be reduced with focus and professional help. You can’t change your personality but like social anxiety, if you have problems with your behavior that is driven by your personality, can make some adaptations or changes to improve your situation.   In other words, both issues of Social Anxiety and Introvert personality have solutions but are different. There is many other mental health diagnosis that have these characteristics.   I think that like many things, when you start seeing the more extreme examples of behavior, you aren’t talking about a personality as much as you’re talking about a disorder. My point in this is that some people mistakenly think if you are an Introvert that it’s a problem or something that needs to be fixed.   If it’s your personality you need to appreciate there is nothing wrong with you.   If you are suffering with social anxiety and it’s impacting your life you may want a professional to help you.   It’s interesting, if not slightly unfortunate that no other MBTI personality seems to have the baggage associated with it like Introverts do. Oh well. Another myth that really bothers me, especially as a Career Coach is the idea that Introverts can’t perform in some professional occupations.   Granted, there are some occupations that they may be more drawn to but at this point, I’ve seen highly successful Introverts in all occupations.   I’ve seen Introverts as managers, leaders, sales persons, actors, teachers, doctors, and police.   We have an array of Introverts who are captains of industry like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.   Obama, who is at the highest post politically in the US, is also an Introvert.   There is simply no merit to the myth that we can’t be successful in all jobs because it’s just not true. To summarize, there is no right or wrong when it comes to personality type and certainly there is nothing wrong with being an Introvert.   Unfortunately, the word introvert itself does seem to have “problems” associated with it and I guess that is our burden to bear. Why would you want to change or adapt? Change for the sake of change is pointless.   Change to improve your life (and your career is part of your life) is vital. Previously, I mentioned that you can learn to adapt and learn the skill of adapting in order to create the best possible outcome.   Where do you start? The best place to start is by looking at your own career goals against your current situation.   If your current situation is problematic then you have things to change, even if your issues aren’t all that big.   Small issues tend to get bigger as time goes by and it is very easy to try to ignore those smaller issues until you wake up one day and you’ve got a huge career mess on your hands. While you do apply classic problem solving to your issues, the trouble I sometimes see is people solving symptoms of problems, not problems.  It’s like taking cold medicine for pneumonia.   It might help with the symptoms but it will do nothing for eliminating the pneumonia from your body. When you solve the symptom, you fail to solve the problem.   You could also make your situation worse when your actions really aren’t focused on the correct fix.   I see this same problem with solving business issues.   Failure to get down to a root cause of a problem is fairly common.   The reason it happens more in our careers is because the emotional component of it doesn’t exactly cause a person to think all that clearly. Let me give you an example. I had a former client return to me a few years after helping her land what she thought was a dream job.   She wanted me to help her again with a job search and since I had helped her land the job she was leaving, I wanted to do a diagnostic of her situation.   I found out that she had a history of going into a job, doing an outstanding job but was seriously underappreciated for her accomplishments.   Her relationship with her bosses had consistent themes of poor communications, other people getting credit and her leaving feeling unrecognized and under-supported. Her assessment was that her industry was full of flaky management and that she needed to do a complete career switch.   This was a huge undertaking as her career skills was directly linked to her industry.   She was a specialist and moving into another industry and career would mean retooling.   She was addressing the symptom. My assessment was that like so many introverts, she was falling short in areas that others around her had mastered.   Namely she had the following real problems fairly common to introverts: She was not self-promoting and helping management to utilize her extensive skills. As a result, they failed to recognize her for both her skills and results. She wasn’t reading the political landscape, in fact avoiding it, which is always a perilous thing to do. You can’t avoid the dynamics that occur anytime you get a group of people together.   Politics happens both negative and positive.   If you don’t understand the politics, you will pull a big career-limiting move.   It’s not a question of IF it happens; it is simply a matter of when and how big will the political blunder be.   In her case, it was fairly big. She had great relationships with the people who worked for her but had no relationships with her peers, management or executives. In fact, she grew to feel contempt for those above and at her level.   She had no support structure and it was apparent almost no one was in her corner. Relationships are vital for almost every aspect of your career and the fact that her career was in trouble was due in a large part to this missing element. The problem I had with her proposed direction is that she would repeat her history no matter where she pursued a job, if she didn’t take steps to change how she managed herself in the job. To make it worse, she would potentially spend time and money that wouldn’t lead to a solution.  She would simply have the same bad results in a new career and new industry. I did agree that she should start fresh elsewhere but do it with a new strategy and a few changes to her own behavior. The great thing about starting a new job is that you can change your behavior and have completely different results.   BUT, you have to be changing the right behavior or adapting new behavior that will produce a better result. Come back on Monday as we continue our discussion and we take a look at Adapting Behaviors and how they relate to our moving ahead in our careers. I look forward to our visit!

My Experience at Georgetown University

My Experience at Georgetown University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Andrew is a Washington, D.C. tutor specializing in Business Economics tutoring, Essay Editing tutoring, SAT Verbal prep tutoring, and a number of other areas. He is a 2014 graduate of Georgetown University with a Bachelors degree in International Business and Operations Information Management. See what he had to share about Georgetown University: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Andrew: Georgetown University is located in the Georgetown neighborhood, in the northwest corner of Washington, D.C. Though located in the city, the area is not exactly urban. Rows of colorful townhouses line the streets, and popular stores and restaurants can be found along the main roads, M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The campus itself is mostly self-contained, and it could be mistaken for a suburban campus at first sight. This is both good and bad, because enjoying a separate, pleasant campus comes at the price of more difficult access to the rest of the city. It is not all that hard to get out, but it does take a little bit of planning to find the right bus and avoid the higher cost of a taxi or an Uber. Very few students bring their own cars, but bikes are fairly common. I found my bike to be the most convenient form of transportation to any destination within a few miles. And to give you an idea of scale, The Lincoln Memorial and the White House are only about two miles away from Georgetown Universitys campus. As far as safety is concerned, Georgetown University is located in one of the safest areas of Washington, D.C., but there will always be some crime. Most people feel that if they take reasonable precautions, like avoiding walking alone at night and keeping doors locked at all times, they will stay safe. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Andrew:In general, I found professors to be very accessible and always eager to help. It is common at most schools for introductory-level classes to be taught in large lecture halls by professors who cannot possibly get to know all of their students, but at Georgetown University, this only happened to me twice. The vast majority of my classes had a relatively low student-to-professor ratio, and I was able to meet with my professors easily. Furthermore, many of my professors had considerable working experience in their academic fields, and they were willing to act not only as teachers, but as mentors. I developed meaningful relationships with several of my professors, and much of what I learned from them extended beyond academics. Mentorship, however, was not something I found in my academic advisers. They seemed to be difficult to access, probably because they were assigned too many students to devote adequate time to each. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Andrew:The quality of the dorms is largely average, but they are set up very well for campus social life. All of the freshman dorms are within a short walking distance of each other, so it is easy to meet up with friends from other dorms. There is only one dining hall where meal swipes can be used, but there is always a good variety of food, as well as vegetarian and vegan choices. Some students did not like the dining hall, of course, but I personally enjoyed having just one place where all of my classmates came to eat. It meant that every time I went, I would run into people I knew, and I always looked forward to it. And for those nights when I chose to go off-campus to eat, there were many popular restaurants within short walking distance in the Georgetown neighborhood. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Andrew:I chose to double major in International Business and Operations and Information Management (OPIM) in the McDonough School of Business. I applied to the business school because I was not sure what I wanted to do as a career, and I wanted to keep my options open. This turned out to be a good choice, because I did find that many diverse opportunities were available to me as a business student. The business school is generally well supported by the university. Lectures are held in a relatively new building with excellent classroom and study spaces. There is surprisingly little difference between majors in the business school, because every student is required to take a core set of courses. After completing this core, each major is only about five courses long, compared to the usual 12 for the College of Arts and Sciences. This means that all business students have a similar experience, and they find high-quality faculty across all of the business disciplines. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Andrew:There is no real Greek life at Georgetown University. There are several fraternities and sororities, but they are not recognized by the school, and they are not all that different from any other student club. Social life is organized instead around shared activities. Student clubs and teams, which often exist for an important, non-social purpose, tend to have a social component as well. For example, I was a member of Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS), which is a student-run ambulance service. Students in GERMS take its purpose and mission very seriously, but the organization also brings its members together socially around a common interest, acting almost like an informal fraternity. There is nothing to stop anyone from being in multiple groups like this, or making connections between friends in different groups, and this leads to a mostly open social scene. I think this is especially valuable for freshmen, since they are free to spend time with different groups of people for different reasons, without any of the arbitrary restrictions that come with rushing a fraternity or a sorority. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Andrew:Georgetown University students certainly benefit from the schools reputation among employers. Many of the most notable consulting and finance firms recruit on campus, and the Career Center arranges on-campus interviews for jobs and internships with these companies. The Career Center is actually a very useful resource for the large numbers of students interested in business fields, especially Consulting and Finance, but students interested in less mainstream career choices may need to find more help elsewhere. For example, the Career Center had little to offer me during my somewhat unique application processes to the United States Navys Officer Candidate School and several federal law enforcement agencies. I do not consider this a fault of the Career Center, however, but rather a reasonable choice to use limited resources to benefit the largest number of students. And the Career Center does put on career fairs each semester, as well as a government career fair, which bring in large and diverse groups of employers. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Andrew:It is always possible to find a quiet place to study, and Georgetown University is expanding these spaces all the time. A brand new student center was just completed, and the new science and business buildings are just a few years old. The study areas can get crowded during finals, but with a little bit of creativity and patience, there is always room. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Andrew:The Georgetown neighborhood is mostly residential, but there are many stores, restaurants, and bars concentrated along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. This puts many options for shopping, eating, and socializing within 20 minutes of the university. And if you get tired of these choices, the Dupont area is only a short bus ride away, and Adams Morgan is just a little farther than that. Both of these are very popular areas for young people in Washington, D.C. But besides going out to shop or eat, there is still plenty to do in Washington, D.C. The National Mall, around which most of the monuments and museums are located, is just a few miles from Georgetown University, and the waterfront areas along the Potomac River are a short walk away. Some students feel that their workload prevents them from going out into the city as much as they would like to, but it is still important to remember that Washington, D.C. offers an amazing array of activities, and it is impossible to feel like you have tried everything. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Andrew:There are a little over 7,000 undergraduate students attending Georgetown University. I personally enjoyed this relatively small size. I felt that it was just big enough to allow me to always meet new people, but just small enough that I would always run into someone I knew. By the time I graduated, I did not know everyone, but I felt that I probably knew at least one person in common with everyone in my class. Accordingly, class sizes are usually small. Only a few general education courses are taught in large lecture halls, but most classes allow students very good access to professors. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Andrew:One summer, I took a socio-linguistics class. I took the course to satisfy a requirement, and I was not expecting much out of it. However, it became one of my most valuable academic experiences. I was already vaguely interested in the subject, but as a business student, I did not see how it really fit with my concentration. But with the help of an excellent professor, I soon discovered that socio-linguistics was extremely relevant in the business world and even in daily life. I put a lot of energy and attention into the class, and toward the end, I found out that my professor was in charge of a research team studying the use of language in advanced business education. I asked her if she needed any help with her research in the fall, and she brought me onto the team. I was the only undergraduate, and the only business student. I was able to learn an incredible amount from these colleagues, just by participating in practical research at the intersection of their academic field and mine. Between the summer class and the research experience, I felt that I had learned more about the principles and utility of socio-linguistics than I could have even by minoring in the subject. I was thrilled that my somewhat spontaneous adventure into linguistics had turned out to be such a fulfilling experience. I realize now, however, that experiences like this are somewhat common at Georgetown University. With a little bit of academic curiosity and some confident initiative, it is usually possible to turn academic study into a surprisingly engaging experience. Check out Andrew's tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.