Air Purification Systems: Are They Necessary?

Upon getting information about an upcoming school science fair and the need to consider a topic of interest, many students will typically have no idea where to get started. While the science fair is typically a common occurrence in any school at any grade level, there are different types of topics that should be taken a look at depending on the age of the student. After first taking a look at the many different categories of science projects, you will be able to locate a suitable choice of topic to take to the next level.There is a wide variety of categories that fall under the types of science projects that can be chosen for a school science fair. These include biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, biochemistry, medicine, environmental, mathematics, engineering, and earth science. While you may not have yet learned very much in any of these categories, don’t be afraid to see what each one entails. Taking a good look at your interests will allow you to focus on the right direction to take.Many resources are also available for those who are unsure as to the topic they are wanting to use to create their science projects. If you take a look at the topics that fall under the biology category, you will likely notice that there are topics that deal with plants, animals, and humans. For those who are in 2nd grade or 3rd grade, an interesting topic may be to determine if ants are picky over what type of food they eat. While this topic might not be of interest to an 8th grader, it is certainly something in the biology category that an elementary school student would enjoy.Along with the biology category, a high school student may want to take a look at diffusion and osmosis in animal cells as this would be a more appropriate topic for the grade level. A student in 6th grade would be more advanced than an elementary school student, but not as advanced as a high school student. At this middle school grade level, a topic of how pH levels effect the lifespan of a tadpole may be of interest.Whichever resource is used to locate a topic for science projects, it is always a good idea to consider the grade level of the student prior to making a selection. It is always assumed to be best to have a project at an appropriate level in order to keep the attention of the student and provide a fun and enjoyable learning experience.

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Creating Quality in Higher Education Admissions: Increasing Institutional Effectiveness

Quality in Higher EducationHigher education is a service. Defining quality in a service can be more difficult than defining quality for a product. Quality in service has to do with accomplishing objectives while at the same time satisfying the customers’ perceptions of the service. Delivering quality can be difficult as objectives and perceptions change as the needs for customers change.Many colleges have departments dedicated to quality assessment and improvement, focused on the institution as a whole. Quality in college admissions is required to make sure the student and school are a good fit for each other. Ensuring the best fit between school and student improves retention and ensures that the student is prepared for the area of study. Students who become part of a degree program is a good fit helps in leading people into a good fit for future profession in the area that the student is pursuing their studies.Institutional EffectivenessThere is an increased emphasis on institutional effectiveness for higher education. Institutional effectiveness measures the percentage of graduates that receive jobs within their field of study from each institution. The growing concern over institutional effectiveness comes from the combination of high unemployment rates, concerns with student loans, and the national level of student loans.The use of intuitional effectiveness gives students and schools a qualitative measure of quality among colleges. Colleges can benchmark their institutional effectiveness as compared to similar colleges. When superior results for a similar college are identified; other colleges can study that college as a model of how to improve their own institution. Higher education institutions can become aware of what programs are performing best in placing students into jobs after graduation; the results may indicate an area that the school can give more emphasis.Quality in AdvertisingInstitutions can promote quality through advertising. Informing potential students how the college and degree programs attempt to achieve the potential students desires can achieve quality. For example if a student would like to become a mechanic, the school can illustrate how they are qualified to help a student become a mechanic. The advertisement could discuss the background of the college and the instructors. The advertisement could give examples of past students results after finishing the program. The ad could include information about the programs institutional effectiveness.Colleges can proactively pursue students that are a good fit for the institution through accurate advertisements and promotions. The promotional material can take a bigger emphasis on what career the programs prepare the student for instead of promising career possibilities. Advertisements can be targeted the segment of students that would be ideal candidates for the program with information in promotional material that discusses the type of student the program was designed for.The content of advertisements are of extreme importance to convey accurate information and set expectations for students and parents; however, where colleges advertise is of extreme importance also. It would be better for Seminaries (graduate school for pastors) should target people that are involved in a specific church or denomination. For the colleges that work with traditional students should advertise among young adults aged 16-20, where as schools geared towards non-traditional students would target an older demographic.Admission RequirementsAdmission requirements can assist in ensuring proper alignment between the college and potential student. Admission requirements that help ensure proper alignment can include grade point average (GPA), assessment results, essays, reference letters, or experience. The college needs to understand their typical student and their challenges. Some colleges specialize in helping underprepared students excel through specialized programs to prepare those students for further academic programs and vocational aptitude. The college needs to define whom the school fits in demographic and academic terms.An essay that requires the student to explain their motivation for applying to the school and why they are a good candidate allows the admissions counselor to make a judgment about institutional fit and at the same time allows the applicant to internalize and express how their goals align with the colleges. Essays can indicate the potential students ability to follow instructions for writing papers and indicate their grammatical ability. The entrance essay can indicate the student’s level of motivation, if the application process becomes delayed by the essay requirement that indicates that the student either needs encouragement, further educational support, or lacks the motivation to the complete the essay in a timely manner.The GPA requirement can vary among schools depending on the degree and type of school. The requirement varies from a minimum GPA to be able to perform college level work to more specific transcript and grade requirements. The minimal purpose would be to not admit student who appear to be incapable of performing college level work an school policy that closely relates to entrance GPA. Other programs may need to see an overall good GPA in addition to specific grades and types of classes taken, in the case of engineering degrees.Reference letters help colleges see if anyone will vouch for you and who vouches for you. To ensure proper good institutional effectiveness the school would like to see that the student has already begun to network in the right places or that they are least networked. What a school many times does not want to deal with someone who creates problems everywhere they go and has no one willing to refer them.Assessment results typically come from SAT or ACT achievement test. Schools that work with older non-traditional students will many times find other assessments because of the time lapse from when the student was in school and when they were last assessed. Although assessment results are important, they are a piece of the whole picture of the student’s ability and fit for an institution.The experience admission requirement helps ensure that the student has the ability to perform the profession that the school will be teaching. Many degree programs do not have specific experience requirements, however, the experience aspect can be imperative for some degree programs. Several programs that require experience are MBA (Masters of Business Administration), MFA (Masters of Fine Arts), and other specialty programs for both undergraduate and graduate levels.The admission requirements help the school identify ideal students for the their program. Many times schools find their specific niche appeals to a specific type of student looking for a specific program. Once the student and the programs for the school are identified, the school can create programs to increase the effectiveness of the pairing of the school and the student. For instance if a school specializes in educating underprepared students the college can create methods to help the student through programs, remedial classes, tutoring, and vocational preparation. The schools can also build sections of the needed training into the curriculum of the classes.Continuous ImprovementThe need for continuous improvement in the quality of higher education admissions will help universities to adapt to the changing needs of the school and students. The expectations for higher education have changed over the years to have a vocational emphasis, which merits different assessment of effectiveness than how education was assessed in the past. Quality in admissions will help align the goals for the school and student to accomplish the shared goals. For example the current trend of measuring education institutions by the percentage of graduates acquiring jobs in that should lead Universities to cultivate relationships with employers in the areas that the school specializes in.ConclusionQuality in admissions for higher education comes from proper alignment between the student and the school. This alignment should be cultivated in an enrollment and marketing plan that clearly articulates the unique programs the school offers and excels. The plan should also include the detailed segmentation of ideal students. The increased attention on higher education’s effectiveness comes from marketing schools as one sized fits all for one-sized fits all students. The needs for the alignment will change as the students needs change while at the same time different industries will change.The difficult part would be to focus on unique programs instead of popular programs. For schools to stand out from other schools they must provide something in a way that another college does not offer. Many schools will want to offer the popular and general education courses to not loose potential students while at the same time they will need to place emphasis on their unique programs.One of the challenges would be the impression of higher educations view of the admissions office. The admissions office needs to be able to advise schools on issues further than sales and marketing. Specifically, with higher education admissions, academics, institutional effectiveness, and educational rigor are all interconnected. The more emphasis that colleges place on their unique programs coupled with admission requirements that admit the best students for the programs will increase the colleges retention and institution effectiveness numbers. With better retention and institution effectiveness, the school will attract more ideal students, which will create a stronger program. Implementing quality seems difficult in the beginning and requires support from senior leaders. However, the difficulties are worth the results.

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How to Get Cheap Home Loans with a Bad Credit

It’s been years since you made any major improvements to your home and it’s about time. Your spouse and children are also urging you to give the house a facelift. So, what do you do? Dip into your savings? Great! But that’s only if you’ve enough stashed away in there. Go in for a regular loan? But you can’t, because you’ve a bad credit history, a difficult to prove income and just no down payment capability. And besides, regular loans are only meant for house construction and not for renovations. So what’re you to do?Those with bad credit understand how difficult it can be to try and get a loan for buying a home or refinancing an existing home mortgage loan. Although, most loan companies may tell you that if they can’t help you, no one can, that is simply not true. People with adverse credit history may need to put in a little more effort to search out the right home loan, especially with a decent interest rate. Every mortgage loan company varies in its offer for a home loan. A program that is impossible for one company can be very much possible for another. Some mortgage loan companies specialize in home loans for people with less than perfect credit and have more lenient qualifications than others. The key to getting approved for a loan with poor or bad credit is persistence!Defining home loansHome loans are not much different from the average loans extended by mortgage loan companies. They’ve interest rates, points and fees. They can be compared online, and they’ve seasonal trends. The only real difference is that, as a borrower with a less than stellar credit record, you may have to pay a slightly higher rate for this loan to negate the mortgage loan company’s increased risk.Some home loans are specifically designed to help you fund essential home improvement projects. By encouraging you to make improvements to your home, the mortgage loan company helps increase the market value of your property. But, how does a mortgage loan company stand to gain by extending such a loan? Simple, it makes money through additional interest that you pay for this loan.Thus, it is important to prepare yourself with information about home loans and compare the offers of various mortgage loan companies to make sure you get the best deal.Advantages of mortgage loan companiesThere are a few things you need to know about mortgage loan companies. These companies specialize in providing home loans for people like you, who are in less than ideal situations. For this, a mortgage loan company takes risks that the average bank refuses, namely offering home loans to people with bad credit. If you have bad credit or declared bankruptcy, a mortgage loan company takes a big risk by extending this loan. People with bad credit are seven times more likely to default on loans. As a result, these companies make up for this risk by levying higher interest rates and fees and also ensure they make a profit. But the end result is that you get the loan, which you may not have raised from other avenues. However, the smart thing to do is to cast your net wide while short-listing such mortgage loan companies.Searching the best mortgage loan companiesIt’s important to remember that just because you’ve bad credit, doesn’t mean you should accept the first home loan offer that comes your way. Interest rates and fees on a home loan vary from one company to the other, so it pays to shop. The best way to compare a home loan is to go online. While comparing, remember to enter the same information for each mortgage loan company, since different loan amounts, down payments and income levels affect the rates. This also helps to get a quote for the same risk level.If you’re planning to purchase a home for the first time or refinance an existing mortgage despite an adverse credit history, you may do well to compare the offers of the various mortgage loan companies before you accept a home loan offer. Certain companies specialize in offering home loans to people who have a high-risk credit history in return for charging higher rates and fees. How much is charged on these loans varies and offers can be quite competitive. Therefore, it is best to compare the rates.There are several ways by which you can discern which home loan will suit your purpose. A few pointers are:Check online: Web sites of mortgage loan companies offer a convenient way to gather home loan quotes. Since mortgage loan companies are in competition with each other, they offer their best quotes. In addition, they also extend facilities like online applications and the like. So, spend some time on the net to get the best quotes, it would be time well spent.Compare rates: The interest rates charged by a mortgage loan company on a home loan are bound to be higher than any other type of home loan, where credit, income and down payment are all optimal. And they can vary greatly. There’re some mortgage loan companies that, for the same set of qualifications, offer an interest rate of 7 percent, which is a bit over the bar, and then there are others who may quote 9 to 12 percent or more. Now, if this is all for the same qualifications, you could be shelling out hundreds of extra dollars a month in payments, just because you didn’t search properly. Make sure not let the mortgage loan companies take advantage of your situation.Look at the fees: When a mortgage loan company offers you a home loan, be sure to add up the fees from each financing package and compare those with the interest rates. You should also compare closing costs and other fees in the financing package, which at times does add up to hundreds of dollars. Although, adverse credit is likely to result in some fees, it should not be excessive. As a general rule, fees should be included in the price of the home loan. You should expect to pay up to five points for most home loans. There are always exceptions to this, but comparison-shopping should give you an idea of what is reasonable. It is good to remember that fees and terms can be better for borrowers during the off-season.Cater for down payment: No mortgage loan company will offer a home loan to a person with a bad credit record without a down payment. The larger the down payment, the easier it is for you to secure a home loan. A down payment for a home loan between 5 percent and 20 percent is usually required for people with a credit score of less than 600. A down payment of 20 percent or more will save you from the expense of PMI.Read the terms: Once you have finalized a home loan offer, make sure you know what type of deal you are getting into. So, be clear about the terms and conditions by reading the fine print. Some mortgage loan companies charge high fees for late or missed payments. While late fees are common, they should not be extreme. You can also get the documents vetted by a lawyer. The point is that you should be comfortable with all the terms before you sign. If you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the mortgage loan company for clarifications.Applying for a home loanThe best way to apply for a home loan is through mortgage loan company services. These services can be accessed online. What they do is to take your application and resubmit it to multiple mortgage loan companies. Each application is usually sent to hundreds of such companies asking for the desired home loan. The response varies, but at least four home loan offers are assured for each application. These online mortgage loan company services can help people in almost every state from Florida to California.The advantage of this process is that most of these mortgage loan companies won’t even pull your credit when you apply for a home loan, which is good since multiple inquiries on your credit report can drop your credit score a bit, and if you have bad credit to begin with, you certainly need to score as high as possible.Once a mortgage loan company processes your information and finds everything in place, it will forward the documents for your final approval and signature. The whole process is completed in a matter of days.If you are patient and persistent, you can hope for a home loan from a mortgage loan company that has the least interest, even if you score low on credit.

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