You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 8

Chapter Eight She Walks in Beauty Jody moved down Columbus Avenue with long, runway-model strides, feeling the windblown fog brush by her like the chill ghosts of rejected suitors. What she could never teach Tommy, what she could never really share with him, was what it felt like to move from being a victim – afraid of attack, the shadow around the corner, the footsteps behind – to being the hunter. It wasn't the stalking or the rush of taking down prey – Tommy would understand that. It was walking down a dark street, late at night, knowing that you were the most powerful creature there, that there was absolutely nothing, no one, that could fuck with you. Until she had been changed and had stalked the city as a vampire, she never realized that virtually every moment she had been there as a woman, she had been a little bit afraid. A man would never understand. That was the reason for the dress and the shoes – not to attract a minion, but to throw her sexuality out there on display, dare som e underevolved male to make the mistake of seeing her as a victim. Truth be told, although it had come down to confrontation only once, and then she'd been wearing a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, Jody enjoyed kicking ass. She also enjoyed – every bit as much – just knowing that she could. It was her secret. Without fear, the City was a great sensual carnival. There was no danger in anything she experienced, no anxiety. Red was red, yellow didn't mean caution, smoke didn't mean fire, and the mumbling of the four Chinese guys standing by their car just around the corner was just the click and twang of empty swinging dick talk. She could hear their hearts speed up when they saw her, could smell sweat and garlic and gun oil coming off them. She'd learned the smell of fear and imminent violence, too, of sexual arousal and surrender, although she'd have been hard-pressed to describe any of that. It was just there. Like color. You know†¦ Try to describe blue. Without mentioning blue. See? There weren't a lot of people out on the street at this time of night, but there were a few, spread up the length of Columbus: barhoppers, late diners just wrapping it up, college boys heading down to the strip clubs on Broadway, the exodus from Cobb's Comedy Club up the street, people giddy and so into the rhythm of laughing that they found one another and everything they saw hilarious – all of them vibrant, wearing auras of healthy pink life, trailing heat and perfume and cigarette smoke and gas held through long dinners. Witnesses. The Chinese guys weren't harmless, by any means, but she didn't think they'd attack her, and she felt a twinge of regret. One of them, the one with the gun, yelled something at her in Cantonese – something sleazy and insulting, she could tell by the tone. She spun as she walked, smiled her biggest red carpet smile, and without breaking stride, said, â€Å"Hey, nano-dick, go fuck yourself!† There was a lot of bluster and shuffle, the smart one, the one with fear coming off him, held his friend Nano-dick back, thus saving his life. She must be a cop, or just crazy. Something's wrong. They clustered around their tricked-out Honda and huffed out great breaths of testosterone and frustration. Jody grinned, and detoured up a side street, away from traffic. â€Å"My night,† she said to herself. â€Å"Mine.† Now off the main drag, she saw only a single old man shuffling ahead of her. His life aura looked like a burned-out bulb, a spot of dark gray around him. He walked stooped over, with a dogged determination, as if he knew that if he stopped, he would never start again. From what she could tell, he never would. He wore baggy, wide-wale corduroys that made the sound of rodents nesting when he walked. A wisp of breeze off the Bay brought Jody the acrid smell of failing organs, of stale tobacco, of despair, of a deep, rotting sickness, and she felt the elation leave her. She slipped comfortably into the new slot the night had made for her, like tumblers of a lock slipping into place. She made sure that she made enough noise so that he could hear her approaching, and when she was beside him, he paused, his feet still moving in tiny steps that turned him to the side, as if his motor was idling. â€Å"Hi,† she said. He smiled. â€Å"My, you are a lovely girl. Would you walk with me?† â€Å"Sure.† They walked a few steps together before he said, â€Å"I'm dying, you know.† â€Å"Yeah, I kind of figured,† Jody said. â€Å"I'm just walking. Thinking, and walking. Mostly walking.† â€Å"Nice night for it.† â€Å"A little cold, but I don't feel it. I got a whole pocketful of painkillers. You want one?† â€Å"No, I'm good. Thanks.† â€Å"I ran out of things to think about.† â€Å"Just in time.† â€Å"I wondered if I'd get to kiss a pretty girl once before the end. I think that would be all I'd want.† â€Å"What's your name?† â€Å"James. James O'Mally.† â€Å"James. My name is Jody. I'm pleased to meet you.† She stopped and offered her hand to shake. â€Å"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you,† said James, bowing as best he could. She took his face in her hands, and steadied him, then kissed him on the lips, softly and for a long time, and when she pulled away they were both smiling. â€Å"That was lovely,† James O'Mally said. â€Å"Yes it was,† Jody said. â€Å"I suppose I'm finished now,† James said. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"The pleasure was all mine,† Jody said. â€Å"I assure you.† Then she put her arms around his slight frame, and held him, one hand cradling the back of his head like an infant, and he only trembled a little when she drank. A little later, she bundled his clothes together under her arm, and hooked his old wing tips on two fingers. The dust that had been James O'Mally was spread in a powdery-gray pile on the sidewalk, like a negative shadow, a bleached spot. She brushed it flat with her palm, and wrote, Nice kiss, James, with her fingernail. As she walked away, an hourglass trickle of James trailed out of his clothes behind her and was carried off on the chill bay breeze. The guy working the door of the Glas Kat looked like a raven had exploded on his head, his hair plastered out in a chaos of black spikes. The music coming from inside sounded like robots fucking. And complaining about it. In rhythmic monotone. European robots. Tommy was a little intimidated. ‘Sploded raven-head guy had better fangs than he did, was paler, and had seventeen silver rings in his lips. (Tommy had counted.) â€Å"Bet it's hard to whistle with those in, huh?† Tommy asked. â€Å"Ten dollars,† said ‘Sploded. Tommy gave him the money. He checked Tommy's ID and stamped his wrist with a red slash. Just then a group of Japanese girls dressed like tragic Victorian baby dolls breezed by behind Tommy, waving their wrist slashes like they'd just returned from a joyful suicide party instead of smoking cloves on the street. They, too, looked more like vampires than Tommy did. He shrugged and entered the club. Everyone, it appeared, looked more like a vampire than he did. He'd bought some black jeans and a black leather jacket at the Levi's store while Jody was off finding something hideous for her mother for Christmas, but evidently he should have been looking for some black lipstick and something cobalt- or fuchsia-colored to weave into his hair. And in retrospect, the flannel shirt may have been a mistake. He looked like he'd shown up at the sacrificial mass of the damned ready to fix the dishwasher. The music changed to an ethereal female chorus of Celtic nonsense. With a techno beat. And robots complaining. Grumpy robots. He tried to listen around it, the way Jody had taught him. With all the black light, strobes, and black clothing, his newly heightened senses were overloading. He tried to focus on people's faces, their life auras, look through the haze of heat, hairspray, and patchouli for the girl he'd met at Walgreens. Tommy had felt alone in a crowd before, even inferior to everyone in a crowd, but now he felt, well, different. It wasn't just the clothes and the makeup, it was the humanity. He wasn't part of it. Heightened senses or not, he felt like he had his nose pressed against the window, looking in. The problem was, it was the window of a donut shop. â€Å"Hey!† Someone grabbed his arm and he wheeled around so quickly that the girl nearly tumbled over backwards, startled. â€Å"Fuck! Dude.† â€Å"Hi,† Tommy said. â€Å"Wow.† Thinking, Ah, jelly donut. It was the girl from Walgreens. She was nearly a foot shorter than he, and a little skinny. Tonight she'd gone with the waifish look, wearing striped stockings with holes ripped in them and a shiny red PVC miniskirt. She'd traded in her Lord Byron shirt for a tank top, black, of course, with dripping red letters that read got blood? and fishnet gloves that went halfway up her biceps. Her makeup was sad-clown marionette: black tears drawn streaming down either side of her face. She crooked her finger to get him to bend down so she could shout into his ear over the music. â€Å"My name's Abby Normal.† Tommy spoke into her ear; she smelled of hairspray and what was that? Raspberry? â€Å"My name is Flood,† he said. â€Å"C. Thomas Flood.† It was his pen name. The C didn't really stand for anything, he just liked the sound of it. â€Å"Call me Flood,† he added. Tommy was a stupid name for a vampire, but Flood – ah, Flood – there was disaster and power there, and a hint of mystery, he thought. Abby smiled like a cat in a tuna cannery. â€Å"Flood,† she said. â€Å"Flood.† She was trying it on, it seemed to Tommy. He imagined that she'd have a black vinyl binder at school and she'd soon be writing Mrs. Flood surrounded by a heart with an arrow through it on the cover in her own blood. He'd never seen a girl so obviously attracted to him, and he realized that he had no experience in dealing with it. For a moment he flashed on the three vampire brides of Dracula who try to seduce Jonathan Harker in Stoker's classic novel. (He'd been studying all the vampire fiction he could get his hands on since meeting Jody, since it didn't appear that anyone had written a good how-to book on vampirism.) Could he really deal with three luscious vampire brides? Would he have to bring them a kid in a sack the way Dracula does in the book? How many kids a week would it take to keep them happy? And where did you get kid sacks? And although he hadn't discussed it with Jody, he was pretty sure she was not going to be happy sharing him with two other luscious vampire brides, even if he brought her sacks and sacks full of kids. They'd need a bigger apartment. One with a washer and dryer in the building, because there'd be a lot of bloodstained lingerie to be washed. Vampire logistics were a nightmare. You should get a castle and a staff when you got your fangs. How was he going to do all of this? â€Å"This sucks,† Tommy finally said, overwhelmed by the enormity of his responsibilities. Abby looked startled, then a little hurt. â€Å"Sorry,† she said. â€Å"You want to get out of here?† â€Å"Oh, no, I didn't mean – I mean, uh, yes. Let us go.† â€Å"Do you still need to get your heroin?† â€Å"What? No, that matter is taken care of.† â€Å"You know, Byron and Shelley did opiates,† Abby said. â€Å"Laudanum. It was like cough syrup.† Then, for no reason that he could think of, Tommy said, â€Å"Those scamps, they loved to get wrecked and read ghost stories from the German.† â€Å"That is so fucking cool,† Abby said, grabbing his arm and hugging his biceps like it was her newest, bestest friend. She started pulling him toward the door. â€Å"What about your friend?† Tommy said. â€Å"Oh, someone made a comment about his cape being gray when we first got here, so he went home to redye all of his blacks.† â€Å"Of course,† Tommy said, thinking, What the fuck? Out on the sidewalk, Abby said, â€Å"I suppose we need to find somewhere private.† â€Å"We do?† â€Å"So you can take me,† Abby said, stretching her neck to the side, looking more like a stringless marionette than ever. Tommy had no idea what to do. How did she know? Everyone in that club would have scored higher on the â€Å"are you a vampire?† test than he would. There needed to be a book, and this sort of thing needed to be in it. Should he deny it? Should he just get on with it? What was he going to tell Jody when she woke up next to the skinny marionette girl? He hadn't really understood women when he was a normal, human guy, when it seemed that all you had to do was pretend that you didn't want to have sex with them until they would have sex with you, but being a vampire added a whole new aspect to things. Was he supposed to conceal that he was a vampire and a dork! He used to read the articles in Cosmo to get some clue to the female psyche, and so he deferred to advice he'd read in an article entitled â€Å"Think He's Just Pretending to Like You So You'll Have Sex with Him? Try a Coffee Date.† â€Å"How 'bout I buy you a cup of coffee instead,† he said. â€Å"We can talk.† â€Å"It's because I have small boobs, isn't it?† Abby said, going into a very practiced pout. â€Å"Of course not.† Tommy smiled in a way he thought would be charming, mature, and reassuring. â€Å"Coffee won't help that.† As Jody pushed the bundle of clothes into the storm sewer, a silver cigarette case slid out of the jacket pocket onto the pavement. She reached for it and felt a light shock – no, that wasn't it. It was a warmth that moved up her arm. She kicked the clothes into the opening and stood under the streetlight, turning the silver case in her hands. It had his name engraved on it. She couldn't keep it, like she had the folding money from his pockets, but she couldn't throw it away either. Something wouldn't let her. She heard a buzz, like an angry insect, and looked up to see a neon  «Open » sign flickering above a shop called Asher's Secondhand. That was it. That's where the cigarette case had to go. She owed it to James. After all, he'd given her everything, or at least everything he'd had left. She quick-stepped across the street and into the shop. The owner was working the counter at the back by himself. A thin guy in his early thirties, with a look of pleasant confusion not unlike the one she'd first noticed on Tommy's face. Normally, this guy would be prime minion material, or at least based on her minion recruitment of the past he would, except apparently, he was dead. Or at least not alive like most people. He had no life aura around him. No healthy pink glow, no crusty brown or gray corona of illness. Nothing. The only time she'd ever seen this before was with Elijah, the old vampire. The shopkeeper looked up and she smiled. He smiled back. She moved to the counter. While he tried not to stare at her cleavage, she looked more closely for some life aura. There was heat, or at least there appeared to be some heat coming off him. â€Å"Hi,† said the shopkeeper. â€Å"Can I help you?† â€Å"I found this,† she said, holding up the cigarette case. â€Å"I was in the neighborhood and something made me think that this belonged here.† She set the case down on the counter. How could he have no life aura? What the hell was he? â€Å"Touch me,† she said. She held out her hand to him. â€Å"Huh?† He seemed a little frightened at first, but he took her hand, then quickly let go. He was warm. â€Å"Then you're not one of us?† But he wasn't one of them either. â€Å"Us? What do you mean us?† He touched the cigarette case and she could tell that this was exactly why she had brought it here. It was supposed to be here. Whatever part of James O'Mally had been left in that cigarette case had led her here. And this thin, confused-looking guy was supposed to have it. He took what was left of people all the time. It's what he did. Jody felt some of the confidence she'd felt earlier draining away. Maybe the night wasn't hers after all. Jody backed away a step. â€Å"No. You don't just take the weak and the sick, do you? You take anyone.† â€Å"Take? What do you mean, take?† He was furiously trying to push the cigarette case back to her across the counter. He didn't know. He was like she was when she'd awakened that first night as a vampire and had no idea what she had become. â€Å"You don't even know, do you?† â€Å"Know what?† He picked up the cigarette case again. â€Å"Wait a second, can you see this thing glowing?† â€Å"No glow. It just felt like it belonged here.† This poor guy, he didn't even know. â€Å"What's your name?† She asked. â€Å"Charlie Asher. This is Asher's.† â€Å"Well Charlie, you seem like a nice guy, and I don't know exactly what you are, and it doesn't seem like you know. You don't, do you?† He blushed. Jody could see his face flush with heat. â€Å"I've been going through some changes lately.† Jody nodded. He really would have been perfect as a minion – if he hadn't been some bizarre supernatural creature. She'd just gotten used to the idea of vampires being real, and it took some serious blood drinking to drive that reality home, and now there were other – other – things? Still, Jody felt bad for him, â€Å"Okay,† she said. â€Å"I know what it's like, uh, to find yourself thrown into a situation where forces beyond your control are changing you into someone, something you don't have an owner's manual for. I understand what it is to not know. But someone, somewhere, does know. Someone can tell you what's going on.† And hopefully they aren't just fucking with you, she wanted to add, but thought better of it. â€Å"What are you talking about?† he asked. â€Å"You make people die, don't you Charlie?† She didn't know why she said it, but as soon as she said it, she knew it was true. Like when all her other senses had been dialed to eleven, she could sense something new, like noise on the line, and it was telling her this. â€Å"But how do you – ?† â€Å"Because it's what I do,† Jody said. â€Å"Not like you, but it's what I do. Find them, Charlie. Backtrack and find whoever was there when your world changed.† She shouldn't have said that, she knew it as she was saying it. She'd just handed him an item that had been owned by someone she'd taken not twenty minutes ago. But even as regret for passing out incriminating evidence hit her, she also realized that she had left Tommy out there to wave in the wind just like this guy. Even if it was only for a few hours, Tommy had no idea how to go about being a vampire – truth be told, he hadn't really been that good at being a human. He was just a doofy guy from Indiana and she'd abandoned him to the merciless city. She turned and ran out of the shop. â€Å"Cocoa?† Tommy said. â€Å"You look cold.† He'd given her his jacket out on the street. He's so gallant, Abby thought. He probably wants me to drink cocoa to get my blood sugar up before he sucks the life from my veins. Abby had lived much of her life waiting for something extraordinary to happen. No matter where she had been, there was a world somewhere that was more interesting. She'd progressed from wanting to live in a fantastic, kawaii-cute plastic world of Hello Kitty, to being a Day-Glo, Manga lollipop space girl in platform sneakers, and then just a couple of years ago she had moved into the dark gothic world of pseudo vampires, suicidal poets, and romantic disappointment. It was a dark, seductive world where you got to sleep really late on the weekends. She'd been true to her dark nature, too, trying to maintain an aspect of exhausted mopeyness while channeling any enthusiasm she felt into a vehicle for imminent disappointment, and above all, suppressing the deep-seated perkiness that her friend Lily said she'd never shed when she'd refused to throw away her Hello Kitty backpack or let go of her Nintendog virtual beagle puppy. â€Å"He has virtual parvo,† Lily had said. â€Å"You have to put him down.† â€Å"He doesn't have parvo,† Abby had insisted. â€Å"He's just tired.† â€Å"He's doomed, and you're cute, and hopelessly perky,† Lily taunted. â€Å"I am not. I'm complex and I'm dark.† â€Å"You're perky and your e-dog has i-parvo.† â€Å"As Azrael is my witness, I will never be perky again,† said Abby, her wrist set tragically to her forehead. Lily stood with her as she threw her Nintendog cartridge under the tire of the 91 midnight express bus. And now she had been chosen by a real creature of the night, and she would be true to her word: she had shed her perkiness. She sipped her hot chocolate, and studied the vampire Flood across the table. How clever, that he could appear as just a simple, clueless guy – but then, he could probably take many shapes. â€Å"I could be a slave to your darkest desires,† Abby said. â€Å"I can do things. Anything you want.† The vampire Flood commenced a coughing fit. When he had control again, he said, â€Å"Well, that's terrific, because we have a lot of laundry piled up and the apartment is a wreck.† He was testing her. Seeing if she was worthy before bringing her into his world. â€Å"Anything you desire, my lord. I can do laundry, clean, bring you small creatures to quench your thirst until I am worthy.† The vampire Flood snickered. â€Å"This is so cool,† he said. â€Å"You'll do my laundry, just like that?† Abby knew she had to tread carefully here, not fall for his trap. â€Å"Anything,† she said. â€Å"Have you ever gone apartment hunting?† â€Å"Sure,† she lied. â€Å"Okay, you can start tomorrow first thing. You need to find us an apartment.† Abby was horrified. She hadn't really tried on the idea of leaving her old life so quickly. But all that would mean nothing when she became immortal, and ran with the children of the night. But her mom was going to be pissed. â€Å"I can't move in right away, my lord. I have affairs to put in order before I make the change.† The vampire Flood smiled, his fangs barely visible now. â€Å"Oh, it's not for you. There's another.† He paused and leaned across the table. â€Å"An elder,† he whispered. There was another? Was she to become the sacrifice to a whole coven of the undead? Well, whatever. Lily would be so jealous. â€Å"As you please, my lord,† she said. â€Å"You might want to chill with the ‘my lord' stuff,† Flood said. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. You know this all has to be completely secret, right?† â€Å"Right. Secret.† â€Å"I mean, I'm okay with it, but the other, the elder, she has a terrible temper.† â€Å"She?† â€Å"Yeah, you know, an Irish redhead.† â€Å"A Celtic countess, then? The one who was with you at Walgreens?† â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"Sweet!† Abby blurted out. She couldn't help it. She immediately tried to hide her latent perkiness by biting the edge of her cocoa cup. â€Å"You've got chocolate, here.† The vampire Flood gestured to her lip. â€Å"Kind of a marshmallow mustache.† â€Å"Sorry,† Abby said, wiping her mouth furiously with the back of her fishnet glove, smearing her black lipstick across the side of her face. â€Å"It's okay,† said the vampire Flood. â€Å"It's cute.† â€Å"Fuck!† Abby said.

Biology Coursework: Effect of Sugar Solution on Potato Chips Essay

Planning Before planning the experiment, I will research osmosis, so that I can make predictions. This will help me to discover how to make this investigation fair and safe. Planning ahead will help me find out the order in which to carry out the experiment. This should lead me to good results at the end of the experiment. Hypothesis Osmosis is the passage of water from a region of high water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane to a region of low water concentration. When a potato is placed in water, the cells will expand by gaining weight depending on the concentration levels of the solution. When the concentration of the water is lower, more water molecules are allowed to pass through the potato cell. This causes the potato to gain weight and expand. If the concentration levels of the solution are higher, the cells will lose water and cause the potato to lose weight and therefore shrink. Prediction I predict that when the lower the concentration of sugar solution in the water, the more the potato will expand by osmosis. When the concentration of water is identical to the concentration of the potato cell, there will be no increase or decrease in weight. This is because the amount going into the cell will be the same as the amount going out. As soon as the water concentration becomes higher, the cells will shrink because more water will be leaving the cell than entering it. In distilled water alone, I predict that the water in the potato will be more concentrated. Because of this, the water should transfer from the solution to the potato, and the potato will gain weight. In the 0.2 molar solutions, the substances will be very similar in concentration. There should be little change to the size and weight of the potato. When the potato is placed in 0.4 molar solutions, the substances will still be very similar but the concentration of the water solution should be slightly greater to that of the potato. This will cause the potato to shrink slightly. As the molar solutions get higher, the water will transfer more and more from the potato to the water solution, therefore decreasing its size and weight. The most extreme shrinking should occur when the potato is placed in 1.0 molar solution, as here the difference in the water concentration is at its largest. Safety I will be using a very sharp knife, which could injure someone if it is not handled properly. And I will also be careful that the solutions do not get into my body internally as I am not fully aware of the damage it could cause. Method I will cut chips from the same potato because different potatoes may act differently and affect the results. I will cut them 15mm long exactly with square ends 5mm wide and 2mm thick. I will use a chopping and knife for this. They all need to be exactly the same size to ensure that it is a fair test. I will weigh the chips to ensure that they are the same size and weight. This will also give us a measurement to compare them to afterwards. I will use three identical potato chips in each solution. This is because the experiment may not go to plan. If we have three chips, an average can be taken at the end of the experiment to obtain more accurate results. The three potatoes will be placed in 6 different solutions, 1.0 being the strongest and distilled water being the weakest. The solutions I will use are as follows: 0.0 (Distilled water) 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 The boiling tubes will be placed in a rack with an equal amount of molar solution. This is because identical solutions are needed for it to be a fair test. The potatoes will be covered with the solutions, if not the water will not be able to pass in and out and the potatoes would dry out. The solutions will all need to be the same temperature and the chips will need to remain in the test tube for the same length of time. The length of time I have chosen to keep the potatoes in the solution is 5 minutes. This should be enough time for the osmosis to take affect. When the potatoes are removed from the solution, the osmosis stops. I will then dry the potatoes using a paper towel being careful so that none of the potatoes fall apart. I will place them into sets of three depending on when which solution they were placed in and weigh and measure them. To get the most accurate results, I will take the average reading of the three pieces. I will then analyse my results and see if they match my prediction.

My Future Essay

In my second year of college there are a number of things I have learned about myself. I have learned about my likes and dislikes as well as my strength and weaknesses. I have had to make goals and start planning my future. Through out planning, my choices have been influenced by people and issues. I have had to take in numerous considerations in making my decisions. I have chosen a career field, a major, and laid out a plan for my future in visual communications. My first two years of college have been not only an exploration of knowledge but also of myself. The one pattern I have noticed is that I change my mind A LOT! My tastes are changing as I am getting older and not as influenced by family. I am becoming my own person. Things I once enjoyed I no longer find interesting and things I despised in the past are now appealing. I long for an evening alone to clean house and painting my toe nails. In high school this would be a long boring evening but now sounds luxurious. Time is so important being a student and working so any free time is a treat. I have also learned to despise certain things that at one point did not bother me. For example, in grade school if there was something I may have known a little bit about but did not understands it did not bother me. I just simply did not care enough to want to learn the subject thoroughly. But know as soon as I learn something I want to know all parts of it and fully understand. This semester I made an effort to learn as much about our political system and the presidential candidates as I could prior to the election. This to me, now, is fulfilling. Overall, my first few semesters of college enabled me to learn more about myself. I have also begun mapping out my intentions in college. I have researched a number of careers and spoken with people in related fields to get an idea of what I would like to do. My fiancà ©, a senior at UTPB, has given advice to consider based on his experiences. I have also spoken with college graduates to hear about their experiences and what they would have changed or done different. I have taken many things into consideration in planning my college pathway. One consideration is that after this summer I will be married, and the following fall my husband will graduate. Depending on where he gets a job, I may have to transfer school. Because of this, I need to  make sure the classes I take will transfer to another university. I also have tried to start with general classes since I am prone to changing my mind, I may want to change majors. Another consideration I have perplexed is the demand for jobs in my chosen major. I have considered the type of work environment I want to work in, the hours I want to work, and how much traveling I want to do. Altogether, I have a well round idea of where I am headed in college. In planning my college career, I have considered numerous careers. The careers I am considering require a minimum of four years higher education and are computer related. My first pick for a career is that of a webmaster. This type of work would include designing and maintenance of web sites. My second career choice would be that of advertising. I would want to designer logos, banners, or flyers for companies. My third chose for a career would be design. I could design anything from magazine or book covers to animated characters or movie scenes. I would be qualified to work for a school, TV station; any type of movie or animation design company, and a long term goal would be that of working for myself. In my research and mapping out my college career, I have decided to major in fine arts to get a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communications. There are a number of career pathways I could take with this degree. I would not be limited to just doing one job. I will have a number of options in a career field that is steadily growing. If for some reason I transferred to a school that does not offer this program, I would more than likely major in mass communications. I would be content doing anything with computers, less technical maintenance and more of a visual exchange of ideas. If anything else education would be a consideration for a career. Concisely, my chosen major is that of Visual Communications. In summary, my college pathway is that of this; I plan to take general education classes until I know where I will be more permanently going to school. I will than begin working towards a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Visual Communication. I would like to build, design, and maintain websites for numerous companies and businesses. I would also be interested in jobs  related to advertising and design. If all else fails it would be rewarding and a privilege to teach in either a public school or state university. Overall, I have a well thought plan for my future and am looking forward to being a contributing member of society. Bibliography The University of Texas. The University of Texas.

ENVY RIDES CASE Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ENVY RIDES - Case Study Example The working capital loan will even bring more revenue to the company. Hence, it will even help increase the gross margin even higher. The business has really been working well on its expenses by cutting down on most of the recurrent expenditure, apart from salaries, to ensure that the expenses reduce from 40.3% to 17.2% from 2007 to 2009 respectively. This is more than two times reduction in percentage expenses. It is, therefore, easy to make a projection of further reduction in expenses that might be realized in the next two years to be at less than 5%. With this tremendous reduction in expenditure, the business is, therefore, expected to have more revenue on the retained earnings section to be used to reinvest in the working capital. The business therefore has no reason to go for a loan for the working capital as it can be obtained from the retained earnings. However, the position of the business through its expenses support more loan to be obtained since it can be repaid easily given the level of the recurrent expenses in the business is also expected to reduce further for the next two years. The net income has also experienced some increase from 2.6% to 4.9% from 2008 to 2009. The increase in the net income may also show that the business is using too little to finance its expenses, and it is increasing its volume of sales. Therefore, with an increase in the net income, there is a possibility of further increase in the next two years. Envy can, therefore, go for further loan to renovate and add working capital since such attempts will only increase the net income, and the company will be in a better position to repay the loans. This is a profitability ratio that gauges whether the far that a firm can generate profits from the investments of the shareholders in the company. The return on equity ratio here has increased from 28.6% to 45.5% from 2008 to 2009. This shows that, currently, from every dollar that the

Case Study of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet project (NMCI) project Essay

Case Study of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet project (NMCI) project Management - Essay Example The case study analysis of the NMCI project shows that if the above measures are not put in place, there are likely chances of the project failing to meet its set goals and objectives. Introduction The term project is used to describe a set of linked activities or it can be precisely defined as a onetime activity with a well defined set of desired results (Hellriegel 2001). Some of the major features of a project include a definite start and finish, a time frame for completion, uniqueness as well as involvement of people on a temporary basis. Thus, for any project to be a success, project management plays a pivotal role in the implementation of the whole project. Against this background, this case study based essay seeks to critically analyse the project management practices and outcomes in the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) project being executed by Electronic Data Systems (EDS). The essay is divided into three phases and it will be structured as follows: Phase one deals with a p reliminary scope statement, phase two deals with presentation of an analysis, critique and recommendations regarding the project management areas of estimating, quality and communication as they apply to NMCI’s performance and the third phase will deal with presentation of an analysis, critique and recommendations regarding the project management areas of risk management, scheduling and budgeting and project execution as they apply to the case of NMCI. An assessment of whether the project was a success from the stakeholders’ perspective will be given at the end of the essay. Phase 1 The Preliminary Project Scope Statement is a framework or guideline that spells the main ideas and decisions to be made in the project and can be constantly reviewed to ensure compliance with the project goals set (Yeates & Cadle 1996). It documents all the requirements of the project as well as the boundaries within which the project will be implemented whereby there is a common understand ing between the project management team and the stakeholders involved. Thus, â€Å"the preliminary Project Scope Statement defines the project and establishes what must be accomplished at a high level,† (Elyse, PMP & CPHIMS 2006). The project objective in this case of NMCI is to build a single and seamless network. Against this background, EDS has managed to get a contract worth up to $9 billion to supply the US Navy and Marine Corps with a single, seamless network. Indeed, this is seen as the biggest government contract in the US. The other objective is that The Navy contract is being regarded as a pilot project for the way the military as a whole will run its IT in the future. In other words, this project seeks to create a situation whereby the Navy will be given the autonomy to manage its affairs with regards to its information and technology (IT) needs in the future. The project requirements include IT infrastructure in the form of computers, hardware as well as software that is required in executing this project. The project boundary is limited to EDS, the contractors, NMCI and the government of the US which is also a sponsor of the project. The project also assumes that EDS systems are intended to be fully operational by June 2003 which entails that the Navy will be ruled by the PC business in the years to come. Within the scope of this project, the major constraint likely to be encountered is related to cultural factors in the

Interactive and E-Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Interactive and E-Marketing - Essay Example The researcher of this essay focuses on the creation of a proposal that is aimed to launch an online company selling high quality headphones delivering all around the world. The company needs to provide the product through the websites that is interactive. E-business, which is discussed in the essay, is a business which allows the customers to sell trade and barter over the Web. The researcher also duggests the company’s policy, operations, technology and ideology that defines it's business model. B2C is a company based in Dubai. The products that are sold by this firm include headphones, woofers and speakers. Despite the fact that the company has been operating well, the researcher suggests that the trends and changes in the market of B2C company has called for changes. The fundamentals to the proposals success is the development of Four issues that the researcher describe and aims to achieve: attracting 200000 customers per month, converting 2000 of the 200000 of monthly vis itors into paying customers, ensure high levels of satisfaction and loyalty and securing financial funding enough to endorse a celebrity advertising as it is aimed at young people. These key proposals mentioned are highly dependent on securing a substantial budget justifying the proposal in commercial terms. The researcher then presents the establishment of the marketing plan of the B2C company, creates models for it's website and provides the detailed analysis of problems that may occure and compares the strengths and weaknesses of the suggested plan. Site design brief The design of the website will be done using the latest technologies that will enable it to advertise the services that are involved. Site architecture The site is organized in a way that there is a common entry point which is the home page. This makes it easy for the clients to identify the location they are in immediately they visit the web site. The three branches thatare the web services, online marketing and complain are the major services that the company offers. From the home page, the client can easily navigate to these sites with ease. In any of the said pages, one can encounter problems or may need to pay for that particular service; the third level therefore allows this ability of the web site (Baker, 1990). KEY COMPETITORS There two companies that sells the same product online and are our key competitors. These are Drebeats and Dennheiser. BUSINESS MODEL (STRATEGY) The company will adopt various strategies/models so that they are competitive in the marke t. This section will look at the various models that can be used. A business model is a method that is adopted by a business in order to sustain its activities. This is a model that will enable a business to get revenue. The Internet commerce is the most complex business that is hard to know the way money/revenue is made. 1 Merchant model / e-tailor model The site will provide visitors with arrange of headphones. Such a model is underpinned by generating a high level of traffic to the site and a high level of conversions. The types of merchant model can be in form of e-tailer which is an independent entity operating online or click and mortar which present a replica of traditional brick and mortar storefront (ler, & Swanson, 2004). 2 advertising model Revenue will be generated by selling space on site pages. Such space will be in demand by advertiser based on the content of the page which will be relevant information and article’s for the target market http://insight.think-tr ain.com/?p=22 Informediary The information concerning customers and their way of consumption are gathered and analysed to formulate market target. The BCB business will enter into an agreement with firms that act as infomediaries so that the buyers of the headphones will be assisted by the firm to know more about the product. Such firms can be offering other services. For example emails or social site gives space where the business premises who want to advertise will put their advert banner. This ad network always gathers information about the customers that can be used by the sellers to maximize market strategy. Another strategy is incentive marketing where a system is put in place to track the customer loyalty and reward them for example giving them gift of point that can be redeemed after some time (Sullivan & Liu 2011). AFFILIATES The model filters the content of the web page and gives the customer information on specific task for example the buying

Effective group discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effective group discussion - Essay Example The agenda would involve discussion on the above topic/ question and determine whether the conjecture is supported by sufficient facts to make it a plausible outcome. Use of moderator and tape recorder would ensure that discussion progresses smoothly during the 30 minutes, allotted to the group. The two questions would be discussed to come determine the veracity of the topic. Two discussion questions would be: the possible penalty that can effectively serve as deterrent measure for speeding; and previous outcome of the penalty on the convicts (Ehrlich, 1973). 2 minutes would be allowed to each of 10 participants to give their reasons and 10 minutes would be used to make empowered decision by the group leader, based on the informed choices as presented by the participants. It is hoped that discussion would help determine the outcome of conjecture. The discussion would focus on 3 areas: the legal aspect of the process of euthanasia in different countries; the moral paradigm of practice of euthanasia; and the efficacy of methods used on patients with terminal illness (Emanual & Fairclaugh, 2000). A moderator would oversee that discussions proceed within the defined guidelines and make recordings of the same. The 6 participants would be given 2 minutes to present their facts and views. Rest of the times would be used to collate the facts and use brainstorming techniques to decide on the outcome. The group leader would ensure that facts and moral compulsions are judiciously used to determine the conditions under which conditions euthanasia can be made legal. The main agenda of discussion would involve discussing the situation on the broader context of healthcare accessibility to the marginalized population of poor countries and the ways it can be addressed by developed countries and corporations. The discussion would be of 30 minutes

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 18

History - Essay Example However, at the same time some of the historians criticize this proposition and associate the turn of the tide with 1944 as Germans weren’t driven away until this time. However, the most viable and rational approach suggests that it was back in 1942 that the war took a turn and victory was assured as the first victory took place at this time. To understand the proposition in entirety, the shift in strategies needs to be understood. For this reason, it would be reasonable enough to discuss a little background of the operations. In 1941 when Germany attacked Soviet Union under the name of operation Barbarossa, Soviet Union was completely unprepared (Wienberg 1994). Thus, when the territories were attacked by the army a very high success was achieved by the Germans right in the beginning. This affected the morals of the Red Army as they were superior quantitatively, but their action was still limited to taking defensive actions which were ineffective in the beginning. However, the morals were retrieved in the winter attacks by the Red Army counter-attacks undertaken which proved to be of limited effect. In 1942, Red Army took advantage of the unorganized status of the German Army and launched an offensive attack. Though tangible objectives weren’t reached but Operation Barbarossa launched by Germans failed to a large extent. This was definitely a turning point, as the Red Army was now aware of the fact that they will eventually be able to defeat the German Army as it was losing control and command. Hitler had no specific objective in mind, and he had launched attacks on various fronts. This required long term planning with a narrow focus, which was somehow lacking thus loop holes were left which proved to be beneficial for the Soviets. Despite continuous efforts, the Soviet army wasn’t able to conquer either Moscow or Leningrad for that matter. To generate an

Use an example of your choice to discuss how corporate restructuring Essay - 2

Use an example of your choice to discuss how corporate restructuring transformed market, productive and financial performance - Essay Example An organization may face challenges such as funds and shrinking market share. These influences may force its management team to institute a change of ownership, in order to overcome issues like bankruptcy or buyouts (Gilson, 2010). Restructuring in organizations make organizations efficient and better organised. Such organizations have a better financial plan and revised strategic plans (Riany et. al., 2012). Industrial players to enhance better shareholder wealth, and improve the performance and welfare of employees have adapted such initiatives. Apple Inc is a multinational corporation, which develops designs and sells personal computers, software and other electronic devices. The company famous for its Mac chain of computers, which includes iphone Smart phones and ipad tablets. The company under the leadership of Steve Jobs has undergone several transformations. Some of these transformations involve a change in products to marketing campaigns. There are several reasons for companies to institute restructuring strategies. Organizations have to change regularly their contractual relationship with shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. These factors make it necessary for such organization to have a constant change in their restructuring strategy (Gareth and Charles, 2010). These industrial players have a stake in organizations legal, financial, operational and ownership. Therefore, organizations have to restructure their strategies to meet their demands. Such strategies of restructuring include organizational, portfolio and financial restructuring (Samaras, 2004). However, one needs to understand that restructuring is an ongoing process for organizations. Corporate restructuring assists organizations improve on their performance, operation or profitability. For Apple Inc, restructuring became evident with competition and growing cost of production. In the year 1990s, the company’s market

A conversation with my father by grace paley Essay

A conversation with my father by grace paley - Essay Example The entire story is based on the relationship of the two main characters in the story, the writer daughter and her father. The story begins with the father in the center stage and the daughter a mere follower of his directions. As the story progresses, the limelight slowly shifts on to the daughter who creates a story that is impactful and apparently tragic. All through the story, the father and daughter duo share a healthy, communicative, expressive, and genuine relationship as two admirers of life, society, writing, and literature. The father has the air of superiority in his voice since he is considers himself more knowledgeable and a well read fan of literature in Russian and English. This is evident from his tone at: â€Å"With you it’s all a joke,† (Paley, 1994, p.233) The daughter has a more kind and considerate outlook towards the father as her affection towards him forces her to write the same story twice. It is evident from her tone at, â€Å"His heart, that bloody motor, is equally old and will not do certain jobs anymore†¦..†Yes, Why not? That’s possible.† I want to please him.† (Paley, 1994, p.232) She however, dons a corrective role when her father gets cynical about the tragic ending that men and women in society face. She defines her confidence, free-spirited nature and positivity by turning the story into a happy and well meant ending. Overall, it is a good and healthy relationship that the two main protagonists in this story share. To achieve these goals, she has used two stories in between the main story. Her conversation with her father is one story, her simple depiction of a neighbor woman another, and her detailed depiction of the same woman is the third story. While the second and third stories are the same, they are created with an emphasis on writing styles which in the first one was tragic and negative and in the second one was humorous and

Why are you interested in pursuing this graduate program at the McColl Personal Statement

Why are you interested in pursuing this graduate program at the McColl School of Business - Personal Statement Example The degree would equip me the necessary skills to meet my professional goals. As such, the degree from this university becomes highly relevant in providing necessary skills and academic knowledge to become a successful professional in the field business management. Though I have no formal work experience but my four months’ training in a bank has made me realize the importance of acquiring professional qualifications in the business management. It will prepare me to face the challenges ahead of me in terms of new experiences and teach me to think strategically. I believe that it would help develop wider perspectives on relevant issues so that I could critically evaluate situations and resolve issues amicably. It would be especially relevant in the multicultural society where diverse ideologies could foster conflicts. Most importantly, the integrated business program would help me to work with confidence in global business with a global network of contacts and teach me how to collaborate as a team to meet the organizational objectives. The various modules of the course curricula are essential ingredients that provide students with a strong learning experience. I believe that the degree would hugely facilitate in meeting new challenges an d therefore significantly increase my job prospects. I have always been a highly self-driven person. I am also ambitious and would like to reach the highest level of professional excellence, both in terms of gaining knowledge and experience. The contemporary times necessitate versatility in the work ideology and functioning, thus making it vital that new skills and strategies are evolved to meet the emergent challenges with high efficiency and expertise. The new drifts in the professional areas have considerably impacted the socio-economic dynamics of the business. It has made work paradigms more competitive and at the same time more complex with the challenges of the diverse demands that have developed as a

Miles and Flora in ‘The Turn of the Screw’ Essay Example for Free

Miles and Flora in ‘The Turn of the Screw’ Essay The children in the novella are very distinctive in a manner of how the reader can perceive them. They can be seen by many as good children or bad children. In Victorian times the majority of children were actually brought up in the lower class and the middle class, Miles and Flora were not, they were lucky enough to be in the upper class but they had to follow the ideals of their mother or father. They didn’t have a mother or father therefore the governess was the only option of a friend to have and confide in, this was seen as morally wrong in the society since many Victorians believed that their shouldn’t be friendships between different classes, they believed in a strict social hierarchy. The children can be seen as innocent in the novella by the governess’ first views of them. On her first sighting of Miles, the governess describes him as being ‘angelic’, this can be seen as quite confusing to the reader since she has only just met him, it is a very powerful word to use on first impressions. But mainly it has religious connotations, it conveys a very strong image of Miles being this perfect little child, and sets him up as an innocent character throughout the entire novella. Also the governess is ‘carried away’ by Miles as well as the Master; this suggests that the governess is always in awe of strangers making her seem very vulnerable. Miles is constantly referred to as ‘little’ by the governess throughout the novella. She calls him a ‘little fairy prince’ which shows how highly she speaks of Miles, this suggests how little he is in physical appearance but mainly the innocence of him, small things are usually very vulnerable and innocent and need comfort and support from somebody bigger than them. The use of ‘prince’ not only shows how pristine he is but also correlates with his Victorian upper class position in society. This perception of Miles stays the same even until the end when his ‘little heart, dispossessed had stopped’. Since there has been many sides to Miles in the novella, the end sentence conveys how innocent he really he is. He is only a little boy and that’s what the reader needs to remember. Flora is also spoken very highly of by the governess. Generally there is more of a loveable connection between the two because they are female, and the daughter looks up to both of her parents as role models but to the mother most of all. The governess thinks that Flora is ‘the most beautiful child she has ever seen’; this is kind of inferred in the quotation but also has a very loveable element to it and an innocence one too. The governess doesn’t really experience any problems with Flora in the novella; she wants to protect her all the time from the ghosts that she believes are terrorizing her. Flora’s position in society as being upper class is also linked to by the use of her ‘hair of gold’, ‘gold’ symbolizing money but also makes her stand out in the crowd, the author has made her out to be like a little prodigy. Another perception of the children’s innocence comes with the idea if there are actually ghosts corrupting them, which the governess thinks is happening. The fact that they are only children conveys the general idea that children tend to be scared of ghosts and don’t want to hear anything about them. The children may be getting scared by the governess’ dramatic reactions to her so called sightings of Quint and Jessel. When Flora is awake in the middle of the night looking out the window, the governess, straight away, believes that she is contacting ghosts and so her suspicions about ghosts are increased but they are only children and it turns out they were only having a joke. Children can still have fun even though they are of noble birth but the governess doesn’t seem to realize this. Maria Edgeworth commented on the grave dangers of leaving young children in the supervision of servants, in this case the governess is actually a servant in social hierarchy terms but the master in terms of profession terms. The children however can be seen as being ‘bad’. The quote in the title itself tells how Miles could be being sinister. When the governess wakes up to see why Flora is standing up at the window, she immediately believes that she is contacting either Quint or Jessel because she is extremely paranoid. But when she sees Miles on the grounds of Bly she panics because not only is he all alone without anyone supervising him, he is also looking above the window Flora is looking out so the governess believes he is contacting Quint. When talking to Mrs.Grose about what happened the previous night, she watches Miles and Flora walking the grounds and believes that ‘they’re talking horrors!’, this could have several implications, one could be that they are plotting and scheming against the governess to maybe overthrow her position and get their uncle back to them and another could be that they are talking to the horrors and in this case the horrors could be Quint and Jessel since the word horror is often associated with ghosts and the supernatural. One thing that could suggest that the children are deceiving the governess and manipulating her is the fact that the employer who is the children’s uncle is nowhere to be seen at Bly. Since being employed the governess is told strictly not to contact him about anything whatsoever, not even about his own nephew and niece. This surely arouses suspicion and could possibly make the reader think that maybe the children are actually bad. Perhaps the past between Miles and Quint had made the Master resort to madness like the governess possibly has as well. It could in fact possibly be that Quint corrupted Miles before the governess was at Bly which leads to the reason why he was expelled from his school which the governess believes is a massive concern. Are the children the cause of their uncle’s behavior? And maybe, what have they done to make him not want to stay at Bly? The governess has all these sorts of questions but knows that they she cannot contact him for the sake of her job, which drives her mad because she thinks she is being corrupted. The descriptions of the children actually change as the reader progresses through the novella. On first impressions the children are compared to being like angels and royalty which is all well and good but she has yet to meet their true personalities. She describes Flora as an ‘old, old woman’ which is honestly the most ridiculous thing that a child can be called. This obviously cannot be a description of her physical appearance since she is only 8 years old but possibly how the governess believes that she is corrupted by Miss Jessel. Perhaps every time Jessel is around, Flora’s soul seems to be aging or it could actually be that she is becoming smarter with every appearance of Jessel so she is scheming more. This could suggest a loss of innocence in Flora, she used to be ‘the most beautiful child’ and now she is an ‘old, old woman’. To conclude I believe that the children are actually innocent. They are only children so how in any way can they actually be sinister and possibly evil? Yes there is strong evidence that the children could be being bad and corrupting the governess but being evil is too much of an extent. Therefore I believe in the innocence of the children.

Understanding The Concept Of Depression Sociology Essay

Understanding The Concept Of Depression Sociology Essay A comparison of the social constructs of emotion in Asian and Western cultures shows that Asians are more prone to experience depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. Studies highlighting the cultural similarities and differences in display rules, the emotion regulation norms, and the physical and emotional expression of depression in these two cultures are cited to support this claim. The Basic Emotion, Component, Appraisal, and Neo-Jamesian theories show that only elements from each provide a complete explanation of why Asians are predisposed to depression because of culture. The Social Constructionist Theory offers a thorough explanation of this phenomenon. The problems and possible remedies facing Asian cultures and the heightened risk of depression among its members are also addressed. Culture and the Understanding of the Concept of Depression Through numerous studies on cultural relativism and cultural categorization of emotion, emotion is shown to be, to a degree, contingent on cultural factors such as display rules, social roles, and culturally determined appraisals. The interpretation of depression eliciting stimuli and situations and expression of depression, in particular, is also influenced by these cultural factors. Furthermore, the social constructionist view of depression makes it possible to compare the concept of depression in Western and Asian cultures. The contrast between the relatively individualistic nature of Western cultures and the collective nature of Asian cultures, and their associated norms for emotion regulation, may offer differing perspectives of depression and therefore help form a cultural observation of depression within the two cultures. The cultural display rules, socially learned performances, and emotion regulation norms that guide the interpretation of and behavioral responses to depressi on in these cultures reveal that Asians are more prone to depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. Cultural differences between Western and Asian cultures in individualism-collectivism (I-C), a dimension of cultural variability, show a strong possibility that Asians are predisposed to more negative emotions than are Westerners. Individualistic cultures, most of which are Western, promote individual needs, wishes, desires, and values over group and collective ones (Matsumoto, 1990). Consequently, hierarchical differences in status or power are minimized while equality is emphasized (Matsumoto, 1990). In contrast, collective cultures, many of which are Asian, promote the opposite; they stress the needs of a group, individuals identify themselves as members of a group, and ones social role is defined by an entrenched system of hierarchical differences and vertical relationships (Matsumoto, 1990). The I-C difference is also related to the social distinction between ingroups and outgroups (Matsumoto, 190). Members of individualistic cultures tend to display more negative emotions to in group members and more positive emotions to outgroup members. Conversely, members of collective cultures tend to display more positive emotions to members of ingroups and more negative emotions to those of outgroups (Matsumoto, 1990). These display rules should predispose Asians to more negative emotions, which may result in depression, at least in the social interactions with outgroups. Power distance, another dimension of cultural variability, which refers to cultural differences in status and power, is positively correlated to cultures that are more individualistic and negatively correlated to those that are more collective. This dimension may already show that Asian cultures foster more opportunities for the occurrence or passive harboring of negative emotions, while Western cultures seem to dissipate many of these potential risks. The importance of equality and the needs of the individual in Western cultures may make it less likely for people to experience depression on a large, societal scale. On the other hand, the vertical relationships encapsulated in collective cultures may make it more likely for people to acknowledge their differences from one another and any perceived inadequacies with those higher in power and status may contribute to the occurrence of depression. A Japanese-American comparison study by Matsumoto (1990) explored the relationship between I-C and PD cultures and the display rules of the members of those cultures. The study was conducted in two sessions; the first measured display rules through the subjects judgment of the appropriateness of displaying emotions in different situations, and the second measured how they judged the intensity of the same emotions. The results of the experiment supported the views that Japanese display rules made it appropriate to show negative emotions to outgroups and lower-status others while American display rules allowed people to express negative emotions more openly in ingroups (Matsumoto, 1990). In addition, Americans rated happiness in public and to outgroups as more appropriate than did Japanese. The Japanese display rules, indicative to some degree of Asian cultural display rules at large, show that in order to foster ingroup harmony and maintain the hierarchical differences in power and st atus, people find negative emotions to be appropriate when interacting with outgroups and lower-status others but not with ingroups and higher-status others. These display rules may reveal that Asian cultures are less tolerant than Western cultures of negative emotions in ingroups, which discourages them to express and share their negative emotions with their ingroups. A further finding from Matsumotos study suggests that although Asians may be more likely to express negative emotions to outgroups, they mask their negative feelings in the presence of others (Matsumoto, 1990). Overall, Asian cultures seem to discourage any expression of negative emotions whether with ingroups, outgroups, or those of different status. Emotion regulation norms for Asian and Western cultures also demonstrate a greater likelihood for depression among Asians than among Westerners. Since emotion regulation refers to the ability to manage and modify ones emotional reactions in order to achieve a desirable outcome, it reflects the different ways that culture tries to achieve social order (Matsumoto, Yoo, Nakagawa, 2005). Two aspects of emotion regulation, reappraisal-the way individuals appraise an emotion-eliciting situation to change its impact on the emotion-and suppression-the inhibition of emotional expressive behavior-can be used to compare Asian and Western cultures. Individualistic cultures are associated with more reappraisal and less suppression because these cultures value emotions and free expression more than collective cultures, which are associated with less reappraisal and more suppression in order to maintain ingroup cohesion and harmony (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Studies have linked emotion regulation t o different types of adjustment. Individuals high in reappraisal and low in suppression experienced more positive and less negative emotions, were more open in sharing their emotions with others, had better social support, were less depressed, and reported higher self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction; in essence, reappraisal has been associated with positive outcomes and suppression with negative emotions (Matsumoto et al., 2005). These conclusions can also be applied to individuals from Asian and Western cultures at large-Asians may feel more negative emotions, have less social support, and be more depressed than Westerners. Although suppression has been associated with negative consequences on the individual level, a study by Matsumoto et al. (2005) shows that it may have positive consequences on the social level. Suppression may play an important cultural function in organizing and maintaining cultural systems and groups. Thus, the social order is preserved at the expense of the emotional well-being of the individual. Part of their study, which held data about country-level emotion regulation, reveals that emotion regulation is positively correlated with both positive and negative indices of adjustment (Matsumoto et al., 2005). In other words, while individualism may promote high levels of both positive and negative adjustment because it values free, uninhibited emotional expression, collectivism may promote only either positive or negative adjustment. Despite the fact that suppression in collective cultures may lead to greater social harmony and a high level of positive adjustment, individuals may sti ll experience negative consequences. Therefore, while Asian countries and cultures may report a relatively positive adjustment for society in general, individuals themselves may report negative adjustment. This phenomenon may very well show that Asians who suffer from depression are stifled by cultural emotion regulation norms from receiving psychological or emotional help and support. The Social Constructionist Theory has helped define the social constructs of Asian cultures that make Asians more prone not only to negative emotions but also to social anxiety, a precursor to depression. Cultural display rules, social roles, and emotion regulation norms have effectively contributed to the predisposition of Asians to be more passive, non-assertive, and anxious in interpersonal situations than Westerners (Okazaki, Liu, Minn, 2002). The results from a study that examined differences between Asian American and White American on a trait measure of social anxiety and self-reports of anxiety-related emotions during a 3-min social performance task indicated that Asian Americans reported more anxiety than White Americans (Okazaki et al., 2002). Their data also revealed that some differences among Asian Americans of various ethnicities in their levels of social anxiety are related to their levels of acculturation. If there are indeed significant differences among Asian Ameri cans depending on their level of acculturation to American culture, they would be due to whether Asian Americans still prescribe to Asian social constructs of emotion. Although Asian Americans reported more social anxiety, they did not behave in an observably different manner than White Americans during the anxiety-provoking social task (Okazaki et al., 2002). In light of the emotion regulation norms that guide behavioral responses, both Asian Americans and Asians may be less willing to express any type of strong emotions, positive or negative, in front of people. This observation may support the view that Asians are exposed to social rules that increase the likelihood for anxiety, and subsequently depression, because those same rules prevent them sharing their emotional burdens with others. This culturally embedded formula for Asians to experience more social anxiety than Westerners is reinforced by culturally relevant risk factors for suicidal behaviors among Asian American youths. Asian American youths are at greater risk for suicide than majority group youths (i.e. White Americans and African Americans) because they experience risk factors that every youth experiences such as antisocial behaviors, substance abuse, and lack of familial stability, and those related to acculturation to the majority culture such as discrimination, alienation, and identity confusion (Lau, Jernewall, Zane, Myers, 2002). Asian American youths who fail to acculturate properly and develop an adaptive ethnic identity are prone to maladjustment, which entails life dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, pessimism, and depression. It is primarily the parents of Asian American youths that confound their efforts to acculturate and thus contribute to stress and frustration (Lau et al., 2002). Acculturat ion stress and intergenerational acculturation conflicts have been identified as factors that influence suicidal behaviors among Asian youths in Great Britain (Lau et al., 2002). A struggle between Western cultural norms and Asian cultural values can be seen in the parent-child conflicts of Asian American youths. A medical record abstraction at a mental health outpatient clinic identified correlates of suicidal behaviors in a sample of 285 Asian American youths (Lau et al., 2002). The records pointed out that adolescents were at the greatest risk for suicidal behaviors and were more prone to depression than were younger children. Consequently, depression was a strong predictor of suicidality as well (Lau et al., 2002). The data showed that youths who were less acculturated and experienced high parent-child conflict were at significantly greater risk than youths who were more acculturated and had lower conflict. Interestingly, youths who were diagnosed as suicidal displayed a higher number of internalizing symptoms and fewer externalizing symptoms (Lau et al., 2002). Perhaps the cultural sanctions against expression of negative emotions and the Asian cultural tendency to portray mental disorders as shameful and the tendency to downplay such disorders as temporary emotional states that do not r equire treatment, medical or otherwise, contribute to the prevalence of suicidal behavior among Asian American youths (Lau et al., 2002). Asian Americans as a whole, including both youths and adults, have had their mental health needs neglected by United States federal mental health policies (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). This neglect is perpetuated in part by the three myths about Asian Americans: they are a small group; they are a successful group and do not have any financial or cultural problems; and they do not experience mental health disparities (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). Although many, especially White Americans and the government, see Asian Americans as the model minority, they are not by any means exempt from problems surrounding their social and cultural position in the United States. The first myth is debunked by data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census showing that Asian Americans are proportionally the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. The second myth can be disproven by the sheer fact that not all Asian Americans receive the same education and opportunities to advance in society. Some groups have l ess education, greater unemployment, and higher poverty than others (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). Moreover, even Asian Americans who are successful by educational, employment, and income standards encounter problems associated with their ethnicity. The stress of acculturation contributes to the occurrence of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. Their overall success in integrating with American culture belies the reality that many experience mental health disparities due to clashing cultural values and display rules; as a result, this conflict and the neglect of their mental health needs predispose them to an increased risk of depressive symptoms and behaviors and (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). A specific look into the avoidance of mental therapy in South Korea further strengthens the argument that Asian cultures foster societies in which Asians are more likely to experience depression and less likely to seek help for it. Academic and corporate pressures contribute to an alarming rate of stress and suicide among South Koreans (Kim, Won, Liu, Liu, Kitanishi, 1997). Many Koreans, however, largely resisted Western psychotherapy for their growing anxieties, depression, and stress. The Buddhist and Confucian values that dictate much of South Korean society emphasize stoicism and modesty while subordinating individual problems and concerns to the good of society. In line with these ethics is preservation of face, or dignity for the family (Kim et al., 1997). If they do seek help, Koreans are compromising the dignity of their families by indirectly stating that they need mental therapy because their families are at fault. Koreans decide not to seek professional psychotherapy or c ounseling because the culture considers open expression of emotional problems as taboo. Thus, many Koreans forgo mental help and cope with their problems on their own (Kim et al., 1997). However, the suicide rate has doubled in Korea between 1999 and 2009 and it may continue to grow if Koreans do not seek therapy or some form of counseling to cope with depression and stress (Kim et al., 1997). The problem of depression in Korea is mirrored in other East Asian cultures perhaps because they all share the same cultural prohibition of expressing negative emotions to both ingroups and outgroups and the view that depression is not a serious mental health problem. A dangerous threat that can result from ignoring cases of depression and when individuals neglect or are incapable of seeking mental aid is a rising suicide rate. China, India, and Japan accounted for more than 40% of all world suicides in 2006 (Beautrais, 2006). Surprisingly then, although many Asian cultures believe that suicide is a source of personal and family shame, much of the worlds reported suicides occur in Asian countries. Problems of underreporting cases of suicides and suicide attempts such as inaccuracy of reports, prohibitions against the collection of suicide data, and the stigmatization of suicide make it difficult to assess the true numbers of suicides that occur in Asian countries. Nevertheless, limitations aside, there is still an alarming number of suicides that take place in Asian countries every year. As in Western countries, mental illness is strongly correlated with suicide in Asian countries (Beautrais, 2006). Indeed, many of the life stresses that cause dep ression-poverty and marital, family, and relationships problems-are equally shared by Asian and Western countries. However, some cultural, historical, and contextual features of suicidal behavior in Asia may show that life stresses may more often lead to suicide than in the West (Beautrais, 2006). The struggles of young rural families involving early marriage, low social status, and lack of personal autonomy; economic stresses for Asian businessmen who are pressured to work long hours and drink away their stress; and academic stresses for adolescents in Japan and Korea who compete for admission to prestigious schools may invariably lead to suicide. Not only do the societal conditions in which Asians live may engender more cases of depression and suicide, but also the social constructs of emotion particular to Asian cultures. While the Social Constructionist Theory argues that social roles, emotion regulation norms, and cultural display rules explain why Asians may be more prone to depression than Westerners, appraisal theories help highlight the role of appraisal as interpretations of emotion-eliciting situations in this phenomenon. Appraisal, which is involved in reappraisal in emotion regulation, is defined as the evaluation of an event. Appraisal, therefore, plays a significant role in emotion regulation because it allows an individual to interpret a situation as positive or negative, thereby influencing the emotion felt. Whereas in Asian cultures, appraisal is framed by values that promote embeddedness, power distance, and hierarchy, in Western cultures, appraisal is perceived through values that promote individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Asian cultures assess appraisal through the collective mind, or through the socially desirable outcomes of ingroup harm ony and maintenance of power distance. Therefore, Asians may tend to appraise situations as positive or negative depending on the goals of their societies. However, because Asians may appraise emotional situations under the context of social values, they may run the risk of both diminishing positive emotions and exaggerating the negative emotions for the individual. For example, if an Asian youth receives a relatively poor grade based on his parents standards, he may ignore the fact that although he did not please his parents, he scored the highest out of his class. Nonetheless, the youth appraises the situation negatively because he places the needs of the group (his family) ahead of his individual needs and concerns. In contrast, a Western youth may appraise the situation differently, seeing his performance as satisfactory and thereby feeling happier and less stressed. Appraisal theories are thus contingent on the social goals and values pertaining to culture. Component theories further elaborate how components that lead to depression occur more often in Asian cultures than in Western cultures. In addition to appraisal, subjective feeling, action readiness, expression, and instrumental behavior are all emotion components that help construct an emotion. Through Ortony and Turners conclusion that emotion components are dissociable elements and the results of the study by Okazaki et al., (2002), we can see that depression is caused by various components that by their own may not be indicative of the emotion. Asian cultures define these components in relation to social order and harmony, once again subordinating the needs and desires of the individual to those of society. Naturally, appraisals and behaviors that reflect restraint and inhibition of expressing negative emotions are more prevalent and readily used in Asian cultures. However, even if one were to experience components of depression, the full manifestation of the emotion may not occ ur because depression and other mental health disorders are looked down upon in Asian cultures (Beautrais, 2006). The individual would likely associate an experience of depression, despite having all the components that form depression, with a general negative emotion that can be overcome by sheer willpower or other non-professional therapy; in addition, the individual can choose to ignore one or several components of depression to deny that they are depressed. Unfortunately, component theories, like appraisal theories, do not offer a full explanation of why Asians may be predisposed to depression because they do not ensure the full manifestation of depression. The Basic Emotions Theory may support the universality of depression, but does not explain why or how Asians are more prone to experiencing it. The study on social-anxiety for Asian Americans and White Americans by Okazaki et al., (2002) showed that facial expression is not a primary or even reliable indicator of emotion. Likewise, another study exhibiting display rules in Japanese and American subjects showed that while the Japanese felt the same emotions as the Americans, they did not show negative emotions to strangers (Matsumoto, 1990). Facial expressions of emotion are but one part of socially defined components that generate an emotion. Depression is interpreted differently by Asian cultures than it is by Western cultures due to differing social values and roles (Beautrais, 2006). Moreover, the expression of depression is inevitably different for Asian cultures and Western cultures because of cultural display rules. In short, the Basic Emotions Theory merely states that depress ion exists, but not to what degree individuals in different cultures experience it. There is a link between the Neo-Jamesian Psychophysiological Perspective and a study by Arnault Kim (2008) that shows that Japanese and Korean women had higher somatic distress and depression than American women. The results of the study showed that there were certain somatic distress symptoms unique to depression among the Asian women: gastric and abdominal upset, weakness, dizziness, aches and pains, and palpitations (Arnault Kim, 2008). Through a comparison with American women, Japanese and Korean women were found to experience culturally-specific somatic symptoms. This finding supports the psychophysiological perspective that each emotion has its own pattern or signature of bodily changes. Therefore, according to this perspective, depression should also have its own unique signature of bodily changes. Although the study may support the claim that emotions are equivalent to physiological changes or can be purely defined by them, it also showed that the somatic symptoms felt by t he women were culturally-specific. American women would not be able to experience the same symptoms as the Asian women did, and they would probably not label their symptoms collectively as depression. Furthermore, the Japanese and Korean women used an idiom of distress used to describe their symptoms that highlighted the importance of cultural values and beliefs. The Social Constructionist Theory is, therefore, the best theory illustrating how Asians are more prone to depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. It encompasses elements from the Appraisal theory, Component theory, Basic Emotions theory, and Neo-Jamesian Psychophysiological Perspective. Emotion components that form the emotion of depression are all influenced by the social norms of a particular culture. Asian cultures, which value embeddedness, power distance, and hierarchy, evaluate emotion components and somatic symptoms according to these cultural orientations. On the other hand, Western cultures evaluate emotion components and physiological symptoms according to individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy. The culturally specific evaluations of Asian cultures increase the likelihood of people experiencing depression than in Western cultures. The downplay of negative emotions may also reveal that in Asian cultures, negative emotions are relatively hypo-co gnized concepts, emotion concepts that are not so thoroughly mapped out in a cultures emotion lexicon. Nonetheless, the expression of negative emotions is confounded and inhibited by a cultural reluctance to acknowledge that people have mental health problems. Socially learned performances, syndromes, and language all contribute to create a high disposition for depression in Asian cultures. While Asian and Western cultures seem to be the primary culture groups in the world, we can observe similar cultures such as that of the Utku if we focus on the more fundamental I-C dimension of cultural variability. The Utku society shares more values and traits with collective Asian cultures than with individualistic Western cultures. The Utku value ingroup harmony over individual needs and desires, which have the potential to disrupt society. Parents show affection to their children up until a certain age around 3 and 4 years old, in order to assimilate them into the larger social context of society (Briggs, 1970). Adults expect children to eventually abandon their childish, selfish ways and adopt a communal mindset of equal distribution of food and goods. In order to maintain their social harmony, the Utku try not to exhibit anger, which would be detrimental to the carefully monitored society by causing conflict and breaking relationship ties. In their efforts to avoid anger, they have effectively made it a hypo-cognized concept, indirectly doing away with one of the precursors to depression. Because none of the Utku claim to be angry and no one can observe any signs of anger, the Utku may not even experience depression. By eliminating not only anger but also negative emotions in general, the Utku may only perceive positive emotions. Unlike other collective cultures like Asian cultures, the Utku have a relatively limited and simple emotion vocabulary and thus may not even consider depression to be an emotion concept, much less experience it. While studies on cultural display rules and emotion regulation norms suggest that individuals in collective cultures are more prone to negative emotions, this does not seem to be the case for individuals in Utku society. The only possible instances where depression may have occurred, in Raigili and Saaraks sullen moods when their mother no longer carries them, do not guarantee that the children felt depression (Briggs, 1970). Even if they felt sadness, it would have been construed and interpreted through social values; they experience emotions through the context of their society. In essence, the Utku reveal one exception to the commonly held view that individuals in collective cultures are more prone to depression. The comparison of Asian and Western cultures and their disposition for depression brings up a problem of the immutability of culture. If Asians are truly more prone to depression because of culture, then how do we rectify this problem, if there even is a solution save the complete upheaval of deeply entrenched social norms and values? Even with the evidence citing that Asians experience more depression and are at greater risk of suicidal behaviors than are Westerners in America and in their native countries, the global rates of suicide in Asia seem to increase every year. The medical findings can be a starting point to influence government health, economic, and educational policies to change or perhaps sway cultural values. While the thought of completely or irreversibly altering a cultures values and beliefs is not only near impossible but controversial, government and public awareness of depression and suicide may help decline the rampant number of suicides that occur in Asia. Ther e is an important distinction to be made between countries and cultures-countries may comprise of one or several cultures, and conversely, a culture is not indicative of any countrys beliefs or values (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Changes in other dimensions like international politics have translated into changes in public sentiment and even cultural values. There is a great possibility for governments of collective cultures to perhaps assuage the dangers of emotion suppression and allow for more open and free expression of emotion. They can also try to establish medical and mental health institutions that allow people to meet with psychiatrists privately to prevent the patient from any associated familial or individual shame for having depression. The medical records of Asian American outpatient youths and U.S. mental health policies that neglect the special needs of Asian Americans can help direct attention to the increased likelihood among Asian Americans to feel depression. The transcultural study by Kim et al., (1997) showed that even Asian students have developed coping methods to deal with stressful events. Health reforms that pair Asian patients with those of same ethnicities may alleviate any barriers to full expression of emotion and provide a chance to better diagnose and remedy depressive symptoms among low acculturated Asian Americans or immigrants. An observation that American psychiatry should be more sensitive to the relationship between the mind/emotions and the body would also help assess and treat Asian patients who experience depression and stress (Arnault Kim, 2008). Programs to help Asian immigrants to become acculturated with American or Western culture may dissipate any tension between Asian values and Western values. Understanding of emotion concepts across Asian and Western cultures could also be more easily facilitated through these acculturation programs. These civil policies and other measures may make it easier for Asian Americans to adopt American or Western culture while at the same time not relinquishing their native Asian cultures. This process of integration would ensure that they do not lose their cultural identities but rather focus on the values and emotion constructs that promote emotional well-being and health. Although Western cultures seems to be a better culture in terms of emotional expression and general individual well-being, it is far from perfect and may even be worse than Asian cultures in maintaining social order. Cultures all share the desire for social order (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Western cultures seem to promote this relatively well by emphasizing individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy. Individualism ensures that the needs of the individual are met and attention and care is given to the individual who has problems. Egalitarianism promotes the idea that everyone, regardless of any actual differences in power or status, sho

Strategy For Success In College

Strategy For Success In College Exemplification Essay: Write an essay presenting your formula for achieving success in college. You may, if you wish, talk about things such as scheduling time, maintaining a high energy level, and learning how to relax. Use examples from your own experience to make your point. Purpose: The main focus of this essay will be supporting a thesis with examples to illustrate or explain a general point; demonstrating focused, organized and developed paragraphs; and successfully incorporating quotes into your writing. Laid out in front of you is one of the most important examinations in your course. With sweat dripping and your palms perspiring, you anxiously flip through the pages of this never ending examination. Your mind spins and you are overwhelmed by the questions that you have no clue how to do. You know you should have studied, but it is too late now. You had your chance, but you missed it because you were busy playing video games and shopping while you were supposed to be studying and doing your homework. Have you ever experienced this sort of situation before where you felt helpless? By developing good study habits such as managing your time efficiently, preparing and organizing, being aware of and applying your learning style, and maintaining your health, you can become a strong and confident student. One of the main factors contributing to success in college is managing your time efficiently. This allows you to balance between your studies, work, and personal activities. How you use your time reflects on the kind of person you are, and by wisely distributing your time, you can become the person you aspire to be. An instrumental tool for success is a schedule, which can be used to record and keep track of all your assignments and tasks that you are committed to completing. In order to make the best use of your time, it is important for you to know what you want. This helps you set your priorities and become committed to obtaining your desired outcome. Next, you should choose realistic and achievable goals and plan strategies that will help you achieve that goal. It is important to also plan for problems that might arise in order to achieve that goal. One of the most common and serious problems you may encounter is procrastination. Other distractions include the television and other external noises. A quiet and distraction free environment is an ideal studying area. In my first year of high school, I had poor time management skills and suffered from extreme procrastination, which resulted in me achieving low grades. However, after imposing several changes in my life, I began to see drastic changes in my academic life. For one thing, I began to set a timer to cue me in on how much time I should spend on each assignment and how long my study session would last. This helped me finish my work quickly and fight procrastination. In order to combat procrastination, you need to be assertive and take self-control. Dont wait until the last minute to work on assignments, but rather work on them early on so you have more free time. In order to have time for recreation and fun, planning ahead is important. This includes writing down important dates in your schedule and planning how much time you will devote to each assignment or task. In addition to time management, organizing and studying are part of the stepping stones of success. My binders, folders, and cabinets used to be chaotic and disorderly. As a result, I often could not locate my homework assignments. This soon got to a point where I knew I had to change in order to succeed. I insisted on keeping color coded files for my assignments, tests, and other schoolwork and set a cabinet next to my desk with materials ranging from highlighters to rulers in each separate file. Organizing your papers will help you keep track of your grades and, ultimately, progress in your course. Organized notes are a vital studying tool. Knowing and using all your resources is one way to helping you achieve your maximum academic potential. Other ways to enhance your skills are to preview and review the chapter, take adequate notes, and do your homework while the information is fresh in your memory. However, it is not profitable to study a subject for a big chunk of time, having breaks, switching to other subjects, and breaking down chunks of reading will enable you to pay attention better. Another dilemma I was faced with was the inability to concentrate in long study sessions. As a result, I thought of creative ways to help myself concentrate better. I made color coded sticky notes in my textbook and often participated in study sessions. Involvement in a study group with your classmates and asking questions if you don’t understand something are ways that you can become more active in your learning. By developing a habit of regularly studying and having all supplies and materials available, you will become more of an active learner and will soon harvest the fruits of your hard work. Furthermore, in order to learn more efficiently, it is important to know and place emphasis on your learning style. My learning style is auditory. If you are an auditory learner, your best way for learning is to hear the information. Reading the notes out loud or listening to a lecture can help you comprehend the information. If you are a visual learner, you learn best by seeing it in pictures or in action, such as watching a clip or looking at pictures and diagrams. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you learn best by using incorporating all your senses. By using techniques such as conducting an experiment or going on a field trip or tour, you can learn precisely interpret the information. By trial and error, I learned my learning style during the course of my high school career. By reading my notes and chapters out loud, listening to recorded chapters available, and watching clips, I began to unfold a greater learning potential within me. There is one final element that is critical to a successful journey through college. Not only is it important to manage your time efficiently, prepare and organize, and apply your learning style, maintaining your health is just as important. This could include regularly exercising, eating healthy meals, and minimizing your stress. According to a study by Yale University, â€Å"The most important predictors of academic achievement were having no television in the bedroom, maintaining a healthy weight, being physically fit, having a secure source of healthy food, and rarely eating at fast-food restaurants. Other significant factors were not drinking soda or other sweetened drinks and getting enough sleep† (Yale School of Public Health). However, most college students overlook the importance of health and as a result, lead an unhealthy lifestyle. By not getting enough sleep, eating junk food, watching television, and consuming alcohol and drugs, they are prone to many ailments such as emotional and physical stress, obesity, malnutrition, and brain fog. These cause them to lose their ability to focus in class. In addition, most college students suffer from stress due to their hectic schedules. Stress can be minimized by exercising, proper sleep, taking breaks in between work, and meditating. Besides reducing stress, eating healthy is also an indicator in academic success. During breaks I have between study sessions, I snack on healthy foods like baby carrots with ranch or celery with peanut butter. Moreover, exercise is the key to leading a healthy lifestyle. No matter how hectic your life may be, always find a few minutes a day to go out for a walk. I go for a jog after studying to clear my head. By eating healthy and exercising, you can increase your focus and concentration, which leads to a higher energy level and ultimately, higher grades. Imagine the same student from earlier, this time with: better time management, more organization and preparation, and a healthier lifestyle. By eating fruits and vegetables, setting time aside for exercise several times a week, keeping a planner at hand with all his assignments and events written down, he has turned his academic life around. He used to get anxious about taking tests, but this time, he has studied for the test every day for the last two weeks, and knows he understands the material and has nothing to fear. He is confident in his ability to do well because he has structured his life to optimize for academic success.