Should I Go To The Pennsylvania State University

Should I Go To The Pennsylvania State University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Jaclyn is a Houston tutor who specializes in AP English tutoring, Essay Editing tutoring, Writing tutoring, and more. She graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2012 where she earned her Bachelors degree in Sociology. Check out her review of her time at The Pennsylvania State 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? Jaclyn: Pennsylvania State University was nestled in the country, where the community was built up around the school. While the school itself was large, the community surrounding it was your typical cozy, spirited college town. Many students biked, but I chose to either walk or use the bus system that was in place. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Jaclyn: This depended on the size and nature of the class. I preferred classes that were more discussion-based, but the sizes ranged based on your major and interests. Academic advisers, while accommodating, saw such a high influx of students that it was sometimes hard to get an immediate appointment. Professors held office hours, and most would accommodate your schedule if you could not make their meeting times. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Jaclyn: Dorms were available on- or off-campus in a variety of styles. Living on-campus was popular the first two years, but most students ventured off-campus for less strict, more independent living. Dining halls offered a variety of food that sometimes was overpriced, but the buffets proved the most fruitful and popular. Pennsylvania State University was huge, and it placed an emphasis on student-developed organizations. Everything from intramural sports, government, and volunteering opportunities were available. 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? Jaclyn: I chose to study sociology because of the emphasis on research within my program. Pennsylvania State University was best known for engineering and education, which attracted the most students each year. The liberal arts, while also quite popular, were under-represented at events like career fairs and guest lectures. 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? Jaclyn: Greek life was a large part of campusthere were service fraternities focused on volunteering, Greek life specific to your major, etc. I was not involved, but I did not have much trouble meeting anyone. I know it is hard to get out of your comfort zone with all the change occurring, but I truly believe that was how I met the majority of people. I got involved in a lot of random activities that I typically would not have because I knew it was important to give new things a chance. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Jaclyn: I did not take advantage of the career center until much later on in college. Some professors and majors did more with career research, from having guest lecturers, advisers speak to classes, etc. I did not have that luck with my major. Specifically within the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, we had a lot of interest from companies that were proud of hiring our graduates in the past. I highly recommend utilizing the tutoring and career centers early on. Even something as simple as editing an essay or completing a mock interview can do a world of good. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Jaclyn: It depends on the type of atmosphere you want. While some liked the dead quiet of the library, I preferred to have background noise, so I gravitated toward the group study halls. Study halls, libraries, and other venues were easily accessible and usually open 24 hours a day, specifically within high volume exam times like finals week. 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? Jaclyn: Downtown was across the street from campus, and it had everything from outlets, to music stores, to bars for all interests. The surrounding town did not offer much, and most cities were a drive, so we stayed mainly within campus. Athletics were a huge part of Pennsylvania State University, so the school and town alike joined together for parades, fundraisers, etc. I really enjoyed it because there was a strong focus on engaging the community in our school spirit, as well. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Jaclyn: I began at a small school and ended up transferring because I was honestly bored. There were few chances to meet people, not enough clubs/activities, and everyone went home on the weekends. After transferring, I found myself in a school of 50,000+ students where you had to actually try and be bored. My major was one of the smaller ones, so my class sizes were relatively small. I really think the people make the class. I have had smaller classes where the students and professor were engaging, but I have had the same experience in large lectures, too. I have also had small classes where the students did not show up or rarely participated, and similar in large lectures. There was definitely a range, specifically when you got to the core classes in your major. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Jaclyn: I personally do not do well in online classes. I prefer the face-to-face interaction and benefit from engaging with others in the class. I took an online science course where the material was boring, the professor was hardly available, and the homework was extensive. My most memorable class was with a professor that enjoyed causing ripples in the universityfor the better. He enjoyed giving students the ability to voice their opinions and engage in conversations with each other about literature, current events, etc. He had us challenge themes and ideas, and I ultimately learned not only about myself, but to really hear others out before jumping to a conclusion. Check out Jaclyns tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

7 Things Introverts want the Boss to Know - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 7 Things Introverts want the Boss to Know - Introvert Whisperer 7 Things Introverts want the Boss to Know Leaders come in every personality type from Introvert to Extravert and all sorts of other flavors.   One thing every good leader has to know is how to bring out the best in each person they are responsible for leading. It’s not always easy to know how to interact with some people, especially when the behavior isn’t your type. You might even find some behaviors annoying but despite that, your job is to get employees or reports to work as productively as possible. Here are some suggestions for bringing out the best in the introverts you work with: Ask them what they think. Just because the introvert isn’t as outwardly engaging in conversation, doesn’t mean they don’t have something to contribute.   They may simply be hoping for a chance to join in but interrupting is not something they are prone to do. What you see is not all you get. Introverts have fantastic things to contribute but you may not know it at first glance or even second glance. You may not think you should have to dig their assets out of them, but if you do, you may be richly rewarded.   You probably have a star and don’t even know it. They need process and think time. If you want the best that an introvert has to offer, don’t just spring things on them and demand an instant answer.   Of course, you might get an answer but the best answer will be one where you have planted the seed and harvested a response later. They aren’t shy or anti-social. A myth about introverts is that they don’t like to be around people.     They are as social as the next person it’s just that they need to be alone to produce their best work and to think through things.   They do get grumpy when that solitude is interrupted or when not given enough alone time. Email is your friend. Introverts do love to write.   It allows them to collect their thoughts before communicating.   Wanna know something? Email your introvert. Expect depth and expertise. Your introvert will go very deep in areas of interest to them.   You can create a resident expert if you unleash all of that focus.   This is tremendously powerful to have that kind of an asset. Too much talk may shut them down. An autopilot feature that the introvert has is to shut down talking and may go so far as to shut down the listening.   This is especially true with too much talking and too much stimulation going on around them.   If you notice it, don’t worry the brain is still engaged.   You might want to suggest a break. As a leader, you have to learn that not everyone functions the same.   You have to be alert and know how to adjust so you can turn each person into the best version of who they are. Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable.   Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential.

How To Interview For Medical School

How To Interview For Medical School Your interview could be the deciding factor in your application process. Once you are awarded an interview, the school is prepared to admit you based on your past academic performance/accolades. At that point, its all about your interview. Here are some tips from Varsity Tutors to help you ace your interview. Dont try to sell yourself too much: Once youre in that interview seat, the school already knows your MCATscores, where you went to undergrad, how many hours of community service you boast, etcetc. They know youre intelligent and motivated on paper, now you need to prove yourself off paper. Be prepared: Most interviewers will ask a series of generic questions and a series of tough questions. However, most are not acting like cutting investigative journalists trying to expose your flaws, and there is never a right or wrong answer. Here are a few common, sample questions. You should either practice these questions or have pre-meditated answers. Generic questions: 1. What are your career plans and what led you to this decision? 2. Tell me about why you are interested in this program. 4. What was your favorite college course and why? 5. What do you hope to gain from this experience? 6. Tell me about a time when you demonstrated initiative. 7. What are your specific goals in medicine? Tougher questions: 1. How do you handle death? 2. What class did you struggle with most during you undergrad and why? 4. Describe how you can effectively deal with someone in crisis. 3. Say you only have time to save one persons life. Who would you choose between a 20-year-old drug addict and an 80 year-old-woman? Speak up: You dont have to yell at your interviewer, but if you are a quiet, soft-speaker he/she will believe youre unintelligent and lack confidence. Speak loudly and clearly to show youre confident and ready to succeed. Do not be too talkative. Never talk for more than 2-3 minutes consecutively. That gives you more than enough time to completely answer any question. Try to create a balanced dialogue with your interviewer, and give him/her a chance to talk. If youre droning on for too long, he/she will doze off, and that is the absolute last thing you want. Do not lie: If your interviewer really wants to, he/she could verify any factall the way down to what high school clubs you were in. Learn howMCAT tutorscan help you improve your chances of acceptance into a top med school. Find something non-academic to talk about: Youre not the first person your interviewer will ever meet withprobably not even the first person that day. So, please, for their sake spark up a conversation unrelated to academics. They will be delighted to talk about something different, and that will help you stand out. You could talk about famous landmarks, museums, architecture, tourists attractions, sports teams, restaurants, etc that are popular in the schools city. Also, you can never go wrong by bringing up the weather. Look the part: The obvious: wear something conservative and classy. Dark colored suits are appropriate. The not so obvious: look like you have a little money (even if you dont). Spend the $5 on a nice looking pen dont bring a cheap Bic or Papermate one. Buy a classy leather-bound portfolio to put your work samples in. Your interviewer will probably already have your file, but bring extra copies of work you have done. Again, spend the extra money and go to Kinkos to have them professionally print and bind your work samples. Youre interviewing for med school, not Burger King. Ask specific questions: The questions you ask are a direct reflection how interested you are in the school; so make them as thoughtful as possible. Try to frame your questions around specific topics. For example, avoid asking what the schools special programs are you should already know that. Instead, ask what sets that program apart from other schools or why it is so successful. Again, instead of asking if students have published research at this school, find a particular student who has and ask how he/she was able to do so, what classes he/she took, etc. Write a thoughtful thank you note: Former med school interviewers suggest sending an email 48 hours after your interview is best. Try to make your thank you letter as personalized as possible by including something you and your interviewer connected over or even laughed about. Do not try to sell yourself again. And if you say the school is your first choice, chances are, your interviewer will not believe you, which could harm your entire application process.

Changing Principals To Change Schools

Changing Principals To Change Schools Obama and Arne Duncan are trying to raise the bar for everyone in education teachers, administrators, and now principals.In an effort for full reform, they are now looking at principals, threatening to replace many of them, according to an article in the District Administration. The government is providing a $3.5 billion fund to underachieving schools if they meet certain achievement benchmarks. If schools fail to meet these benchmarks, then they will be forced to make major reforms or surrender their share of funding. Underachieving schools will be forced to replace their principal, half of their teaching staff, close down entirely and transfer students to higher-achieving schools or close down and reopen as a charter school to still be considered for the funding. About 74% of underachieving schools would be eligible for part of the $3.5 billion grant under the transformational model of reform. With this model, schools would have to let the government overhaul instruction, evaluation systems and other school operations. On top of all that, they would have to replace their principals Many education administrators are wondering where all the new principals will come from if many of them are laid off. A dearth of qualified replacements could simply lead to more problems, lasting for years. A 2009 study, Tenure and Retention of Newly Hired Principals in Texas states that about half of newly-hired high school principals stay for three years, and a 2003 report from the University of Washington, A Matter of Definition: Is There Truly a Shortage of School Principals? suggests that many superintendents said there is a lack of principals with the necessary, strong leadership qualities. The role of the principal will have to evolve heavily for America to enhance its education system. Principals will need to become proficient in data analysis to improve teachers performance, public relations skills to inform the community and parents about school achievements and employ best practices in education. These are skills that most qualified principals already have, but average and subpar principals will have to learn new skills and learn them rapidly. Many grassroots organizations have taken up this cause, creating training programs for principals.

To Cram or Not to Cram A Guide to the Week Before Your MCAT

To Cram or Not to Cram A Guide to the Week Before Your MCAT MCAT Medical School Admissions It has been close to a hundred days, or at least it feels that way. You’re a week away from something you have been anxiously planning and studying for, your Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Students in this last week of studying often reach one of two emotional states: anxiety or exhaustion. In this article we will discuss how to best combat these two common stages in the study process and how to utilize that final week prior to taking your admissions test. Studying for almost three months for one test is no easy feat. It is easy to feel anxiety for most students, especially when they are behind on their study schedule or not meeting their goals. While a week out is cutting it pretty close in evaluating progress, it is important to evaluate these feelings as they come. Anxiety may be well founded and the student may want to consider postponing their test if there is a great disparity between their target scores or study schedule and how the student is actually performing. However, for most students this is not the case. The anxiety often comes from the looming threat of a big exam and the potential outcomes that come with it. Many students experiencing this launch into what I like to like to call “hyperdrive” mode or a “knee jerk reaction”. Students will tell me that they took multiple practice exams the week before, crammed and stayed up all night studying. While this may seem like a solution, it can lead to burnout and poor test performance. Cramming for a college final may have produced results in the past. But for an exam that tests your ability to integrate topics and apply knowledge like the MCAT as compared to discrete facts on a college final, cramming is often not beneficial. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) agree that cramming does not work. Students who perform well despite their anxiety often report that they continued with their MCAT study schedule and reviewed as planned. Remember, the MCAT is a marathon not a sprint. In the same vein, students often exhaust themselves prior to their MCAT. Whether it is due to cramming the week before the exam or a long term study schedule without enough breaks, exhaustion can strongly impact exam performance. For students in this stage, it is essential to figure out the cause of exhaustion. Whether it is a personal event in your life or over-stimulation from studying, students should try to reflect on their current status to find the root of the issue. Many students also find ways to motivate themselves through the exam by scheduling something fun for the following day or even rewarding themselves with something they enjoy, whether it be food or retail therapy. Exhaustion can be completely debilitating and is something that students will face as medical students, residents, and even as attending physicians. Coping mechanisms developed now will ensure your ability to combat future problems. So now that you have addressed the two biggest issues in the final week of test preparation, how should you spend this last week prior to your exam? There are a variety of approaches to this week and anecdotally each medical student will tell you something slightly different. In my case, I spent the week prior to my exam lightly reviewing my own personal notes. I took my last practice exam two weeks prior to the MCAT because I did not want to exhaust myself by taking an eight-hour practice test prior to taking the actual MCAT. In addition, an adverse score two weeks prior to your MCAT can impact your mental status and affect future performance based on ‘pre-test jitters’. I also took practice passages throughout the week to maintain my timing, especially for the CARS section (check out Jack Westin’s blog if you need ideas for more MCAT practice passages). Overall, use this week to brush up on things that you have struggled with throughout your test prep and give it one last look before you exam so that it is fresh in your mind. Addressing these stages of your preparation and preparing as planned should put you on the right track to perform well on your exam. Best of luck! About the Author Jordan Salley is one of MyGuru's most accomplished MCAT tutors. Clickhereto learn more! Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesscross/4092317144

Absenteeism and a Cooperative-Learning Attendance Policy for ESL

Absenteeism and a Cooperative-Learning Attendance Policy for ESL Absenteeism and Anxiety By Smash the Iron Cage (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons There are plenty of good reasons to skip class: if you have a contagious disease or have a doctor’s appointment that you cannot reschedule, if car trouble or bad weather interferes with your commute, or if you are flat broke and need to work an extra shift to make rent and avoid eviction. Most people would understand if you had to miss a lesson under these circumstances. Surprisingly, these are not the reasons most university students give for cutting class. Students at one university rated low-quality lectures as the most important reason, followed by deadlines for other academic work, the lecturer’s inability to entertain, a lack of sleep, and attendance  being  unnecessary due to the availability of lecture notes outside of class (Clay Breslow, 2006). These are the reasons students will admit to. But what about hidden reasons? Absenteeism and Anxiety If students skip their English as a Second Language (ESL) class frequently, it could be a sign of language anxiety. Other indications of anxiety related to learning a second language include coming to class late, arriving unprepared, avoiding speaking in English, not volunteering, and the apparent inability to answer even very simple questions (Oxford, 1999). Research has shown that speaking provokes more anxiety than any other form of communication (MacIntyre Gardner, 1991; McCroskey Richmond, 1982), with some speaking tasks provoking more anxiety than others. Koch and Terrell (1991) report that most students find oral presentations to be the most anxiety-inducing activities in an ESL course. With that in mind, teachers can reduce language anxiety by assigning fewer oral presentations, by employing ice-breakers, where students learn each other’s names on the first day, and by including lesson-warmers, such as a game to help students relax at the start of a lesson (Dornyei Malde rez, 1999). Students can reduce their own language anxiety just by coming to class. Greater frequency of language use is linked to lower levels of language anxiety (Baker MacIntyre, 2000). Absenteeism and Failure Reducing anxiety is only one good reason to attend your ESL course on a regular basis. There is another good reason: you might fail. Two studies (Colby, 2004; Newman-Ford, Fitzgibbon, Lloyd, Thomas, 2008) found that 80% attendanceâ€"attending only 12 classes in a 15 week semesterâ€"produced a 50% chance of failing lecture-based courses. A 70% attendance rateâ€"attending 11 classes in 15 weeksâ€"produced a 66% chance of failure. For interactive ESL courses, missing a single week made ESL students 3 times more likely to answer a content question incorrectly and caused a 7-8 times greater chance of getting the target structure wrong during a test (Fay, Aguirre, Gash, 2013). These are compelling statistics for going to class, so why do rational-minded students miss class? The truth is that it is difficult to be rational when comparing the immediate benefit of getting more time away from class and the remote danger of one missed lesson (Romer, 1994 as cited by Koppenhaver, 2006). Collaborative Learning A more immediate reason is that your classmates need you. They need you to come to class so that they can get to know you, and they need to get to know you before they can trust you. Only after they know you and trust you will you be able to work together efficiently and productively as a group. In other words, group productivity depends upon group cohesiveness (Evans Dion, 1991), and the cohesiveness of the group depends upon the amount of time group members spend together (Dornyei Malderez, 1999). Cutting class reduces the overall productivity of the team, reducing the ability of group members to learn from each other in collaborative learning environments.  Reseach shows that not only do absentee-prone students perform worse on their exams and homework assignments, their absence causes the other team members to score lower on their exams and homework as well (Koppenhaver, 2006). Oral Exams The problem becomes much  more acute  during interactive speaking exams, evaluations that require the active participation of one or more partners. English Second Language courses often employ collaborative speaking exams, where students are required to exchange information with each other using the target language. The interactivity makes for a more valid exam since competence in a second language is the ability to participate effectively in an exchange of meaningful and appropriate messages. However, since absentee-prone students come to the exam knowing less and producing more errors, their noticeably ill-prepared, ill-informed answers and incorrect grammar during the exam make them less effective conversational partners. Implicit Learning Research into implicit learning reveals another, less obvious way that absentee-prone students make exams more difficult for their partners. There is a tendency for people to reproduce a structure encountered in recent discourse, even if they do not notice that it was used (McDonough Mackey, 2008). In other words, what you hear, whether you consciously notice it or not, activates the area of your brain where related sounds, concepts, and  structures are stored, creating the tendency for you to want to repeat what you heard. This phenomenon is called priming, and you can see it at work in this fun experiment    (as suggested by Dornyei, 2009). Ask your friend to say the word “silk” five times and then ask him immediately afterward, “What do cows drink?” Most likely, your friend will say “milk” because the sound of the word “silk” and the concepts “cow” and “drink” activate the concept “milk” in your friends brain. A more logical answer to the question is â €œwater” since that is what cows drink most, but that is not what people tend to say. Now imagine that the target is not the word milk but a sentence containing the Present Perfect Progressive such as, I have been studying Diagnostic Imaging for two years. In the context of an exam, absentee-prone students are less likely to prime their partners to remember the complex grammar and specific vocabulary needed to pass the interactive exam. Attendance Policy Seeing how absenteeism negatively affects classmates explicit and implicit learning opportunities and performance on interactive exams, what policies should teachers and colleges put in place? If you think about the effect of absenteeism on individual students only, it is tempting to emphasize students’ right to self-direction, trusting in their capacity to make wise choices. Students will learn through trial and error that their attendance affects their success. However, in light of research into cooperative learning environments where students learn from each other, we know that cutting class is a bad choice for both the individual and the group. It would be irresponsible for teachers to adopt such a laissez-faire attitude, knowing how absentee-prone students reduce group productivity and negatively affect their partners performance on interactive exams. A collaborative-learning attendance policy would require the student who misses multiple cooperative learning activities in an English course to be ejected from the course permanently because of the negative effect their absence and subsequent return has on the group. Instead of saying, “You are an adult now. Do what you want,” ESL teachers should make it clear that cutting class is highly uncooperative behavior that harms the other students. To be consistent, if teachers are going to use collaborative-learning activities and evaluations in their classrooms, they should also set a collaborative-learning attendance policy. They should tell students on the first day of the semester, If you intend to cut class, do us all a favor and dont come back. References Baker, S. C., MacIntyre, P. D. (2000). The role of gender and immersion in communication and  second language orientations.  Language Learning,  (50), 311â€"341. Clay, T., Breslow, L. (2006). Why students don’t attend class.  MIT Faculty Newsletter,  18(4).  Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/184/breslow.html Colby, J. (2004). Attendance and attainment. Presented at the Fifth Annual Conference of the  Information and Computer Sciencesâ€"Learning and Teaching Support Network (ICN-LTSN),  University  of Ulster. Retrieved from http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/sysapl/www.ics.ltsn.ac.uk/events/conf2004/programme.htm Dornyei, Z. (2009).  The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University  Press. Dornyei, Z., Malderez, A. (1999). The role of group dynamics in foreign language learning and  teaching. In J. Arnold (Ed.),  Affect in Language Learning  (pp. 155â€"169). Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press. Evans, C. R., Dion, K. L. (1991). Group cohesion and performance: a meta-analysis.  Small Group    Research,  2(2), 175â€"186. http://doi.org/10.1177/1046496491222002 Fay, R. E., Aguirre, R. V., Gash, P. W. (2013). Absenteeism and language learning: does missing  class matter?  Journal of Language Teaching and Research,  4(6), 1184â€"1190. Koch, A., Terrell, T. (1991). Affective reactions of foreign language students to Natural Approach  activities and teaching techniques. In E. K. Horowitz D. J. Young (Eds.),  Language Anxiety:  From Theory and Research to Classroom Implications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Koppenhaver, G. D. (2006). Absent and accounted for: Absenteeism and cooperative learning.  Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education,  4(1), 29â€"49. MacIntyre, P. D., Gardner, R. C. (1991). Methods and results in the study of anxiety in language  learning: A review of the literature.  Language Learning, (41), 85â€"117. McCroskey, J. C., Richmond, V. P. (1982). Communication apprehension and shyness: Conceptual  and operational distinctions.  Central States Speech Journal, (33), 458â€"468. McDonough, K., Mackey, A. (2008). Syntactic priming and  esl  question development.  Studies in  Second Language Acquisition, (30), 31â€"47. http://doi.org/10.10170S0272263108080029 Newman-Ford, L., Fitzgibbon, K., Lloyd, S., Thomas, S. (2008). A large-scale investigation into  the relationship between attendance and attainment: a study using an innovative,  electronic  attendance  monitoring system.  Studies in Higher Education,  33(6), 699â€"717. Oxford, R. L. (1999). Anxiety and the language learner: new insights.  In J. Arnold (Ed.)  Affect in   Language Learning  (pp. 58â€"67). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Please follow and like us:

5 Killer Language Learning Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Make Time

5 Killer Language Learning Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Make Time 5 Killer Language Learning Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Make Time Have you ever thought to yourself, Id love to learn a foreign language but Im just too darn busy. If only I had more hours in the day?I hear you.Work life and home life are demanding, and those 24 hours a day wont be getting any longer.So when are we supposed to learn an entire other language?I have good news for you. There are effective, surefire ways to make time for language learning.  (Yes, even for those of you with the busiest of schedules!)So sit tight and keep on reading, because here  are my five best strategies to make time for language learning every day and they actually work! 5 Killer Language Learning Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Make Time1. Apply the 80/20 Rule to Focus on What Matters MostThe modern world is a buzzing chaotic mess of activity and it seems to get worse with each passing year. In reality, however, the problem is not a lack of time, but a lack of prioritization.  As Tim Ferriss shares in his best-selling book The 4-Hour Workweek:Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of lazinessâ€"lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing, and is far more unpleasant. Being selectiveâ€"doing lessâ€"is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.This is where the 80/20 Rule (a.k.a. “Pareto Principle”) comes in. This  simple but extremely powerful tool can help you  identify the most important, high-yield activities in your life, eliminate unimportant, low-yield activities and free  up extra time for language learning.In a nut shellâ€"or rather, in a pea podâ€"the 80/20 rule states that  a comparatively large number of effects tend to be the result of a very small number of causes. The ratio is often 80 to 20, but can sometimes be as extreme as 90/10 or even 99/1.This interesting phenomenon was first popularized by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in the early 1900s when he observed that 80 percent of Italy’s land was held by only 20 percent of its population. Intrigued by the disparity, he then took his curiosity to the garden where he saw that 80 percent of the peas were produced by just 20 percent of the pea pods.You probably dont care about Italian real estate or peas, but Paretos discovery can have a major impact on how you live your life and whether or not you reach your language learning goals.Spending just 10 minutes now to run an 80/20 analysis with these steps can free up massive swaths of previously unavailable time:Jot down as many recurring daily, weekly and monthly tasks as you can think of (work, chores, play, exercise, study, etc.)Review the list and star the tasks that produce the greatest, most perceivable pay-offs. These are the high-yield “big rocks” that you should prioritize.Now identify which tasks create the least benefit or greatest misery. Cross these off the list and do everything you can to cut them out of your life.By applying the 80/20 rule to your language learning endeavors, y oull increase results and have more time to practice.2. Put First Things First: Schedule Time for Language Study Before Everything ElseAnother way to make time for language learning is to make it a higher priority in your life, to have it come first.Fit in the “big rocks” before your life fills up with “small pebbles”Waiting for convenient chunks of time each day to study your target language? Good luck with that; chances are you will end up waiting forever and never even get started. Despite our best intentions, the important things usually get crowded out by the endless flood of little things that fill our days.Dont let yourself get lost in the thick of thin things, as Stephen R. Covey puts it.  If learning a foreign language really is important to you, its up to you to make time for it in your day.No matter how busy you are, you can carve out time for a few high-yield, life enriching tasks ifâ€"and this is a big ifâ€"you put them first.Order of operations is critical here .  As  Covey demonstrates in  his famous big rock demonstration, trying to squeeze in all the big rocks (important things in your life) is impossible if you let your life fill up first with all the sand and small pebbles (the myriad less important things).Study first thing in the morning and right before bedStudying a language right away in the morning has three key advantages:It ensures that you put in at least a little study time every day, no matter how crazy your day becomes. Maybe you find out when you get to work that an urgent report is due by the end of the day. You may grimace at the heavy work load and late night ahead, but at least you can pat yourself on the back for already meeting your daily language learning target.It reminds your brain that language learning is a top priority in your life. By literally putting language first in your day, it keeps the task at the forefront of your mind, and you are then more likely to return to language learning activities when hidden moments arise (more on this below).It reinforces material you studied right before bed the night before.  Repetition is one of the most important (and often neglected) elements of successful language acquisition. By quickly reviewing last nights language material each morning, you create a poor mans spaced repetition system and drive words, phrases and structures further into long-term memory.Studying right before bed has three further benefits:It creates a habit sandwich.  You started the day with language learning and now you end the day in the same way. This positive behavioral symmetry feels good, increases motivation and helps strengthen the language learning habit (more on habit formation below).It can help lull you to sleep.  Maybe you are one of those lucky sons of guns who falls gracefully into La La Land as soon as your noggin hits the pillow. But if you tend to toss and turn, studying a language (especially more mentally taxing tasks like learning grammar rules, conjugat ions and new vocabulary) can be a powerful sleep aid. For most folks, it just takes five minutes looking at a declension table to draw the Sand Man near.It sets the neurological stage for memory consolidation. Our brains interpret, consolidate and store new experiences and information as we slumber (especially during REM sleep). By studying right before bed, you help language cut to the front of the consolidation line.Add language study to your calendar and to-do listA simple way to put language learning first is to schedule blocks of study time on your calendar each week. Treat these like urgent appointments you cannot miss or reschedule. This is  your  sacred time.Or if you prefer, you can use a task management system to remind you each day to put in some study time. Ive tried dozens of task management apps, but my two favorites are:Wunderlist.  Pros: Free for the basic version. Available on all major platforms. Simple, elegant design. Cons: Too simplistic for some business needs. OmniFocus.  Pros: Extremely powerful task and project management system. Integrates well with the Getting Things Done approach. Cons: Expensive! $39.99 for Mac, $29.99 for iPad and $19.99 for iPhone.Putting language learning first by scheduling time or even literally doing it  first every  day will result in more time spent on your foreign language goals, and in return, more progress.3. Harness Hidden Moments Throughout Your DayHarnessing your hidden moments, those otherwise meaningless scraps of time you’d never normally think of putting to practical use, and using them for language studyâ€"even if it’s no more than fifteen, ten, or five seconds at a timeâ€"can turn you into a triumphant tortoise.â€"Barry Farber, How to Learn Any LanguageListen to audio as you do other brainless activitiesListening is one of the most important components of learning to communicate in a foreign language, and lucky for us, one of the easiest to fit into a busy schedule. Since listening doesnt r equire use of your eyes and hands, you can get valuable listening input by listening to audio lessons and podcasts as you go about a host of other activities:Walking/JoggingDrivingShoppingCookingDoing household choresReview flashcards whenever you find yourself waitingAssuming you have free use of your hands, waiting for things is the ideal time to review flashcards. Even 10 seconds is enough time to review a few cards. Get in the habit of whipping out your flashcards (whether actual cards or an app on your smartphone like the  FluentU iPhone  or Android app) whenever you find yourself:Waiting in line at the store.Waiting for the elevator.Waiting on hold.Waiting for a call to connect.Schedule a 15-minute tutor session during every lunch breakBeing able to speak is the primary goal of most language learners, and there is no better way to reach that objective than daily speaking practice.Just 15 minutes of speaking practice with a native speaker or tutor is enough to help solidify the material youve learned in your input activities, identify holes in your vocabulary and grammar, and build motivation to continue learning the next day.  Moreover, knowing that you will be speaking with a tutor each day gives you that much more incentive to put in the study time beforehand.4. Stop Choosing to Study: Make Language Learning a Robust HabitWillpower is a finite resource, and every choice you make throughout your day, no matter how small, uses up your precious reserves. Dubbed ego depletion by psychologists, this  phenomenon is the reason why many people feel so exhausted after shopping and why most find it so difficult to fit in study time after a long, hard day.The good news is that you no longer have to rely on the whims of willpower if you transform language study from a conscious daily decision to a hardwired habit. Heres how:Create positive habit loops”The habit loop is the reason you check your e-mail 100 times a day even when trying to do more important tasks, and the reason you reach for a box of doughnuts even after you have promised to quit sugar. As Charles Duhigg lays out in The Power of Habit, these powerful loops are comprised of four steps:The E-Mail Habit Loop:Cue.  You hear a message notification sound, feel a vibration in your pocket, or see  a new message notification on the screen.Routine.  You check your email inbox for new messages.Reward.  You get a temporary distraction from difficult, uncomfortable or boring work you should  be doing, and feel an increased sense of self-importance or belonging if you receive new messages.Craving.  After checking for new messages and returning to other work, you start anticipating how it will feel to receive the next inbox reward. As soon as the next cue appears, the habit loop is triggered all over again.The Doughnut Habit Loop:Cue.  You  see  or smell  the doughnuts.Routine.  You stuff 2 bacon-covered maple bars into your face.Reward.  You experience the delectable taste on your tongue and get a temporary rush of energy as the glucose spike surges through your blood.Craving.  After your blood sugar crashes, you begin to again crave the sweet doughnut goodness and find yourself back at the box.But not all habit loops are bad for us. With a little psychological engineering, you can hijack the  cue-routine-reward-craving  loop and apply it language learning.  The first step is to create an obvious cue for language study:Place a stack of flashcards on your nightstand.Put your favorite language learning apps on the home screen of your smartphone.Set a recurring alarm or calendar event to review at set times each day.Fill in the blanks in the sentence, After I ____, I study a language for 15 minutes.The routine part is fairly straight forward; just do whatever language learning activities you enjoy most or get the most benefit from:Listen to a podcast.Read a news article, blog post or a few pages from a book.Talk to a tutor or try language exchange.Learn all the vocab i n a music video or movie trailer through FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos and turns them into language learning experiences. Its the best way to learn a language through immersion, short of actually going to the country.Next comes the reward. This is the most important part of the habit loop; the piece that keeps the whole thing spinning round and round and keeps you coming back for more without even thinking about it. You know yourself better than anyone else; make sure to identify innate and external rewards that will provide true gratification:The buzz from learning new things. Regularly add in new materials and topics to keep things fresh. Try stretching a bit beyond your current level of comfort and competence.Edible treats or guilty pleasures. Allow yourself that glass of wine with dinner or an episode of your favorite trashy television show  only  if you have completed your language study for the day.Study streaks.  Each day in row you study, your streak gets longer a nd longer, and you will be that much more motivated to not break the chain. More on this below.If you have chosen inherently enjoyable language learning routines and effective rewards, you should naturally find yourself craving your next study session. You may even end up adding more than one session a day or extending the length of each. If not, try mixing up your routine and testing out more immediate or tangible rewards (e.g. placing a piece of chocolate on your desk that you cant eat until you finish).Identify your “keystone habits”When people start habitually exercising, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It’s not completely clear why. But for many people, exerc ise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.?Charles Duhigg, The Power of HabitYou may have noticed that when you hit the gym, you are that much more likely to hit the books, too. This is because exercise is a  keystone habit, a heavy domino that once tipped influences a host of seemingly unrelated behaviors.But the reverse is equally true: skip the gym and you will probably skip studying.  Take some time to identify your keystone habits, those powerful triggers that have positive or negative ripples throughout your life. Then do everything you can to eliminate the bad habits and maximize the good.Use a habit tracking app to monitor your progress and build momentumWhile your smartphone will not miraculously change your behavior for you, habit tracking apps like Lift, Chains.cc or Habit List  can  at least help monitor your progress and create a positive feedback loop to help keep you going. The more days in a row you complete a habit, the stronger it becomes and the hi gher the motivation to not break the chain.5. Set Social and Financial StakesTrying to build a new habit is hard, but you can stack the deck in your favor by leveraging the power of competition, social accountability and commitment contracts.Choose a partner in crimePick at least one friend to study with, or better yet, compete  with. Not only is it more fun to learn with other living, breathing human beings, but a little friendly competition can significantly boost compliance.As  Tony Stubblebine (CEO of  Lift) points out:“You’re 50% more likely to succeed in your goal if you know at least one other person doing it.”Make your goals and daily progress publicBeyond just your study buddy, I suggest sharing your learning goals and daily progress with the world at large. You can start a language learning blog, share progress with Give it 100  or just make daily update posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Knowing that people will see whether or not you have studied each day can help p rovide the added push you need on days when you really dont feel like studying.Use Stickk or Beeminder to put your money where your mouth isIf friendly competition and public accountability  arent strong enough motivators for you, try leveraging a more tangible stake: your money. Services like StickK and Beeminder allow you to tie specific financial stakes to each of your goals.If you fail to hit your daily or weekly targets, a predefined amount is charged to your credit card or sent to an anti-charity in your name (e.g. if you are a proponent of gun control, you can choose the NRA as your anti-charity).“People who put stakesâ€"either their money or their reputationâ€"on the table are far more likely to actually achieve a goal they set for themselves.” ?StickKWere all busy people, but if you want more time for language learning then start using any of these five strategies today. The more repetition and consistency you have with your language learning, the faster youll advance t owards your targets.John Fotheringham is a linguist, author, entrepreneur, pun aficionado, and full-time silly goose. As both learner and teacher, he has spent the last decade testing first hand what works, and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t. He shares these results on his blog, Language Mastery, in his podcast, The Language Mastery Show, and in his comprehensive language learning guides, Master Japanese and Master Mandarin. And One More ThingSo, are you ready to start a healthy language learning habit for life?FluentU can help with that.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using  FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or from the  Google Play store  to access material on your Android and iOS devices.

Playing By the Rules 4 of the Most Logical Natural Languages

Playing By the Rules 4 of the Most Logical Natural Languages 4 of the Most Logical Natural Languages This language doesnt make any sense!Im pretty sure weve all said that at some point when trying to learn a new language.Most of the time its just out of the frustration of not being able to understand something.However, sometimes its true: Languages can be downright illogical.Sometimes spelling is convoluted, rules have more exceptions than followers and everything you learn gets thrown out the window.There has to be some language that makes sense right?Right! Believe it or not, some languages actually follow their own rules. Lets explore some of the  most logical languages you can learn today.What Do We Mean by Logical?Were looking for languages that, regardless of your mother tongue, make the most sense. What might that mean? Logical languages have:Regular grammar. Theres little more frustrating in a language than studying hard to remember verb conjugations or preposition patterns only to find that theres a list of exceptions as long as your arm. Many natural languages have develop ed irregularities from what might once have been sensible and consistent rules but were lost along the way; a logical language should be much more predictable than this.Consistent syntax (word order). Some languages structure their sentences in a very clear and regimented order, while others allow for a more flexible and inconsistent approach to building phrasesâ€"meaning it can take longer to work out what a native speaker would use.Easy-to-grasp phonology. English is one of the worst (or most interesting) offenders when it comes to pronouncing words as theyre written. A logical language should be straightforward to pronounce once you know the rules dictating it.Its worth noting at this point that logical does not mean the same as easy to learn. This is a much more subjective term, and also depends a lot on what languages you already speak. For instance, Spanish would seem comparatively easy to an Italian but completely alien to a speaker of an Asian language.Some of the languages were looking at are listed among the most difficult to understand, but once you know the rules and the vocab your journey to fluency will be smoother than something less logical.Make any languageâ€"whether its logical or notâ€"easier to learn with  FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.  Use the interactive subtitles, flashcards and vocabulary lists to learn languages better than ever!What About Constructed Languages?Before we move on to the natural languages most of us are used to, its worth mentioning artificial or constructed languages, also known as conlangs. Believe it or not, there are dozens of these, created for all sorts of different reasons.Some of them, like  Klingon  from Star Trek or Elvish from Lord of the Rings, are designed for fictional purposes and intended to imitate natural languages. These are less likely to be what we might call logical .However, other conlangs are created with logic in mind. Here are some examples:EsperantoProbably the best known conlang, Esperanto was designed with the intention of being a universal, international language. Created in the late 1800s, it now has around two million speakers and you can even learn it on Duolingo.With ease of learning being a top priority for its creator, Esperanto has an extremely regular grammar and a vocabulary that draws from existing languages (albeit from a Eurocentric perspective.)SlovioWith some links to Esperanto, this is considered a zonal conlang. That means its created by fusing elements of existing languages from a certain region in a logical way. There are no special endings or declensions in Slovio, so clarity is communicated with as much efficiency as possible.Slovio has an official website if you want to find out more.LojbanLojbans name is formed from the roots of its own words for logical languageâ€"so you can see why it might get a place on this li st! Its an obvious contender for the most logical language.Primarily built for the purpose of linguistic research, Lojbans unambiguous grammar is based on the principles of formal logic. There are no exceptions to any of its rules, and its culturally neutral, meaning there should be no difference in difficulty of learning and speaking regardless of where you come from (although it does use the Latin alphabet.)You can find resources to learn Lojban on its website.4 of the Most Logical Natural LanguagesConlangs are fascinating and definitely an adventure for an experienced polyglot. However, other speakers can be hard to find so their utility is limited. In terms of natural languages, then, what are the most logical ones?Basque: Complex but StraightforwardRemember we said earlier that  logical  and  easy are not the same thing?Basque, the language of the Basque Country which straddles northern Spain and southern France, is regularly listed as one of the most difficult languages to lea rn. It has complex grammar and, although it has some loanwords from Spanish, its considered a language isolateâ€"meaning that its unrelated to any other known language.But despite its complexity and isolation, Basque speakers will still say that its a logical language. Once you get your head around its many rules, theres very little irregularity in verbs and syntax compared with other European languages. This means you can predict  much more consistently how sentences ought to be created as long as youve studied the basics.One word of caution: Despite the small size of the Basque Country, there are several different dialects. However logical the standard language might be, there are still a number of idiomatic tendencies that youll have to learn. Check out Euskal Kultura to get started.German: Efficient and LogicalCould you have guessed this one? The stereotype of the German people is that theyre efficient and logical, so its no surprise that the language spoken mainly hereâ€"as wel l as in Switzerland, Austria and parts of Namibia and the north of Italyâ€"lives up to the stereotype.Like other European languages, German does have some irregularities in verb and plural forms, so it might not get as many logic points as other languages. However, the syntax is fairly rigid, meaning German sentences are extremely consistently structured.Meanwhile, although some very long German compound words can appear intimidating, theyre constructed in a satisfyingly logical wayâ€"helping hugely with comprehension. Consider the daunting  Naturwissenschaftenlehrer. A 25-letter monster. But break it up:  Natur means nature;  Wissenschaften is knowledge;  Lehrer is teacher. The word means science teacher!German is widely taught and learned, and you could even start with FluentU to pick it up! Take a look at our German-learning blog for lots of tips, or visit the German-learning section of the FluentU videos to get started.Turkish: Phonetic and ConsistentLike with Basque, the Turkic languages might be a language family you havent come across before. Nevertheless, time and time again you will hear that Turkish is a very logical language.Despite its  diacritics, which can make it look alien to English speakersâ€"consider the consonants in a word like  açigiâ€"the language is phonetically written. Once you know how to read each character out loud, youll have  no problem reading words and sentences.There are also suffixes that change the meanings of words and can appear confusing, but theyre very consistent. With Turkey being an important country on the global scene as well as a great tourist destination, it would be a great language to pick up.The Fluent in 3 Months blog recommends  Colloquial as a great resource for beginners.Chinese: Daunting but StraightforwardScary, right? Another one of those languages which is notoriously hard to learn, at least for speakers of English and other European languages.Having said that, I cant help but get the feeling that a lo t of this is because people are put off by the script. Sure, the vocabulary is tough, but isnt that true in any language?Chinese has a lot going for it from a logical perspective. Words dont change their forms, and meaning is assigned simply by combining different words together. For example, a sign you see everywhere in China is  ??, meaning exit. This is created by combining the character  ? (out) with ? (opening or mouth). Its literally an opening you go out of. Straightforward, right?It does have a disadvantage compared to some of the others on this list since the characters bear no phonetic resemblance to the wordsâ€"exacerbated by the fact that many Chinese characters have multiple pronunciations, especially when dialectical variations are factored in. But once you start building sentences in Chinese, you see how logical this widely spoken language can be.BBC Languages is a great place to start learning Chinese if youre interested!Which of these is  the most logical? Well, tha ts hard to say: Ultimately theyre all natural languages and millennia of development have left them with illogical quirks. Try one out and see how you find it. And, if you cant master it, theres always Lojban!And One More ThingSince youve read this far, youre obviously serious about learning languages, so you may just love FluentU.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right t o see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.