Should I Go To Harvard University

Should I Go To Harvard University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Michele is a Chicago tutor specializing in LSAT prep tutoring, Essay Editing tutoring, AP English tutoring, and more. She is a graduate of Harvard University with a Bachelors degree in English. Check out her review of her alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Michele: Harvard is nestled in the middle of the town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, right off of one of the public transit train stops (the T train). It is very easy to get around by public transit, and most students do not have or need cars (in fact, those who had cars often found them to be more trouble than they were worth given the cost of parking!). VT:How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Michele: Professors, academic advisors, and teaching assistants are happy to make themselves available, but in order to make sure you have the best experience, be sure to take the initiative to seek them out. Make a note of professors and teaching assistants office hours and go to them. Be ready with a specific question related to the classs topic and be prepared to engage in a lively academic debate. Almost always, they will be glad you took the time to show up! VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Michele: Harvard has a system of houses, rather than dormitories, which goes back hundreds of years (literally!). Almost every house has its own dining hall, library, and common room. Although this is less true than in the past, each house has its own personality. Adams House, for example, was known to be academic and a bit quirky. A lot of the socialization on campus is based around the house you live in after your freshman year, so take advantage of dances / social hours at your house early on. You wont regret it, and your house may come to feel like a home. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Michele: Harvard has an excellent academic reputation, so it is difficult to identify particular programs or majors that stand out from others. Every major, from the fine arts to liberal arts to sciences, to engineering and mathematics has a stellar reputation, so its hard to go wrong. I studied English, in part because I was particularly impressed with the schools wide and deep offerings in Shakespearian studies. The university did an excellent job supporting my interest, and I was even able to help start a student organization that performed Shakespeares plays each semester. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Michele: Harvard is a large university, even though its undergraduate campus can feel small. Many of my friendships from my freshman year began with my roommates and the people I met in different extracurricular activities. Greek life does not play a significant role in campus life. Especially early on, make the effort to talk to and get to know other students. This wont happen quite as easily as it would at a smaller school, but if you put in the effort, youll be well-rewarded (and you are likely to find that other students are eager to get to know their classmates as well). VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Michele: Harvards Career Center is excellent, and in particular, the resume preparation advice I received there was invaluable (almost 15 years later, I still have and refer people to Harvards resume guide!). When it comes to recruiting, Harvards reputation will bring many companies to your doorstep. Almost any large company recruiting undergraduates will seek out and interview Harvard students. It will be up to you to close the deal, though! VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Michele: Harvards libraries are, in a word, gorgeous. And they are also excellent places to go to study. The Loker Reading room in Widener library is a beautiful and quiet place to focus and prepare for finals, for example. Because Harvard has houses rather than dorms, the house libraries are often where students study. Again, these are beautiful spaces and do not tend to be overcrowded. Dont expect them to be boisterous students are serious about study time! VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Michele: One common joke among Harvard students was that a student was more likely to visit New York City than downtown Boston. Its surprisingly easy to get to New York City from Cambridge, and many students make the trip on the weekends. The city of Cambridge is a nice college town with a mix of coffee shops, book stores, and small restaurants. There isnt a large bar scene but there are a variety of small pubs. The movie, Good Will Hunting, wasnt far off here! VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Michele: Harvards undergraduate student body is approximately 4,000 students larger than many students think. Class sizes vary widely and shrink significantly (from over 100 students to 6-10 students) once you begin taking upper-level classes. One little-known fact is that some graduate courses can be open to undergraduate students upon permission of the professor. If you develop a good relationship with a professor early on, consider asking that professor if you might be able to take his or her graduate-level course. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Michele: One of my favorite Harvard memories is a lecture a professor gave on the life and work of the author, Virginia Woolf. She cared so passionately about the subject and constructed the lecture so well that it went far beyond being informative it was powerful and moving. Thats the only time I have ever seen a spontaneous standing ovation for a lecture! Check out Micheles tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Latin Declensions Our Memorising Tips

Latin Declensions Our Memorising Tips How to Learn the Latin Declensions ChaptersWhat Are the Latin declensions?Latin Declensions: Learn Using Multiple IntelligencesMemorizing Techniques to Learn the Latin DeclensionsLatin Declensions: Doing Exercises to Boost MemoryLatin Declensions: Study with a Private Tutor!Latin can be complicated for beginners learning the language. Latin grammar is not necessarily obvious, especially because Latin nouns can be quite problematic.In fact, all nouns correspond to a Latin declension according to their position in the sentence. Learning Latin, therefore, requires you to memorise all the Latin declensions and cases.Don't fret, Superprof is here to give you some tips to help you remember these pesky grammar rules!For the masculine or feminine parisyllabic nouns, the example used is civis, civis, m (citizen):CaseSingularPluralNominativeCivisCivesVocativeCivisCivesAccusativeCivemCivesGenitiveCivisCiviumDativeCivisCivibusAblativeCiveCivibusFor neutral parisyllabic nouns, the example is mare, maris, n (sea):CaseSingularPlural NominativeMareMariaVocativeMareMariaAccusativeMareMariaGenitiveMarisMariumDativeMariMaribusAblativeMariMaribusFor the imparisyllabic masculine or feminine nouns, the example we've used is consul, consulis, m (consul):CaseSingularPluralNominativeConsulConsulesVocativeConsulConsulesAccusativeConsulemConsulesGenitiveConsulisConsulumDativeConsuliConsulibusAblativeConsuleConsulibusFor neutral imparisyllabic nouns, the example is corpus, corporis, n (body):CaseSingularPluralNominativeCorpusCorporaVocativeCorpusCorporaAccusativeCorpusCorporaGenitiveCorporisCorporumDativeCorporiCorporibusAblativeCorporeCorporibusFor the fourth declension, masculine or feminine, we will use manus, us, f (hand) as an example:CaseSingularPluralNominativeManusManusVocativeManusManusAccusativeManumManusGenitiveManusManuumDativeManuiManibusAlbativeManuManibusFor the fourth  declension for neutral nouns, we will use cornu, us, n (horn):CaseSingularPluralNominativeCornuCornuaVocativeCornuCornuaAccusativeCornuCornua GenitiveCornusCornuumDativeCornuiCornibusAblativeCornuCornibusAs for the fifth declension, there are only feminine nouns, with the exception of dies, ei, m (day) but which is also feminine when it means the date. We will use the example of res, rei, f (thing):CaseSingularFeminineNominativeResResVocativeResResAccusativeRemResGenitiveReiRerumDativeReiRebusAblativeReRebusYou can easily find all the Latin declensions in an English-Latin dictionary like the Oxford Latin Dictionary or even online.Latin Declensions: Learn Using Multiple IntelligencesMaking a colour-coded diagram can help you remember the declensions. Source: Visual HuntThe theory of multiple intelligences was explained by the psychologist Howard Gardner in 1983 and later developed in 1993.This theory is a tool used in educational science to allow every student to flourish, to learn to how to learn and help them think differently about their education.He suggests that there are several types of intelligence:Linguistic: the ability to use language to understand others and express what we think. In terms of Latin and the declensions, it may mean we comment on what we see and express what we think of declensions to memorise them better and simplify learning,Logical-mathematical: the ability to manipulate numbers and problem solve. By making diagrams of the declensions, pupils can appropriate them and retain them better,Spatial: the ability to find one's way and establish relationships between objects in space. Making colourful drawing can allow students to make the declensions more tangible and thus memorise them more easily.These first three types of intelligence are the ones most used in schools to help students memorise an abstract topic. Each student then gradually discovers which intelligence is most effective for them.There are also other strands of intelligence described by this theory that may prove useful to some students:Intra-personal: the faithful and realistic self-representation and proper use in everyday life,Interpersonal: the ability to understand others and anticipate behaviour,Body-kinesthetic: using your body to express an idea or carry out a given physical activity,Musical: the ability to perceive and create rhythms and sounds. This can be useful when learning declensions, you'll soon see why!Naturalist: understanding your environment and having awareness of living things,Existential (spiritual): the ability to question the origin and meaning of things.Test your knowledge of Latin history and culture by identifying these 20 quotes!Sing along to the video then before you know it you'll be singing it in the shower!To learn the declensions, a father and son created their own lyrics set to the music of Get Lucky by Daft Punk:Have you tried using any familiar tunes that you've come up with yourself? If not, use well known tunes like nursery rhymes you learned as a child or even your favourite pop song to help you learn.Discover also the history and evolution of the Latin alphabet...Latin Declensions: Doing Exercises to Boost MemoryAfter you've learned the declensions and you think you know all of them by heart, test yourself with Latin exercises. You will find tons of these on the internet which will allow you to read Latin texts to enrich your Latin vocabulary, improve your Latin syntax, but most importantly, make sure you know your declensions.On the website latinedisce.net, you can browse through basic Latin-English dictionary as well as do exercises and tests to practise Latin vocabulary, the verbs and declensions.Another great resource for Latin games and quizzes is latinteach.com which is a fun learning website for all levels. Learn through flashcards, crosswords, games and puzzles to master latin grammar.Do you know about Latin's linguistic legacy?Latin Declensions: Study with a Private Tutor!Traveling to Rome? You'll be able to understand all the engravings! Source: Visual HuntIf  you get stuck and find learning Latin a real ordeal, yo u should consider taking private Latin lessons for beginners.A private teacher is there just for you and to meet your needs as a student. If your difficulties come from learning the declensions, a tutor will have a range of learning techniques to help you memorise them.Learning Latin with a private teacher is usually more motivating too. You will have goals to reach every week and you have no excuses not to do the work. Generally, you will not want to disappoint your teacher, who you can form a relationship with and who is likely to be much more interesting than your Latin teacher at school!On Superprof, there are tons of Latin teachers offering lessons for all levels, as well as thousands of other teachers in all Latin languages. They each have a different experience, from retired teachers to classical literature students to passionate mythology, ancient Greek and Latin students.A private class doesn't have to break the bank! With Superprof, Latin prices start at around fifteen pou nds. Of course, it depends on your level, your location and the teacher's experience. A beginners class will definitely cost less than a college course in Latin anyway!So, are you ready to test yourself on the Latin declensions?Now find the answers to all of your questions about the Latin language...