3 Winter Art Crafts for Kids

3 Winter Art Crafts for Kids With winter upon us, you may be looking for activities to keep your student entertained and excited about learning. Luckily, there are many winter art crafts that kids can enjoy during the cold weather season. Winter art crafts for kids can include a waterless snow globe, a fun twist on the popular snowflake craft, and a creative way to experiment with melting ice. Looking for fun crafts to engage your student this winter? Keep reading to learn about three of our favorite winter-themed art crafts for kids: Winter art craft #1: Coffee filter snowflakes What youll need: Large coffee filters, preferably white Scissors Plastic cups Watercolors What youll do: When creating these snowflakes, start by folding the coffee filter. Youll fold your filter in half, and then fold one side at a 60-degree angle. Repeat that fold on the other side of the filter. Youll finally fold the filter in half one last time. Once you have completed your folding, its time to add color. Set up plastic cups for each paint color, and then dip your folded snowflake in to whichever colors youd like. Its important to remember to paint your snowflake before you cut it. Before the watercolors dry, cut your coffee filter in various places. Last, gently open your snowflake, and let it dry. Viola! You now have colorful, tie dye snowflakes. [RELATED: 8 Gifts That Will Inspire Students This Holiday Season] Winter art craft #2: Waterless snow globe What youll need: Clear plastic ornaments that snap into two pieces Glitter snow Small Mason jar lids Cotton balls Glue Ribbon Two-inch discs cut out of cardboard Small decorative toys or figurines What youll do: With this craft, you and your student can create a child-friendly snow globe. Your student can design his or her own snow globe that he or she can shake at willwithout any risk of it shattering into a million pieces. First, you will take your cardboard cutout and use this as a base for your winter scene. Stretch out the cotton balls until they look like fluffy snow, and then glue them onto the cardboard. Next, add your figurines or toys. You can use (or make) miniature trees, reindeer, and snowmen. Before you glue your pieces down, youll want to glue your cardboard into one half of the ornament: Take the ornament and open it vertically. Place your glue on the back outside edge of the cardboard, and secure it onto one half of the ornament. Youll notice some empty space under the cardboardyou can use cotton balls to fill in that space. Once this is done, glue your figurines down, and add your glitter into the globe. Snap the other side of the snow globe into place, and glue it to the Mason jar lid, which will act as the base of the globe. [RELATED: Educational Road Trip Games for the Whole Family] Winter art craft #3: Melting ice experiment What youll need: Bowls to make ice in Large tray that has sides Salt Food coloring or liquid watercolors Droppers (for food coloring) or spoons What youll do: This craft helps your student learn about the science behind melting, and it incorporates a fun art element. Take bowlshaving a few bowls of different sizes can make the craft more excitingfill them with water, and let them freeze overnight. The next morning, take the ice out of the bowls (this can be accomplished with the help of warm water), and lay the ice forms on a large tray with raised edges. Have your child sprinkle saltrock or table salt will work wellover the ice forms. The salt will cause the ice to melt in interesting wayscreating pathways in the ice block. As soon as you see the salt melting the ice, its time to grab the watercolors or food coloring. Ask your student to drop watercolors or food coloring onto the ice domes to accentuate the crevasses and tunnels that are forming. This project lets your child not only learn about how melting works, but also create a beautiful swirl of colors on the vanishing ice. [RELATED: 3 Ways to Get Ahead on Your Students Science Fair Project] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Solve Math Equations

Solve Math Equations In math there are various branches and different kinds of equations to solve. Algebraic equations contains numbers, constants, known and unknown variables, exponents to the variables. The study of algebra consists of solving for the known and unknown variables. There are different mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division used to solve the equations according to the requirement. Example 1: Simplify and solve for x in the equation 6(x 1) + 5 if x = 2? Solution: Given equation is 6 (x 1) + 5. Here the unknown variable which needs to be solved for is x. First step: Distribute 6 for x - 1. This gives: (6 x 6) + 5 = 6 x 6 + 5 = 6x -1. Now substituting x = 2 in the simplified equation 6x 1. This reduces the given equation to 6(2) 1 = 12 -1 = 11. Hence the solution is x = 11. Example 2: Simplify the equation 3 (x 20) + 4 (x + 1) - 10? Solution: Given equation is 3 (x 20) + 4 (x + 1) - 10. Here the variable is x; distributing the number in front of the braces. This gives 3 (x - 20) = 3 x 60; 4 (x + 1) = 4 x + 4. Combining the similar terms in the equation. This gives 3 x 60 + 4 x + 4 - 10 = 7 x 66. Hence the simplified form of the equation is 7 x - 66.

College Tuition Hikes Easing

College Tuition Hikes Easing With $50,000 colleges and beyond, it only appears as if the cost of college is absolutely skyrocketing. However, new research actually suggests that the total net cost of college (tuition minus scholarships/aid) is decreasing slightly, according to an article in the Washington Post. In the previous few years, colleges have hiked tuition at record rates. But now, colleges are announcing much smaller tuition increases for the 2011-2012 school year. Tuition costs increased rapidly during the Great Recession, but costs are now starting to level out. Tuition costs are decreasing partly because colleges previously received a lot of criticism for record-breaking tuition hikes. Also, colleges are growing increasingly more concerned about their tuition costs, competing with one another to offer a quality education at the best price. Many state governors and colleges board of trustees are opposing significant tuition hikes; some are opposing any tuition increases at all. Other governors and board of trustee members are placing tuition increase or total cost increase caps at certain percentages, meaning they are mandating that colleges cannot increase tuition higher than a certain percentage. The average, national college tuition increase from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 is 4.5%, marking one of the lowest tuition increases in the past 20 years. Also, financial aid is now increasing faster than tuition prices, which is how the net price of college is decreasing slightly. College may not cost any more for students entering in 2011 than it did five years ago. Stanford University, one of the nations most expensive colleges, recently approved a 3.5% tuition increase for the 2011-2012 school year, increasing its fee to $52,341, with $40,050 of it for tuition. George Washington University, another one of the nations most expensive colleges, announced a 2.9% tuition increase for the 2011-2012 year, and its board of trustees capped the total cost-of-attendance increase at 2.7%.

The 5 Food Groups

The 5 Food Groups Nutrition and the 5 Food Groups ChaptersCarbohydrates or CarbsProteinFatsFruit and VegetablesDiaryLet food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food                                                                                                                   Hippocrates  There is a lot of information out there about nutrition: what we should eat when we should eat it, and what we should avoid, but the wealth of information, especially online, is often confusing.We are constantly bombarded with the latest diet or superfood, and the nutrition we require for our bodies to function at its best seems to change with the latest trend. With so much choice on supermarket shelves today, it is sometimes easy to forget the basics of nutrition. What are the staple nutrients? How much should we eat? Should we buy into the latest superfood? It is okay to feel a little lost and need a little help with the basics.To provide some basic information and help answer these quest ions we can begin with simple government advice.The British Nutrition Foundation lays out the five food groups that, when consumed in the right quantities, means that our bodies will gain the right variation of nutrients. Last updated in March 2016, the government’s Eatwell Guide can act as a foundation to nutrition, helping us to understand how foods are divided and the proportion of carbohydrates, fats, protein, fruit and vegetables, and dairy (although debated) the body needs.There is conflicting advice on whether all the foods depicted in this guide are necessary or as healthy as we are led to believe but here is a breakdown of all the five food groups and possible alternatives that can serve as a simple basis to healthy living.The Eatwell Guide: the 5 food groups important for nutrition (Source: The British Nutrition Foundation)Foods such as nuts, avocados, seeds and unrefined oils are considered good fats and great for our overall health.Fruit and VegetablesThis is the food group that should be eaten in equal measure to carbohydrates. The general advice is to consume five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but the more you eat, especially in place of unhealthy sugary or salty snacks, the better your overall, general health will be.This food group contains the most diverse source of vitamins and minerals, and sticking to a diet rich in fruit and vegetables will help the body thrive. Fruits and vegetables also keep the immune system strong, helping to protect the body from illness and disease.Let Superprof help you find nutrition courses!DiaryThis food group and the consumption of dairy products has become more and more debated. Dairy is a separate food group due to the body’s need for calcium, a nutrient for healthy teeth and bones. Dairy is rich in calcium and still considered by many as the best source for this nutrient.However, recent research has found that although these products contain calcium, they can also contain high amounts of satur ated fat. Dairy is also the cause of many intolerances and allergies. Consuming large quantities of dairy-based foods including milk, cheese and yoghurt can be harmful to our bodies and overall health in the long term. There is also an ethical debate surrounding dairy farms.Although milk is still a staple in many diets in the UK, people are starting to change their habits. (Source:  Peter Lewicki on Unsplash)Instead, dairy can be replaced by plant-based alternatives even richer in calcium but without the negative impact. Foods such as soy or nut-based milk, seeds, beans and pulses, as well as vegetables including kale and okra, all contain enough calcium to avoid dairy altogether.It is not always easy to understand what our bodies need but having a basic knowledge of the food groups provides a starting point about health and general well-being.Do not forget, these food groups are a guide and finding the perfect quantities to eat is much more subjective. Diet can depend on the lifest yle we lead, our likes and dislikes, and how our bodies react to certain foods.It is also important to read the labels on the back of food packets as the nutritional information is always provided and includes the fat, protein and carbohydrate content as well as any vitamins and minerals it contains. It is also a legal requirement for food manufacturers to show the amount of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content a product contains on the front of all food packaging.Always try to eat a variety of foods. Do not be afraid to add different herbs and spices to every dish as this not only improves flavour and creates colour, but also provides extra health benefits.Understanding basic nutrition can help us to make healthier choices. (Source:  Brooke Lark on Unsplash)Finally, it is important to eat at least three meals a day to maintain energy; skipping meals will only confuse the body’s process and slow down its metabolism. Healthy snacks such as seeds, nuts and fruit can are great for giving our bodies that extra boost during those busy days.Once we understand the basics of nutrition, we can create meals that not only match our dietary needs but also our taste buds. Don’t be afraid to experiment with food, look up recipes, research cooking methods and have fun in the kitchen; enjoy eating with friends and family.If you want to know more about food and nutrition, why not find a tutor with Superprof. Take a cooking course in your favourite cuisine or just learn the basics. Whatever you want to learn, Superprof has the right tutor.I found a great Superprof nutritionist near me; you can too!

Data Analysis Methods

Data Analysis Methods Everything You Need to Know to Perform an Empirical Analysis ChaptersHypothesis Testing: The Difference Between a Hypothesis and a Null HypothesisMultivariate Methods of AnalysisDependence Multivariate MethodsInterdependence Multivariate MethodsHow to Interpret the R Squared and P-ValueHow to Structure your Analytic ReportIn statistics, there are a vast array of data analysis methods. Data analysis itself is defined by collecting, exploring, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data. This guide will focus on exploratory and modeling methods - meaning, it will give insight on how to get familiar with various types of data in order to decide which tests to perform on your data set.Once your data has been collected, the first step in any sort of analysis of data should be understanding what each of your variables mean and whether they are quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data and qualitative data should be tested and interpreted differently, so it is important to define your variables beforehand. Most statistical software, like SPSS, wil l do this for you automatically. However, it is important to go through each variable yourself to determine what each variable is and why it is of interest to your analysis.One way to help you do this is to conduct an exploratory analysis. The most common way of starting to explore your data is to extract some descriptive statistics. Note that you can get such extraction knowledge from a statistics course. Descriptive statistics can either be reported numerically or by some helpful visualizations. Some examples of numerical reporting can be found in computing the mean, median, and standard deviation. On the other hand, you can also report descriptives visually. Graphical representations of raw data can include bar graphs, pie charts, and correlation tables.Once you’ve conducted this exploratory analysis, you should check if your data meets the assumptions that each test requires. This is a necessary step: understanding the descriptives of your data will help you understand which t ests are appropriate to perform.Data visualization can help you understand your data AisvaryaData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdeyemiData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdenikeData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThanushanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GokhanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OlawaleData Analysis Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AisvaranData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Muhammad umairData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHypothesis Testing: The Difference Between a Hypothesis and a Null HypothesisAs a researcher, there are many approaches to start analyzing your data. Data collection can be a vital part of your project - however, in order to start f orming a research design, it is important to first form a research question based on your observation of a specific population. Most commonly, this research question is given as a hypothesis. Hypothesis testing as we know it today was popularized by statisticians Jerzy Neyman and Egon Pearson in the 1930s. Hypotheses in statistics are normally a statement about a set of data, where hypothesis testing is a research method that tests whether the probability of that statement is true.Coupled with any hypothesis is what is known as a null hypothesis. A null hypothesis is a statement about the sample population that generally states that the different groups you are testing have no relationship with each other.Depending on whether you are performing a quantitative data analysis or a qualitative data analysis, both the hypothesis and null hypothesis will change. In order to decide what question you will ask, it is important to decide which variables are of interest to you.For example, if you are performing an analysis of variance, or ANOVA, your hypotheses would be:H1: the mean of the dependent variable is not the same across all groupsH0: the mean of the dependent variable is the same across all groupsIt might be helpful to test your level in statistical analysis by looking at some online practice problems!Multivariate Methods of AnalysisThere are many different methodologies that can be used when performing multivariate hypothesis testing. The methodology chosen will depend heavily on what type of question you want to solve and what types of variables you have. Depending on what strategy you apply, the objective of your analysis will change. By comparing these different methods, you will be able to choose the right type of statistical test to employ. Where dependence multivariate methods involve hypotheses, interdependence multivariate methods do not deal with hypothesis testing.Analyzing data using multivariate statistical tests AisvaryaData Analysis Teacher 5.0 0 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdeyemiData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdenikeData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThanushanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GokhanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OlawaleData Analysis Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AisvaranData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Muhammad umairData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDependence Multivariate MethodsDependence multivariate methods are powerful analyses that seek to describe the relationship between one or more dependent variables that several independent variables. The most common dependence multivariate methods are:MethodObjectiveHypothesisVariablesMultiple RegressionTo find the relationship between two or more v ariables and use this information to estimate the value of the dependent variable.Hypothesis: the dependent variables have an effect on the independent variable Null Hypothesis: the dependent variables have no effectOne dependent scale variable with multiple scale independent variablesMultivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA)To see if two categorical variables have an effect on two scale variables.Hypothesis: There is an effect of one or both categorical variables on the scale variables. Null Hypothesis: there no effectTwo dependent scale variables and two categorical variablesDiscriminant AnalysisTo identify whether one or more groups are different and on what variables the groups are most different.Hypothesis: the groups are different in terms of the dependent variable Null Hypothesis: the groups are not different in terms of the dependent variableOne dependent categorical variable and two or more independent scale variablesInterdependence Multivariate MethodsInterdependent multi variate methods seek to interpret a set of variables as a group. No distinction is made here between whether one variable is independent or dependent. The most common interdependence multivariate methods are:MethodUseVariablesFactor AnalysisTo condense information if there are many variables in order to reduce many individual variables into a few dimensionsScale or ordinal variablesCluster AnalysisTo assign characteristics to groups of variables so that each group is similar with respect to those characteristics, and the groups themselves are distinctScale or categorical, but interpretation will be more difficult with a mix of variablesHow to Interpret the R Squared and P-ValueWhen dealing with the interpretation of hypotheses, it is important to understand the type of test you have performed. Typically, interpreting the results will follow the way in which the output of your statistical software has displayed the results. Usually, they will summarize these results in tabular form.L et's take multiple linear regression as an example, with weight as the dependent variable and income, diet, and height as the independent variables. The most important reporting values can be found in the R squared value and p-value. Take a look at the table below to see how to interpret each.AspectResultInterpretationHypothesisMultiple Regression where: j represents the number of the dependent variable B signifies the coefficient H1 is Bj does not equal 0 for at least one j H0 is Bj=0H1: Income, diet and height do have an effect on weight H0: Income, diet and height do not have an effect on weightR Squared ValueR2 = 0.6868% of the variability in weight is explained by the independent variables - income, diet and height - in the modelP-valuep = 0.0001With a p-value less than 0.05, at 0.0001, we retain the hypothesis and reject the null hypothesisIt is important to note that, when dealing with the different multivariate methods, the world correlation rarely crops up outside of corre lation tables. Make sure to use the word correlation in your report or paper appropriately.Describe your research methodology in your reportHow to Structure your Analytic ReportWe've all been there: trying to write a conclusion can be surprisingly difficult. However, this frustration can be avoided by structuring your report correctly. Normally, an abstract comes first, which is normally a short summary of the research process written after the research and analysis has taken place.An introduction to your project should follow, as this will provide the contextual framework for your paper. Not only should you describe what your goal is, but also cite other papers rooted in grounded theory. The validity of these papers are important with regards to your own experiment because, by citing these papers, you will be able to provide a content analysis of your own work.Next, if you were the researcher in this process, meaning that you were involved in data collection it is necessary to stat e your methodology. Methodological collection of raw data is varied and can include anything from surveys, tests in a laboratory, or from online databases - which is why it is important to detail how you attained it.The analysis portion of your data will involve everything discussed previously. This section will include the exploratory analysis through structured graphs and tables, as well as the different statistical methods employed on your data. You should state clearly whether or not your variables pass all of the assumptions of the tests you utilize.This portion, where you analyze the results attained from your data, is the core of any paper you write and should be written in an organized and clear manner. Any assumption that is violated or any transformation of a variable should be noted either here or in an appendix, depending on your audience.One easy way to lay this portion out is by making sure to differentiate the most important parts of your analysis from the rest of the paper. This can be done by either highlighting, underlining, or putting these phrases in bold.The last portion of your report should be dedicated to a conclusion. This portion should involve not only a summary of the results from your tests, but also an evaluation of the report itself. Meaning, the report should look at the different ways it could have handled the research process differently and what it could do differently next time. It is also important to add how further research can be performed if and when somebody else wants to run a similar test.If you're looking for some extra explanation or help on this subject, check out some webinars online or search for a tutor!

What You Should Expect from a Private Tutor 25 Rules (Part 1)

What You Should Expect from a Private Tutor 25 Rules (Part 1) Improving Academic Performance This is the first in a series of articles about what makes for an effective private tutoring experience. The series will be written such that we assume most of the onus is on the tutor to create a positive experience. And certainly, when a parent or student invests $60, $70, $80, $90 or more per hour for private tutoring, they should expect a mentor and guide throughout the tutoring process. The tutor should certainly be the expert telling the student / parent what to do and providing clear advice. That said, always remember that working with a private tutor is not a silver bullet. You, the student, are still responsible for taking ownership over the relationship, buying into the approaches, strategies, and tactics, putting in the hard work, and ultimately performing well in the class or on the standardized test. At the end of the day, it really is on you, not on the tutor, to perform in the class or on the test. CEOs of huge companies hire high priced private consultants all the time to provide them with advice and ideas, but they are obviously responsible for the performance of the company. No investor, employee, or customer ever really gives credit or blame to a consultant. Similarly, you should expect a lot of focus, ideas, advice, and guidance from a tutor, but you should not plan on giving them much credit or blame if you succeed or fail. The tutoring process is driven by the student’s desire to work hard and improve. So what should you expect when investing in a relationship with a private tutor? Of course, a private tutor should be an expert in the academic area in which you are struggling. Or, at least, they should be an expert relative to your current level of understanding. If you are struggling in pre-calculus, they should have a clear mastery of pre-calculus. I hope this is obvious. But an effective private tutor should be much more than a master of the content, and there are a range of behaviors and actions a parent and/or a student should expect when working with a private tutor. In this article, we’ll share some “best practices” around the tutoring experience. These best practices should double as reasonable “expectations” for a student or parent investing their time and money in working with a private tutor. In my experience, most tutors do not follow each one of these guidelines. But, we try to ensure MyGuru tutors do, or at least try, to follow a clear majority of them. Before the Session Communication and logistics You should expect that the tutor (or tutoring company) gets back to you within 24 business hours of every email you send, text message you write, or phone call you make. In 2017, with the pace of most people’s lives and the ubiquity of smart phones and lap tops, you should not have to wait 48 or more hours in between email responses. If the tutor is unsure of his or her schedule or the company is still in the process of coordinating, you should be receiving an update every day or so. The tutor should be clear in his or her communications about his near and medium-term availability and travel limitations. It is fair to assume that the tutor should accommodate your schedule and, if you are seeking in-person tutoring, travel very close to you. That said, it’s also reasonable to expect that you might need to be flexible on timing and location as well. You shouldn’t be caught off guard that he’s on vacation for a week (as an example). You should be presented with the option to do the session in your home or in a public location. Unless the tutor is clear about travel or logistics limitations, the session should be in a location that’s convenient and comfortable to you. The tutor should initiate the exchange of cell phone numbers and be clear about the exact time, place, and location of the session, as well as his or her physical appearance so you can identify the tutor. You should not feel stress about figuring out where to meet or who to meet on the day of the session. If either party needs to cancel the session, at least 24 hours of notice should be provided. It wreaks havoc on everyone’s schedule when a session is cancelled on short notice. At MyGuru, we have a 24-hour cancellation policy. If the student cancels within that timeframe, they can be charged for the session. If the tutor cancels on very short notice, it’s often reasonable to expect a free session. Preparation and objectives While the tutor should have clear mastery of the material, they should also ask about your assignments, materials, syllabus, and teacher’s approach etc. in advance such that they can familiarize themselves and prepare. Every teacher or professor is different, and reviewing the material, at least briefly, in advance is key to understanding it completely and delivering an effective lesson. It may even be appropriate, as the tutoring experience progresses, for some interaction between the tutor and the teacher to take place, even if indirectly through the student or parent, such that key concepts or approaches can be clarified and explained to the student by the tutor in line with the teacher’s perspective. This understood.org article addresses the importance of tutor, parent, and teacher interaction. The tutor should ask you about your expectations for the session, and proactively establish objectives in advance. You are probably paying by the hour. So, within reason, students shouldn’t spend an entire 1-2 hour tutoring session reviewing only 10% of the questions in their homework. At the same time, if you are missing core conceptual or foundational knowledge to excel in the class, the tutor should communicate this clearly and explain why he or she needs to go slowly. For standardized test prep, objectives can vary widely. Are we diagnosing strengths and weaknesses and focusing on exploring what you need to know for the test, such that we can write out a customized study plan? Or, do you have three specific concepts and a list of missed problems you want to review? Speaking of the development of customized study plans, they are almost always a critical component of a tutoring relationship and a very important objective to be met. Unfortunately, helping students develop customized study plans is a skill that few tutors have really mastered. We too often hear something along the lines of “the sessions were great. But I left without a clear understanding of what to do next on my own. There was no structured plan to follow.” Particularly when it comes to tutoring for standardized tests, a core objective should be to walk away from the session with a study plan. Here is an article that does a good job of discussing the importance of developing a quality study plan. In our next article, we’ll cover what you should expect from a tutor during a session.

Acing General Chemistry on the MCAT

Acing General Chemistry on the MCAT MCAT Medical School Admissions Reviewing and relearning a multitude of topics and subjects for the MCAT is no easy feat for most students. Many find general chemistry especially burdensome since it is usually taken freshman year and well forgotten by the time MCAT preparation comes around. Thisarticle explores various tips useful for brushing up on your chemistry knowledge and studying for it as efficiently as possible. How important is general chemistry? General Chemistry makes up about thirty percent of questions on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Section of MCAT and five percent of all questions in Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems. It is essential to scoring well on the test and getting into a medical school. How do I know what general chemistry topics to study? AAMC website has a section (“What's on the MCAT Exam?”) that lists all the topics on each section of the MCAT. Some of the high yield topics are: acids and bases, electrochemistry, chemical equilibria, and stoichiometry. Studying all the topics thoroughly is essential to scoring well on the exam, and being prepared for any question given on the test. How should I study general chemistry? Making a list of topics will help with feeling less overwhelmed and more organized. You can begin by reviewing a topic either using a book or watching Khan Academy videos (Khan Academy has a section dedicated to MCAT and all its topics). Most of the time, however, must be spent on practicing problems. Practice does make perfect! Many students make a mistake of spending days and months going over topics, but not doing much practice. Solving problems and going over mistakes is vital to scoring well on the exam. All the tests, problem sets and flashcard problems released by AAMC should be practiced prior to the test date. However, it should be noted that practicing AAMC problems is not enough and other sources should be used for further preparation. Also, it is important to make a list of chemistry formulas and constants (speed of light, Plank’s constant, ideal gas constant) and memorize them before the test. Writing out all the formulas from memory every morning is a good way to start the day! Watch out for units! Got stuck on a question? Units will often come to the rescue. Chemistry is all about units. Units will help you remember many formulas and to know whether division or multiplication is needed. Let’s say a question asks to find the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of 20g of aluminum from 30to 45given that the specific heat capacity of aluminum is 0.902 J/g. Specific heat capacity has the unit of J/g. Thus, heat (Joules) can be found by eliminating grams and since two temperatures are given, it can be inferred that a change in temperature is needed: 45-30= 15. To cancel the units of g and and get Joules, specific heat capacity must be multiplied by mass (in grams) and change in temperature (inCelsius). Brush up on your math skills. Solving most chemistry problems and coming up with a correct answer requires math. A calculator is not allowed on the MCAT and, therefore, students should improve their math skills and become comfortable with multiplying and dividing very complex numbers. Converting most numbers into scientific notation will help make division and multiplication very easy. Let’s say we need to divide 0.00805 by 403. At first, this task might seem a little daunting, but not after we convert both numbers into scientific notation! Learn to analyze graphs and tables. Most of the time, not all the needed information and numbers are given in the question stem. Remaining components needed to solve the problem can be found in the passage and through the interpretation of graphs and charts. Almost every passage will have a chart, graph, or table that needs to be analyzed. Reading the name of the x-axis and y-axis as well as the title and legend will help you understand the information the graph is trying to convey. For chemistry questions, oftentimes, missing components are found on the charts and graphs presented in the passage. Thus, it is very important not to overlook these essential pieces of information. Conclusion Using the tips and tricks listed above should help you review and practice general chemistry productively. It’s time to ace the MCAT and become an amazing doctor! Are you ready? About the Author Mayya Glushankova is the Founder and Head Tutor at Transformation Tutoring LLC as well as a chemistry enthusiast. At Transformation Tutoring, we specialize in Science and Math tutoring on all levels. Our tutors have many years of experience and truly care about the success of their students. We have helped hundreds of students successfully complete college and prepare for the GRE, MCAT and DAT. Many are now enrolled in top schools such as Columbia Medical School and NYU Medical School and participating in well-known graduate programs in the medicine and health fields. Please call 646-407-9078 or visit www.transformationtutoring.comfor more information.

The Stigma Around Depression

The Stigma Around Depression Depression is an important issue that we need to keep talking about. Photo by Flickr user Life Mental Health. Note: trigger warning for suicide and depression. Depression. Mental health. Therapy. Psychologist. Suicide. Do these words make you feel uncomfortable? For years, centuries even, society has stigmatized mental health, as much as the 20th century stigmatized homosexuality as something to be ashamed of and kept secret. To this day, we cant talk openly about depression and mental health issues, and that needs to change. What is depression? Depression is a common but serious mental illness, characterized by sad or anxious feelings that are much deeper than feeling blue. Untreated, it can interfere with daily life. Depression isnt just something to be waved away as a phase youre going through. In 2011, the American College Health Association found that about 30 percent of college students reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function at some time in the past year. Depression impairs your ability to make wholesome choices and affects your academic and social lives. Its also a major factor contributing to suicide, the third leading cause of death in young adults aged 15 to 24. Depression is serious. It is real. It happens to a great portion of college students, especially from all the stress we experience as we make hard life choices, deal with crippling debt, and grow into our roles as adults. So why is it that we cant just tell friends, Hey, Im depressed and Ive been seeing a psychologist? Or, I think I might be depressed. Why cant we say to friends, I think you should think about getting help without them being offended? College students especially tend to keep to themselves. We dont like to confide our issues to others because hey, were adults now. I dont need to rely on anyone else. I dont want to trouble anyone with my problems. I dont want them to think Im crazy. I can deal with it myself. Or so we think. We ought to treat mental illness like any other disease. It is treatable and preventable, but left untreated can wreak havoc on the mind and body. We wouldnt tell friends not to get cancer treated, so why should it be any different suggesting a friend get their depression treated? Many colleges have cheap or free counseling services. Early prevention is key with depression, and talking to a doctor or mental health care professional is the first step to identifying the problem and finding a way to fix it. Im no expert on this matter, but as someone whos recovered from strong depression, I think its important that we destigmatize mental illness and find a way to address it as an important issue, rather than fear it. Id rather risk offending someone by encouraging them to find help than risk the far harsher cost of losing them to a debilitating and sometimes even lethal illness.