5 Mistakes to Avoid at the Admission Interview

5 Mistakes to Avoid at the Admission Interview A crucial part of the private school application process, the admission interview can be a nerve-wracking experience for many applicants and their families. You want to make the best impression you can in order to find the perfect school for your child. But how do you do that properly in an admission interview? Check out these five tips of things you should not do during your admission interview.  Ã‚   Dont Be Late Many private schools schedule back-to-back admissions interviews at busy times of the year, so throwing off their schedule might not be an option. If you are going to be late, call the office and advise them as soon as you realize it. You can always offer to reschedule the interview, which shows that you value their time and understand that you have made a mistake. If the office allows you to arrive late, apologize when you do arrive. Avoid Ranking Schools The admissions staff knows that you are looking at several schools. No matter where their school may be on your list, be cordial and noncommittal. You are trying to determine if this is the right school for your child. Admissions committee members are doing the same. Dont tell each school that it is your first choice just to make it seem like youre more invested than you might be; and skip telling your backup school that it is not your first choice. Its OK to say that youre looking at and comparing a few schools. If you know that a school is truly your first choice and can articulate why, let the admissions committee members know, but be genuine in your comments. Dont Be a Difficult Parent Educating your child involves a three-sided partnership: the school, parent, and child. Ask direct questions about the school, but dont be abrasive. (It helps if you have done some research on the school beforehand.) Parents are part of the admission process, and it is not unheard of for a qualified student to be denied admission because of the way her parents acted during the interview It also never hurts to let the school know that you are willing to help when asked; many schools rely on volunteers, and involved parents are highly desirable. Do Not Try to Impress Schools champion diversity and finding the right fit over stacking their parental ranks with wealth and power. Private schools generally admit students based on qualifications first and foremost. These institutions also seek students who ordinarily could not afford a private school education, and they often offer scholarships and financial aid. Your ability to participate in the schools fundraising efforts may be a bonus, but that alone wont help your child gain admission. Your child needs to be the right fit for the school, and vice versa, so offering a large donation likely wont help. Do Not Be Overly Familiar The interview may have gone very well. It may be obvious that admissions committee members like you and your child. But dont get carried away. Be gracious, not effusive, in your comments. It would be inappropriate to suggest that the admissions staffer have lunch sometime or give her a hug. A smile and a polite handshake are all that is necessary at the conclusion of the interview. Article  edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Examples and Definition of Discourse Domain in Speech

Examples and Definition of Discourse Domain in Speech In sociolinguistics, the term discourse domain refers to features or conventions of language use determined by the context in which communication takes place. A discourse domain typically includes a variety of registers. Also known as  cognitive discourse domain, discourse world, and knowledge map. A discourse domain can be understood as a  social construct as well as a cognitive construct. A discourse domain is made up of individuals who exhibit their own distinctive knowledge structures, cognitive styles, and biases. However, within the boundaries of a domain, there is continual interaction between domain structures and individual knowledge, an interaction between the individual and the social level (Hjà ¸rland and Albrechtsen, Toward a New Horizon in Information Science, 1995). See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Cognitive LinguisticsConversation AnalysisDiscourseLinguistic VariationPragmaticsSpeech Community Examples and Observations Along the lines of what Wittgenstein called (2009) language games and Levinson (1979) labelled activity types,  discourse domains are  frameworks for conduct that organize participants verbal and non-verbal comportment around  recognized modes of activity grounded in shared norms, purposes and goals. Relevant activities include playing tennis, having an academic debate, or going on a walk with a dog- in short, activities that involve interacting with one or more human or non-human others in a particular setting and for specific kinds of reasons. -(Daniel Herman, Building More-Than-Human Worlds.  World Building: Discourse in the Mind, ed. by Joanna Gavins and Ernestine Lahey. Bloomsbury, 2016) These are some domain contextual examples (Based on Hymes, 1974; Gumperz, 1976; Douglas Selinker, 1985a): physical: setting, participants;phonological: voice tone, pitch, tempo, rhythm, volume;semantic: code, topic;rhetorical: register, style, genre;pragmatic: purpose, interactional salience;paralinguistic: posture, gesture, gaze, facial expression. The above list is not intended to be exhaustive and there are no doubt other types of contextualization cues, but it does give the reader a sense of the types of information available to language learners/users in communication situations. -Dan Douglas, Discourse Domains: The Cognitive Context of Speaking. Studying Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning, ed. by Diana Boxer and Andrew D. Cohen. Multilingual Matters, 2004 Contexts and Discourse Domains [A] discourse domain is a cognitive construct created in response to a number of factors, including semantic category, but also to other features of situational and linguistic context. For example, when we enter a room where a conversation is going on, we of course pay attention to the topic of the talk, but we also take note of a number of other features of the situation, including the physical setting, who the participants are, what the purpose of their conversation appears to be, whether the conversation seems to be businesslike, friendly, or angry, what features of language the participants are using, and what relationship they appear to have with each other. Depending upon our analysis of the situation in terms such as these, we might feel that this is a situation we are familiar with and would feel comfortable joining; in other words, as Douglas and Selinker would say, we possess a discourse domain for dealing with this communication situation... [D]iscourse domains are developed or engaged in response to signals in the situational and linguistic environment which interlocutors attend to in interpreting (indeed, creating) context. -Dan Douglas, Discourse Domains: The Cognitive Context of Speaking. Studying Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning, ed. by Diana Boxer and Andrew D. Cohen. Multilingual Matters, 2004 The Discourse Domain of Higher Education All persons involved in formal education at some point find themselves participating in various sorts of encounters, including less formal interactions in small groups- in laboratories, study groups, or colloquia. It is important to know how to display oneself as intellectually competent, and this is done more often than not through face-to-face interactions...How to utilize powerful speech behaviors without presenting oneself as arrogant involves a careful dance of negotiation. Joking, teasing, challenging, asking questions and commenting, getting and holding the floor- these are all important phenomena of face-to-face discourse in higher education... The discourse domain of education is one that everyone experiences. As an increasing number of citizens seek a higher education, it becomes ever more critical to understand how to negotiate relationships in this domain of interaction. The stakes are high. -Diana Boxer, Applying Sociolinguistics: Domains and Face-to-Face Interaction. John Benjamins, 2002 Story-Telling as a Discourse Domain There are clear reports that have shown that storytelling as a particular discourse domain is an activity that follows a well-delineated line of development within the mainstream culture. From very early on mother and child engage in an interaction format that resembles a book reading activity in the sense that both participants engage in a labeling game of more or less decontextualized units (cf. Ninio Bruner 1978; Ninio 1980). The capacity to label is not only a necessary prerequisite for the joint storytelling activity, it is also an activity that is propagated and embellished with short picture book-like stories that develop into more complicated narrations in the course of the pre-school years. -Michael G. W. Bamberg, The Acquisition of Narratives: Learning to Use Language. Mouton de Gruyter, 1987

Contract for difference(CFDs) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Contract for difference(CFDs) - Essay Example Following this the next chapter will deal with the pricing of the CFDs. Also the trading of the CFDs will be discussed in detail within this chapter. This will provide for a better understanding of the working of the CFDs and will also detail the risks that face the investors who invest in the CFDs. The chapter will also provide for details of how the CFDs can be hedged. This chapter will form the body of the research and will discuss the details like the trading methods that can be used for these financial instruments. Also the pros and contras, and sample computation of CFD will be discussed in detail within this research. Also sample pricing will be discussed within the research, which will help provide a better understanding of how the pricing is done in the real time. The last chapter of the literature review will involve a comparison of the contract of differences with futures, options and spread betting. This will help gain an insight of how the contracts for difference are different from the more commonly used derivatives. This will also help understand in brief the futures, options, spread betting and will provide for an understanding of how they work. Since the objectives of this research are very basic and are mainly to understand the global financial instrument – CFD better, hence secondary research will be used in this research. This will involve a through research of the contract for differences. The research will mainly be carried out mainly using books, research papers, etc. This research is very different from the primary method. This is also referred to as the Tertiary research. The research involves using information that has already been presented by other authors, in previous researches. The main sources of the data are from books, journals, newspapers, online sources, etc. In short the secondary research refers to information published by others and which is already available1. It is also data collected by other people

Mergers and Acquisitions Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words - 1

Mergers and Acquisitions - Dissertation Example I am grateful for the many people who aided me in the completion of this project, without whom I would have had great difficulty completing my research on mergers and acquisitions. ABSTRACT With the advent of companies like Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! merging, all kinds of discussions have ensued. What constitutes a merger What constitutes an acquisition And, admittedly, what is the difference The ensuing discussion raises questions as to the validity of mergers and acquisitions in a day and age when companies are struggling to meet their overhead costs. Many times, mergers and acquisitions are the solution-not the problem-to the dilemma which ails many organizations: "How do we stay in business" A comprehensive view of mergers and acquisitions is taken into account, as the pros and cons of equity financing, and the desirability of mergers and acquisitions ("M&A's") are evaluated. As an example, hundreds of M&A's on the London Stock Exchange are reviewed for a period of the past 10 years. Conclusions are summarily drawn from the data provided. I. Introduction A. Statement of the Problem What follows, regarding mergers and acquisitions, is all too common. Barmash (2003) stated, "The company didn't have a new president so it bought a company that didThey couldn't compete with the company, so they bought itThe company really didn't want to sell; it just wanted to see what kind of price it could draw" Unfortunately, for some companies, this is what happens. For whatever reason, companies sell out and new companies come to take their place. It is increasingly the way of the world. This is now the way business works. It is common for several industries to consolidate due to... Mergers and acquisitions can be the bright spot on lawyers and others’ resumes, based on how important the nature of the prospective deal is. And, M&A’s (as they are wont to be called) are highly valued in society and can change a company’s outlook on the future. Anon (2009) comments, â€Å"Not surprisingly, these actions often make the news. Deals can be worth hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars. They can dictate the fortunes of the companies involved for years to come. For a CEO, leading an M&A can represent the highlight of a whole career.† Many people in the information security and technology sectors are looking to the relative absence or presence of mergers as a way of gauging how successful their own company is. This is a key factor to remember when evaluating a company. As Tenopir et. al. (2007) denote, â€Å"There are a lot of worries from database providers but they are working on ways to integrate social networks, provide increased depth within their specialties, and make their products stand out in order to succeed on the information farms of the future.† Mergers and acquisitions are common. A majority of the populace should be concerned with M&A’s because they significantly affect the quality of life of millions. Anon (2009) denotes, â€Å"†¦it is no wonder we hear about so many of these transactions; they happen all the time. Next time you flip open the newspaper’s business section, odds are good that at least one headline will announce some kind of M&A transaction.†

Ecstasy, the Brain, and Serotonin (MIA) :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Ecstasy, the Brain, and Serotonin (MIA) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or ecstasy, is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. Ecstasy is an often talked about drug due to its recent popularity and rapid spread amongst teenagers especially. Many newspapers and magazines have featured articles in the past 5 years highlighting the danger of this easily made drug, and its rampant use in the club/rave scene of almost all Western countries. The complete effects of ecstasy are still unknown, although much research has been produced that shows the deleterious effects of the drug on the brain. Ecstasy is also controversial because the content of pills varies widely; buyers and sometimes sellers don't really know what each pill consists of (1). The results of a survey published in 2002 set out with the purpose of examining the prevalence and patterns of ecstasy use among college students, and to determine characteristics, associated behaviors, and interests of ecstasy users. These resu lts showed that from 1997-1999, ecstasy use increased significantly in every college subgroup except for noncompetitive schools. The variable most strongly associated with ecstasy use was found to be marijuana. In terms of social context, MDMA users were more likely to spend large amounts of time socializing, attend residential colleges, and belong to a fraternity or sorority. The first study that provided direct evidence that chronic use of ecstasy causes brain damage was published in 1999. The study used advanced brain imaging techniques (PET scan) to show that MDMA harms neurons that release serotonin, a chemical that is thought to play an important role in memory, among other functions. The PET scans showed significant reductions in the number of serotonin transporters, the sites on neuron surfaces that reabsorb serotonin from the space between cells after it has completed its work. The lasting reduction of serotonin transporters occurred throughout the brain. This study and others suggest that brain damage and the amount of MDMA ingested are directly correlated (2). But what are the functional consequences? The functional consequences of ecstasy use have just begun to be explored in the past few years. Another study, published in 2000, found that heavy ecstasy users (30-1000 occasions) as opposed to non-ecstasy users, reported significantly higher scores on tests for somatisation, obsessionality, anxiety, hostility, phobic-anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, poor appetite, an restless or disturbed sleep. Another interesting effect of MDMA found was a significantly higher degree of impulsivity.

Belonging: ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, ‘Migrant Hostel’ and Photo Essay ‘Belongings: Felt, Presented, Challenged’

Belonging is the ability of an individual to reconcile identity with their social environment. Peter Skrzynecki’s poems Feliks Skrzynecki and Migrant Hostel from the anthology ‘Immigrant Chronicle’ explore this concept in relation to migrants during the post WWII period and are reflections of Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory. The photo essay entitled Belongings; felt, presented, challenged transfers these same principles to a modern context, illustrating the enduring nature of the struggle humanity faces in the endeavour to belong.Feliks’ gardening in Feliks Skrzynecki can be seen as a response to the years of forced labour in Germany which left him at the mercy of bigger tides in the affairs of humanity. Once in Australia as part of the post WWII influx of migrants, Feliks devotes himself to creating an environment which he can control. Stanza one and two establishes a sense of comfort and familiarity within the niche he has created for himself . Feliks recognises that belonging is gained through the possession of particular socially valued and accepted criteria.In an Australian context, uniformity is made the criteria for belonging, something which Feliks himself does not value highly, as expressed in â€Å"Did your father ever attempt to learn English? † The condescending tone employed portrays the perceived societal value of assimilation and the representation of an unwelcoming society as seen from a migrant’s perspective. Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory states that a person’s sense of self is based on their group membership(s); that in order to increase our self-image we enhance the status of the group to which we belong (in group) and discriminate against the groups that we do not (out group).Peter Skrzynecki presents a contradictory self-categorisation in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki. â€Å"His (fathers) Polish friends always shook hands too violently† connotes cultural exclusiv ity and the affinity of the persona with a non-Polish culture. Child voice serves to highlight the generation divide between Feliks and his son as Peter seeks to strengthen his sense of belonging in his new Australian culture by establishing his father and â€Å"his Polish friends† as the ‘out group’.Conversely and simultaneously, the persona distinguishes himself from the Australian bureaucracy through the use of derogatory, stereotypical language: â€Å"A crew cut, grey haired department clerk who asked me in dancing bear grunts†. This highlights the difficulty of establishing a sense of belonging when conflicted with two cultural identities. The poem Migrant Hostel (Parkes 1949-51) explores the alienation of and animosity shown towards ‘newcomers’ to Australian society. â€Å"Nationalities sought each other out instinctively† connotes the importance of familiarity, as expressed in Feliks Skrzynecki.Individuals are more able to reconc ile their personal identity with the inherent need to belong to a group in a known and familiar environment. The emotional and physical security provided by one’s own cultural group is evidence of the pre-programmed biological need to form ‘tribes’. The migrants are dehumanised through a lack of information- â€Å"left us wondering† and â€Å"unaware†. The migrants pose a threat to current Australian pattern of existence and the construct of social Darwinism dictates that the new threat must be eliminated.In order for the individuals to maintain their feelings of belonging, the two groups are in a constant state of competition; hence the hostility felt by the migrants is a result of competing identities. Consequently the perception that we must learn our right to belong permeates society. Belonging is not an inherent right of the human being, but something that is earned through socially valued criteria. Just as Feliks is denied acceptance by Austra lian society in Feliks Skrzynecki, so too are the migrants by â€Å"a barrier at the main gate†¦.Pointed in reprimand or shame†. The migrants are made to feel prisoners, subverted to authority and â€Å"needing its sanction† to live their lives. Due to their alternate cultural identity migrants are excluded and alienated from society, revealing that t concept of belonging is heavily based on dominant culture. Belongings: felt, presented, challenged explores perhaps the most conflicting yet thought provoking aspect of belonging; that of the struggle between society’s expectations of conformity and the individuals search for a unique sense of identity.The photo essay is compiled of images taken by victims persecuted for choosing not to belong to the popular vision of society. In the post 9/11 context, where choosing not to belong can result in civil wars and racial persecution, this simultaneous need to belong to society and an individual’s own search for identity are harshly conflicted. Individual torment and dislocation is experienced by thousands of people as they become the casualties of an internal jihad of ethics and instinct.The control exerted over these people is a gross exaggeration of the control portrayed in Migrant Hostel and represents the dire consequences of the inability of the individual to reconcile personal identity with their social environment. The ability is indeed affected by the nature of the individual’s context. The ideas about belonging communicated in Belongings: felt, presented, challenged are such that some milieu do not foster individual thought but rely solely on conformity as a basis for belonging. Any deviance from this structure results in persecution and in extreme cases, genocide.To a lesser extent, Peter Skrzynecki experienced these feelings of oppression and conveys the emotional isolation involved in the process of migration and assimilation. Migrant Hostel reveals the perception th at we must earn our right to belong and the opposition faced by competing groups. Feliks Skrzynecki further explores this concept, looking at the effects of conflicting cultural identities on an individual and the affiliation with competing ‘in’ and ‘out’ groups. Thus belonging is determined by the ability to reconcile personal identity with social environment.

Human Trafficking An Evolving Global Phenomenon

Human trafficking is an evolving global phenomenon that lacks adequate attention and information. The global issue has been around for many years, but it has been hidden and kept a secret by so many who knew it was going on. Today, there are â€Å"approximately 800,000 people trafficked across international borders† and many more trafficked from state to state (Richards 155). No longer is human trafficking hiding in the shadows of a small farm or town that is hidden away from a busy city near by. Human trafficking has made its move to all continents and ages. The global issue of human trafficking has become the world’s largest trafficking activity because of the large revenue that is made from it, as well the belief that it has become the†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Mulvihill describes the signs that a victim of human trafficking would display, such as anxiety, avoiding eye contact, depression, never seen alone, appears to be in a relationship, and various o ther red flags (67). In a similar manner, Andreas Schloenhardt, Paris Astill-Torchia, and Jarrod M. Jolly author’s of â€Å"Be Careful of What You Pay For: Awareness Raising On Trafficking In Persons† explain that the lack of educating students and law enforcement has also hindered the amount of information given out during campaigns to put an end to the phenomenon (Schloenhardt, et. all 420). Not only are students who are learning uninformed, but the general public as well. Another author, Tiffany Richards, takes a different approach on human trafficking in her article â€Å"Health Implications of Human Trafficking†. Richards’ article informs the reader of the statistics of human trafficking, as well as what the crime does to the victim mentally and physically (Richards 159). Trafficking varies region to region, however the effects of the crime have a common trend (159). Richards article presents information concerning human trafficking in a manner that educates the reader and provides useful facts to suppress the actions of this global crime. The authors of the articles all present the need to educate the world in one way or another, whether it be through campaigns or medical professionals. The differences of the authors writings is that Mulvihill writes primarily about the