A Day in the Life at the University of Oregon

A Day in the Life at the University of Oregon Jesse earned his bachelors degree in human physiology and Spanish from the University of Oregon. He specializes in geometry tutoring, Spanish tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, he shares his experience at the University of Oregon. Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Jesse: Eugene, OR is a very bike-friendly community, which makes biking to campus a viable option. While I hardly ever took the bus to campus since I lived within walking distance, I heard from multiple people that there were several easy-to-access bus routes to campus. Although Eugene is a city of over 100,000 people, the large amount of trees and greenery on campus gives it a more rustic feel than you would expect for a campus of its size. Campus is also very safe. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Jesse:Although I didnt make as much use of office hours as I should have, the few times I did go, the professors were readily available. However, at least in my human physiology major, the TAs were more approachable than the professors. It seemed like the professors would rather be doing research than teaching. How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Jesse:When I was in the dorms, the dining choices were decent, but somewhat limited. However, after my sophomore year, they opened up a new dorm complex with much better dining options. Most of the dorms are located close to campus, if not right on campus. I was fortunate enough to never be more than a 10 minute walk from my dorm to class. I joined a fraternity and dont remember much about other socialization options in the dorms. That being said, I do remember there being various clubs to join and other social activities that the housing staff would host. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Jesse:Business and journalism are hands down the most popular and some of the best-supported majors on campus. I studied human physiology and Spanish. Unfortunately, when I was a student, the human physiology major was poorly supported. The human physiology program has undergone a major overhaul since I graduated, and there are many more classes to take that focus on specific aspects of human physiology that were not available when I was a student. The Spanish program seemed to have all the support it needed. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Jesse:Although I met most of my friends through Greek life, its fairly easy to meet new people as a freshman between classes, clubs, and the proximity of the various dorms. My advice for someone who is not a part of Greek life is to join some sort of club or team, as it makes meeting people much easier. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Jesse:The course that I took through the career center provided tips on networking, job hunting skills, and resume polishing tips. Although I didnt find my first post-college job through them, I was under the impression that many reputable companies recruit through U of Os career center. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Jesse:I preferred to study off campus, but when I did study on campus, there were multiple libraries to study in, as well as the student union. However, like any university, these spots get crowded around midterms and finals, so plan your study times accordingly. Describe the surrounding town. Jesse:There is a lot to do in Eugene. There are plenty of restaurants, an amazing farmers market, and some nice hiking and biking trails. However, many of these fun activities are a long walk from campus, so if you dont have a car, youll likely have to take the bus. As great as these amenities are, I didnt visit downtown much until I was a fifth-year student. So, from my experience, it seemed like students remained close to the campus as opposed to going into town. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Jesse:Although the student body has grown considerably since I was a student, it seemed like a reasonable size when I was there. Some of my prerequisite classes were fairly big, with over 400 students. I was happy with my human physiology major courses, where the number of students was around 100. Class sizes were sometimes less than 30 for my upper division Spanish classes. Check out Jesses tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

New maths 9-1 GCSE

New maths 9-1 GCSE Tutor Adam S, a qualified teacher and specialist in GCSE mathematics, explains all you need to know about the new maths 9-1 GCSE providing sample papers as well as insight into the exam  and grade boundaries. ...... May 2017 is the first year that the new maths 9-1 GCSE will be examined. A common question I have been asked by students and parents is ‘where can I find past papers to practice?’ and ‘what will the grade boundaries be?’ The aim of this post is to examine the syllabus and answer both questions. The papers Currently there is a limited set of papers available for the new maths 9-1 GCSE. Just click on the appropriate link below to find a pdf of the exam you would like to complete. Edexcel:                 OCR                              AQA S1 S2 S3                  S1 S2 S3 S4                Papers,  Answers The Tiers Grade 9 is now the highest that you can achieve, grade 8 the next highest and so on. The higher tier runs from grade 9-4, and the foundation tier runs from grade 5-1. It is important for your child to know if they are taking the higher or foundation tier paper as the content is different for both. They can ask their school teacher which tier they are entered for if they don’t know already. Since there are no past papers for this exam, I am advising all my students to complete all the sample paper sets for each of the exam boards to help prepare. The mathematical content in each exam board is broadly the same as are the style of questions despite small differences. It’s all maths! There are 3 exams in each sample set; 2 calculator and 1 non-calculator. This is the same structure that your child’s Maths GCSE will be. It is so important to focus on these sample papers instead of the past papers for the old GCSE because there is new content in the 2017 GCSE that is not in the old papers. The style of questions is also very different. Instead of practicing from past papers, I would advice a combination of the sample papers (linked above), and the 9-1 GCSE Edexcel textbook which can be found with a simple google or amazon search. Many schools have not adopted this book yet and I cannot attest enough to the usefulness of a book rammed with questions of the new style for every single topic and answers at the back. In my opinion it is best used in combination with a tutor / teacher / knowledgeable parent and a revision guide that has clear explanations and is specific to your exam board (CGP for example). Grade boundaries What percentage do you need to achieve a grade 9 in maths GCSE? How about a grade 5? These questions are difficult to answer and school teachers giving vague non-committal answers to this question are doing so because we can only really guess at this point. No one knows exactly what the grade boundaries are - it will depend on how difficult the papers are that are given in the summer. Having said this, we do have some clues from the government as to how many students will receive each grade, which means anyone can predict what grade they are currently working at and what grade they are likely to achieve on the 9 to 1 scale. Using past papers, we can calculate what grade you are currently at. To predict accurately what grade your child is currently at, they can complete 3 past papers from their exam board and work out their grade from the grade boundaries for that paper. You can find grade boundaries for the specific papers you have completed on the exam board website. Once you have the grades for those 3 papers, you can match them to the number grade by using the image above. Bear in mind that if your child gets a C, that will equate to a high 4 or a low 5. A high C will be a grade 5, and a low C will be a grade 4 (the bottom 66% to be exact according to ofqual and Edexcel board). So most students achieving a C on the old paper will achieve a grade 4 on the new paper. In addition to using past papers to see where your child is at, I have brought together analysis from maths teachers from different schools to come up with predicted grade boundaries for the Edexcel 9-1 sample papers: Higher Tier Level, %                             (marks out of 80) 9                     91%                                           (73) 8                     79%                                           (63) 7                     64%                                           (52) 6                     53%                                           (43) 5                     41%                                             (33) 4                     30%                                           (24) Foundation Tier Level           %                     (marks out of 80) 5                       78%                                           (63) 4                     67%                                           (54) 3                     56%                                           (45 Although I had a lot of fun making these grade boundaries and would love for you to use them to grade your own sample papers, take the results with a pinch of salt as they are predictions based on sample sizes of individual schools which is small compared to the number of students there are in the UK. Good luck and happy exam preparations! ..... If you have any questions for Adam S or would like him as a tutor for your child, please send him a message through his profile. Alternatively, on the Tutorfair website enter your postcode and Tutorfair will show you GCSE Maths tutors in your area, with the top rated tutors! Checkout out more  Tutorfair blogs  here: Five Strategies to improve Academic Performance Dyslexia Resources: a Guide for Parents