Volunteer report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volunteer report - Essay Example I made sure that the activities were adequate so that they did not feel exhausted at the end of the workout. I assisted them in the form of groups and visited the place thrice a week i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My tenure ended on April 10, 2014. The only difficulty which I had to face was communicating with the people as two of the group members had listening problem. It is true that elderly people are like new babies who require a lot of attention and care. I allocated sufficient time and efforts during the whole volunteer period so that I could provide them a marvelous experience of their life. There were about six people in my group and I had to make sure that I address the demands of each person appropriately. One person spoke at such a low volume that I had to listen to her talk with complete attention. I even made sure that I gave time to each individual so that they could share their feelings and thoughts effectively. I even asked them open ended questions to have clarity about their requests so that their queries were resolved. I even did physiotherapy of a person on his request as his legs were hurting and I asked him to guide me so that I could perform the exercise effectively. I definitely feel that the helping skills have to be used according to the situation and they should be in alignment with the instance so that the desired results are attained. I believe that my clients were contended with my behavior and they appreciated my efforts. One of the clients even mentioned that she feels relaxed after talking to me. Also, other person was satisfied with my helping actions as he stated that I have the ability of proactively responding to other individual’s requests efficiently. Despite all these points, I think that I have to develop an understanding about people’s psychology so that I can assess their demands from the body language and assist them in resolving their

Web design Essay Example for Free

Web design Essay Question 1: A transactional website allows customers to buy, sell, and order goods and services while a promotional website promotes and brings more customers to a website. Since PizzaHut. com has both types, this causes it to be a hybrid website. PizzaHut. com allows for customers to go online and buy their product, which is food. Customers are allowed to go online and choose whichever food they’d like and choose their delivery method. They can order it for pick up, delivery and either store their credit card information through ‘cookie’ or pay in cash. Pizza Hut promotes there online website almost all over. They have internet ads that may pop up and when you visit their website they have their special promotions posted on the central viewing window. The website allows the ability to shop for a deal with quick and easy ordering access. Pizza Hut also has many ways to order from a Facebook and iPhone app to desktop widgets. Question 2: There are seven design elements that help create great online customer experiences. The first is context. Context is a websites first appealing look and feeling that is reflected in the sites layout and in their visual design. It will focus on the company’s offerings, products, services, and information. It attempts to convey the main customer benefits provided by what the company has to offer. Content is the next. It is all the digital information on the company’s website such as the text, pictures, sounds and possible video they upload. PizzaHut. com incorporates both context and content by allowing customers to shop for a deal quickly and easily. It has the current offers directly on the main page and through navigation buttons that include the menu, locations, and nutrition facts. These are located directly below the main content Website customization is the way the site is able to modify itself and allows users to personalize it to their own likings. With Pizza Hut, their main goal was to simplify the ordering process. For customers who have already used the site they have personal options for them called ‘Express Checkout’ that is based on saved personal preferences. All they need to do is click a button and the food is on the way. Pizza Hut stores this information through Cookies. The connection for website design is the network that links it to other sites. They are links on the website that appear as highlighted words or pictures. Users are able to easily visit them by just clicking the link. Since Pizza hut is connected to mobile devices, desktops, and social networks their connection design element includes more than links. It provides an approach to create a seamless customer experiences whenever and wherever people want to engage with them. Then, comes communication. Communication is the dialogue that is on the website that unfolds between the user and the website. The customers are able to talk directly with a representative while shopping on the site. They use site-to-user, user-to-site, and two-way communication. Pizza Hut uses communication by incorporating it with content. It posts product innovations, promotions, and special events with bright colors and bold images. Community is popular because it helps to enhance customer experience and build relationships. Community is the way in which the site enables user-to-user communication. Pizza Hut realized that it did not make sense for the customers or the company to create a community on the site. Instead they turned to Facebook. Customers are now engaging in a huge group of people without disrupting their daily routine. The seventh design element to help create greater online customer experiences is commerce. Commerce is the websites ability to make sale transactions for products and services, making them quick and simple. Pizza Hut made the sales transactions quick and simple by making a Facebook application, a branded desktop widget, phone ordering, and an iPhone app that lets customers build and submit their order visually. Question 3: Choiceboards are internet enabled systems that allow customers to design their own products and services by answering a few questions and choosing from menus, prices, and delivery options and personalization is the practice of generating content on the marketers’ website that is custom tailored to an individual’s specific needs and preferences. Pizzahut. com allows customers to engage with their brand by using the right technology. With all the ways Pizza Hut has to offer for ordering their food, each will allow customers to build and submit their order visually. When I went online to see for myself, Pizzahut. com allowed me to build my own pizza. Next to my options was an image of the pizza I was building. There were series of question, such as toppings, delivery or takeout, crust, ect. Pizzahut. com is made to simplify the ordering process and has their promotions directly on the main page.

Napster - Stare And Live The Nightmare :: essays research papers

For many years the record companies have fixed record prices to avoid competing with each other and to maximize their profits. Currently, the record companies are collaborating in order to force Napster to shut down. The record companies are claiming that Napster is breaking copyright laws. Napster is a peace of software available for free on the Internet, which allows you to download almost any song you can think of. All you need to get Napster is a computer and Internet connection, the faster the better. Should people feel sympathy for the record companies because of the supposed starvation as a result of Napster file sharing? Or should the sympathy lie with the users of Napster? Let us examine who is trying to shut down Napster and for what reasons. Let us also determine the reasons why people want Napster to remain open. The Record Company is strongly opposed to Napster for one reason and one reason only. Apparently, the record companies are losing more and more of the market to Napster file sharing on the Internet. Record companies justify their lawsuits against Napster with the line so often used in press conferences, â€Å"Napster breaks copyright laws.† This phrase seems like a legitimate argument. One could understand the reasons for feeling this way. For simplicity sake, we will use Dave as an example. Dave developed a product and sells it, and, at first, his product does very well. His product is then duplicated again and again by a person who purchased his product. Dave watches his sales plummet and, of course, feels cheated. Should Dave have the right to sue the person who copied his product? Most people would say yes. This is the argument the record companies are making in defense of the lawsuits against Napster. However, let us look deeper into the matters of sales within the record companies. Record companies say they are suffering as a result of Napster. The price of a CD has stayed the same for many years as far as I can remember. Why would the record companies not raise the price of a CD if their profits were dropping? Also, the sales of records from1999 to 2000 have actually increased 2%. Why would there be an increase in sales if, the record companies claim, Napster is hurting their business and taking up some of the market? I am sure if Napster was good for business in the record companies’ eyes, the record companies would not be complaining about copyright infringement laws being broken.

Television in the UAE & Saudi Arabia: An analysis of women’s representation

Introduction This research analyzes the ways in which women are represented on television in Arabic countries; through social programs in the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Since graduation in 2007, I have been employed at Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI). This has awarded me seven years of experience as a news reporter and presenter; which has helped me to understand more about common traits in Arabic television as well as its depiction of women. As a result of this background, the connection between the Arabic women of the television and the country’s government will be the primary subject that this report will explore. The rationale (epistemological, substantive, and practical) for undertaking this project stems from personal interest towards the research; as workplace experience at DMI included conducting analysis about current affairs and relations between Arabic-Gulf countries and Arabic women. This background raised a personal and moral obligation: to discover whether Arabic women are represented on TV in a negative way and what can be done to support them. This project surrounds a universal matter of gender in-equality and should be addressed as such. Arabic women (like all women around the world) should be able to work and have a proper education instead of being fated to live the life of a housewife. What makes matters more significant is the strategy the government has put in place to deliver on this mandate – manipulating the public through propaganda on common media platforms. This report will discuss more precisely what can be done if the research concludes that women’s representation is negative on Arabic television (by analyzing the source of the problem). For instance; are religious reasons, customs and traditions, different cultural backgrounds and governmental differences to blame for female representation in the mediaOr are there other factors worth considering? Secondary research into the topic will aid the report. This research will help reach a logical conclusion of the matter and also vicariously un-cover a niche in this area of study – (there was barely any information directly comparing between these two Arabic countries). So although this means the project will be a more difficult subject to research, it will be thoroughly completed in order to shed light upon the topic. For this reason, a mixed methodology application of quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to conduct my research. Moreover, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been chosen for research because they advocate different rules in TV programming than other Arabic countries even though they all follow the same religion – Islam. Furthermore, women in these two countries have different cultural backgrounds and government. The role of television as a media platform in the Arab world has been highlighted repeatedly. Arabic TV’s image and perception must therefore be the first thing to be addressed in the process of identifying whether the representation of women is a positive or negative one. In light of this, the project addresses the following questions: How does Arabic TV present women in a positive or negative way? What are (and why are there) differences between women’s representation in these two countries, even though they share a common religion? Women’s experiences of social Arabic TV- harmful or helpful?Literature ReviewLiterature dealing directly with the relationship between the Arabic woman and her problems with representation on Arabic TV is virtually non-existent. However, with the continuous development of worldwide media, it is hardly surprising that the Middle East’s opinion of Arabic media has become more sophisticated and modern in many aspects. In light of this, many Arabic television channels have become much more well known and influential than ever before. For example, â€Å"Al-Jazeera TV† in Qatar has noticeably developed a stronger base of viewers around the world from its wide-spread signal – something that hasn’t happened to a global Arabic news station before. As a result, the middle-east now has access to a new brand of â€Å"universalized† news (Waxman, N.D.). Consequently, these channels have become more interesting in many aspects. It could even be argued that Arabic women are presented in an equal light to men on their native TV because of the positive attributes it shows women possessing. For example, channels depict women as intelligent and wise on worldwide TV stations in the Middle East; by implying they have the right to be educated, to be independent and to have their own business. Conversely, there are some local Arabic TV channels that do present women negatively. What makes this more significant is how the television stations do nothing to remedy this negative (and purposeful) representation. References to renowned academic literature will also be included that argues each side of the debate; which for all intents and purposes was substantially difficult to find. Whereas a selection of these studies focus on the positive way Arabic television depicts women, other research is focused only on the differences between Arabic women in the East and the West. On the other hand, other works have sought to discuss merely the negative image Arabic stations impose on their native females. The results and critical opinions within this collected research (as well as primary research) will subsequently form the main body of my essay. An extensive amount of the work collected on the matter emphasizes dominance over Arabic women; particularly Saudi Arabian women. One of the main books to demonstrate this belief is Paul Danahar’s The New Middle East. Published in 2013, the BBC’s Middle East bureau chief (Danahar) revealed that a new era shaped the Middle East during the Arabic Spring of 2011 which lead to clearer insights of media representatives; thereby changing traditional opinions in some Arabic countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria and Tunisia. As a result of this, the general consensus of Arabic people (specifically women) within the international community also changed; creating a knock-on effect on the role Islam played in the Middle East during the Arabic Spring as well. Perhaps the most interesting point in this book is that the writer mentions that people (men and women) of the Arabic community can finally speak more openly for the first time. This book is a strong reference with regards to describing women’s cases during the Arabic Spring, but it is perhaps too eager to include such divine constructs as fate, destiny and pre-destination. The outcome of the Arabic Spring revolution will be considered first. The work of Goetz (1997) asserts that women have developed remarkably for almost three decades now in numerous Muslim countries, and points out organizations must be recognized as being deeply gendered in their structure towards women’s interests in the media. However, Goetz’s results were based upon data from over 30 years ago, and it is unclear if these differences still persist; as it can be clearly seen that many Muslim-Arabic countries have changed a lot during those thirty years. For example, the amount of women appearing in Saudi Arabian media has seen a significant decrease during the last thirty years. While Goetz’s research may therefore not be as historically relevant as others (her analysis was not based on empirical research, and she does not focus on Saudi Arabia), it is evident that the way television and media is constructed in the Middle East is fundamentally different from other countries (namely those in the West). For example, Saudi women cannot wear what they truly want to wear on the TV screen, or drive a car, and have to face a patriarchal culture every day. This is why Saudi Arabia was specifically chosen for this report. Keddie (2007 p. 149- 150) feels that it is remarkably interesting to see the difference between Middle Eastern women in the past and the present. She focuses on tracing the development of Middle Eastern women’s history since the rise of Islam, and notes that there have been significant improvements in the Middle East’s women’s suffrage movement. Moreover, the appearance of women in public places reflects this discovery, a s well as the fact that females seem to have taken up the pre-dominant role in advertising. However, she argues that women in Saudi Arabia were more open to change in the 1960s and 1970s than they were in the 1980s and 1990s; also that they were more educated, including a higher amount of people studying abroad, had more job opportunities, their own marital choices and better health. But, this all changed because of â€Å"the Islamist takeover of the main Saudi mosque in 1979† (Keddie, 2007, p.150). It seems this reason remains unclear because Saudi Arabia had already been an Islamic country for centuries before; it was the change of the role of the government that lessened women’s rights – an after-effect of the Islamist takeover. Strong & Hareb (2012) indicate how the amount of digitally competent young females in the UAE who use social media programs is rapidly increasing. Additionally, Strong & Hareb (2012, p. 3) point out that â€Å"The UAE is made up of s even emirates, which were separate authorities until the country was formed in 1971. Each emirate is governed by a ruling family; with some services (like education) to be funded and administered by the overall federal government†. Therefore, the UAE has a different television channel for all seven emirates. Moreover, the WAGL (Women as Global Leaders) claim that â€Å"Although Emirati females make up only about 5% of the total population, the spotlight recently has been on them as potential future leaders† (WAGL, 2012). Strong & Hareb (2012, p. 3) suggest this means that the UAE government is showing us through television that it is supporting Emirati females to be leaders. Moreover, the government’s media website said that â€Å"the UAE has become a model for Arab women in all fields† (WAM, 2009). For the UAE, the situation is more hopeful – there is perhaps more openness felt towards women, whereas in Saudi Arabia, there is no freedom. Females ca nnot wear what they really want to wear on a TV screen, and usually have to wear traditional, religious clothing. Mellor, et al (2011) found that some Arabic countries have a new challenge in the media because globalization has brought new opportunities to them. For example, â€Å"the United Arab Emirates (UAE) now profile themselves globally as the perfect hybrid link between east and west† (Mellor, et al, 2011, P. 25). Clearly, it can be seen reflected in women’s current affairs in the UAE. This paper agrees with Mellor, because it can clearly be seen that Emirati women have many more opportunities now; whether it be working as a TV presenter or reporter. This study directly correlates to the main analysis of this report: by showing us that Emirati women are represented in a positive way on UAE television. A similar view to this essay was found in a report by The Dubai School of Government (2011, p1). This report states that â€Å"Arab women in particular have becom e more engaged in political and civic actions; playing a critical leading role in the rapid and historic changes that have swept the region†. This article focuses on women within media and social terms, in a way that implies they are active in their society and that UAE television does help them feel more independent. It seems that UAE TV urges women to be intelligent, to be something more than just a housewife or mother at home, to work or own a business and finally be equal with Emirati men. Lastly, the work of Saker (2004) reveals that the image of Middle Eastern women in a media landscape often presents them as changed, empowered and advanced. This article will be useful for my research. Methodology/ Research Method: As previously mentioned; this project is difficult to research. For this reason a variety of data by using mixed methodology – qualitative and quantitative methods. Additionally, both types of data will be collected in the two countries during the summer. This study encompasses two different types of research to explore if Arabic TV helps women or harms them. The first type of research theory is qualitative (questionnaires, interviews, etc.). For example, respondents will be shown clips of Arabic TV shows and create a survey that will ask them which Arabic television programs support women and which do not support women, and why (as well as asking demographic information such as nationality, age, gender, and education level). The second type of research theory is a quantitative content analysis – case studies, statistics or percentages to compare with two social Arabic programs from two Arabic countries that have women presenters from the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The programs are Kalam Nawaiem from MBC channel – Saudi Arabia, and Zahrat Al-Khaleej from Abu Dhabi channel – United Arab Emirates. These methods lead to answering the overall research questions: How does Arabic TV show women in a positive way or negative waySecondly, what are the differences between women’s representation in the two countries (the UAE and Saudi Arabia)Thirdly, what are women’s experiences of Arabic TV – harmful or helpful? Conclusion The United Arab Emirates & Saudi Arabia have been chosen because on the surface it appears that one country supports women (UAE) and the second country does not support women (Saudi Arabia) on TV stations. This will make for a very conclusive and judicial paper – one that will be written with passion. Firstly, the paper’s aim and rationale for the research will be discussed. Secondly, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the literature written on this topic will be analyzed, as well as the research methods and studies chosen. It is interesting to see the differences between Islamic Arabic cultures and Western cultures; and then to compare women’s representation on TV programs. Moreover, it cannot be denied that we should support and respect women around the world, and is clear that it is not fair or equal to abandon Arabic women in this belief. The most intriguing point is that it is not all Arabic countries that do not support women; even though the Islamic religion connects them all. This research then, will help us understand in more detail the reasons of these differences – whether religious or government or cultural. However, there will be some problems that most likely will be encountered (especially in Saudi Arabia) due to ethical issues. The research collected may or may not be allowed to be considered outside of the country. To resolve this, alternative ways will be considered so that the project can be investigated freely. It is clear that this research needs to go ahead because it asks an important question – Are there positive ways Arabic women on TV are presented or negative waysSecondly, there has been little research done before on this topic. There was not much information that has compared two countries, justified research and then remained objective at the conclusion. Thirdly, the research seeks to understand in more depth how these differences have occurred in two Arabic countries even though there is a religion that binds them together; bringing cultural and historical significance to the paper. Lastly, this is a topic that affects everyone universally, and is something that everyone can understand. It does not matter whether the reader is a woman or a man, for it will bring attention and focus to the problem regardless. Thus, this topic can be investigated after the description of its main characteristics. Bibliography: Danahar, P. (2013) The New Middle East: The World after the Arab Spring. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Dubai School of Government, UAE (2011) The role of social media in Arab women’s empowerment. Arab social media report, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1. Goetz, A. M. (1997) Getting institutions right for women in development. London: Zed Books Ltd. Keddie, N. R. (2007) Women in the Middle East: Past and Present. Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. Mellor, N. et al. (2011) Arab Media: Globalization and Emerging Media Industries. The United Kingdom: Polity Press. Saker, N. (2004) Women and media in the Middle East: Power through self-expression. America: Published by I.B Tauris & Co Ltd. Strong, C & Hareb, H. (2012) Social Media Fashion among Digitally Fluent Young Arabic Women in the UAE. Social Media Fashion. Vol. 8, Issue 1. Dubai, Zayed University. WAGL. (2012) About WAGL. Women as Global Leaders Conference. Available at: http://www.zu.ac.ae/main/en/wagl2012/about.aspx. Last accessed 5 February 2014. WAM. (2009). Foreign Media Delegation Visits. WAM Online. 24th, November, 2009. Available at: http://uaeinteract.com/docs/Foreign_media_delegation_visits_GWU/38528. Last accessed 5 February 2014. Waxman, S. (n.d) Arab TV’s strong signal the Al-Jazeera network offers news the Mideast never had before, and views that are all too common. Al Jazeera Online. http://www.allied-media.com/aljazeera/washpost.htm. Last accessed 11 February 2014.

What killed audiolingualism

Audiologists is one of the nine 20th century language teaching approaches which was based on contrastive analysis about behaviorism and structuralism, and was created as a reaction to the reading approach that was lacking of emphasis on oral- aural skills. The results of this approach, dialogues approach, were generally regarded a great success. The small groups of learners and high motivation were the caveats that undoubtedly contributed to the success of the approach.However, successful as it was, Audiologists reached its end in the sass and is no longer seed today. There are some reasons as to why this approach collapsed. The first reason was the emergence of error analysis that makes audiologists received attacks from many linguists. Chomsky attack on behaviorism view on which audiologists is based is very well-known. He also proposed that people have innate system- generally known as Universal Grammar- within them that provides them with ability to construct their own grammar.T he error in audiologists was also viewed not as something to be avoided. Error Is a good thing through which learners' mind is shown. There was another attack as well saying this approach, especially in the late sass, failed to follow the learners' needs In a way that the learners needed advanced academic skills more than they need oral skill because of the university requirement for enrollment at U.S and British (grab, 1991). That audiologists banned students from using Al because It will Interfere with their LA acquisition also received critics because some linguists viewed Al not as a hindrance, but as an important resource In decision making In writing Another reason that killed audiologists Is the negligence of the caveat that audiologists be taught In small class with highly motivated students.This negligence occurred because of several reasons; people's amazement toward how successful audiologists was that they Implemented It anywhere hoping to get the same success, and the b oredom that students felt due to the monotonousness for using drilling so often that they lose their motivation. This monotonousness was one thing that led Harmer (1991) to suggest that It not be used too frequently and too long. It Is human nature to get ordered and It Is Inevitable.In Dalton, the level of emergency also became the significant factor In a way that former learners with dialogues method viewed LA as an urgent need. Some needed It for World War 2, some-especially those who lived In one place with two language-needed It to be mediating language because It was the only way to communicate. However, LA learning today Is not because It Is urgently needed. Most of the time, It Is Just learned because It Is In the curriculum. However, despite all reasons mentioned above, It Is not that Audiologists Is a bad teaching approach.The alma of this paper, and also the alma of learning language teaching approach, Is not to Judge any approach. There Is no such thing called the best o r the worst method. Audiologists Itself Is not a bad approach since, at some point In history, It has been very successful. Thus, Audiologists, Just Like any other approaches, Is not for us to discredit. The task for all language teachers Is to find the method that Is most suitable and most effective for the learners. What killed audiologists By realization also viewed not as something to be avoided.Error is a good thing through which especially in the late sass, failed to follow the learners' needs in a way that the audiologists banned students from using Al because it will interfere with their LA but as an important resource in decision making in writing Another reason that killed audiologists is the negligence of the caveat that audiologists be taught in several reasons; people's amazement toward how successful audiologists was that they implemented it anywhere hoping to get the same success, and the boredom suggest that it not be used too frequently and too long.It is human natu re to get bored and it is inevitable. In addition, the level of emergency also became the significant factor in a way that former learners with dialogues method viewed LA as an urgent need. Some needed it for World War 2, some-especially those who lived in one place with two language-needed it to be mediating language because it was the only way to communicate. However, LA learning today is not because it is urgently needed. Most of the time, it is Just learned because it is in the curriculum.However, despite all reasons mentioned above, it is not that Audiologists is a bad teaching approach. The aim of this paper, and also the aim of learning language teaching approach, is not to Judge any approach. There is no such thing called the best or the worst method. Audiologists itself is not a bad approach since, at some point in history, it has been very successful. Thus, Audiologists, Just like any other approaches, is not for us to discredit. The task for all language teachers is to fi nd the method that is most suitable and most effective for the learners.

How to Format an Ebook for Kindle

How to Format an Ebook for Kindle Congratulations!   You’ve finished your book.   If you’ve polished your manuscript and had it edited, you’re ready to publish on Kindle.   Not much in life is free anymore, but publishing a Kindle book is.   You can format a Kindle book yourself and upload it to Amazon for no charge.   Here’s how. First, SAVE your manuscript as a new doc so you’ll have a copy of the original.   You won’t be able to use the Kindle version for anything else once you’re done. Margins should be around .5 top and bottom, .8 for left and right margins. Don’t use more than three or four line spaces to separate text- more than that can cause text to break to a new page on smaller readers such as i-Phones. Use font sizes of 16pt or smaller- a title with a lot of text can easily run over to a second line. Be sure to include a title page and brief copyright notice. Marketing tip:   If you’ve written other books, you can include them on an â€Å"Also Option: you can make the chapter titles in the Table of Contents into clickable links Don’t include page numbers or page breaks- just let the text run on.   Otherwise, the finished product will be a mess!   You can, however, insert page breaks at the end of chapters. Don’t add headers or footers. Amazon usually indents paragraphs during formatting, so I suggest not adding any.   But they sometimes change their process.   If your final uploaded version doesn’t show indents, .3 is a good indent for paragraphs. Include a line space between each paragraph for a little more â€Å"white space.†   Also, shorter paragraphs are more visually appealing on a Kindle reader or i-Phone than longer ones. When you’ve finished formatting (and spellchecking!), save the file so you have a final copy for Kindle, then save it again TO A DIFFERENT FOLDER as â€Å"Web Page, filtered.†   If you don’t save it to a different folder, Word will automatically transform the doc you just worked on into the html file, and then you won’t have the original (which you might like to use to create an EPUB version or PDF later). Then page through the html file to make sure it looks okay (use the Paragraph tool on the toolbar to check the number of line breaks between paragraphs).   Go to Amazon’s Bookshelf (https://kdp.amazon.com), click on â€Å"Create a New Title,† and follow the instructions to upload the book.   You can also use the Cover Creator tool to create a cover at that point. After you upload the interior of the book, BE SURE TO PREVIEW IT using the Amazon previewer.   There will probably be errors, and readers who write book reviews on Amazon are not always kind about typos or formatting errors in the books they read (this is why editing is so important).   You can fix and re-upload it as many times as you need to in order to make it perfect.   Remember, you’re creating your reputation as a writer with every book you publish. Best of luck!   And Happy Writing!

The 11 Best Pre-Med Schools to Help You Become a Doctor

The 11 Best Pre-Med Schools to Help You Become a Doctor SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Choosing an undergraduate school is the first major step any student will make on the path to becoming a physician. If you’re an aspiring pre-med, you'll want to give yourself the best opportunities and support networks in college and beyond. Applying to (and succeeding in) medical school is a grueling process, so you’ll need to be prepared. Here, I’ll talk about what actually makes a school good for pre-meds before getting into the good stuff: the list of best pre-med schools. What Makes a School Good for Pre-Meds? 6 Key Factors Pre-med students need a lot of specialized resources and opportunities as undergraduates in order to boost their med school applications. It’s important that aspiring physicians attend schools that aren’t only highly ranked but that also provide unique support to pre-meds. In creating this list of best pre-med schools, I considered the following six factors (as you should, too, when deciding on a school!). Factor 1: Medical Schools Admissions History This is perhaps the most obvious and most important factor to consider before applying to college. Various specialized resources for pre-meds are great, but what really matters (and what keys you in to whether these resources are effective or not) is the percentage of pre-med students from that college who actually end up in medical school. The problem is that not all undergraduate institutions make this information easily available, and if they do, the numbers might be artificially inflated. For instance, they might not count students who start off as pre-med but don’t fulfill all the requirements. Or they might attempt to "weed out" weaker students from the pre-med track with difficult classes. That being said, here are some steps you can take to get a general sense of a school’s med school admissions history: Start with online research to see whether any stats are available for the colleges you’re interested in. Try searching "[School Name] pre-med admissions" on Google. Look into class profiles of med schools you’re interested in. For example, Tulane's School of Medicine's latest class profile lists the major colleges and universities its students come from; these include Tulane, UCLA, Emory, UVA, and LSU. This isn't the norm, however, as many med school class profiles don't contain information about undergraduate institutions. Whenever available, I included med school admissions stats in the descriptions below. If I could find stats only from unreliable sources, I did not include them on the list. Factor 2: Pre-Med Advising There are a lot of requirements and activities to keep track of when preparing for medical school applications- something you’ll be thinking about starting as a freshman in college (or perhaps even earlier). Special pre-med advising programs are really helpful when it comes to making sure you’re on the right track. Knowledgeable pre-med advisors and mentors should be able to prepare you for all aspects of the application process, including course and major selection, application development, and interview preparation. The more intensive the advising resources, the better prepared you’ll be for your med school applications. Factor 3: Research and Publication Opportunities You’ll need research experience in some sort of STEM lab for med school applications. The earlier you start your research and the more research you do, the more impressive you’ll look to medical schools. Well-funded research institutions will often have many opportunities for undergrads to get involved in labs simply because more research is happening. And more research means more opportunities for you to get your name on a paper or two, which is a big plus for your CV. You’ll notice that most of the schools on this list are very highly ranked research powerhouses with excellent medical schools- this is no coincidence. The same research funding, facilities, and faculty that make a med school great also help make a school great for pre-meds. Factor 4: Clinical Experience Opportunities You don’t just need research experience for your med school apps- you also need work in clinical settings. Oftentimes, you’ll have to get this experience through volunteer work, such as at a clinic or nursing home. If you’re in an area with limited clinical environments, it’ll be tough to get the experience you need, especially if you have to compete with other pre-meds. Med schools want to see that you’ve spent time in the field- make sure your school of choice offers opportunities for you to gain this experience. Factor 5: Rigor of Curriculum You might not be excited at the prospect of seeking out tough courses on purpose, but a rigorous curriculum will ensure you’re prepared for both the MCAT and medical school. Schools that are tough on their premeds will ultimately produce stronger med school applicants, which is a good thing considering that less than half of all pre-med applicants end up in medical school! Factor 6: Pre-Med Major vs Pre-Med School Most colleges and universities don’t actually have a dedicated pre-med major. At these schools, students are responsible for meeting their general education requirements, their major requirements, and their pre-med requirements. As you might expect, many of the best schools for pre-meds don’t have a specific pre-med major. That being said, they do have strong biological and physical sciences departments. (In fact, many students choose these majors because there’s a lot of overlap with pre-med requirements.) The Best Pre-Med Schools, Ranked College rankings are helpful when starting your college search, but no ranking list is perfect since there’s no way to come up with an officially objective system that applies to all students. In an effort to be as transparent as possible, I’ve compiled this list of the best pre-med schools using the factors described above. Keep in mind that these schools are all stellar options, and the ranking numbers themselves aren’t particularly important. What matters more is how these schools might or might not fit your college criteria. Now, let's take a look at the best med schools! #1: Harvard Harvard’s Office of Career Services estimates that 17% of any one of its classes will apply to med school- that's a huge fraction of the student body! Pre-med applicants with a 3.5 GPA or higher had a 93% acceptance rate to med schools in 2013, whereas average acceptance rates that year were about 42%. Harvard College offers a peer pre-med advising program in which students are assigned a pre-med tutor sophomore through senior year. Harvard University houses the #1 ranked medical school in the US and also boasts extremely strong biological sciences departments. There are several affiliated teaching hospitals nearby, too (which are great for both research and clinical experience). #2: Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins is well reputed as a very highly ranked med school and medical research institution, which means you'll have numerous research and clinical opportunities. You’re sure to have access to impressive resources, as the university is affiliated with one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. Undergraduates at Johns Hopkins follow a pre-med advising program track (which isn't a major). This advising track includes individual appointments, small group meetings, and special programs. The school also has many health-related student organizations. Unfortunately, there’s no good information out there on med school acceptance rates for pre-meds at Johns Hopkins. #3: Stanford Stanford isn’t just a top-ranked college- it also houses a top-ranked medical school. Special pre-med advisors are available to discuss ideas, plan your coursework, help you visualize your long-term objectives, and give you options for gaining experience in the field. The pre-med community at Stanford seems especially organized and cohesive. The Stanford Pre-Medical Association offers lots of information and resources to students, all in one place. #4: University of Pennsylvania Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine is one of the best in the US; access to this med school means tons of research opportunities. But don’t just take my word for it! In 2017, 78% of Penn students who applied to med school were accepted- that's well above the national average of 43% that year. The school also offers a pre-health advising program to guide students through fulfilling pre-med requirements and successfully applying to medical school. #5: Columbia Columbia is home to a top-15 med school. Here, students are assigned a pre-med advisor and attend informational meetings sponsored by the Premedical Committee. Columbia's convenient NYC location guarantees easy access to countless clinics and hospitals, giving you plenty of opportunities for clinical and research experience. Want to build the best possible college application for BS/MD programs? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. #6: Duke We've luckily found some information about med school acceptance rates for Duke undergrads- according to Duke, 85% of its college students get into med school, which is more than twice the national average. This likely has partly to do with the fact that Duke hosts a top-10 medical school. In addition, pre-med students are assigned an advisor who mentors them through the college and med school application processes. #7: University of Washington You might have noticed that all the schools on the list so far have been private schools. But not the University of Washington! UW is one of the best public med schools in terms of research and primary care, and pre-med students benefit significantly from these resources. Pre-health career coaches and advisors help students with academic and vocational concerns, such as picking classes, job shadowing, research, volunteering, etc., through a combination of individual and group meetings. There are also many pre-med student groups, including Alpha Epsilon Delta and the Student Health Consortium. #8: UNC Chapel Hill Unfortunately, UNC doesn’t track specifics when it comes to med school acceptance rates for pre-meds. One source states that 90% of UNC pre-med students who apply to med school get in, but take this with a grain of salt. Overall, UNC has a very good reputation across many health fields for both undergraduate and graduate students. UNC offers an interesting nine-week Medical Education Development (MED) summer program, an intensive program for smart and committed students who have lacked past opportunities to move toward a career in the medical field. If you’re not ready to attend college as a pre-med but want to become a physician, this could be a good option for you. #9: Cornell An impressive 76% of Cornell pre-meds with a GPA of 3.4 or higher got into medical school in 2016. If you end up as a pre-med at Cornell, you’ll be in good company: about 1/6 of undergrads there are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. The school is pretty isolated, so the best research and clinical experiences are the ones on campus. Cornell has a decently ranked med school, which likely provides many of these opportunities. Finally, the school’s Health Careers Program provides specialized advising, programs, information, and an Evaluation Committee to pre-med students. This Committee is particularly helpful when it comes to getting letters of recommendation for medical school applications. Outdoorsy students might not mind trading an urban environment for the scenery in Ithaca, NY. #10: Northwestern With a top-20 med school, Northwestern offers lots of research and clinical opportunities. It helps that the school is located in a bustling urban area. Unfortunately, there’s no available info on pre-med acceptance rates to medical schools for students at Northwestern. There is, however, a lot of info on available resources on the school’s pre-med advising website. These advisors help students with everything from choosing courses to applying to med school. Pre-meds are welcome to schedule individual meetings or stop by during drop-in hours. Bonus: Georgetown I’m including Georgetown on this list because it offers a pretty interesting option for students who like to plan ahead called the Early Assurance Program. If you’re a high-achieving pre-med student at Georgetown, you can get assurance of admission at Georgetown School of Medicine at the end of your senior year. Georgetown isn’t ranked as highly as the other schools above are, but if you’re not interested in going into academia, this won’t matter too much. 3 Final Tips for Future Pre-Med Students If you’re thinking about choosing a pre-med track (or even if you’re still just thinking about it!), you can set yourself up for success by following these three tips. For more guidance, check out our step-by-step guide on how to become a doctor and our list of the best books for pre-med students. Tip 1: Focus on Math and Science in High School You’ll need a foundation in high school for your pre-med courses in college, and you’ll need to do well in those college courses in order to get into med school- it’s that simple! It might be painful at times, but doing well in math and science classes will set you up for better admissions chances at one of these top pre-med programs. Tip 2: Look Beyond Schools' Pre-Med Programs There are so many other factors to consider when making a decision about where to go to college. A school’s pre-med program is important of course, but so are the more practical features that will affect your quality of life. Are you happy with the general area in which the school is located? What about the school's room and board options? Are there student groups or activities you’re excited about? If you’re not happy at school on a day-to-day basis, this could negatively affect your performance when trying to fulfill your pre-med requirements. Tip 3: Keep Your GPA High Many of the stats I found on pre-med acceptance rates to med schools qualified those stats by providing information based on students' GPAs. The implicit (or sometimes explicit) implication here is that students with higher GPAs have more success getting into med school. While of course an undergraduate institution with research opportunities and great advising will help your chances, those resources can only do so much if your grades aren’t great. Conversely, you can still get into med school with great grades and an awesome MCAT score even if you didn’t go to a super prestigious undergraduate institution. What’s Next? If you’re still figuring out whether a career as a physician is right for you, consider getting some hands-on experience. You might not think there’s much you can do as a high school student, but there is! Start by shadowing a physician, and then check out our guide to the best med programs for students in high school. If you’re interested in pre-med programs, you might also be interested in BS/MD programs. Take a look at our comprehensive guide on how to get into a great BS/MD program to streamline the med school application process. Want to know what you should be doing right now to prepare for pre-med programs? Read our complete guide on how to prepare for pre-med in high school and our list of the seven books every pre-med student should read. 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: