Essay on Al-Shabaab African Terrorist Organization

The Al-Shabaab is regarded as one of the most dangerous African terrorist organizations. Al-Shabaab is a multiethnic militant group out of Somalia that uses many terrorist tactics in attempts to gain control over the country of Somalia. They use many forms of terrorism that include ideological revolutionary, dissident, and nationalist terrorism, as they have the motive to gain power over a territory by overthrowing the government. The Al-Shabaab is suspected to have taken part in many terrorist attacks, including the 1998 United States embassies bombings. The motive behind their violence is their goal of creating an Islamic state in Somalia, which they believe is morally justified by the ideological beliefs. An important psychological†¦show more content†¦If Al-Shabaab notices an individual that they think will benefit them and help their cause, they will threaten the individual into joining the organization (NCTC, 2013). This is an example of the Al-Shabaab using the ration al selection method to select specific members. However, lower ranking members and solders of Al-Shabaab are more concerned about nationalist matters in hopes of gaining control of their territory, compared to its leaders, which are focused on the global jihad. It is reported that the lower ranking members of Al-Shabaab will sometimes shift alliances and turn on Al-Shabaab. This is an example of intergroup conflict within Al-Shabaab. If the members of the organization do switch sides, Al-Shabaab is powerful enough to manipulate that clan network and absorbing them. This makes Al-Shabaab more powerful and gains a significantly more amount of members at the cost of one. Al-Shabaab keeps their head internal leader unclear, although it’s leadership as a whole eventually falls upon Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s leader. Though it seems that Al-Shabaab tends to no comply with Ayman al-Zawahiri at all times. In 2010, Ayman al-Zawahiri replaced Al-Shabaab’s Emir, title o f a Muslim ruler, Moktar Ali Zubeyr â€Å"Godane†, who is regarded as Al-Shabaab’s Emir, with Ibrahim Haji Jama. However, Godane refused this notion and continued on to be the organizations ruler. Al-Shabaab, the cells of al-Qaeda, recently have begun to leave major cities in Somalia, in routeShow MoreRelatedAl-Shabaab Terrorist Group1590 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Al-Shabaab as a terrorist group poses a significant threat in Somalia and in the global community. This paper will start by discussing the background. In this part the paper will show how the group has evolved from Al-Ittihad Al-Islam (AIAI) to the Islamic Court Union (ICU) and lastly to Al-Shabaab. Before discussing the group’s threat of national security, homeland and international, this paper will provide the conceptual meaning of key terminology, such as national security, homelandRead MoreThe Purpose of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Essay996 Words   |  4 PagesThe African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on the surface is an effective fighting force in Somalia; however, the success of AMISOM is contingent upon Ugandan participation. The existence of AMISOM is due to a long Somali history of political / economic instability and the current struggle against the Somalia based terrorist organization, Al-Shabaab. The overall objective within Somalia is to eliminate or at a minimum contain the Al-Shabaab threat. The creation of AMISOM assists the SomalianRead MoreNATO Essay1092 Words   |  5 Pagesmember states as over 40 states, which are not members of the organization, are involved in political and security issues concerning the organization. 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The general point is that almost all animals are getting to the brink of extinction or are either being tagged as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List. The IUCN

Student Loan Debt An Important Role For College Students

Student Loan Debt Financial support has played an important role for college students, especially for university students, whose family could not support their education after they have graduated from high school. Due to this situation, students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees to be able to continue with their education. They always need a large amount of money besides paying for the tuition but also for living, and students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees in order to be able to finish their career on time and earn a better living in the future. Some students will choose to go to work part time while at school, so they can pay for their fees and their own expense, such as gas, foods, and clothing. On the other hand, most of students will choose to take out loans from somewhere else, such as the bank or federal loans. This way, students who choose to take out a loan could focus on their education without worrying about how to pay for their fees. It is very important for students to acknowledges and be aware of the different types of student loans, and all the requirements before students decide to obtain a loan. Because of the raise in tuition leads to the existence of the student loan debt is a burden that is a financial impact on lifestyle changes, such as postpone couples to get married, to have children, to buy a house and to save for retirement. Firstly, the rate of tuition is vastly different now thanShow MoreRelatedStudent Loan Debt : An Important Role For College Students1952 Words   |  8 PagesStudent Loan Debt Financial support has played an important role for college students, especially for university students, whose family could not support their education after they have graduated from high school. 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As the result ofRead MoreIncome Share Agreements ( Isa )1169 Words   |  5 PagesWith student loan debt becoming increasingly worse year after year, new and potentially better avenues for students to finance a college education are emerging onto the market. In particular, income-share agreements (ISA) have appeared on the scene for a few years now, but not have attempted to modernize the way students pay for college. The big take away from ISA’s is the shift of financial risk from the student to the investor, unlike the traditional gover nment or private loans. A student promisesRead MoreShould Student Debt Go Beyond?1269 Words   |  6 Pagesbecoming more competitive and most require higher education. College has become necessary and so consequently, it has become more expensive. While loans have made it possible for nearly anyone to attend college, because they are given too easily, the costs of college has increased even more. A cycle of giving loans and raising tuition is created and as a result college students are burdened with a colossal amount of debt. The issues of student debt go beyond affecting graduates’ lives and begin to crippleRead MoreStudent Debt Is A Significant Social Problem Essay1297 Words   |  6 PagesExamining Student Debt When we think about college and a college education, it seems as though our first initial thought is the student loans and debt that can result in achieving a college degree. Looking back, student debt has risen drastically and has made it extremely stressful for students and families. Many people go through their entire life in debt, especially from being a student. Student debt has always existed; however, now, it is so extreme, almost all students who attend college find themselvesRead MoreIs College Worth The Cost?1296 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: The U.S. is home to some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world. But with an overwhelming 1.3 million students graduating with an average student loan debt of $29,000 each and with youth unemployment elevated, the question of whether or not college tuition is worth the money arises (The Institute for College Access Success, 2013). Higher education faces intimidating challenges: continually rising costs, access and completion problems, constant changing of technologyRead MoreWhat Are The Effects Of High College Tuition Costs On The1466 Words   |  6 PagesWhat are the effects of high college tuition costs on the economy? The fundamental aim of obtaining a higher education in this country has been to prepare and educate young Americans to accept and consider productive and proactive roles in the workforce, to strengthen our communities and nation as a whole, to contribute to our domestic and international economic competitiveness and to enrich our lives to the very fullest. As part of the perception of the American dream of â€Å"opportunity for allRead MoreShould Colleges Be Free For Every Students?922 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Help, Help† Colleges should be free for every students. There are many obstacles that students face during each semester. Some of those obstacles are the work for classes, time management, and mostly stress. However, there are enormous numbers of people who are suffering from students loans after graduation or dropping out from colleges. Some cannot afford to repay for loans because their income is low and there are also many other bills to pay for such as rent, heat, and water. In other cases,Read MoreStudent Lo Samaritan Or Satan?1545 Words   |  7 Pages3rd Draft Student Loan: Samaritan or Satan? â€Å"Die Luft der Freiheit weht† is Stanford’s motto, which means â€Å"The wind of freedom blows.† However, selective universities are not â€Å"free† like Stanford University’s motto and even less â€Å"free† when students graduate. College students pay a huge amount of tuition every year, and yet not every college graduate can find a satisfying job. Many college students choose to take out student loans. Student loans give many students chances to go to college indeed, butRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid For The Poor Or Middle Class? Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion college students and 71% end up in student loan debt;and that number has been increasing since 2012 and has combined to a total of 1.3 million dollars in student loan debt.Student loan debt has become a recurring issue over the years with students,presidential candidates,governments fighting for ways or not fighting for ways to implement new programs to make c ollege cheaper but it has not been efficient in making college affordable for the poor or middle class. This is such an important topic

Business Law IRAC Methods

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Lawfor IRAC Methods. Answer: Issue 1 Whether Jonas can sue his friend for seeking compensation for the harm incurred upon him under Contract law or Negligence law? Rule Contract Law Tort Law- Negligence and Contributory negligence Application A contract has been regarded as an agreement entered among two persons. In that agreement there must be an offer and acceptance, intent to create a lawfully binding agreement, a consideration, lawful capacity of individuals to enter in a contract and a proper understanding and consent. The above mentioned elements constitute an agreement to be enforceable between parties if these elements would not be there than there would not be any contract. Similarly, in this case there was no agreement so contract law would not be applicable for this situation. As per the law of tort, Negligence has been defined as a failure in law in order to do what a reasonable individual would have done in the situations (Legal Aid, 2016). If the plaintiff wants to establish the liability of the defendant than he has to prove three things: That the defendant owed the applicant an obligation of concern; That the defendant violated that obligation of concern; and Private harm or land injury by the plaintiff as a result of that contravention. Obligation of concern has been defined as the situations and associations under which the act has been distinguished as giving rise to a lawful obligation to receive care. Consequently, it was essential for the applicant to institute that the defendant owed them a obligation of concern. The subsistence of an obligation of concern for a private harm and land injury was originally decided by the neighbor test in the matter of Donoghue v Stevenson. In this matter it was held that for establishing an obligation of concern under the neighbor test it can be spit up into two requirements: Reasonable foresight of danger; and association of closeness. Therefore, it can be said that Jonas friend would be liable for negligence as it was his duty to warn Jonas before using the said charger as it did not had any safety mark on it. At the same time the element of contributory negligence was present in this case as contributory negligence has been regarded as an act where the plaintiff fails to take reasonable care for his own safety or loss incurred. In this case, same thing happened as the injury occurred due to the carelessness of the plaintiff as he was talking on phone while his phone was charging and although there was not safety mark; but it was well known by all the users that it has been highly restricted to use phone while charging. Conclusion Therefore, it has been concluded that though Jonass friend would be liable for negligence but Jonas would also be liable for the same as it was his own duty also for using the charger in the right way. As it was foreseen and well known fact known by Jonas that the phones should not be used while they have been put for charge. Issue 2 Whether Jonas could bring an claim against the proprietor of the caf for carelessness if the damage happened while using a non-compliant charger that was offered by an internet caf? Rule Law of Tort- Negligence and Contributory Negligence Application In this matter, the owner of the caf would be liable for the act of negligence as the injury was caused by using the non-complaint charger that was supplied by the caf. The similar case of negligence was held long back ago in which a test was established i.e. neighbor test. It stated that an individual should take sensible care in order to evade such acts which can be rationally seen as to cause damage to the neighbor. The Judge outlined the parameters of the obligation of concern in such cases stating that a person should take prudent care in order to avoid any act which a person can reasonable foresee that would likely to harm the persons neighbor. The neighbor under law has been regarded as the individual who was personally and honestly exaggerated by another persons act that he ought to have reasonably taken in deliberation as being exaggerated when he was unswerving his mind to the said acts which were called in question. The state safety authorities if Australia has warned the consumers on the danger of using cheap, non- approved USB chargers after the demise of women who died in Australia. It was established in this case that the lady died as a result of electrocution which occurred and burnt her ears and chest (Fair Trading, 2014). So, the NSW Fair Trading Commissioner made an announcement by warning the consumers of the potential risk which was associated with such type of cheap chargers. The commissioner stated that these devices pose a severe danger of electrocution or fire and because of this the fair trading investigators had detached from sale a number if illegal and non- complaint USB chargers. And also it has been affirmed by the Commissioner that the corporations or traders who were selling such unapproved electrical devices could be fined with the fine up to $ 875,000 and $87,500 respectively. The said devices were restricted as these illegal devices did not meet the indispensable securit y necessities of Australian Standards and were often built of low-grade plastics and other insulations supplies. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that the owner of the caf would be liable for the act of negligence as he was making use of such type of non- complaint charger till now even after the Fair Trading Commissioner has asked the investigators to restrict the sale and use of such chargers. But at the same time Jonas would also be liable as he was using the charger even after the clear statement which was clearly stated by the Commissioner by warning the consumers to take precautionary steps. Such act occurred earlier also where a lady was using phone while it was on charge. But Jonas did the same thing even after foreseeing the said act or knowing the consequences of the same. So it would amount to contributory negligence of both the parties. Issue 3 Whether Jonas could bring a claim for negligent misrepresentation against the proprietor of the shop if the damage happened whilst using a non-compliant USB that was purchased from an electrical supplies shop or not? Rule Law of Tort and Contract Negligent Misrepresentation Application In this situation, the shopkeeper would be liable for the act of negligent misrepresentation. Since, the law of Contract, misrepresentation affirms to a false declaration of fact which has been made by one party to another, which has the consequence of inducing the party into such agreement. Negligent Misrepresentation has been regarded as one of the kind of misrepresentation which occurs in different situations. It occurs when the defendant inaccurately makes a demonstration while having no sensible basis to believe it to be correct (Ramensky, 2016). Similar, but different to a claim for actionable misrepresentation were the claims for negligent misrepresentation. It can give rise to a physical or financial loss or injury. In order to accomplish something in a allegation for negligent misstatement the applicant must set up that a fake statement was made by the maker of the statement. In Shaddock v Parramatta City Council the responsibility was absolute for giving data as well as recommendation and it was stated that "the individual giving the data to other individual whom he knows would rely on it in situations where it was sensible for him to do so, was under an obligation to work out sensible concern that the data was accurate." It was only a case of time before the government behaved in a way to give legislative shield to customers for falsification in the appearance of the Trade Practices Act 1974 for the safety of organizations performing in business and retail and later the Fair Trading Act 1987 was enacted for granting protection to the non-corporate traders. Similarly, Section 2 of the Trade Practices Act affords that the aim of this act was to improve the wellbeing of the citizens by the encouragement of struggle and fair dealing with enactment of provisions for the purpose of protecting the consumers." S 52 (1) of the Trade Practices Act, "An organization shall not, in business or commerce, employ in any conduct that would be confusing or illusory or was likely to delude or mislead the consumers." S 42 of the Fair Trading Act, 1987 was in indistinguishable stipulations and has been applicable on the non-corporate dealers. Conclusion Therefore, it has been concluded that the shopkeeper would be liable for making compensation for the loss incurred upon Jonas as when he asked prior to the purchase that whether the charger was complaint with the Australian Standards then the shopkeeper said yes. Although, he very well knew that the charger was faulty and can harm the person then also he lied. The shopkeeper should have told the purchaser about the charger by not misleading the characteristics if the charger. Also, as per the principle of Caveat emptor which means let the buyer aware it can be concluded that as it has been believed that the buyer have less knowledge about the product so it has been the duty of the seller to tell the buyer about the truthfulness of the product. Therefore, the shop keeper would be liable for the act of misrepresentation. References: Fair Trading. (2014) Safety alert - USB style chargers. [Online] NSW Government. Available from: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/News_and_events/Media_releases/2014_media_releases/20140626_safety_alert_usb_style.page? [Accessed on 27/09/16] Legal Aid.(2016)Negligence.[Online] Western Australia.Available from:https://www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/Informationaboutthelaw/Birthlifeanddeath/Personalinjury/Pages/Negligence.aspx [Accessed on 27/09/16] Ramensky, G. (2016) Fraud and negligence.[Online] Find Law Australia. Available from: https://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/134/fraud-and-negligence.aspx [Accessed on 27/09/16]

What impression do you receive from the Songs of Blakes own religious beliefs Essay Example

What impression do you receive from the Songs of Blakes own religious beliefs? Essay William Blake was incredibly spiritual and certainly a strong Christian, although he disliked organised religion as he saw it to be an oppressive tool. His brother died of consumption at quite a young age, and this had a profound effect on Blake, who is said to have seen his soul ascend heavenward clapping its hands for joy. I feel it is fair to argue that Blake used his poetry to express his religious views, and criticise the Churchs repressive nature. Blake Songs of Innocence and Experience certainly contain many poems with religious overtones. Blake uses various techniques to show his own feelings for, in particular, organised religion and the church. Animal imagery is particularly prominent. Holy Thursday, from Songs of Innocence depicts an image of children visiting St Pauls Cathedral. The title itself suggests the celebration of the day Jesus friend Judas betrayed him, and as a result he was taken on the following day, now known as Good Friday to be killed. On this day Jesus gave the commandment That ye love one another as I have loved you. It is this feast that the children, usually from Charity Schools, seem to be celebrating. We will write a custom essay sample on What impression do you receive from the Songs of Blakes own religious beliefs? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What impression do you receive from the Songs of Blakes own religious beliefs? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What impression do you receive from the Songs of Blakes own religious beliefs? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The children are described by Blake as walking two and two in red and blue and green, despite the vivid colour imagery used here the opening stanza still seems to be a criticism of the church. The description of the officers employed to maintain order in the church, Grey headed beadles is much more morbid and contrasts well with the brighter colours used with reference to the children. This may be Blakes way of showing his contempt for the Church. Walking two and two references the bible and the story of Noahs Ark but also depicts the regimentation of the children, who are later described as multitudes of lambs. This imagery illustrates the innocence of the children and the suppression of their individuality, as it seems Blake is implying that they all look the same, at least, perhaps, through the eyes of the church. The lambs give an impression of innocence or purity, which could be Blakes way of showing his disdain for the church, as it, as an organisation, is arguably taking away this innocence or using the naivety of the children to impose its values, taking away their choice. Either interpretation supports the idea that Blake uses his poetry to reflect his own beliefs. The Lamb, also from Songs of Innocence also arguably reflects Blakes religious views. The poem itself seems to be questioning the mystery of creation, Little Lamb who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee? It has a simple structure and uses uncomplicated language to convey a complex meaning. The tone is happy, which is enhanced by the rhyming couplets, although it is possible that this was intended to disguise Blakes cynicism, again making the poem much more complex than it first seems. Religious imagery is used again in this poem. The explicit reference to a lamb in the title immediately implies innocence, and, again, could be an indication of the sacrificial lambs of the bible. The protagonist seems to be addressing the lamb directly, although it is possible that Blake actually intended it to be and enlightening poem. The use of the pronoun He could suggest that the lamb is Jesus, He is meek and he is mild; He became a little child, although it could too be symbolic of all children. It can be argued that Blakes intention was to use biblical references to connect with all people, as, in the time of his writing, the church was far more prominent than it is today. Although this poem implicitly references the bible with the lamb, it could too simply be Blakes way of criticising the Churchs treatment of innocent children. This being said, I feel it is possible that Blake did not intend to overtly portray his religious views in this poem. The Divine Image, from Songs of Innocence uses anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman things, to convey its religious content. The word divine means relating to Gods, gods, or goddesses, again showing a specific religious reference. The poem seems to convey a message of God encompassing all that is positive, For Mercy has a human heart, / Pity a human face. It is possible that Blake intended this poem to contradict his other, more critical religious poems. Despite his spirituality, it would be feasible to view Blake as an atheist, because of his contempt for the church. This poem, therefore, is arguably the most accurate in showing his own religious beliefs, laid bare and free from criticism. The final stanza begins with the message And all must love the human form, / In heathen, Turk or Jew, which seems to be advocating compassion, although it is also plausible that Blake is begging the question why single people out? This seems to add on Blakes own interpretation of Christianity. Overall, the poem has a positive tone, as it suggests that all the divine qualities of Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love are held by each individual and suggests, rather than pointing out negative qualities, that people are actually inherently good. Blake also shows his religious views through his Songs of Experience, an example of this being A Little Boy Lost. Blake seems to grow increasingly negative in the Experience section of the collection. Blake uses the young boy as a symbol of free-thought, as he questions religion, And father, how can I love you, / Or any of my brothers more? Blake presents the church to be repressive, enforcing moral laws to the detriment of children. The title itself implies innocence, as Little Boy suggests a naivety. Blakes shows the church to be irrational, reacting to his innocent questioning in an over the top fashion. By the third stanza the imagery is very aggressive, In trembling zeal he seized his hair. I think it is possible that Blake uses the Priest to reflect upon the reader the attitudes of the society of the time he was writing. Priests would have generally been held in high esteem, so even the violence towards the child at the hands of the church is unlikely to have been questioned. A lso, the binding imagery, bound him in an iron chain suggests oppression and this is typical of Blakes own beliefs. The tone is sarcastic at times, and Priestly care seems to be and ironic statement. Blakes Songs of Experience contains a number of poems that mirror the ones from Innocence, Holy Thursday being an example of this. The language and imagery of this poem is much harsher than that of the Innocence poem. Blake is questioning life on earth, and the contrast between the second line of the poem and the final line of the second stanza, shows his contempt; In a rich and fruitful landIt is a land of poverty! The structure of this poem is also different to its counterpart, as the sentences are much shorter and many more questions are posed about society. Blake uses negative diction throughout, Babes reduced to misery and eternal winter being examples of this. The poem implies people living in unorganised innocence, passively accepting things that they believe they cannot change. This poem certainly seems to impose upon the reader Blakes cynicism of organised religion and perhaps the passiveness of people, who fail to question religion, as shown also in A Little Boy Lost. In conclusion, I think it is far to argue that Blake does use his poetry to reflect his own religious views and does this through his sarcasm and cynicism of the church. Arguably the poems in Experience show this more blatantly, as the imagery and diction becomes increasingly negative. The Songs of Experience do show his beliefs, but in a less aggressive way than the Songs of Experience. The impression I receive from the Songs is one of Blakes distrust of the church, and of society, but a great belief and faith in God and the capacity of well-doing held by individuals. Religion is a prominent theme in the collection, but I feel that the tone is the most important technique he exercises, as it shows his sense of humour too.

alexandria the great essays

alexandria the great essays In the ancient world, there were many strides and advancements toward a more developed society. However, in the field of technology there were colossal improvements that made quality of life improve drastically. Often times, inventions were discovered and utilized, but died along with the inventor for lack of any form of documentation. This was the case for many cities as well as their inventions. Although many cities were developed technologically in various ways, Alexandria stands out as the city that surpassed all others in technological advancement. Numerous accomplishments emerged from Alexandrias walls that we are aware of, yet many more died with the times. A close examination of those inventions that survived provides todays world with a glimpse into a society that was far more advanced than generally recognized. One of the most famous and well-known accomplishments of Alexandria was the Alexandria Lighthouse, or the Pharos of Alexandria . As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it survived the test of time for over 1000 years (290 BC 1323 AD), until an earthquake destroyed the building . Constructed by Sostratus, it stood almost 384 feet high and it was composed of three different levels. The first level was square in shape, the second was octagonal and the third level was circular. The top of the tower housed a fire at night, which sent a light out into the sea that could be seen for over 30 miles. The giant mirror that was contained in the top level was used during the day to project light in addition to serving as a weapon; it was so powerful that it could be used to burn enemy ships miles before they reached Alexandria . Another interesting invention in the field of technology that came from Alexandria was the coin operated slot machine. Designed by Heron in the 1st century AD, it was developed for use in the temples. One could put a five-drachma bronze coin into the slot and ...

Recruiters look for these 8 skills in every resume

Recruiters look for these 8 skills in every resume The specific skills you need to excel in the working world will vary depending on your field. But there are 8 general skills all recruiters hope to see, whether listed or implied, on your resume. Not only will these skills  help you get your foot into the door, but they’ll also make you a competent and respected employee. If you don’t have any of these skills, it might be time to acquire a few. If you do have ‘em, great! Start showcasing them on that resume.1. ProfessionalismYou’ll want to go on to describe this in more concrete terms, depending on your industry, but the skill itself is invaluable- and hard to teach. Talk about how conscientious and organized you are, and how dedicated.2. Integrity/HonestyIt sounds simple, but it’s key- can a company trust you? Will you show up on time and do the job you’re assigned? Will you keep sensitive company information from people who aren’t supposed to hear it?  Just listing these skills se nds the message that you find them valuable enough for precious resume space.3. AdaptabilityFlexibility and the willingness to do things outside the exact scope of your job description are highly valued traits. Will you pitch in where needed, roll with the punches, and evolve as your industry changes? Are you ready to work on developing skills you haven’t yet mastered? If you let recruiters know you’re adaptable to change, they’re more likely to want you on board.4. Industry AwarenessIf you know what’s going on in your industry, it shows you have your eye on the bigger prize. You’ll be looking past your own position- and even your own company- at the bigger picture. This will make your work better and your insights deeper. You’ll also have a better learning curve when you can anticipate the changes coming in your field.5. Research SkillsNo one goes into a job knowing every possible answer to every possible problem or situation, or even just the answer to every question that comes up. Knowing how to research well and effectively- and knowing when a situation calls for it- is an invaluable skill. The ability to research well also suggests you’re a great self-starter- able to look into confusing things on your own before bugging your manager.6. Work EthicFile this under good, old-fashioned stick-to-itiveness. Can people count on you to get the job done? Maybe more importantly, do you hold yourself accountable? Show recruiters that you take your work seriously and are willing to work hard to make sure you do things right.7. People Skills/CommunicationYou may match the skills requirement list perfectly for a job, but if you can’t communicate effectively or clearly (or if you’re just really bad at interpersonal skills), you may lose out on more jobs than you know. Brush up your email, phone, and in-person conversation skills, and convey to recruiters that you can express yourself clearly and professional ly via all avenues.8. PassionNobody likes an automaton, however effective. Show that you’re qualified, sure, but don’t forget to show just how much energy and positivity you bring to the table. Let your passion, drive, and interest in the field shine through- or fake it if you have to!

Cultural Issues and Business in the Russian Federation Research Paper

Cultural Issues and Business in the Russian Federation - Research Paper Example In terms of social protocol, there are not many differences between Russian culture and Western culture. However, specific cuisine and the custom of first-time meeting and gift exchange is common. For instance, if an individual business associate is invited to the home of another, it is expected that they should bring a gift, either for the family as a whole or at the very least – for children that might be exhibited within the household. As far as taboos, it is expected that individuals will remove their shoes once entering someone else’s place of residence. Traditionally, male and female interactions do not differ greatly as compared to other Western European nations and gestures and body language remains ultimately the same as well. Furthermore, with respect to the monetary system, the Russian Federation, as well as the Soviet Union before it, has operated on the monetary unit of the rubble for centuries. The rule, of course, fluctuates with respect to its overall strength against the dollar; however, at the current time, the ruble is approximately 29:1 USD. Compared to the United States, wages paid to workers are of course quite low. For instance, the average salary within the Russian Federation per year does not yet approach $20,000. The greatest expense with respect to doing business has to do with the long wait times and difficult to navigate bureaucracy defined so much of the Russian Federation. For instance, many firms have found themselves waiting up to one year for a permit as simple as gaining access to existing public water.

California since 1970 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

California since 1970 - Essay Example This essay "California since 1970" outlines how this state changed based on main issues: population, school system, and political geography. California has been populated since 1970 when it had a population of 19,953,134. Currently the population of California is 38,292,687. The US Bureau officially estimated the population to be 36, 756,666 as in 2008. In 2000, its population was numbered 33, 871, 648. The state’s population has grown dramatically since 1970 ("California Population."). Based on the US Census Bureau, the population of California is made of white non-Hispanic (42.7%), Hispanic (36.2%), Blacks (6.7%) and Asian (12.4%). The growth rate has slowed recently; from 2000-2004, the state lost 99,000 people to other states than it gained from other states in the United States. The presumption of system of governance, local control based on domestic electoral accountability- the system that was in place for the last 150 years has been taken over by the state control syst em. The decisions that were used to be local discretion matters-among them the student assessment, student graduation and promotion, and resource allocation are now matters of the government policy. Districts are now subjected to federal regulations and voluminous state and reporting requirements ( â€Å"Report of the Joint Interim Committee on the Public Education System†). The state tells the facilitators how to teach readings and how to carry themselves in the company of teachers. Since the enactment of PSAA, the state took over the failing schools and fire principals and teachers. Due to the changes in governance since 1970, there are crucial areas of learning and teaching that were not subjected to the legislative mandate. Currently, the constitution of the state assigns education’s responsibility to the state while the legislature has delegated that responsibility to local schools. The school districts were given the authority to collect taxes, make contracts, an d implement state law as it applied to school’s operation. The education’s accountability was synonymous with domestic political accountability. The members of the school board answered to the electorates. Over the years, state centralization made a difference in some crucial ways. Among them are transparency, efficiency, rationality and adequacy of finance system. Since 1970, the combination of voter initiatives, court rulings and legislative enactment has altered the school system in the state of California finance (Watts, Malcolm and Clark Jones, 67). Compared to 1970s, California now look decidedly blue. Both the California congressional representatives and senators are Democrats. During the last election, the Californians voted solidly Democratic. The growth in the democratic support since 197- has not been uniform in the entire state. The North used to vote for Democratic while the south used to vote for republican. This has been replaced by west-east, or the coa stal inland division. In the early 1970’s, the most Democratic region was the Bay Area in the presidential elections, and the southern and central areas were solidly Republican ( "California's Political Geography."). Over the years the presidential elections has been a measure of political standings among the Californians this

Discussion Questions Essay Example for Free

Discussion Questions Essay 1. Who is someone that you feel you have a positive relationship with? What role do you think openness and truthfulness have in making this relationship positive? Me and my friend Jeff have a very positive friendship. Openness and truthfulness play a big role because were always open and tell each other everything. Also we always tell each other the truth so we never have any arguing and have a positive friendship. 2. What effects do you think the various types of media (TV, Internet, newspapers, Facebook, etc. †¦) have on your own life and your family? Do you think the overall effect is negative or positive? How can parents reduce the negative effects? I think social media effects everyone in a bad way. I feel that pages like Twitter and Facebook make people feel like they aren’t good enough cause of what other people might say or post. People can be getting bullied and no one knows. Social media gives people low self-esteem. I think the overall effect is negative. Parents can reduce the negative effect by restricting the child from using social media pages until they are older.

The Writing of Arab Female Novelists :: Culture Cultural

The Writing of Arab Female Novelists The Story of Arab women novelists reflects, in many ways, the story of most women in different disciplines: it is the story of abundant creativity with very few rights or sometimes no rights at all. It is the story of a group of women who were absented from the literary scene simply because their creativity and attitudes proved to be different from men's, who were and still are, the "mainstream" and the only arbiters who decide what is literally valuable and what is not. It is a story that went on unnoticed for a hundred years because, as men related it, there was only one version of the official history of Arabic literature.' In the recent half-century, Arab woman writers have acquired a distinctive position in the field of literature, with an impressive richness, diversity and creativity in their writing. Woman novelists lead the reign of storytelling now just as they did right at the beginning. 'The first Arab novel was written by a woman, fifteen years before any Arab man tried his hand at this literary genre. Hush al Awaqib, by Zaynab Fawaz, was published in 1899.' For them, storytelling was a way of self-expression, and individualism. The intention is not to imply that it is gender difference itself that determines the nature of literary creation, on the contrary, it underscores differences in experience, differences that are manifested in literature. But it is often viewed that "individualistic" works by many woman writers can be read as feminist in the context of Arab culture. This culture denotes that values such as collective ethnic and religious identity conformity behaviors are caught up in the power structure. Therefore, feminism is also institutionalized in these values. Other criticisms in regard to women's novels are that they their works were merely an extension of their bodies, that the heroines in the text are representatives of themselves. Another criticism was that the subjects and issues the women writers dealt with could not possibly be of any public interest due to the fact that the majority of the works were about love, family and children and reflected the restricted world they lived in. Even other women critics dissociated themselves with women's works and concentrated on the works of men instead. But the truth is that not only were women the first to write novels in Arabic, they were also the first to deal with major issues, even before men addressed them. Also, evidence from works such as Liyana Badr's A Balcony of the Fakhani demonstrate beyond any doubt that Arab women novelists were intensely involved in the social and political concerns of

Chris Peterson at DSS Consulting Essay

This case discussed the events that occurred during a change in DSS Consulting’s organizational structure. Three retired school district administrators established DSS Consulting during the late 1990’s. The company offered administrative support to small school districts located within the mid-west and mountain west region. They specialized in handling the negotiating of labor agreements as well as implementation of permanent system solutions designed to enable those organizations to run efficiently. The firm experienced a significant degree of success during their early years, which was primarily attributed to the founder’s personal relationships within each school district that utilized their services. The demand for the services offered by DSS grew quickly given the changing dynamic of challenges faced by each district. Some of those challenges related to reductions in budgets and subsequent reduction of administrative staff. The firm structured themselves to accommodate the change in services needs of their customers. As a result, DSS designed an organizational structure that consisted of the four areas of specialization: Procurement and Systems, Information Technology, Contract Negotiation and Facilities Planning. By the mid-2000’s, DSS experienced some significant changes in their organizational structure and their customer base. It was during this time that the founders of the company reduced the amount of time they were spending in client engagement and relying upon the expertise of the management teams for each specialized area. As a result, a gap was created surfacing the need for a strategy for attracting and retaining new business. This would require adapting their service offerings to meet the demands of rapidly changing market base. These factors led to a halt in the firm’s growth and forced the company to redefine the organizational structure to remain a competitor. The key issues of this case involved successfully redesigning the firm’s strategy, implementation of those changes while  maintaining their level of success. The firm would need to realign their management structure and create functional teams to design, develop and implement product offerings that would appeal to an expanded market (i.e. larger school districts). A major consideration for the firm was how to achieve this goal and maintain the level of commitment from employee’s as change in any form can be a daunting task. A new management structure was determined and Meg Cooke was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of DSS. Ms. Cooke and the Board of Directors made the decision to adopt a new structure that created cross-functional teams each assigned to a specific region for which they would design and create products for customers specific to their region that could potentially be marketed to additional regions with similar demands. Based on my review of the case, the major issues identified can be categorized as communication, leadership, organizational culture and organizational change. Communication The manner in which the new strategy was communicated at all levels of the organization appeared to lack a clear concise message which defined the redesigned strategy, new organizational structure and a detailed implementation plan to achieve the desired results. The communication of these changes wasn’t handled in the most efficient manner and subsequently not received by all employees in a favourable manner. Study results that have been published by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School have indicated that effective communication skills have become one of the most important factors when recruiter’s are screening candidates for potential managerial positions. Both Ms. Cooke and Ms. Peterson failed to communicate in all phases of the organizational change. Although it appeared that Ms. Cooke met regularly with other department leaders, she and Ms. Peterson never had regularly scheduled planning meetings or informal weekly check-ins to ensure that sh e and her team were on target for successfully delivering the team’s objectives. Although, Ms. Peterson communicated and fostered open, collaborative conversations with her team, she failed to communicate with her manager to ensure that she understood expectations for herself as the leader and for her team. Successful communication is only achieved when the sender and receiver of information  have the same understanding of the information presented. (See Figure 1) For example, when Chris Peterson was assigned to lead her team in delivering new products that would appeal to larger districts within and outside of her designated region. She received the message as â€Å" create/design new product offerings that would appeal to districts within the southwest region. Leadership The style of leadership varies with every individual. It has been stated that today’s successful leaders have created in their organizations an atmosphere where every employee believes in management, their strategy and the importance of their individual contributions in achieving the organizations goal. Blake Mouton’s Managerial Grid is a model using in identifying leadership style that is based on the concept that there are two behavioural dimensions: concern for people which can be defined as the degree to which leaders are aware of and consider the needs of their staff, their skill sets and development potential when making decisions about specific tasks to be completed. The second dimension is concern for production and is defined as the degree to which leaders place importance on objectives, efficiency and production specifically what it takes to meet the desired result. Based on these definitions, I would classify Ms. Cooke’s driving leadership behaviour dimension to be in the latter category of concern for production and Ms. Peterson’s as concern for people. It was evident that Ms. Cooke’s leadership style resulted in a disorganized and poorly motivated organization. Her lack of leadership to Ms. Peterson resulted in the team being led in the direction of focusing their efforts on a project that would not be approved. Ms. Peterson clearly valued the skills of each team member as well as taking extensive steps to ensure that a collaborative, innovative environment existed for her team to design and develop a new product offering for the districts in the southwest region that would meet their needs. Organizational Culture and Organizational Change The culture that exists within any organization plays a vital role in the behaviour and actions of employees. Organizational culture as defined McLean and Marshall is a collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs  and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organization. Based on this definition, DSS’s original organizational structure could be classified as so-called Power Culture (Handy, 1993). This culture is typical for small entrepreneurial organizations similar to DSS, where the founders had a strong influence and played a central role in managing the company and securing contracts from their school district contacts. These types of cultures rely heavily on trust, personal communication and empathy. The structure is very informal and there are few rules and guidelines in this culture. However, the changes implemented at DSS to redefine their strategy forced a culture change as well. The organizational structure changed from functional to a more structured matrix type. The appointment of the COO position shifted the organizational culture from the personal interactive environment to one of project and task oriented nature. This shift made implementation of the new strategy increasingly more difficult as this was new to everyone at all levels of the organization.

Michel Foucault

Michel Foucault, generally in his philosophy, has created a system wherein he  examines the relations of power as they are transmuted down in a society (not one  that it is held by individuals—and, indeed, it is not so perpetuated), wherein the  refinement of discourse over time allows for the normalization of behaviors and then that  individuals are encouraged, as docile bodies, to adhere to this program of normalization.  Foucault locates the origins of this process in asylums and prisons, and considers them an  Enlightenment technological development, which he calls â€Å"technologies of the self†: But I became more and more aware that in all societies there is another type of technique:  techniques which permit individuals to affect, by their own means, a certain number of  operations on their own bodies, their own souls, their own thoughts, their own conduct,  and this in a manner so as to transform themselves, modify themselves, and to attain a  certain state of perfection, happiness, purity, supernatural power. Let us call these kinds  of technologies technologies of the self. (Foucault â€Å"Sexuality and Solitude 367) Foucault locates these technologies of the self at the center of the process of  normalization that has shifted the process of punishment from an outward display of  power as in medieval executions to an internal process in which the prisoner becomes  complicit in his own punishment. By employing these technologies of the self an  increasingly analytical and ever more refined manner power is able to normalize almost  all of life and make the distinction between punishment and education trivial. In attempting to diagnose the evolutionary trend of the manner in which  punishment has been historically meted out throughout the ages, Foucault suggests that  there has been a gradual evolution from tactics of raw displays of power to more subtle  forms of control. While this might suggest a certain amount of progress in that it is a  progressive movement towards a less obvious brutal form of maintenance of the status  quo it is nonetheless   a pervasive manner of social control and thus the obfuscation of  means of social control over the passage of time, especially since the enlightenment,  should not be mistaken for true liberation or the work of real progress toward a deeper  goal of recognize some eternal truth about human rights. Whereas medieval society  employed the public display of punishment in intricate and executions of the most  excruciating form (such as beheading, drawing and quartering, hanging etc.) to help  maintain social order by showing the direct result of a failure to comply with law,  contemporary society uses more indirect and less overt methods for encouraging its  subjects to adhere to the traditional social order. Indeed, where medieval societies used  overt displays of brute force, modern society prefers processes of normalization, which  are less intrusive:  Another instrument used to achieve discipline is the normalizing judgment. Instead of punishing offenders for wrong doings, the administrators with power choose to  rehabilitate them to attempt to normalize problem individuals and make them a functional  and law abiding.   This type of corrective attempt is used through training techniques  including the use of repetition.   This could be used in the classroom for a student that  could not write cursive well enough to pass to the next level.   For a punishment, they  could be required to write cursive sentences over and over again.   Additionally, to  provide the society with this normalization or conformity, rewards become more frequent  than penalties. For those students that tend to fall behind, the prospect of a reward could  be more appealing to do well than the threat of yet another punishment.   This gives  individuals something to strive to achieve and creates incentives for being disciplined. â€Å"What Is Discipline?† Here, we see the ideas of punishment couched in the language of teaching and  rehabilitation. What is a deviant behavior is simply a mistaken approach to learning basic  social rules that can be corrected and analyzed and subjected to extensive discourse. Moreover, in this instance, there is not only the issue of negative reinforcement via the  coercive measure of the threat of punishing action in response to a putative misdeed, but,  moreover, there is the extension of a metaphorical â€Å"carrot† being extended to the  perpetrator of a violation should he manage to conform to the exact processes that the  captors. In this movement, this ability to make the punished complicit in his own   punishment, is the real power of the indirect method revealed because not only does it not  require an exercise of power, but allows those being punished to aid in their own  punishment. This idea of creating â€Å"docile bodies† by means of indirect punishments that seek  to examine and to â€Å"rehabilitate† rather than to torture is their chief use. Indeed, for docile  bodies are effective because they are given the illusion of freedom, in being offered a  choice between two possibilities they have the trappings of volition but when it has been   ordained ahead of time for them to choose one of the options of the other this merest veil  of volition is quickly revealed as just another discursive element rather than an  effectively â€Å"real† choice with meaning and consequence. Docility is a major advantage  because it allows the docile body to assist in his own rehabilitation and normalization  and, by extension, his own punishment per se: The term docility, or to be docile, means to  have a certain amount of control exercised over you. Foucault says; â€Å"a body is docile that  may be subjected, used, transformed and improved† (Foucault Discipline and Punish,  136). Docility was the way in which someone was trained, a way in which someone cold  be molded like clay to fit the needs of those that are in control. This was done in the  army, the schoolhouse, basically anywhere people were subjected to control on an  everyday basis. Docility is nothing more then discipline, where â€Å"discipline is a political  anatomy of detail† (Foucault Discipline and Punish, 139). The body was no longer beaten  and abused rather it was explored, broken down and rearranged.   Rather then being  destroyed the body was being entered into a political machine that produced docile  bodies. Foucault talks about docile bodies because he is trying to explain the shifts that  took place from the practice of torture and the spectacle to the building of the prisons.  Thus, the issue here is that by this method the body is forced to undergo a process  that, while substantially different from an experiential perspective than torture, has, as its  object, a surprisingly simple aim, which is of course the same ends of enforcing the  stability and standard of behavior that is normative and therefore beneficial to the  institutions of power. Through the creation of such docile bodies who no longer need to  be tortured but instead can be subtly goaded towards the process of rehabilitation and  ergo normalization, the standards of normalcy can be entertained and reinforced within  the individual by the individual. Indeed, even more ingenious is that, by such a method,  in which punishment is rehabilitation, the very distinction between the two begins to  break down. Punishment becomes a sort of identical with the very processes of   identification, analysis, and education. Part of the reason for this is that possibility of an  end telos of this process, of any sort of true enlightenment, per se, becomes an  impossibility, because such refinement and enlightenment leads only further into the  constricting web of discourse. Indeed, since the entire project of enlightenment refuses to end in any categorical  liberation (which is indeed an improbability if not an impossibility) that can be  demonstrated, this should be no surprise. Advances in rationalization and logic only serve  to further refine the methods by which processes like normalization take place, allowing  them to be now couched in doctrines of ethics, psychology, and criminology where they  can be used for the creation of docile bodies when in the past the only recourse would  have been the use of raw and terrible amounts of force: The enquiries have their  methodological coherence in the at once archaeological and genealogical study of  practices envisaged simultaneously as a technological type of rationality and as strategic  games of liberties; they have their practical coherence in the care brought to the process  of putting historico-critical reflections to the test of concrete practices. I do not know  whether it must be said today that the critical task still entails faith in Enlightenment; I  continue to think that this task requires work on our limits, that is, a patient labor giving  form to our impatience for liberty. (Foucault â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† 50) Here, we see that the capital-E Enlightenment has resulted in little more than a  refinement of the â€Å"strategic games of liberties,† which, of course, serve to do little else   to confine one to the rules of the game rather than allow for the possibility of a true  exit, and, similarly the possibility of little-e enlightenment for the individual is equally  impossible when each enlightenment only furthers the discourse and increases the  process of education which is the form of expiation in the principle order of things  anyway. Thus, enlightenment is an increasingly remote quantity whose value remains  unknown and unknowable, while the reality of the increasing and encroaching science of  punishment is advanced in discourse in such a way that the process of discipline is  reinforced through the further and stronger normalization of every single social act, since  the discourse about these acts also multiples, creating possibilities for discourse where no  such possibility even existed before. Thus, the teleological goal of the penal system then seem to be one in which it is  almost impossible to distinguish between education and punishment and, indeed, prison  and the outside world. Through the creation of bourgeois docile bodies, prisons  increasingly do not require walls because the normalization of every activity makes it  such that the mere examination of the entirety of one’s existence links one to the very  concept of the punishment that looks less and less like a punishment:   The ideal point of  penalty today would be an indefinite discipline: an interrogation without end, an  investigation that would be extended without limit to a meticulous and ever more  analytical observation, a judgment that would at the same time be the constitution of a  file that was never closed, the calculated leniency of a penalty that would be interlaced  with the ruthless curiosity of an examination, a procedure that would be at the same time  the perman ent measure of a gap in relation to an inaccessible norm and the asymptotic  movement that strives to meet in infinity. (Foucault Discipline and Punish 227) Thus, the conclusion we reach at the end is that the goal of increasing discourse  since the enlightenment is to make power’s reach ever more diffuse but ever more  pervasive—the inclusion of discourse into previously verboten areas allows for the  normalization of those areas and with that normalization comes control such that the  ideas of punishment and rational consideration seem to come within a hairsbreadth of  merging at the distance of an infinite regress. References Foucault, Michel. â€Å"Sexuality and Solitude.† On Signs. Marshall Blonsky ed. Baltimore: John’s Hopkins Press, 1985. Santos, Tomas. â€Å"Foucault and the Modern Day Panopticon.† Retrieved January 05, 2008, at http://www.spelunkephobes.4t.com/foucault_and_the_modern.htm Foucault, Michel. â€Å"What is Enlightenment.† The Foucault Reader. Paul Rabinow, ed. Catherine Porter, trans. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984. Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of Prison. Alan Sheridan, trans. New York: Vintage, 1979.                              

How To Get Merit Scholarships and Honors at State Schools

How To Get Merit Scholarships and Honors at State Schools SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Don't get lost in the crowd. Do you want to stay close to home for college, but don’t want to get lost in the crowd of a large state school? Or do you want to know how to make the most of your experience at large university? It’s possible to get a selective, small college experience at a large university, through programs like honors colleges and merit scholarships. But how can you find these programs, and how can you ensure you'll be considered for merit scholarships and honors colleges? We will give you the info you need to make sure you don’t miss out on opportunities near you. Think Beyond the "Safety School" Many people don’t stress out about applying to their local state schools because they have application deadlines later in the year – sometimes as late as May or June. In some cases, since students consider state schools their â€Å"safety schools† where admission is all but guaranteed, they don’t put as much effort into their state school applications. However, many of the deadlines for honors colleges and merit scholarships at large universities are much earlier – sometimes as early as October of your senior year. And some of these programs and scholarships have special applications. If you’re not aware of deadlines before senior year starts, it’s easy to miss out on scholarships and other programs that can really enrich your college experience. Many of these programs are as competitive as getting into selective colleges, so it’s also important to put together a competitive application. In short, you should treat these applications like you’re applying to a selective school. So how do you find these programs, and how can you make sure you’re competitive? We will answer those questions here. Why Apply for Special Programs? By special programs, we mean merit scholarships, honors programs or honors colleges, or any programs that require extra or early applications. We will focus on merit scholarships and honors colleges in this post, since they are the most common special programs at larger universities, but make sure to check out the website of any school you’re interested in and see what extra options they have for undergraduates. So why apply to these programs? There are three main reasons. Make College Cheaper College is expensive. Even if you stay in state, tuition, room, board, textbooks, and other fees can add up quickly. You should definitely apply for need-based financial aid if you need it, but getting a merit scholarship can often fill in where financial aid falls short. Many merit scholarships cover half or all of tuition. Some even cover room and board as well. Also, many honors colleges offer their students opportunities for research or study abroad funding. This can help finance experiences that can otherwise be expensive or otherwise unattainable. It's hard to turn down money, especially when it can help you get a college education. Get a Small-School Experience Going to large university is great because of all the resources and classes available to you, but it’s easy to feel lost in the crowd, especially as a freshman. Being a part of a smaller program or merit scholarship cohort can give you a small-school experience within a larger university. These programs often have special advising or mentor systems that can also help you acclimate to college life. Many have special housing options that will allow you to get to know other people in your program easily. This can make it easy to build a community, even as a freshman. Distinguish Yourself for Jobs Although this seems really far away, graduating with honors or having a merit scholarship can really set you apart when it comes time to apply for jobs and/or graduate programs during your senior year of college. You can take steps now to give yourself a huge leg up when it’s time to enter the â€Å"real world.† So how do you get merit scholarships? How do you get into honors colleges? We will explain how to find these programs and how to apply. Merit Scholarships: How To Apply Unlike financial aid, merit scholarships are given based on student achievement – your test scores, GPA, and the overall strength of your application. The amount of a merit scholarship can vary widely – anything from a $1,000 stipend to full tuition, room, and board. To be considered for merit scholarships, you often have to meet an earlier deadline or submit an additional application. For example, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,you have to apply by the early action deadline of October 15 to be considered for the Pogue Scholarship (which covers tuition, room, and board). Additionally, there is another separate application for the Robertson scholarship (which covers tuition, room, board, fees, and expenses for up to three summer experiences), which you have to complete by November 15th to ensure you will be considered for it. To look at another example, University of Colorado, Boulder has a separate scholarship application that requires, at a minimum, an extra essay, but could also require extra letters of recommendation and eligibility materials based on which scholarships you apply to. The window to apply is December through March, with a deadline of February 15th for the presidential scholarship. For more on merit scholarships, including some with automatic funding based on test scores, see our article. Also note that some of those have earlier deadlines as well. How to Research Merit Scholarships For any state schools you are applying to, search to see if they have a merit scholarship program, and take note of any extra application materials or earlier deadlines. (We will give you a table at the end of this post you can use to organize dates and deadlines.) For example, to find the University of Colorado Boulder scholarships, I searched â€Å"University of Colorado Boulder Merit Scholarships.† I clicked on the third result and was able to read about individual scholarships, and also find the page about the general scholarship application. Read more on UC Boulder's Scholarships here. Honors Colleges and Honors Programs: How To Apply Many larger universities have smaller honors programs or honors colleges within them, to give a smaller college experience within a larger university. Honors colleges often have special classes, housing, and sometimes even funding opportunities for research or study abroad. For example, the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University offers special classes, exclusive study abroad opportunities, and research placements. Furthermore, this program offers special housing, and that housing is guaranteed housing for four years. This isn’t always the case at large universities! But to get these benefits you have to put in more work. Honors colleges are usually much more competitive than general university admission, and often require extra application components. They typically have much earlier deadlines than general University admission, as well. For example, the Schreyer Honors College has a separate application other than the general Penn State application. They recommend completing your application by November 30, with a firm deadline of January 15, to be considered for the program. (The regular university application isn’t due until January 31.) Next Steps For any large universities you are applying to, search to see if they have an honors college or honors program, and take note of earlier deadlines or application materials. To find honors programs, search â€Å"[Name of College/University] Honors College† or â€Å"[Name of College/University] Honors Program.† I found the honors college at Penn State by doing the following search: Just entering in that search time brought up Schreyer’s main website, as well as links to admission and aid on the first page. If you can’t find information on an honors college or honors program through searching, you can contact the admissions office via phone or email and ask if they have any honors programs. How To Put Together a Competitive Application Finding these programs is one thing. How can you make sure you are a competitive applicant when you apply to honors colleges and merit scholarships? Maximize Your ACT/SAT Score For many merit scholarships and honors programs, the standardized score ranges are much higher than general university admission. This means that having a high SAT or ACT score will help you get into honors programs and win scholarships – and in some cases, you need a minimum score. For example, at the University of Nebraska, an ACT score of at least 20, or an SAT score of at least 950 (Math and Critical Reading) are the benchmarks given for admission. But you can be considered for the Honors Program if you have either an ACT composite score of 30 or an SAT of 1300 (Math and Critical Reading). Notice the large difference between regular admission and honors admission score benchmarks. It’s important to choose either the SAT or ACT and to study so you can get the best possible score. Don’t split your time between the two tests. It’s likely that you will do better on one that the other, so you should spend all of your time preparing for that test. (If you need help deciding between the SAT and ACT, see our post.) Also, make sure you give yourself enough time to study. We recommend at least five weeks, but the longer, the better! The more time you can put in, the better your score outcome will be. Take the Most Challenging Classes Possible Another important factor in making your application competitive is having an impressive transcript and GPA. However, a high GPA alone does not mean much – it’s important you have also been challenging yourself with hard courses. Whether that means taking IB, AP, or honors, find the hardest classes at your school and take them. Be careful not to overload your schedule with tons of AP and IB classes and burn yourself out. Prioritize taking tough classes in subjects you are passionate about. And finally, don’t blow off senior year. Colleges will see your senior year schedule when you apply, so it’s important to keep up your momentum and take a challenging senior year schedule. Obviously you need to leave room for college applications, but don’t slack off and take three free periods. Get Involved with Activities and the Community Having a competitive college application isn’t just getting good grades and high test scores. You also need to get involved in your community in some way. Whether that’s joining clubs or sports at your high school, doing service work, or being involved in a local youth group, find something you are passionate about and get involved. And remember to emphasize breadth over depth. It’s much better to be very involved in two clubs than to join ten clubs but barely show up. Aim for leadership positions and awards wherever possible. Don't treat extracurriculars like a list to be checked off. The goal isn't to have the longest list of clubs. Choose a few things that are important to you and get really involved! When it comes time to apply, list your extracurricular involvements in order of the time spent on them. And remember to emphasize leadership positions, awards, or other recognitions you have earned for each activity. Don’t Ignore the Essay(s) A final, crucial component of your application will be the essay. Many honors programs or merit scholarships have a separate essay – or essays! – to write. Sometimes they will give you a specific prompt, or other times they will want to learn more about you and give an open-ended prompt. For example, the Schreyer Honors College has three additional essays, with new prompts every year. The University of Michigan has a list of topics to choose from. So while the prompt and length of the essay or essays can vary from program to program, and the prompts can even be quite playful, it’s very important not to wait until the last minute to write your essays. The essay will be the main opportunity for you to share your personality, passions, and intellectual interests. If you’re aiming to get into an honors college or get a merit scholarship, having a strong essay will be crucial. To write the best essay possible, start early – at least a month before the deadline. Write a draft, and then take time to edit it so it’s true to your own voice. You can also have friends or teachers look over it to see if they think it sounds like you – just make sure it is 100% your own work. Get Good Recommendation Letters Although not all universities require letters of recommendation for admission, most honors programs and merit scholarships will require at least one, but more likely two. When asking teachers for recommendations, try to find teachers who have taught you recently – junior year is ideal – and can give specific praise about your academic abilities. Sometimes, giving the teacher a sample of work you did in their class to jog their memory or give them something to refer to in the letter can be helpful. Also, try to get your letters from teachers in different subjects. Being an impressive student in both science and English is more impressive than getting rave reviews from two English teachers. Final Touches on Your Application Make sure to report any strong SAT Subject Test, AP, or IB test scores you have. Even if they are not required anywhere on the application, including these scores can give the admissions committee more information on your academic abilities and achievements. This also goes for any academic awards like National Merit or being on the honor roll. If you know someone – like a coach, boss, youth group leader, or mentor – who could write an additional letter of recommendation, it’s worth asking for one. Often, people who know you outside of school can give more information about your work ethic, abilities, and passions than your teachers can. Don’t feel pressured to submit an extra letter if you don’t have someone like this, but if you know someone will write you a strong letter, strongly consider asking them. The Bottom Line Being part of an honors program and/or getting a merit scholarship can really enrich your college experience and make you a more competitive job or graduate school applicant. For any university you’re applying to, check to see if they have any honors programs or merit scholarships. To get into these programs you have to be aware of earlier deadlines and extra applications. You can use a table like the one below to organize your list of prospective colleges. Name of College/ University Regular Application Deadline Honors Program? (Yes/No) Honors Program Deadline Merit Scholarships? (Yes/No) Merit Scholarship Deadline And finally, you should aim to submit the best application possible. Treat these opportunities like you are applying to selective schools – write the best possible essays, get great letters of recommendation, and maximize your scores. If you do this, you can get a selective college experience close to home. What’s Next? Want to aim for a perfect SAT score, or quite close? See our guide to getting a 1600 by our full scorer. Speaking of maximizing your scores, learn how to improve a low SAT math score, or if you’re taking the ACT, get math tips from our full scorer. Need some tips for your college essays? Learn what not to do. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: How To Get Merit Scholarships and Honors at State Schools SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Don't get lost in the crowd. Do you want to stay close to home for college, but don’t want to get lost in the crowd of a large state school? Or do you want to know how to make the most of your experience at large university? It’s possible to get a selective, small college experience at a large university, through programs like honors colleges and merit scholarships. But how can you find these programs, and how can you ensure you'll be considered for merit scholarships and honors colleges? We will give you the info you need to make sure you don’t miss out on opportunities near you. DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Think Beyond the "Safety School" Many people don’t stress out about applying to their local state schools because they have application deadlines later in the year – sometimes as late as May or June. In some cases, since students consider state schools their â€Å"safety schools† where admission is all but guaranteed, they don’t put as much effort into their state school applications. However, many of the deadlines for honors colleges and merit scholarships at large universities are much earlier – sometimes as early as October of your senior year. And some of these programs and scholarships have special applications. If you’re not aware of deadlines before senior year starts, it’s easy to miss out on scholarships and other programs that can really enrich your college experience. Many of these programs are as competitive as getting into selective colleges, so it’s also important to put together a competitive application. In short, you should treat these applications like you’re applying to a selective school. So how do you find these programs, and how can you make sure you’re competitive? We will answer those questions here. Why Apply for Special Programs? By special programs, we mean merit scholarships, honors programs or honors colleges, or any programs that require extra or early applications. We will focus on merit scholarships and honors colleges in this post, since they are the most common special programs at larger universities, but make sure to check out the website of any school you’re interested in and see what extra options they have for undergraduates. So why apply to these programs? There are three main reasons. Make College Cheaper College is expensive. Even if you stay in state, tuition, room, board, textbooks, and other fees can add up quickly. You should definitely apply for need-based financial aid if you need it, but getting a merit scholarship can often fill in where financial aid falls short. Many merit scholarships cover half or all of tuition. Some even cover room and board as well. Also, many honors colleges offer their students opportunities for research or study abroad funding. This can help finance experiences that can otherwise be expensive or otherwise unattainable. It's hard to turn down money, especially when it can help you get a college education. Get a Small-School Experience Going to large university is great because of all the resources and classes available to you, but it’s easy to feel lost in the crowd, especially as a freshman. Being a part of a smaller program or merit scholarship cohort can give you a small-school experience within a larger university. These programs often have special advising or mentor systems that can also help you acclimate to college life. Many have special housing options that will allow you to get to know other people in your program easily. This can make it easy to build a community, even as a freshman. DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Distinguish Yourself for Jobs Although this seems really far away, graduating with honors or having a merit scholarship can really set you apart when it comes time to apply for jobs and/or graduate programs during your senior year of college. You can take steps now to give yourself a huge leg up when it’s time to enter the â€Å"real world.† So how do you get merit scholarships? How do you get into honors colleges? We will explain how to find these programs and how to apply. DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Merit Scholarships: How To Apply Unlike financial aid, merit scholarships are given based on student achievement – your test scores, GPA, and the overall strength of your application. The amount of a merit scholarship can vary widely – anything from a $1,000 stipend to full tuition, room, and board. To be considered for merit scholarships, you often have to meet an earlier deadline or submit an additional application. For example, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,you have to apply by the early action deadline of October 15 to be considered for the Pogue Scholarship (which covers tuition, room, and board). Additionally, there is another separate application for the Robertson scholarship (which covers tuition, room, board, fees, and expenses for up to three summer experiences), which you have to complete by November 15th to ensure you will be considered for it. To look at another example, University of Colorado Boulder has a separate scholarship application that requires, at a minimum, an extra essay, but could also require extra letters of recommendation and eligibility materials based on which scholarships you apply to. The window to apply is December through March, with a deadline of February 15th for the presidential scholarship. For more on merit scholarships, including some with automatic funding based on test scores, see our article. Also note that some of those have earlier deadlines as well. How to Research Merit Scholarships For any state schools you are applying to, search to see if they have a merit scholarship program, and take note of any extra application materials or earlier deadlines. (We will give you a table at the end of this post you can use to organize dates and deadlines.) For example, to find the University of Colorado Boulder scholarships, I searched â€Å"University of Colorado Boulder Merit Scholarships.† I clicked on the third result and was able to read about individual scholarships, and also find the page about the general scholarship application. Read more on UC Boulder's Scholarships here. Honors Colleges and Honors Programs: How To Apply Many larger universities have smaller honors programs or honors colleges within them, to give a smaller college experience within a larger university. Honors colleges often have special classes, housing, and sometimes even funding opportunities for research or study abroad. For example, the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University offers special classes, exclusive study abroad opportunities, and research placements. Furthermore, this program offers special housing, and that housing is guaranteed housing for four years. This isn’t always the case at large universities! But to get these benefits you have to put in more work. Honors colleges are usually much more competitive than general university admission, and often require extra application components. They typically have much earlier deadlines than general University admission, as well. For example, the Schreyer Honors College has a separate application other than the general Penn State application. They recommend completing your application by November 30, with a firm deadline of January 15, to be considered for the program. (The regular university application isn’t due until January 31.) Next Steps DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: For any large universities you are applying to, search to see if they have an honors college or honors program, and take note of earlier deadlines or application materials. To find honors programs, search â€Å"[Name of College/University] Honors College† or â€Å"[Name of College/University] Honors Program.† I found the honors college at Penn State by doing the following search: Just entering in that search time brought up Schreyer’s main website, as well as links to admission and aid on the first page. If you can’t find information on an honors college or honors program through searching, you can contact the admissions office via phone or email and ask if they have any honors programs. How To Put Together a Competitive Application Finding these programs is one thing. How can you make sure you are a competitive applicant when you apply to honors colleges and merit scholarships? Maximize your ACT/SAT Score For many merit scholarships and honors programs, the standardized score ranges are much higher than general university admission. This means that having a high SAT or ACT score will help you get into honors programs and win scholarships – and in some cases, you need a minimum score. For example, at the University of Nebraska, an ACT score of at least 20, or an SAT score of at least 950 (Math and Critical Reading) are the benchmarks given for admission. But you can be considered for the Honors Program if you have either an ACT composite score of 30 or an SAT of 1300 (Math and Critical Reading). Notice the large difference between regular admission and honors admission score benchmarks. It’s important to choose either the SAT or ACT and to study so you can get the best possible score. Don’t split your time between the two tests. It’s likely that you will do better on one that the other, so you should spend all of your time preparing for that test. (If you need help deciding between the SAT and ACT, see our post.) Also, make sure you give yourself enough time to study. We recommend at least five weeks, but the longer, the better! The more time you can put in, the better your score outcome will be. Take the Most Challenging Classes Possible Another important factor in making your application competitive is having an impressive transcript and GPA. However, a high GPA alone does not mean much – it’s important you have also been challenging yourself with hard courses. Whether that means taking IB, AP, or honors, find the hardest classes at your school and take them. Be careful not to overload your schedule with tons of AP and IB classes and burn yourself out. Prioritize taking tough classes in subjects you are passionate about. And finally, don’t blow off senior year. Colleges will see your senior year schedule when you apply, so it’s important to keep up your momentum and take a challenging senior year schedule. Obviously you need to leave room for college applications, but don’t slack off and take three free periods. Get Involved with Activities and the Community Having a competitive college application isn’t just getting good grades and high test scores. You also need to get involved in your community in some way. Whether that’s joining clubs or sports at your high school, doing service work, or being involved in a local youth group, find something you are passionate about and get involved. And remember to emphasize breadth over depth. It’s much better to be very involved in two clubs than to join ten clubs but barely show up. Aim for leadership positions and awards wherever possible. Don't treat extracurriculars like a list to be checked off. The goal isn't to have the longest list of clubs. Choose a few things that are important to you and get really involved! When it comes time to apply, list your extracurricular involvements in order of the time spent on them. And remember to emphasize leadership positions, awards, or other recognitions you have earned for each activity. DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Don’t Ignore the Essay(s) A final, crucial component of your application will be the essay. Many honors programs or merit scholarships have a separate essay – or essays! – to write. Sometimes they will give you a specific prompt, or other times they will want to learn more about you and give an open-ended prompt. For example, the Schreyer Honors College has three additional essays, including the prompt, â€Å"You are required to spend the next year of your life either in the past or the future. What year would you travel to and why?† The University of Michigan has a list of topics to choose from, including â€Å"Tell us about a great recipe† and â€Å"Discuss the concept of ‘random.’† So while the prompt and length of the essay or essays can vary from program to program, and the prompts can even be quite playful, it’s very important not to wait until the last minute to write your essays. The essay will be the main opportunity for you to share your personality, passions, and intellectual interests. If you’re aiming to get into an honors college or get a merit scholarship, having a strong essay will be crucial. To write the best essay possible, start early – at least a month before the deadline. Write a draft, and then take time to edit it so it’s true to your own voice. You can also have friends or teachers look over it to see if they think it sounds like you – just make sure it is 100% your own work. Get Good Recommendation Letters Although not all universities require letters of recommendation for admission, most honors programs and merit scholarships will require at least one, but more likely two. When asking teachers for recommendations, try to find teachers who have taught you recently – junior year is ideal – and can give specific praise about your academic abilities. Sometimes, giving the teacher a sample of work you did in their class to jog their memory or give them something to refer to in the letter can be helpful. Also, try to get your letters from teachers in different subjects. Being an impressive student in both science and English is more impressive than getting rave reviews from two English teachers. Final Touches on Your Application Make sure to report any strong SAT Subject Test, AP, or IB test scores you have. Even if they are not required anywhere on the application, including these scores can give the admissions committee more information on your academic abilities and achievements. This also goes for any academic awards like National Merit or being on the honor roll. If you know someone – like a coach, boss, youth group leader, or mentor – who could write an additional letter of recommendation, it’s worth asking for one. Often, people who know you outside of school can give more information about your work ethic, abilities, and passions than your teachers can. Don’t feel pressured to submit an extra letter if you don’t have someone like this, but if you know someone will write you a strong letter, strongly consider asking them. DUMMY CTA Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: The Bottom Line Being part of an honors program and/or getting a merit scholarship can really enrich your college experience and make you a more competitive job or graduate school applicant. For any university you’re applying to, check to see if they have any honors programs or merit scholarships. To get into these programs you have to be aware of earlier deadlines and extra applications. You can use a table like the one below to organize your list of prospective colleges. Name of College/ University Regular Application Deadline Honors Program? (Yes/No) Honors Program Deadline Merit Scholarships? (Yes/No) Merit Scholarship Deadline And finally, you should aim to submit the best application possible. Treat these opportunities like you are applying to selective schools – write the best possible essays, get great letters of recommendation, and maximize your scores. If you do this, you can get a selective college experience close to home. What’s Next? Want to aim for a perfect SAT score, or quite close? See our guide to getting a 2400 by our full scorer. Speaking of maximizing your scores, learn how to improve a low SAT math score, or if you’re taking the ACT, get math tips from our full scorer. Need some tips for your college essays? Learn what not to do. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: