Should I Go to University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Should I Go to University of Maryland, Baltimore County Teauna earned her bachelors degree in biological sciences from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She specializes in algebra tutoring, biology tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Check out what she shared about her time at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Teauna: I recently graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the campus was very diverse. Just by stepping on campus you are sure to encounter someone from a different culture than you. We are located near two rural towns, but not far from the city of Baltimore. There are free shuttles that transport students to and from the surrounding towns as well as a shuttle that goes to the Baltimore Harbor. There is also access to MTA (Maryland Transit Administration) buses which you will have to pay to use. I felt extremely safe on my campus. The campus itself is encircled by a road that is typically used only by people who are coming to or leaving campus (so, mostly students and faculty). We have blue lights located throughout the campus that can be used to call for help and you can contact the campus police at any time even just to walk you back to your dorm at night if you ever feel unsafe. The campus is pretty small and if you live in on-campus housing, you will never need a bike or car to get to class. Your farthest class takes 10 minutes to get to, and thats if youre walking at mild pace. The campus is also wheelchair accessible. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Teauna: Most professors are very available and approachable. They love taking questions after class and respond quickly to email. They also have several office hours during the week in which you can talk to them. As a freshman, you get a general advisor and they have many students so it may be a little harder to get in touch with them. However, during your sophomore year you are placed with a major specific advisor. These advisors have less students and are more available. They are interested in getting to know you as a person and not just your academic life. Teaching assistants can vary. Some are more approachable than others. Because many teaching assistants are also students, they may have less availability. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Teauna: UMBCs dorms are great. You may find yourself complaining here and there about small cosmetic issues, but compared to most colleges the dorms are amazing. Most freshmen end up in the typical dorm room which includes two beds, two desks with chairs, two wardrobes, and a sink to be shared between you and your roommate. Then you have a bathroom that connects you to an adjacent room. The people who live there are your suitemates. The four of you will share a bathroom which is much better than having a communal shower. You can also order a microfridge from the school which will allow you to have a refrigerator and a microwave in your room. You could also choose a dorm that has two bedrooms (that hold two people each) and is connected by a living space which includes a couch, coffee table, end table, and chair. You also have a bathroom. Then there are the apartments. There are 3 apartment complexes on campus which include 4 bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, and a full kitchen. And they are furnished! You get a couch, coffee table, kitchen table with 4 chairs, beds, closets, and desks with chairs. For dining you could eat at the dining hall, which some people enjoyed (I didnt). Its similar to a high school cafeteria. Then theres the Commons. The Commons is a building located in the center of the campus that has a student organization space, gameroom, restaurants and more. Here you can choose restaurants that serve Indian food, Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, a grill that serves typical American burgers and chicken tenders, or Mondos which sells subs. There is also a Chic-Fil-A and Starbucks located at the University Center. Most dorms are a 5 to 10 minute walk from all the dining options and classes. There are plenty of opportunities to socialize with other students. The student events board plans many events throughout the year for students to get to know one another. If you live on campus, the residential assistant will plan programs for you to get to know the people on your floor. If you are commuting then there are programs for you as well. There are several student organization and if you dont find one you like, its pretty easy to start your own. You can also attend a summer bridge program so that youll start the year already knowing several people and some faculty. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Teauna: Majority of students at UMBC are STEM majors and there is a lot of support for STEM majors, from scholarships to tutoring to research positions and more. I studied biological sciences because I want to be a dentist and most of the prerequisites for dental school would be covered in that major. Also, I genuinely love biology! UMBC offered all of the aforementioned support to me as well as supporting me in my goal to go to dental school through their pre-professional advising and the pre-dental student organization. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Teauna: I actually attended the summer bridge program called Collegiate Success Institute. We did a lot of team bonding and spent a lot of time together during the 6-week on campus program so I actually started my freshman year with several friends and made more friends soon after simply by living on campus and participating in activities with the people I lived with. Greek life does not play a significant role in the campus social life. We have a few fraternities and sororities, but not being in one will not affect your social life. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Teauna: The Career Center is very helpful in providing advising and resume critiques. There are also several career fairs that are hosted on campus and have included companies like Kennedy Krieger Institute and Northrop Grumman Corporation, Stanley Black and Decker, and more. Career Services also posts job listings in every academic area. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Teauna: The libraries can get very crowded during the week and may be hard to find a place to work. However, if you can find a place you can choose from quiet floors where everyone has to be quiet or normal floors where talking is allowed. Dorm lounges can be nice but they cannot be reserved, so it may be hard to find a lounge where people arent already there. Since most people hang out in the dorm lounges and the Commons, youll probably be better off studying in your room. If not, you can try reserving a study room in the library. Describe the surrounding town. Teauna: There isnt too much to do for fun in the surrounding towns. There are a few old fashioned shops in Catonsville that might be fun for some, but taking the shuttle to the Baltimore Inner Harbor can be really great. The Inner Harbor is full of shops and restaurants. The Gallery Mall is a huge mall with several floors and great stores. You could rent a boat and go for ride or simply hang out by the water with friends. Most students just go to Arundel Mills Mall on the shuttle because its only a few minutes away. Its all a matter of personal preference and how far youre willing to travel. However, these shuttles are only available on Saturday and Sunday, but you can get there by taking the MTA any day of the week. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Teauna: The student body is fairly small in comparison to most universities. The school has about 11,000 undergraduate students. I was generally pleased with the typical class sizes. Most science classes were large lectures that had about 200 students, but as you take higher level classes the size gets smaller and smaller. In my last year at UMBC I was taking science classes that had maybe 40 people in them. Most psychology and history classes are also around 40 people. Even with the large lectures there would often be a discussion portion where the class sizes were much smaller. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Teauna: My most memorable experience was with my Calculus II professor freshman year. I had done horribly in the class and waited until the end of the semester to talk to her (side note: always meet with your professors as soon as you notice you arent doing so well]). She was very honest, but extremely kind and forgiving. She told me that shed be teaching the class in the summer and to register for the class. She assured me that she would not let me fail. I took the class in the summer and with her help I got an A. Check out Teaunas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

How to Give Spanish Lessons

How to Give Spanish Lessons Do You Want to Become a Private Spanish Tutor? ChaptersHow to Become a Spanish TeacherSpanish Lesson: How to Find Your First Students to Teach Spanish ToHow to Organize Your Spanish LessonsSetting the Price of Your Spanish LessonsYou want to become a foreign-language teacher, and you’re thinking of teaching Spanish?The most popular foreign language in the United States, that means there are a lot of Americans who want to improve their foreign language skills!According to research on the linguistic skill of students, American students fall behind those of other countries.Spanish is thriving in the United States. It is a language that is especially essential for working in the international marketplace.Becoming a Spanish teacher seems like a judicious idea given the demand from the parents of students or simply because of the number of people who would like to add a value to their CV. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Dis cover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow to Become a Spanish TeacherWhat is the right path to becoming a Spanish teacher?To become a Spanish professor, you have to follow a certain course in order to give yourself the best chance of succeeding!Begin with a Bachelor’s degree in applied foreign languages before embarking on a master’s in education.You will then have to obtain your teacher’s certification. For this, many schools will require you to have classroom experience, and possibly an examination, depending on the state you wish to work in.You will need to study hard in order to pass your exam!What might you be tested on during your exam?Written commentaryTranslationLesson plan and teaching abilitySpeaking abilityAs you can see, you will have to work very hard to be able to obtain a Spanish teaching position!But this will open the doors to teaching in middle school, high school, and beyond.If you would like to teach Spanish to students in higher education, you will need to have previous teaching experience, and in many cases, a PhD in Spanish language or culture.If you have no interest in doing specialized studies or passing additional exams, but you still want to give Spanish lessons, don’t worry: all is not lost!You can still become a private tutor, by giving finding online teaching jobs or offering tuition at home).It’s simple, you have two options:You can work for a private tutoring companyYou can freelance and advertise your services around town or onlineThere is no need for a diploma to do this, but your experience will contribute to your prospective clients’ confidence in your skill.Become a Spanish teacher online and give lessons remotely!In sum: if you want to become a private tutor, you can without attaining expert level!In fact, at the intermediary level you can help students on many levels:Help with homeworkSpanish grammar practiceMastery of important Spanish conceptsLearning the basics of SpanishHowever, even if no diploma is required, having a degree in applied foreign languages or in education would be a good way to attract more students.Are you bilingual?If Spanish is your mother tongue, if you are a native Spanish speaker and thus bilingual: your personal experience will be enough to make you a great Spanish teacher!The language of Cervantes holds no secrets for you if you are bilingual.Do you speak Spanish as well as you speak English?Then you have the skill and knowledge necessary to teach Spanish to your students.Are you passionate about traveling? Have you already taken a language-learning trip to a Hispanophone country? Have you thus reinforced your knowledge of Spanish thanks to that experience of total immersion abroad?Taking language lessons and learning Spanish in Spain, with an intensive intern ship, is the best way to become bilingual, better express yourself, and guarantee your spot as a teacher without taking the tradition school path.Spanish Lesson: How to Find Your First Students to Teach Spanish ToWhere should you look for Spanish students?You have chosen to give Spanish language lessons in person or online, but you don’t know how to find your first clients?Try classified ads!If you’re wondering where to place them, here are a few ideas:Local businessesLocal newspapersInternetThese are all good ways to get people talking about you!If finding students seems difficult to you, why not join a private tutoring company?According to reports, the “supplemental education” sector is estimated at 5 billion dollars. The tutoring industry has grown more than 50% since 2008, with more than 50 franchised tutoring firms in the US. There is a veritable private tutoring boom in the United States!Indeed, the cost of private tutoring is more expensive with a company than with a freelance tutor: on average $45 to $60 per hour, without counting the registration costs which can be much more.You can also sign up for an online platform as a freelance tutor.By 2016, the freelance economy in the United States grew to 55 million people. The freelance boom has continued to grow from year to year in the US, now making up 35% of the workforce.And that's just in the US! Why not find out about tutoring jobs London or elsewhere in the UK?The advantage of freelancing? Freedom: you set your own hours, your own rates, and your own method.The drawback? High taxes! As a freelancer, you must pay self-employment taxes in addition to regular income taxes, ranging in total on average from 25% to 30% of your annual income.If you would like to create a beautiful professional storefront for yourself, call on a webmaster to create your own internet site.A professional website will give your future students, or their parents, more confidence in you!How to Organize Your Spanish Lesson sHow to devise a good Spanish course?To be a good Spanish professor is above all demonstrate your teaching skills.Giving a Spanish lesson is not the same as giving a math lesson or an English lesson.Indeed, language lessons require an optimal concentration on the part of your students to learn new words.To be a good Spanish professor, prepare a lesson plan and stay organized!So how to proceed?It is important to be very organized: lesson plans, goals…Prepare your lessons: employ online exercises, internet sites, make vocabulary review cards… Have a work methodology!You have to be unique and interesting: plan fun lessons, use technology…Why not read Don Quixote in the original version, or speak about the history of Spain to enrich the culture of your student?In short: inspire in your students the desire to study!Speak Spanish! Your student should feel like they are in a Spanish class in Spain.Adapt to the level and the needs of your student. Opt for conversations or for working on the basics: contemporary Spanish phrases, grammatical rules, pronunciation, tone accent…Academic lessons or conversation courses: vary your lessons!Manage your lessons: time your lessons, offer an intensive course to address certain difficulties, give homework to each student to gain time before each lesson…In each of these methods you will need to be creative, patient, and attentive to your students to become a good teacher.Your students will be able to recommend you on the Superprof platform by leaving a review.Setting the Price of Your Spanish LessonsHow much does a Spanish lesson cost?It all depends on several criteria! What is your level?Are you at the intermediary level, or an expert? Bilingual? Native Hispanophone?What is your professional experience?Are you a beginner or do you have a few years behind you?Experienced professors charge up to 40 dollars per hour while a beginner professor charges generally around 15 dollars an hour.What is the level of your student?Is t he student seeking your help to prepare for an exam, such as the SAT, TOEFL, or for a class in school? Or a simple refresher course? Are they in high school or university?What will be the rhythm of the course? A daily lesson, or only occasionally? A summer course or throughout the school year?Where do you live?Yes, the rate professors charge depends on the city! In cities like New York City or Los Angeles, tutors charge in the range of $35 to $45, while in smaller towns rates generally hover around $15.For in-home lessons: take into consideration the commute time, and the cost of transportation (including gas).With all that in mind, how do you come up with your rate?To calculate your hourly rate, take into account all the various expenses.Giving private lessons must be profitable.So your salary (hourly rate) must be calculated taking into account all the costs you have to pay.The freelance workforce in the United States earned an estimated $1 trillion in 2015.Clearly, freelancing is a real way to earn a living today!