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Considerations When Applying To A Law School

If you are thinking of applying to law school, you may believe that your major, minor, and extracurricular activities will be a factor in setting you apart from the rest and ensuring your admission. However, what most people do not know is that law school admissions boards do not give these factors much weight. In fact, they are not very important at all in terms of gaining admission to law school. Law school admissions boards have two main interests: your LSAT score and your GPA.

LSAT

The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, truly lives up to its name. It is the single most important factor in determining to which schools you have a chance of being accepted. The LSAT is a standardized test that assesses prospective law students' reading comprehension, logical reasoning skills, and verbal reasoning abilities. Raw scores are calculated on a scale from 120-180, where 180 is the highest achievable score.

Preparing for the LSAT

Take the LSAT one to two years prior to your planned entry to law school. This will give you ample time to retake the test if absolutely necessary! Also, buy an LSAT study book and treat it like a job. Work through parts of the LSAT study book every day, and take as many of the practice exams as you can in preparation for the LSAT.

Join your university's pre-law group, and make some friends. Use these resources to talk through practice exam questions and concepts in order to get a deeper understanding of the technicalities of the questions. Remember, practice makes perfect!

GPA

The second most important factor an admissions board considers is your GPA. Couple a very high LSAT with a very high GPA and you are set to go to any school you want. If your GPA is low, but you score very well on the LSAT, you still have a good chance to get into a lower tier-1/tier-2 school. Use the remaining semesters to focus on your grades and bring your GPA up. This will raise your chance of getting into a better school and obtaining a scholarship.

Recommendation Letter

Ask your professor, boss, or someone else in good civil standing to author you a letter of recommendation. This helps present you as a real person in good standing with the community.

Personal Statement

Most schools require different topics for your personal statement, so be sure to read each prompt carefully. When preparing your personal statement, do not talk about why you want to be a lawyer or why you will be the best lawyer in the world (unless the prompt asks you to). Instead, focus on some significant life experience that sets you apart from the rest (lived/worked in another country for six months, traveled abroad, or overcame significant hardship). Be creative and try to stand out from the rest.

Less-Important Factors

As stated previously, law schools are not worried about your major or minor. X could be a Dance Major and Black Studies minor, and Y could be an Economics major and Political Science minor, but to an admissions board both these students look the same. Law schools also do not care that you spent a summer working for your uncle's law firm.

Conclusion

LSAT + GPA is the magic formula for getting into law school. Focus your time on these two factors for the greatest chance of being accepted to law school and receiving a scholarship.

What Is It Like In Law School

This question weighs on the mind of every person considering a career in law. To be straightforward, law school is hard. It takes a lot of time, patience, dedication, and hard work. Free time and personal time can be very limited. When final exams roll around, life will be nonexistent; for two weeks, life consists of waking up, ingesting coffee, and spending nearly every waking moment reading books, reading notes, forming outlines, and taking practice exams.

However, do not be fooled by common perceptions. In addition to a lot of hard work, law school is a blast. During the first year (1L), there are a plethora of school-hosted and student-hosted events, including parties, game nights, and meet-and-greets. Did I mention parties? There are a lot of fun events designed to bring students together to create bonding friendships. These friendships, along with social events, are what support the sanity of the law school grind.

A Pitfall To Avoid

Law school is not college. Attending class and reading the assignments are not optional. The American Bar Association requires each student attend at least 80% of class sessions, for each class. Professors are notorious for "cold-calling," where they select students at random and drill them on cases and topics. Furthermore, students must know the minute details of each case, which requires critical reading and preparation for every class. A good tip: learn to relate the ideas and concepts of cases to other cases you have read before in a class. This requires practice and the skill of reading.

But I know how to read!

No, you do not. In law school, you do not simply "read" cases; you READ them - critically and constructively. Judges write decisions for other judges to read; they do not write them for law students. Buy a law dictionary and use it every time you encounter a word you do not know. Consider the background (facts) of the case and try to answer: What problem is the judge trying to solve? What negative future consequences is the judge trying to avoid? What assumptions does the judge make?

Reread the case if it does not make sense the first time. Read up on "briefing" and "outlining" cases, a skill that teaches you to break a case into its elements. This is the most important strategy to develop your reading skill in law school. Lastly, talk about the cases with your friends and other students. A good tip: do not talk about the cases, exams, or anything else academic when you are at parties, bars, or other events. These are times to unwind and have fun, not dwell on school and stress everyone out.

Get a Job!

Your grades are essential in securing your success, so take law school seriously. A summer job after 1L year is vital, and opens doors to other jobs after 2L year and upon graduation. Use your law school's resources to perfect your resume and cover letter. The Career Services Department is a great source of job postings and interviews. Find a professor to serve as your adviser throughout school. Lastly, join student clubs and organizations, as they provide great networking opportunities.

Be Prepared

Obtain a law school preparation book and read the entire thing. Write down your reasons for attending law school, and have more than just, "I want to make money." Lastly, do the work. There is plenty of time for fun and personal activities. If you treat law school like a day job, and put in 8 hours every day, success will come!

Learning Japanese - A Language Study Plan

Whats that you may ask? A language study plan is a guide for the approach you'll take in learning a new language. Many people approach the task of learning Japanese (or another language) in a very random manner, if you can imagine blindfolding yourself and playing darts you'll have a fairly vivid idea of both the nature of this type of learning and the type of success you can expect from it.

It is common for people to start with a phrasebook or picking words at random from a dictionary or a website. This is the dartboard approach where the L:earner just takes snippets from a whole number of places and tries to learn the language though memorization and repetition. This is one of the LEAST effective ways to approach your study as it offers you no context for understanding what you are trying to say. Instead of blindly throwing darts I prefer to think of Learning Japanese as cooking a cake or other delicious treat.

When cooking you start with a list of ingredients (Zairyou) that you need in order to make the cake. If you forget or neglect to use any of them the cake becomes lopsided or flavorless. It is the same with Japanese!

You start with an understanding of the basic elements of a sentence: particles, nouns,verbs etc. and then you build on this with an understanding of how to conjugate verbs and use grammar patterns.

Once you understand these simple principles you gain an ever increasing level of fluency with each new grammar pattern. This is because instead of memorizing a sentence and knowing how to say only one sentence you can change parts of the sentence easily to say a whole host of other things! Your Japanese will develop much more quickly than if you just try to memorize the 3500 words its estimated that a person uses in their average vocabulary.

Your language study plan can be simple or complex based on how much time you have available, but with even 15-20 minutes a day you can make significant progress. For example for the 2 years that I spent in Japan I would do the following:

Sam's Lesson Study Plan

1) Study a grammar pattern for 10 minutes in the morning

2) Write out 10 words on a card with their English and Japanese translation and meanings, then I'd go over them before I left for the day.

3) That day when I was out and about would use the daily words and grammar pattern as often as I could in all its different variations. I'd find reasons to use the words I had studied as this makes it easiest to recall them, that way if I was using them incorrectly in speech people would help and correct me.

4) I'd review the grammar pattern and words again before going to bed, this helped them really sink into my long term memory. Once I started doing this I found that I remembered 8 out of 10 words a week later instead of 4-5 out of 10. A large increase.

I hope this helps you with your goals to learn Japanese, the key to a great Language study plan is KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) the easier you make it the more often you will do it. If you design a 3hr course of study for every day You'll never actually sit down to do it!

Continuing Education - Online Interactive Courses

In this day and age online education is one of the best ways for students and adults to complete their continuing education. Continuing education can mean a lot of different things. Some adults are looking to go back to school for a bachelor's degree or a master's degree. Others are looking to complete professional education to better equip themselves in the workforce or to satisfy certain state requirements. In this article we are going to discuss the use of interactive courses offered online in both formal education and professional training.

First let's talk about adults and students going back to school for a specific degree. Online courses give the students flexibility to log on and off to complete their coursework at their convenience. Interactive courses allow them to communicate with their classmates and professors via discussion board postings, live chat, or email. They give the students a way to network and form relationships with others in their class.

Interactive courses are usually powered through Moodle, Blackboard, or WebCT and are facilitated by a professor or graduate assistant. Students can post, submit papers, take quizzes, and also email other students or the professors. This kind of technology really brings the students closer to their peers even if they are thousands of miles away.

Professional continuing education is typically set up a little bit different. For instance, if you are taking an online interactive course as an insurance agent you are not communicating with other students or a professor. You are usually reading a textbook and completing short online quizzes at the end of each chapter. Once the quizzes are complete you are prompted to take an online final exam which concludes the course. So in this scenario, you are doing a lot more reading and test taking than interacting with others. Some prefer this method, but many like networking with others in the classroom.

Another big difference with professional training is there is usually no due date for the quizzes or assignments. The company you purchased the course from does not set a deadline. You deadline is actually your compliance date with the state you reside in. This gives the student a lot of flexibility and time to complete the course if planned correctly.

As you can see these are just two ways interactive courses are used for continuing education purposes. Who knows what the future holds, but online education will be around for a very long time.

Changing Your Everyday Through Continuing Education

Some of us get busy. We finish high school and jump right into the job market. Some of us want to make money, while the rest of us need to, for whatever reason. Personal obligations, habits and comfort often get in the way of career progression. This unfortunate fact often leads to a very large majority of people never reaching their full potential despite the natural potential of their intellect and skill set.

Fortunately, many colleges understand that students come from very different backgrounds, and that these circumstances can lead to time constraints and multiple limitations. Today many colleges offer continuing education programs. Here are some of the domain options that are available to you:

- Business

- Creative and Visual Arts

- Engineering Technology

- Health Sciences

- Languages and Communications

- Math and Statistics

The best part about all of the potential careers that can flourish from these domains is that they can be learned at your own pace, and they are all accessible to the majority of students. Studying a particular field can do more than simply supply you with a better job or promotion - it can provide you with a sense of meaning and accomplishment. Supplemental education also makes you more appealing to employers. It shows that you are capable, and adds greatly to your current skill set.

Another option for those that suffer from demanding schedules is distance education, or online learning. While the educational fields of focus differ a little, long distance learning allows students to work from any location that has an Internet connection. It can also save students money (ex. travelling or childcare expenses), encourage learning (the intimidating classroom setting is eliminated) and provide students with the opportunity to learn at the rate that is best suited to the demands of their daily lives. But online learning does demand that students be organized - they are expected to make and respect their own schedules without the enforcement of an educator.

Regardless of where your past decisions have taken you, there is always a way to change the current course of your life. Carefully weigh your options. Do you see yourself working for the next 40 years at your current job? Do you look forward to going to work everyday? Are you excited at the prospect of moving forward in your current employment? If you answered no to any of these questions, it might be because you are capable of something more. Continuing education and online learning can provide you with the theory and practical knowledge you need to succeed in your field of choice, and can make your job something that you look forward to.

Choose the Right Medical Assistant Schools for Quality Training

Medical assistant schools are some of the most popular institutions you will find in the market today. There are many students willing to become medical assistants bearing in mind it is a fulfilling career. As a professional in the field, you will be required to perform a wide range of clinical tasks. Quality training is therefore imperative for you. It is essential that you settle for an institution that guarantees the best training to enhance your chances of becoming a competent professional in the future. When choosing a school, there are a number of factors that you should keep in mind.

• Accreditation 

Accreditation is a very crucial factor that you should not ignore when choosing an institution. Get a list of medical assistant schools near you. Inquire whether an institution is accreditation. Medical bodies offer accreditation to institutions that offer the best training. Choosing such an institution prepares you efficiently to get started with your career in a professional way. Whats more, employees in the market give priority to students that acquired their training from accredited institutions. For this reason, it is essential that you do your homework and settle for an accredited institution.

• Programs 

Medical assistant schools offer a wide range of programs. There are institutions that offer 1, 2 and 4 year programs. In this relevance, it is imperative that you define your needs and look for an institution that offers a program that suits your career needs. You can get started with a diploma or enroll for a degree program directly. It is imperative that you do a background search about an institution as well as its programs. Ensure the program you consider is accredited to enhance your chances of getting a good job in the future.

• National certification 

National certification is also a very crucial factor to keep in mind when choosing an institution for your training. There are lots of medical assistant schools that have received national certification and they offer quality programs. The exams they offer are also administered by the certifying board. Therefore, you will have peace of mind knowing that you are on the right track to becoming a good medical assistant.

• Seek recommendations 

It is also imperative that you seek recommendations from students, employees and relevant bodies to learn of the best institutions for your training. Settle for a school that is well reputed and a school that has the best facilities for quality hands on experience.

Project Scope Management Knowledge Area Processes

Introduction: In scope management, it is essential that the initial scope of the project is defined very clearly. Then as the project progresses, one should be able to measure if the project is on track or is lagging behind. Two important measures for judging the progress or slips are the time allocations made initially and the budget meant for executing the tasks. Periodically, measurements must be made to check if any deviations are happening. Some changes in the requirements are inevitable in any real-life project. The trick is to make sure nothing goes out of control. When there is no escape from making changes, the original baseline will have to be updated carefully to reflect the change. The processes used reflect these needs.

Processes Required: Collect requirements, define scope and create breakdown structures are the processes you are going to need that help set down the exact scope of a project. Collect requirements is the process of collecting initial requirements. These are sort of top-level statements that define the need. When a customer is requesting a project, these high level requirements may be defined in the contract. You will need to ask around and try to elicit further details from actual users. Often it is difficult to define the exact need as, even the end users, may have no idea of what they are really looking for. Any techniques that help crystallize the thoughts, unstated needs, even wishful thinking needs to be captured.

Define scope is the process that formally sets down the requirements of the project to be undertaken. Having done that, you need to define actual tasks to achieve the expected outcome. When the initial boundaries of the scope have been defined, you need to define the specific activities to be done, particular tasks to be completed, in what sequence so that the project outcomes could be achieved. Work breakdown process defines the work involved. It serves two purposes. The first of course is that, activities get clearly defined. You can review and make sure everything required to be done has been included. There will be very low probability that something is missed out and therefore, project outcome could be jeopardized. Second advantage of defining work in sufficient detail is that it becomes easier to define the effort estimates. Estimates are going to be accurate when all the steps are explicitly known.

Once you have gone through these steps, the scope definition will be reasonably accurate. There is another process that the project team will need to go through. The scope details will have to be verified. Expert judgment is a big help here. Experience with similar projects, activities, task will enable will enable accurate assessment of the details. Going through a verification phase will ensure everything has been considered and no important details missed.

Control scope is a process involves monitoring the work performance and assessing if activities are proceeding as planned. The reference is the baseline plan. This baseline may get moderated due to approved changes. Then this modified baseline becomes the reference for further progress measurements. If there are deviations in work performance, corrective measures need to be taken.

Which Is Right for You?

For some, the decision about their future is clear. Many students - no matter the age - want to go to a four-year university to get a bachelor's degree. They may take a few years to figure out what they want to do in life. Other students, however, may be looking for the most efficient way to set themselves apart from other job seekers in certain professions. That's where an associate's degree from a community college or technical school can come into play.

There's no right answer as to which of those paths is better. It all depends on the individual student. On the other hand, there are some clear-cut pros and cons of each path.

Associate's Degree

Less time: One of the biggest advantages of an associate's degree is the time requirement. Most associate degree programs take two years to complete, compared to four years for a bachelor's degree. In addition, most community colleges and technical schools cater to non-traditional students and people who already work full-time, so more classes are available on nights and weekends.

Less money: As you'd probably expect, associate degree programs also cost much less than a four year degree. Every school is different, but a typical associate degree program costs $6,000-$10,000 to complete.

More specific: Many students use an associate's degree program like a trade school. For instance, many of the jobs offered by staffing agencies around the country - professionals like welding, air conditioning, auto repair and nursing - are all incredibly popular programs at community colleges and technical schools.

Bachelor's Degree

More opportunities: To be frank, many jobs require a bachelor's degree to even be considered as an applicant - particularly white-collar positions. Take the television news industry, for example. If you want to be a photographer or studio assistant, an associate's degree will work. If you want to be a reporter or producer (higher-paying positions with more responsibilities), you will need a degree.

Well-rounded education: Obtaining a bachelor's degree will expose you to more core classes like history, English and math. In addition, you will likely be exposed to new subjects you would never think of taking in the first place.

More choices: Whereas associate degrees may make sense for someone who already has a particular trade in mind, a bachelor's degree typically affords students more choices. There are simply more majors, more fields of study and more possible paths at four-year institutions. This degree plan also gives a student more time to make a decision on his or her particular major.

As you can see, there are advantages whether you pick a four-year institution or a community college. It really depends on your own desires and goals. Education is the first step, followed by job experience. Do your research, compare costs and map out a plan.

Determination Is The Ultimate Learning Tool

As money and outer resources are not everything, it takes something more. Let me give you an object lesson in that fact. Sure, you can have books, computers, all kinds of "thinking tools" and the like. But, what is the greatest learning tool within you? I will say it with my answer from the beginning of this article, your own determination and productive creativity. Without that resource, all tools and gadgets are nothing but useless objects of art that would have a use if you could think how to use them.

But, in all reality, the best of us and the worst of us has the capacity for productive imagination. The best uses it right, and the worst uses it wrong to harm themselves and others consciously or unconsciously. I put it so simply for the best of us without any embellishment, because that is it, they use it right, it is that simple. But the worst of us make excuses for why it is used wrong, even if it is unconsciously destructive or consciously destructive. Unconscious wrongness is the worst, because usually when that happens, you do not even know you are wrong, and you close your mind to the right for fear of being wrong unless you do have a genuinely open mind to correct yourself in time. But, it cannot matter how things are looked at subjectively, there is a right way to do things and there is a wrong way to do things.

It is always simpler to do them consciously right from the initial stages instead of make excuses for "why they were done wrong by default". Weak people make excuses, strong people understand and can actively and honestly without shame correct themselves. That is why everybody loves a winner, and hates a loser even when they claim to be lazy and weak themselves". Everyone is a good learner who can depend on their determination to make them work and learn productively. In fact, I can honestly say that is what makes a genuinely masterful person or the highest amount of determination makes the most masterful person. That is the only thing that seems miraculous about any master or person who "wins big" and "makes good". They make themselves the best through their work ethic and creative productivity. But then, I cannot give this answer to making a loser into a winner enough, because that is how it all really is. Everybody starts out at zero and goes up the accomplishment scale for the best or worst. That is my point.