Homework Help Today – A Tutoring Blog for Students and Tutors Where Students and Tutors can help each other out!

Be careful to take the right courses during the undergraduate years.  Of course this is easier said than done, as it is a rare undergraduate who really knows their future career plans when they arrive in college.  From the get-go you need to be focusing on getting good grades.  The odd, less than stellar performance won’t wreck your plans for attending graduate school the way it can play havoc with strategies for medical school.  Nonetheless it is better not to go there if you can avoid it.

Early hands on research experiences are, nowadays, absolutely necessary.  If you begin to develop such an interest, offer to work in a research lab for a few hours a week during the academic year and full time during the post freshman and post sophomore summers as well.  At first you will probably just be doing busy work.  Don’t fret, you will be able to talk with other lab members and you can begin to find out what research is all about.  You may have to volunteer in order to get your foot in the door, but if you are reliable and do a good job, you may be able to negotiate a modest wage for your work.  The main goal though is not the income….it is the experience which you definitely need for your graduate school application.  As your plans mature and if graduate school is a serious option, then you will need to increase the amount of research exposure at a later stage in your undergraduate career (see below).

What about later in your university career?  Assuming that late in the sophomore year or at the beginning of the junior year you will likely begin to crystallize your plans for a major and for possible career paths.  If you are seriously beginning to think about graduate school in the biosciences, then this is the time to focus your plans.

You should try to take as many upper level courses in your major area as it is possible in your junior and senior years.  Admissions committees look for a broad repertoire of course exposures. Graduate level courses will be less of a challenge if your background is that much broader.  If you are a Biology major, definitely take biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, microbiology, physiology and any other upper level courses that you can fit in your schedule.  Do not take these courses just for the sake of taking courses but really delve into the material, and at this point some decent grades won’t come amiss.  If you are a chemistry or physics major who is thinking of going for a career in biomedical research, then plan on taking some upper level biology courses in your junior and senior years.  Students who have majored in chemistry or physics and have also had Biochemistry are highly sought after these days. 

About our Guest Blogger and Author:
Dr. Felicity U. is the Director of the Felicity Motivational Group in Nashville, Tennessee, who offers their professional english, math and science tutoring services on TutorMatch.com.

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Posted under Graduate School

Choosing a tutor for a second language, be it German, French or Spanish, is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Whether the reason for learning the language is a trip abroad or simply personal growth, proper enunciation, vocabulary and meaning are crucial in the development of the language. For this reason it is important to choose a native speaker of the language or a person that has been extensively trained in the language, preferably in a post-secondary institution.

 
The benefits to hiring a native speaker of the language are the influence that culture will have in the teachings. This tutor has more than likely been exposed to cultural occurrences like food, songs, and beliefs that can enrich the tutoring environment. This information, along with the natural ability to teach dialect and proper pronunciation of the words, combined with the natural phrases used in everyday conversation, are the reasons that many choose to enlist a native speaker of the second language in which they are trying to learn.

Contrary to these thoughts, there are many benefits to choosing a professional tutor that has been educated in the second language to teach the student. Technical aspects of the language will be covered with concise curriculums, and the lessons will come with the expertise of teaching techniques that are shown to these tutors through the course of their education.
 
Using a post-secondary educated tutor will ensure that the basics of the language, the foundation, will be taught before the knowledge is expanded upon and grown into phrases. This technique for learning languages is most effective for those looking to grasp the concept of the language from the bottom up. Although it may take longer to speak as a native, the teachings will remain in the mind solidified as knowledge.

Find an online tutor to teach you a langauge over the internet:

• Online German Tutors
• Online French Tutors
• Online Spanish Tutors

To make the choice, consider the following aspects:

• What are the reasons that the tutor is being hired?
• How long does the student have to learn the language?
• What does the student expect to learn in this time period?

It may be quicker to learn the essentials from a native speaker of the language, rather than to begin with the foundation.
 
Regardless of the choices, speak with the tutor in the initial meeting to discuss the plan of action, curriculum and objectives of the tutoring sessions. Creating a plan of action and practice are two of the essential counterparts to learning a second language.

Posted under Language Tutors, Tutoring

Your child’s education is important. Use the summer months when school is out to help improve your child’s education, rather than give them a chance to fall further behind in their studies.

If your child has been struggling in school over the past year, summer is not the time to let him or her forget everything they learned. Many parents don’t capitalize on the summer months when school is out, but this is the best time to continue your child’s education with either personal, face-to-face tutoring, or an online tutor.

I would hate to suggest you curtail any kid’s highly anticipated summer vacation, so we’re not talking about summer school here. But if your child has been having a hard time in math, or english, or any subject over the past academic period, then summer is the best time to bolster their education and prepare them for the upcoming school year with a professional tutor.

There are some factors to consider when looking for the right tutor for your child:

1. Does your child have a short attention span? If so, then working with an online tutor may prove quite difficult. You might want to consider a more personal approach with a tutor located near you that can work with your child in person. Most tutors are very flexible, and will either come to your home, or meet with you and your child in the local public library.
2. Does your child have special needs? If so, you may not be able to find someone appropriately qualified close to your home. If this is the case, consider an online tutor. An online tutor can work with your child right at your home computer with you right next to them. Often online tutors will use email, chat rooms, digital whiteboards, or even voice internet phone services such as Skype, which will allow you to converse with them over your computer’s microphone without having to pay any long distance phone bills.
3. Is it difficult to schedule time for tutoring? If you’re busy, and are away from home working quite a bit, there are even some tutors who will offer themselves as babysitters. You may pay them to tutor your child for an hour or so, and then pay a decreased rate to have them babysit your child for the rest of the day.

Of course, whenever you are looking for someone to work with your children, make sure you research and interview them thoroughly.

So don’t let the summer go by without taking this opportunity to improve your child’s education. You’ll be thankful you did come September.

Tutor Match Tutoring and Homework Help, http://www.TutorMatch.com, is a free service which lets parents and students search for both online and personal, face-to-face tutors. You can find tutors for just about any subject, including (but not limited to) English and Reading, Math, Science, History, and Foreign Languages such as Spanish, French and German.

Tutor Match Tutoring and Homework Help is a free service which lets parents and students search for both online and personal, face-to-face tutors. You can find tutors for just about any subject, including (but not limited to) English and Reading, Math, Science, Social Sciences, and Foreign Languages.

Posted under Tutoring