Tuesday, May 26, 2020

FAQs for Writing Your Graduate Admissions Essay

When graduate school applicants learn of the importance of the admissions essay to their graduate school application, they often react with surprise and anxiety. Facing a blank page, wondering what to write in an essay that can change your life can paralyze even the most confident of applicants. What should you include in your essay? What shouldnt you? Read these answers to common questions. How Do I Choose a Theme for My Admissions Essay? A theme refers to the underlying message that you intend to convey. It may be helpful to make a list of all of your experiences and interests at first and then try to find an overlapping theme or connection between the different items on the list. Your underlying theme should be why you should be accepted into graduate school or specifically accepted into the program to which you are applying. Your job is to sell yourself and distinguish yourself from other applicants through examples. What Type of Mood or Tone Should I Incorporate in My Essay? The tone of the essay should be balanced or moderate. Dont sound too cheerful or too morose, but keep a serious and ambitious tone. When discussing positive or negative experiences, sound open-minded and use a neutral tone. Avoid TMI. That is, do not reveal too many personal or intimate details. Moderation is key. Remember not to hit the extremes (too high or too low). Additionally, do not sound too casual or too formal. Should I Write in the First Person? Although you were taught to avoid using I, we and my, you are encouraged to speak in the first person on your admissions essay. Your goal is to make your essay sound personal and active. However, avoid overusing â€Å"I† and, instead, alter between I and other first-person terms, such as â€Å"my† and â€Å"me† and transition words, such as however and therefore. How Should I Discuss My Research Interests in My Admissions Essay? First, it is not necessary to state a specific and concise dissertation topic in your essay. You only to need to state, in broad terms, your research interests within your field. The reason you are asked to discuss your research interests is that the program would like to compare the degree of similarity in research interests between you and the faculty member you wish to work with. Admissions committees are aware that your interests will likely change over time and, therefore, they do not expect you to provide them with a detailed description of your research interests but would like for you to describe your academic goals. However, your research interests should be relevant to the proposed field of study. Additionally, your aim is to show your readers that you have knowledge in your proposed field of study. What If I Don’t Have Any Unique Experiences or Qualities? Everyone has qualities that can distinguish themselves from other individuals. Make a list of all your qualities and think of how you utilized them in the past. Discuss the ones that will make you stand out but will still have some connection to your field of interest. If you do not have many experiences in your field, then try to make your other experiences relate to your interests. For example, if you are interested in applying to a psychology program but only have experience working at a supermarket, then find a connection between psychology and your experiences at the supermarket that can show your interest in and knowledge of the field and portrays your ability to become a psychologist. By providing these connections, your experiences and you will be depicted as unique. Should I Mention Which Faculty Members I Would Like to Work With? Yes. It makes it easier for the admission committee to determine if your interests match with the faculty members you’re interested in working with. However, if possible, it is recommended that you mention more than one professor you wish to work with because it is a possibility that the professor you are interested in working with is not accepting new students for that year. By mentioning only one professor, you are limiting yourself, which can decrease your chances of being accepted. Additionally, if you only wish to work with a specific professor, then you are more likely to be rejected by the admissions committee if that professor is not accepting new students. Alternatively, it may be helpful to contact professors and find out if they are accepting new students before applying. This reduces the chances of being rejected. Should I Discuss All Volunteer and Job Experiences? You should only mention volunteer and employment experiences that are relevant to your field of study or have helped you develop or acquire a skill that is necessary for your field of interest. However, if there is a volunteer or job experience that is not related to your field of interest yet has helped influence your career and academic goals, discuss it in your personal statement as well. Should I Discuss Flaws in My Application? If Yes, How? If you think it may be helpful, then you should discuss and provide an explanation for  low grades or  low GRE scores. However, be concise and do not whine, blame others, or try to explain away three years of poor performance. When you discuss flaws, make sure you aren’t giving unreasonable excuses, such as â€Å"I failed my test because I went out drinking the night before.† Provide explanations that are reasonably excusable and comprehensive to the academic committee, such as an unexpected death in the family. Any explanations you give must be very very brief (no more than roughly 2 sentences). Emphasize the positive instead. Can I Use Humor in My Admissions Essay? With great caution.  If you do plan on using humor, do so cautiously, keep it limited, and make sure it is appropriate. If there is even the smallest possibility that your statements can be taken the wrong way, dont include humor. For this reason, I advise against using humor in your admissions essay. Should you decide to include humor, do not let it take over your essay. This is a serious essay with an important purpose.  The last thing you want to do is offend the admissions committee or let them believe that you are not a serious student. Is There a Limit to the Length of the Graduate Admissions Essay? Yes, there is a  limit  but it varies depending on the school and the program. Usually, admissions essays are between 500-1000 words long. Do not exceed the limit but remember to answer any assigned questions.

Friday, May 15, 2020

Stress And Health Can Stress Affect A Person s Health...

Stress and Health Can stress affect a person’s health? It’s a very good question. There have been a lot of studies done on the effects of stress on health. Stress comes in so many forms and can affect people differently. Some short-term types of stresses can actually benefit the immune system while other long-term types of stresses can be detrimental to it. The long-term types of stresses are what will be focused on. Learning how to deal with stress in better ways can help prevent the damage it can have on your body and your mind. There are many different things that can trigger stress and these triggers can be positive or negative. Things like major life changes, such as marriage, going to college, losing a job, getting a promotion, etc. Other triggers can be just everyday hassles, pressure at work, frustration or conflict. All of these things can stress a person out. How stressed they are and how long they stay stressed can affect their health. How this happens can be explained. In an article in Psychology Today, â€Å"How Stress Affects the Immune System† by Andrew Goliszek, Ph.D., he states, â€Å"Ongoing stress makes us susceptible to illness and disease because the brain sends defense signals to the endocrine system, which then releases an array of hormones that not only gets us ready for emergency situations but severely depresses our immunity at the same time. Some experts claim that stress is responsible for as much as 90% of all illnesses and diseases, includingShow MoreRelatedStress and Its Management1857 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Stress Introduction Zajacova et al. (2005) state that stress refers to the non-specific response of the body, to anything that makes a person feels threatened or upset. Stress prepares the body to meet situations which are tough with focus, stamina and strength. It can be caused by positive or bad experiences. Stress is provoked by events called stressors. There are two kinds of stress. Negative stress (distress) and positive stress (eustress). Eustress affects our activities in a positive wayRead MoreThe Effects Of Stress On Mental And Physical Health Of A Person1129 Words   |  5 PagesStress impacts the mental and physical health of a person in many ways. Prolonged or frequent exposure to stress can be detrimental to a person s health. It is important to get counseling for stress management before it becomes chronic or life threatening. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is study of the ways the immune and nervous systems interact with each other and impact mental and emotional health. PNI research suggests that chronic stress can cause mood disorders such as depression and anxietyRead MoreRichard Lazarus and Susan Folkman’s and Stress and Coping Paradigm1542 Words   |  7 PagesLazarus and Susan Folkmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and stress and coping paradigm and in view of this paradigm explain age and individual difference in the experience and handling of stress 1. Introduction Stress is induced by life events .Lazarus and Flokman in (Cavanaugh and Blanchard à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"Field (2005) point out stress is defined by the person and that no two people experiences stress the same event in exactly the same way. Each individual has a specific tolerance for stress depending on general levelRead MorePhysical And Psychological Factors Affecting Health And Illness1742 Words   |  7 Pages Stress is a quantity that every human is afforded. It is how the body and mind interact in response to a stressor. Each stressor whether in the form of a major life experiences, traumatic events, work, school, and even exercise can be stressful. Stress of any amount makes an impact on a persons’ health and behaviors. Therefore, it is important to take notice of how you manage stressful events in your life however great or small an effect. Though everyone experiences stress in one way or anotherRead MoreVideo Games : A Good Thing For Children991 Words   |  4 PagesVideo Games The act of video games for children have been a controversy in today s society for a very long time. One half of the argument believes video games is a positive act and the other half of the argument believes that video games is a negative act. Both parties have significant data backing up their own personal believes. There has been many studies done around the topic of children playing video games trying to conclude which side of the argument is correct which is very hard to do. SomeRead MoreThe Effects Of Stress On A Person s Body And Mind1033 Words   |  5 Pagesexperience stress at least once in their life. Many people tell other people they have a lot of stress in their life, but exactly what is stress. Actually, stress is a response of our body to any kind of threat or demand. The body s defenses kick in, when you sense danger, whether it is real or imagined. Stress is a part of life and people should learn how to manage it in order to be happy and joyful in their lives. Str ess can cause physical effects to a person s body and mind. Mainly Stress is causedRead MoreTeen Stress Essay1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe way stress affects teens ages between 13 and 17 are extremely unfortunate and very health concerning. Stress has been increasing in teens by 2.2% since 2013 according to an infographic posted on related to this topic. With these high levels of stress, it can lead to serious mental and physical health problems. These stress levels can cause anxiety, depression, and panic attacks in teens who are suffering from long-term and short-term stress. This is an important topic because when stress is notRead MoreThe Social Determinants Of Health1623 Words   |  7 PagesStress has been identified as one of the social determinants of health. It has different meanings in various contexts, so a proper definition will give a good insight of the term.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stress can be defined as a state of emotional or mental disturbance resulting from adverse or demanding conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stress can also be defined as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental disturbance and could be a causal in disease formation. StressesRead MoreSleep Deprivation Is A Common Problem955 Words   |  4 Pageseach need has a particular function. And, much like a machine, bodies can replenish their power, repair themselves, and fail and break down. One particular necessity for human bodies is sleep, and if not acquired, numerous complications can emerge. Sleep deprivation is a common problem that is all too often overlooked as a mere loss of a night’s rest. What most people do not realize is the potential problems sleep deprivation can cause. From undesired grouchiness and uninhibited yawns, to constantRead MoreVideo Games Are A Good Thing For Children993 Words   |  4 PagesThe act of video games for children had been a controversy in today s society for a very long time. One half of the argument believes video games are a positive act and the other half of the argument believes that video games are a negative act. Both parties have significant data backing up their own personal beliefs. There has b een many studies done around the topic of children playing video games trying to conclude which side of the argument is correct which is very hard to do. Some of the studies

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

An Infant s First Utterances - 1289 Words

Babbling An infant’s first utterances come in the form of babbling. These consonant-vowel syllable vocalizations replace single phoneme, primary vowel, vocalizations. Around the ages of 4 to 6 months or so, children in all cultures begin to babble. Babbling is the beginning stage of acquiring language; when children begin generating sequences of vowels and consonants if they are acquiring spoken language, or producing hand gestures if they are acquiring signed language. (Mihalicek Wilson, 2011, p. 323) â€Å"Babbling has a social element and an infant will vary the volume, pitch, and rate of babbling to attract attention.† (Owens Jr, 2016, p. 92). As an infant matures the babbling they produce will develop into longer sequences and extended individual sounds. Vedrana Mihalicek and Christin Wilson in Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics state that â€Å"Some linguists assume that babies babble to practice some muscle coordination ne eded to produce language† (p. 323). One would be correct in assuming this as an infant’s tongue is relatively larger compared to the size of the oral cavity. Repeated or canonical babbling Infants begin to produce consonant-vowel (CV) strings or repetitions, such as â€Å"ma-ma-ma.† According to Owens in his book Language Development an Introduction â€Å"Reduplicated babbling often occurs when holding object or while exploring the environment† (p. 93). Continued repetition helps infants practice sequences of consonant andShow MoreRelatedEssay about Children Language Acquisition694 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferent stages in language acquisition that children pass through and elicit the theories in accordance. In the stage of the first sounds, the noises produced by infants are simply responses to stimuli, for instance crying as a reaction to hunger. These noises sound the same in all language communities. Consequently, usually around the sixth month, the infant begins to babble. A large variety of sounds are produced in this period, many of them do not considered occur in the language of theRead MoreManaging Your Child’S Media Use In Three Easy Steps. It’S1638 Words   |  7 Pagessupposed to make of constantly changing information regarding healthy media habits? I’m here to offer three simple steps parents can take to solve the problem of how to use media with your young children. Be educated. Be smart. And don’t be afraid. The first step--becoming educated--is by far the most dense and daunting. There are millions of studies questioning every conceivable aspect of relationships between children, parents, and media. Each is nuanced and has value in its own right. However, it isRead MoreThe Stages Of First Language Acquisition1381 Words   |  6 PagesFirst language acquisition means the development of children language in natural environment. First language acquisition could be bilingual or monolingual. Bilingual first language acquisition means children from birth acquire two languages at the same time such as child who has parents from different nationality (Houwer,2009). In contract, monolingual means the development of single language. However, several studies have documented the development of first language acquisition into stages whichRead MoreJean Piagets Theory1170 Words   |  5 Pageschildren move through different stages varies with their heredity and environment. Piaget s four stages are the sensorimotor stage, the stage of preoperational thought, the stage of concrete operations and the stage of formal operations. The first stage that Piaget felt all children go through was the sensorimotor stage. This stage occurs between birth and two years of age. This is the stage when Infants begin to learn through sensory observation, and they gain control of their motor functionsRead MoreLanguage Acquisition7926 Words   |  32 PagesÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….Â….Â….......Â… 4 2. The stages of language acquisition Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…....Â…......Â….. 5 2.1. The prelinguistic stage Â…Â…Â….Â….........Â…...........Â… 7 2.2. Babbling Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…........Â…...........Â…Â… 7 2.3. One-word utterances Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..Â…....Â…...........Â… 9 2.4. Two-word utterances Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..............Â…..Â….... 10 2.5. Telegraphic speech Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…........Â…...Â…Â… 13 2.6. Language learning during the pre-school period Â….. 16 3. The critical period Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….......Â… 17 4. The summaryRead MoreLanguage And Development Of Language, Experience, Maturation And Readiness With The Aid Of A Child1143 Words   |  5 Pagesrules (Oxford Dictionary, 2016). Language is the medium in which human beings live, think and discover life (Hvolbek, 2013). An infant is aware of and is receptive to the sounds around it. The sounds attract their attention and the infant in turn respond in corresponding sounds (Bowen, 1988). A child recognises the external world through these sounds. The child#39;s acquisition of speech sounds is referred to the phonetic development. The child then employs these sounds to form speech patternsRead MoreLanguage and Human Species5857 Words   |  24 Pagesfor language, a set of design features that all human languages possess. His seven key properties are: duality of pattern (the combination of a phonological system and a grammatical system), productivity (the ability to create and understand new utterances), arbitrariness (when signs/words do not resemble the things they represent), interchangeability (the ability to transmit and to receive messages by exchanging roles), specialization (when the only function of speech is communication and the speakerRead MoreWhy A Parent s Help And Guidance Important For A Child s Linguistic Development2348 Words   |  10 Pagesquestioned the simple discourse theory as the only method of language acquisition. He argued that â€Å"Universal Grammar is what results from the development of the first factor, genetic endowment, and this means that Universal Grammar is hardwired in the human body, mainly in the human brain† (2, Casares). By possessing this capability, infants are able to organise phonology into morphology, and then create words and phrases, thus being able to structure sentences. This Universal Grammar consequentlyRead MoreChildren Is A Waste Of Time For A Literacy Program1623 Words   |  7 Pageswhen reading aloud to infants and toddlers and how to create an effective read-aloud. Reading Aloud to Infants and Toddlers Interactive read-alouds are a helpful way to provide opportunities for meaningful, rich, and intentional instruction in ways that improve outcomes (Lennox, 2013, p. 381). Reading aloud to children exposes them to language that goes beyond the functional language of everyday interactions (Kindle, 2013, p. 176). According to Lennox (2013), Young children s language developmentRead More Language Development: How Two Gorillas Learned to Talk Essay examples926 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelopment is one of the first types of human language development. According to the text Essentials of Psychology. Phonological Development is the development of the ability to produce recognizable speech.(pg.262) When a baby is first born he or she babbles. When the baby gets older the babbling narrows and consists mainly of sound used in the language. When the baby gets to this step, the babys production of the first spoken word is very soon. The babys first word should be said before

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Body Image free essay sample

Standards and examples of how we should look are being tremendously imposed on our generation. People are looked down upon on and teased ruthlessly simply because they do not look like the way the media perceives as beautiful, a stop needs to put to this because more and more teens are taking extreme measures to get their desired look. Eating disorders and plastic surgery are just a few ways teens are changing their changing their looks. Body image and the media is a topic that should be discussed, improved, and resolved for the better. Look at all the pictures, the spray tanned bodies that glow in the middle of winter, the women whose faces never age after twenty years, and the celebrities that can eat whatever they want, yet stay thin forever (Segrist). Any of this sound familiar? Pictures and articles of these models are seen every day and fill a great percentage of the magazines we read and the images seen on television. It is so easy to get caught up in the media because of the ‘perfection’ we see in it, but the question is does the beauty and body image in the media equal self-improvement or self- destruction? We are so cleverly manipulated and influenced by the media and establishments on both the right and left, that the truth has become hopelessly lost in semantics. The media is not a solely to blame. Images of perfection are pushed upon people in early childhood with toys like Barbie and G. I. Joe. â€Å"Barbie began her career as a stiff plastic dress-up figure†¦ [w]ith her breasts and slender waist, Barbie came literally to embody the little girl’s image of what it meant to be grown up† (Cross). Same goes for G. I. Joe but instead of big boobs and thin wastes, it is massive toned muscles. Kids learn that grown-ups look like toys they love oh so much, but once they are grown up and look nothing like that toy, the children end up ‘hating’ how they look. When looking at the media, we recognize that women are the ones that are criticized and men are less of a concern when it comes to beauty and their body. We do however, picture that men should have a six packs and work out all the time if they want to live their life the best way possible (Segrist). When new movies come out that is the first thing you will hear, how an actor like Taylor Laughtner gained 20 pounds of muscle and is now looking better than ever. Women are criticized much more. It is not as simple as working out and eating healthy. There is always the promise of a new diet that you just ‘have’ to use to lose the last few pounds, because if you do your life will overall be perfect. The real image of women is lost in the media because the industry favors the skinny models and perfect tanned girls in magazines we constantly read (Segrist). Standards of women are put to the test every day. Most women are not naturally what is seen in the magazines. Being thin and losing the right amount of weight has become an over obsession with many young women. The media has set standards that are unrealistic for what the ‘normal’ body weight and appearance should be. Their portrayal of ‘normal’ keeps getting thinner and thinner for women and more body muscle and for men. The body image in the media keeps changing and people do their best to keep up with it. Twenty-five years ago the average female model only weighed 8% less than the average American woman, whereas today the average female model weighs 23% below her average weight (Image). With the confusion of the ‘perfect’ image always changing, the goal to reach that stage of the beauty and body image has become an obsession for many people (Image). Most women do not have the genetic make up to be the ultra- tall and thin model body type. Of course, not all of us look up to models, but perhaps our favorite celebrities. Maybe our views of celebrities are not realistic. When we see celebrities, do we think ‘wow I want to be able to reach my goal to be an actress too’ or ‘I wish I could be as pretty as them’? Most likely you are thinking ‘I wish I could be as pretty as them’ or something regarding their looks. Sometimes we are so caught up in the reality the media shows us and then we do things that are not so smart. This is what has caused many young women to develop eating disorders. It has been researched that one out of every four college-aged women use unhealthy eating habits to manage their weight. The unhealthy habits include self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, skipping meals, and fasting (Image). A question, some might ask is why the media focus on a ‘perfect’ person. A few researches lead us to think it may have to do with economics. It is a chain reaction for the business industry. First, someone will buy the magazine after seeing the cover that insists on ‘top 5 ways to lose twenty pounds before spring break’ or ‘the perfect makeup to make you look ten years younger. ’ Then, the person who reads the magazine will most likely go out and buy the products advertized or promised to improve you (Image). With an ideal body and image presented by the media that is hard to reach, the cosmetic and diet product industries are reassured of increasing profits and growth. Magazines are made to sell something or to inform the reader about a certain topic. When a business is trying to sell a car or a certain food, most of the time, they try to find a slender man or women to help sell their business. A shocking statistic showed that after seeing photos of female fashion models, seven out of ten women felt more angry and depressed than prior to viewing those pictures. Television is another thing that downplays the average people’s appearance. On television shows the in crowd or the it girl is a slender and fashionable teen generally. The â€Å"nerd or weird kid is usually a unique individual, but they have one or two flaws so they are picked on. Because of small things like this, the unique and different people start to feel bad about themselves. One out of five men and two out of five women would trade three to five years of their life to achieve their weight goals. Life is a wonderful thing and if a human being would trade that away just to lose a couple pounds then something must me wrong. â€Å"I Want a Famous Face,† the â€Å"The Swan† and â€Å"Extreme Makeover† all shows created as makeover shows, in which the ‘contestants’ are made over with plastic surgery to become what they consider beautiful. On MTV’s show, I Want a Famous Face, â€Å"a baby-faced blonde named Sha†¦ wants to look like Pamela Anderson and become a Playboy centerfold†¦ she’s [only] 19† (Creamer). While â€Å"ethics aren’t MTV’s deal† (Creamer), ethics should be a concern of mainstream channels such as ABC, â€Å"Extreme Makeover† and Fox, â€Å"The Swan. † However they too have shows based on someone feeling so insecure with themselves that they are willing to get on national TV and have every inch of their body changed to the point their before and after pictures show little to no resemblance. While many claim, the media does not negatively influence the self-image of ‘any-body’ and that the people behind the scenes of the media are actually women peddling all these unattainable images, beauty products, and ‘quick-fix’ diets and workouts. Moreover, Scott declares, â€Å"that self-decoration—makeup, clothing, cosmetic surgery—is a fundamental form of human expression with different meanings to the individual. Therefore, feminists promotion of a ‘natural’ female appearance is their impulse to control women† (Scott). The continuing messages we see on a daily basis from dieting to aging tells the â€Å"average† woman that a part of them still needs work or adjustments. Of course, most of us fall into this dark hole of what we see as non-perfection. Reality looses to the media most of the time. Dove’s â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign was a prime example of what happens when a company tries to advertise using women of â€Å"average† proportions to promote their product. The backlash that ensued after the billboards displaying a, â€Å"bevy of full-figured babes in bras and boyshorts† (Pozner). Quickly after the billboards were revealed, three well known men, Richard Roeper a Chicago Sun Times columnist, Bill Zwecker a CBS news anchor, and Lucio Guerrero another Chicago Sun Times columnist; all wrote articles in response to the billboards. The authors of the articles went on tangents of how these women are too obese to be in an ad campaign, and that the women are â€Å"disturbing† and â€Å"frightening† (Pozner). These men continued to say, â€Å"[w]hen we’re women in their underwear on billboards outside my living room windows, give me the fantasy babes, please† (qt. in Pozner). What we can do as a community is to support one another and to look at someone’s inner beauty rather than their outer beauty. We should have workshops in schools and different clubs that regularly discuss their opinions about body image and the media. Parents should be talking to their kids about how they feel and how much they love their child just the way they are. Schools should also not be providing candy in vending machines. Only healthy choices should be permitted. If we work together, and make an effective system that will reach out to our generation then we will be able to build a better community, then world.