How Many SAT Subject Tests Should I Take

How Many SAT Subject Tests Should I Take SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Decisions, decisions! Not only do you have to make up your mind about which Subject Tests to take, you also have to decide how many Subject Tests to take. In this guide we'll look at the most important considerations when signing up for Subject Tests so you can be confident about your choice. How Many SAT Subject Tests Should You Take? This isn't as simple a question to answer as you may think; there are actually multiple factors to take into consideration. To make it easy for you, we'll go over all the key questions you should ask yourself. #1: What Do the Colleges You're Applying to Require? The most important factor in answering this question is the requirement of your colleges.Schools require zero, one, two, or three Subject Tests. The most selective schools usually require two Subject Tests. Georgetown is one exception that comes to mind - they want to see three. Click here to learn more about SAT Subject Test Scores for the Ivy League and other selective schools. If a college asks for two, you probably shouldn't send along more than two. If you do take more than is required, the college should look at your highest scores. It will also consider your highest score if you sit for the same test more than once, but it might appear less strong to admissions officers if they see you took several tries to achieve a certain score. Besides its required number of Subject Tests, you also need to know if the colleges you're applying to have any specific requirements or expectations for which ones you take. Subject Tests requirements might differ by academic program. An engineering program, for example, probably wants to see math and science. Technical schools like MIT and CalTech require one math and one science Subject Test to apply. Check out our comprehensive list of all the colleges that require, recommend, or consider the SAT Subject Tests here. Remember, when a college "recommends," but does not require the tests, it's still a good idea to take them! It shows that you're putting forth extra effort and challenging yourself, along with demonstrating your academic strengths. Plus many colleges appreciate Subject Tests as a somewhat objective measure of your learning. While high school classes and grading systems vary across the country, the SAT and SAT Subject Tests are a nationally accepted standard meant to test students' academic knowledge on a level playing field. Once you're confident about the requirements of your colleges, you can reflect on your strengths and interests. #2: Which Subjects Do You Know Well? Are you intrigued by the process through which plants turn sunlight into food? Do you love learning about population flows within an ecosystem? Are word problems fun head-scratchers, or would you rather be reading Jane Austen and Mark Twain? By the way, if you answered "yes" to any of the above, my Subject Test recommendations would be Biological Molecular, Biology Ecological, Math, and Literature, respectively! Reflect on what you know, what you like, and in what subject areas you can perform well. Subject Tests are your opportunity to show that you've studied and gained significant knowledge in a particular area. Choose wisely so that you not only get a high score to add to your application, but you also add another dimension to the story of who you are and what you like. For more on this, check out our expert guide: Which Subject Tests Should You Take? If you feel you excel in several subjects, you may want to take three tests in one day (the maximum, unless there are Listening tests involved). Then, time permitting, you can choose your highest scores and send them along to your colleges. However, you don't want to give yourself unnecessary stress or waste time studying for a test you don't need. When Harvard says they want two tests, they want two - not four! To learn what makes a good score for each Subject Test, check out the full breakdown here. Another important consideration in choosing and preparing for the Subject Tests is how much time you can realistically devote to studying. No need to over-commit! #3: How Much Time Do You Have to Prep? As I mentioned above, there's no need to over-commit yourself and exceed requirements. Admissions officers are busy looking at thousands of applications. They want to see the number they require or recommend: no more, no less. Since you can take up to three in one day, you may feel that taking three will benefit you. If that's the case, make sure you have a thoughtful study plan in place. You wouldn't want your prep time to take away from studying for the general SAT, AP exams, or finals. At the same time, sometimes Subject Test and AP prep so closely align that you can kill two birds with one stone. Speaking of all these other tests you have to take, when should you fit in the Subject Tests, anyway? Click here for tips and strategies for choosing your SAT Subject Test dates for 2015 and 2016 and planning an effective study schedule. To Sum Up... Just how many SAT Subject Tests do you need to take? Most selective schools require two Subject Tests, but check with your school of interest to make sure and find out about any special instructions. Some schools have specific tests in mind, others want to see a range of subjects, and others differ depending on the program to which you're applying. While you may feel like no Subject Test requirement means you're off the hook, your school might still recommend them. For all intents and purposes, let's just interpret "recommends" as "requires." Unless you have a really good reason or the tests present a financial barrier*, you should still abide by your school's "recommendation" and send along your scores. *If finances make it difficult for you to take the tests, speak with admissions officers and investigate whether you qualify for an SAT fee waiver. What's Next? All the Subjects Tests are one hour in length, but the number and type of questions you have to answer in that hour vary by test. For a breakdown of exactly "how long" each test really is, check out this article here. For more on the differences between the tests,find answers to all your questions about "What are the SAT Subject Tests?" here. Do you know yet if you're taking the SAT or the ACT? This article offers a full technical breakdown of the differences between the two tests so you can figure out which one is best for you and your college applications. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

The early and modern views of human variation Essay

The early and modern views of human variation - Essay Example The primordial view on human variations explains that races emanate from past anthropological connections. Cavalli-Sforza (pp.54) argues that in the past, color was the only form of distinction that humans understood. For instance, the Egyptians are a notable group of people who distinguished humans on the basis of their color. According to them, all the people who came from the east were yellow, whites from the north and blacks from the south. Other analysts from the past argue that, races emanated from climatic changes that affected the skin color of many individuals. With the changes in climate, human beings began evolving into different races, in regards to the characteristics in their respective milieu. On the other hand, modern analysts argue that human characteristics can be discussed through a study of biological characteristics of the individuals. The innate characteristics of individuals cannot be alienated from the biological make up of these individuals. There is a great likelihood that race is linked with color, that is biologically oriented. On a social view, race has been indicated to be biologically real (Stringer, pp.566). It is through race therefore, that societies have been categorized into various groups. In as much, that primeval analysts argue that race is not real, modern analysts believe that racism is inborn just like intelligence. As time progressed, the views of anthropological researchers changed a great mile. With time, taxonomies were discovered which explained the human varieties through biological determinism. Stringer (pp.570) argues that the clinical model is the best approach towards understanding of race. This model describes the genetically inherited attributes in individuals. This model discusses the factual nature of variations in biological characteristics, inclusive of color variations. Essentially, modern analysts argue that human variations are resultant from

Optional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Optional - Essay Example Shanghai city has drawn the attention of the globe because of the following reasons: it has one of largest and ever busy seaport, it has dynamically advanced in technology and it is the biggest financial and trade center of China (French, Paul & Matthew, 2010, Pg. 15). Its location is at 121Â °29 east longitude and 31Â °41 north latitude. On the literal ground, it is situated on the southward of river Yangtze and on the eastward side of the coast region of China. It is bordered by Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces on the westward side and on the eastward direction there is a Sea, and on the south there is Hangzhou Bay (French, Paul & Matthew, 2010, Pg. 25). The city is centrally located along the coast of China. Its geographic location is central, and it is connected to various parts of China and also to the World. The rich connection aids commercial activities to take place in it and other places where it links. The availability of sea ports has increased local and international trade activities; it is playing a vital role in development of the global economy. Most of the land of shanghai is flat except some hill areas which are located on the southwest region. The city covers the alluvial plain which is served with water from river Yangtze. The p lains support agriculture that feeds the people of the city and other parts of the country. Shanghai city has many resources of water including rivers and lakes with it with water for both domestic, industrial and agriculture purposes (French, Paul & Matthew, 2010, Pg. 30). Shanghai city has the highest population in China. The number of people who permanently reside there are more than 23 million which comprise of 1.2% of the total population of China. The population density of the city is 2,060 per square kilometer. All the ethnic groups of China are represented in the Shanghai city with the minority group having a population of 105,523 people. Due to the development progress of Shanghai, the

Critical reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Critical reading - Essay Example The paper has two thesis statements. One is that society should accept Samuel Morse’s declaration of his invention of the telegraph. And the second is shared credit should be given to his predecessors paving the road for long distance communication. The thesis was clearly stated. Arguments to support both stands were presented but it was not balanced. The latter side was more substantiated, failing to lay down stronger arguments on why society should accept Morse’s claim. The writer could have discussed about how Morse came up with the invention from his artistic background: how Morse had this device on his own design and how he developed this telegraph despite lacking the technical knowledge. The writer could also answer the question regarding what inspires him to do this demonstration. The outline was strategic and logical. The opening statements claim how important telegraph is, arousing the reader’s interest. The valuable contribution of Morse’s predecessors, especially Chappe’s was explained. It was written clearly, and because of the absence of jargons, it could be easily understood. The statement about how the telegraph changed the society is very necessary. However, the distinctness of Morse’s telegraph could be explained

Parents Are Best Teachers or Role Models Essay Example for Free

Parents Are Best Teachers or Role Models Essay Parenting is one of the most difficult and challenging tasks especially in this present generation. Parents play a very important role in the upbringing of children. They are the first and earliest teachers for the children. I myself as a parent must admit that my son behaves best when I attend to him the most. Though hes just three years old yet I find that his behaviour is far better when I spend quality and quantity time with him. Parents have the capability of influencing and leading the child from the first day they are born until the age of 18 by being a role model. In other words, parents are the best teachers. Parents teach how to speak, how to behave, the basic etiquettes etc. thus help the child to grow into a morally responsible and sound individual. All the complications, challenges, barriers, obstacles a child encounters in her or his childhood can be overcome if it is correctly approached through their parents. No matter how hard the professional teachers in school strive, to rectify or mould the child, the child’s best place for correction is at home i. e. with the parents. In spite of the fact that teachers play a vital role in childs life, it is equally important to note that parental leadership supersedes all. The natures bond, love and understanding between the child and the parent are so strong that the child can relate to the parents more effectively and they can lead the child to the correct path whenever he or she is wrong. This is equally applicable in academics as well. A child with a parental support and teaching performs far better than a child without it. A child is easily motivated in class when the parents are regularly checking their books and attending to academics. On the other hand, a child without support even if intelligent might not perform so well. Nevertheless, not all parents are best teachers. A parent controlling the child by beating him or her up or using some other negative reinforcement will certainly make the child lose the trust in parents thus weaken the parent-child bond. Similarly, parents with some bad habits will definitely harm the child if they do not give a right role model image to the child. So, it is extremely important that parents must learn to be role model for the child thus leading them by good examples. Besides, parents must also keep up their dedication by being a guiding spirit to their children and supporting them to be great individuals, as they are the assets of the future generation.

Computer Health :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Computer Health Are computers really that healthy to families? Is technology healthy, period? Do computers and the Internet actually help men and women, moms and dads, children and teens, friends and relatives, young and old? Does it help finish work and give you more time, or has it destroyed your life? Computers are beneficial, but I think only in small doses. The Internet can be fun but it is also a nightmarish side to it, just like everything else in the world. You can find tons of stories on someone’s identity being stolen or teens meeting there on line friend horror stories and still no one listens. It can and will, if you don’t watch it, happen to you. Yet computers do help us connect to the ones we love when we aren’t near. And that’s always a good thing. Let’s look at computers in a business sense. Computers have replaced typewriters, calculators, and filing cabinets. Email has replaced phone message slips and inboxes. And because the computers are linked together through LAN workers can share work, files, and resources. So work is done ahead of schedule and all you can have the weekend to yourself, right? Wrong! Computers have just given you more work and a way for it to go home with you. In my view computers have just introduced more stress to our lives. Companies expected employees to do get things done in shorter periods of time and still out beat the competition, by produce bigger and better things. While work keeps moms and dads slaving to piles of work, kids are left to there own devices. The Internet is a great tool for research. It helps us explore the world but then again so will the Discovery channel, Travel channel and several other channels. When children aren’t supervised is when you can only blame yourself. There are tons of dangers on the Internet. The biggest threat to children is porn sites. I distaste that search engines don’t filter out filth like pornography. It’s annoying having it in your search results and its scary all at the same time. Perverted people violate such innocent topics. But who has the time to watch their kids’ search for information on their science fair project or while they’re playing games. Remember they’re to busy working on that proposal their boss wants or grading papers. Parents could install filters on computers but the problem is that the kids are a lot more

Abdul Basit

Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protege Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation.Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386).To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386).The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work processes and allocate resources†, and Standardization which involves the â€Å"creating routine patterns of behavior or output† (McShane and Von Glinow 387).We can admit that informal communication is necessary in no routine and ambiguous situations because employees can exchange large volume of information through face-to-face communication and other media-rich channels. Therefore informal communication is important for Protege Engineering because their work involve new and novel situations when developing specific solutions for each client. Even if informal communication is difficult in large firms it can be possible when keeping each production site small (McShane and Von Glinow 388).Now, that we identified what organizational structure means, and that informal communication is necessary for Protege Engineering, we need some more information of how structures differ from each other. McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"every company is configured in terms of four basic elements of organizational structure†; namely: span of control, centralization, formalization, and departmentalization (390). Further on, I will explain these four elements and carve out what this means for Protege Engineering.The span of control â€Å"refers to the number of people directly reporting to the next level hierarchy† (McShane and Von Glinow 390). Today’s research found out that a wider span of control (many employee directly reporting to the management) is more appropriate especially for companies with staff members that coordinate their work mainly through standardized skills and do not require close supervision – like the highly skilled employees of Protege Engineering (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391).However, McShane and Von Glinow also state that a wider span of control is possible when employees have routine jobs and a narrow span of control when people perform novel jobs. This statement is based on the need for frequent direction and supervision. Another influence on the span of control is the degree of interdependence among employees. Employees that perform highly interdependent work with one anoth er need a narrow span of control because they tend to have more conflicts with one another.I assume that the employees working for Protege Engineering do not require close supervision because they are highly educated – have university degrees in these fields and a few have doctorates; therefore, a wider span of control allows the employees to work in self-directed teams that coordinate mainly through informal communication and formal hierarchy plays a minor role (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391). Centralization â€Å"occurs when formal decision authority is held by a small group of people† (McShane and Von Glinow 393).Companies often decentralize when they become larger and their environment more complex; however, â€Å"different degrees of decentralization can occur simultaneously in different party of the organization†. In my opinion, the power of decision-making should be decentralized in the considered company because the mentioned projects demand highly spec ialized knowledge, which cannot be provided by the head of the organization. Formalization â€Å"is the degree to which organizations standardize behavior through rules, procedures, formal training, and related mechanism† (McShane and Von Glinow 393).Usually larger organizations tend to have more formalization because â€Å"direct supervision and informal communication among employees do not operate easily when larger numbers of people are involved†. Notwithstanding that Protege Engineering employs about 600 individuals, I assume that a high degree of formalization is not appropriate because their jobs cannot be standardized, every project is customized to the client and has therefore novel and new components.Another evidence against formalization is, that formalization tends to â€Å"reduce organizational flexibility, organizational learning, creativity and job satisfaction†, which the employees of Protege Engineering definitely need (McShane and Von Glinow 409 ). Regarding the first three elements of organizational structure we can admit that Protege Engineering should have an organic structure because organizations with â€Å"organic structures operate with a wide span of control, decentralized decision making, and little formalization† (McShane and Von Glinow 395).This structure works well in dynamic environments because they are very flexible to change, more compatible with organizational learning, high performance workplaces, and â€Å"quality management because they emphasize information sharing and an empowered workforce rather than hierarchy and status† (McShane and Von Glinow 395). Departmentalization â€Å"specifies how employees and their activities are grouped together† like presented in an organizational chart of the organization (McShane and Von Glinow 395).A functional structure organizes organizational members around specific knowledge or other resources, which enhances specialization and direct supervi sion; however, functional structure weakens the focus on the client or product (McShane and Von Glinow 396-397). A functional structure would not support Protege Engineering because the success of this company highly depends on especially developed products for its clients; therefore, this organization should focus on the satisfaction of its clients rather than focusing on organizing employees around specific resources.A divisional structure organizes groups of employees around geographic areas, clients or products in very flat team-based structures with low formalization. This structure seems to be very appropriate for Protege Engineering because it focuses employee’s attention on products or clients and self-directed teams with low formalization. However, there are some disadvantages that need to be considered, like duplicating resources and creating silos of knowledge. Conclusion and Recommendation In the introduction I stated that the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy.We found out that Protege Engineering should have an organic organizational structure because a wide span of control, decentralized decision-making, and little formalization will organizes employees and jobs so that Protege Engineering work can best be performed and its goals can best be met. Furthermore, McShane and Von Glinow give the advice that â€Å"corporate leader should formulate and implement strategies that shape both characteristics of the contingencies as well as the organization’s resulting structure† (409). This advice is very valuable because the structure of an organization should follow its strategy and not vice versa. . Many organizations think that they integrate organizational cultures when merging or acquiring other companies. Explain what does integrating organizational cultures means? Under what conditions is this strategy most likely to succeed? Case 6: Merging Or ganizational Cultures Introduction Every organization has its own culture. According to McShane and Von Glinow organizational culture stands for â€Å"the values and assumptions shared within an organization† (416). When companies are merging with, or acquiring, other companies the likelihood is very high that the organizational cultures differ from each other.To avoid that the new company ends up with two different cultures, there need to be any kind of integrating organizational cultures. First I will explain what integrating organizational cultures means and second I will present the conditions under which this strategy is most likely to succeed. Finally, I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Merging Organizational Culture The necessity of merging organizational cultures becomes clear when regarding that failures to coordinate activity, based on cultural conflict, contribute to the widespread failure of corporate mergers (Weber and Camerer 412).Differences in cul ture in an organization lead to consistent decreased performance for both employees after the merger, and there is an evidence of conflict from the differences in culture, which could be a possible source for the high turnover rate following mergers (Weber and Camerer 412). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"most mergers and acquisitions fail in terms of subsequent performance of the merged organization† and that this happens because leaders fail â€Å"to conduct due-diligence of the corporate cultures† (426).At this point, we can admit that some forms of integration may allow companies with different cultures to merge successfully. One strategy in avoiding cultural collisions is to conduct a bicultural audit. A bicultural audit is â€Å"a process of diagnosing cultural relations between companies and determining the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). The bicultural audit identifies cultural differences an d determines those that possibly result in conflict. In addition, it also identifies values that provide a common ground on which cultural foundations can be built.Finally, it identifies strategies and prepares action plans to bring the two merging cultures together (McShane and Von Glinow 427). In some cases the bicultural audit may identify that the two cultures are too different to merge effectively; however, the companies can still form a workable union, if appropriate merger strategies are applied (McShane and Von Glinow 427). Like the following illustration shows, McShane and von Glinow provide four main strategies to merge different corporate cultures successfully. Figure 4: Strategies for MergingDifferent Organizational Cultures Source: McShane and Von Glinow 428. The first strategy is Assimilation, which â€Å"occurs when employees at the acquired company willingly embrace the cultural values of the acquiring organization† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). This strategy is most likely to succeed when the employees of the acquired company are looking for improvement because they have a weak, dysfunctional culture and the acquiring company has a strong culture, which is aligned with the external environment (McShane and Von Glinow 427).The second strategy is Deculturation, which means that the acquiring company is â€Å"imposing their culture and business practices on the acquired organization† (McShane and von Glinow 428). However, this strategy rarely works because employees usually resist organizational change, especially regarding personal and cultural values. Sometimes deculturation may be necessary; for example, when the culture of the acquired company does not work effectively (McShane and von Glinow 428). The third strategy – and the strategy which the given case is asking for – is the Integration Strategy.This strategy is a combination of â€Å"the two or more cultures into a new composite culture that preserves the bes t features of the previous cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). That sounds like a good compromise, but the integration strategy is â€Å"slow and potentially risky because there are many forces preserving the existing cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"mergers typically suffer when organizations with significantly divergent corporate cultures merge into a single entity with a high degree of integration† (McShane and Von Glinow 427).This strategy works best when both sides can benefit from an integration strategy; for example, when the existing cultures of both companies are not optimal and could use some improvements. The negative aspects of the integration strategy – for example being very time-consuming – result from the employees being resistant to changes, or ambiguous rules which are also a source of conflict and often occur during mergers and acquisitions (McShane and Von Glinow 335).Howeve r, the integration strategy, which is the most effective combination of all existing cultures, is most likely to succeed when the â€Å"existing cultures can be improved† and members of the organization â€Å"are motivated to adopt a new set of dominant values† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). The fourth strategy is separation, which â€Å"occurs when the merging companies agree to remain distinct entities with minimal exchange of culture or organizational practices† (McShane and Von Glinow 428).This strategy is most suitable when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and Recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change.This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314).