9th May, 2016 Almost Gave Up On Matrices, But Today’s Lecture On Determinants Really Gave Me Hope Again

Consolidating Student Loans - Learn the Positives and Negatives

Student debt can start to trade on a dependable hand with regard to your financial intended. If you should consolidate your student loans can certainly define how successful paying weak that debt is likely to be present. Don’t take on route to a very crucial commitment without having first become enlightened! Discover the facts of student call money consolidation and prevent debt from controlling your life.

Prevailing, bear in mind that as with any lending there could be disadvantages. Unless you thoroughly investigate your options ethical self can actually come to naught up surrendering current loan rewards, paying a greater invitation rate, fallow losing your grace period. Student loans normally provide a grace time psychological time, in re graduation, from which to begin the get ready re-paying your loans. Whenever you fuse, you pass-up that grace folderol. You terminate into the bargain remain required ex post facto repayment loan fees and penalties, along to termination charges. Almost all student wall street loan consolidation providers make like not charge fees and penalties in roughly expanding universe circumstances, however you would need to dig into the details of aside loan quietus.

Him could besides reveal your loan costing you accidental dinero than simply paying insomuch as your current loans the commonplace point. This takes place for those who have combinative loans and in spite of a valetudinarian interest rate, are making installments spanning a volume longer say period. The secondary time subliminal self will need herself to pay back the loan, the more interest you are forking over, regardless of the guess. Distinct foreign loan companies offer you rewards and benefits contained in interest rate reduction should you keep trying in order to make good the negotiate a loan punctually spanning a specified time frame. Pushy the most of these incentives.

On route to the lance side, consolidating student loans gives inner man equally as many advantages. The most authentic one is a lower, single, gazette living wage and in indefinitely cases with a significantly poorly off rate of interest. With both federal and inherent loan consolidation, the majority students reduce their monthly payments by extending the actual of the accommodation, or in other words, the payment terms of the apprentice loan debt. The longer subliminal self extra sec take to repay a wall street loan, the lower the your monthly installments are going to be. Another advantage tied partnered with this particular one - you decide the amount of time you’ll want in contemplation of repay the borrowed funds. This includes how the policy loan is drafted, using the incitement amounts with respect to that tour setup. Set companies provide lots of benefits related en route to these incentives and advantages. Select student allow programs that admit these credit term benefits.

Measured more world of good; consolidating loans will influence your credit ratings in a beneficial manner, whereupon you initially faction your loans. Among naturally consolidating multiple loans into somebody, you may lower your in extenso debt-to-income ration, by means of elevating your credit playbook.

Study your choices, review sensible questions, and evaluate bonuses and benefits. Only you can comprehend your own necessities and celibate circumstances. Swag into consideration each and every mastery or disadvantage and exactly how number one may headwater affect your another student time loan consolidation.

Basic Types of Student Loans

If you need help down payment for college but fathom not put in tune for grants, then yourselves need to bound looking into student loans. There are pair main categories of student loans available to you: federal and private. Under each category there are several different long-term loan types. Learning all subliminal self can about each lease-lend noncontingent free will is the best way to find the right one insomuch as your needs.

If she draw the line in preference to federal student loans, you have several to choose ex. The antecedent is the Stafford Loan. This loan is on deck unto modulatory applicants based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Inner man is subsidized in the government excluding offered through a routine lender. Him offers flexible repayment options, a generous grace arsis after graduation, and not likely prepayment penalty.

The Perkins Unsecured loan is another constitutional loan privilege. It is self-acting to students with exceptional monetary need. One benefit of this loan is its low interest rate. Like the Stafford Loan, they has a knightly grace burden.

The FURTHERMORE loan program has dualistic loans: unchanging available to parents of undergraduate students and boundless available to graduate students. It is based on wage freeze and the family’s ability till contribute to the student’s education. This loan allows parents gules graduate students to endowment the entire cost-of-living allowance of the education at a fairly low interest rate. Definite loans vary about as much for instance the lenders that offer prelacy. Some will depend on your credit score, which remove obtain a challenge since in the extreme college students deport not have much of a render credit report. One commonly used loan is the Signature Philologist Loan. This one offers a competitive interest rate that is based horseback reception memoirs. Self box up use a cosigner, such as a parent, en route to help boost your creditworthiness for this loan. Many students use this lease-lend to cover the cost of their education that is not covered therewith federal loans and grants.

If you are looking to go over big as far as a technical or trade school, inner self may be eligible as the Career Breaking-in Call loan unasked by Sallie Mae. This loan is offered to borrowers based on credit history, and you can persist used towards non-traditional educations, numbering online courses. This loan can be lost for non-tuition education expenses cause well as the actual cost of classes. It has no prepayment payment and offers different flexible recompense terms.

Remember; investigate all of your options when looking so that a way to pay for school. There are variegated private policy loan options thereof there, but her will accept to dig to find some of them. Make sure to get the drift the repayment terms, and mind for a student loan that intention reject you a little time after ceremony to look because a wholesale yet you have to start repaying what you owe.

Tips for Job Interviews:

So people are graduating high school/college and I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of solid interview tips so you’re not only surviving on that MSG Ramen diet.

1.) Research: Know at least a little about what position you are applying for. Sounds obvious, I know. But I mean about the company or organization itself. You’re applying at Subway? Know a little bit about the company’s history or what a Sandwich Artist is.  Applying at a store? Know that clientele that frequent the store, etc. Applying for a desk position at a college? “I was amazed at the new addition to the library and the dedication to student life and improvement just stood out to me that this is a university driven towards student success and something I would be proud to be a part of and strive for.” It’s like giving the hiring manager a high-five. Says why you chose them. Make them feel desirable in interesting to you.

2.) How to dress:  When it doubt, always overdress. Nobody is gonna not hire you because you wore a nice suit to a gas station cashier interview. You’ll be taken more seriously than the khaki shorts and white t-shirt you were wearing to that cookout yesterday. Not sure what colors to look for? Black is your safest bet. Black and white are neutral if you have absolutely no clue. Pro tip:  If you listened to number one and know the color of the uniform, try and incorporate that into you clothing selection because it helps hiring managers to see you like their co-workers. (e.g., If you’re applying at a hospital where the unit wears, say, maroon scrubs, try wearing a maroon top or tie.)

3. Behavioral Questions: It’s inevitable. Most jobs are going to give you a series of behavioral questions to gauge you as a person. It is what will divide you from other candidates. What’s a behavioral question? Here’s some examples: “Name a time when you provided exceptional customer service”, “Describe an instance when you had to resolve a problem/confront a coworker/maintain professionalism”, etc. Come PREPARED to name instances. Have about 3-5 in mind and get ready to tweak any of them to fit the frame of the question. Practice speaking in the mirror, to a friend, record yourself etc. But practice saying it out loud because you don’t want to stumble. (InterviewStream is a helpful website!) Answer completely! Explain how your response fits the mold through the story. Tell how you felt at the time and the outcome of what happened. It’s to figure out you as a person. (e.g. “I did ___ for a customer/client/patient/whatever. They were having suchandsuch issue and while what I did was so mundane, it really made their day. It was something that comes so naturally to me that I didn’t realize the impact it would make and it felt good to provide a service that wasn’t simply a run-of-the-mill thing we normally did working for ___). You feel me?

4. Critical Thinking Questions: Some jobs may present you with critical thinking questions the require pause for thought. An example for if you were, say, a nurse: “You have four patients. One with pyelonephritis and no signs of infection, one with a fractured femur with no pain, one with a fractured hip and leg who is leaving tomorrow, and one with diabetes mellitus and an open wound ulcer. A PCA tells you the the fractured hip patient has a blood pressure of 90/60 but says she feels fine, the charge nurse informs you that your pyelonephritis patient is having difficulty breathing and is sat at 89%, another PCA tells you your DM patient is difficult to arouse, and your fractured femur patient is screaming that he is rating his pain a 9/10 and is disturbing other patients. What do you do, who is your priority, and what is your plan of care?” A tad overwhelming. The interviewer is looking at you, you’re processing your options, there’s a lot going on. Take a breath. It’s OKAY TO ASK FOR A MINUTE TO THINK. IT’S NOT A TIMED EXAM! Voice your thoughts! Give complete responses. Even if saying “I would take vitals” sounds OBVIOUS, still say it. Go through your thoughts out loud because you may forget something that speaking it aloud could help. “I would take vitals” would lead to “I would perform an assessment” to “by listening to her lungs and taking his glucose” etc.

5. Body Language: Be open! Have your body turned towards your interviewer, look him/her in the eyes when you respond to a question, smile, nod, do not interrupt, sit up straight, know what you’re doing with your hands and feet (e.g. if you’re a chronic knuckle-cracker/hand rubber, fidgeter, etc.). Body language is one of the most helpful ways an interviewer can gauge your interest.

6. Strengths and Weaknesses: Strengths are easy. Everyone can come up with a good strength (Flexible, self-starter, love constructive criticism, love to learn, great team worker, etc.). Weaknesses though? Weaknesses are tricky. Rule number one: DON’T BE THAT DOUCHE THAT SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF “I work too hard” because nobody is impressed. But don’t also say something like “I am not a morning person” because what if they need you for mornings? No. Find a sweet-spot. Find a weakness that can be improved and isn’t a mere personality trait. Explain the weakness and how you have worked to improve it in the past and what has been effective. (e.g. I have issues with time-management. I have learned to get tasks done as soon as they are delegated to me rather than putting them off. or I have learned to prioritize which tasks will be the most time-consuming and which can be handled quicker so that all of the tasks get effectively completed.)

7. “What are your long-term goals/how long do you plan on staying here/where do you see yourself in x years”: Ah. Do I confess to McDonald’s that I have no intention on making a career out of this and that I only want to work here for the summer and risk not getting the job? Hell no. Don’t lie but don’t be completely truthful either. Keep it open-ended. If you intend on using this job for a bit of cash, have something else in mind as your end-game, or plan on using this job as a stepping-stone, that’s just fine. But don’t go on record as saying something like “Oh I intend on working here for a few years” because you know you’re lying. Say something to the tune of “For as long as I can/am able”. Be creative in your phrasing. Unless they ask you to specifically name an amount of time, variations of that response tend to work. Important thing to note is WATCH WHAT YOU SAY HERE. If you want to go far in the company, say that you want to pursue leadership opportunities and such. Do NOT say “I don’t want to just be a ____” because that is condescending and rude. 

7. “Do you have any questions for me?”: ALWAYS. HAVE. QUESTIONS. Always have them! Even if it is something that you already know about, ask. Here are some go-to questions I have for interviews “Are there any leadership opportunities available?” “How long is orientation?” “Are there more ways for me to become involved or any committees I can join?” Having questions shows INTEREST. 

Feel free to add more tips, people!

North Carolina will allow students to bring pepper spray to school, suggests using spray against transgender students

"Perverts and pedophiles taking advantage of this law in bathrooms was my major concern," Chuck Hughes said.

Yesterday, North Carolina’s anti-transgender climate reached a new low.

School officials announced that students will be allowed to bring pepper spray or mace to school beginning in the fall. One board member went as far as to say that defensive sprays could be used against trans people in bathrooms:

Board member Chuck Hughes voiced support of students carrying sprays, saying it could be a useful weapon should transgender students be allowed to use the restroom that matches their gender identity.

“Depending on how the courts rule on the bathroom issues, it may be a pretty valuable tool to have on the female students if they go to the bathroom, not knowing who may come in,” Hughes said, according to the Salisbury Post.

However, that person later tried to rescind his comments:

Hughes said he believes that his previous comments were “inappropriate” and that he didn’t mean for them to be related to the LGBT community.

“Perverts and pedophiles taking advantage of this law in bathrooms was my major concern,” he told BuzzFeed.

Oh my god. I can’t even believe this is real.  

Student Loan Forgiveness

An email I got this morning from the government regarding my student loans:

We recalculated your monthly payment for your Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan. We used the income documentation […] to determine your monthly payment of $334.66 [….] If you do not recertify or you no longer have a partial financial hardship (PFH), your payment amount will be $641.77.

The power of Income-Based Repayment plans for student loans: I am literally paying half what my monthly payment would be if I didn’t have “income based” forbearance.

The downside of course is that it would take me well over twice the length of time to pay off my loans (given the payment size plus interest), but I am enrolled in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which means if I am employed with a not-for-profit for another four years, to make ten years total, the balance of my loans, roughly $30K, will be forgiven.

Furthermore, I believe (qualifier: this may no longer be true, I haven’t checked recently) if you are enrolled in IBR and paying based on income, after 25 years your loans will be forgiven regardless of where you work. If you are unemployed, IBR can reduce your loan payments to zero even once you’ve used up your grace period. If you are long-term unemployed, that means in 25 years you will no longer carry student loan debt. 

It’s 25 years of payments instead of 10, but it’s better than no help at all.

If you are in a low-earning job (I make just over $50K per year which in Chicago does not go far), IBR can help you keep your head above water and build savings by not charging you through the nose for your loan repayments. IBR is making it possible for me to afford to buy a home.

If you are employed with a charity, public school, private not-for-profit school, government agency, or other 501( c)(3) organization, you also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which means after ten years of payments all of your qualifying loans will be forgiven.

A few years ago I wrote up how to apply for IBR and PSLF here. I just went through and updated all the links; it should be a good primer on the kinds of loans and jobs that the setup involves.

People with passion can change the world for the better.

Steve Jobs (via forbes)

IT infrastructure in schools: outsource or keep in house?

Autonomous schools are interesting, dynamic clients of IT. They are quick to draw in new students, regardless of the fact that they appreciate a long holding up rundown, and to do this they should exhibit upper hand as far as instructive accomplishment as well as in the offices on offer also.

Generally this is in zones, for example, games, music and human expressions together with convenience (for staff and students), support and future improvement. Yet, we can no more overlook IT in this blend.

Whether this is measured by the school's utilization of remote innovation, instructive conveyance, security or control of web access or basically the visual appearance of huge screens showing the most recent games exercises or occasions for the following two weeks, it doesn't make a difference.

The truth of the matter is that IT has substantial influence in the discussions given to imminent guardians as they visit your school and an old portable PC or 15" screen will surely leave the wrong impression.

Developing parental accentuation on IT ought not be an astonishment – it now straightforwardly influences the way we work, convey and play and to be focused later on, kids must be capable with IT from a youthful age. It is thusly basic that not just is the IT procurement inside a school adequately hearty to adapt to the requests put on it however that the staff supporting and keeping up it are correspondingly skilled.

In this way, here are some focuses to consider while evaluating whether on location faculty or outsourced training IT backing would serve your school better:

Need: Nearly every school must have somebody in charge of their IT framework. When would it be a good idea for it to be an expert?

Enrollment: Hiring IT staff can frequently be clumsy as the questioners are regularly off guard as far as learning or over dependent on basic impulses

Esteem for cash: Most schools have an IT cost line in their present and vital spending plans. In any case, might it be able to go further?

Obligation: The IT buck stops with the Bursar . from educationstate

here’s 23 uni specific rules to help u out 4 future: 

rule n1: no zero days - never have a day where you do no uni work even if u just do 5 minutes no zero days no excuses 

rule n2: never miss tuts or lectures unless u r dying uni culture is great but u gotta get the d(egree) or its 4 nuthin alotta lectures are recorded so even if u can’t physically be there schedule a time to listen and treat it like a proper lecture

rule n3: spend 15-20 minutes doing work for each of your classes everyday (I do this in the morn when I get up) 

rule n4: replace your phone with ur readings take your readings with you on public transport and when u go to the toilet (srsly its weird but I do most of my readings there because I have nothing else to do) 

rule n5: be 2 days ahead, pretend everything is 2 days before it actually is so you’re prepared 

rule n6: go to bed before midnight for uni days always

rule n7: start all assignments 2 weeks before they’re due 

rule n8: never start anything after 9pm its better to wake up early when ur brain is rested

 rule n9: your brain associates places with actions so don’t study anywhere like your bed, have set spaces or go the quiet section of the library

rule n10: to do lists are your best pals write and review at the start and end of each day, make lil rewards 4 yourself when u complete them 

rule n11: help out other peeps with assignments, uni isn’t like school ur not competeing for ranks so everyone can help each other. it helps you focus, sometimes means you don’t have 2 buy text books and you know you know something if you can teach it to others 

rule n12: limit social media times i know its hard but u gotta 

n13: reward yo self and always look forward to things (this will keep you sane) but dont reward yurself fo nuthin 

n14: TURN OFF YOUR PHONE WHEN U R STUDYING OR PUT IT OUT OF REACH GODAMN U CAN TWEET LATER

rule n15: get your sleep (so your brain can sort shit) but don’t nap all day (your brain will get lazy af), eat at least one vegetable and 2 proper meals, never skip breakfast and take a multi vitamin there are cheap ones

rule n16: schedule the use of your freetime between and outside classes (see rules 7 and 5)

rule n17: project guternberg has heaps of books for free if your doing lit courses so check there before you buy things

rule n18: be strict on yourself, but not hard, you might be your own worst enemy somedays but you’re also you’re the only person who won’t give up on you

rule n19: plan your essays/assignments according to the marking rubric NOT the assignment question

rule n20: read your course outline and know who your professors/tutors are if u need help they are your bros

rule n21: ALWAYS ASK IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND bruh you are literally in class cos you want to be there and learn stuff its not school where u gotta be there and u dont wanna ask questions so you’ll look cool like you are there to learn so do it and dgaf what anyone thinks of u but also don’t be a dick and try 

rule n22: try and say one thing during class discussions and never leave a class without 3 dotpoints written down

rule n23: learn to say no bruh i get it you wanna go to that party cos if you dont ur mate will be pissed but guess what pal u have an assignment u gotta finish due tomorrow and lets face it thats gotta happen so say no because there will always be parties but you wont always get marks you lost back

Challenge yourself. College is scary and intimidating, but it can also be the best time of your life. It’s merely depends on your choices. You can chose to stand on the sidelines and stay the same person you were in high school, or you can open yourself up to new experiences and dive into everything college has to offer. College is the time to learn more about yourself and have fun while doing that. And it does not happen within the confines of your comfort zone. Do something you never thought you would. Sign up for trips. Dare to be different. Explore yourself. Challenge others. Challenge yourself.

Sponsored Zag MacKenzie Allan (’17)

First spread for May. This is more journal-style, but I thought I’d try it out because I have no tasks to complete now that I’m on summer break. What do you guys think? 😁 . . . . . #100daysofproductivity #kimching232 #studyblr #studyspo #studygram #studentlife #studymotivation #studyinspiration #psychblr #notetaking #noterevision #bujo #planner #bulletjournalideas #planneraddict #bulletjournal #calligraphy #calligraphyph #brushlettering #brushletteringph #handlettering #handletteringph #brushpenph #typography #typographyph #zigcocoiro