What to Know About College Summer Classes

What to Know About College Summer Classes Many students feel that summer is meant for rest and relaxationand it should be! That said, colleges and universities offer hundreds of summer classes each year for students to take advantage of. Typically, these summer classes range from a just a few weeks to a couple of months, but the classes arent always all day or every day of the week. When taking summer classes, students often forget they can arrange their schedule and customize it so the classes they take still fit into their idea of a relaxing summer. What students need to know about college summer classes is that you can get a more personalized learning experience and still have a summer to enjoy, despite taking a class or two! Read on to find out how college summer classes might benefit you. The benefits of college summer classes are often underestimated Many students may fear summer classes because they arent familiar with what they entail and how positive of an impact they can have on one's schooling. But taking just one or two classes during the summer can help you get ahead in your degree path. This could allow you to take a lighter course load in upcoming semesters, or give you the potential to graduate earlier than expected. It can also be beneficial if you have to retake any classes, as summer classes might be more manageable to focus on and succeed in, due to not having many other classes to distract you. [RELATED: Popular Campus Jobs that Can Help You Explore College Majors] During the regular semester, hitches can come up in your degree plan. If you are waitlisted for a class, for instance, taking this class in the summer (if it is offered) could end up being a less stressful solution to your problem and will allow you to still stay on track for your degree. College summer classes dont have to bog down your whole summer Contrary to popular belief, you can still experience summer vacation if you take a class or two. Oftentimes, students think of college summer classes as the equivalent of the dreaded summer school (where classes are typically most of the summer). In some cases, yes, summer classes can last a good part of your summer. Typically, though, they wont be all day every day. The timeframe differs for every class and every school, but they can range from a variety of set-ups. Any combination, including the examples below, could occur: Three weeks long, four days a week, five hours a day Four weeks long, three days a week, four hours a day Six weeks long, two days a week, three hours a day Sometimes, classes will work homework time into the class set-up as well, and some summer classes might involve projects where you get class time off to work on your own. Not all class schedules in the summer are cut and dry, so you might be surprised at the free time you have. Just remember to take note of the attendance policy and follow it appropriately! College summer classes can provide a more intimate learning experience Class sizes vary during the regular semesters, but often, students looking for small, intimate class sizes are left disappointed. Summer classes, however, can have a smaller enrollment limit than usual. With the relaxed feel of classes during the summer and a smaller class size, students may be more likely to encounter a more personal learning experience than they would during the year. Teachers might not be teaching any other classes at the time (and if they are, it might only be one or two), so they very well might devote more attention to your particular class. The same goes for youif you arent enrolled in four or five other classes, you will be able to devote more focused time to the class, making the time requirement outside the classroom likely less. [RELATED:Top 5 Books College Students Should Read this Summer] Keep in mind, if you are planning on going home for the summer, this can still apply to you. Find a community college near you that might have course credits that would transfer to your school. You can still work to get ahead in your degree while being home for the summerjust make sure to verify the classes you choose will count toward your schools program requirements successfully. Most importantly, remember that summer classes arent as scary as they may sound, and they might end up benefiting you in many unexpected ways! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

4 Ways to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

4 Ways to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills The ability to problem-solve is indispensable. As you move forward with your education, it will prove to be an invaluable asset not only as you study for entrance exams and unit tests, but also in college and beyond, when you launch your career. When you set out to solve a problem, you are essentially defining a question in need of a solution. Whether you solve that problem ultimately depends upon your ability to ask the right question and to take the necessary steps to find the most sensible solution. Of course, problem-solving is not always straightforward. Often, it requires a great deal of insight and critical thinking to imagine possible solutions, while it takes creativity and decisiveness to implement the best solution. Learning when and how to employ these qualities involves discretion, but acquiring such skills can also be the key difference between acing and flunking an exam. Here are four ways to improve your problem-solving skills: 1. Learn how to identify the problem On tests, a significant amount of time is wasted when a student is unsure what the problem is about. Occasionally, the source of an incorrect answer is rooted not in misinformation, but rather in misunderstanding. When preparing to solve a problem, ensure you are certain of two things: its scope (what is the question truly asking?) and its limits (what is the question not asking?). You can then move on to defining the problem. Here are some great tips to help you identify your study style. One way to define a problem is to rephrase the question. If you are dealing with a word problem whose sentences are long and convoluted, it may be helpful to break it into shorter, clearer portions. It may also be useful to mentally rearrange the word order so it makes sense to you. If you choose to do so, take care to avoid losing the original meaning. Correctly identifying a problem takes reading comprehension. To sharpen your reading comprehension skills, practice asking yourself questions when you read like, Can I summarize this paragraph in two sentences? 2. Draw connections Once you have determined the correct question, you can then find the right answer. This can be a multi-step process. For instance, on a math test, you may encounter a complex problem that you have never encountered before. Instead of skipping it, assess whether there is any part of the question that resembles a math problem you have solved in the past. Break it into simpler steps, then think each through. Math is more than just memorizing formulas and functions and making calculationsmuch of math depends upon numerical reasoning and logic. As a result, to improve your problem-solving skills, sharpen your reasoning skills. You may be surprised by the results. 3. Develop good habits To master any skill, you must first practice. Practice independently or with a mentor, like a tutor. Challenge yourself to practice problems in an area that is difficult for you. Here are a few of the best study habitsfor students. If solving antonym/synonym questions is simple, see if you can answer reading questions just as quickly. Or if algebra is your strong suit, perhaps you should devote more time to geometry. Solving such problems over and over again will help you strengthen pathways in your brain so you can do them again laterthis time, more quickly.Complete practice tests. Complete problem-solving exercises. Time yourself to see if you improve. Eventually, logical solutions will present themselves more readily to you, until solving problems feels like second nature. 4. Fuel your brain power Your brain is like an engine. It is powerful, quick, and it can go far. However, without proper fuel, it will not function well. Do not underestimate the value of a good nights sleep and eating well. Your brain and your body go hand-in-hand. To perform at your best mentally, you also need to take care of yourself physically. You may be surprised to learn that problem-solving skills depend on logical reasoning. The rational thinking that is required to solve problems involves a mentality that can be applied to many different scenarios. Strengthen your ability to think clearly and to identify strategies. In the end, you will have a skill set that is not only vital, but will also point you to real solutions.

Avail Various Services With Online Teachers and Strengthen Your Academic Base

Avail Various Services With Online Teachers and Strengthen Your Academic Base During the entire period of schooling and learning days we all came across various types of subjects. All the subjects were needed for building up the base of our life and to encounter us with a great future ahead. Every subject helps us to get new view and know something better and more in our lives. Among the lot of various types of subjects that are found for me mathematics has always been scaring and fearful. The subject encompasses lots of layers in it and students find it fearsome to get out of the troubles that are found in the text book. Mathematics has various types of topics which it is a book for each topic. Trigonometry, geometry, algebra etc, these are few types of topics that are considered as main in the plot of mathematics world. To solve and know the topics on a much better note you have to get help from a teacher who will bring in some of the easy and the best way through which you can get the grip of the subject and also the topics. When you get to know the subject and its topics well then you can easily cope up with the subject and can even strengthen your base over the subject. This is only possible when you have a good teacher by your side that can help you with the correct knowledge and easy process to know the subject well. Some advantages of online tutoring facilities Online teachers have been of great help for each and every student as they help the students with each and every single problem of theirs. The teachers are very efficient and are also very much up to the mark. This has helped the students to get colossal help through them. It is entirely a new process and very few of us are accustomed with it. It takes a bit of time for any parent to trust such types of organizations and make the investment in it. Today with the advent of internet and with the increasing usage of it among the young generation, online teaching is no more a cause of tension or worry for the students. Every child today knows how to operate internet and it also helps in making internet do different kind of work as well. Keeping this in mind some of these institutes have been arrived with a whole new process of making learning work much easier and accessible to the students. Read further to know about what are the benefits and how can the online tutoring facilities help your child and you as compared to the help that private tuitions can provide you. The availability of good teachers can be found in the world of online tutoring. The teachers are very much well versed with the subject and know how to handle the subject in front of the weak students as well. They can build up a structured plan and this helps them to open up the subject much better way towards weak students. They first of all detect the problems that the student has regarding the subject and then they work hard to change those weak areas of the student into a tough one. Algebra being one of the hard subjects for various students can easily be taught by following few strategies of theirs. The online tutoring facilities have no end to time duration. There are high time duration and this makes the learning process even more easily towards the students. High time duration is provided towards the students to utilize the time whenever they have their time and to attend the classes as per their time management. The online tutoring courses are mainly conducted through the help of internet ways. The online chats, the video conferencing, audio conferencing and tele conferencing are the ways through which the classes are conducted. This type of classes helps the students to a large extent. The students do not have to waste their time and energy and go to the classes. Even the transportation expenses have also been decreased due to the fact that one does not have to move about here and there. When you sit at your peaceful place and also at your favourite couch to avail the classes then it is a psychological effect that your concentration level increases to a large extent. The other important benefit that you being a student can get is that every child is individually attended by the teachers. This helps in making the child get out of their shell and open up with their doubts to the teacher. The teacher and student bonding get deeper and also strong. The understanding part between both increases as well. This helps the student to a large extent. Choose a good institute like TutorPace Being a parent you would always want to entertain your child with all the amenities of life. Online tutoring may be new to many but it is a unique concept that can be easily availed by today’s generation. There are various institutes that are coming up and are making the e-learning courses much more popular amongst the young generation. But when you choose, you have to be very much knowledgeable as whom and which institute to choose. Choose such an institute who will help you get your grades better with the varied types of efficient teachers by your side and who will help you to get the best help with wide variety of services as well. The different subjects should have their own teachers who will help them to get grip over the subjects. Even some topics or chapters requires separate teachers and go for that institute who promises to provide you with such facilities. TutorPace is an e-learning organization that helps you to get various types of services and the best part is each and every subject has qualified teachers who can help you to know the subject well. the rates charged for each service is very minimum and even middle class parents also will not have any problem to afford it. Get the best Online Teachers right now!  

How to Prepare for Your Med School Admissions Interview Part 5

How to Prepare for Your Med School Admissions Interview Part 5 By Michelle Finkel, MD Insider Medical Admissions The following piece was written byDr. Michelle Finkel. Michelle has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert seriesand is a former Harvard Medical School faculty member. She is the founder ofInsider Medical Admissions. In my last several guest posts on the Varsity Tutors Blog, Ive covered both prominent and subtle aspects of the interview day. Check out my July entry for advice on how to let your story show your glory and how to fake it until you make it, and my August entry emphasizing that you can run; you can hide; but you cant escape the weaknesses in your application. Septembers piece reviewed geographical issues how to ensure you persuade programs that you are willing to relocate to a substantially different location (you can check out anytime; but you can never leave) and solid strategies for demonstrating interest in schools thats amore. Finally, Octobers entry included advice on how to tactfully navigate interview day social events shiny happy people holding hands and how to manage illegal questions with poise youve got to hide your love away. As weve seen through those entries, the medical school interview day itself is complicated and imposing, and managing it graciously is critical. But many applicants give short shrift to creating a solid post-game strategy, work thats also essential to avoid missteps. In todays entry, well cover those often-overlooked points. Unforgettable After the interview day ends, you should take a moment to put your feet up and congratulate yourself for getting through the inconvenient travel, small talk with strangers, and ability to appear fresh and pleasant when youre really quite exhausted. Then, after youve taken a few deep breaths, you should take out your pen and paper and get started on your thank you notes. Two years ago, a medical school applicant wrote me to say that the Dean of the school at which she had recently interviewed called her to tell her that he was impressed with her candidacy and the hand-written thank you note she had sent. The client thanked me for my help with her application and for the thank you note tip. (As you might have guessed, she was admitted to that med school.) Writing a thank you note after a medical school interview is low-hanging fruit: Its an easy-to-perform courtesy with high impact for minimal effort that is frequently overlooked by otherwise competitive applicants. Its worth the few dollars at your local superstore and the three minutes apiece. But what should the letter contain, to whom should it be sent, and is email or snail mail the best method for delivery? First, the letter should be brief and clear. Thank the faculty member for the invitation to interview and ensure you point out that you would make a great contribution to the school if accepted. If you discussed a particular topic with the faculty member that would be appropriate for the note, you can include it. A brief but thoughtful thank you note can be only a few lines long and still make a positive impression. The flip side is that a flowery or inappropriately casual letter can leave the impression that you have the insincerity of a beauty pageant contestant or that you are overconfident mistaken perceptions that the recipient may rely on when she nixes your candidacy at the admissions committee meeting. Second, I recommend writing more letters rather than fewer, meaning that if you think you should write a letter, do it. Heres a tip: If you spent more than five minutes with someone one-on-one, consider writing him/her a thank you note. (Also write notes to those faculty members who participated in any group interview you had.) A brief and considered thank you note won't hurt and might help, so be generous with them. Finally, send your thank you notes through snail mail. (If you also want to email a note, that is fine as a supplement, but it should not replace a hand-written note.) The reasons are several-fold: First, email may be viewed as lazy. Hand-written thank you notes take more time, which shows. Second, its easy to delete, archive, or ignore an email. Also, to put an email thank you note in a hard file, the receiver needs to take the time to print out your email. You dont want any barriers between you and your good impression. I do recommend getting those handwritten thank you notes in quickly. The night after youve completed your interview or the next day is a good time to write and send. In addition to thank you notes, another tactic is writing a letter of intent. These optional updates to schools can confirm your interest, while showcasing old and new aspects of your candidacy. Programs often seek not just top recruits, but recruits who are genuinely grateful to be at their specific institutions, and sending a supplemental letter demonstrates that sentiment. If you plan to write a letter of interest, though, ensure you affirm your strong interest in the institution while keeping your writing brief. (I strongly advise one page maximum.) Also, make sure you distinguish yourself with your accomplishments: In editing letters of intent, I note that applicants often make the mistake of focusing on their desired institution's virtues. These programs already know their strengths; unfortunately, you won't further your candidacy by reiterating them. In my next blog, well discuss how to manage some sticky interview situations. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Study Data Analysis at University

Study Data Analysis at University Programs for Data Scientists ChaptersWhere to Take Data Analytics Courses for FreeBest Universities for Data AnalystsOther programs in the UK for Data Science and AnalysisOnline Resources for AnalyticsWhat is data and why is it important? While this question seems like an easy one to answer, our relationship with the enormous amounts of data created on the daily has become and increasingly mired one. For those looking to study machine learning, data visualization, programming languages and more, answering this question is vital.The job of the data scientist isn’t one that can be boiled down to a single job description. Data driven fields are vast and diverse, spanning from biochemistry and health medicine to law and governance. If you’re interested in turning unstructured information into predictive and valuable insights, choosing the right program can be overwhelming.While deep learning algorithms, data wrangling with Hadoop, or transforming data sets into interactive visualizations can sound like tasks per formed only in the private sector, governments have also become important stakeholders in the world of data within the last decades. Even the seemingly innocuous video sharing app, TikTok, has become a source of contention between the US and China with regards to user privacy - resulting in a lawsuit claiming user data theft.Data mining, processing and advanced analytics all play an integral role in business, government and the personal lives of the majority of the population. If you’re interested in studying data analysis in university, this guide will walk you through the different pathways you can take in predictive analytics as well as the best data science programs offered around the world. Data analysis can have applications in every field from thermodynamics to epidemiologyNumber of Papers Authorized by and Institution in an Academic SubjectCategory Normalized Citation Impact (the ratio of papers published to citations of papers)International Collaboration (number of publications that have been found with authors from at least two different countries)Number of Papers Published in Top JournalsNumber of Staff of an Institution Winning a Significant AwardWeights Assigned Based off the Maximum Value of:1505010100100If you’re searching for a Master of Science, or MS, in data science or a BA in the field, may programs in the top universities tend to offer two main pathways for a statistics or data science career. The first involves mathematical statistics and the second, computer science. These are the top two unis in the UK for statistics according to the Shanghai index.University of CambridgeWhile there are no bachelors at Cambridge for statistics, there are masters, Ph D, and MPhil programs where you will be able to experience wrangling large amounts of data and perform exploratory and in-depth analysis using many different data products and software. Here are some of the programs they offer:Advance Computer Science MPhilMachine Learning and Machine Intelligence MPhilDoctoral Training in Data, Risk and Environmental Analytical MethodsUniversity of WarwickOne of the best universities for statistics in the UK according to the Shanghai ranking, you’ll be able to enjoy a wide variety of courses in which you’ll be able to analyse data, use all data given to solve business problems, and benefit from either unsupervised or supervised learning techniques. The Department of Statistics at the University of Warwick offers Bachelor’s degrees in:MORSE/MMORSE (Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics)Math Stat/MMathStat (Mathematics and Statistics)Data Science (Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science)They also offer an MSc and a Ph D in Statistics. When doing your research into statistics universities, make sure to keep track of the pros and cons of each potential programTimes Higher EducationKnown as the THE university rankings, below you'll be able to view how each university is scored:Teaching: 30%Research: 30%Citations: 30%International Outlook: 7.5%Industry Income: 2.5%Makeup of each indicatorReputation Survey: 15%Reputation Survey: 18%Proportion of international students: 2.5%Staff to student ratio: 4.5%Research income: 6%Proportion of international staff: 2.5%Doctorate to bachelor's ratio: 2.25%Research productivity: 6%International collaboration: 2.5%Institutional income: 2.25%The THE university ranking system also offers a ranking system by subject. Although no clear statistics field, they do offer a ranking in econometrics. While a closer look into their ranking reveals that neither of their top ranked universities actually have an econometrics specialization, they do offer great statistics and data science programs. Here are the top three universities around the world according to the THE rankings.Learn more about the data science profession with our guide!Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyLocated in Massachusetts in the United States, MIT offers a couple of different pathways into the statistics field. You’ll be able to learn the basics of programming languages, data cleaning and more. Here are their programs:Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in StatisticsUndergraduate Minor in Statistics Data ScienceMicroMasters program in Statistics and Data ScienceUniversity of StanfordLocated in California in the US, this is one of the best schools for statistics according to the THE rankings. Here, you won’t be able to attain a bachelor’s degree in statistics or data science. However, you will be able to put your programming skills into practice with learning models, a capstone project or more. Here is what they offer:M.S. in StatisticsM.S. in Data ScienceBiostatistics Training ProgramUniversit y of OxfordWhile you won’t be able to sharpen your skills in R programming or in utilizing statistical software, you will get an in depth background into the mathematics involved in everything those programs do. One of the best universities for statistics according to the THE rankings, here are some of the programs offered up at Oxford:BA and MMath Mathematics and StatisticsMSc in Statistical ScienceMSc in Mathematical ScienceDoctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in StatisticsQSThe QS World University Rankings is published by Quacquarelli Symonds and scores its universities based off of the following:Academic ReputationEmployer ReptutationFaculty to Student RatioCitations per FacultyInternational Faculty RatioInternational Student RatioWeight40%10%20%20%5%5%Whether you’re looking for non-technical training, a capstone course, courses in business analytics or business intelligence, there are many different statistics programs to search from. Here are the best universities in Europe, not i ncluding the ones already mentioned, based on the QS rankings.ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of TechnologyOne of the best places to study statistics and data science, these programs will give you the foundation you’ll need to become a data analyst. While they only offer a bachelor’s degree in Computational Science and Engineering, they do offer Masters degree in statistics. They are offered in:Data ScienceStatisticsImperial College LondonWhile they also don’t offer a BA in statistics, they do offer higher level programs for statistics. You’ll be able to put your data engineering, big data analytics and data processing background into practice with these programs:MSc in StatisticsPhD in Statistics When practicing your statistical methods, take advantage of the libraries and archives in your areaOther programs in the UK for Data Science and AnalysisIf you're a statistician or want to be one and are looking for programs that allow you to manipulate new data, teach you how to properly access data courses and more, here are some more programs in the UK for data analysts and scientists that have specializations in more fields.Artificial Intelligence ProgramsUniversity College LondonUniversity of KentUniversity of SheffieldLoughborough  UniversityUniversity of LeedsBiostatisticsUniversity of LiverpoolUniversity of GlasgowKing's College LondonMachine LearningUniversity of St AndrewsDurham UniversityUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of ManchesterGet to know more about your favourite programs and apply now!Online Resources for AnalyticsFrom Apache Spark bootcamps to certification training, you can find anything online. If you're not exactly interested in a full on course but, rather, need help on a particularly difficult concept, there are also plenty of resources for statistics help.Get advice with analysing complex data with Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange's Cross Validated. These are awesome forums that are answered by professionals, students and data lovers from around the world. Check out our guide on the best online resources for data analysts for more!

GCSE History Revision - Russian Revolution

GCSE History Revision - Russian Revolution History is a cracking subject. It’s full of real-life stories: fascinating and often surprising! History has shaped the world we live in so it is vital for us to learn and reflect upon the events that happened in our past. Russia has had a very turbulent history that hugely influenced international relations in the twentieth century so although it’s rather horrifying to discover what happened (not actually so long ago), its also very interesting. Twentieth century Russia is a modern world depth study offered for GCSE History with all three exam boards, AQA, OCR and Edexcel, so here are some revision notes to help explain that all-important Russian Revolution. It’s a good time to look at the impact of the First World War too, with the centenary being marked this year. The March Revolution (also known as the February Revolution) in 1917 resulted in the end of the Romanov Dynasty in Russia. But why did this happen? Historians love to have a good debate so ‘how far the impact of the First World War contributed to the revolution’ is often discussed. As you discover more and more about this topic, you might develop your own opinion on too. So, what actually happened to Russia during the war? The Military   The Russian army was not a great one. Although Russia had the largest army out of all of the countries in the war, in proportion to its population it was just half the size of the army of France and Germany. The Russian army was also not well equipped, as 6.5 million troops only had 4.6 million rifles - bit of a problem there!  No surprise then, that in 1914-15, the army experienced large defeats and, by 1915, 4 million Russians had been killed, wounded or captured. As you can imagine, the people of Russia were getting very dissatisfied. So, in 1915, Tsar Nicholas II decided to go to the frontline and become Commander-in-Chief of the army. However, this then meant that the Tsar was directly responsible for the army and consequently, any failures of the Russian military would be associated with his failure as a leader. Not a great move by Nicholas! By 1916, fewer and fewer troops were willing to fight at the front and over half of the soldiers stayed in the urban barracks. Nicholas was losing the support of his troops as well as his people as they gradually blamed him more and more for Russia’s failures. Difficult Living Conditions Living conditions in the large cities during the war were awful, especially in Petrograd and Moscow. There was a huge shortage of supplies. Food and fuel were very hard to come by, especially as the railway had virtually collapsed by 1917 - leaving food supplies rotting in stranded carriages. Moreover, hundreds of factories had closed during the war, leaving thousands of people unemployed. Gold standard was abandoned and more and more notes were put in circulation causing severe inflation! The costs of food and fuel quadrupled (even though there was hardly any available) and savings were virtually wiped out. The urban population was cold, hungry and out of work and people became very angry towards the Russian government. Alexandra and Rasputin With the Tsar fighting the war at the front, his wife Alexandra was left in charge, with a monk called Rasputin. They made a mess of the government as they kept changing ministers, replacing good ministers for their own friends. Between August 1915 and February 1917, 36 ministers were changed: not good for the country’s stability! It didn’t help that in a war fighting against the Germans, Nicholas’ wife was herself German. Alexandra and Rasputin were made a mockery of and it ultimately discredited the Tsar’s leadership - the Russian people were becoming less and less willing to support him. No political reform As Nicholas II was busy with the war, it was a good opportunity to allow some political reform. The Duma era came as a result of the 1905 Revolution but this was often criticised for being a ‘Rubberstamp democracy’. The Duma was the lower house of the Russian parliament but due to the Fundamental Laws issued in April 1906 it had very limited powers. The Duma therefore called for concessions during the war but the Tsar rejected their appeals, which led to the creation of the Progressive Bloc (made up of two thirds of Duma members) who wished to form a Duma-based government and basically run the country for Nicholas. But Nicholas wanted to keep his autocratic power and rejected these ideas too. Yet, as the Tsar showed himself to be increasingly incapable of running the war and country, the Progressive Bloc became a focal point of resistance - leading the Russian people to take matters into their own hands. Big events followed. See below to view the timeline. (The dates are according to the old style Julian calendar -13 days behind the rest of Europe) 25th February - General Strike - troops were beginning to side with demonstrators. Policeman is shot by a cossack (soldier). 27th February - Unofficial meeting of the Duma, who taking control of Russia away from the Tasr. 28th February - Tsar Nicholas II attempts to return to Petrograd but is prevented from doing so by his own troops. Now he’d lost the support of the army and the Duma! 2nd March - Provisional Government formed out of Duma Committee. Nicholas signs Decree of Abdication for himself and on behalf of his son, Alexei. 3rd March - New government publicly declared. 4th March - Formal declaration of the abdication of the Tsar and the end to the Romanov dynasty after 300 years! Bye bye Nicholas! That was by no means the end of Russia’s problems though; the mayhem continued and in October 1917 the Bolsheviks took over in a second revolution. So how far was the First World War to blame for the March/February Revolution? Was it the main cause or was it just the trigger to a revolution that had been long-due because of the failures of autocracy? You decide! If you fancy having some more help with your GCSE History revision, then why not visit the Tutorfair website and find the right tutor for you. Here’s a small sample of some of History tutors: Phineas P - Experienced tutor who gets great results Aren R - Inspiring, enthusiastic, knowledgeable PhD student Images from  commons.wikimedia.org   CC-by,  en.wikipedia.org  CC-by  and  sv.wikipedia.org  CC-by

For and Since - What is the difference [examples + exercises]

For and Since - What is the difference [examples + exercises] A lot of our students have trouble understanding the difference between for and since.Its easy to see why. Ask any native English speaker (who doesnt happen to be an ESL or EFL teacher) and it will probably take them a few minutes to explain the difference.The Difference between  Since and ForHeres the main difference explained simply:For tells the duration of something.Since is used to indicate when something began.When to use For with ExamplesFor tells the duration of something.We use it with a quantity of time. So you can say:I have lived here  for a long time.I lived in Argentina for a few years.I have been an English teacher for 10 years.When to use Since with ExamplesWe use it with the name of a time.I have lived here since I was born.I havent been to Mexico since 1998.I have been teaching English since 2006.Grammar Exercises for For and Since:I have lived here ___ six years.I have lived here ____ 2005.Weve been friends ____ we first met.Weve been friends ___ a long time.Find the answers at the bottom of the article. If you had trouble with those, review the information at the top again, then try the next section.I havent had a beer ____ this morning!Ive been drinking beer ___ four hours.They have been drinking beer ___ 10 this morning.Have you been home ____ you finished school?Have you been home ___ 4 hours?Ok, here are the answers below. Still having trouble?  Schedule an English class with LOI.Want to keep learning? Read our lessons on English phrasal verbs and English Idiomatic Expressions.Section 1:ForSinceSinceForSection 2:SinceForSinceSinceFor

On Sex Scandals and Gender

On Sex Scandals and Gender Anthony Wiener, the former Congressman running for Mayor of New York. photo credit: AP I thought so. It seems like sex scandals and politics are synonymous. Historically speaking, one thinks of JFK. He was one of the most iconic Presidents to ever live, admired for his short but impressive political tenure. He is also remembered for his romp with a famous blonde. The 1990‘s in the U.S. brought forth the internet, cell phones, and both the President and the Speaker of the House being embroiled in sex scandals. The internet and political sex scandals have become fast friends. In recent years alone, multiple members of Congress resigned after allegations of lewd conduct (some of which was through the internet), and it turns out that even the head of the CIA cannot get away with having an affair. There has been a governor-love-child scandal, a governor-prostitution-scandal, and a Republican presidential candidate brought down amidst allegations of sexual harassment. It seems, though, that we may have turned a corner when it comes to political sex scandals. Forgiveness and a return to public life may be possible for those who were previously involved in scandals, at least in New York. Currently, both Anthony Weiner and Elliot Spitzer have made serious bids to be the Mayor and city Comptroller, respectively. In recent polls, it seems that the two men stand a very good chance to be elected. I find political sex scandals fascinating, in that they seem to be a boys‘ club. I can think of no female politicians who have had sex scandals affect their careers. When I think about women whose careers have been affected by scandals of a sexual nature, I think of pageant queens and teachers.   Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America, who resigned in the wake of a nude photo scandal. photo credit: people.com It’s interesting, because the nature of the scandals are different. The scandals of many male politicians tend to be predatory in nature (sexual harassment, solicitation, etc.). Female scandals tend to be brought on by people sharing explicit materials without the women’s permission (sex tapes, nude photos, etc). I’m speaking very generally, of course, but it’s a good testament to how our society works. Pillars of sexism like the assumption of access to women’s bodies and third parties commandeering women’s bodies for financial gain make it unsurprising that no female politicians of note have behaved in a way that would lead to a sex scandal, or at least they have not been caught. That brings a kind of relief, because the repercussions they would face might be far worse than male politicians. Krystal Ball, a commentator for MSNBC once suffered a scandal of her own when racy photos of her were leaked while she ran for congress unsuccessfully. She penned a piece for the Huf fington Post addressing the issue, stating that sometimes the sex lives of women leak into the public sphere. She calls on people to abandon the idea that female sexuality and professional aptitude are mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Recently I attended a conference in New York City, the aim of which was to empower and motivate young women. One of the panels that I attended was about social media, and the women featured on the panel discussed what to put on the internet and what not to put on the internet. Such phrases as “it’s a different set of standards for girls,” came out of their mouths, with one blogging professional saying that she wouldn’t hire young women whose online personas she deemed unsuitable. It’s moments like those in my life that make me doubt that, if Anthony Wiener and Elliot Spitzer were women, they would be welcomed into New York City political races with open arms. Criminal, predatory, and hypocritical behavior aside, in a broad sense, sex and sexuality are really nothing to end a career over. Prince Charles, a new Grandfather, is an accomplished environmentalist and future King of England. Behind him are the days when his sexual phone conversations with his then-mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles became public. In some cases, people have taken sex scandals and built their careers off of them (here’s looking at you, Kim).   It really worries me that attitudes about sex are so utterly Victorian when it comes to public figures. I can honestly say that, were I a public figure, if anything explicit from my own personal life ever leaked into public, sure, I’d be embarrassed, but what would I really have to apologize about? Having a life? I think that forgiving Spitzer and Wiener is a step in the right direction. I don’t condone their actions, (some of which was criminal), but I do respect their admitting their mistakes and moving on with their liv es. I just hope that if the opportunity arises, people will extend that same courtesy to women.