International Business Finance Report Research Paper

International Business Finance Report - Research Paper Example Most of the green building material firms in China and high-end architecture designs are widely influenced by foreign players, who account for approximately 30% of the whole market share within the republic (EU SME Centre, 2013). Among the 200 leading international companies dealing with green building materials, over 140 have already invested in the Chinese market. For instance, in the 2008 Olympic competition, nearly 121 organizations participated in designing of all the athletic stadiums, 74 of which were either overseas or foreign-owned (EU SME Centre, 2013). Moreover, key global engineering consultancies have their branches in China, participating in numerous large-scale projects nationally. Besides foreign organizations, Chinese firms, particularly the ones with government support, are powerful players in the market, towards realizing large-scale government projects. Relating to building materials, the organization is likely to face stiff competition from foreign firms. Nevertheless, there are more local Chinese producers utilizing the price benefits in the market, even though the standard is relatively low. OzGreen should brace itself for a stiff competition in the Chinese market. As a consolation, the market is still big enough to get a share of the cake (EU SME Centre, 2013). Some of the most establish green building material firms in China include Hunter Douglas, an international firm which boasts of building and furnishing the red skin for the Chinese Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 international Expo. Philips is also one of the key players in the market, having developed a sustainable lighting design and supply for Guangzhou Tower. Another likely competitor is OMA, which came up with the CCTV building in the heart of Beijing. Finally, we have Soeters and Grontmij, which recently won the contest of Wuhan New Energy Centre. The centre will be the most energy efficient tower in the planet (EU SME Centre, 2013). The building of

Business ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business ethics - Assignment Example Minority groups and women have had to deal with issues of ethical dilemma in work places, and Karen is no exception. There are three eligible managers for promotion, namely: Carmen, Ralph and Yingzi. Making a decision as to whom the position should go to is quite complex. This is due to the fact that each of the three seems best suited to the position. A critical analysis is therefore necessary to solve Karen’s problem. There are three eligible managers for the promotion. Each of the three persons has had a contribution to the company. A number of factors have to be considered in order to assess and evaluate the manager who is best suited to the promotion. In order to do so, all the three candidates have to be critically evaluated in the light of their suitability to the job. Each of the three will be considered individually. Carmen is an African American female aged 34 years. She is divorced and a mother of one; Heather. She is from time to time caught up in family crisis because her daughter has had medical problems. Minority groups and women have had issues in their places of work, thereby facing significant problems that related to their duties and responsibilities at their work place. From the case, it is evident that African Americans have hardly worked here. This is evidenced by the fact that promoting Carmen would be historical in the company since she would be the very first African American to reach such a position in the company. In considering her academics, qualifications and work experience, Carmen studied at Northwest State College. Her performance was average since she graduated in the lower half of her class. She has worked for the company for a period of four years. On the same note, she has been in this industry for not less than eight years now. In the work place, Carmen is considered a mediocre performer, and so are her ratings in the company. However, her energy level at work is promising, although she has

Education in South Africa: Mathematic and Scientific Performance

Education in South Africa: Mathematic and Scientific Performance This study is aimed at discovering the root cause and economic consequence of poor performance in Maths and Science in South Africa. The main objective of the research is to provide the South African Department of Education and the heads of governing bodies of school with information that will assist in the proper formulation of strategies drafted in the Action Plan, the execution of policies that address the root cause of poor Maths and Science performance in South African schools. The secondary objective is to emphasize the economic consequences that may arise as a result of the poor performance in Maths and Science and lastly to generate possible leads and ideas which can be used to formulate a realistic and testable hypothesis for future researchers. The research was carefully constructed and designed using the qualitative methodology, since the scope of the subject is too complex to be addressed by a yes or no hypothesis. The research process comprised of two phases. The first phase consisted of questionnaires distributed to 10 professionals in the field of Maths and Science who passed Maths and Science at Matric/Grade 12 level; and the second phase 10 questionnaires distributed to Non-professionals in the field of Maths and Science who did not pass or complete Maths and/or science at a Matric/Grade 12 level, The third phase consisted of 5 questionnaires to educational specialists, economists and experts in the Maths and Science career stream. Four interrelated key performance index constructs within the Education system were used, namely Teacher practice, Student achievement, Government and Curriculum content. The results of the research found that the core issues in relations to poor performance in Maths and Science was due to (To be continued).. The economic consequences as a result of the poor education system showed that (To be continued) Keywords: root cause, poor performance, Maths and Science, economic consequences Physics, chemistry and mathematics form the basis for many Scientific or technological applications and discoveries, and as innovation and technological advancement are the driving force behind todays globally competitive economy, it makes good career sense to gain the versatile skills an enabling science degree will award you. Professor Bruce Milthorpe CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Introduction Maths and Science is a driving force of a strong performing economy, it is a key area of knowledge whose competency is necessary for individual and economic development and an important factor of global competitiveness especially in a world of rapid technological changes (Tatira, Mutambara Chagwiza, 2012). McGrath and Akoojee (2007) further adds that the rationale in focusing on education is that its crucial for competitiveness, they emphasize that education should be a core objective in the South African national development strategy to enable competitiveness in globalisation and the knowledge economy. The twentieth century has seen education rise above the ranks as a base for social economic development and as a prime influential factor of a countries level of wealth by being able to alleviate poverty, increase the workforce and stimulate intellectual flexibility among its societies (Ozturk, 2001). The research seeks to act as a point of reference or set a standard for the Department of education and the heads of governing bodies whose role is primarily the execution of policies and strategic action planning within the education system, specifically in the Maths and Science arena. Whilst Human capital investment within a country draws in different skills which are highly valuable due to the impact it has on the vital parts of everyday life, skills in Maths and Science are the most crucial for social and economic welfare, typical examples include important career streams in the life sciences, behavioural and social sciences, earth and environmental sciences, math and computer sciences, engineering, interdisciplinary and physical sciences (Ozturk, 2001). Education aspires nation building and promotes interpersonal tolerance due to its integration nature hence Societies are able to transcend beyond cultural and national boundaries due to the advantages and assurances that education brings, especially Maths and science (Romagnolo Anderson, 2010). 1.2 Background to the study 1.2.1 The State of Maths and Science in South Africa In Sub-Saharan Africa about 1% of GNP is spent on Science, technology and development, this amount is comparatively low, compared to developed countries (Govender and Gruzd, 2011). Although South Africas expenditure on education and training is more than most developed countries especially in the last 4 decades. The result show a growth of 48 million in embedded human capital in 1960 to 230 million in 1996 (Measured in completed school cycle), the downfall is the quality of the education (Simkins, 2002). The issues lies in strategies in terms of budget spending efficiency, the struggle to draw the interest of foreign direct investment and to preserve the most favourably experienced Africans in Maths and Science (Govender and Gruzd, 2011). Consequently the short supply of high-level skills is extensively confining the ability to develop the economy (Simkins et al, 2009). South Africa however is at an alarming state with the worst performance in both Maths and Science as released in an international study coordinated and released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on 24 November 1996. The study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) assessment on Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMMS, 2003). The president of the HSRC, Dr Rolf Stumpf commented at the release of the assessment results These alarming results show that merely tinkering with the symptoms without addressing the root causes of our poor performance in mathematics and science will be a waste of time and money (HSRC, 2004). South Africa ranked 45th out of a total of 45 countries surveyed, in terms of Grade 8 Maths and Science assessment. The study highlights South Africas country average at 244 for Science and 264 for Maths compared to the international average of 467 for Maths and 474 for Science at the eighth grade level. The results unveil a substantial variation in Maths achievement between the highest and lowest performing countries, from an average of 605 for Singapore to 264 for South Africa in the mathematics assessment. The problem starts at primary level with approximately 75% of the poorly performing school system experiencing poor arithmetic ability from their learners and consequently further mathematical education becoming incomprehensible. South Africa is therefore confronted with a massive challenge to address the numeracy failure, unless it will not accomplish the system-wide and prolonged improvement in the Maths and Science education reform, in terms of remedying the poor performance symptoms (Rule Bernstein, 2009). There is an increasing need to excel in Maths and Science education, as it is the doorway towards building a developed country and to achieve that requires a scientific and technological advancement that will facilitate growth and development of the economy, this is necessary especially to face the fierce global economic competition (Mji Makgato, 2006; Dimmock, 2011). Commenting before the release of the assessment results, the executive director of the assessment technology and education evaluation research programme in the HSRC, Dr Anil Kanjee stated that This is especially relevant for mathematics and science education in South Africa, an area that the nation has recognized is in need of significant improvement if we are to participate and excel in the global economy (TIMSS SA, 2003). Problem Statement In light of the persistent national crisis in Maths and Science education and the role that Maths and Science plays in citizenship empowerment. It is necessary to understand the intimate relationship between unemployment, inequality, poverty and the role that Maths and Science education plays in dealing with the factors in South Africa. South Africa is amongst the worst in the world in terms of inequality, with a Gini-coefficient in the range of 0.58 0.68. Between 18-24 million of the South African population is in poverty and about 36.7% is unemployed including those who are not actively looking for employment. (McGrath Akoojee, 2007). The government plans to eradicate poverty through creating 5 million jobs through the new growth path by 2020 by redressing the inequality through deliberate affirmative action and practices. The education system is a key element of the new growth path. It plays a vital role in the transfer and development of skills and technology. In terms of Maths and Science, the new growth framework seeks to strengthen procedures to guarantee better and more reasonable admission to science and Maths education at secondary level (Patel, 2010). Purpose Statement The subject of Education, especially Maths and Science has been at the helm of many discussions in South Africa and globally, especially with about 90% of our schools failing to meet the minimum performance standards in Maths and Science. In spite of the above, theres currently insufficient data on the root cause of poor performance in Maths and Science although South Africa is facing a national predicament and this poor performance is actually congesting system-wide remedies (Simkins, 2010). The role of this research is to close the gap in the exploratory literature of Maths and Science by introducing practical data in the root cause and consequences of poor performance in Maths and Science by South African schools. The research exclusively deals with poor performing schools in South African Primary and Secondary schools both in the public and private sector. Primary goal of the study This studys fundamental purpose is to determine the root cause of poor performance in the area of Maths and Science in South Africa. The aim of the primary goal is in the exploration of the central phenomenon (Creswell, 2008). Achieving the secondary objectives normally implies the recognition of the primary objective (Struwig Stead, 2001). The aim of the secondary objectives is to explore the complex set of factors surrounding the central phenomenon (Creswell, 2008). Hence listed below are the formulated secondary objectives. Secondary goals of the study To explore the economic consequences produced by the poor performance in respect of Maths and Science in South African schools. To identify the success determinants of the economies with high Maths and Science performance The above represent the preliminary goals of the research but as the research proceeds the objectives may shift as the findings surface (Struwig Stead, 2001). Research Questions The research is planned to concentrate on the following crucial questions: Research question 1: What is the leading, underlying issue which leads to the poor performance in terms of Maths and Science? Research question 2: What are the economic impact as a result of poor performance in Maths and Science? Research question 3: What role should the South African government play to remedy the root cause of the poor performance in Maths and Science? Layout of chapters The research report consists of seven chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction A comprehensible indication of what the study concerns is highlighted and the goal of the study is discussed to shed light to the topic. The overview of the research problem, purpose statement, primary and secondary goal and the research questions channeling the study. The following issues are addressed: the role that education plays in the economic development of the country, the state of Maths and Science in South Africa, Cleary highlighting the Maths and Science sectors performance. Chapter 2: Literature review An argument that supports the study is presented using relevant, current literature review. The statement of the research problem is refined and an argument is built using the literature. The chapter shows and looks at literature on the topic of Maths and Science, the economical impact associated with poor performance in Maths and Science and the various types of remedies available for a developing economy. Chapter 3: Research Questions The purpose of the research is defined through research questions, since the research is under-researched. This chapter builds up to the point that the following chapters will provide practical evidence to explore the dimension. Chapter 4: Research methodology This chapter highlights the method of data collection that will be used. It highlights the unit of analysis, the population, the sample size and sampling method, the research instrument, outlining clearly how the data was collected and the process adopted. The limitations to the study and the ethical considerations are outlined. Chapter 5: Results The results are presented in this chapter especially focusing on the qualitative approach; the results of the root cause and the economic consequence are presented in a form of figures and tables. Chapter 6: Discussion of results The results in chapter 5 are presented with a link to the research question, the research questions are presented as the major headings. An in-depth analysis of the result is conducted, clearly linking to the literature review and confirming that the research objective is met. Chapter 7: Conclusion This chapter summarizes the findings into an organized format, ending with recommendations to the stakeholders and future research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction The objective of this literature review in accordance to the research problems is to further describe the problem. The literature review contextualizes research conducted locally and globally. Relevant publications, journals, reports and academic books were reviewed in order to collect data and discussions on the proposed research, mostly to determine if research of a same nature was not conducted in prior years. The theory reviewed in this section is categorized into three sections: poor performance in Maths and Science, economic impact and success determinants. The first part provides a general perspective on Maths and Science poor performance looking at the variables underpinning the subsystems in terms of teacher practice, student achievement, curricular content and state of the government (Reddy, Kanjee Diedericks, 2007). The second part is an overview of economic impact with particular reference to Maths and Science, looking at the economy of South Africa, China and Brazil. Thirdly the success determinants are discussed looking at the important influences in Maths and Science achievement and the respective predictors. There is a need for specific insight in the factors that determine the success of Maths and Science as this builds on to the solution of the root cause. 2.2. Poor performance in Maths and Science A large number of studies seem to gravitate towards the problem of Maths and Science education in South Africa as illustrated by the poor performance of matriculants who failed to meet the admission requirements of Maths and Science faculties (Mabila et al, 2006). The problem of poor performance in Maths is one of the most paramount fears of teachers and other Maths educators globally. Allegations point to the fact that poor performance capitulate negative behaviour and even trepidation of Maths by pupils (Wadesango Dhliwayo, 2012). South Africa had a very low minimum pass rates requirement for Maths and Science at 29% and 30% respectively in 2010 but learners are not motivated to study Maths and Science as theyve observed the failure of others (Mji Makgato, 2006). Maths and Science were mostly disguised as subjects not for the weak and so this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that Maths is a subject for those with greater intellectual ability. The author further adds that the education system methodology of measuring grade passes vs. the provision of educational quality is at the core of the Maths and Science learner fear complicacy. Mabila et al. (2009) argued that there were several factors that contributed to this phenomenon of poor performance, namely lack of regulation, inadequate resources, poor drive in students and teachers, implementation of policies and lack of parental involvement. Govender Gruzd (2011) added that Maths and Science has a potential of unlocking the continents economic and developmental decline but education in Africa required remarkable development; the authors cited that education was disregarded and was not in the focal point of Africas expansion plan, the author further noted the factors responsible for poor performance in Africa such as lack of qualified teachers, proper infrastructure, learning equipment and enrolment into the Maths and Science subjects bears fruit to the need for development. Bradbury Miller (2011) differ in their argument in that the unequal schooling system produced various drawbacks that necessitated restoration but agreed on the factors such as lack of quali fied teachers as part of the inequality amongst the others which they express as a lack of excess to successive education levels. It is clear from the evidence that Maths and Science education failure is caused by various factors and that poor performance is characterized by inequities, scarce resource and strategy. 2.2.1 Teaching Practice South Africa is reported to be the leading technological giant in Africa but in terms of Maths and Science it fell below its economic opponent Indonesia, Chile and Malaysia. The reason for this lag was due to the lack of Maths and Science graduates who can propel progress forward in terms of knowledge sharing in the space of Maths and Science. The central part of this national dilemma is due to the minimal levels of Maths and Science education in classrooms across Africa (Govender Gruzd, 2011). The Department of Education in South Africa changed the curriculum to enforce Maths into the curricular by adding Maths literacy into the equation as an alternative to Maths; this was done in order to increase Maths participation to a 100%. Although this was an outstanding government initiative, it added a need for more Maths and Science teachers. Govender Gruzd (2011) indicated that Africa needed atleast 3 million more teachers to cope with the growing enrolments. Simkins et al (2009) qualified the statement by illustrating that South Africa was experiencing the same predicament with an escalating burden of more Maths classes and therefore teachers, this was due to the initiative to enforce Maths learning. This was further aggravated by the shortage of properly qualified and skilled Maths and Science teachers. The issue lies in the education departments failing to recruit talented and bright Maths and Science graduates who understand and could teach Maths and Science, these crucial skills could not be attracted into the system due to the lack of incentives and low pay. Govender Gruzd (2011) revealed shocking statistics in terms of educators in South Africa, which stated that up to 60% of the educators, had not been trained in Maths and Science, part of the main reason is that government was failing to translate their commitment to education into budgetary allocations. Education policies are drafted but the commitment lacks i.e. the scrapping of teacher colleges, inefficiency in training teachers and outdated teacher practices resulted in untrained teachers who struggled with the topics and hence imparted knowledge with a lack of foundation in content knowledge and imagination. This has created a poor foundation for the future development of Maths and Science graduates (Govender Gruzd, 2011). (Mji Makgato, 2006) said that Maths and Science are practical subjects and the teaching adopted in classes does not continually suggest practice, in the teaching of Maths and Science problems such as poor time management and incomplete syllabuses as a result of no school learning plan, continued to affect the practical method of teaching. 2.2.2 Student achievement Firstly in order to measure and gain understanding of the variances in student learning, there is a need for suitable and correct Maths and Science assessment tools. South Africas inability to participate in most Maths and Science assessments shows the countries inability to recognize the state of the problem or even a need to know how they fare in the global context so as to improve the performance of its student (Venkat, Adler, Rolinick, Setati Vhurumuku, 2011). According to Taylor (2010) the overall level of achievement amongst South African children is extremely low; this is not shocking as there are two educational systems in South Africa. The first covers 80-85% of the learners who experience the historically disadvantaged system with traits of low proficiency in reading, writing and numeracy, the second system covers the 15-20% of the students from the affluent groups who achieve world class results. The first system is further aggravated by poor school management, due to lack of resources such as textbooks, study materials and proper school facilities. Teachers who were qualified and experienced tended to flock towards the more urban and developed provinces to teach in schools with proper school management (Taylor Derekyu, 2009), hence the situation in the first system is further disadvantaged by inadequate experienced teachers who lack the proper resources or support to elevate their skills. The majorities of the graduates who obtained university entrance were produced in the second system and further enjoyed a social mobility and performance advantage. Taylor (2010) further indicated that the socio economic status was still the core indicator of student achievement as supported by the results in performance in the different school systems. The author noted the following results as conducted in a national socio-economic status, Schools which did not perform satisfactorily had not completed their curriculum coverage which in turn affected the learning capability of the students but this could be due to the learning shortfall from prior years which in turn slows the curriculum coverage. Math and Science teachers were tested in a simple maths test and the deficient teachers scored 40% or less, those with higher marks produced students who performed better in Maths and Science, these results showed the importance of teacher knowledge and experience to the student achievement. Taylor (2010) noted that the more materials were available as well the better the student performed, which concludes the point that schools which are properly managed produces better student achievement. 2.2.3 Curriculum content Although the change in curriculum by the Department of Education (2008) was an excellent initiative in terms of rendering Maths education non-negotiable, adding Maths Literacy as a mathematical wing has caused a nationwide debate The question is what is meant by mathematics in the concept of Maths literacy and the use of the word Literacy in conjunction with Maths (Vithal Bishop, 2011). Looking at the factors that contributed to the poor performance in Maths and Science, the question that arose in regards to Maths literacy was whether Maths literacy was going to contribute to the knowledge required in a Maths economy or will this addition exert pressure on the system and subsequently on to the poor performance? Table 1 below illustrates the design of the competencies that the Department of Education aimed for with the Maths, Maths Literacy and Science Curricula. According to Simkins et al (2009) the alteration of the curriculum has added up to 60% to the mathematical instructional problem since Maths or Maths literacy have become compulsory with the new National Senior Certificate changes. The CDE noted that the introduction of Maths literacy has actually resulted in students, who would have qualified to study Maths with a successive pass enroll for Maths literacy instead. This means that South Africa is losing out in terms of potential Maths graduates into the Maths and Science system (Simkins et al., 2009). 2.2.3.1 The language issue According to the findings by Wildsmith-Cromarty Gordon (2009) dialect differences cause uncertainty in terms of what the terms mean and adds difficulty in comprehension, teachers preferred to have a standardized book in the language of instruction for Maths and Science and as well in the home language for ease of reference. Probyn (2009) stated in his finding that when home language was used in class, it increased the level of class participation. The author argues that the student need to cross borders in order to understand the information within the curriculum as the wording is written as if the reader is of the mother tongue, he further adds that learning in a second language infringes on the value system of the student. Probyn (2009) argued that the issue is that learners past experiences are entrenched in their cultural and traditional beliefs, norms and values. MATHS This curriculum is designed for those who intend to follow a career path requiring Maths, or those who are interested in the subject. The competencies aimed for include: 1. Mathematical process skills, such as making conjectures, proving assertions, and modeling situations; 2. Confident calculation, with and without calculators; 3. Manipulation of algebraic expressions; 4. Financial calculations; patterns and transformation of functions; 5. Two- and three-dimensional geometry and trigonometry; 6. Basic statistics and probability; 7. Differential calculus; sequences and series; 8. Solution of unseen mathematical problems; 9. Historical development of Maths in various cultures; 10. and use of technology in calculations, and the development of models. MATHS LITERACY Maths literacy is driven by the life-related applications of Maths. It enables learners to develop the ability and confidence to think numerically and spatially in order to interpret and critically analyse everyday situations, and solve problems. The competencies aimed for include: use of numbers to solve real-life problems; modelling of situations using suitable functions and graphic representation; description, representation, and analysis of shape in two and three dimensions using geometrical skills; critical engagement with the handling of data (statistics and probability), especially the manner in which these are encountered in the media; and use of technology in calculations. PHYSICAL SCIENCE Maths introduces a more extensive range of mathematical techniques, whereas Maths literacy Starts with real-life situations and develops a more limited range of techniques to deal with them. Physical science is divided into six core knowledge areas: 1. Matter and materials (integrated); 2. Systems (chemistry); 3. Change (chemistry); 4. Mechanics (Physics); 5. Waves, sound and light (physics) and electricity and magnetism (physics) Source: Simkins et al (2007. p.36) 2.2.4 State of government Dimmock (2011) undertook research in schooling policies, the author explored the development and investigated the consequence of the policies from the changing context of the central government in terms of school relationship. The author compared the policies of two contrasting countries, which had the best performing schools in terms of international assessments, Dimmock (2011) notes that the two policies are more different than similar in the context of cultural values, politics and economic situations influences but the results are satisfactory in the global context despite the differences. In relation to the study by Dimmock (2011) it is possible to establish that governmental intervention besides the context of the country can produce results which are adequate, as long as they adopt policies which incorporate the countrys culture, politics, and economical standing. South Africas involvement in terms of school relationship is questionable beyond the budgetary relationship where South Africa spent more than any other developing country in Africa yet 80% of the overall government spending was on personnel (Taylor, 2010). In a system where teachers are underpaid, the 80% is not justifiable. Simply there has been a lack of targeted investments in innovative solutions and a strong political commitment over a long period of time to change the social compositions of schools which is more important than school spending in educational achievement (Taylor Derekyu, 2009). Education increases productivity and the overall labour market, it develops the ability to innovate and aids in the transmission of critical knowledge for the development of the country. The South African government requires this productivity, labour market and innovation in order to further transform the social compositions of schools, hence without the investment in the school relationships, the government will still lack the resources to innovate (Taylor Derekyu, 2009). 2.3 Economic impact 2.3.1 South African economy 2.3.2 China 2.3.3 Brazil 2.4 Success determinants Ndlovu (2011 as cited by Gipps, 1993:40) stated that in terms of Maths and Science education for social justice it should be structured in a way that the teacher is trained to be capable of creating learners who are able to analyze situations, conceptualize and justify critical decisions and so forth. Chipaike (2012) further stated that science formed part of the social environment and connected issues of social development; the author noted that science is not merely about manipulation of equipment and laboratory experimentation. It is about education for social development. Social development is laden not only with concepts but also skills and values such as the development of human potential, moral, cultural and gender sensitivity, participatory democracy, collaboration, unity and peace (Chipaike, 2012). Ndlovu (2011) commented that without Maths and Science, inequality in terms of opportunities and social isolation are exacerbated as Maths and Science enforces citizenship empower ment. Hickling-Hudson (2004) stated that in Cuba which has a dedicated programme to develop teachers in Maths and Science education and has outperformed all the other Latin countries, the teachers have atleast a 5 year university degree, Master or PhD level, foreign exposure in terms of expertise and also receive consistent training. Dimmock (2011) argued that a school policy which has a designated segregation of talent is more likely to achieve excellence, in Singapore they have a specialist school in science and technology, which is endorsed by the government and allocated the cream of the crop in resources. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3.1 Introduction Education in South Africa specifically in Maths and Science has an underlying deep failure rate due to reasons lin

The Effects of World War II on Kurt Vonneguts Writing :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Effects of World War II on Kurt Vonnegut's Writing February 13, 1945: Dresden, Germany. War is raging across Europe. In a deep underground meat locker beneath Schlacthof-Funf, Slaughterhouse Five, 100 American prisoners and their six German guards feel the Earth move as Royal Air Force bombers lay wreckage to the city above. They can only hear the mass terror as the greatest slaughter in European history takes place, killing an estimated 135,000 civilians and destroying cathedrals, museums, parks, and even the zoo. In the morning, after the carnage has ended, the prisoners are put to work excavating bombed-out buildings to search for the dead. One of those Americans was none other than Private Kurt Vonnegut, Junior. Vonnegut's experiences in World War II were to haunt him the rest of his life, and were to feature prominently within his writing. Two of his novels, Mother Night and Slaughterhouse Five, take place almost entirely within Hitler's Germany. The latter is perhaps Vonnegut's most autobiographical work to date, the action occurring in and around Slaughterhouse Five, the very hellhole in which he toiled for his captors. The former is no doubt less autobiographical, but the main character certainly has many things in common with his creator: an American artist within Nazi Germany, doing what he felt was necessary to stay alive and to further his work. Mother Night, ironically, was not brought about as much by Vonnegut's exposure to the Nazis in Dresden, but more from his impressions and experiences in the mid-West during the Thirties, when American Nazis were rampant in Indianapolis and his own aunt encountered the new race laws of the German Germans, but it no doubt drew heavily upon his experiences at the hands of Nazi captors and his time spent in their land. Even in the stories that do not actively portray the

Critically Analyse How the Government Debt Problems Essay

Introduction Since the Greece’s debt crisis happened, the Euro zone has to confront with a huge sovereign debt crisis, like governments’ debt increased, bond yield spreads widened, Euro exchange rate fell as well, which caused that the whole international financial markets gradually lost the confidence. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the impact of this crisis both on foreign exchange and derivative markets. And the rest words is to analyse several possible reasons why this small economy could trigger such a wide impact on global financial markets, in which contagion can be considered as the fundamental and identifiable cause during the whole spread of crisis. The Impacts of European sovereign debt crisis Foreign exchange Foreign exchange market, as the largest and the most liquid financial market, with an average daily trading volume of nearly $1.5 trillion changing hands where statistically it is superior to all US equity and Treasure markets combined (Michelle Chan, 2011), was expectedly deteriorated as well as fluctuated by the ongoing European debt sovereign crisis since 2008. On one hand, the foreign exchange market reflected considerable stress under the lingering European debt crisis. On the basis of the Financial markets Stability Map(Graph1), apparently, financial markets, particularly the foreign exchange market continued to be weaker and experienced the heightened volatility. This weakness is shown in the graph1 that risks successively increase as the movement gradually moves away from the map center. Dissimilarly, risks in the rest of three components of the financial markets stability map, banking sector funding, debt and equity markets remained largely stable as well as unchanged, compared with the foreign exchange market. Generally to say, as indicated by the trends in the Financial Stability Map, the overall stability of the financial system kept in a robust development. Graph1 Financial Stability Map [pic] Source: Bloomberg On another hand, the foreign exchange rate was deeply influenced as well, particularly the depreciation of the Euro was more prominent against non-European currencies, such as yen, the USD and the GBP, as non-European currencies was coinstantaneously affected by spillover effects from the euro-zone. According to the graph2, the euro has depreciated against the USD and Japanese yen by around 25 percent since the late 2011, but by approximately 4 to 8 percent against the UK pound. Overall, the euro has depreciated by 8 percent on a trade-weighted basis (TWI) since the mid 2011, fluctuating around its average index. Graph 2 Euro against Selected Currencies [pic] Source: Bloomberg; RBA On the contrary, according to the Graph3, the Japanese yen had been depreciated slightly and modestly against the USD from its nearest highest rate in late November 2011. Generally to say, the yen was smoothly unchanged against the US dollar during the time period of six mouths. Nevertheless, the yen has appreciated by 7 percent against the euro since late 2011, reaching a highest level during past 11 years at the beginning of 2012. Reflecting this in the graph2, Japan’s nominal trade-weighted index (TWI) has recovered to historically high levels, though it remains only above its long-run average in real term (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2012). Graph 3 Japanese Effective Exchange Rates [pic] Sourceï ¼Å¡ BIS; RBA As for the USD, it was appreciated extremely strongly against the euro since late November 2011, seen in the Graph4, but depreciated against other foreign currencies. Concerning the trade-weighted index (TWI), the USD was mostly unchanged since 2011. Graph 4 US Dollar against Selected Currencies [pic] Source: Bloomberg Oppositely, after fluctuational depreciating during the past few months, several emerging market currencies have appreciated since the beginning of 2012(Graph5). However, as the continuous concerns about spillover effects from the euro area debt crisis, emerging European currencies remained relatively weak nowadays. Graph5 Emerging Market Currencies [pic] Sources: Bloomberg; IMF; RBA Derivative Market In 2001, in order to enter European Union, Greece referred the U.S. Goldman Sachs to design the currency swaps, which facilitated Greece join the European union. Nevertheless after predicting the prospects of the Greek economy, Goldman bought German CDS credit default swap insurance and gambled that Greek could not afford such a large sum of payment of insurance that purchased the cheap CDS. When Greece debt broke out, distribute the bad news of the Greece’s pay ability to increase the price of CDS and earn the price differences. With the emergence of European debt crisis, the credit rating of some countries like Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain had been downgraded in term of there sovereign credit, which means the international markets would no longer trust these economical situation and credit rating levels. As a result,most of potential buyers and sellers of bonds in the sovereign debt market began to suspect the governments’ ability to repay its debt, and then they will require a higher bond discount rate in the potential risk of default about sovereign bond as the part of the compensation of risk premium. When the discount rate significantly exceeds the risk-free rate, the national debt will be in a rather high discount rate. In addition, the CDS price of the European countries increased rapidly. As we saw from the graph6, the Greece five years CDS price had reached to almost 1500, which reflects the buyer of the CDS have to cost a relatively higher fix rate to buy the Greece’s credit ri sk call option. Graph 6 5 years’ Sovereign CDS risk premium and Sovereign credit rating in different countries. [pic] Source: Bloomberg Another impact on derivation market is the Futures and Options. Traders and hedge funds had bet nearly $8bn ( £5.1bn) to against the euro, amassing the biggest ever short position in the single currency on fears of a euro-zone debt crisis. Figures from CME(Chicago Mercantile Exchange) illustrates that investors had enhanced their positions against the euro to record levels. This phenomena demonstrates that investors were losing confidence in the single currency’s ability to withstand any contagion from Greece’s budget problems affecting other European countries(Financial Time, 2010). Additionally, European debt crisis aggravated as the Moody turn 17 German banks rating outlook to negative on the 25th of July. The bear have the advantage in the Futures and Options market. How does the European debt crisis transmission Since the Greece was downgraded by credit rating companies, European sovereign debt crisis broke out and then intensified across the euro-zone. Other European countries like Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Germany and other primary euro-zone countries had begun to be impacted by such an unavoidable crisis(Graph 7), simultaneously the euro fell sharply. With European stock markets at rock bottom, the euro area was experiencing the most severe difficulty since its inauguration. Whist the debt crisis was unexpected expanded. As to how and why this small economies could trigger such a wide impact in financial markets, it must be the financial contagion. Graph 7 How sovereign debit crisis could spread through the Euro-zone [pic] The inter-contagion within a country could be considered as an essential cause that triggered such a wide impact in financial markets. The interconnectedness means that a crisis in one can cripple the other (Daniel and Harold, 2012). As European banks are much more deeply connected to their individual governments, euro-zone banks naturally hold large shares of their governments’ debt, like in Greece and Germany, domestic banks hold nearly 20 percent of domestic government debt, and Spanish banks hold around 30 percent (Silvia and John, 2012). So look, other financial domestic institutions may hold much domestic debt as well, such as insurance companies. Government. Spain exemplifies contagion spreading from banks to government. Spain’s banks were loaded with mortgages that went bad when the country’s housing bubble popped. Despite modest debt and budget surpluses in six of the seven years preceding the crisis (World Bank, 2007), the band crisis caused the governm ent to lose control of its financing. Generally to say, government risk could affect banks, otherwise, if banks fail, the government’s bond market customers are bankrupt (The Heritage Foundation, 2012). And moreover, with the momentum of the globalization, the world economy is becoming tightly linked, like non-euro countries’ governments or banks hold the European bonds. It means that problems in one part of the world can reverberate almost everywhere else-risking a cascade of default contagion, contracting credit and collapsing economic activity. For example, in October 2011, Italian borrowers owed French banks $366 billion (net). Should Italy be unable to finance itself, the French banking system and economy could come under significant pressure, which in turn would affect France’s creditors(Seth et al., 2011). Greece, for instance, its debt is held by a host of other EU members. Once it defaults, the ripple effect for the economy as a whole would be devastating across the region, probably the world. The statistics from the IMF illustrated that the German banks held Greek government bonds up to totaling $ 14.1 billion and $ 13.4 billion was held by French banking ind ustry. And also the China holds nearly 600 billion Euros of the European bonds. So if the debtor countries cannot pay the money on time ,not only itself but also these creditor will under a huge financial pressure. This is simply showed by the MF Global who is the biggest victims in the European debt crisis that Global voted to file for bankruptcy. The main reason why MF Global got into financial trouble is because it bought over 6 billion U.S. dollars in European sovereign debt, mainly related to the national debt of countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Belgium. Finally, European debt crisis have the first victims outside the region of the Europe. Thus,the connection each economic system makes the risk contagious simply. Apart from those mentioned above, an alternative way for this crisis transmission is the relation among correlation coefficients in the conditional correlation model (DCC),which may be related to herding behaviour, specially the rating agency continually reduced euro-zone counties’ grades and as well as influences formed the short-selling speculators.Some studies estimated a dynamic conditional correlation model (DCC) in order to analyse the correlation structure of Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Belgian and Austrian bond yield spreads over the German yield to study contagion in the Euro Area. In particular, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Belgian yield spreads do increase along with their Greek counterpart. Thus it seems that Greek financial problems could spread via contagion to other Euro Area countries. As European counties are related, if it is more likely for similarly bad rated countries to sustain a rating cut once Greek was downgraded, then for such countries the control variable should have a positive impact on the correlation coefficients(Sebastian and Sebastian, 2011). Therefore in terms of European debt crisis, contagion occurs when investors believe that other countries, in addition to the original country facing economic crisis, pose a risk of finance loss and act accordingly(Lia Menà ©nde, 2012). And according to the Herd Instinctï ¼Å'other European countries, to some extend, would be influenced,particularly for those counties who had been facing such problems. Due to the European sovereign debt crisis not only impacted the bond market, the equity market, money market and foreign exchange market, even the whole world was also affected. As all the country has International Reserves, Gold Reserves and Foreign Exchange Reserves, it can be evidently reflected that a bigger concern would be jitters over if sovereign debt become less focused on euro-zone and more global. As the stock price declined, and the euro devaluated, Europe’s crisis will no longer be Europe’ s along. It would affect the global trade balances even. Conclusion Since the early 2010, the Euro Area faced a severe sovereign debt crisis, resulting from government deficits and debt levels which triggered rating agencies subsequently to downgrade the credit ratings of nine euro area sovereigns, thereby creating a loss of confidence in financial markets. Learning from this crisis, bank should increase their capital to counteract the loss and passive influences of the crisis. And meanwhile, governments need to broaden revenue and strengthen the budget management, as well as control the government debt reasonably, particularly, investors’ confidence should be reactuated urgently. Reference [1] Chan, M. (2011) Robin Hood Meets Wall Street (online). Poole: Friends of the Earth. Available from: http://www.foe.org/news/archives/2011-02-robin-hood-meets-wall-street (Accessed 22 Feb 2011). [2] Reserve Bank Of Australia(2012). Statement on Monetary Police (online). Available from: http://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/2012/feb/html/intl-fx-mkts.html (Assessed 9 August 2012). [3] Financial Time,2010:’raders in record bet against the euro’ (online)Available from:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9203f08c-151a-11df-ad58-00144feab49a.html#axzz2BOITU3eG [4] Daniel, W. and Harold, H. (2012). Spain’s Banks, Government Co-Dependent on Debt . Associated Press. June 25, 2012. Available from:http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Spain-s-banks-government-co-dependent-on-debt-3660227.php (Accessed June 26, 2012) [5] Silvia Merler and John Pisani-Ferry (2012), Who’s Afraid of Sovereign Bonds?†Bruegel Policy Contribution. No. 2012/02, February 2012. Available from: http://docs.jean-jaures.net/NL470/21.pdf (Accessed June 26, 2012). [6] World Bank, World Development Indicators. Cash Surplus/Deficit as % of GDP 2001–2007. [7] Furth, S. and Ligon, J. L. (2012) How Contagious Is Europe’s Economic Crisis? Backgrounder (online), No.2726. Available from: http://report.heritage.org/bg2726 (Accessed 18 Sep. 2012). [8] Seth W. Feaster; Nelson D. Schwartz; Tom Kuntz (2011-10-22). â€Å"NYT-It’s All Connected-A Spectators Guide to the Euro Crisis†. New York Times Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/10/22/opinion/20111023_DATAPOINTS.html?ref=sunday-review. Retrieved 2012-05-14. [9] Sebastian Missio;Sebastian Watzka,(2011-08-31).†Financial Contagion and the European Debt Crisis†Journal of Economic Literature, E43, E44, E63. p2. [10] Menà ©ndez, L.(2012). The spread of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis(online). Available from: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:IaD0olBUZ2kJ:ebook.law.uiowa.edu/ebook/sites/default/files/Spread%2520of%2520the%2520European%2520Sovereign%2520Debt%2520Crisis.pdf+The+spread+of+the+European+Sovereign+Debt+Crisis&hl=zh-CN&

Diffusion and Osmosis

The Effects of Osmosis and Diffusion The experimentation of last week’s lab was in order to test the many effects of diffusion and osmosis amongst four experiments. One such experiment was testing the effects of molecular weight on diffusion in relation to the use of Agar. The methods performed included the use of two acids, HCl and acetic acid. Both acids were placed into an Agar-filled dish and, over increments of 15 minutes, data collection was taken based off the diffusion rate and the diameter length of both the HCl and the Acetic Acid.The resulting factor was the HCl exhibited a greater rate of diffusion, directly resulting in a lager diameter. This implies that the HCl ultimately has a smaller molecular weight. The next experiment was based off osmosis of an animal cell; a chicken egg. After submerging two different chicken eggs in distilled water and 10% salt water, once again intervals of 15 minute data collection was taken for a total of one hour. After each interval the weight in grams was taken and then the eggs were placed back into the solution for further analysis.Ultimately, the egg in distilled water exhibited an increase in weight while the egg in salt water was the opposite; a decrease in weight. This conclusion proves that water diffusion occurs from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution. Osmosis in a plant cell was tested by comparing an Elodea cell in pond, distilled, and salt water. After obtaining samples of the Elodea cell and preparing a wet mount of each leaf using all three types of water, observations of the cells in a compound microscope was the next step.From there, comparisons of all three types of solutions in order to determine the apparent differences in osmosis were needed. When examined, the cell in pond water was not as defined; this result implied that water left the hypotonic cytoplasm of the cells causing it to wither in a way. Introduction In order to conduct the experiments of this lab, a hypothesis is n o doubt necessary. In reference to the effects of molecular weight on diffusion a person is lead to believe that since the atomic mass unit of Acetic Acid is greater than that of HCl, the rate of diffusion of Acetic Acid will be slower and therefore produce a smaller diameter.As stated by Watson (2011), â€Å"larger molecules diffuse more slowly because of resistance from molecules of the medium. † This â€Å"medium† is the means of passing through the spaces in between a molecule. This was as well stated by (Watson 2011). Reiterating what was described, unlike smaller molecules, which can fit through a medium more easily, in turn allowing for a faster and more sufficient means of diffusion, a larger molecule has the resistance from a specific medium, which in a way is pulling back molecules therefore causing a prolonged time of diffusion.This resistance is a direct correlation and explanation as to why the diffusion rate of a relatively larger molecule exhibits a long er rate of diffusion, as with the comparison of hydrochloric acid and acetic acid, and ultimately the purpose of this experiment. Based on the background information acquired on osmosis of an animal cell, it is safe to assume that after each interval of fifteen minutes, the weight of the animal cell in distilled water will continually grow, while the egg in salt water will decrease in weight.Derived from information provided by (Fisher, Williams, & Lineback 2011), an animal cell, which is hypertonic, placed into a hypotonic solution of distilled water will cause water to diffuse into the hypertonic cell, seeing as diffusion occurs from hypotonic to a hypertonic solution. With any type of diffusion process, the particles that are being diffused tend to travel from a concentration that is greater to one that is smaller; moving down in the concentration gradient. This is the direct result of the increase in weight of the animal cell in the experiment.In relation to a chicken egg, the l argest living cell, it is predicted that the containing molecules will be too large to pass the membrane and water will flow into the egg (Reece 2011). The matter of the animal egg being placed into a solution of 10% salt is the directly opposite of the above stated. Osmosis within a plant cell placed in pond water will show a wilted cell wall based on the continual impeding force of the water on the wall. Aquatic plants tend to be hypertonic in their natural environment causing the plant to exhibit a â€Å"swollen† or turgid structure.Materials and Methods In order to accurately and sufficiently test the hypothesis of the effects of molecular weight on diffusion, agar was one substance that was used. Agar in the presence of acids turns from a yellowish color to a more violet color. This same dish contained to holes with which two acids could be placed-HCl and acetic acid. From basic chemistry knowledge one knows that the molecular weight of HCl in comparison to Acetic Acid i s smaller in size; that information was given from Watson (2011).This is significant because it will later give way to the rate of diffusion of the two different acids. Constant observations, recordings, and measurements were required for this experiment, only in the intervals of 15 minutes. Over a period of one hour it was noticeable that the HCl exhibited a greater rate of diffusion and a great length in diameter, in comparison to acetic acid. The most important factor when dealing with this diffusion experiment, was the methods taken to prove that HCl had a greater rate of diffusion than acetic acid.Initially, soaking a chicken egg in a small solution of acetic acid and 2 parts tap water will allow for better experimentation of the rate of osmosis of an animal cell. The overall scope of this particular experiment was to weigh two eggs using a triple beam balance in order to get an initial weight of the eggs before beginning the process of the lab. After doing so, the eggs were pl aced into two solutions, one being distilled water and the other 10% salt. Proceeding these steps were the 15 minute intervals of time, and after, a recording of the weight of the egg.This process was done until a total of 60 minutes was reached for both the distilled water solution and the 10% salt solution. After acquiring all results and data, a conclusion could be based. Once acquiring three samples of Elodea leaves, preparing three different wet mounts was the following step. From there, after ten minutes an observation of all the samples under a compound microscope was the following method needed in order to determine the characteristics of the leaves. The leaf in the pond water demonstrated the leaf cell in â€Å"normal† conditions, while the distilled water and NaCl were not â€Å"normal† conditions.Results The findings of the effects of molecular weight diffusion conclude that ultimately the molecular weight of a molecule affects the rate of diffusion directly . The greater the weight, the slower the diffusion process will be; that was the case for acetic acid, and it was in part due to the diffusion of particles through the medium. In addition to that, the measurement of the diameter of both acids also was directly affected by the molecular rate. All the comparisons in the diameter readings of the two acids can be found in table 2.All readings for both acids were taken over an increment of 15 minutes for an hour. In total, HCl produced a larger diameter due to its smaller amu. See table 2. In comparing the affects of distilled water to 10% salt water and the rate of osmosis of an animal cell, the rate of osmosis proved most sufficient in distilled water, rather than in the salt water, with an apparent increasing weight distribution in the distilled water, and a decrease in weight in the salt water. These changes in weight loss and gain are exhibited in Table 1.Even though it is obvious that both eggs exhibited either weight loss or gain, both eggs also showed a sudden spike it the gain or loss around the time frame of 15 minutes and 45 minutes, yet again illustrated in Table 1. Discussion After conducting the diffusion experiment using agar and examining the results, it is apparent what the outcome of diffusion is when comparing HCl and acetic acid atomic weights. It is as well safe to assume the resulting outcomes of future comparisons of two molecules of with different atomic mass units.The use of agar in this specific experiment is much useful due to the properties and characteristics of the extract. The agar, in the presence of an acid, turns from a yellowish color to one that is pink; because of this characteristic, it was possible to measure the distance from the center outward of the agar when placed into a dish of HCl and acetic acid (Watson 2011). As explained before, these measurements allowed for sufficient data in determining the rate off diffusion for both acids. Table 2 will provide a visual for the d ata that was collected from the experiment.In the end, a conclusion was established that the rate of diffusion was most prominent in HCl, the acid with the smallest amu. Simply the definition of diffusion itself will aid in understanding why molecules of a higher molecular weight will diffuse slower in comparison to one of a smaller weight. Any substance will diffuse down its concentration gradient, the region along which the density of a chemical substance decreases (Reece 2011). It is understood that the molecular weight is how much mass a substance has, and mass can be determined by how tightly packed particles are-density.A molecule with a high mass, ultimately a high density, will illustrate a slower rate of diffusion. With regards to the cell that is the egg, the rate of osmosis proved to be greater in the distilled water as compared to that of the 10% salt. This is in part due to the size of the particles that make up the egg as well as surround the egg. If there is a higher concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the surrounding solution, then water will tend to leave the cell (Reece 2011). This definition provides an understanding of what is happening to the egg when it is submerged into the 10% salt solution.Comparing the egg to the salt solution, there is a higher concentration of nonpenetrating solute in the salt solution, nonpenetrating being the particles that cannot cross the membrane, and this in return allows water to leave the egg which ultimately causes dehydration for the egg, resulting in weight loss recorded in Table 1. The complete opposite is the case for the distilled water which would result in weight gain for the egg. Literature Cited Fisher, K. , Williams, K. , & Lineback, J. (2011). Osmosis and diffusion conceptual assessment. CBE Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 418-429. doi: 10. 187/cbe. 11-04-0038 Reece, J. B. 2011. Campbell Biology. 9th ed. San Francisco (CA): Pearson Education Inc. 125-139 p. Watson, C. M. (2011). Diffusion and osmosis. In Biology 1441 Laboratory: Cellular and Molecular Biology (pp. 76-91). Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions. Tables and Figures Figure 1 percentage change in wait of eggs between 15 minute intervals [pic] |Weight of Egg (grams) | |Time Water 10% Salt | |0 75. 60 91. 65 | |15 76. 00 91. 46 | |30 76. 10 91. 39 | |45 76. 10 91. 5 | |60 76. 10 91. 23 | Table 1 A comparison in weight and change of each egg in DI water and a 10% salt solution. |Start time |HCl |Acetic Acid | | |15 min |16 mm |16 mm | | |30 min |18 mm |19 mm | | |45 min |23 mm |22mm | | Table 2 ———————– 60 min26mm23 mm Diffusion and Osmosis Kristen Demaline Bio 1113, Lab 3: Diffusion and Osmosis Osmolarity of Plant Cells In this class, we learned about hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions. Hypertonic solutions have a higher concentration of solutes outside of the membrane, hypotonic solutions have a lower concentration of solutes outside the membrane, and isotonic solutions have an equal amount of solutes inside and outside of the membrane (Morgan & Carter, 66). When the solute concentration is not equal, the water concentration is not equal, so water will move from a higher concentration to a lower concentration in a process called osmosis.In this experiment, we cut 4 pieces of potato, weighed them, and let each soak in a different sucrose solution for about an hour and a half. Our solutions consisted of distilled water (. 0 sucrose molarity), . 1 sucrose molarity, . 3 sucrose molarity, and . 6 sucrose molarity. Our question was â€Å"which solutions are hypertonic, which are hypotonic, and which are isotonic ? †. This can all be determined through weight change. We hypothesized that distilled water would be a hypotonic solution, the . 1M would be a hypotonic solution, the . 3M would be an isotonic solution, and the . 6M would be a hypertonic solution. We thought that . M would be the isotonic solution because its molarity is in the middle. If . 3M is in fact an isotonic solution, then the water concentration is the same inside and outside of the membrane and there should be no water movement resulting in no weight change. If distilled water and . 1M are hypotonic solutions, then the concentration of water is higher on the outside, so water will move into the potato where water concentration is lower, causing a weight gain. Finally if . 6M is hypertonic, then water concentration is lower on the outside, so water will move from the inside of the potato to the solution, causing the potato to lose weight.After about an hour and a half we took the potato pieces out of the solutions the y were soaking in, patted the water off of them, and weighed them for a second time. The initial weight and final weight was recorded, which can be seen in Table 1. The potato piece that was soaking in the distilled water had a 3. 1% weight gain, and the potato piece that was soaking in . 1M sucrose had a 2. 1% weight gain. The potato piece had no weight change in the . 3M sucrose solution. And the potato piece that was soaking in . 6M sucrose solution had a 5. 7% weight loss.The weight changes can be easily seen in Graph 1. Table 1: Change in Weight |Sucrose Molarity: |0M |0. 1M |0. 3M |0. 6M | |final weight (g) |16. 4 |14. 7 |17. 7 |13. 2 | |initial weight (g) |15. 9 |14. 4 |17. 7 |14 | |weight change (g) |0. 5 |0. 3 |0 |0. 8 | |%change in weight |3. 10% |2. 0% |0% |5. 70% | Graph 1: [pic] As you can see, the results supported our hypothesis. Distilled water is a hypotonic solution, which makes sense because there is no concentration of solute in it. The water moved to the potato because the potato has more sucrose concentration, meaning a lower water concentration. The potato that was soaking in . 1M sucrose solution also gained weight as an effect of having a lower water concentration inside, but its weight gain percentage was lower because the solution had more solute than the distilled water. The potato soaking in . M sucrose solution had no change because the concentration of sucrose was the same in the potato as it was in the solution, as we predicted. The potato lost weight in the . 6M sucrose solution because the amount of sucrose inside the potato was less than the solution causing water movement from the potato to the solution. These results clearly demonstrate the process of osmosis. The water moved from a region where concentration is higher to a region where concentration is lower in every case, just like it would in a cell. Of course there is always a possibility of human error in weighing, labeling, and so on.One mistake our group made was tha t we forgot to look at the time when we put the potatoes in the solution, so we took them out a couple minute after the group next to us took theirs out, since we started at about the same time. When our results were compared to the results of other groups, they still seemed to match up. Repeating the experiment multiple times would give even clearer results. Diffusion of Starch, Salt, and Glucose Diffusion is when molecules move from an area where they are high in concentration to an area where they are low in concentration (Morgan & Carter, 66).In this experiment, we tested the ability of certain substances to pass through a semi-permeable membrane in the process of diffusion. Our semi-permeable membrane was dialysis tubing that was presoaked in water. We tied one end of the tubing with string, filled it with a solution that contained starch, salt, and glucose, and then we tied the other end. We weighed it, so we could later weigh it to discover if there was any weight change. We then placed the dialysis tubing into a beaker of distilled water.Our question was â€Å"which of these substances would be able to pass through the dialysis tubing, or semi-permeable membrane? †. After we let the tubing soak for 30 minutes, we could test for the presence of starch, salt, and glucose using 3 tests (iodine test for starch, silver nitrate test for salt, and Benedict’s reagent for glucose). Our hypothesis was that we would find the presence of all three substances in the distilled water. We thought this because we knew that molecules naturally diffuse when surrounded with an area with less concentration, but we didn’t know how much the semi-permeable membrane would interfere.Our other hypothesis was that water would enter the tubing as substances escaped it. We thought that due to osmosis, the water would move from the area of higher concentration (outside the tubing) to the area of lower concentration (inside the tubing). If our hypothesis was corr ect and all substances made it through the membrane, then we would expect to see the tubing gain weight and the original distilled water test positive for each substance, using our 3 tests, after the 30 minutes.To carry out the tests we had a positive control for each substance. The positive controls allowed us to see the results of the tests when we knew the solution contained the substances being tested for. We filled 3 test tubes with the starch/salt/glucose solution (positive controls) and 3 test tubes with the distilled water that the dialysis tubing had been soaking in. We put three drops of iodine in a positive control test tube, and three drops into a distilled water test tube to test for starch.Then we put five drops of silver nitrate into a positive control test tube, and five drops into a distilled water test tube to test for salt. Lastly, we put five drops of Benedict’s reagent into a positive control test tube, five drops into a distilled water test tube, and pla ced them both into boiling water to test for glucose. We recorded the color of each, which can be found in Table 2. We also weighed the tubing after it had soaked for 30 minutes and recorded it with the initial weight, which can be found in Graph 2. Table 2: Results of Diffusion Tests Test tube |Initial color |Final color | |starch pos control |cloudy, white |dark purple | |starch experiment |clear |yellow | |salt pos control |cloudy, white |cloudy, white | |salt experiment |clear |cloudy, white | |glucose pos control |cloudy, white |orange | |glucose experiment |clear |orange |Graph 2: [pic] If we look at Table 2 we see that we got the same color in the distilled water as we got in the positive control for the salt test and the glucose test, meaning that the distilled water tested positive for those substances. For the starch test, the positive control turned dark purple, but the distilled water turned yellow, meaning that it tested negative. If these results are correct, then star ch was unable to pass through the semi-permeable membrane. This made our hypothesis false, but not completely. We were still correct about the salt and the glucose making it throught the membrane.Our other hypothesis was correct. Graph 2 displays a weight gain showing that osmosis occured, like predicted. Just like with every experiment, there is room for human error. In this experiment, a mistake that could easily be made is with tying the ends of the tubing and making sure there is no leaks. That mistake could even go unnoticed leading to false results, because it makes it look like the substances made it through the membrane when in actuallity the substances accidently spilled into the distilled water. I think these experiments were successful in demonstrating diffusion and osmosis.The diffusion experiment clearly showed that substances move down a concentration gradient until concentration is equal everywhere, unless something is holding the substances back, like a membrane. The osmosis experiment showed that water always moves down its concentration gradient also. They both showed a search for balance, or equilibrium, on a level that is hard to see without investigation. References Morgan, J. G. and M. E. B. Carter. 2013. Energy Transfer and Development Lab Manual. Pearson Learning Solutions, Boston, MA.    |Points |Self-Assessment |Total Earned | |Introduction |2 |  2 |   | |Results |2 |  2 |   | |Figures/Tables |3 |  3 |   | |Discussion |3 |  3 |   | |Total |10 |  10 |   | Diffusion and Osmosis Kristen Demaline Bio 1113, Lab 3: Diffusion and Osmosis Osmolarity of Plant Cells In this class, we learned about hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions. Hypertonic solutions have a higher concentration of solutes outside of the membrane, hypotonic solutions have a lower concentration of solutes outside the membrane, and isotonic solutions have an equal amount of solutes inside and outside of the membrane (Morgan & Carter, 66). When the solute concentration is not equal, the water concentration is not equal, so water will move from a higher concentration to a lower concentration in a process called osmosis.In this experiment, we cut 4 pieces of potato, weighed them, and let each soak in a different sucrose solution for about an hour and a half. Our solutions consisted of distilled water (. 0 sucrose molarity), . 1 sucrose molarity, . 3 sucrose molarity, and . 6 sucrose molarity. Our question was â€Å"which solutions are hypertonic, which are hypotonic, and which are isotonic ? †. This can all be determined through weight change. We hypothesized that distilled water would be a hypotonic solution, the . 1M would be a hypotonic solution, the . 3M would be an isotonic solution, and the . 6M would be a hypertonic solution. We thought that . M would be the isotonic solution because its molarity is in the middle. If . 3M is in fact an isotonic solution, then the water concentration is the same inside and outside of the membrane and there should be no water movement resulting in no weight change. If distilled water and . 1M are hypotonic solutions, then the concentration of water is higher on the outside, so water will move into the potato where water concentration is lower, causing a weight gain. Finally if . 6M is hypertonic, then water concentration is lower on the outside, so water will move from the inside of the potato to the solution, causing the potato to lose weight.After about an hour and a half we took the potato pieces out of the solutions the y were soaking in, patted the water off of them, and weighed them for a second time. The initial weight and final weight was recorded, which can be seen in Table 1. The potato piece that was soaking in the distilled water had a 3. 1% weight gain, and the potato piece that was soaking in . 1M sucrose had a 2. 1% weight gain. The potato piece had no weight change in the . 3M sucrose solution. And the potato piece that was soaking in . 6M sucrose solution had a 5. 7% weight loss.The weight changes can be easily seen in Graph 1. Table 1: Change in Weight |Sucrose Molarity: |0M |0. 1M |0. 3M |0. 6M | |final weight (g) |16. 4 |14. 7 |17. 7 |13. 2 | |initial weight (g) |15. 9 |14. 4 |17. 7 |14 | |weight change (g) |0. 5 |0. 3 |0 |0. 8 | |%change in weight |3. 10% |2. 0% |0% |5. 70% | Graph 1: [pic] As you can see, the results supported our hypothesis. Distilled water is a hypotonic solution, which makes sense because there is no concentration of solute in it. The water moved to the potato because the potato has more sucrose concentration, meaning a lower water concentration. The potato that was soaking in . 1M sucrose solution also gained weight as an effect of having a lower water concentration inside, but its weight gain percentage was lower because the solution had more solute than the distilled water. The potato soaking in . M sucrose solution had no change because the concentration of sucrose was the same in the potato as it was in the solution, as we predicted. The potato lost weight in the . 6M sucrose solution because the amount of sucrose inside the potato was less than the solution causing water movement from the potato to the solution. These results clearly demonstrate the process of osmosis. The water moved from a region where concentration is higher to a region where concentration is lower in every case, just like it would in a cell. Of course there is always a possibility of human error in weighing, labeling, and so on.One mistake our group made was tha t we forgot to look at the time when we put the potatoes in the solution, so we took them out a couple minute after the group next to us took theirs out, since we started at about the same time. When our results were compared to the results of other groups, they still seemed to match up. Repeating the experiment multiple times would give even clearer results. Diffusion of Starch, Salt, and Glucose Diffusion is when molecules move from an area where they are high in concentration to an area where they are low in concentration (Morgan & Carter, 66).In this experiment, we tested the ability of certain substances to pass through a semi-permeable membrane in the process of diffusion. Our semi-permeable membrane was dialysis tubing that was presoaked in water. We tied one end of the tubing with string, filled it with a solution that contained starch, salt, and glucose, and then we tied the other end. We weighed it, so we could later weigh it to discover if there was any weight change. We then placed the dialysis tubing into a beaker of distilled water.Our question was â€Å"which of these substances would be able to pass through the dialysis tubing, or semi-permeable membrane? †. After we let the tubing soak for 30 minutes, we could test for the presence of starch, salt, and glucose using 3 tests (iodine test for starch, silver nitrate test for salt, and Benedict’s reagent for glucose). Our hypothesis was that we would find the presence of all three substances in the distilled water. We thought this because we knew that molecules naturally diffuse when surrounded with an area with less concentration, but we didn’t know how much the semi-permeable membrane would interfere.Our other hypothesis was that water would enter the tubing as substances escaped it. We thought that due to osmosis, the water would move from the area of higher concentration (outside the tubing) to the area of lower concentration (inside the tubing). If our hypothesis was corr ect and all substances made it through the membrane, then we would expect to see the tubing gain weight and the original distilled water test positive for each substance, using our 3 tests, after the 30 minutes.To carry out the tests we had a positive control for each substance. The positive controls allowed us to see the results of the tests when we knew the solution contained the substances being tested for. We filled 3 test tubes with the starch/salt/glucose solution (positive controls) and 3 test tubes with the distilled water that the dialysis tubing had been soaking in. We put three drops of iodine in a positive control test tube, and three drops into a distilled water test tube to test for starch.Then we put five drops of silver nitrate into a positive control test tube, and five drops into a distilled water test tube to test for salt. Lastly, we put five drops of Benedict’s reagent into a positive control test tube, five drops into a distilled water test tube, and pla ced them both into boiling water to test for glucose. We recorded the color of each, which can be found in Table 2. We also weighed the tubing after it had soaked for 30 minutes and recorded it with the initial weight, which can be found in Graph 2. Table 2: Results of Diffusion Tests Test tube |Initial color |Final color | |starch pos control |cloudy, white |dark purple | |starch experiment |clear |yellow | |salt pos control |cloudy, white |cloudy, white | |salt experiment |clear |cloudy, white | |glucose pos control |cloudy, white |orange | |glucose experiment |clear |orange |Graph 2: [pic] If we look at Table 2 we see that we got the same color in the distilled water as we got in the positive control for the salt test and the glucose test, meaning that the distilled water tested positive for those substances. For the starch test, the positive control turned dark purple, but the distilled water turned yellow, meaning that it tested negative. If these results are correct, then star ch was unable to pass through the semi-permeable membrane. This made our hypothesis false, but not completely. We were still correct about the salt and the glucose making it throught the membrane.Our other hypothesis was correct. Graph 2 displays a weight gain showing that osmosis occured, like predicted. Just like with every experiment, there is room for human error. In this experiment, a mistake that could easily be made is with tying the ends of the tubing and making sure there is no leaks. That mistake could even go unnoticed leading to false results, because it makes it look like the substances made it through the membrane when in actuallity the substances accidently spilled into the distilled water. I think these experiments were successful in demonstrating diffusion and osmosis.The diffusion experiment clearly showed that substances move down a concentration gradient until concentration is equal everywhere, unless something is holding the substances back, like a membrane. The osmosis experiment showed that water always moves down its concentration gradient also. They both showed a search for balance, or equilibrium, on a level that is hard to see without investigation. References Morgan, J. G. and M. E. B. Carter. 2013. Energy Transfer and Development Lab Manual. Pearson Learning Solutions, Boston, MA.    |Points |Self-Assessment |Total Earned | |Introduction |2 |  2 |   | |Results |2 |  2 |   | |Figures/Tables |3 |  3 |   | |Discussion |3 |  3 |   | |Total |10 |  10 |   |

4 Tips for Writing Stellar Dartmouth Essays

4 Tips for Writing Stellar Dartmouth Essays SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is one of the best universities in the world. A member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth has notable graduates, top-of-the-line programs, and a miniscule admissions rate. If you want to be one of the % of students accepted to Dartmouth every year, you’ll need to write some amazing essays as part of your application’s Dartmouth supplement. In this post, I’ll talk about what the Dartmouth essay prompts are, which essays you can choose to write, and how to craft standout responses that’ll help ensure your admission. What Are the Dartmouth Essay Prompts? You can apply to Dartmouth using the Common or Coalition Application. No matter which application you choose, you’ll also have to submit the Dartmouth Supplement. Part of the Dartmouth Supplement involves answering two writing prompts. The first writing prompt is short (100 words or less) and required of all students. For the second essay, you’ll get to choose one of six prompts to write a 250-300 word response. According to Dartmouth’s website, â€Å"the writing supplement includes questions specific to Dartmouth that help the Admissions Committee gain a better sense of how you and Dartmouth might be a good â€Å"fit† for each other.† Basically, that means that the Dartmouth Admissions Committee wants to know who you are†¦ and how you’ll fit in on Dartmouth’s campus. Your Dartmouth supplemental essays give the admissions committee a chance to get to know you beyond your test scores and other credentials. The essays will give Dartmouth a better idea of how you think and act, so they can see if you would be a great addition to the student body. Similarly, the essays also give the admissions committee a chance to assess your passion for Dartmouth - how badly do you really want to go there? The more you can show your passion for Dartmouth, the better. Let’s take a look at the Dartmouth essay prompts. Dartmouth Essay Prompts Here are the 2018-19 Dartmouth Essay Prompts. All students must answer the first prompt of the Dartmouth essays (100 words or less) and must choose one of the second set of Dartmouth essays as well (250-300 words). Please respond in 100 words or less: While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: â€Å"It is, Sir†¦a small college. And yet, there are those who love it!† As you seek admission to the Class of 2023, what aspects of the College’s program, community or campus environment attract your interest? Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250-300 words: â€Å"I have no special talent,† Albert Einstein once observed. â€Å"I am only passionately curious.† Celebrate your curiosity. The Hawaiian word mo’olelo is often translated as â€Å"story† but it can also refer to history, legend, genealogy, and tradition. Use one of these translations to introduce yourself. â€Å"You can’t use up creativity,† Maya Angelou mused. â€Å"The more you use, the more you have.† Share a creative moment or impulse- in any form- that inspired creativity in your life. In the aftermath of World War II, Dartmouth President John Sloane Dickey, Class of 1929, proclaimed, â€Å"The world’s troubles are your troubles†¦and there is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix.† Which of the world’s â€Å"troubles† inspires you to act? How might your course of study at Dartmouth prepare you to address it? In The Bingo Palace, author Louise Erdrich, Class of 1976, writes, â€Å"†¦no one gets wise enough to really understand the heart of another, though it is the task of our life to try.† Discuss. Emmy and Grammy winner Donald Glover is a 21st century Renaissance man- an actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, singer, songwriter, rapper, and DJ. And yet the versatile storyteller and performer recently told an interviewer, â€Å"The thing I imagine myself being in the future doesn’t exist yet.† Can you relate? Dartmouth Essays Analyzed Let’s take a look at the Dartmouth essay prompts for 2018-19. Dartmouth Essay Prompt 1 Please respond in 100 words or less: While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: â€Å"It is, Sir†¦a small college. And yet, there are those who love it!† As you seek admission to the Class of 2023, what aspects of the College’s program, community or campus environment attract your interest? All Dartmouth students are required to answer this prompt and for good reason - it’s the â€Å"Why Dartmouth† essay! This essay shows the admissions committee why Dartmouth is the right school for you. At only 100 words, this prompt doesn’t give you a lot of room to expand upon your favorite parts of the College, so you should pick one or two aspects of Dartmouth that you really love and focus on those. The prompt encourages you to talk about the program, community, or campus, so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to academics. You can talk about other things about Dartmouth that interest you, such as the student life or extracurricular activities. Whichever features you choose to highlight, make sure your connection to them is real and personal. In other words, don’t just say you’re a fan of Dartmouth’s sterling academic reputation. Instead, focus on a specific part of that reputation - a professor whose work you admire or a class that you really want to take. Dartmouth Essay Prompt 2 Dartmouth’s longer essay prompts give you plenty of room to think creatively and show off your individuality. All students are required to pick and answer one of the prompts in 250-300 words. Let’s take a look at the prompts and examine how to answer them. â€Å"I have no special talent,† Albert Einstein once observed. â€Å"I am only passionately curious.† Celebrate your curiosity. This prompt is a great opportunity to show off something that may not be your greatest academic strength but still captures your interest. If, for instance, you’re pursuing a degree in engineering, but have an unending passion for Russian literature, this prompt is a great opportunity to highlight that dichotomy. Feel free to discuss the most arcane and seemingly inconsequential of your interests here. If you’ve spent hours researching the genealogy of the Tudor family or can recite the names of all the major constellations in each hemisphere, celebrate that! Don’t worry that your curiosity is uninteresting or unimpressive - whatever it is, enjoy it. The Hawaiian word mo’olelo is often translated as â€Å"story† but it can also refer to history, legend, genealogy, and tradition. Use one of these translations to introduce yourself. How did you become you? Was it the influence of your family? An important moment in your life? A defining experience with a piece of art or literature? Whatever made you, you, this essay is the chance to share it. Don’t feel confined to traditional, linear methods of storytelling in this prompt. You can play around with form and structure, as long as you do it well. Get an advisor or mentor to read your work and offer feedback, especially if you deviate from your typical style. Something to remember - a story that is legendary to you and your history doesn’t have to be monumental to everyone else. What’s important is that the moment you choose is important to you. â€Å"You can’t use up creativity,† Maya Angelou mused. â€Å"The more you use, the more you have.† Share a creative moment or impulse- in any form- that inspired creativity in your life. This prompt is another fun opportunity to explore your interests outside of academia. What have you created? Maybe you learned how to create pop up cards and gift them to your family and friends every holiday. Maybe you learned how to cook a delicious meal while on study abroad. Whatever has sparked your interest, celebrate it! Notice that the prompt asks you to share a creative moment or impulse - you don’t need to think of something huge or earth-shattering here. Focus on something small. It doesn’t even need to have created large reverberations in your life, but it should say something about you and your interests. In the aftermath of World War II, Dartmouth President John Sloane Dickey, Class of 1929, proclaimed, â€Å"The world’s troubles are your troubles†¦and there is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix.† Which of the world’s â€Å"troubles† inspires you to act? How might your course of study at Dartmouth prepare you to address it? This prompt is more tangible and concrete than the others available for selection. If you feel intimidated by discussing your creativity or personal history, this prompt is a good one to choose. This prompt asks you to pick a real-world issue (aka, trouble) and discuss how it inspires you to act. The second part of the prompt asks you to talk about how your coursework at Dartmouth will help you solve this problem. It’s important to answer both parts of the prompt - you need to explain why Dartmouth is the correct place to learn how to solve the trouble of your choosing. Speaking of the trouble, don’t feel like you have to pick something grand and far-reaching, like starvation or world peace. You can also pick an issue that affects people locally, in your community, for instance. The key is to pick a topic that you have a personal connection to and reason for wanting to fix. Your passion will come across in your description of the issue. In The Bingo Palace, author Louise Erdrich, Class of 1976, writes, â€Å"†¦no one gets wise enough to really understand the heart of another, though it is the task of our life to try.† Discuss. This prompt offers a lot of room for creativity and interpretation. The basic gist of the prompt is that none of us can really understand each other, no matter how much we try to. There are always barriers that remain. Now, you don’t need to agree with the statement put forth by Erdrich to respond to this prompt. The word â€Å"discuss† indicates that Erdrich’s thesis is open for interpretation - you can agree or disagree with her. The key to this prompt is to bring real-world experience to the table. Perhaps you spent some time living in a different culture and felt that you were really able to understand the people you resided amongst, despite your differences. You can push back against Erdrich and elaborate on that. Or, on the other hand, maybe you spent time living abroad and still felt separate from the people you encountered. In that case, you can agree with Erdrich. You don’t need to land on one side or the other of the argument here - what you need to do is state your opinion and defend it with your experience. Emmy and Grammy winner Donald Glover is a 21st century Renaissance man- an actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, singer, songwriter, rapper, and DJ. And yet the versatile storyteller and performer recently told an interviewer, â€Å"The thing I imagine myself being in the future doesn’t exist yet.† Can you relate? Here we have our final prompt and, surprise, surprise, it leaves a lot of room open for interpretation! You can go in almost any direction for this prompt - as it says, you’re coming up with an idea that doesn’t exist yet. In this prompt, you want to look to the future: where will you be in five years? Ten? To make your answer really stand out, you should include evidence of how Dartmouth will help you achieve your goals. Whatever you imagine, whatever you conceptualize, how will your education at Dartmouth College help bring that into being? How to Write Great Dartmouth Essays In order to write great Dartmouth essays, you need to show the committee two things. First, you need to give them a clear idea of who you are. Second, you need to show them, â€Å"Why Dartmouth†. In other words, why Dartmouth is important to you. Here are some tips to help you accomplish both of those goals. #1: Use Your Own Voice The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person. You should, then, make sure that the person you’re presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don’t try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you’re not. If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Dartmouth wants you to be. #2: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases When writing your Dartmouth essays, try to avoid using common quotes or phrases. These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, â€Å"Be the change you want to see in the world.† Strive for originality. Similarly, avoid using cliches, which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work. Don’t speak in platitudes about how the struggle for gay and lesbian rights has affected you†¦ unless it actually has! And even then, you don’t want to speak in platitudes. It’s better to be direct and specific about your experience. #3: Check Your Work It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Dartmouth essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Dartmouth application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays. Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit. It’s a good idea to have someone else read your Dartmouth essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven’t missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be. That being said, make sure you don’t rely on them for ideas or rewrites. Your essays need to be your work. #4: Play With Form Dartmouth’s essay prompts leave a lot of room open for creative expression - use that! You don’t need to stick to a five paragraph essay structure here. You can play with the length and style of your sentences - you could even dabble in poetry if that makes sense! Whichever form you pick, make sure it fits with the story you’re trying to tell and how you want to express yourself. What's Next? Learn more about the most selective colleges in the US. If you're applying to multiple Ivy Leagues, it's a good idea to know your chances at each! If you're hoping to attend a highly selective school like Cornell, you'll need to have a very strong academic record in high school. Learn more about high school honors classes and societies. Not sure what your GPA means for your chances of college admission? Find out what a good or bad GPA might look like based on your goals. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: