Archive for the ‘College’ Category
Law Students: Networking with Law Firms to Find a Great Internship
For most law students, networking with law firms is the best way to find a great internship. In large cities and small towns, the legal community is close knit and many times, it is who you know, not what you know. The more people you meet with, the better your chances of building your professional network, and finding a great intern position. Networking is best started with one’s own friends and acquaintances. You can gradually branch out to network with your friends’ friends, colleagues, and members of the legal profession, as well as others in the business community that can further your efforts.
Do not be shy about contracting people of the legal profession who are not known to you. Concentrate on lawyers who are active in your field of interest. Make a list of potential law firms and seek appointments to set up interviews. You can make it clear that you are not looking for a job or internship, but seeking their advice and suggestions on your common field of interest. In the process of meeting them, if they do have an opening for an intern, they may consider you. However, your primary concern at this time is to increase your networking. Think of it as personal marketing that will serve you well your entire career.
Preparing for Internship
Prior to networking with fellow professionals and law firms, ensure that you have your resume ready. An internship resume must be informative, proactive and engaging. Have it written by a professional to ensure you stand out from the crowd amongst all other intern applicants. Emphasize your area of interest and why you want to intern for a certain law firm. Your resume should emphasize your experience (including volunteer work, community service and clerking positions while in school) that are relevant to your field of interest, your commitment to the law and must express your passion for your chosen career field.
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Junior Faculty Balancing Act: Teaching, Part I
My website poll of 96 junior faculty members has an unequivocal winner. The poll asks, “What is the hardest part about being a junior faculty member?” Over a third of the respondents chose “Teaching takes up so much time” as their response.
Exactly How Time Consuming is Teaching? Surveys of how professors spend their time indicate that professors as a group, from junior to full professors, spend 29-30 hours a week at a minimum on activities related to teaching. Obviously, new faculty, who tend to have a higher teaching load than do full professors, and who are often teaching classes that they have never taught before, probably spend more than 30 hours a week. At some colleges with more of a teaching emphasis, it has been estimated that new professors may spend 50-60 hours a week on teaching.
What Can You Do To Lighten Your Teaching Burden? Robert Boice, the author of Advice to New Faculty Members, devotes the first 100 pages of his book to teaching. His advice can be boiled down to “moderation in all things.” When it comes to teaching, there are specific actions you can take. Here are some of his recommendations that I believe are the easiest to implement.
1. Don’t try to fit too much into each class
2. You don’t have to know everything
3. Simplify and make things more clear
4. Allow pauses during class
5. Do the “hardest work before it seems like work”
Don’t Try to Fit Too Much Into Each Class — Many new professors make the mistake of equating quantity with quality. The truth is that it is easy to overwhelm and bore your students. Do you want them walking out of your class with pages of poor notes, not having taken in most of what you’ve said? Or do you want them to leave energized, excited, and clear about your most important points?
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It’s Never Too Early To Save for College
For the majority of Americans, who don’t have tens of thousands of dollars lying around, putting together a plan to finance higher education may seem like a daunting task.
However, it doesn’t have to be, says Lorna Hill, regional marketing manager of American Education Services.
Hill advises parents and students to do their homework and meet with a financial aid professional to map out a plan.
“Oftentimes when families are worried they haven’t saved enough, they are embarrassed about speaking to someone about it,” she said. “It should never be this way. Most families are simply not aware of the options that are out there, which is why it is so important to meet with a financial professional to talk about their situation, whatever it may be.”
One of the first steps for any student looking for financial aid through a federal program is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at www.fafsa. ed.gov and in high school guidance offices. Using the information provided in the FAFSA, the Department of Education determines a student’s eligibility for federal funds, then notifies the student of his or her status with the Student Aid Report.
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It’s a Good Time to Become a Teacher
- Are you looking for a rewarding career?
- Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher?
Turn your love of learning in to a love of teaching and experience the joy of helping students discover their potential.
Teaching today requires more than just caring about students and knowing one’s subject well. It is the job of an educator to know what motivates students, how to diagnose their strengths and weaknesses, and how to create and atmosphere in which students thrive. Being a teacher is a rewarding and demanding profession and it has the power to shape America’s future. If you want to change lives for the better, pursuing a teching career can be the right choice for you.
Teacher Responsibilities
Teachers help students learn and apply concepts in subjects such as English, Science and mathematics. They take action using interactive debate or a practical approach to help children understand conceptual ideas, use problem-solving skills and build up critical thinking processes. Teachers will prepare students for the future by
To encourage collaboration in solving problems, students are increasingly working in groups to discuss and solve problems together. Teachers prepare students for the future by having them interact with others in group settings. Teachers will prepare their students further by training them to understand new technology, and lean logical thinking. It is the ultimate responsibility of a teacher to provide the proper environment in which to teach and practice these skills.
Work Environment
Teachers often work more than 40 hours per week. There is a great deal of time spent outside of the classroom setting where teachers prepare the lessons for their students. Teachers do, however, only work 9-10 months out of the year. Teachers can find their working conditions to be frustrating at times. Students are sometimes disrespectful and unmotivated, leaving a teacher to cope with the strain of unmanageable behavior and students who exhibit unsatisfactory performance. Additional factors such as classroom overcrowding, and lack of school funding can make a teachers work environment even more stressful.
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