What Does a Rigorous High School Schedule Look Like?

We at frequently use the term â€Å"rigorous† to describe course loads and course schedules. That’s because rigorous studies in high school are something that admissions committees look for specifically during the application process. They want to know that applicants are capable of difficult, college-level work.    It’s not surprising then that we often hear from students asking, â€Å"How can I make sure my course load is challenging or rigorous enough?† If you’re wondering how to assess if your classes are up to snuff and how to choose a course load that’s challenging without being overwhelming, this post is for you. Rigorous is a vague term, but it can be more helpful to think of your course load as it compares to the course loads of other students at your high school. Admissions committees understand that not all high schools offer a full suite of challenging course options. While some have dozens of AP classes or an IB program to choose from, others have only college placement or honors tracks available. Luckily, you don’t need to worry too much about how many options are available at your high school, since this is out of your control. Instead, you need to focus on choosing the most challenging options available to you. You can think of a rigorous course load as the one that represents the most challenging track available at your high school. To learn more about how your classes will impact your college applications, check out our post Should I Take AP/IB/Honors Classes? . Being the most challenging track available, a rigorous course load can sometimes be a little overwhelming, especially at first. You should start by easing into a challenging course load. During ninth grade, select classes that are rigorous enough to challenge you, but not enough so as to overwhelm you. Think of 9th grade as a time to test the waters and see what you’re capable of. Remember, it is always easier and looks better to add another class or transfer to a more challenging section than it is to drop a class or move down to a less challenging one.    In addition, balance your course selections with reasonable extracurricular commitments. Focusing on two or three extracurriculars is ultimately enough, especially if you stick with them consistently and work your way up to leadership positions or increased responsibility. Dropping an extracurricular after 9th or 10th grade is no big deal if doing so means that you can keep your grades up and take on more challenging classes. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. Admissions committees generally want to see well-rounded students insofar as having completed four years of coursework in each core subject area. This includes English, history, math, science, and usually a foreign language. In fact, many colleges require that applicants have completed four years of coursework in each of these subject areas just to meet application prerequisites. In these core subject areas, you should strive to take the most challenging courses that you’re capable of doing well in, and your primary focus in studying and achieving should be in these core subject areas. Taking any additional classes is not necessary, but it does represent an opportunity.    Beyond the core subject areas, any elective classes that you take should reflect your interests. This is an opportunity to reinforce any potential career choices or college majors. Rather than worrying about taking especially challenging electives, think of them as a chance to explore and demonstrate your interests. Taking electives shows intellectual curiosity and might even allow you to discover a new interest. The balance between better grades and harder classes is always a delicate one. We hear from many students wanting to know if they should take a harder class and get a B, or an easier one and get an A. While there’s no universal answer that will impress every admissions committee, it’s important to know that admissions committees aren’t interested in easy A’s. In fact, a 4.0 GPA in regular college-placement classes may actually be a deterrent to some admissions committees who are looking for students who want to challenge themselves. In general, a good rule of thumb is that if you think you can achieve a B or higher in it, take the more difficult class. Admissions committees will appreciate that you have worked hard for that B, rather than pursuing a less rigorous track. Planning a rigorous track starts in 9th grade. To get off on the right foot, you should make a four-year plan. The simplest way to do this is by using backward design. Start with 12th grade—what classes do you need to be taking in 12th grade in order to get into the types of colleges you hope to attend? These classes are generally the highest level courses available at your school. They might be AP or IB classes if your school offers them, or they could simply be honors level classes if that’s all your school has available. Work backwards from 12th grade to ensure that your prerequisites are met each year. It is much easier to work backwards incrementally from your final 12th grade goal than it is to start with your ninth grade classes and try to imagine where they’ll take you. It’s a good idea to meet with a guidance counselor as you create your four-year plan. You’ll want to ensure that you’re meeting all graduation requirements and that it represents a course schedule that is rigorous as compared to others available at your school. Your guidance counselor will be able to lend some insight into which paths are commonly taken by students with the same goals as you. In addition, remember that the classes you enroll in aren’t the only way to impress admissions committees. You can also highlight your academic chops through options like independent studies, summer college courses, or online coursework. To learn more about these options, check out our post What To Do If Your High School Doesn’t Offer AP Classes . Lastly, if you’re looking for more personalized guidance through high school, consider the benefits of ’s Mentorship Program , which pairs each student 1:1 with a mentor from a top college who can help you develop the skills you’ll need for becoming a successful college student.

Facts that have contributed to urban violence in Brazil Research Paper

Facts that have contributed to urban violence in Brazil - Research Paper Example According to Graham, â€Å"In 2012, 94 police officers have been killed in the city — twice as many as in all of 2011.† Graham also states that â€Å"Between July and September, on-duty police officers killed 119 people in the metropolitan area.† These killings are related to crime and the statistics portray a gloomy picture about the real crime stories obtaining in the Latin American cities. The main problem is that the rate of poverty is high in urban areas that are neglected by the government. Apparently, the organized crime groups as well as the poorly paid members of the police force stay in these areas. The poor police officers living in such areas end up being targets of organized crime groups though they are also suffering and living in abject poverty like anyone else living in the area. The poor urban areas in Brazil are home to thousands of immigrants and the situation has been compounded by the proliferation of gangs who deal in drugs (Graham). It is q uite difficult for the police officers to execute their duties since they are even scared of exposing their identity for fear of being victimized or even killed by the members of the organized crime gangs. Unfortunately, some police officers have become members of the crime gang syndicates as they try to supplement their meager earnings as well as to solicit for protection from the terror gangs so that they are not attacked as well as their families. On the other hand, it can be noted that Roberto Bricano Leon, Andres Villavecas & Alberto Concha Eastman posit to the effect that Brazil reports the highest rates of homicide as a result of the fact that it has a high proportion of urban population and high rate of poverty. The researchers also note that â€Å"the factors related to violence include social inequalities, lack of employment opportunities, urban segregation, a culture of masculinity, local drug markets, and the availability of firearms and widespread use of alcohol.† This situation is compounded by inefficient judicial system especially in Brazil given that it fosters impunity. People can wantonly commit heinous crimes like murder but they can still get away with it. At least, if there were effective judicial systems in this country, the situation was likely to be under control. The study also notes that the majority of young males aged between 15 and 24 years especially in Brazil are the most perpetrators of violence and they are also the prime targets. The main cause of this undesirable trend is related to high unemployment rates which significantly contribute to high levels of poverty. Unfortunately, the government is doing very little in order to address the socio-economic factors that lead to crime such as unemployment. Most people resort to drug abuse and this causes them to indulge in serious crimes that have often resulted in loss of life. Murray Joseph, Daniel Ricardo de Castro & Khan Tulio state that â€Å"between 1980 and 2010 ther e were 1 million homicides in Brazil. Dramatic increases in homicide rates followed rises in inequality, more young men in the population, greater availability of firearms, and increased drug use.† The most important aspect portrayed the authors of this study is that Brazil has the fifth largest population in the world: 197 million people according to the (World Bank 2012b). Apparently, 30% of whom are under age 18 as reported by Unicef 2012. With a gross national income of about (US$ 11,500 per capita in 2011,World Bank 2012b), Brazil continues to have one of the highest rates of inequality in the world. Reaserach has also shown that about 10.9% of the nation's population live in poor conditions of less than $2 per day and the youths are most impacted. Research

Effects of Music Therapy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Effects of Music Therapy - Research Paper Example Multiple effects to a patient result from music playback during surgery in the operating room, as it helps him to calm down and yield to the application of anesthesia just before the commencement of surgery. In this case, music tends t calm down normally tense and nervous patients when the use of anesthesia fails. It also works in terms of providing a positive atmosphere for the patient to think positively about the forthcoming surgery and the likely outcomes (Nilsson n.d.). Furthermore, on calming down a patient, it allows the patient to relax by acting as a form of distraction from the fear of undergoing surgery, pain and anxiety. This way, playing music in the operating room helps patients cope with pain and the accompanying feeling of being in a strange environment. These concept works together with the earlier concept of a positive environment. This is because the application of music cuts back on the focus towards other likely events and feelings and directs them to music and i ts impact. This is rather than focusing on pain, fear and frustration, but more on the healing process and a positive outcome. In addition, the issue of experience, for the patient, comes up in regard to the use of music in surgery. This concerns patient satisfaction during surgery due to anxiety and its interaction with anesthesia. In this case, music eliminates, by a large percentage, any discomfort caused by induction of anesthesia and recovery of the patient during an operation as it. Moreover, since anxiety works adversely on patients during and after an operation, applying music during and before an operation, improves the rate of recovery in a patient and decreases, substantially, the occurrence of pain and delayed recovery after surgery (Arslan et al. 2007). Still on patient experience during surgery, music plays a key role towards improving it, as hearing ability during surgery and under general anesthesia remains active. In this regard, a patient remains conscious of the a udio on goings in the operating room environment thus, the use of music drowns out all other sounds (Nilsson, n.d.). This way, the patient is only able to concentrate on music and its positive impact such elation in mood, elimination of anxiety and induction of relaxation. In addition, music and interactions with regional anesthesia work towards the good of the patient in relation to dosage. This is because application of music during surgery lowers the need for sedatives to quell pain and induce sleep. In addition, studies show that playing music in the operating room during surgery displays substantial impact on the consumption of opioid analgesics, in that the dose rate decreases dramatically (Iblher et al. 2011). Music also lowers the amount of cortisol levels in the blood meaning that, in surgery, it reduces the amount of stress in a patient. This occurs by brightening up the patient and soothing offering a pleasurable auditory stimulus. Playing music prior to surgery yield eve n better result as compared to during and after surgery, thus preference in music playback is before. However, the music used determines the effects in that to lower stress; sedative music is preferred as it has a slow tempo and smooth tempo, thus the effectiveness in lowering anxiety and stress (Arslan et al. 2007). In addition, music plays a crucial role in surgery by influencing the nervous system through entraining body rhythms to decrease the activity