How to Decide Where to Apply to College

Getting into college is almost a rite of passage for high school students. No matter how many schools you have or will apply to, getting into your first school is always a big relief. But how do you go about choosing what schools to apply to in the first place? Here are five tips to guide you in the right direction. Take A Tour: The best way to learn about a college is to visit and take a campus tour. Tours are offered all year round, with a majority of the tours happening in the fall or spring semesters. While the focus is walking around campus and seeing the sights, youll definitely get a better understanding of campus culture and environment. Simply being there while school is in session can tell you a lot about the student body, while giving you an idea of what it would be like to be a student. Sports, food, atmosphere - all things you need to see to really experience. Show Me the Money: One thing about college that is hard to ignore is cost. However, there are plenty of ways to reduce those rising costs before you arrive on campus. In choosing your school, remember your options: in-state schools are usually quite a bit cheaper than out-of-state colleges. Other factors will also play into phantom costs that you might not think about right away, like travel expenses, living expenses, transportation expenses, and more. While scholarships, loans, and grants are available to help out, the necessary factors are important to consider as well. College Curriculum 101: Choose a college that has your desired program. Whether you want to study life science or social science, you should pay attention to the types of majors and classes offered at every school youre considering. Some schools are known for certain degree programs and may be stronger in a particular area of study. If you know what you want to major in, make sure the school you attend is known for that major. Not only will that mean more resources while youre on campus, but itll usually also translate into a strong network of alums that graduated from that discipline. If youre undecided, choose a school thats pretty well-rounded in its degree programs so you can sample before you decide. Looking into certain programs can also help you discover areas of study youve never considered before. Post Grad Plans:As students become more conscientious of employability after graduation, career and grad school opportunities should be part of the consideration as well. Look not just at how hands-on and helpful a schools career center is, but also look at the most popular careers and grad schools the graduates of that school end up at. Some undergrad programs are big feeders into certain grad schools, companies, and industries, so its good to have that information before you make a decision about where to enroll in the first place. Plus, going to a school that certain companies recruit at will also mean youll have a good alumni network (and potential mentors!) to rely on as you job search and move up in your career. Extras On the Side: While youre headed to college to get your degree, its important not to forget that youll be building a life outside of the classroom. Enjoying your college experience is arguably the most important aspect of going to school, so studying the student body and social groups before you go.If youre interested in Greek Life, then choose a college that has lots of fraternities and sororities. If you love to watch football, then make sure to find a school with a competitive team. Whatever your interests are, make sure to choose a college that can help you grow as a person and build your social group, too.Whether you’re just starting your search or you’re looking for help applying, it’s never too early to make the college application process easier.Searchto find students like you orcontact a mentorfor help with the admissions process so you can narrow down your choices and get a head start.

The Most Overused Words of 2012

The Most Overused Words of 2012 The Most Overused Words of 2012 The Most Overused Words of 2012 By Mark Nichol Words are sometimes randomly reincarnated to serve new purposes, and usually, the new usage is anything but offensive, and its connection may even be obscure: Does anyone object to the use of the word plane (meaning, basically, â€Å"surface†) to describe aircraft? Often, however, the extension of a term to a new connotation invites contempt. Here’s a rundown of some of the online commentary about new senses of words that have worn out their welcome. The business blog Quartz published an article about â€Å"the most misused word in 2012†: disrupt, which in the commercial world is used in the context of companies that suddenly and dramatically alter their focus or product(s); other tiresome Wall Street jargon includes the similar pivot as well as innovation, which almost invariably refers to strategies that are anything but innovative but the word, presumably, still catches the eye of investors and customers. LinkedIn recently listed the top ten words and phrases people use on the networking site to describe themselves to potential employers and clients: Creative, organizational, and effective have remained in the top three positions for two years in a row, followed this year by motivated, â€Å"extensive experience,† â€Å"track record,† innovative, responsible, analytical, and â€Å"problem solving.† (How, then, does one market oneself without resorting to such overused terms? Describe how you are creative, organizational, and effective rather than simply typing the words.) Similarly, the Shift Communications PR Agency published a graphic displaying the supposedly substantive words most prevalent in press releases. Trailing global, the clear leader, were forward, leading, international, growth, and â€Å"well positioned.† Every year, Lake Superior State University invites nominations for inclusion on its Banished Words List: This year’s roster includes amazing, blowback (â€Å"resistance or usually negative reaction to an action or a proposal†), and ginormous (a portmanteau word derived from gigantic and enormous). Among the phrases on the list are â€Å"baby bump† (â€Å"visual evidence of pregnancy†), â€Å"man cave† (a female-free except for the bikini babes on the beer posters refuge for the man of the house, especially when he’s in the doghouse), and â€Å"thank(ing) you in advance,† widely considered a discourteous courtesy in a business email or letter. The Atlantic Monthly’s online version, Atlantic Wire, offers â€Å"An A-to-Z Guide to 2012’s Worst Words†, which includes disrupt and â€Å"baby bump† but also derides the use in technological contexts of curate (which is just a fancy way to say â€Å"link†) and ecosystem (referring collectively to similar digital devices or formats). Meanwhile, epic, used as an adjective to describe a supposedly remarkable experience or phenomenon, is among a slew of pop-culture terms singled out for retirement. And then, of course, there’s fail used as a noun to describe a botched effort which is itself now frequently deemed a failure. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical WordsLoan, Lend, Loaned, LentParticular vs. Specific

Tesco Brand Development & Corporate Identity Essay

Tesco Brand Development & Corporate Identity - Essay Example According to Keller (2008, p.189), corporate identity is a phenomena that is concerned with the general outlook of a given legal entity. Corporate identity is majorly concerned with how a company is generally viewed by the public. It is concerned with the seal, logos of a company, the colors and design as well as the other collaterals. The general appearance of a company and its attractiveness may define and incline a number of people who may want to be identified and associated with the same company (Fournier 1998, p.342). Corporate identity also encompasses the vision, Mission and the well-structured objectives of a given company. To stress on its identity, Tesco Corporation is designed and well built across the whole world, it is very distinct and has clear missions and objectives among which we have, provision of quality services and products at the convenience of the consumer (Hatch 1997, p.359). This means that, unlike companies who do not take their products to their consumers ’ at their doorsteps, Tesco is able to do so. As an identity, the company also brags to deal in a wide range of service deliveries that it provide at very affordable prices and highly conserved costs. According to Holt (2002, p.83), all the company identity strategies of Tesco as a corporation augur well with its VMO’s. It’s principles such as affordability and cost effectiveness makes it have considerations of being mindful and geared towards ensuring it customers satisfaction making it customer –oriented, in addition, a company cannot provide varieties of a product unless there is a stream of such. Again, a stream can only be witnessed in a company not under any situation but rather with the onset of innovation. In this way, company identity as applied by Tesco Corporation aids it into cutting an edge in the congested market giving it a competitive advantage. This has led to expansion of Tesco across the globe. Brand identity on the other hand is the be liefs of the company. They are the building blocks of the company or the foundation upon which the operations of the company are based. They are the aspects of the company that makes brand loyal customers who are ready to die for the products of the company (Muniz et al 2001, p.56). Brand identity is provided for by factors such as the well organized structures of operations of the company, the quality and quantity of products offered by the company. These can make clients stay with the company if they are satisfactory or not whichever the case. For a company to create a brand and sway the mind of the consumer, a well organized strategy needs to be put in place: - differentiation of products offered to the customer which is only geared towards swaying the perception of the consumer (Anholt 2007, p.137). This is solely because brand identity is not only based on absolute truth and reality but rather a mere assurance that whatever is offered is actually what the company believes in. B rand identity may entail all the aspects of a brand of any given product such as the physical attributes, services, and their quality as well quantity and also the value attached to the products. For products of a company to prove their worth to the ultimate users, they have to develop a brand (Arvidsson 2006, p.457). Brand identity is what makes the customers be associated with one firm and not the other. Tesco has