What MBA Admissions Consulting Isnt

What MBA Admissions Consulting Isnt Do Business School Admissions Need an Overhaul? There have been a few articles published lately about MBA Admissions Consulting. One such article published in Bloomberg Businessweek, Business School Admissions Needs an Overhaul, proposed that the entire admissions process for graduate business school be changed. The author, Alex Fleming, goes so far to propose that essay length and number should be reduced to discourage applicants from hiring admissions consultants. No one, he suggests, would pay someone $1,000 to write 100 words. The author and I both have MBA degrees from Wharton, but we part company after that. What Business School Admissions Consulting ISNT As an MBA Admissions Consultant for 14 years, I believe that what needs the overhaul isnt business school admissions but rather the incorrect understanding that many have about what admissions consulting actually is. For a start, any ethical admissions consultant will make it clear that he or she will never write an essay for an applicant. Some of our clients will ask us to do so despite what our written agreements and policies may say, but we make it clear that thats not part of our service. And for the record, as of the current admissions season, most top business school applications require multiple essays, with limits of several hundred to about a thousand words each. An admissions consultant can help to ensure the topic and organization of those essays hits the mark with admissions committees. Admissions Consultants also wont ghost write recommendations for our clients, although a few may request that service. In fact, many of us, myself included, refuse to even review a draft recommendation. I take it even further than most, suggesting that my clients push back if the recommender wont write a recommendation without getting a draft from the applicant. If the recommender insists on receiving more than a bulleted list of suggested points, I tell my clients to find another recommender. Is there an alumni interviewer popularity contest? I disagree with another point in the article. Having been an alumni interviewer for Wharton MBA applicants, I dont understand what he means by the â€Å"alumni interviewer popularity contest.† Assuming that the school trains its volunteer alumni interviewers well, as most do, an interview with an experienced alumnus can give the interviewer and interviewee insights into the fit between the applicant and the school that an on campus interview may not, especially in terms of the long-term career view. I have no understanding of the popularity contest that the author mentions. You are no doubt wondering what MBA Admissions Consulting is if this is what it isnt? That will be the topic of my next blog entry. Need guidance in your MBA/EMBA Application process? Maximize your applications with help from The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Consulting Services. Or feel free to email me directly at larryessayexpert@gmail.com. Larry Sochrin Category:MBA Admissions ProcessBy Brenda BernsteinNovember 18, 2011

Sacrifice and Love in Captain Corellis Mandolin Essay Example

Sacrifice and Love in Captain Corellis Mandolin Essay Example Sacrifice and Love in Captain Corellis Mandolin Paper Sacrifice and Love in Captain Corellis Mandolin Paper Essay Topic: Cry the Beloved Country Literature Sacrifice may be considered as the act of offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage; especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or person. This is certainly true in Captain Corellis Mandolin. Almost every person in the novel makes some sort of sacrifice which is triggered by the love for their country; their loved ones or for survival and dignity. The largest sacrifice in this novel would have to be the sacrifice that the soldiers make for their country. Whether it be the men in the Julia Division, Bari Division, Acqui Division, the Greeks or Bunnios; they are all risking their lives for their country. By being a patriotic and serving their country, they are expected to make the sacrifice of their lives. The entire Acqui Division is a good example of how men are forced to die for their country. Like Mandras, they are a mere statistic of the ritual slaughtering of war. Their deaths are inevitabilities of this tragedy. Whilst the men of the Acqui Division are being sent to their death there is a strong sense of acceptance as they pray with their heads bowed down to their knees. Because the men have chosen to fight for their country, there is no struggle or fight for their right of survival until the very end when some were praying, weeping or standing in despair. They have lost the right to live because their country lost a war they chose to fight in. Carlo and Francesco have also had their right to live taken away because of their decision to join the army. They were given no choice when used as a catalyst to start a war between Greece and Italy. They were a mere operational necessity; they were Italys sacrifice. They had no choice but to follow orders despite it being against their wish and were only allowed to ask operational questions, not questions of policy. They were expected to sacrifice their lives for their country: we were supposed to be killed. We are Greeks attacking the Italian Army, and were supposed to be dead. As a result of their sacrifice they are given medals but ordered not to wear them. There is no honour and glory in their sacrifice; instead secrecy, betrayal and murder and deceit. Because of the obligatory sacrifices soldiers must give at war, men like Carlo and Mandras are just one more life warped and ruined by war. And as a result it [war] destroyed my patriotism, it changed my ideals, it made me question the whole notion of duty, and it horrified me and made me sad Unlike Carlo and Francesco who were ordered to sacrifice their lives for something immoral and for something they did not believe in; Captain Corelli, the Acqui Division and Father Arsenios are willing to sacrifice for what they do believe in. The Acqui Division voted to resist the Germans based on the fact that the time had come for them to do something right. They therefore knowingly resist the Germans despite the knowledge of the consequences. Corelli too makes his own sacrifice because he had to be with his boys and because of what he strongly believes in. To carry out his beliefs even further, Corelli chooses to have the honour of being court-martialled alongside General Gandin if necessary. By consciously taking this step he knows the risks he is about to take: his life and never seeing Pelagia again. Yet he is still willing to make these sacrifices and Pelagia in light of this, understandingly but reluctantly says, Honour and common sense; in light of the other, both of them are ridiculous. Father Arsenios too sacrifices for the same beliefs that Corelli has: Anti-Nazism. Father Arsenios drunkenness, greed and indolence was absolved by the war and in the end, he sacrifices his health, and later, life, by taunting the German soldiers as they burn the Italians dead. He becomes a skeleton stretched with skin and burned with sores. Father Arsenios has transformed from a man of venial[ity], a glutton, a would-be lecher, a relentless seeker of alms and offerings, an anthropomorphized promissory note to a saint. Father Arsenios, like Captain Corelli and the Acqui Division and even the ELAS and EKAS are all sacrificing their lives for what they believe in. Although each man may be sacrificing for different ideals; they are still giving up the people they love and the things they love for those morals. Whilst not all sacrifices are for the better, some sacrifices in this novel are made for the very right of survival that so many men have been deprived of. Gi nter Weber and Mandras fall under this category. Although both men are in the army and are risking their lives for their country, they have joined the army, like everyone else with the hope that they will not have to make that sacrifice. Weber for example has relinquished his friendship with the Italians as well as his honour in order to survive. Weber seemed to have recognized his fate that he would be the one ordered to kill his friends and unlike many of the Italian soldiers, Weber chose between following his orders or sacrificing his friendship and integrity. Weber chooses to forget his friends and live the rest of his life with guilt. Mandras on the other hand had little choice. Mandras makes more than one sacrifice in this novel but his most life-changing sacrifice is when he chooses to beat the old man when Hector instructs him to. This is a significant point for Mandras because this is when he changes from a family-loving, playful spirit to a Communist, chauvinistic brute. By choosing to become a member of the ELAS, he is sacrificing his beliefs, morality, Pelagia and most importantly, his mother. When Mandras chooses to rape Pelagia, he is breaking away from the women in his life: Pelagia and Drosula. Although Mandras makes sacrifices; he is not a sacrifice. He is a mere statistic of war, like everyone else. And the fact of life that comes into their defense is that War is a dirty business. Sacrifices are made, morals are lost and cruelty is a necessity. However, Drosula too sacrifices her relationship with Mandras when she chooses to go to Pelagias defense instead of Mandras. Drosula gives up her bond with her son in order to stand by what she believes is morally correct and what she knows has happened: war has corrupted her son. When she stands up to her son, it shows the ferocity of Drosula as well as the strength and power of women. Finally, sacrifices that are made instinctively for the people they love most are from Doctor Iannis, Carlo and Pelagia. These three characters are the protagonists of the novel and their stories weigh the most in the book therefore it is not surprising that their sacrifice is the most noble. These three characters make Carlos statement true that Love will make men dare to die for their beloved-Love alone. Iannis and Carlo are similar because they both knowingly sacrifice their lives for the people they love most. Iannis sacrifices his life when he saves Pelagia and Drosula out of the earthquake. Iannis who used to be so full of vibrance and fire, by the end was so futile and traumatized by his concentration, still managed to push himself out of eight years of silence and cry Get out! Get out! Save yourselves! . This truly shows the meaning of sacrifice and how much his family meant to him. Iannis sacrifice is instinctive more so than it is conscious which is unlikely in this novel. Carlos sacrifice is also instinctive when he rushes out to pull Francescos body back into the trench. By merely stepping out of the safety of the trench, Carlo is already risking his life for Francesco. Carlos sacrifice for Corelli however is a decision rather than a sacrifice. Although he did give up his life in order to save Corellis, Carlo chose to stand to attention next to Corelli. There is also an element of self-interest when Carlo stands in front of Corelli. Carlo joins the army in order to be with other beautiful men and because he wishes to escape the scornful eyes of society, rather than to fight for his country and when he finally does get to die a proper soldiers death and for someone he loves, he is glad to die at last. However by joining the army he is also sacrificing the physical union in order to retain comradeship with the other men. Pelagia makes an unconscious sacrifice for the man she loves. By allowing him to escape Cephallonia she is not only taking a chance that she will not get caught but also unknowingly sacrificing their love. However although her sacrifice at the time was instinctive, waiting thirty years for Corelli was not. Pelagia deliberately waits for Corelli, despite no certainty of his return and literally watches her youth and beauty slip through her fingers. By the end of the novel, she has transformed from a woman of beauty and youth to an embittered, senile old lady. Whilst waiting for Corelli, Pelagia also adopts Antonia, thereby limiting her choices and giving up the chance to live. Almost every person in this novel sacrifices a part of their lives, whether it may be for someone they love or for themselves. This theme of De Bernieres ties the novel and its characters together; they all feel the pain of losing dignity, happiness, loved ones and their lives.

Academic mehods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic mehods - Essay Example The ownership expects best expertise and allocation of resources from the managers. â€Å"Adequate allocation of resources and their inclusion in strategy wins distinguished position for corporate firms.† (Johnson & Scholes, 1993: 91) To arrange a completely entertaining atmosphere, where the visitors could watch TV, read periodicals and newspapers, listen to the music and entertain themselves with the company of family and friends by taking delicious foods of various kinds â€Å"A general or formal meeting of an organization†, Fenech (2005: 31) submits, â€Å"attended by representatives of its membership for the purpose of deciding legislative direction, policy matters, the election of internal committees, and approval of balance sheets, budgets, and so on is very beneficial for the future profit earning of the companies.† Hotel industry offers a lot of recreational opportunities and thrill to the individuals. It gives equal chances of growth in an excited environment to the professionals affiliated with and attached to this field. Hotel management in UK is quite different from that of the USA. Though both these countries observe multi-racial communities, yet patterns and mode of dining out are quite

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs Essay - 1

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs - Essay Example the Act key intent was to help the all the children including those with special educational needs to achieve five outcomes which matter most to them, their parents as well as their carers (The Children Act 2004) These outcomes were; staying safe, being healthy, achieving and enjoying, making positive contributions to the society and also the economic and social wellbeing of the children. The Every Child Matters Children Act 2004 has had a great impact in the lives of the children especially those children who have various special educational needs. This Act has led to the promotion of the equality and the opportunities for the children who have special needs in education. This has enabled majority of these children with special needs to be treated equally as the other normal children and they are not alienated by the educational system because of their disabilities. (The Children Act 2004) Similarly these children receive equal treatment as the rest of the children who do not have any learning disabilities. On the other hand the Act has led to the creation of a lot of changes locally as well as internationally and also various programs have been instigated and this has led to the improvement of the of the outcomes for the disabled children. The Act has had major policy priorities which are very relevant to the children with special educational needs and this enables them to receive fair and equal treatment in all their educational learning processes. (The Children Act 2004) The legislation has further led to the bridging of the gap of the children with special needs who do not attend school regularly and this has further led to the improvement of their school attendance. Similarly through this act the government has initiated a strategy for meeting the needs of the children with special educational needs. This has also led to the removal of various barriers that hinder the progress of these children with the special needs and it has led to the improvement of

About Going to School Essay Example for Free

About Going to School Essay As young Americans living in the 21st century, we have many options when it comes to what we want to do after we graduate high school. Many choose to go to college and earn a degree while others choose to go straight to work or join the military. While all are very good choices for the young men and women who choose each path, some might be more rewarding than others. Earning a degree is something I think all young adults should do regardless of which path they choose; it brings much more economic security, many more job opportunities, and, in most cases, a broader understanding of the world and how it works. One of the first major reasons for my believing this is the economic benefits of the college degree. As we all know, we have been in economic downturn for the past several years, and one study in 2008 found that this was due to a lack of college degrees, or partially at any rate. â€Å"One of the biggest developments in this years report is the strength of the relationship between higher education and the economy,† said Dewayne Matthews, Luminas vice president for policy and strategy. â€Å"People are beginning to understand that job growth is a structural issue, and that higher education is the key to economic growth. (UPI Top New, 2010) See more: My Writing Process Essay As you can tell, there is a correlation between what our economy does and the education that we, as Americans, receive after we leave high school and start to enter the real world. It is saying that the American economy cannot survive with employees that have limited knowledge and education. This is not to say that those who do not go to college do not contribute to society however there is an extremely important need for an educated populous to pull us out of this economic deficit. The opportunities for person to find a well paying job are exponentially increased upon receiving a degree from an accredited college or university. â€Å"America needs more workers with college degrees, certificates and industry certifications. † (Arabia 2000, 2010) This quote indicates another point I am trying to make: The employers in America simply cannot find the people they need to fill the jobs that require higher education and training. It used to be that you didn’t need a degree to get a job, sure it helped, but you didn’t have to have it. Well in today’s society it’s practically a requirement and the trend seems to only be growing. If this is the case, wouldn’t you want to arm yourself with as much education and prowess before meeting with employers who won’t consider your application if you do not have a degree attached to it? The answer is yes, you are more likely to get a job over someone if you have a degree and they do not. There is a correlation between jobs and degrees, and the article â€Å"Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018† (Arabia 2000, 2010) indicates that this relation is growing closer and even estimates that 63% of all jobs will require some type of post-secondary degree by the year 2018. As you can see, there is substantial evidence leaning towards employers needing a degree, specifically the ones that will allow you to live in a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Instead of exercising the appropriate mental muscles, were allowing ourselves to become a nation of nitwits, obsessed with the comings and goings of Lindsay Lohan and increasingly oblivious to crucially important societal issues that are all but screaming for attention. What should we be doing about the legions of jobless Americans, the deteriorating public schools, the debilitating wars, the scandalous economic inequality, the corporate hold on governmental affairs, the commercialization of the arts, the deficits? † (Guelph Mercury (ON, 2010) this seems rather harsh, but it speaks some truth. There seems to be a lot of Americans these days not contributing anything but TV ratings to society. It’s not a very pretty picture to paint of our country, but the author is saying that our world view is extremely limited and higher education helps broaden that. Going to college is a unique experience in its own, going off on your own, being independent and everything that comes with it. But what about the education you are receiving, when you receive a college education you receive the social responsibility as a global citizen to help us advance as a society. Through your college experiences you are obtaining the tools to go out and change the world, to be a responsible global citizen and to change the way things are going in this country. By not obtaining higher education you are sitting by and watching as the world zooms passed and doesn’t even glance your way. For those who choose to go to work or the military instead of college first, there are still options for you to earn a degree and become successful and earn a higher pay and better job. If you attended a career center and decided to go straight to work, you can and should pursue a degree in the field that you trained in, some jobs might even pay for you to go and getting more training in order to have you as a strong asset in the future. Other companies might even pay towards your student loans after graduating college. New Hampshire has a program called â€Å"Stay Work Play† (Work-Life Newsbrief Trend Report, 2009) that uses incentives for companies to keep jobs in the state by paying $8,000 towards your college loans and get you to work for them. As for the military, you have the option to go to college for free. The GI Bill of Rights (FDCH Congressional Testimony, 2010) was created at the end of World War II and contains a provision to help pay for servicemen and women to attend college. This give you the option to earn a degree and still serve your country, and get a high pay and maybe earn a higher status in the military by having a degree that helps you perform a job for them. There are thousands of opportunities awaiting you when you start your journey after earning a high school diploma, as you can see. Living in this current economy is not a fun experience and the more money you can make helps not only you but it helps the economy start to thrive again. You have the opportunity to prove the nay-sayers in the world wrong, and help change the world and become an effective global citizen. For those who don’t think they should earn a degree or think they can’t because they chose to go into the military or work, you can still do it! In this day and age we all need an edge in order to get anywhere and succeed, empower yourself to become the successful young man or woman you know you can be and get a degree.

An Analysis of two businesses :: Business and Management Studies

An Analysis of 2 businesses Level 2 Task 1 Being a partnership is suited to Mount Pleasant Post Office for many reasons. These are concerned especially with: 1) The size of the business being small 2) The responsibility of the owners 3) The way that the profits of the business are shared out Some of the reasons why it is most suitable for Mount Pleasant Post Office to be a partnership are concerned the advantages it gets from being a partnership. These are the advantages this partnership business gets: 1) When this business first started up, it did not need the help of solicitors or accountants. This was because it was already easy to set up. 2) Also there is no-one who will know about how well the business is doing. This way, everything can be kept private. 3) Unlike Sole Proprietorships, more capital can be raised. This is because there are more people/owners to gather money. There are also sleeping partners who don’t actually run the business on a day-by-day basis, but they do provide money when it is vitally needed. 4) Another advantage is that unlike sole Proprietorship businesses, this business has unlimited specialisation. This means that the jobs can be shared out amongst the owners. Certain people who are good at certain things wouldn’t have to bother with the other jobs. Other reasons why it is most suitable for Mount Pleasant Post Office to be a partnership are concerned with the disadvantages it would get from organising itself in a different way. These are the disadvantages Mount Pleasant Post Office would face by being a sole proprietorship: 1) The business would have had limited specialisation which means that the owner would have had to do everything to keep the business going. 2) If the owner fell ill, then he would have to close the complete business for some time. Also if the owner wants to have a break and go on a holiday then he would have to close the business for some time. 3) If the owner is unhappy about running the business and wants to quit, then the business also ends. These are the disadvantages Mount Pleasant Post Office would face by being a limited company: 1) The public would have to be notified about how the business is going by producing reports. These reports are costly to produce even

Observations Essay

Just like the process science proceeds through, the stepping stones to reaching the deepest understanding of one’s own personality, follow the same distinct pathway. The first step into anything, including both scientific understanding as well as the understanding of one’s personality, is to observe our surroundings. The way one can do this is by using solely one’s unassisted five natural senses (taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing, but one can also do this with items that can enhance and assist our five senses. These observations are also called unsystematic observations. The second step in this process is called building theories which is doing exactly what it says, creating a theory. This is accomplished by collecting and analyzing the observations that were discovered in step one. In the third step, evaluating propositions, one takes the theories from step two that derived from the observations gathered in step one, this is tested through a process call ed the context of justification. This is where one attempts to justify why the theory may or may not be true as well as using observations to prove or disprove one’s theories. The term personality is defined as, the combination of different traits or qualities that form an individual’s distinct character. There are theories of the personality as well such as, trait theories, psychodynamic theories, behavioral theories, and humanist theories. Trait theories suggest that there are a limited number of personality types that are influenced by biological factors. Psychodynamic theories emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind of the personality. Behavioral theories suggest that the personality is formed through and are the result of an individual’s interaction with their environment. Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual experience in  the personality’s development. Based on the newly acquired knowledge about unsystematic observation, building theories, and evaluating propositions as well as the already known knowledge of the personality, I can apply these suggested processes to better understand my own personality. I have a real issue with road rage, and by using unsystematic observations I have noticed what things tend to trigger my road rage, such as people tailgating me, the way I drive personally, and the type of environments I tend to have to drive around in while on the go. I also observed my reactions to these situations and have begun to develop a theory and have been building a theory based off my observations. I have noticed I tend to be impatient in similar high pressure situations such as crowded areas and close contact situations, like malls and stores, which is very similar to when I am driving. I then have been to begin evaluating the propositions through the context of justification and have found that my observations have proven that my road rage results from my impatience in high pressure and close contact situations. Work Cited: http://psychology.about.com/od/overviewofpersonality/a/persondef.htm PART I THE BACKGROUND: PERSONS, HUMAN NATURE, AND CULTURE, Copyright  © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Roberts,Ashley Week 1 CheckPoint: Observations Write a 200- to 300-word response to the following: How have you used the scientific process (unsystematic observation, building theories, and evaluating propositions) in your life to better understand your personality? Provide an example in your response.

Analysis of Psychosocial Development Theory Essay

The psychosocial theory provides a theoretical structure that highlights the constant assimilation and communication of individual competencies with resources, difficulties, and culture. Development is seen as a product of genetic, social, maturational, and autonomous dynamics. For this assignment, I am analyzing personal development using Erickson’s psychosocial theory of development. Erickson believed that development follows the epigenetic principle, that anything that grows has a ground plan (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Simply stated, each stage of Erickson’s theory ascends according to an innate plan with each stage building upon the previous stages and focuses on a challenge that must be resolved during that stage in order to move effectively onto the next developmental stage. Erickson’s psychosocial theory draws our attention to the continual process of personality development that takes place s throughout the life span. Erickson believed each part each part of the personality has a particular time in the life span when it must develop if at all (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Psychosocial Stages of DevelopmentThe first stage in Erikson’s theory begins in infancy, with the conflict of trust versus mistrust. In this stage an infant is dependent upon others, specifically their parent or caregiver to meet their basic needs. If these needs are meet, the infant will develop trust in self, parent’s caregivers, and their surroundings, if not mistrust will develop. Trust versus mistrust is present throughout a person’s life span. Consequently, if the conflict is not positively resolved within this developmental period, the person maybe affected negatively and only partially immerses themselves into society. As a mother, I understand that my daughter’s need for nourishment, comfort, care, and familiarity, must be met by me. In order for her to develop a loving and trusting relationship with me, I remained responsive and consistent. As my daughter grows older, she will become more knowledgeable and understanding with her peers and begin investigating her surroundings with persistence and eagerness. Stage two picks up at toddlerhood, usually starting around age 2 and continuing through age 3, with the conflict autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage children become mobile within their environment. This new found mobility is like a since of freedom to a child. If parents consistently encourage their children’s mobility, they will aid the children in developing a sense of autonomy, self control, and self confidence. If parents do not reinforce their child’s new freedom then the child will experience shame and learn self-doubt. My toddler is currently within this stage and she has started to undertake the responsibilities of feeding, dressing, bathing, and toileting. As a parent I have the tendency to be protective, thus assisting her without her approval. Nonetheless, I realize that I can do more harm than help to her development if I am overbearing and overprotective during this stage. I could positively or negatively influence my daughter’s ability to reach autonomy through my level of covetousness. Stage three of Erikson’s psychosocial theory begins at age 4 and continues through age 5, with the conflict initiative versus guilt. Initiative is the readiness to embark on new ventures whereas guilt is a sense that they have done something wrong. During this stage children are eager for responsibility and look to their parents for conformation. As parents the duty is ours to validate to our children, by proving that their initiative is valued no matter the size of the deed. Sadly, when parents are restrictive and do not allow their child the chance to be responsible and independent, the child may develop a sense of guilt and disapproval in the eyes of their parents. As a child my father always allowed me to help with projects around the house, by allowing me to pass him tools. My mother always allowed me to assist her in kitchen with dinner, by letting me mix the batter, oil the pan, break the egg, and pass her various kitchen utensils. I cherished my parents for this freedom and always viewed them as my unsung heroes. Today, in my daily life and work, I take the initiative with projects, chores, packing, and much more. It times I do feel guilt over some actions, but I am assured that it linked to my beliefs of achievement rather than my parents restrictive actions on occasion. From age 6 to age 12 a child is considered to be in the fourth stage of the psychosocial theory with the conflict industry versus inferiority. During this stage a child is learning to read, write, and how to create things by themselves. During this stage my educators became increasingly key figures in my life. They gave me many tasks and taught me many skills. I was always determined to master the tasks and skills (i.e. math and science) set before me. At this point in my life my peers became more momentous in my life because I was learning to work with them in order to complete tasks. I have never much of a follower, nonetheless school opened the door to new social roles therefore, gaining the approval and acceptance of my peers and teachers was important. I worked hard in all my classes and extracurricular activities to be the best by obtaining the top grades, best batting record, most assists and points, most volunteer hours, and more. The skills I developed along throughout this stage gave me confidence that others saw and appreciated, which showed approval and acceptance. I believe that when a child does not develop the necessary skills needed for school, home, and other cultural task that it can lead to the child developing a sense of inferiority because their acceptance is based on competent performance. Erikson’s fifth stage is the conflict identity versus identity confusion. Stage five typically starts at age 12 and continues to age 18. At this stage, adolescents are striving to find their identity and place in the world that will lead them into young adulthood. At some point in this stage I was struggling to find out what to with my life and remember asking myself this question, â€Å"Who Am I?† I wanted to separated myself apart from my parents and siblings, so I made a conscious search for identity and found things I enjoyed (i.e., school, softball, basketball, tutoring) an excelled. At the end of my high school career I had discovered my cultural, communal, and personal identity as a member of society identity and was ready to face the new challenges of college. My childhood friend, Amelia struggled during this stage with identity development by gender. In her parents eyes, she was a girl and should behavior as such, therefore sports and other male related activities where  frown upon within her home. It was not until Amelia reached the age of sixteen that she made a conscious decision to make her own choices, in spite of her parent’s viewpoints. Woolfolk, (1987), notes that if adolescents are unable to make conscious choices and decisions, especially as it pertains to their career and sexual orientation, then their role confusion becomes a threat. Success at this stage is dependent upon the child’s resolution of conflicts in earlier stages. If past experiences are integrated and past conflicts resolved, there will be a strong ego identity. Conversely, identity confusion will arise if the ego is weak. Stage six is the beginning of the developmental period of young adulthood. This is a period when most of us finish college, find a career, and create a family of our own. During this time most of us are changing cognitively, physically, and socioemotionally. In this stage the conflict is intimacy versus isolation. According to Erikson’s stages of development, I am in this stage. During this stage one either gets involved in an intimate relationship or retreat into isolation. In the initial stage of being an adult individual’s seek one or more companions and love. As individual’s try to find mutually satisfying relationships, primarily through marriage and friendships, they generally also begin to start a career and family, as have I. An example of my success in this stage is my giving and sharing within my marriage and friendships without feelings of obligation or asking for anything in return. The age in the stage has been pushed back to the mid thirties because today many couples wait until then to start families. My belief is that if a person has not resolved the conflict of identity in stage five, that they will fear a committed relationship, thus causing them to retreat into isolation. Lastly, when people have difficulty creating lasting and satisfying relationships, they may isolate and distance themselves from others due to feeling of inferiority. Stage seven of Erikson’s psychosocial theory begins around age 40 and continues through age 65, with the conflict generativity versus stagnation. Generativity, refers to an adult’s competence to care for another human  being (Newman & Newman, 1991). A personal example is my older sister Deloris, who had settled into a stable career, marriage, church, family, and other numerous responsibilities. Our mother was diagnosed with Alzehemier’s Disease (AD) during this stage and because Deloris was the closet and oldest, she was expected to give of herself by adding the responsibility of caring for our mother. The responsibilities were overwhelming, but she overcame because of her willingness to be flexible and adaptable, which allowed her to rely on her environment and family to help her deal. If Deloris had remained inflexible and enabled the responsibilities to overwhelm she would have become stagnate. The debilitating state of our mother’s AD forced my siste r to be flexible, by reducing church activities, additional work duties and ultimately changing the way she dealt with her world. Integrity versus despair is the eighth psychosocial stage of development. The developmental period for this stage is age 65 to death. This stage occurs when many of our parents are up in age and must come to terms with the approach of death. At this period in my parent’s life, both where retired and had time to analyze what they had accomplished and accumulated throughout life. They had come to accept their entire life with a positive outlook and even decided how their estate would be divided up amongst 21 children, thus leaving them with a sense to integrity. According to Newman and Newman, (1991) if my parents had been unable to accept responsibility for their life’s outcome and resolve conflict in earlier stages, they may have experienced despair and regret. Sadly, many older adults feel as if their life was filled with disappointment and failure, thus making it hard for them to handle life and the probability of death at this stage. Despair versus hope and faith is the final stage of Erikson’s psychosocial theory. The developmental period for this stage is late 80s and beyond. During this stage person are faced with a new sense of self over failing bodies and need for care. The favored outcome of this stage is to achieve a new sense of wisdom and transcendence (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Comparison of Erikson and Kohlberg TheoriesErikson’s psychosocial theory  holds that developmentproceeds throughout nine developmental stages that are distinguished by a specific conflict. Kohlberg’s moral development theory holds that moral reasoning has six developmental stages with three distinctive levels. Erikson and Kohlberg theories each focus on a particular facet of maturation, such as social, moral, and psychosocial. It has been stated that psychosocial development and moral reasoning are influenced by factors such as socialization and gender identity. When a person is born they are identified by their gender as either a boy or a girl. It is my belief that the title of boy and girl or man and woman influence how children respond to psychosocial developmental challenges and resolve moral dilemmas. These titles provide a structure around which role and behavioral expectations formed. Brief Analysis of Kohlberg’s Model of Moral DevelopmentWhen people talk about moral development, they are referring to conduct and attitude towards other people in society. They look to see if societal norms, rules, and laws are being followed. In terms of children, it is their ability to distinguish right from wrong. Moral development, embraces pro-social behaviors, such as philanthropy and emotional development. Kohlberg stressed that moral development is based primarily on moral reasoning and unfolds in stages. On the basis of his research, Kohlberg identified six stages of moral reasoning grouped into three major levels (preconventional morality, conventional morality, postconventional morality). Each developmental level represented a fundamental shift in the social-moral perspective of the individual. As a child and now adult, I have at one point and time, fallen within each level and stage. My parents always stressed honesty, trust, and respect. They also give consequences when I was disobedient to the rules. In order to avoid punishment I obeyed the rules. During church and school, I behaved properly by obeying the teachers, completing assignments on-time, returning lost items (i.e., pencils, fans, and money), and repenting when needed in order to gain approval from my peers, teachers, pastor, and administrators. At other times, in my life, I have been concerned with my rights as a citizen, student, mother, and wife, while at other times I have been guided entirely by my conscience. My  conscience always gets the best of me no matter the circumstance. When I was five years old, my brother Rico took candy from my father’s private stash and shared it with me. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the candy so I keep my mouth closed. I thought I could just put it behind and move on, but I had a sense of wrong come over me and I could not sleep until I told my father the truth. Once, the truth was revealed I was freed and felt good within. My view of moral development aligns with Kohlberg’s theory of moral development which was actually based on Piaget’s cognitive theory. He believed young children’s cognitive thinking develops along with their moral development. Young children are ego centered and their moral judgment is based on their own perspectives, not others and they follow rule because they are afraid of punishment. As children grow they understand values, rules, and their obedience is not out of fear, yet is based on their moral development. ReflectionAccording to Erikson’s nine stages of development, I am in the sixth stage with conflict intimacy versus isolation. Erikson’s psychosocial development theory aligns with many of my viewpoints. His theory stresses that children are curious, active explorers who are adaptive, impacted by social and cultural influences, and rational. The theory emphasizes that individuals continue to develop and change throughout their lives, and that personality is not solely shaped during early childhood. The theories framework is a tool that can aid individuals in understanding self-awareness and self-improvement. Erikson’s stages of development enabled me to better understand the connections between my behavior and personal experiences. As a parent, it has opened my eyes to how I can help rather than hinder my daughter’s development into mature, well-rounded, and emotionally stable individual. Lastly, each stage has a vital conflict that the child, adolescent, and adult can resolve positively or negatively. The nature of the resolution depends mainly on relations and associations with others, although the individual’s choices also play a key role. The conflicts and resolution of conflicts within each stage gave me hope that people can obtain personal growth and  change. Resolving the conflicts within each stage allows for progress and future success by building upon the knowledge gained within the preceding stage(s). Conversely, I believe that not all is misplaced if an individual has an unconstructive and depressing occurrence within a particular stage and conflict. As people live they learn therefore, lessons can recur and be effectively resolved when identified, acknowledged and received. â€Æ'References Hamachek, D. E. (1998). Evaluating self-concept and ego development within erikson’s psychosocial framework: A formulation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 66(8), 354-360. Newman, B., & Newman, P. (1991) Development through life: A psychosocial approach (5thed.) Palisades, CA: Brooks-Cole. Vander Zanden, J. W., Crandell, T. L., & Crandell, C. H. (2006). Human development (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Woolfolk, A. E. (1987). Educational Psychology (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

History of the 19th Century Whaling Industry

History of the 19th Century Whaling Industry The 19th-century whaling industry was one of the most prominent businesses in America. Hundreds of ships setting out from ports, mostly in New England, roamed the globe, bringing back whale oil and other products made from whales. While American ships created a highly organized industry, the hunting of whales had ancient roots. It is believed that men began hunting whales as far back as the Neolithic Period, thousands of years ago. And throughout recorded history, the enormous mammals have been highly prized for the products they can provide. Oil obtained from a whale’s blubber has been used for both lighting and lubricating purposes, and the bones of the whale were used to make a variety of useful products. In the early 19th century, a typical American household might contain several items manufactured from whale products, such as candles or corsets made with whalebone stays. Common items which today might be made of plastic were fashioned of whalebone throughout the 1800s. Origins of Whaling Fleets The Basques, from present-day Spain, were going to sea to hunt and kill whales about a thousand years ago, and that appears to be the beginning of organized whaling. Whaling in the Arctic regions began about 1600 following the discovery of Spitzbergen, an island off the coast of Norway, by the Dutch explorer William Barents. Before long the British and Dutch were dispatching whaling fleets to the frozen waters, at times coming close to violent conflict over which country would control the valuable whaling grounds. The technique used by the British and Dutch fleets was to hunt by having the ships dispatch small boats rowed by teams of men. A harpoon attached to a heavy rope would be thrown into a whale, and when the whale was killed it would be towed to the ship and tied alongside. A grisly process, called cutting in, would then begin. The whale’s skin and blubber would be peeled off in long strips and boiled down to make whale oil. Whaling in America In the 1700s, American colonists began developing their own whale fishery (note: the term â€Å"fishery† was commonly used, though the whale, of course, is a mammal, not a fish). Islanders from Nantucket, who had taken to whaling because their soil was too poor for farming, killed their first sperm whale in 1712. That particular species of whale was highly prized. Not only did it have the blubber and bone found in other whales, but it possessed a unique substance called spermaceti, a waxy oil found in a mysterious organ in the massive head of the sperm whale. It is believed that the organ containing the spermaceti either aids in buoyancy or is somehow related to the acoustic signals whales send and receive. Whatever its purpose to the whale, spermaceti became greatly coveted by man.   By the late 1700s, this unusual oil was being used to make candles which were smokeless and odorless. Spermaceti candles were a vast improvement over the candles in use before that time, and they have been considered the best candles ever made, before or since. Spermaceti, as well as whale oil obtained from rendering the blubber of a whale, was also used to lubricate precision machine parts. In a sense, a 19th-century whaler regarded a whale as a swimming oil well. And the oil from whales, when used to lubricate machinery, made the industrial revolution possible. Rise of an Industry By the early 1800s, whaling ships from New England were setting out on very long voyages to the Pacific Ocean in search of sperm whales. Some of these voyages could last for years. A number of seaports in New England supported the whaling industry, but one town, New Bedford, Massachusetts, became known as the world’s center of whaling. Of the more than 700 whaling ships on the world’s oceans in the 1840s, more than 400 called New Bedford their home port. Wealthy whaling captains built large houses in the best neighborhoods, and New Bedford was known as The City that Lit the World. Life aboard a whaling ship was difficult and dangerous, yet the perilous work inspired thousands of men to leave their homes and risk their lives. Part of the attraction was the call of adventure. But there were also financial rewards. It was typical for a crew of a whaler to split the proceeds, with even the lowliest seaman getting a share of the profits. The world of whaling seemed to possess its own self-contained society, and one feature which is sometimes overlooked is that whaling captains were known to welcome men of diverse races. There were a number of black men who served on whaling ships, and even a black whaling captain, Absalom Boston of Nantucket. Whaling Lives On in Literature The Golden Age of American whaling extended into the 1850s, and what brought its demise was the invention of the oil well. With oil extracted from the ground being refined into kerosene for lamps, the demand for whale oil plummeted. And while whaling continued, as whalebone could still be used for a number of household products, the era of the great whaling ships faded into history. Whaling, with all its hardships and peculiar customs, was immortalized in the pages of Herman Melvilles classic novel Moby Dick. Melville himself had sailed on a whaling ship, the Acushnet, which left New Bedford in January 1841. While at sea Melville would have heard many tales of whaling, including reports of whales that attacked men. He would even have heard famous yarns of a malicious white whale known to cruise the waters of the South Pacific. And an immense amount of whaling knowledge, much of it quite accurate, some of it exaggerated, found its way into the pages of his masterpiece.

RAMOS Surname Meaning and Origin

RAMOS Surname Meaning and Origin The exact derivation of the Ramos surname is in dispute, depending upon the familys origin (Portuguese, Cuban, Mexican, Brazilian, etc.) The most commonly accepted meanings are: Branches or offshoots, or an olive branch, from the plural of ramo, Latin ramus, meaning branch. It often referred to someone who lived in a thickly wooded area.Palms or palm branches, from Domingo dos Ramos, a Catholic feast day known as Sunday of the Palms or Palm Sunday.A habitational name for someone from one of many towns called Ramos, in Spain and Portugal. Ramos is the 20th most common Hispanic surname. Surname Origin:  Spanish, PortugueseAlternate Surname Spellings:  RAMOSE, RAMOSE, RAMIS, RAMO, RAMON Where Do People With the Ramos Surname Live? WorldNames PublicProfile places the majority of individuals with the Ramos surname in Spain, especially in the region of Islas Canarias, followed by Extremadura, Castilla Y Leon, and Andalucia. This data does not include all of the Spanish-speaking countries, however. Forebears, which does include additional data from other countries, has it ranked 14th in Peru, 23rd in Cuba, 25th in Spain, 30th in Mexico and 35th in Brazil. Famous People With the Surname RAMOS Rodolfo Ramos: Professional skateboarder X-games competitorFidel Ramos: 12th President of the PhilippinesSarah Ramos: American actress Genealogy Resources for the Surname RAMOS Ramos RootsPath - RAMOS Surname DNA Project: Join other Ramos males in sorting out the various Ramos ancestral lines through Y Chromosome DNA testing.Ramos Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Ramos surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Ramos query.FamilySearch - RAMOS Genealogy: Access over 3.3 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Ramos surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

College Attrition Causes and Some Resolutions Essay

College Attrition Causes and Some Resolutions - Essay Example in Roberts and Styron 2). Leonhardt notes that the U.S. education system is a good student recruiter, but poor in college retention strategies. This paper analyzes the primary causes of college attrition and seeks to present solutions to them. This paper argues that there are seven main causes of student attrition and they are: academic under-preparedness, working more than 20 hours a week while taking 3 to 4 classes, excessive extra-curricular activities, financial problems, loneliness, poor family support, and lack of student-university fit. One of the main reasons that college students do not graduate is that they are simply unprepared for the academic challenges of their chosen degrees. Academic under-preparedness means that students are not sufficiently equipped to handle the academic needs of attending college and meeting their institution’s minimum academic standards. More than 50% of first-year students are not adequately prepared for college-level work, according to J eff King, director of the Koehler Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas Christian University (Lewis). Clearly, if students do not even have the basic skills or knowledge to complete their course requirements, the more likely they are to not finish college. An example is a student who does not have good English language skills. She might be able to express herself in verbal English, but she does not know how to write a college-level academic paper. Since many courses require writing, she will have problems in completing them. Several solutions to academic under-preparedness are diagnostic assessments at college entry and academic support centers. The Koehler center is creating a tool that can help recognize students who are most at risk of dropping out (Lewis). King stresses: â€Å"There’s increasing pressure †¦ to prove that after these thousands of dollars that parents are paying for a credential, the students are learning† (Lewis). Tools like these can help id entify students who are at risk of not graduating and they can help schools introduce intervention measures that can increase their students’ chances of college success. Academic support centers are also crucial to helping students finish their degrees. Tutorial support, writing workshops, and other services and resources can help students handle a wide range of academic challenges. The second cause of college attrition is working more than 20 hours a week while taking 3 to 4 classes. College students do not have a homogenous profile, where they are all â€Å"only† students who do not need to work, or they work for additional allowance purposes alone. Many of them are working students who struggle to balance work and school needs. They depend on their work to provide for their basic needs, such as food, rent, and transportation. Other students are also married and with children, or are primary or secondary breadwinners in their families. If the physical, emotional, and time demands of the workplace are high enough to intrude on academic life, students will feel overwhelmed and unable to reach the minimum requirements of their educational institutions. When work demands are high, colleges can help students through their rigorous counseling and support centers. Teachers or educational professionals can counsel students to take only classes that they have the time and energy to finish. Academic support centers are also important, since they will refer working students to centers or groups that can help them handle the challenges of

Andrew Carnegie's life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Andrew Carnegie's life - Essay Example He built the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh. The company later merged with Elbert Gary’s Federal Steel Company along with a few smaller companies and the US Steel was formed. Carnegie had always invested his money to make profit as well as for the betterment of the society. He established a many libraries, schools colleges and universities. In short, he was a philanthropist. In keeping with his achievements and contributions made to the world at large, we will discuss his memoir, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and the Gospel of Wealth. The book is a narration of his success story and a discourse on wealth suggesting that the rich should invest their wealth to uplift the society. In his autobiographical note, Carnegie refers to the saying that he is born ‘of poor but honest parents, of good kith and kin’. The adherence to this particular notion of birth stated that he is quite explicit in admitting his ascribed status. It also shows that sticking to moral values is his way of approach to life. We had seen Carnegie as a man full of positive forces. In his autobiography, he says that he is indebted to his grandfather for his ‘optimistic nature, and ‘ability to shed trouble and laugh through life’. (Carnegie, 8) Carnegie in this book admits that he has inherited the ‘scribbling propensities’ (Carnegie, 8) from his maternal grandfather Thomas Morrison. His maternal grandfather and grandmother are his source of inspiration and they give stress to education. We had also found in Carnegie’s social work, his wholehearted support to the sphere of education. Carnegie father’s premature death brought him even m ore close to his mother. In his autobiography, he describes her as his ‘favorite Heroine’. (Carnegie, 9) His faith in family values was the key to his success and his recognition all over the world.   He states that it was his privilege to rear up in Scotland,