Looking at the number of pages in these academic texts I have to read for class or for an assignment, has made me want for once tell someone to not elaborate! Tell the short version of the story for once

RetroBangBoy AU - OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE

Word Count: 1.1k

Pairings: Taehyung x reader

“Aaand—safe!” The dust settles and the crowd cheers for the player rising up from the second base, smirking. It was an easy home run, but Kim Taehyung didn’t come for easy. He came to play.

You watch him from the bleachers, awestruck with each effortless stride he takes toward third base, teasing and dodging opponents who attempt to stand in his way. Hoseok is up to bat. He swings, precisely hitting the ball and curving it up and out of sight into the sky. Not unlike all the suitors that ever laid bare their hearts to him.

Taehyung and Hoseok both strut their way through the bases until they reach home plate. The audience swoons and the remaining team rushes the diamond to celebrate their win. Pride is swelling in your chest too. Even though you’ve had many friendly encounters with your next-door neighbor, seeing him flocked by crowds in public makes you feel like complete strangers.

“CAN I GET A HOT DOG? HEY, HEY YOU. BIGHEAD BLOCKING THE VIEW!” You’re pulled from your pleasant haze. “Yeah sorry. That’ll be 25 cents.” The guy tosses a coin into the vendor tray strapped to your stomach. Does Taehyung also think my head is disproportionately colossal? you wonder.

By the time you’ve finished cleaning up at the concession stand, it’s 6:45 pm. Friday paychecks are the best and you’re excited about the weekend. Eager to get home, you take a shortcut through the campus. The hallways are empty but the lights are still on in some areas, probably for the night shift janitor.

As you pass the Fine Arts hall, you hear soft jazz music echoing from one of the classrooms. You stop in your tracks. The vibe is familiar. You follow the sound to a large workshop and poke your head inside. “Hello?”

A pair of big brown eyes appear from the top of a large table easel. “Hey, Sweetcheeks!”

“Tae, what are you doing in here?”

His eyes crinkle into smiles and he gestures for you to join him.

You’ve seen many sides to Taehyung, but never like this. His hair is slicked back exposing his prominent brows and forehead. He must have had a shower recently. He’s absent from his baseball uniform. A cigarette hangs from his lips.

You sit on the empty stool beside him. He turns his body back to the canvas, studying his work. You study his side profile before speaking. “Won’t you get in trouble for smoking?”

He chuckles, “I don’t light it, Sweetcheeks. It’s just for the look.”

He motions toward the canvas. “Will you give me your opinion?”

You reluctantly look away from the art that is Taehyung and turn to his creation. A wild horse grazing in tall grass beside a river, cumulus clouds lining the unfinished blue sky above it.

“Wow, Taehyung! Your painting…it’s—" You are speechless. Can he be so talented?

He gets shy all of a sudden. Cig bobbing up and down in his mouth as his fidgets with his paint-speckled fingers. “You can be honest, I know I need improvement.”

“No, Tae. This is so beautiful. Really.” You look at him, this time overflowing with pride. He is the real masterpiece.

He looks back at you, serious. Devilishly handsome. His hair is beginning to dry and a stray strand hangs over his brow. Head empty. You lift a hand to sweep it back before stopping yourself. “Sorry.”

His serious face turns amused again at your flushed reaction. He removes the smoke from his lips and closes the space between you. You brace yourself for a kiss. Instead, he goes around to your right ear. He whispers, “I’d like to ask your permission for something…” His hot breath against your cold ear sends chills up your sides. “…may I paint you?”

What should you say? Paint me, please.

You nod, giving him consent.

A week had passed since your evening still life session with Taehyung. You hadn’t seen him at your apartment or campus. It was unusual. To be honest, you were starting to get a bad feeling.

Did he play a cruel joke on you? You were overthinking and getting doubts about everything. Everything about your life made sense. He was way out of your league.

Each evening, you would take the shortcut through campus, holding your breath to listen for the soft jazz music.

Each evening, the halls were silent.

It was Monday already. The weekend had wasted away, distracting yourself with your friends.

What’s wrong? they had asked. Nothing, you had answered them.

You wanted to ask them for advice. But doing that meant exposing yourself as a fool. Not hearing from Taehyung for almost two weeks was beginning to confirm your worst fear.

“…please turn to page 30 in your texts. Beauvoir is criticizing patriarchal oppression by drawing on the “myth of the Woman”….to illustrate the weaponization of economic power to explain how inferior groups are fundamentally dependent on the gender and racial hierarchies forged by western patriarchy. She argues that today, in the 1950s, our definitions of love, gender roles, and femininity are social constru—”

“Excuse me, Professor. Sorry to interrupt, there’s a delivery for one of your students.”

The lecture hall erupts in murmurs as the office clerk brings the flat package and flowers up to your desk.

“Um, who is this from?” You take the package from the clerk.

“Don’t know, you probably have a secret admirer.” He lays the bouquet of purple and white wildflowers on your desk and leaves.

Your friends jab at your side to open the big package. You don’t want to make more noise in class, so you tear the paper quietly. The professor has continued lecturing, meanwhile, the whole class is breaking their necks to see what it is.

You lean down over the gift, obscuring the view from your nosy peers. A collective grunt ensues. You’ve removed enough paper at this point so you can make out what it is. You blink twice.

“Whoa, did you draw that?” Another friend elbows them. “Dumbass, how could they make that if it was just delivered?”

A smile grows on your face as you bubble with tears. Your eyes drift over the soft brush-strokes, blending, and colors. Your every mole captured. Light bouncing off your every curve. How Kim Taehyung sees you. Bare and beautiful.

You spot a small note inside the bouquet that reads:

Sorry I took so long, Sweetcheeks. I appreciate art. KTH.

To be continued...

No Idea [Malum Fic]

PAIRING: Calum Hood x Michael Clifford

WORD COUNT: 6428 

WARNINGS: Drinking, swearing, and just some angst 

SUMMARY: After moving across the country to escape the heartache that high school brings and to begin his first year at University, Michael finds himself face to face with the very person that caused his heartbreak: Calum Hood. 

A/N: This was made specifically for Mandie for The Club Fic Gift Exchange ! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written any mxm BUT I’ve missed it and can’t wait to start writing more (if you have any suggestions on how to improve please send them my way, I’ll take all the help I can get).

Fifteen minutes late. I’m fifteen minutes late to my first class as a University student. Great.

I burst out through the doors of the residency building, almost crashing into some blonde girl who’s face leaves my memory as quickly as it entered, and run as fast as I can across the campus to The Arts building. Thankfully I listened to Mom’s advice and looked up a map of the school last night or I’d be fucked right now. Musical Theory. Monday, 8AM. Room 102: Arts Building. I check the room number on my schedule twice before taking a deep breath and opening the door to my classroom.

The door opens to the back of the room and multiple heads spin around to face me. I can feel my face getting hot as I try to disappear into myself and search for a place to sit down. As to be expected, almost every table in the room is full and there’s nowhere to sit… Unless I want to join one of the tables of three and converse in small talk with a group of people that obviously don’t want me to sit with them- and let’s be clear; I don’t want to do that.

I almost settle for a table with two girls seated at it, but then notice the table in the front of the room with only one person there. Thank god. I head toward the dark-haired boy at the table and quietly sit across from him. He doesn’t react as I sit down, his head buried in his folded arms on the table.

I would normally never be caught dead at the front of the room, but here I am, sitting so close to the professor that I can smell his cheap cologne, having to share a table with some random guy who is probably going to hate me for ruining his table of solitude.  

As the class continues, I do my best to follow along with the PowerPoint slides on my screen while also trying to focus on what the professor is saying at the front of the room, but I can’t help but glance over to the brunette across from me every chance I get. His head hasn’t left his arms since I’ve sat down, and I’m pretty sure he’s asleep… Maybe I should wake him up. Maybe he’s dead. I begin to picture what would happen if my classmate had died sitting across from me. Would I have to talk to the police? Would I be a suspect? Am I obligated to go to his funeral and give a speech? What would I even say? What if-

“You will have two months to complete this project and it will be worth thirty percent of your final grade. Get to work.”

I turn to face the Professor, and I realize that I may have zoned out for the entire explanation of a project that’s worth almost a third of my final grade… awesome.

Letting out a sigh, I turn back to read through the notes on my screen and, of course, none of them have anything to do with a huge project. There is no way I am going to ask the professor to repeat everything he’d just said.

As my classmates begin to talk amongst themselves about the project that I know nothing about, I glance over to the boy across from me that may or may not be dead and decide that now’s a good a time as any to find out.

“Hey” I say quietly.

No response.

I repeat myself a little louder, “Hey… Uh, my name’s Michael.”

No response again.

“Dude, seriously?” I huff, before picking up my biggest textbook and dropping it onto the table.

It worked! His head shoots up and I notice the headphones in his ears. That explains a lot. I also notice that the boy I’ve been watching all morning sitting across from me is the same boy I’d spent the majority of my high school years watching from across the room. Calum Hood. I haven’t seen him since our high school graduation last June, but he looks about the same. Same dark hair, same brown eyes, same three moles on his cheek, same annoyed and confused look on his face- oh no wait that’s new.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He glares at me as he rips the headphones out of his ears.

“I thought you were dead or asleep or something.” I shrug before changing the topic, “I didn’t know you got accepted here.”

“Well, obviously I’m not dead, and if I was sleeping, that was a cruel way to get me to wake up... Remind me never to have you actually wake me up.” He places his headphones into his backpack before continuing. “And um, yeah, I was torn between a few different universities but settled on the one farthest from home… Looks like you did the same?”

I nod and chuckle softly. “Yeah. Fuck that place.”

“How pop punk of you.” He laughs, and it brings me back to being fifteen and pathetically swooning over that very sound, never being the one to have caused it. If only fifteen-year-old me could see me now.

Grounding myself, I quickly try to think of something that isn’t completely embarrassing, and remember the mysterious project that I know mothing about.

“So… did you catch anything the prof was saying about this project worth thirty percent of our grade… cause I might have zoned out the whole time...”

He looks confused for a moment, before directing his attention to his laptop.

“I can’t blame you for not paying attention. Five minutes into his lecture I stopped listening to him and started listing to my music instead. Figured I could just read the Power Point later tonight.” He types something before continuing, “I looked through the material on the class page before the lecture started and I think I saw something about a group project that was worth thirty percent… let me just… Okay yeah, here it is.” He turns his laptop to face me, pointing at the assignment on the screen and showing me how her got there.

I quickly follow his instructions to the page and begin reading about the assignment. It’s a group project for 2-3 people about how emotions and feelings are portrayed through song. We’re all supposed to draw an emotion from the professor -that explains why people keep getting up to talk to him- and write an essay about a song that has made us feel this way. Once we finish our essays, we’re supposed to go back to our partners and make a playlist of 25 songs that combines each the emotions we were individually assigned and talk about how easily these emotions can be portrayed in music. Seems simple enough… Except for the whole partner part.

I look up from my computer screen, and before I can talk myself out of it, I ask Calum if he’d like to partner up for the project. To my surprise, he agrees and before I know it, I’m looking down at the paper I had pulled out of the tin can on my professor’s desk. Longing. What kind of lame-ass emotion is longing? I sit back down at our table and show Calum my paper.

“Longing? That’s going to be so easy to write about! And it’ll go great with love. This is going to be a piece of cake.” He enthusiastically, typing away on his laptop.

“You got love? Are you kidding me? That’s such bullshit. Every song is about love… or sex… or drugs, and I don’t think sex or drugs are emotions… so like that’s not fair.” I look back at my small slip of paper, “How am I even supposed to write about longing?”

He breaks away from his typing long enough to look at me, “Longing is so easy to write about. Haven’t you ever wanted something you couldn’t have? Or missed someone or something like that?”

“I don’t know… maybe.” I pause for a moment, “I don’t know.”

He looks back to his screen and continues to type. “Okay, I looked up the word longing and it says here that ‘Longing is mainly a blend of the primary emotions of love or happiness and sadness or depression’. So there. You can focus on one of those four. It’s not that hard, Michael.”

Hearing Calum say my name takes me back for another brief moment. Even though we went to the same school for four years, I never really knew if he had known my name or not… we never really talked or hung out in the same crowds, so I figured it was safe to assume he didn’t even know I existed.

He shakes his head and looks at his screen again as I try to avoid the thoughts of how smooth my name rolled off his tongue that are currently running wild in my head, to focus on what he had said about the different ways longing could be portrayed and experienced.

Just as I begin to reflect on the last few years of my life for a moment that could stand out as ‘experiencing longing’, I’m interrupted by the sounds of my classmates packing up their belongings. I look to my left and notice Calum suddenly standing next to me.

“Here,” he says, handing me a sticky note with a phone number on it. “text me so we can meet up to work on the project.”

“I uh- thanks.” I stumble over my words as I take the paper from him and stick it to the inside of my laptop.

When I turn back to Calum, he’s already on his way to the door. I quickly pack up my books and pause for a moment to look at the sticky note before shutting my laptop, ignoring the heat on my face and the feeling in my stomach.

. . .

I feel like I may have stepped into an alternate dimension when I entered that classroom two weeks ago, because I’ve somehow found myself in the Calum Hood’s dorm room. By choice. His choice. Who would have thought?

To be honest, I’m kind of surprised at how easily we get along. We both have the same taste in music, the same sense of humor, and the same hobbies. Who knew we were so similar? Had we actually spoken to one another in high school, there would have been no stopping a friendship from forming.

Since texting him the day after our class, we’ve pretty much been inseparable. So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m hanging out with Calum in his dorm room… but I kind of am.

“Okay seriously, Calum. How do you already have four pages written out for your essay?” I ask, scrolling through the Word document open on his laptop.

“It’s like you said, love is easy to write about… You know what else is easy to write about?” He spins around on his desk chair, taking a break from his game to face me. “Longing. Have you even started your essay, or were you just planning on taking me down with you when you flunk out?”

I set the laptop down next to me on his bed. “The only one flunking out here is your team in Fifa.”

“That was a shit insult and you know it.”

“You’re a shit insult.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “Mate, for real. Do you need help writing your part?”

“No. I told you, I’ll be fine. I just need some inspiration… Which is what I should have gotten from your essay but the whole damn thing is about your family. It is so boring! Where’s the drama? Weren’t you a ladies’ man in high school? Where’s that Calum?”

With his eyebrows raised he looks taken aback for a moment and bursts out laughing.

“Did you seriously just call fourteen-year-old me a ‘ladies’ man’?” He asks, making air quotes at the last part.

I shrug and he continues laughing.

“Okay fine, you have a point. But like... what even is longing?”

His laughter softens and he rolls his eyes, smiling at me.

“Do you need me to pull up the definition again?”

“Fuck off.” I huff.

“Okay, fine… What about like, leaving town to come here. Didn’t you miss your girlfriend? Or your friends? Or maybe your family?”

“Girlfriend?” I laugh loudly. There’s no way he’s serious right now… “No. Absolutely no girlfriend. As for my family? I honestly couldn’t be happier to be on my own and out of the house... Also, it’s kind of hard to miss your friends when facetime exists.” I lay back on his bed and prop myself up with my elbow. “What else ya got?”

“Okay lone wolf… what about uh… okay I’ve got it. What about longing for like… touch, or affection, or love, or… fucking I don’t know, food?”

“Yeah, cause I’ll definitely get an A writing my essay about craving a Big Mac. Maybe I can get extra credit if I bring one in.”

He glares at me and rolls his eyes again before shaking his head and turning around to focus his attention back to his game. I drop my head onto his pillow and sigh. Watching him play, my mind wanders as I being to think about his words. Touch. Affection. Love. My heart aches for the poor fifteen-year-old boy I once was, longing for those exact things for over a year and never getting them. I remember the emotional shut down I forced myself to do to move on from the brown-eyed boy that occupied my mind daily. I sigh deeply, taking in the musky scent of the room around me, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, I finally know what I’ll be writing about.

. . .

“Are you sure you know where this party is? I’m pretty sure we’re lost.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they said it’s in this neighborhood… there should be a street coming up soon that starts with an S… or maybe it was a B. Whatever. We’ll start to see people on the street sooner or later and follow the noise to the right house.”

Calum and I continue to walk aimlessly down the suburban streets with houses that all look the same, in search for a party that I’m not even sure exists at this point.

“You’d think, for someone that probably went to every high school party, you’d know to write down an address when it’s given to you.” I grumble as my feet begin to ache.

“You know, you make a lot of assumptions about what I was like in high school. Weren’t you ever told not to assume?” He says, bumping his shoulder against mine.

“You’re really going to tell me that you never went to any parties in high school? I seriously doubt that.”

“Okay… Well, yeah I went to some parties. Didn’t everyone though?”

“What? No.” I scoff. “Dude, not everyone was invited to parties like Mr. Cool Guy over here.”

“Am I supposed to be Mr. Cool Guy? That’s a laugh.”

“Mate. Just admit it. You were one of the cool kids and you know it.” I bump my shoulder back against his.

“Was not.”

“You were to! Everyone knew who you were. Everyone wanted to either date you or be you. You can’t be that oblivious.” I kick a small pebble as we cross yet another unidentifiable street.

“Date me or be me huh? Did you want to be me?”

Fucking hell. Why am I still allowed to have the ability to speak without a filter?

“No.” I focus my gaze on the cracks in the sidewalk, making sure to avoid any possible eye contact.

It’s quiet for a moment as a car drives past us, filling the silence before Calum speaks again.

“Well, you obviously didn’t want to date me. So, your theory is clearly wrong.”

I walk beside him silently as I debate whether to admitting to the fact that I had the biggest crush on him for over a year when we were younger.

“See, I’m right.”

“I did though.” I choke out before I’m able to stop myself. Fuck.

“What?” He stops walking.

Well, this was fun while it lasted… I wonder if our professor will still let me join another group, seeing as Calum isn’t going to want to talk to me ever again.

May as well finish the job then.

“I did want to date you.” I confess softly as I stop in front of him, keeping my eyes on the ground.

“You’re not... gay though.”

I- What? He’s got to be kidding me right now. I’m pretty sure everyone in high school knew I was gay. Hell, I came out to my parents in the fifth grade.

“Are you fucking with me? Calum.” I finally gain the courage to meet my eyes with his and see him shaking his head. “I’m gay as fuck. Always have been.”

“No way. What about Jessica Hunter?”

We’re awkwardly standing in the middle of the sidewalk and I’m completely over-aware of the man walking his dog across the street as Calum continues to stare at me with a dumbstruck look on his face. Well, at least he hasn’t left yet.

“What about Jessica? She and I hang out from time to time and listen to music together. We’re friends.” Oh god. “Wait- are you thinking that her and I? Oh god. Never.” I shake my head to try and get that image out of it.

“No no... She was in love with you! The way she always talked about you, hung around you, and hung off you… You went to Prom together! You were the reason I never even had a chance with her. I spent so many hours thinking about you and why she chose you over me and I…” he tampers off and continues to look utterly confused.

Am I being Punked right now? There must be a hidden camera somewhere. This can’t be real.

“No Calum. Oh my god. Mate. Jessica and I were always together talking about you. She didn’t want me. She wanted you… We both did. We only went to Prom together cause she was still hung up on you and didn’t have the guts to ask you herself. Plus, you did that whole stag Prom thing with Timothy Anderson anyway.”

He continues to stand there, trying to piece together the story he had so wrongly created around himself.

“So… You’re gay.”

“Yup.”

“And you actually used to … like me?”

“Yup”

“And Jessica-“

“Never had a chance with me. Because I’m gay and she had the hots for you anyway… Are we all caught up? Can we please keep walking? I’m getting cold.”

“Man, did I have this whole thing wrong or what…” He shakes his head and starts walking again.

We continue heading to the party that totally doesn’t exist and get about half a block away from where we had previously stopped before Calum stops walking again.

“Dude! Seriously?” I sigh deeply and stop a few feet in front of him.

“You don’t uh… still have feeling for me or anything. Do you?”

“Yes Calum. I’m completely head over heels for you and plan to propose to you when we get to the party in front of everyone.” His mouth drops and I roll my eyes. “Fuck off. No. Cal, I don’t still have feelings for you. That was years ago. Now can we please keep walking? I’m going to fucking die of hypothermia.”

“Okay… you’re right. Sorry.” He mutters, clearly embarrassed and continues to walk again.

At least I’m not the only one that’s embarrassed.

We walk silently for a few minutes and I feel his fingertips brush against mine and my heart flutters softly. Shit.

. . .

“Are you even listening to me Mike?”

I look up from my phone to see Calum glaring at me. He burst into my dorm room about 45 minutes ago insisting we practice our presentation for the millionth time since he finished his essay. Of course, mine’s not finished yet, but at least I have something to write about now. But, without mine to practice, he’s just been reading his on a loop – I personally think he’s trying to annoy me to death. Jokes on him though, he’s got a nice voice.

“I can only hear your essay so many times before my brain starts to block it out to preserve my sanity.”

“You wouldn’t have to hear it so much if we had something else to practice… like, I don’t know- maybe your easy perhaps?”

How subtle. Ever since he finished his essay (overachiever much?), he’s been on my ass about mine. Even if I actually had it finished, there’s no way in Hell I’ll be letting him see this – let alone hear me read it out loud – until I have to.

“Dude. I’ve told you like eighty times now. I hate presenting stuff. I’m not doing it any more than I have to. Being in front of everyone, having them all stare at me- judging me? Fuck that. Once is enough. I don’t need you judging me too.”

“You honestly think I’m going to judge you? I don’t buy it. You’re Michael Clifford. You don’t give a shit about what other people think about you.”

I can’t help but laugh out loud. If only he knew.

“Well, when I’m putting myself out there in front of a whole room of people then yeah, I’m going to give a shit about what they think.”

“Putting yourself out there? Mate, it’s an essay. You sure you’re not just making up excuses to cover up the fact that you haven’t started writing it yet?”

Calum runs his finger through his hair, and I try not to stare. Why did he have to come to my school again, be in my class again, make my heart ache again. I feel like this time is worse. Being this close, not being able to touch him in the ways I want. Is this some horrible karma for complaining about longing? I shake my head at the joke that I call my love life and push past it like I always do.

“Maybe, but I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

He throws a pillow at me and tells me to shut up before beginning to read his presentation yet again.

. . .

As I approach Calum’s door, I look down at the folded mess of papers in my hands and decide to quickly shove them into my backpack to make sure he doesn’t try to take them and read my shitty essay beforehand.

I pull my bag off my back and drop to my knees to put the papers away. I finish zipping it up and throw it over my shoulder as I hear the door open in front of me. I look up and see an eye full of Calum’s junk. My eyes widen and I can feel my cheeks heat up as I quickly look away and stand up. I try not to look at his face and pray that my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.

“At least buy me dinner first. Damn.” He laughs. The sound melts my worries away. Mostly.

“Fuck off. We’re going to be late.” I give him a shove and begin walking to the exit.

Walking with one another to our classes has become a part of our daily routine. Calum decided so about a month ago when he found out that I tripped and scrapped my elbow and knee open like a child while running to make it on time for one of my 8AM classes. So now he seems to think that I can’t manage walking to class by myself. I mean, I’m not complaining. I’ll take any time that I can get with him until inevitably ruin the best friendship I’ve ever had.

As we walk, Calum is -of course- rehearsing his presentation again. I sigh and think about the essay sitting in my bag and how he’s going to react to hearing it. Maybe he’ll just drop the class and ghost me. God that will hurt... Maybe I should just fake sick, or say I never finished my part of the project, or-

My spiraling thoughts are cut short by Calum opening the classroom door and I admit defeat. The two of us sit at our table still -sadly- located at the front of the room. As we sit down, I watch Calum pull out his papers and read them over as if he didn’t just prove that he’s got it memorized by reciting it on our walk over. I set up my laptop and shove my papers under it, quickly checking back to Calum to make sure he hasn’t noticed. I exhale softly and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before opening our Spotify playlist, preparing it for our presentation.

A dread-filed hour and a half passes as I listen to the other groups make their presentations and read through their playlists to try and distract myself.

“Group seven, you’re up.”

My blood goes cold and I feel like I can’t move. I feel Calum swiftly kick my shin under the table.

“That’s us. Get up.” He whispers

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I want to be back at home in my bed. I don’t want this. I don’t want to lose my friend. Why did I have to take this class? Why couldn’t I have been assigned anger. Why didn’t I just sit with those two girls that first day?

“Mike, it’ll be okay. I’ll be up there with you the whole time.” That’s half the problem, Calum.

I sigh deeply and open my eyes. They stay glued to the table as I pick up my laptop and the messy pile of papers underneath it. I walk slowly behind Calum to the front of the room and stop at the podium. I quickly plug my laptop into the screen behind us as he introduces the both of us to the class and begins to talk about the emotions we were assigned before launching into how they relate to one another and briefly talking about our playlist. I feel slightly reassured as he begins to recite the speech that I pretty much have memorized myself at this point. I allow myself to zone out to the sound of his voice as I wait for my cue.

“… and to me that is what love is to me. Family.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I rub my sweaty palms on my jeans again and pick up my papers with trembling hands. Closing my eyes again, I take another deep breath and open them once finished. Here goes everything.

“I- um- I’m Michael and I uh… I was assigned the emotion longing. When I first read the small paper and saw I had longing, I was confused and upset that my partner had such an easy emotion to talk about and I um… I had something as complex as longing…” I look over to Calum and he gives me a reassuring smile and my heart skips a beat. “Until he helped me realize that longing is pretty much the universal emotion. It branches into every emotion you can think of. It powers them and really brings the depth to them. Once I had realized this, the only issue I had was choosing which emotional experience to talk about. This itself seemed to be an impossible choice, so I’ve decided to talk about an experience that, like longing, incorporates every emotion. Heartbreak. My chosen song for this was No Idea by All Time Low. Song number…” I quickly look over at our playlist and count the sounds out to make sure I’m right before continuing, “seven on our playlist.”

I press play and I continue over the quiet music, telling the story of a young Michael who was in love with a boy that never knew he existed. A boy who broke his heart without ever even speaking to him. A boy who he was still desperately in love with, years later. A never-ending tale of longing.

Once the longest five minutes of my life had passed, I quickly unplug my laptop and hurry back to our table, avoiding eye contact with Calum the entire way back. I grab my books and shove them along with my laptop and essay into my bag. I damage my papers even more by doing so, but I could care less.

Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I leave the room as I hear Calum call out after me. There’s no way he’ll catch up to me. Besides, my Sound Tech class was cancelled today, so even if he does manage to catch up, I won’t be there.

I finally make it back to my room without encountering Calum and I toss my bag onto my chair and dive face first into my bed to wait out the impending consequences for ambushing my best friend in the middle of a room full of people. Why did I do that. Fuck me.

. . . 

Calum had been planning a party over the last few weeks to celebrate us finishing our project. I had told him time and time again that ‘finishing a project’ is the lamest reason to throw a party. But yet, here I am, in my room surrounded by the pulsating beats of music blasting down the dorm hall.

I’ve managed to avoid Calum for the past four days since the most embarrassing moment of my life. He’s tried texting and calling me too many times to count, and he even showed up to my dorm room twice. I, of course, pretended to be asleep both times.

So, I know it has to be Calum banging repeatedly on my door, throwing off the steady beats of music.

“Mike, it’s Calum. Can I come in?” I hear him shout through the door over the music.

I get up and turn the light off before returning to my desk to continue trying to focus on the game on my computer and pretending I’m not here.

“Mate! I saw you turn your light off! Michael! Open the door!”

The banging persists and my head sinks lower and lower into my shoulders. Go away. Please. I don’t want to hurt. Not tonight. Please.

“I’m not leaving! Maybe I’ll just ask one of those art kids for a sculpting knife and cut your door down! HA! You couldn’t avoid me if I did that! You wouldn’t even have a door to lock!” He slurs half of his words and it’s becoming clear that he’s drunk, and drunk Calum doesn’t quit.

I drop my head onto the desk and breathe deeply for a minute, listening to him yell at me through the door, before getting up and walking over to the sound. I pause there for a moment and prepare for the worst.

As soon as I open the door, Calum falls backwards onto my floor. How in the Hell…

“What do you want Calum? I’m busy.”

He stumbles back to his feet, swaying softly while he regains his balance in the centre of my dark room.

“You’re busy? You’re busy. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me for a week? Cause you’re busy?! Fuck off Michael.”

I say nothing as I lean against my open door, waiting for him to get this over with, so I can shut it behind him and go back to my self-loathing.

“Answer me!”

Clearly the silent treatment isn’t working here. I glance at the hallway full of people, some who have begun to stare at the two of us. I grit my teeth and shut the door, letting the darkness engulf my room, leaving only the light of my computer screen allowing us to see one another as we stand together in the center of the room.

“What the Hell do you want me to say?!”

“Well for starters, how about you tell me why the fuck you’ve been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been-“

“Fuck off. You have, and you know it. Now tell me why.”

I shake my head and adjust my weight from foot to foot, shrugging to come up with an excuse.

“Oh. My. God. You’re impossible!” He pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath before I watch his posture soften. “Is this about what you said in your essay?”

I go stiff and remind myself to breathe.

“I knew it! At first, I didn’t think that was it, but it fucking was! Why are you avoiding me? Do you think I’m against your sexuality or some shit? Is that why you won’t talk to me? Cause that’s not true! You never even asked me about what I thought about it. About your feelings for me. How I would feel. About my feelings for- about your sexuality. Your sexuality, yeah... You just never asked me.” His face reddens at the last part, probably from lack of air after that speech.

I listen as he drunkenly rambles at me and try to think of something to say. How can he be right? He can’t be. I shouldn’t have to explain myself or my sexuality to him. Why would it matter what he thought about my sexuality?

“Your opinion of my sexuality isn’t needed Calum.” I say, shaking my head.

He sighs harshly and rubs his temples before stomping his foot. Did he actually just stop his foot? Is he five?

“Michael. That’s not what I’m saying! Listen to me! You’re so busy thinking about yourself and your feelings that you’re missing the bigger picture! You’re not the only person in this situation!”

“Oh, I’m sorry Calum. I’m so sorry my feelings were an inconvenience for you! You wanna talk about it? Let’s talk about it! Have my feelings for you ruined your college experience? Have my feelings for you kept you up every night? Have my feelings for you broken your heart?!”

He is silent for a moment before closing his eyes. His body sways softly as he runs his hands through his hair.

“No-” He sighs deeply before replying quietly, “your feelings for me didn’t do any of those things to me. Mine did.”

He opens his eyes and the light of the computer screen highlights the beautiful features of his skin as his words sink into mine.

I stand there with my jaw dropped, staring at the man in front of me. Did he just say… No. No. This is a sick joke. I feel a lump form in my throat begin to form.

“That’s not funny Calum.” I choke out softly.

“I’m not joking.”

“You’re straight.”

“I’m not! I’m Bisexual.” His cheeks redden softly in the pale blue light.

I stare at him in disbelief. He’s got to be drunk out of his mind to lie like this.

“You’re straight.” I repeat in an attempt to both reassure myself and convince him to stop the lies.

He runs his hands through his hair again and lets out an exasperated groan.

“Michael! Fuck! Why won’t you ever listen! I like you! I’ve been trying to tell you ever since you came out to me on the way to that shitty party. I only stopped myself cause you said you didn’t have feelings for me anymore. I’m bisexual Michael! Why do you think I went to Prom with Timothy?”

“That- that was just a stag thing…”

“I wasn’t ready to come out yet. Neither was he.”

He takes a step closer to me, making me overly aware of how small my dorm room actually is. I can smell his cologne and the alcohol -tequila? Yeah, tequila- wafting off him as the space between our bodies lessens.

“So, you’re… bisexual?”

The relief is visible as it washes over him. He smiles softly and takes another step towards me.

“And you… uh… you like me?”

“You wanna talk about it?” He whispers as his eyes drop to my lips.

“Calum, I-”

Before I can finish whatever stupid thing I was going to say, I feel his hands grab my face and his lips crash into mine. I close my eyes and return the kiss. My hands find their way into his hair as he pushes his body against mine. His hand leaves my cheek and finds its way up the back of my shirt, pulling my body impossibly closer to his.

This is more than I’ve ever dreamt of. Calum Hood. Calum Hood kissing me. His hair is softer than I could have ever imagined. I can taste the tequila on his tongue as it slips ever so slightly in between my lips and I suddenly remember how drunk he is. It takes every part of me to pull away and break the kiss.

“Calum. You’re drunk. I can’t.”

“I can.” He steps towards me with a slightly needy expression in his eyes.

“Calum.” I repeat sternly and step away, my back pressing against the door.

He lets out a defeated sigh as he turns around and walks over to the drawer where I keep my snacks.

“Do you have any bread?”

“I- uh… what?... Maybe, why?”

“I want to sober up so you’ll kiss me again.”

I laugh softly and walk over to help him look.

. . .

I wake up to the feeling of something heavy laying across my face. As I open my eyes and adjust my sights to the room around me, I realize the heavy thing on my face is actually Calum’s arm. The events of last night come back to me like a hurricane. Calum arriving at my dorm room drunk, Calum coming out to me as bisexual and confessing his feelings for me… Calum kissing me, and finally, Calum falling asleep beside me while waiting to sober up… I would say it was a dream, but I now have a red, arm-shaped mark on my face to prove otherwise.

I peel his arm off my head and his eyes shoot open, making me jump a little. I watch as he looks around the room and stops once his eyes meet mine. He smiles sweetly at me.

“Hi.” He says, his voice deep and raspy from just waking up.

“Hey there.” I whisper back.

“Guess what.”

“What.”

He smirks at me as his hand finds its way to my cheek and his body shifts towards mine.

“I think I’m finally sober.”

I exhale as my body relaxes from the tension and worry I didn’t realize I had about last night. I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for him to do something.

His eyes explore my face before slowing down at my lips just as they did last night. He blinks slowly and as his eyes open, I find them looking into mine again. He smiles softly as he closes them once more and leans forward, connecting his lips to mine. His pillowy lips kiss mine softly for the best minute of my life, and when he pulls away, he takes my breath with him. I am utterly awestruck by his beauty and the feeling of his lips on mine.

“How about you and I go on to dinner later and get to know the real us? No more assumptions and no more secrets.”

I nod and smile widely.

“I thought you’d never ask.” I agree as he grins before kissing me again.

What is a fruit that you might eat in the morning? Bananas. 

Do you enjoy any food combinations that others might consider to be weird? I mean, probably? I can’t think of anything right now. 

What is a green vegetable that you enjoy eating? Spinach.

Name something you might find in a salad. Anchovies.

What is your favorite type of sandwich? One someone makes for me, lol. 

Which condiment do you use the most often? Good question. I don’t think I use any more than others, tbh. Like, I dip different things in different sauces. Name a chocolate bar that you enjoy eating. Kit Kats.

What is a meat that you do not eat - ever. Veal.

Are you lactose intolerant, or have any other sort of food allergies? Nope.

What was the last food that you burnt your mouth on? It happened recently but I cannot remember what the food was now. 

Which brand of soup do you eat? I don’t really eat a specific brand?

What are some flavors of ice cream that your enjoy? Butter pecan, anything caramel, vanilla, chocolate chip cookie dough, various Ben and Jerry’s flavors.

What is the best type of cookie, in your opinion? Pillsbury sugar cookies with the holiday shapes printed on them.

Would you rather have popcorn, pretzels, or chips as your salty snack? Chips. I prefer my popcorn more buttery than salty. Also, oddly enough, I’m currently eating pretzels.

Have you thought about going on a diet & actually went through with it? Fuck diet culture. 

When you woke up today, was there anything on your mind? I don’t remember. 

Who was the last person you interacted with for the first time? Someone at Starbucks when I picked up a drink the other day.

What colour was the wrapper of the last snack you ate? Green.

Do you have a favourite mug to drink from? What does it look like? I have a mug with bats on it. 

What was the last thing you used, that came in a spray can? Lysol. Just 2020 things!

What colour is your favourite bra? Beige. 

Who was the last person you went to for advice about something? My husband.

Have you had a deep conversation with anyone lately? Sure.

What was the last compliment you recall receiving from someone? Mark said I was cute.

And the last compliment you gave to someone else? I said Mark was cute. Lol.

What kind of bread did you eat most recently? Garlic.

What was the last sound you heard, that you found pleasant? My cat meowing.

How many books do you think there are in your house? Take a rough guess. Like, 50 ish?

Of all the books you own, which do you think has the most pages in it? I dunno.

^ And how many pages is that? I don’t knowwwww.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? What did you think of it? Frozen Two in an actual theater over a year ago. Hocus Pocus at a drive in back in October.

In the last book you read, what was the main character’s name? Hfhdksfhdkfhdkfdfs

What was the last song you heard, that meant something to you? 34+35 by Ariana Grande :P 

How many people do you know whose name begins with Z? I can think of 1 person right now but I’m also tired af so who knows.

What do you expect to be doing at this time tomorrow? Probably trying to sleep. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are my last days of work until I am off for two weeks and they are going to be STRESSful.

Did you start listening to more Michael Jackson after his death? No.

When was the last time that you played hide and seek? Recently with my niece.

Who was your first celebrity crush, if you can remember? Ash Ketchum. 

Do you worry about money? Uh huh.

Have you ever had to beg for a second chance? No.

When was the last time that you sent an actual letter through the mail? I just sent out a bunch of holiday cards!

Are you excited to return to school? I’m done with school.

Do you hate Internet abbreviations? No.

What was the last insult you gave out? idk I probably called Mark an idiot. 

What’d you last look up on YouTube? I don’t remember what the last thing I searched for was but the last thing I watched was a recommended video about 25 facts about Bob’s Burgers.

Are you texting someone really awesome right now? I’m not texting anyone right now.

Do you know when to be serious and when you shouldn’t be? Yes.

Do you think that you’re funny? Sure.

Have you ever sent a secret to Post Secret? No.

What movie do you really want to see in theatres right now? There aren’t any showing in theaters in right now or for most of this year. I miss going to the movie theater.

Have either of your parents shown affection for you today? Yes, my dad said he loved me before I left his house earlier.

What’s the last thing that you sang out loud? Christmas songs.

Is there a word that you always misspell? Sure.

What was the last thing that you bought that someone else benefited from? I mean, a buncha Christmas presents that will be opened next week.

Has someone ever made you a really great mix CD? Yeah.

Have you ever been on Omegle.com? Yes.

Did you talk to someone cool there? I didn’t talk much, I just went on there to check it out.

What song reminds you of your best friend? The White Stripes always do.

Who was the last person to hit on you? My husband.

What’s on the paper nearest you? a list of things I need to do next week.

Do you have a set of lyrics that you really love? A ton.

Did you get an A in your last English class? Probably not.

What did you last use scissors for? My niece and I made a paper chain to count down to Christmas.

Did you ever secretly hate a friend of yours that thought you liked them? No.

What do you think of when I say “boat”? Uhhh, a boat?

Would you ever get a tattoo sleeve? I want a half sleeve.

Do you know any really fake people? Yes.

What does the last blanket you used look like? I’m using one with the logo of the college I work for on it right now.

Do you have appreciation for graffiti? I’ve seen some really cool graffiti artwork.

Why don’t you drive? I do drive.

Does it annoy you when your printer runs out of ink? If I had one, yes.

Have you ever drank anything from a thermos? Yeah.

When was the last time you played in the snow? Earlier this year with my nieces.

Do you know any ignorant people? Yes.

What is the coolest name you’ve ever heard? Lots of cool names.

What did you last argue with someone about? I don’t recall.

Is there anyone that you dislike for no real reason? No, I have reasons.

Have you had a good day? Yes.

Are you going to have a good night? I mean, I am right now.

If I write it maybe it’ll be clearer

January 28th, morning: I decide that today is a good day and that I will celebrate my starting a good day by removing my ex-best friend from my Facebook friends because every time I create a new conversation or a new event, she was the first or in the top 3 people Facebook suggested to me and I was sick of it. So I open her page and see that she got engaged. Which hurt because that meant that she really, really was over with our friendship if she didn’t even bother telling me. Which I sort of knew, but still, hurts to get it slapped across your face. Removed her anyway, but the day already wasn’t good anymore.

On the lunch break of January 28th, I learned that one of my friends was in hospital because she had attempted suicide. I was in shock. I contacted my dance teachers because I was in no state to attend that evening. With teary eyes I did my best to complete my work day while texting all of my allegedly “close friends” because I needed not to be alone that evening. None of them showed up, so I had to call my parents and spent two hours crying on the phone with them listening and worrying because they were powerless, living seven to eight hours from me. After what I spent the whole week with this knot in my stomach because I couldn’t reach my depressed friend while she was at the hospital. On Friday February 1st, I finally heard from her, she was out of the hospital, claimed to be okay, but had to remain home. I was a little reassured, yet still scared for her, because you never really know what’s going on in a person’s mind, do you?

I used my going-a-little-better to go audition for East2West on Saturday February 2nd. Audition which I thought went pretty well. I did miss a step at some point, but nothing important. I went to the movies and to my dance classes later that day.

That very little relief was short-lived as that evening, I received a call of my dad casually telling me my mom had been hospitalized and wasn’t well. Understand, now I was the one living seven to eight hours from them, with no brother or sister to take my place by her side or to share the fright with. My dad assured me I needed not to take a leave of absence from work to go see her. That she was going to be fine. The following day, he tells me she was brought to intense care during the night because she had trouble breathing. Yeah: fine alright. But thanks to the doctors, she was back into her room. He was going to see her later that day, so I asked him to give me the news when he came back. I had plans that evening at my dance school for Chinese New Year, but as the day went on, I never had feedback from my dad. So I cancelled my plans and waited a little more, very worried. Then I called just to learn that since he didn’t have anything new to tell me, he had decided to not call or text me. Geez. On Monday, I finally ended up talking to my mom directly. She sounded very weak and explained that on Friday, my dad wanted to take her to the ER but she refused, saying it was nothing. But that, had she repeated the same thing on Saturday, she would have passed away before Sunday. I told my boss about it just in case of it going worse and me having to leave for my hometown.

After that, it was always mostly the same news: they don’t really know what she has, but she is going a little better – although she clearly didn’t sound any better on the phone. So life went on. On Tuesday evening, I got the mail from East2West saying I wasn’t going to step 2 of the auditions. I was not really surprised – it was my 6th failed audition after all – but I was still upset about it.

But not as upset as of Thursday February 7th. For the first time, I left work early on just because I was sick… of it. Not that I had somehow developed an aversion for close captioning, but we had the worse news at a department meeting. It’s been two weeks and that’s still all that’s on everyone’s lips at work. Because they need the place for some more important department and because they apparently have “no other option”, they are moving us to Longueil, near Boucherville. Everyone is pretty mad about it, most people are living in Montreal and a lot of us depend on public transit which will cost us twice as much if we need to go to the south shore, and will take us more than twice the time to get there. Some are talking of carpooling, but my work schedule is different from everybody else’s. To work at the same time I already do, I will have to take two buses and two metro lines and it will take about an hour and a quarter, whereas I moved to my current apartment because I could go to work by walking 25 minutes or taking one bus for about 9 minutes. They are talking of making us work from home, but they can’t tell when that’s going to happen and how long we are going to have to work at Longueil before being greenlighted for home. Work from home does take the traveling around out of the equation and would allow us to work pretty much at our own terms schedule wise – as long as we meet the deadlines and do all of our hours per week. Which is pretty dope. But even if it was to happen soon enough for us to avoid Longueil, it does include a lot of problems too. Loneliness being the biggest issue, but also ergonomics and work space. So I’m left pondering whether or not to quit. Both options bring their questions too. If I stay, do I quit my dance classes or do I quit sleeping or eating? Because it’s either start working earlier to go to class but then class still ends at the same time so I still arrive late home and I have to shower – be it in the evening or morning, it will take an hour off my sleep schedule – and the next morning get up earlier to be at work earlier and then not sleep enough – or work later or about the same time, but being unable to attend classes because they are still at the same schedule, they don’t rely on mine. If I quit, what’s next? I didn’t know what my job/career/work would be before joining this company and still have no idea what I would do if I didn’t have it. And what of my vacation plans if I don’t have a job to pay for it, right? My flight for Greece is not refundable. Whether I choose to stay or quit, do I renew my lease for my apartment or do I move? Because the only thing that was close enough was work, but otherwise classes are far, metro stations are a bus ride away, hanging out always include having to plan how early I have to leave to get there on time according to the bus schedule. Do I stay in Montreal or do I move back to my parents to get some writing done and some me-time? Because yes, being license and car-less, I would go back to my hometown before moving to Longueil. Or do I try to live abroad for a while? When I get sick of everything, the only thing stopping me from going abroad is my work. But if my job isn’t there to put breaks on it anymore, why not?

You know what’s worse? I can’t even talk to my mom about it because she is sick and she is even more anxious than I can be so that would pretty much kill her.

And now, since February 4th, I would say, my left foot and ankle have been hurting. I took advantage of the dance studio being closed on February 4th, then didn’t go for my classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, to try and get it better. But I couldn’t take it anymore on February 9th, so I started back my classes. Even spent that evening helping at my studio’s auditions. Which led me to go take an appointment at the health clinic by my workplace on February 15th because it still hurt. They obviously didn’t have any availabilities on the same day, so I came back on Sunday February 17th, got my foot and ankle X-rayed and… We don’t know what is wrong with it, but I have to rest from dance, put the least effort on it as well as ice daily, and take anti-inflammatories. I was at work on a Sunday, so I asked around for helped getting back home – my bus is a weekday only bus – and for some help cooking that evening if I wanted to be able to feed myself that week. My coworkers were all out of town or busy with other people, but they still took the time to reply. Contrarily to my “friends” who didn’t care enough to do anything more than put a sad smiley on my post saying that I was hurt. So I had to actually walk home which is exactly the contrary of what I was told to do. Once home though, I didn’t cook, I told myself SOMEONE HAS to take pity on me the following day. Knowing I don’t have my parents here, don’t have a roommate nor a boyfriend, my friends SHOULD ask me if I needed help. So I repeated the “help needed because of injury” message on Monday. I never had any reply. Ah, not true. The ex-boyfriend of my ex-best friend, in Rouyn, said he was too far. That’s the offer of help I got. Now, I can totally understand that people are busy. Can totally understand that not everyone sees my messages on Facebook. Can totally understand that if you live in another country or far from where I live (read: out of Montreal. Do not read: 30 minutes by metro and bus.) you’re as helpless about it as I am about my mom being at the hospital. But you’re allegedly my friend, you live in Montreal, you saw my messages, you are fully aware of my situation, and not only did you not come to help, but you never once stopped to ask me how I’m doing or IF I needed help? Are you fucking sure you’re my friend? I’m injured goddammit. I went to a doctor who prescribed me medicine because I’m injured and she told me to put the least stress on my injury and still I get to do the groceries by myself, the cooking by myself, all those tasks that requires to be up on my injured foot by myself. And so I cried on the phone with my parents again. Although the last thing I want is to make my mom stress about me, I couldn’t control it. They thought I was scared about my foot, thought I was pissed that I couldn’t dance (truer than the first thing) but I was crying upon the realization that indeed, my friends don’t give a shit.

We’re February 27th now and still, the only people that I talked too were my coworkers at work, and the employees at different places I had to walk myself to like grocery stores.

The Law School Admission Test

By Brian Uhler, University of Chicago Class of 2021

August 7, 2020

The Law School Admission Test, or “LSAT”, is a test created by LSAC (the Law School Admission Council) designed to test a candidate’s aptitude for the type of thinking necessary for lawyers and to predict the success of students entering law school. This is similar to the medical school admission test, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), among other standardized tests used for entrance to graduate schools. As a standardized test, the LSAT is considered the universal standard for ABA-accredited law schools and Canadian law schools.(1) In fact, the LSAT is generally considered to be the most important part of an applicant’s profile, sometimes even thought to be twice as important as an applicant’s undergraduate GPA! (7) But what exactly does the LSAT do to test thinking skills and predict law school success?

To understand the current methods used by the LSAT to test candidates, it is necessary to understand the test’s history and evolution. Standardized testing for assessing applicants for schools began in the early 20th century; before standardized testing, schools would have individual, distinct admissions tests or have none at all. In 1901, the College Entrance Examination Board was founded with the goal of creating a universal standardized test. Then, in 1926, the SAT was introduced as a test for college aptitude, and this test is now one of the world’s most widely taken standardized tests. (3) This new trend in standardized testing was quickly picked up by law schools, as they too wanted a way to screen candidates before entry to their schools. Early admissions tests for law school were fairly unused due to their similarity to general intelligence tests, but in the 1940s, the first (and now essentially only) test developed to specifically test for legal aptitude and predict success in law school was administered: the LSAT. The test originally was comprised of 10 sections and would take an entire day to complete, mostly testing passive verbal skills. (3) However, it has since evolved into the form it takes today, a shorter test with fewer sections that still tests the critical skills of a future law student. But how can these skills be tested; how could a single test adequately display a candidate’s ability to think in the way required of lawyers and predict success in law school?

Since its evolution from its early beginnings, the LSAT has changed from a 10-section test to one with six sections, each with a time limit of 35 minutes, scored on a scale of 120-180. However, there are only four types of sections; Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Analytical Reasoning (commonly referred to as “logic games”), and Writing. On the traditional, current LSAT, there is one section on Writing and five other sections comprised of the remaining three types – two Logical Reasoning sections, one Reading Comprehension section, and one Analytical reasoning section, and then a fifth section that could be any one of these three types. (2)This fifth section is unscored and is used by the creators of the LSAT to create future tests. However, the test-taker has no knowledge of which section is the unscored section, so he or she must earnestly attempt all of them.

Nowadays, students may take the Writing section remotely from the comfort of their own homes on the LSAC’s website. An LSAT Writing section typically poses a situation in which two choices are given, and then some facts are given that could be used as pros or cons of either choice. Then, the test taker must use these facts to argue for one of the two choices. The remaining three types of sections are all multiple-choice with five possible answer choices, rather than a free response style like on Writing. In Logical Reasoning sections, test takers are given roughly 25 questions to answer – each question contains a few sentences that form an argument or a set of facts, and these are followed by a question such as “which of these answers would Strengthen this argument”, or perhaps “given the statements made, which of these answers must also be true?” This section, as named, quite literally tests a person’s ability to logically reason. On the Reading Comprehension section, test takers are given four reading passages each about a page long. They are then asked various questions about each passage, with questions such as “which of these answers is the main point of the passage”, or, “with which of these statements is the author of the passage most likely to agree?” This section tests a person’s ability to understand a point of view, retain the relevant information, and quickly apply it to questions. Finally, the Analytical Reasoning section, more often called “logic games”, contains four “games” in which there exists a situation and a set of rules that govern the possibilities of the situation, and then questions are asked about the game. For example, a logic game may arise that specifies that there are seven people, people A-G, and each works one day per week with nobody working on the same day. Then, some rules may specify that person A works on Monday, person B can’t work on Tuesday, person C must work on Sunday if person D works on Wednesday, and so on. After these rules there are questions, such as, “if person B works on Thursday, then who must work on Saturday?” This tests a person’s analytical skills and ability to quickly process information. However, logic games typically require a person to draw out some diagrams to help keep track of all of the information and examine the possibilities, and this has recently posed a problem for some test takers.

A recent court case brought against LSAC by a blind student has made waves in the LSAT community. Law school hopeful Angelo Binno, a legally blind student, wanted LSAC to waive the Analytical Reasoning section from his test because he was unable to draw the diagrams that are essentially necessary for success on the section. LSAC refused, and Binno filed a lawsuit claiming that LSAC was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. LSAC agreed to gradually remove the Analytical Reasoning section of the test, and by 2023 they will have developed a new way to test a person’s analytical reasoning skills. (4)

As well as this recent occurrence resulting in a fairly drastic change to the test, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced LSAC to adapt how it administers the test during (at least) this year. Currently, LSAC is offering what they call the LSAT-Flex, a remotely proctored version of the same test. (5)On this test, rather than five sections taken in person with at least two Logical Reasoning sections, at least one Reading Comprehension section, and at least one Analytical Reasoning section, the LSAT-Flex has three total sections – one of each of these types. Otherwise, the test is the same: it features the same types of questions and the same amount of questions per section. Some may be concerned that the remote proctoring system will allow for cheating on the test, but there are two factors that substantially reduce this possibility. First of all, the proctoring system used for the LSAT-Flex is not only simply to proctor, it was specifically designed to stop cheating. Secondly, and more importantly, the LSAT is an extraordinarily difficult test to cheat on. Unlike many other tests, the LSAT is not a knowledge-based test, it is a thinking-based test; there is no book a person can open up that will tell him or her the answers. The LSAT-Flex has been a relatively successful test so far – the tests scheduled for March and April were cancelled while LSAC created the LSAT-Flex, and since then, Flex tests have been offered in May, June, July, and another one scheduled for late August.(5)

However, while LSAC did a respectable job of adapting their test to the recent pandemic, no plan is foolproof. On the recent July LSAT-Flex, a glitch in the system while transferring tester information caused the answers of about 140 testers to get lost. (6) LSAC has refunded these testers the money required to take the test and has offered them a free retake exam. While this issue was not widespread (affecting only 140 of 14,000 test takers, about 1%), it is still a frustrating occurrence for those affected. However, given how rare of an issue this was, we can hope that the test takers are able to take the test as soon as possible and that the LSAT continues to evolve and improve to be the best standardized test for law schools that LSAC can make.

________________________________________________________________

(1)“Law School Admission Test LSAT: The Law School Admission Council.” Law School Admission Test LSAT | The Law School Admission Council, www.lsac.org/lsat.

(2)“Types of LSAT Questions.” The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), www.lsac.org/lsat/prep/types lsatquestions#:~:text=The%20LSAT% 20is%20administered%20in,and%20two%20logical%20reasoning%20sections.

(3)“History of the LSAT.” Manhattan Review, 16 Apr. 2020, www.manhattanreview.com/lsat-history/.

(4)Turner, Samuel. “LSAT Removes Logic Games Section.” Yale Daily News LSAT Removes Logic Games Section Comments, 14 Oct. 2019, yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/10/14/lsat-removes-logic-games-section/#:~:text=Following%20a%20settlement%20last%20week,include%20the%20analytical%20reasoning%20section.&text=In%20response%2C%20LSAC%20and%20the,removal%20of%20the%20logic%20games.

(5)“Introducing LSAT-Flex.” The Law School Admission Council, www.lsac.org/update-coronavirus-and-lsat/lsat-flex.

(6)Sloan, Karen. “Ooops! LSAT Scores Lost Amid Tech Failure.” Law.com, 30 July 2020,www.law.com/2020/07/30/ooops-lsat-scores-lost-amid-tech-failure/.

(7)Jones, Evan, et al. “How Important Is The LSAT?” LawSchooli, 4 Feb. 2019,lawschooli.com/how-important-is-the-lsat/.

Photo Credit: LSAC

Let me help you put your mind at ease

How to schedule your daily/weekly/monthly routine to meet your needs and accomplish your dreams -

Read motivational quotes

Fill out this questionnaire with Patience, Consistency, & Compassion

Answer these Questions now:

What gives you your life? What sets your soul on fire? What brings you immense joy?

What do you want to learn more of? What has been sparking your interest?

What are you doing to contribute to society?

What contributions must you make for yourself to be happy for yourself and others?

Planning

(Provided below is a few templates to help organize your thoughts and put yourself into action with ease. You can copy paste the below and fill out for yourself )

Preparation

(Fill out this 30 Minute Questionare below)

What day is it?

Example: Monday

- List 3 things you are grateful for

Example:

- I am grateful for My Boyfriend not quitting on me

- I am grateful for My Mother’s good health

- I am grateful that this is organizing my thoughts

- List 3 simple things that will make today fulfilling

Example:

- feel mentally stable

- learn something new

- feel balanced

- List 3-10 tasks you must accomplish today

Example:

- chant a full hour today

- commit to my meal times

- Prep with an advisor before my podcast interview tomorrow

- Connect w/ 3 people for Kosen-rufu

- Connect w/ 1 family member

- Connect w/ 1 hometown friend

- Connect w/ 1 colleague

Scheduling

Schedule your meal times

Example:

7:00am-7:45am Breakfast

12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch

4:30pm-5:30pm Mid-Day Snack

7:30pm-8:30pm Dinner

Block-off 2 hours for Metaphysics/Belief System Development

Note*** Please make sure to give yourself 15-30 minute breaks to reset your mind. This will boost your mental health to mitigate the risk of burnout or mental breakdowns lol

Example:

8:00am-9:00am Chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo & Gongyo

9:15am-10:15am Study the following

1. 10 Worlds section of “The Winning Life” by Daisaku Ikeda

2. 10 Pages of “The New Human Revolution Volume 1”

3. Re-Read a Gosho

Schedule Workouts

Example:

10:30am-11:15am Conditioning Workout

1. 10 Minute Cardio

What warmup cardio do you want to do today? (I.e. Run/bike/Jumping Jacks)

2. 10 Minute stretch

What stretch do you want to do today

3. 25 Minute Activity

What Activity do you want to do today?

(I.e. Longboard/Long Distance Run/Box/Dance)

Schedule Work Time

When are your meetings for today?

Example:

3:00pm - Company Call w/ Business Founders

4:30pm - Pitch Meeting w/ Talent Re: Mixology Show idea

6:30pm 7:15pm - Podcast Interview Prep Meeting w/ Financial Advisor

What do you need done before your meetings today? (I.e. Agendas, deck, study, run-over lines)

Example:

Thankfully nothing

Overview

What does today look like?

Example:

7:00am-7:45am Breakfast

8:00am-9:00am Chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo & Gongyo

9:15am-10:15am Study buddhist Texts

10:30am-11:15am Conditioning Workout

11:15am-11:30am Shower

11:30am-12:30am Calls & texts

12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch

3:00pm-4:00pm Company Call w/ Business Founders

4:00pm-4:30pm Mid-Day Snack

4:30pm-5:30pm Pitch Meeting w/ Talent Re: Mixology Show idea

6:30pm 7:15pm - Podcast Interview Prep Meeting w/ Financial Advisor

7:30pm-8:30pm Dinner w/ Boyfriend

9:00pm-11:15pm Movie & Video Games w/ Boyfriend :D

Week Necessities

Note***For the optimal balanced week make sure to save some room for the following activities

1. 45-Minute Daily conditioning workouts to keep you feeling strong

True strength comes from your ability to decide and commit. The physical conditioning is what provides practice and the refinement of your inner strength.

2. 3 Calls a day to feel connected and mitigate the risk of isolation & depression

A simple “how are you doing? Or hey! Letting you know I’m alive” starts the conversation and starts a connection. We are not alone and we can break through feelings of loneliness by caring for others.

3. 3 Activities a week for fun

We can’t just keep working. We need to have moments of joy to be good to ourselves and in turn good to everyone we are connected to. Schedule a dance class or a jackbox.tv party over zoom with your friends. These 3 activities are crucial to help us want to keep living during these crucial times. Right now, my activity is video games #gamergirl but it’s different for everyone.

What does this month look like?

We’re human, not perfect. Understand that we will not be able to always stick to our schedule but we can do our best. Set goals you wish to accomplish this month that align with your 3 year, 5 year, 10 year, and 30 year goals. If you don’t have these types of goals in mind... well guess you got the time now to think about them :) I believe in you

♥️🙏

Ace Doligosa

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 1

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 1-14. First, read the text below and answer Questions 1-8. A Filling the reservoir Your iron is designed to function using tap water. However, it will last longer if you use distilled water. – Always unplug the iron before filling the reservoir. – Always empty the reservoir after use. B Temperature and steam control Your Moulex iron has two buttons which control the intensity of heat produced by the iron. You can, therefore, adjust the temperature of the iron and the amount of steam being given off depending upon the type of fabric being ironed. – Turn the steam control to the desired intensity. – Turn the thermostat control to the desired temperature. Important: If your iron produces droplets of water instead of giving off steam, your temperature control is set too low. C Spray button This button activates a jet of cold water which allows you to iron out any unintentional creases. Press the button for one second. D Pressing button This button activates a super shot of steam which momentarily gives you an additional 40g of steam when needed. Important: Do not use this more than five successive times. E Suits etc. It is possible to use this iron in a vertical position so that you can remove creases from clothes on coathangers or from curtains. Turning the thermostat control and the steam button to maximum, hold the iron in a vertical position close to the fabric but without touching it. Hold down the pressing button for a maximum of one second. The steam produced is not always visible but is still able to remove creases. Important: Hold the iron at a sufficient distance from silk and wool to avoid all risk of scorching Do not attempt to remove creases from an item of clothing that is being worn, always use a coathanger. F Auto-clean In order that your iron does not become furred up, Moulex have integrated an auto-clean system and we advise you to use it very regularly (1-2 times per month). – Turn the steam control to the off position. – Fill the reservoir and turn the thermostat control to maximum. – As soon as the indicator light goes out, unplug the iron and, holding it over the sink, turn the steam control to auto-clean. Any calcium deposits will be washed out by the steam. Continue the procedure until the reservoir is empty. Questions 1-4 Match the pictures below to the appropriate section in the instructions. Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

Questions 5-8 Answer the following questions on the Moulex iron using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet. 5. What sort of water are you advised to use? 6. What factor makes you decide on the quantity of steam to use? 7. What should you do if your iron starts to drip water? 8. What could damage your iron if you do not clean it? Now, read the information below and answer Questions 9-14. CLASSIC TOURS – coach break information Luggage We ask you to keep luggage down to one medium-sized suitcase per person, but a small holdall can also be taken on board the coach. Seat Allocation Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks when booking, but since allocations are made on a first come first served basis, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time. Travel Documents When you have paid your deposit we will send to you all the necessary documents and labels, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break departure date. Certain documents, for example air or boat tickets, may have to be retained and your driver or courier will then issue them to you at the relevant point. Special Diets If you require a special diet you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be notified to the hotel or hotels on your coach break, but on certain coach breaks the hotels used are tourist class and whilst offering value for money within the price range, they may not have the full facilities to cope with special diets. Any extra costs incurred must be paid to the hotel by yourself before departure from the hotel. Accommodation Many of our coach breaks now include, within the price, accommodation with private facilities, and this will be indicated on the coach break page. Other coach breaks have a limited number of rooms with private facilities which, subject to availability, can be reserved and guaranteed at the time of booking – the supplementary charge shown in the price panel will be added to your account. On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available it may be subject to a supplementary charge and this will be shown on the brochure page. Entertainment Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment which could include music, dancing, film shows, etc. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is at the discretion of the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel. Questions 9-14 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet. 9. If you want to sit at the front of the coach A ask when you get on the coach. B arrive early on the departure date. C book your seat well in advance. D avoid travelling at peak times. 10. Your air tickets A will be sent to your departure point. B must be collected before leaving. C will be enclosed with other documents. D may be held by your coach driver. 11. If you need a special diet you should A inform the hotel when you arrive. B pay extra with the booking. C tell the coach company. D book tourist class. 12. It may be necessary to pay extra for A a bathroom. B boat tickets. C additional luggage. D entertainment. 13. Entertainment is available A at all hotels. B if there is the demand. C upon request. D for an additional cost. 14. With every booking Classic Tours guarantee you will be able to A request high quality meals. B take hand luggage on the coach. C use your own personal bathroom. D film if you want to. You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 15-29. Questions 15-21 Look at the article Clubs for Students below. Which club would you contact for each of the requirements below? Write the appropriate letter A-G in boxes 15-21 on your answer sheet. You may use each letter more than once. The first one has been done for you as an example. Example- you wish to go swimming at 7am every morning. Answer-G 15. You would like to take Spanish classes. 16. You want to join a club that has international branches. 17. You would like an opportunity to speak in public. 18. You would like to take part in amateur theatrical productions. 19. You want to visit some famous sites with a group of other students. 20. You are interested in finding out about part-time work. 21. You want to meet some English people who have started their careers. CLUBS FOR STUDENTS There are a variety of Clubs which provide social and cultural activities for those wishing to meet others with similar interests from the same or from different national backgrounds. A Commonwealth Trust Organised discussion meetings, learned talks, cultural events excursions to places of interest and invitations to major British diary events Open to overseas visitors and students. B Charles Peguy Centre French youth centre providing advice, support and information to young Europeans aged between 18-30. Facilities include an information and advice service regarding education, work placement and general welfare rights. Moreover the centre holds a database of jobs, accommodation and au pair placements specifically in London. Members may use a fax machine a copier and computers for CVs. Hours Monday: 14.00-17.00 Tuesday-Friday: 10.00-17.00 Membership: £35 per year, plus £5 per month. C Kensington Committee of Friendship for Overseas Students KCOF is the society for young people from all countries. Each month there are some 40 parties, discos, visits to theatres, concerts, walks and other gatherings where you will be able to meet lots of people. A new programme is sent each month directly to members (£5 to join in October, less later in the year). Events are free or at low often reduced prices. Office open 10.30-17.30 weekdays only D Royal Overseas League Open 365 days per year, this is a club with facilities in London and Edinburgh with restaurants, bars and accommodation. There are branches around the world and 57 reciprocal clubs world-wide. Quarterly magazine, literary lectures, annual music and art competitions, and summer and winter programme of events for members. Membership fees overseas students aged 17¬24 £47 per year + initial joining fee £23.50; others £70 per year + initial joining fee £35 (half price after July). Further information from the Membership Secretary. E YMCA London Central Facilities include photography art drama, pottery, language courses, badminton, squash, exercise to music, circuit training, sports clinic, fitness testing and other activities. Hours weekdays 07.00-22.30, weekends 10.00-21.00. Membership fees: aged 16-17 £25 per year plus attendance charge of £1 30 per visit; aged 18-19 £213 per year; aged 20¬25 £366 per year F London Inter-Varsity Club (IVC) IVC is an activities and social club with a varied range of events, from cycling and drama to windsurfing and yoga. Most members are young English professionals, but overseas visitors are welcome. The club arranges restaurant meals, dancing and parties, weekends away around Britain, plus a weekly club night in a Covent Garden bar. There are usually over 25 different events every week run by IVG members for IVC members. To find out more, telephone the club or write (Freepost) to the office. G Central Club Provides accommodation and club facilities. No membership fee. Coffee shop open for all meals swimming pool (open 06.00), multi¬gym, hairdressing salon. Questions 22-29 Read the article on International Students House and look at the statements below. In boxes 22-29 on your answer sheet write TRUE                                   if the statement is true FALSE                                 if the statement is false NOT GIVEN                      if the information is not given in the passage Example The club is for overseas students only Answer- False The first one has been done for you as an example. 22. The club has long-term dormitory accommodation. 23. Membership must be renewed monthly. 24. The club provides subsidised restaurant meals. 25. The club is open to non-members on Tuesday evenings. 26. STA Travel help finance the Students Adviser. 27. The services of the Students Adviser are free to all club members. 28. You must make an appointment to see the Students Adviser. 29. There will be a surcharge for accommodation over the Christmas period.   INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HOUSE International Students House is a unique club and accommodation centre for British and overseas students in London. It is located in the heart of London’s West End and is close to all public transport facilities. ACCOMMODATION * comfortable accommodation for up to 450 people in single, twin, 3/4 bedded and multi-bedded rooms * 44 self-contained flats for married students and families * long and short stays welcomed MEMBERSHIP Club membership is open to all full¬time students, professional trainees, student nurses and au pairs. Membership costs are kept to an absolute minimum to enable the widest possible access. You can join for as little as one month and for up to one year at a time. Membership entitles you to use the various facilities of the House. It has: * restaurants * student bars and coffee shop * study rooms * clubs and societies * aerobics and fitness training * discos, dance, jazz and cinema * travel and excursions and much more! The best way to check out all we have on offer is to drop in any Tuesday evening between 7.15 pm and 8.30 pm for Open House in the Club Room. This is an opportunity for you to meet the staff and other club members, enjoy a free cup of coffee and find out all about what’s going on. You can take advantage of special membership offers. (Useful tip: bring along 3 passport size photographs if you wish to take out membership.) ADVICE SERVICE Thanks to the support of STA Travel and in association with LCOS (the London Conference on Overseas Students) International Students House now provides the service of an International Students Adviser. This new welfare service is open to all students at London’s bona-fide academic institutions. It aims to provide welfare support to help students overcome any personal or practical difficulties they may be experiencing whilst studying in Britain. One of the key features of the Advice Service is that the Adviser can be seen during the evenings until about 8 pm, Monday to Thursday. CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR Unable to get home for Christmas? How about joining in the fun at International Students House! Check out our special programme of activity taking place over the Christmas period. Even come and stay – the House will be offering reduced accommodation rates for students wishing to spend a few days in London over Christmas. We’ll also have an exciting New Year’s Eve party so come and join us and ring in the new year in the spirit of internationalism. Reading passage 3 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 30-41 which are based on the reading passage below. PAPER RECYCLING A Paper is different from other waste produce because it comes from a sustainable resource: trees. Unlike the minerals and oil used to make plastics and metals, trees are replaceable. Paper is also biodegradable, so it does not pose as much threat to the environment when it is discarded. While 45 out of every 100 tonnes of wood fibre used to make paper in Australia comes from waste paper, the rest comes directly from virgin fibre from forests and plantations. By world standards this is a good performance since the world-wide average is 33 per cent waste paper. Governments have encouraged waste paper collection and sorting schemes and at the same time, the paper industry has responded by developing new recycling technologies that have paved the way for even greater utilisation of used fibre. As a result, industry’s use of recycled fibres is expected to increase at twice the rate of virgin fibre over the coming years. B Already, waste paper constitutes 70% of paper used for packaging and advances in the technology required to remove ink from the paper have allowed a higher recycled content in newsprint and writing paper. To achieve the benefits of recycling, the community must also contribute. We need to accept a change in the quality of paper prod¬ucts; for example stationery may be less white and of a rougher texture. There also needs to be support from the community for waste paper collec¬tion programs. Not only do we need to make the paper available to collectors but it also needs to be separated into different types and sorted from con-taminants such as staples, paperclips, string and other miscellaneous items. C There are technical limitations to the amount of paper which can be recycled and some paper products cannot be collected for re-use. These include paper in the form of books and permanent records, photographic paper and paper which is badly contaminated. The four most common sources of paper for recycling are factories and retail stores which gather large amounts of packaging material in which goods are delivered, also offices which have unwanted business documents and computer output, paper converters and printers and lastly households which discard newspapers and packaging material. The paper manufacturer pays a price for the paper and may also incur the collection cost. D Once collected, the paper has to be sorted by hand by people trained to recognise various types of paper. This is necessary because some types of paper can only be made from particular kinds of recycled fibre. The sorted paper then has to be repulped or mixed with water and broken down into its individual fibres. This mixture is called stock and may contain a wide variety of contaminating materials, particularly if it is made from mixed waste paper which has had little sorting. Various machinery is used to remove other materials from the stock. After passing through the repulping process, the fibres from printed waste paper are grey in colour because the printing ink has soaked into the individual fibres. This recycled material can only be used in products where the grey colour does not matter, such as cardboard boxes but if the grey colour is not acceptable, the fibres must be de-inked. This involves adding chemicals such as caustic soda or other alkalis, soaps and detergents, water-hardening agents such as cal¬cium chloride, frothing agents and bleaching agents. Before the recycled fibres can be made into paper they must be refined or treated in such a way that they bond together. E Most paper products must contain some virgin fibre as well as recycled fibres and unlike glass, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Most paper is down-cycled which means that a product made from recycled paper is of an inferior quality to the original paper. Recycling paper is beneficial in that it saves some of the energy, labour and capital that goes into producing virgin pulp. However, recycling requires the use of fossil fuel, a non-renewable energy source, to collect the waste paper from the community and to process it to produce new paper. And the recycling process still creates emissions which require treatment before they can be disposed of safely. Nevertheless, paper recycling is an important economical and environmental practice but one which must be carried out in a rational and viable manner for it to be useful to both industry and the community. Questions 30-36 Complete the summary below of the first two paragraphs of the Reading Passage. Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer. SUMMARY Example From the point of view of recycling, paper has two advantages over minerals and Oil in that firstly it comes from a resource which is (30) ……………………. and secondly it is less threatening to our environment when we throw it away because it is (31) ……………………. Although Australia’s record in the re-use of waste paper is good, it is still necessary to use a combination of recycled fibre and (32) …………………… to make new paper. The paper industry has contributed positively and people have also been encouraged by (33) ……………………. to collect their waste on a regular basis. One major difficulty is the removal of ink from used paper but (34) ……………………. are being made in this area. However, we need to learn to accept paper which is generally of a lower (35) …………………….than before and to sort our waste paper by removing (36) …………………….before discarding it for collection. Questions 37-41 Look at paragraphs C, D, and E and, using the information in the passage, complete the flow chart below. Use ONE OR TWO WORDS for each answer.

Show Answers  

Read the full article

Free Fall Course Catalog

Freeing the Natural Voice (12 Weeks)

Instructor: Grace Kennedy

Sundays October 27 to January 12. 12pm-3pm

This course is designed for the singer, the actor, and anyone who wishes to strengthen and develop a deeper connection to their vocal instrument. Using Kristin Linklater’s text, Freeing the Natural Voice, this intermediate level course requires the utmost presence of body and mind for the 2 hour duration of the class, and asks that participants attend no fewer than 8 out of the 12 classes taking care to arrive before or on time. By the end of the 12 week course, participants will acquire concrete tools and exercises used to warm-up, strengthen, and liberate the voice, and can expect to hone their vocal instrument and increase its capacity to articulate and express thoughts and feelings in professional and personal contexts. Registration is required.

Grace Kennedy entered the world screaming and hasn’t stopped since. She can be found filling theaters, music venues, the French Quarter and the atmosphere of New Orleans with a truly liberated voice.

Register for this course with Grace at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Making Strong Choices: An Actor’s Workshop (4 Weeks)

Instructor: Samantha Beaulieu

Saturdays November 2 - 23. 10am-12pm

Making Strong Choices: An Actor's Workshop will cover the importance of making strong choices in auditions and performances. Students will be expected to select a monologue to perform and explore making strong choices and creating moments through their piece. Each student will have the opportunity to perform their monologue in front of the class, and receive notes and adjustments. For the final class, students can invite friends and family for a showing of their pieces and a discussion of what they learned.

Samantha Beaulieu is an award-winning actress and a filmmaker from New Orleans who works in film, television and theatre. In 2010 Samantha won Gambit’s Big Easy Theater Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her portrayal of Ruth Younger in the award winning play A Raisin in the Sun. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Clark Atlanta University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.   

Register for this workshop with Beaubourg at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Get It Written: Creative Writing (8 Weeks)

Instructor: Té V. Smith

Saturdays November 2 - December 21. 11am-1pm

There's a quote "Don't get it right, get it written." You want to write . . . and you’re facing a blank page, daring you to cover it. Sometimes we need a nudge out of fears of perfection to get us to start writing at all, and this weekly class will offer many activities that you can use on your own (or with friends!). We’ll use a series of directed exercises designed to get you writing quality material now. We’ll also discuss key points of craft, learn from one another’s work and draw lessons from published examples. Whether you’re starting out and learning the basics, or an experienced writer looking to invigorate your practice, this class is designed to offer you fresh ideas and starting points. You can expect to generate new pieces–work that can form the basis for stories, essays, poems, and novels to come. Our goal: to start writing and keep writing.

Té V. Smith is a Nigerian American writer who focuses on the themes of healthy masculinity, mental health, and education reform.  He has written two books, a collection of poetry & prose, 'Here We Are, Reflections of A God Gone Mad' (2017 R.H. Austin Publishing) and a Young Adult novel, 'Exit Ticket' (2019 Field Order Press). His work has been published in or are forthcoming in Tin House, Kingdoms In The Wild, Black Girl In Ohm, Blackbird and more. 

Register for this course at tevsmith.com 

—————————————————————————-

Embodied Nature Poetry (7 Weeks)

Instructor: Tim Kooken

Saturdays November 2 - December 14. 2pm-3:30pm

Nature has long been subject of poetic investigation. Many of the somatic arts reflect rhythms and flows of nature. This class will explore conceptual and real objects of nature in both embodied and linguistic practice in order to write from an expanded perspective. We will create poems, read poems, share observations through group techniques, and use somatic, performative, and linguistic tools to embody and represent nature. (Involves physical contact & group work)

Explorations in Walking with Qigong (7 Weeks)

Instructor: Tim Kooken

Mondays November 4 - December 16. 9am-10am

Cultivate healthy movement habits out of formal walking meditations. Qigong walking involves a heavy focus on balance, core strength, energy flow, and proprioception. This class will introduce Qigong to students with an aim towards stronger balance and spatial awareness. (Involves physical contact & group work) Registration Suggested / Drop-ins Welcome.

Tim is a certified medical-based Qigong and Aikido teacher, performer, poet, and playwright. Their work involves a focus on somatic investigation, philosophical investigation, abstraction, rhythm, and nature. 

Register for these courses with Tim at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Intro to Photography (8 Weeks)

Instructor: Aaron Sarles

Sundays November 3 - December 22. 11:00am-12:30pm

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals and core concepts of photography, providing a historical overview and theoretical groundwork, with a particular emphasis on moving beyond the traditional Western Male paradigm approach to the medium. Classes will focus on aesthetics, history, composition, the camera, lenses, light, and post processing, with the final class consisting of a guided photo walk during which students can directly apply all that they have learned.

It is preferred that students each have their own camera, but it is not required. A phone camera is sufficient.

Aaron Sarles is a portrait, fashion, and editorial photographer living in New Orleans. 

Register for this workshop with Beaubourg at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Conceptual Counterpoint (4 Weeks)

Instructor: Michael Mason

Mondays November 4 - 25. 8pm-9pm

Through discussion and hands-on experimentation we will seek to find a way to better our understanding of the world using the musical concept of Counterpoint and how it is translatable to various aspects of life. Having musical knowledge is not required but certainly doesn't hurt. The concepts discussed will get pretty complicated but it's my goal to arrive at the concepts together so hopefully it won't be too difficult. Students will gain an increased awareness of the forces of counterpoint that affect our everyday lives. They will gain a better understanding of music in general and will leave with enhanced active listening skills. 

Michael Mason is a guitarist, composer, and educator living and working in New Orleans. He cut his baby teeth on a toy & plastic guitar, doing his best to recreate the rock and roll and folk dreams that fell out of his boyhood radio and into his head. He found his way to NOCCA, where he plunged headfirst into the deep end of jazz, which studies he continued at UNO, ultimately receiving his B.A. in jazz composition from the Berklee College of Music. 

Register for this course with Michael at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Introduction to Music Theory (4 Weeks)

Instructor: Zachary Pine

Mondays November 4 - 25. 6pm-8pm

Students will gain or improve skills in reading and writing Western musical notation. The material is introductory; no prior experience with music theory is required although familiarity with a musical instrument or voice will be an advantage for students.  Additionally, they will acquire a foundational vocabulary of musical terminology.

Zachary Pine is a composer and teacher in New Orleans with a studio-practice where he creates popular music using computer-driven tools. 

Register for this workshop with Beaubourg at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Scene Study Workshop (6 Weeks)

Instructor: Bennett Kirschner

Wednesdays November 6 - December 11. 12pm-2pm

Participants will work on a short, realist scene (approx. 10-15 minutes) with one or two partners. Using essential Stanislavskian concepts such as action, objective, and given circumstance to interpret and embody their text, participants will move through the process of scene study, beginning with text analysis and leading up to defined, repeatable blocking. The class will culminate with a performance that is open to the public.

Bennett Kirschner is the founding Artistic Director of Intramural Theater, a New Orleans based theatre company that has been producing original, site-specific works since 2014. He received his MFA in Playwriting from the University of New Orleans in 2019.

Register for this workshop with Beaubourg at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Kinesthetic Realignment Workshop (4 Weeks)

Instructor: Rachel Nelson

Saturdays November 9 - December 7. 4pm-5:30pm

Using the seven main chakras, we will move through the body's main energy centers, freeing tension, finding legibility, and increasing awareness. This is a great class for performers, as well as anybody looking to deepen their relationship with their body. Will include some movement and some journaling. No experience necessary.

Rachel is a professor at Hollins University and Bard College who has taught and directed around the country. She is especially interested in using theater as a way expand social justice work in our communities and liberation in our bodies.

Register for this workshop with Beaubourg at [email protected]

—————————————————————————-

Imagining Sound Workshop (2 Weeks)

Instructor: Justin Peake

Mondays December 9 & 16. 6-8pm

 Imagining Sound is a series of two meetings with an attention to the variety of images and sensations that accompany the sounds which surround us. It is an experiment in imagination, memory, and stillness. By playfully exploring the multisensorial aspects of sonic and musical experience we might be able to expand and augment our approaches to composition to expand beyond music's ethereal nature and perhaps discover a more metaphorical, unified or inclusive language for describing our experiences of sonic phenomena. This class is open to all current and aspiring listeners. Justin Peake is a drummer, sound composer,  improviser, and experimental media artist  based in New Orleans, LA. His music incorporates acoustic and electronic elements often using his own interactive software instruments. A graduate of  NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), he focuses on software for variably structured improvisation in performance. He has released music on the Moodgadget, Ghostly International, Ears & Eyes, and Articulated Works labels

—————————————————————————-

Known Mass: Collective Intelligence Movement Workshop + Performance (4 Weeks)

Instructor: Ann Glaviano

Sundays December 29 - January 19. 4pm-7pm

Performance January 19th at 7:30 pm

This project is open to participants aged 18+ who are interested in practicing individual and ensemble devising processes and performance skills. Both trained dancers/physical performers and “pedestrians” with no specialized movement practice are welcome. Together we will build an ensemble movement-based performance piece using scored improvisation (a rehearsed, open structure) and set material. At the end of our fourth meeting, we will offer a public performance.

To participate in this workshop you must commit to all four meetings. Spots are limited; email [email protected] to sign up; you will receive confirmation of your enrollment by December 15. If you can’t commit to all meetings but you would like to participate in a future workshop, sign up for notification at https://annglaviano.com/monthly-newsletter/.

Ann Glaviano is a writer, dance-maker, DJ, and native New Orleanian. Since 2013 Ann has directed a performance project called Known Mass, aesthetically and ethically motivated by devised theatre and DIY punk traditions. She has also improvised with Hannibal Buress, danced with the New Orleans Ballet Theatre, choreographed for Hulu, and performed in a dystopic faux-corporate durational art installation in Dresden. Her dance film 01_fieldrecording  premiered in 2019 at Highways (Los Angeles).

The Investment Banking Associate: Senior Banker in Training, or Glorified Spell Checker?

If you’ve ever Googled a term like “investment banking associate,” hoping to discover what banking is like at different levels, you’ve probably come to a sobering conclusion:

The vast majority of “day in the life” stories are about Analysts.

There’s always been less information about Associates, VPs, Directors, and MDs, and that hasn’t changed much over time.

That’s partially because more senior bankers aim to stay in the field for the long term.

And if they do leave, they’re more likely to take a corporate finance job at a normal company or do something else “corporate,” where writing a tell-all account is not an option.

So, in light of this continued dearth of information, here’s our full run-down on investment banking associates, from the job description to exit opportunities:

The Investment Banking Associate Job Description

In the investment banking career path, Associates are one rung above Analysts in the hierarchy.

While Analysts are usually recruited from top undergraduate universities, Associates are promoted internally or recruited from top MBA programs.

Just like Analysts, Associates also spend time on:

Excel-based financial models and valuations.

PowerPoint-based pitch books and client presentations.

Confidential Information Memoranda (CIMs) and other marketing documents for clients.

Questions from clients and other team members.

Office politics and surviving abusive/crazy senior bankers.

So, what’s the difference?

If you’re an Associate at a large bank, the main differences are:

More “Checking” and Less “Doing” – You will spend more time checking Analysts’ work in Excel and PowerPoint, and less time doing it yourself.

More Communication and Project Management – You will also process instructions from the VPs, Directors, and MDs, and relay them to the Analysts; on deals, you’ll have more responsibility for following up with different parties and making sure the documents are in order for each step of the process.

More Client Interaction – You’re more likely to attend meetings with clients and potential clients (pitches), and when a client has questions about the details of a model or presentation, they’ll go to you.

More PowerPoint and Less Excel – And when you do the work, you’ll be in PowerPoint more often, drafting and editing presentations. You may still do some Excel work, particularly for more complex models, but you’ll almost certainly spend more time in PowerPoint.

The Associate role also varies significantly based on bank size, group, and seniority.

For example, if you’re at a regional boutique bank where the deal team consists of you and a single MD, you will act more like an Analyst, and you’ll start and finish the models and presentations.

But if you’re a third-year Associate at a bulge-bracket bank, and the deal team consists of you, an Analyst, a VP, and an MD, you’ll be more like a “project manager.”

The bank knows that you can do the work; now they’re assessing how well you can manage teams and work with clients before they promote you to the VP level.

Investment Banking Associate Hours

Associates have somewhat better lives than Analysts, but “somewhat better” means 65-80 hours per week rather than 70-80+ hours.

If you’re in a capital markets group, the hours might be reduced by 10-15%.

You will still be on call 24/7, and you’ll still have to respond to urgent requests, but you have it a bit better than Analysts because urgent requests usually go to them first.

Yes, banks now offer “protected weekends” and other lifestyle improvements, but it’s still a demanding job that will minimize your social life, hobbies, and activities for at least a few years.

Why Would You Want to Be an IB Associate?

Remember that ancient meme about “What People Think I Do / What I Really Do”? (investment banking version here).

The logic in that meme applies readily to IB Associate roles:

Why Banks Want to Hire You as an Associate – They want you to be a long-term employee and move up the ladder within investment banking. In exchange for your long hours, they’ll pay you well, train you, and groom you for the senior levels.

Why You Actually Want to Be an Associate – Many students and professionals who recruit for Associate roles do it for the exit opportunities in private equity and hedge funds – directly contradicting what banks want.

Why You Should Want to Be an Associate – You should want to do it because 1) You want to stay in IB long term; or 2) Because you’re interested in another role that’s a more viable exit opportunity, such as corporate development at a normal company.

The usual “exit opportunity” logic is: “Well, I missed investment banking right out of undergrad, but I want to get into private equity… so I’ll just do investment banking post-MBA and then move into PE from there!”

But the results from this strategy are mixed, at best, so don’t get your hopes up.

And yes, you get paid well as an Associate, but if that’s your main reason for pursuing the role, you need to re-think your life.

The cost of an MBA program, plus the opportunity cost of leaving your current job, plus the time and money required for networking and interview prep mean that it’s not worth it unless you plan to stay in finance for at least 5-10 years.

Investment Banking Associate Salary (and Bonus)

At large banks in the U.S., Associates tend to earn between $250K and $400K USD for total compensation, with base salaries progressing up from $140K to $180K.

Bonuses are significantly lower at smaller banks such as regional boutiques, so expect total compensation that’s 20-25% lower.

Pay is also lower outside the U.S., even in other financial centers such as London.

For more on this topic, please see our article on investment banker salaries.

A Day in the Life: What Does an Investment Banking Associate Do?

To illustrate the differences between the Investment Banking Associate vs. Analyst roles, let’s walk through the same day detailed in the Investment Banking Analyst article, but from the perspective of an Associate:

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM: You arrive at the office, meet with a VP to discuss an upcoming M&A pitch, and answer some of his questions/concerns about a new Analyst in your group.

Then, you review an Analyst’s status report on potential buyers in an M&A deal, make a few changes, and ask the Analyst to update the document and send it out.

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: You join a meeting with a Director and Managing Director, who are speaking with a private equity firm about a potential sale of one of their portfolio companies.

Your job is to look intelligent, take notes, and occasionally answer questions about the market research you completed on potential buyers.

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: You eat at your desk as you join due diligence calls for another deal; the Analyst is monitoring the entire session, so you only stick around for one call in the beginning.

12:30 PM – 3:00 PM: You start drafting the M&A pitch book that you discussed with the VP this morning.

You outline the structure and write text on some of the slides, but you leave out the parts that will require Excel paste-ins – the new Analyst will handle those.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: A Managing Director is on the road and needs hundreds of pages of briefing materials ASAP. You read the email and forward it to the Analyst on the team. It’s someone else’s problem now!

Right after that, a client calls you, upset about the management presentation your team is drafting for them.

She feels it doesn’t emphasize the company’s growth opportunities well enough, and she spends 30 minutes walking through all the changes she wants to make. You start making the changes.

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM: You review a CIM with an Analyst and explain how you want to change around the financial summary and market sections, handing off your printed version.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: The office’s Head MD and staffer call you into a room for a meeting.

They want your impressions of the new classes of Analysts and Associates; you’ve been here for over two years, so they value your input.

You try to strike a balance between giving useful comments to the MD and not sabotaging anyone’s new job.

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM: It looks like you might get to leave “early” – but then one of the VPs decides to have your team re-do an entire IPO pitch book.

Most of the work goes to the Analyst, but you need to stay there answering questions and outlining parts of the new presentation.

10:00 PM – 11:00 PM: You review the new IPO pitch book, make a few small tweaks, approve the qualitative/market slides, and leave the office right after that.

This was a ~14-hour day, which is on the long side, but not unreasonable for something in the Monday – Thursday period.

The same factors that create “bad days” for Analysts also create them for Associates: multiple live deals, big pitches, and last-minute emergencies.

However, office politics often contribute to bad days at this level as well – especially when meetings pull you away from work, as they did to the Associate here.

How to Break into Investment Banking as an Associate

The two main entry points into Associate roles are:

Out of Top MBA Programs – This path is more common in the U.S.; if you’re a career changer who wants to switch into IB, an MBA degree from a top program is, by far, your best chance of breaking in.

Direct Promotions from Analyst Roles – If you perform well as an IB Analyst for 2-3 years, you could get a promotion. Outside the U.S., this is the path most Associates follow because MBA-level recruiting is less developed in other regions.

It is very rare to get hired as an Associate if you’re coming from a completely different industry and you also haven’t completed an MBA.

Yes, you can find exceptions and cases where it has happened, but those stories should be viewed as outliers at best.

If you use a top MBA program to get in, you need to start preparing long before you arrive on campus, with networking, interview prep, and perhaps a “steppingstone role” right before the program begins.

In some cases, it might make more sense to complete a part-time or executive MBA program so you don’t have to quit your current job and so you have more time to prepare.

It tends to be extremely difficult to win offers from a non-target MBA program, though it is possible. However, you’ll most likely have to focus on smaller banks to pull this off.

For more, see the “MBA Path” part of our article on how to get into investment banking.

Investment banking interview questions at the Associate level are not that different: you still need to know accounting, valuation, and financial modeling, you still need a solid “story,” supporting mini-stories for the fit questions, and answers to the key objections, as well as deals you can discuss.

The main difference in is that interviewers often test for slightly different qualities, such as:

Ethics – You’ll be working with clients more directly, so “ethical dilemma” questions are common.

Humility – Bankers do not like over-confident MBAs who think they’re rulers of the known universe. And over-confidence is quite common in MBA programs.

Case Studies – Many interviews turn into “verbal case studies” where the interviewer describes a company or deal, and you have to walk through the analysis and answer questions about how you would advise the client.

Your Family and “Extracurricular” Commitments – It’s illegal to ask about your family or age directly, but bankers can indirectly ask about these topics with questions like “How do you spend your time outside of work?” To stay safe, you should give relatively vague answers.

The IB Associate Job: Right for You?

As with the Investment Banking Analyst role, the real question here is not, “Is the Associate job right for you?”

The real questions are:

If you’re currently an Analyst and you’ve performed well, should you stick around for a direct promotion? Or should you leave for a different industry?

If you’re a career changer, should you pay for a top MBA program so you can get this job?

For the first question, you should look at our coverage of exit opportunities to decide.

In short: if you truly want to be an investor or do something else that’s more creative/intellectual, or you hate banking and don’t care about the money anymore, then you should leave.

If not, or you’re on the fence about IB, but you have no better ideas and don’t mind the hours/lifestyle, you might as well stay and see where it goes.

As for the second question: if you have the right profile and you can put in the time and effort required and you understand that you don’t have a great shot of winning private equity or hedge fund roles, sure, go for it.

Going back to that “What People Think I Do / What I Really Do” meme , many MBA students recruit for IB jobs, believing that they can easily win buy-side roles from them.

While that does happen sometimes, it’s far easier to win these roles as an Analyst.

At the Associate level, more likely exit opportunities are corporate finance, corporate development, corporate strategy, and maybe less-competitive buy-side roles such as venture capital.

If you want to make the transition, you need to move quickly and tactfully and recruit in a good hiring market (see: IB associate exits).

That doesn’t make the Investment Banking Associate role a bad one.

But it does mean that you need to read the fine print carefully before jumping in – or you might end up the subject of the next great meme.

The post The Investment Banking Associate: Senior Banker in Training, or Glorified Spell Checker? appeared first on Mergers & Inquisitions.

from ronnykblair digest https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-associate-job/

Devry MGMT404 all weeks discussion and midterm quiz and Final Project

Follow Below Link to Download File

https://homeworklance.com/downloads/devry-mgmt404-all-weeks-discussion-and-midterm-quiz-and-final-project/

We also Do 100% Original and Plagiarism Free Assignment / Homework and Essay

Email us for original and Plagiarism Free Work At ( [email protected] ) or order us at (https://homeworklance.com/custom-order/ )

Devry MGMT 404 All Weeks Discussions Devry MGMT 404 Week 1 DQ 1 Read the case study 3.1 on pages 103–104 of the text. The Keflavik Paper Company is a case with the problem of determining a project management process for new product development. Answer the following questions: What does this case demonstrate about the effect of poor project screening methods on a firm’s ability to manage projects effectively? How would project portfolio management help to improve the situation at Keflavik? Devry MGMT 404 Week 1 DQ 2 Case Study: Widgets ‘R Us (graded) Read the case study 2.4 on pages 65–66 of the text. The Widgets ‘R Us case study is a case with a problem of how the company is set up and how the company will handle operations with its projected growth. Answer the following questions: You have been called in as a consultant to analyze the operations at WRU. Based on the readings, what would you advise Widgets ‘R Us to do in order to sustain the competitive advantage in the widget market? What structural design changes might be undertaken to improve the operations at the company? MGMT 404 Week 2 DQ 1 Project Scope Project Scope (graded) The project scope defines what will be delivered as part of the project, and in some ways, it can be likened to the term vision. That said, whose view and needs should be expressed in a project’s scope? What items need to be addressed in defining the scope? Why are these items important to define? MGMT 404 Week 2 DQ 2 Case Study- Project Management at Case Study: Project Management at Dotcom.com (graded) Read the case study 5.3 Project Management at Dotcom.com in the text on pages 166–167. Dotcom.com is a software engineering and systems development consulting firm that needs some organizational improvements in the area of project management processes that will cut cost and potentially increase the profit margin for the company. Answer the following questions: Discuss how you would begin redesigning dotcom.com’s project management processes to minimize the problems it is experiencing with poor scope management. Why do you think configuration management and project change control are difficult to perform in the middle of a complex software development project, such as those implemented at dotcom.com? Share any experiences you have with project change requests. MGMT 404 Week 3 DQ 1 Project Schedule Project Schedule (graded) To develop a schedule for a project, we will use the concept of a project network, which shows work activities taken from the work breakdown structure and organized according to the logical flow in time and relationships governing when the work will be performed. By combining this network of work activities with estimates of the time duration for performing each of the activities, we can create a schedule for the project work. What types of information can we learn about the project by reviewing the project schedule and all the information used to generate it? MGMT 404 Week 3 DQ 2 Risk Management Risk Management (graded) Assume you have just been assigned to a project risk team of five members. Because this is the first time your organization has formally set up a risk team for a project, it is hoped that your team will develop a process that can be used on all future projects. Your first team meeting is next Monday morning. Each team member has been asked to prepare for the meeting by developing, in as much detail as possible, an outline that describes how you believe the team should proceed in handling project risks. Each team member will hand out their proposed outline at the beginning of the meeting. Your outline should include but not be limited to the following information: • Team objectives • Process for handling risk events • Team activities • Team outputs MGMT 404 Week 4 DQ 1 Case Study- The Problems of Multitasking Case Study: The Problems of Multitasking (graded) Read the case study 12.1, The Problems of Multitasking in the text on pages 405–406. Answer the following questions: 1. How does multitasking confuse the resource availability of project team personnel? 2. In modern organizations, it is impossible to eliminate multitasking for the average employee? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? 3. How would resource loading and/or resource leveling help this situation? MGMT 404 Week 4 DQ 1 Case Study: The Problems of Multitasking (graded) Read the case study 12.1, The Problems of Multitasking in the text on pages 405–406. Answer the following questions: 1. How does multitasking confuse the resource availability of project team personnel? 2. In modern organizations, it is impossible to eliminate multitasking for the average employee? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? 3. How would resource loading and/or resource leveling help this situation? MGMT 404 Week 5 DQ 1 Project Baseline Project Baseline (graded) We have now moved from the planning stage to the doing part of project management. Following good project management practices, we have set a baseline. How is a project baseline used to guide the execution of the project’s work, to evaluate progress and performance, and to control the project? Also, as you continue to think about monitoring and controlling the project, specifically consider the question: How can the project baseline and the earned value approach for variance analysis be used to monitor and report project progress? MGMT 404 Week 5 DQ 2 Project Communication Project Communication (graded) Discuss the importance of communication and information exchange to project success. What are the crucial features and elements of effective communication and information exchange in successful projects? MGMT 404 Week 6 DQ 1 Case Study- Finding the Emotional Intelligence Case Study: Finding the Emotional Intelligence (graded) Read the case study 4.2 Finding the Emotional Intelligence in the text on pages 130. 1. What are the differences between leaders and managers? Can anyone be a leader? Which would you prefer to work for and why? 2. Share an example from your work or school experience with working through the five stages of team development. 3. Select one of the characteristics of an effective project manager and tell why it is important. 4. Take the Future Time Perspective scale on page 129. Share your results and comments with the class. MGMT 404 Week 6 DQ 2 Quality Management Processes (graded) Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text. Why are measurements critical to quality management? What types of measures are available for quality? 2. How important is it to include a quality assessment in your project WBS? What can happen if quality is overlooked? 3. Let’s do a little research on Six Sigma. What is it and why is it important to quality management? MGMT 404 Week 7 DQ 1 Case Study: The Project that Wouldn’t Die Review case study 14.2 on page 471. Answer the three questions at the end of the case. Your answers must be supported by the facts of the case. You will be graded on the content of your answers as well as your feedback to other responses. MGMT 404 Week 7 DQ 2 Case Study:Judy’s Hunt for Authenticity Review case study 11.1 on page 375. Answer the three questions at the end of the case. Your answers must be supported by the facts of the case. You will be graded on the content of your answers as well as your feedback to other responses. MGMT 404  Midterm Quiz (TCO 1) Before one can begin writing a charter, one must consider the most appropriate organization for the project. You are the project manager for a company that integrates custom data solutions for large corporate enterprises. This project will span two or three years and will cost tens of millions of dollars. This is a large, very involved project. Which of the five organization structures is most suitable? Why? (Points : 20) (TCO 2) You are a project manager for a new hardware/software project. You just received the project charter and established your scope statement. Within the scope statement, you defined some of the key components to meet the overall project objective. Establishing requirements will be critical to define and get approved. The hardware will be new for your company, so you will need to ensure the vendor is selected and the hardware is appropriately installed into your environment. The supporting software will need to be designed and coded. It will also need to be installed and tested on the system. To ensure the users know how to use the new software, training will be needed for managers and the associates. You have assembled your team of experts and they are anxious to get started. Part 1: To ensure you have a clear scope for your team, create a 2-level WBS. Don’t forget to include your WBS numbering. (15 points) Part 2: In your WBS, how many work packages have been created? (5 points) (Points : 20) (TCO 3) Compare and contrast crashing and fast tracking as a means of schedule compression. (Points : 20) (TCO 5) A firm hosts eCommerce transactions for other companies. The firm processes credit purchases supporting most major credit cards and is known as an inexpensive alternative to other larger competitors. The firm is deploying new security software that is state-of-the-art for eCommerce. It should increase security while speeding up transactions because of the new security algorithms. Part 1: List and discuss the major risk management functions from a project management perspective for the eCommerce project. (15 points) Part 2: Describe a positive and negative risk event, the related consequences, and the risk response plans for the eCommerce project. (5 points) (Points : 20) Devry MGMT 404 Week 8 Final Project Table Of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Project Charter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Project Scope Statement…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Work Breakdown Structure / Project Schedule (.mpp file)…………………………………………………… 3 Risk Management Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Project Schedule and Budget with assigned Resources………………………………………………………….. 3 Communications Management Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

Devry MGMT404 all weeks discussion and midterm quiz and Final Project

Follow Below Link to Download File

 https://homeworklance.com/downloads/devry-mgmt404-all-weeks-discussion-and-midterm-quiz-and-final-project/

 We also Do 100% Original and Plagiarism Free Assignment / Homework and Essay

 Email us for original and Plagiarism Free Work At ( [email protected] ) or order us at (https://homeworklance.com/custom-order/ )

   Devry MGMT 404 All Weeks Discussions Devry MGMT 404 Week 1 DQ 1 Read the case study 3.1 on pages 103–104 of the text. The Keflavik Paper Company is a case with the problem of determining a project management process for new product development. Answer the following questions: What does this case demonstrate about the effect of poor project screening methods on a firm’s ability to manage projects effectively? How would project portfolio management help to improve the situation at Keflavik?

  Devry MGMT 404 Week 1 DQ 2 Case Study: Widgets ‘R Us (graded) Read the case study 2.4 on pages 65–66 of the text.

The Widgets ‘R Us case study is a case with a problem of how the company is set up and how the company will handle operations with its projected growth. Answer the following questions:

You have been called in as a consultant to analyze the operations at WRU. Based on the readings, what would you advise Widgets ‘R Us to do in order to sustain the competitive advantage in the widget market?

What structural design changes might be undertaken to improve the operations at the company? MGMT 404 Week 2 DQ 1 Project Scope Project Scope (graded) The project scope defines what will be delivered as part of the project, and in some ways, it can be likened to the term vision. That said, whose view and needs should be expressed in a project’s scope? What items need to be addressed in defining the scope? Why are these items important to define? MGMT 404 Week 2 DQ 2

  Case Study- Project Management at Case Study: Project Management at Dotcom.com (graded) Read the case study 5.3 Project Management at Dotcom.com in the text on pages 166–167.

Dotcom.com is a software engineering and systems development consulting firm that needs some organizational improvements in the area of project management processes that will cut cost and potentially increase the profit margin for the company. Answer the following questions:

Discuss how you would begin redesigning dotcom.com’s project management processes to minimize the problems it is experiencing with poor scope management.

Why do you think configuration management and project change control are difficult to perform in the middle of a complex software development project, such as those implemented at dotcom.com? Share any experiences you have with project change requests. MGMT 404 Week 3 DQ 1 Project Schedule Project Schedule (graded) To develop a schedule for a project, we will use the concept of a project network, which shows work activities taken from the work breakdown structure and organized according to the logical flow in time and relationships governing when the work will be performed. By combining this network of work activities with estimates of the time duration for performing each of the activities, we can create a schedule for the project work. What types of information can we learn about the project by reviewing the project schedule and all the information used to generate it? MGMT 404 Week 3 DQ 2 Risk Management Risk Management (graded) Assume you have just been assigned to a project risk team of five members. Because this is the first time your organization has formally set up a risk team for a project, it is hoped that your team will develop a process that can be used on all future projects. Your first team meeting is next Monday morning. Each team member has been asked to prepare for the meeting by developing, in as much detail as possible, an outline that describes how you believe the team should proceed in handling project risks. Each team member will hand out their proposed outline at the beginning of the meeting. Your outline should include but not be limited to the following information: • Team objectives • Process for handling risk events • Team activities • Team outputs MGMT 404 Week 4 DQ 1 Case Study- The Problems of Multitasking Case Study: The Problems of Multitasking (graded) Read the case study 12.1, The Problems of Multitasking in the text on pages 405–406. Answer the following questions: 1. How does multitasking confuse the resource availability of project team personnel? 2. In modern organizations, it is impossible to eliminate multitasking for the average employee? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? 3. How would resource loading and/or resource leveling help this situation? MGMT 404 Week 4 DQ 1 Case Study: The Problems of Multitasking (graded) Read the case study 12.1, The Problems of Multitasking in the text on pages 405–406. Answer the following questions: 1. How does multitasking confuse the resource availability of project team personnel? 2. In modern organizations, it is impossible to eliminate multitasking for the average employee? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? 3. How would resource loading and/or resource leveling help this situation? MGMT 404 Week 5 DQ 1 Project Baseline Project Baseline (graded) We have now moved from the planning stage to the doing part of project management. Following good project management practices, we have set a baseline. How is a project baseline used to guide the execution of the project’s work, to evaluate progress and performance, and to control the project?

Also, as you continue to think about monitoring and controlling the project, specifically consider the question: How can the project baseline and the earned value approach for variance analysis be used to monitor and report project progress? MGMT 404 Week 5 DQ 2 Project Communication Project Communication (graded) Discuss the importance of communication and information exchange to project success. What are the crucial features and elements of effective communication and information exchange in successful projects? MGMT 404 Week 6 DQ 1

  Case Study- Finding the Emotional Intelligence Case Study: Finding the Emotional Intelligence (graded) Read the case study 4.2 Finding the Emotional Intelligence in the text on pages 130. 1. What are the differences between leaders and managers? Can anyone be a leader? Which would you prefer to work for and why? 2. Share an example from your work or school experience with working through the five stages of team development. 3. Select one of the characteristics of an effective project manager and tell why it is important. 4. Take the Future Time Perspective scale on page 129. Share your results and comments with the class.

  MGMT 404 Week 6 DQ 2 Quality Management Processes (graded) Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text.

1.     Why are measurements critical to quality management? What types of measures are available for quality? 2. How important is it to include a quality assessment in your project WBS? What can happen if quality is overlooked? 3. Let’s do a little research on Six Sigma. What is it and why is it important to quality management?

MGMT 404 Week 7 DQ 1 Case Study: The Project that Wouldn’t Die Review case study 14.2 on page 471. Answer the three questions at the end of the case. Your answers must be supported by the facts of the case. You will be graded on the content of your answers as well as your feedback to other responses. MGMT 404 Week 7 DQ 2 Case Study:Judy’s Hunt for Authenticity Review case study 11.1 on page 375. Answer the three questions at the end of the case. Your answers must be supported by the facts of the case. You will be graded on the content of your answers as well as your feedback to other responses.

 MGMT 404  Midterm Quiz

 (TCO 1) Before one can begin writing a charter, one must consider the most appropriate organization for the project. You are the project manager for a company that integrates custom data solutions for large corporate enterprises. This project will span two or three years and will cost tens of millions of dollars. This is a large, very involved project. Which of the five organization structures is most suitable? Why? (Points : 20)

2.     (TCO 2) You are a project manager for a new hardware/software project. You just received the project charter and established your scope statement. Within the scope statement, you defined some of the key components to meet the overall project objective. Establishing requirements will be critical to define and get approved. The hardware will be new for your company, so you will need to ensure the vendor is selected and the hardware is appropriately installed into your environment. The supporting software will need to be designed and coded. It will also need to be installed and tested on the system. To ensure the users know how to use the new software, training will be needed for managers and the associates. You have assembled your team of experts and they are anxious to get started. Part 1: To ensure you have a clear scope for your team, create a 2-level WBS. Don’t forget to include your WBS numbering. (15 points) Part 2: In your WBS, how many work packages have been created? (5 points) (Points : 20)

3.     (TCO 3) Compare and contrast crashing and fast tracking as a means of schedule compression. (Points : 20)

4.     (TCO 5) A firm hosts eCommerce transactions for other companies. The firm processes credit purchases supporting most major credit cards and is known as an inexpensive alternative to other larger competitors. The firm is deploying new security software that is state-of-the-art for eCommerce. It should increase security while speeding up transactions because of the new security algorithms. Part 1: List and discuss the major risk management functions from a project management perspective for the eCommerce project. (15 points) Part 2: Describe a positive and negative risk event, the related consequences, and the risk response plans for the eCommerce project. (5 points) (Points : 20)

 Devry MGMT 404 Week 8 Final Project

  Table Of Contents

1.     Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

2.     Project Charter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

3.     Project Scope Statement…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

4.     Work Breakdown Structure / Project Schedule (.mpp file)…………………………………………………… 3

5.     Risk Management Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

6.     Project Schedule and Budget with assigned Resources………………………………………………………….. 3

7.     Communications Management Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

Week of: January 14th

9-11 Class Learning Highlights

Language Arts

4th grade: This week we wrapped up our narrative reading unit! Book Clubs finished their culminating project: a group poster that includes character traits of the main character before, during, and after the main conflict of the book, including text evidence.

5th grade: We finished our narrative reading unit this week! Students finished their independent comprehension packets for Home of the Brave and completed creative collages using words from the text and pictures to prove why “perseverance” is the theme.

Math

Shelby 4th grade: This week students launched a new unit: Division! Students solved division word problems with remainders using arrays and area models, solved two-digit dividend problems with a remainder in the ones place using place value disks, and solved division problems requiring decomposing a remainder in the tens.  

Jen 4th grade: This week students continued to solve multi-step multiplication word problems including two-, three-, and four-digit by one-digit multiplication problems. Students also reviewed the concept of inverse operations through multiplication and division and solved simple division word problems with remainders.

5th grade:  We continued our investigation of dividing decimals and wrapped our learning of solving problems using decimal operations. Students divided decimals with a remainder using place value understanding, related to a written method and divided decimals that included remainders in the smallest unit, and solved word problems using decimal operations.

Science

This week in evolution we examined the idea of “survival of the fittest” and how it works with evolution. Students learned about how living things randomly adapt to their surroundings, and how those changes help or hurt their chances of survival. We will be doing this by playing a week-long game of survival. Students get someone who is their prey they need to be “hunting” but by following the “traits” or specific parameters which are given to them. It’s half science class, half interactive social learning, and half a lesson on fractions. May the odds forever be in your favor!

Hebrew

Dorit’s groups: Provided with 25 statements and questions, the students were busy writing this week. “How do you like to eat your sandwich? What is your favorite part of the weekend? What funny things happened in your grandparents’ house when you left there by yourself?” are three topics out of the long list. The list was divided into three categories: family, friends, and food. During the writing time, students were reminded to think in Hebrew and solely use their own vocabulary. Each day, we took short breaks from writing and watched short movies that enhanced our small talk skills in Hebrew.

Daphna’s group: Continuing our travel unit, we spoke about what we need to pack in our bag, read and made announcements, and spoke about meeting new people and finding out new things about people we know already. We discussed what one might need for a trip to various places, and practiced making our own lists.

Chumash

Rashi and Ramban: We continued to discuss the complex relationship between Ya’akov, Esav, and their parents. As we learned more details, asked questions, and gave our own perspectives, we put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and spoke about their internal struggles.

Eben Ezra: We re-met the brothers on their mission to bring food from Egypt. We went back to where we left off, spoke about leadership and tried to understand the burden that each of them carries on their way to bring food. Kindness: By dressings up like his brother, Yaakov has successfully tricked his father Yitzchak and stolen Esav’s blessings. Rivkah is happy with how it turned out, but now fears that Esav will try to take revenge. Yaakov must run for his life before Esav can get his hands on him.

The Dreamers: Yoseph is summoned from prison to interpret Paroah’s dreams. With the help of Hashem, Yoseph warns Paroah of the impending famine coming to Egypt. Will his plan to save everyone work? And will his dreams ever come true?

Mishnah

4th grade: Students began learning the 6th mishnah in the 6th perek of Mishnah Brachot, which added a few new concepts for us.  Students learned about dining communally and whether or not blessings should be said communally or independently and about a new concept of burning incense at the end of a meal.

5th grade: Students continued crafting their own brachot for before and after Work Time and lessons.  We will be using these in connection with some of our journaling and meditation practices, both in Judaics lessons and in morning tefillah.

History

4th grade: Students began to review the Native American information and themes which we have studied and started to come up with ideas for independent research which will start next week.

5th grade:  Students reviewed and discussed the events of the 2nd Continental Congress including an overview of the events which led up to its organization. Students also began to think about the lens/perspective and topic which they will form their research around in the coming weeks for our Revolutionary War independent research projects.  

Tu’ BiShvat

All students learned about the kabbalistic custom of a Tu’ Bi’Shvat seder. Students learned in depth about the four different worlds or realms which the kabbalists believed one travels through on Tu’ BiShvat. Each realm includes different themes, intentions, seasons, and fruits, and students will use the information in our very own Tu BiShvat seder and Tisch, which we will have during lunch next Monday.  

Questions

Language Arts

4th grade: What were your character traits of the main character in your book before the conflict, during the conflict, and after the conflict? Be sure to include specific examples to support.

5th grade: Why was perseverance the theme of Home of the Brave? When did Kek persevere throughout the story?

Math

Shelby 4th grade: Seventy-eight students from Luria are separated into groups of 8 for a field trip. How many groups are there? The remaining students form a smaller group of how many students?

Jen 4th grade: Ava has 31 pictures in her photo album. Only two pictures can fit on each page. How many pages in her photo book will be used if she puts her pictures into the album? Will there be any pages with only one picture?

5th grade:  Helen paid $40.68 for 3 kg of pretzels.  What’s the cost of 1 kilogram of pretzels?  Avi bought 6 gallons of apple juice.  After filling up 4 bottles of the same size with apple juice, he had 0.3 gallon of apple juice left.  How many gallons of apple juice are in each container?

Hannah charges $9.15 an hour to babysit toddlers and $7.45 an hour to babysit school-aged children. If Hannah babysat toddlers for 9 hours and school-aged children for 6 hours, how much money did she earn in all?  Hannah wants to earn $1,300 by the end of the summer.  How much more will she need to earn to meet her goal?

Science

How does evolution teach us about being flexible and adaptive to our surroundings?

Hebrew

Dorit’s groups: What was your favorite topic to write about this week?

Daphna’s group: מה את/ה אורז בתיק כל יום? מה את/ה אורז לטיול לים?

Chumash

Rashi and Ramban: What do you think Yitzchak is feeling? Why?

Eben Ezra: What has changed for the brothers since Yosef was sold? How has that affected them?

Kindness: Do you agree with how Yaakov went about getting the blessing from Yitzchak? What would you do differently?

The Dreamers: Does Yoseph learn a lesson from his previous trials and tribulations, which allows him to be a better leader this time around?

Mishnah

4th grade: How do you think the mugmar (incense) is connected to the meal? Why is a bracha said on it?

5th grade: How do you think using your own brachot/kavanot might help you to be more successful during Work Time and lessons?

History

4th grade: Which are you more interested in researching:

Different aspects and facts about a particular tribe?

Comparing a topic (such as religion, war, housing…) between multiple different tribes?

Why?

5th grade: Of the two lenses which we have looked at, biographer and geographer, which are you more excited to look at some of these events through and why?

PSY172 Introduction to Psychological Health and Wellbeing

New Post has been published on https://essays-writing.us/psy172-introduction-to-psychological-health-and-wellbeing/

PSY172 Introduction to Psychological Health and Wellbeing

1 PSY172 Introduction to Psychological Health and Wellbeing

Unit Information and Learning Guide Semester 2, 2018 This information should be read in conjunction with the online learning materials, which can be found on your MyUnits page. Unit coordinator Dr. Brianne Hastie School of Psychology and Exercise Science 440.1.009 (SS1.009) [email protected] This unit guide was originally written by John Gardiner, 2009; revised by Davina French, 2017; Brianne Hastie, 2018. © Published by Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, July 2018 This publication is copyright. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of the publisher. 2 Contents Unit information Information about the unit 3 Contact details 5 How to study this unit 7 Resources for the unit 9 Study schedule 10 Assessment 12 Learning guide Tutorial 1 18 Tutorial 2 19 Tutorial 3 20 Tutorial 4 21 Tutorial 5 23 Tutorial 6 24 Tutorial 7 25 Tutorial 8 27 Tutorial 9 29 Tutorial 10 30 Self-Management Project 31 Guide to Project Outline 36 Guide to the Self-Management Project 37 3 Information about the unit Unit description Psychology has an important role in designing systems that make people happy, healthy and productive. This unit will critically examine the concepts of ‘health’, ‘wellbeing’ and ‘happiness’, and will demonstrate how to add quality to people’s lives, through researchguided practice and the application of behaviour change principles. Topic areas include: coping with and overcoming psychological pain and stress, addictions and disabilities; in addition to promoting healthier behaviour in the community. Prerequisites There are no set prerequisite units for this unit but you are expected to be familiar with the basic concepts of science, knowledge of the university library, and the APA style. Aims of the unit The broad aims for this unit are to: 1. Introduce students to traditional and contemporary conceptualisations of health and wellbeing from different psychological perspectives. 2. Introduce students to a research-guided natural science approach to facilitating happier, healthier and more productive lifestyles for individual, specific groups and populations. 3. Provide students with the opportunity to critically evaluate the evidence for the validity and utility of psychological interventions that are applied to a diverse range of socially valid behavioural problems. 4. Provide students with experience in designing, implementing and evaluating a selfmanaged behaviour change program. Learning outcomes for the unit On successful completion of the unit you should be able to: 1. List and describe the key differences between the cognitive /medical disease models and a natural science perspective in understanding and facilitating behaviour change. 2. List and define the principles of behaviour that account for why particular behaviours are maintained, increased or decreased in frequency. 3. Describe the application of the principles of behaviour used to facilitate personal, and community, health and wellbeing. 4. Apply understanding of the basic theoretical and practical behavioural principles for the design, implementation and evaluation of a personal behaviour change program. 5. Report the results of a psychological study using the conventional formats for the discipline. 4 Graduate Attributes of the Australian Undergraduate Psychology Program This unit aligns with the graduate attributes specific to our discipline in the following areas: Graduate Attribute Learning Outcomes 1: Knowledge and Understanding of Psychology  Knowledge and understanding of some core topics as they apply to health psychology, including o biological bases of behaviour o learning o lifespan developmental psychology o motivation o social psychology 2: Research Methods in Psychology  Demonstrate practical skills in laboratory-based and other psychological research.  Describe the key principles for designing, implementing and evaluating programs of behaviour change.  Locate, evaluate and use information appropriately in the research process.  Design and conduct basic studies to address psychological questions 3: Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology  Apply knowledge of the scientific method in thinking about problems related to behaviour and mental processes.  Question claims that arise from myth, stereotype, pseudo-science or untested assumptions.  Evaluate the quality of information, including differentiating empirical evidence from speculation.  Identify and evaluate the source and context of behaviour. 4. Values in psychology  Exhibit a scientific attitude in critically thinking about, and learning about, human behaviour.  Promote evidence-based approaches to understanding and changing human behaviour. 5: Communication Skills in Psychology  Write a standard research report using American Psychological Association (APA) structure and formatting conventions. 6: Learning and the Application of Psychology  Describe health psychology  Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings to solve problems in everyday life and in society.  Demonstrate insightful awareness of one’s feelings, motives, and attitudes based on psychological principles. 5 What you need to know Generic information that students need to know is available at the What you need to know web page, which is linked from the unit LMS page. The information includes:  links to the Assessment Policy  a description of Academic Integrity  Information about Examinations; Non-discriminatory language; Student appeals; Student complaints; Conscientious objection and assessment policy  Information on the determination of grades from components/marks  information for equity students Contact details Unit Coordinator’s contact details Dr. Brianne Hastie School of Psychology and Exercise Science 440.1.009 (SS1.009) [email protected] Phone: +61 8 9360 7206 Unit Coordinator’s consultation times The unit coordinator will be available without an appointment at the following times: Thursdays 11.00am – 12.00pm in teaching weeks, by appointment in study breaks. Contact via email, and by appointment at other times. Tutor contact details Wednesday 8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am, & 1.30pm Trish Cain [email protected] Monday 3.30pm All Tuesday tutes Susana Hernández Díaz [email protected] Wednesday 12.30pm Thursday 1.30 & 2.30pm Mirella Wilson [email protected] 6 Administrative contact details The Psychology and Exercise Science administration team can be contacted on [email protected]. You can also email them regarding enrolment issues For technical difficulties with Moodle or Echo access contact the IT Service Desk: Email: [email protected] or Phone: 9360 2000 7 How to study this unit This unit requires a regular commitment of time each week to achieve a passing grade:  Read the relevant text book chapters before the weekly lecture (2 hours)  Attend or view the recorded lecture (2 hours)  Review the content by completing the additional readings and online tasks (1 hour)  Prepare and attend your tutorial group (2 hours)  Self-Management project requires weekly tasks (approximately 2 hours) Contact time Lectures – 11 lectures of 2 hours each (Mondays 1.30 – 3.30pm) Tutorials – 10 tutorials of 1 hour each (check your activities timetable) Time commitment As this is a 3 credit point unit, we expect you to spend on average 8-10 hours per week for the total weeks of this teaching period (or 150 hours overall) working on this unit. Attendance requirements Lectures The lectures are scheduled for 2 hours. There is a ten minute break in approximately the middle – between the two topics listed in the schedule below. The lectures will help you to better understand the readings and the unit material. They provide opportunities for added interpretation of the material and examples, as well as a more detailed explanation of the subject matter covered in PSY172. The lectures do not simply repeat the information found in the text book. Attendance is not compulsory and if you do not attend a lecture, Echo recordings will generally be available. However, due to copyright restrictions some video clips that are shown in the “live” lectures will not be made available online. Since this unit is not available for external enrolment, any failures in recording technology will result in the lecture being unavailable. Of the 11 lectures, 6 will be in ECL1, and 5 will be online only. Both in person lectures and online lectures will be available via Echo in LMS. Tutorials There are a total of 10 tutorials, one every week, at 1 hours each. The tutorials start in Week 2. Tutorial places are allocated on a first come first served basis. Placement numbers are administratively set in advance to ensure that the tutorials are well managed for both tutors and students. If you are having difficulties enrolling in a tutorial online, please contact the unit 8 coordinator. Please be aware that changes to class allocations may not be possible in all cases. The tutorials are structured in two parts. The first part is dedicated to a guided discussion of the readings and/or tasks for the specified topics (see study schedule). Your tutor will be asking you to comment on the selected study questions for the relevant topic readings and activities. This is to ensure an equitable process in allocating marks for tutorial participation. The second part of your tutorial is dedicated to your behaviour change self-management project. It is structured progressively so you will be provided with guidance on choosing a feasible project and the know-how to begin data collection for each component stage of your project. Your tutor will also provide you with information on the structure and format for each section of your written report. In essence, you will be working on your project as you go and the write-up is the final outcome. The benefit of doing the self-management project is that you will gain direct experience with applying the principles of behaviour to help a “typical” adult client (namely you) improve their health and well-being. Also your efforts to increase your own healthy behaviours may provide you with insights into the contextual variables that influence whatever it is that you do, and inform how to change whatever it is that you do. Small group and interactive teaching and learning activities Tutorial attendance is very important as more than half of your final grade for this unit is related to activities carried out and/or explained in tutorials. In the end of semester exam you will be assessed on your understanding of the unit material as a whole, so the remaining part of your final grade is directly related to your understanding of the lectures, essential readings and tutorial activities. If you are unable to attend your assigned tutorial group you will need to notify your tutor, who will nominate a time for you to make up your missed tutorial. Unit changes in response to student feedback The unit has developed in scope and student numbers since it commenced in 2009. The student feedback has consistently indicated that the unit is challenging but rewarding in that it deals with issues that will affect all of us at some stage. One of the issues identified early in the unit’s history was the need to get started on the self-management project as early as possible and thus we now have the project outline as a scheduled task. The size and scope of the textbook is often highlighted as a concern, so last year the assessment changed from an essay exam to multiple-choice only, to help you to manage the amount of information that you will need to know. This resulted in higher average final grades and a lower fail rate. 9 Resources for this unit To undertake study in this unit, you will need: Essential textbook Morrison, V., Bennett, P., Butow, P., Mullan, B., & White, K. (2012). Introduction to Health Psychology in Australia (2nd ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Publishing. Copies are available in the reserve collection, but note also that the online quiz is an open book test based on the textbook, so if you plan to purchase a copy, it is worth doing so early in the unit. The textbook is also available electronically: Vital Source E-text $60 http://www.pearson.com.au/9781488618192 180 Day Digital Rental $50 http://www.pearson.com.au/9781488659324 Online resources Readings for the tutorials and additional readings to support the text will be located on the LMS. As well as the textbook, there are required readings for some of the tutorials which are located on LMS in a section headed ‘Tutorial Readings’. For the final tutorial, ‘reading’ will be replaced by the requirement to view/listen to selected media broadcasts. For each teaching week there are also one or more resources, often videos, provided on LMS to support your learning. These are not compulsory; they are there to support some of the more difficult concepts, and to provide a break from reading. The following will be provided during the teaching period (technology permitting):  lecture slides on the LMS system  lecture recordings via Echo 360  links to relevant readings on the LMS 10 Study schedule Week (lecture date) Lecture content, linked to Textbook Chapters. Lecturer Tutorial activities Assessments Week 1. Monday 30/07/18 Introduction to the unit Ch 1: What is health? Brianne Hastie NO TUTORIALS Week 2. Monday 06/08/18 Ch 2: Health inequalities Advice on writing the Project Outline Brianne Hastie 1. Introduction & discussion of Chapter 1 2. Self-management project: Introduction to the project. Week 3. Monday 13/08/18 Ch 3: Health-risk behaviour Ch 4: Health-enhancing behaviour Fleur van Rens ONLINE 1. Discussion of Chapters 2 – 4 2. Self-management project: Choosing your interventions, measures and outcomes. Design issues. Week 4. Monday 20/08/18 Ch 5: Predicting health behaviour Ch 6: Reducing risk – individual approaches Fleur van Rens ONLINE 1. Discussion of Chapters 5-6. 2. Self-management project: Writing project outline. APA style. Project Outline Due 11.55pm Sunday August 26th 2018 Week 5. Non-teaching week Online Quiz, textbook chapters 1 – 6 opens 9.00am Monday August 27th 2018 Week 6. Monday 03/09/18 Ch 7: Population approaches to public health Ch 8: The body in health and illness Brianne Hastie 1. Discussion of Chapters 7 – 8. 2. Self-management project: Refining ideas about interventions. . Online Quiz, textbook chapters 1 – 6 Closes 11.59pm Sunday September 9th

2018 Week 7. Monday 10/09/18 Ch 9: Symptom perception, interpretation & response Ch 10: The consultation and beyond Brianne Hastie 1. Self-management project: Undertaking your project. Baseline period. 11 Week 8. Monday 17/09/18 Ch 11: Stress, health and illness: theory Ch 12: Stress and illness moderators Fleur van Rens ONLINE 1. Discussion of Chapters 9 – 10 2. Self-management project: Intervention period. Week 9. Non-teaching week Week 10. Monday 01/10/18 Ch 13: Managing stress Fleur van Rens ONLINE 1. Discussion of Chapters 11-13 2. Self-management project: Analysing and presenting your data. Week 11. Monday 8/10/18 Ch 14: The impact of illness on quality of life Ch 15: The impact of illness on patients and their families Fleur van Rens ONLINE 1. Discussion of Chapters 14 – 15 2. Self-management project: Writing the report I Week 12. No lecture: use the extra time to work on your project report 1. Discussion of recent media broadcasts related to health 2. Self-management project: Writing the report II Final questions Selfmanagement

project Written report due 11.55pm Sunday October 21st 2018 Week 13. Monday 22/10/18 Ch 16: Pain Vance Locke 1. Discussion of Chapters 16 – 18 2. Exam preparation Week 14. Monday 29/10/18 Ch 17: Improving health and quality of life Ch 18: Futures Exam information Brianne Hastie NO TUTORIALS Study break 5 th – 9 th November 2018 Semester 2 exam period (begins 10th November 2018) Exam date/venue to be provided. Examination 12 Assessment Assessment for this unit is conducted in accordance with the Assessment Policy. There are no mandatory pass components. Schedule of assessment items You will be assessed on the basis of: Assignment Description Aligned Learning Outcomes (p. 4) Psychology Graduate Attributes (p. 5) Value Due Date Online Quiz One hour, openbook, multiple choice quiz on textbook chapters 1 to 6; two attempts will be permitted. 1, 2, 3 1, 3, 6 10% Opens 9.00am Monday August 27 th 2018 Closes 11.59pm Sunday September 9th

2018 SelfManagement

Project Project Outline Completed on the template provided (maximum 500 words excluding references and appendices). 2, 3, 4, 5 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 10% Electronic submission Due 11.55pm Sunday August 26th 2018 Written Report A written project report in APA format (maximum 2500 words excluding figures, references and appendices). 2, 3, 4, 5 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 30% Electronic submission Due 11.55pm Sunday 21 st October 2018 Tutorial Participation Demonstrate engagement with and contribution to tutorial activities. 1, 2, 3 1, 3, 4, 6 10% Refer to the study schedule for tutorial activities. End of Semester Exam Two hour closedbook multiple choice exam 1, 2, 3 1, 3, 6 40% Please check your exam timetable. 13 Assessment details 1. Tutorial Participation (10% of the total assessment) The purpose of the tutorials is to enable you to reach a deeper understanding of the material covered in the unit through a variety of activities in which all students participate. Demonstrate engagement with the essential readings by contributing to guided tutorial discussions based on the study questions, which are listed under the relevant sections of your learning guide. You will be expected to have prepared answers to the questions posed and be able to discuss your answers in a wellreasoned manner. An important part of participation in tutorials is the ability to listen actively to others so that you can respond and build upon their comments – rather than simply repeat them. By preparing for tutorials and doing the study questions, you will have an opportunity to receive feedback on your understanding of the unit materials throughout the semester. As a guide to the tutors’ expectations, the following marking rubric is provided. Your tutor will assess your performance in each tutorial using this rubric. You will receive a mark out of 4 after the first four tutorials, to enable you to adjust your performance if necessary. A total mark out of 10 will be posted to the LMS at the end of semester: Mark out of 1.0 Grade Broad description of required quality of participation 0 Fail Non-attendance, passive attendance, or contributions creating the impression that the student has not prepared adequately. or ‘Token’ participation at a level which suggests inattention, lack of thought and/or preparation. Attendance without participation is not sufficient to pass 0.5 P One or two worthwhile comments, answers or other contributions. 0.6 C Several worthwhile contributions. 0.8 D One or two contributions of a high order, for instance, showing careful preparation or developing or linking elements presented in the discussion so far. 1.0 HD Several such high order contributions demonstrating clear understanding of the readings As the tutors are graduate psychologists or educators, you will need to be sure not to dominate the group or engage in other inappropriate group dynamics as these will result in lower marks. The ability to listen and respond to others comments is valued highly! 14 2. Self-Management project outline and written report (40% of the total assessment) 40% of the total assessment is allocated to a behaviour change self-management project. The project will be fully explained in your tutorials and you will have feedback on your project outline to guide you. The project outline (worth 10%) is a short document describing what you plan to do. It is written on a template which is provided on the LMS. Please use the margins and spacing that are provided and submit it as a Word document. It should be no longer than 500 words excluding references and appendices. The final written report of the project should be a maximum of 2500 words in length, not including references, figures or appendices. Please use 12-point font and doublespacing, and submit your report as a Word document. Note: you do not need an abstract for this assignment. This report is worth 30% of your grade and requires a significant amount of time to prepare adequately (i.e., don’t leave it till the last week to start writing up your project!). As per university policy, extensions may only be granted with written documentation from a medical or allied health professional related to a personal illness, condition, or a medical problem that required the longer term care of a dependant family member. Notify the unit coordinator as soon as possible when you anticipate that you will require an extension – extensions must be sought before the due date for an assignment. Please ensure that your medical certificate specifies the number of days that your illness has prevented you from studying. 3. Online Quiz (10% of the total assessment) This is a multiple choice test. It will be open for two (2) weeks and will assess the material in the first 6 chapters of the text book. It is essentially an open book exam of the material covered to this point. You will receive your mark upon completion of the quiz and may take two (2) attempts, but you will not be able to access the second attempt until 24 hours after the first. Each attempt will be limited to one (1) hour. 4. End of semester exam (40% of the total assessment) You will be required to complete a two hour closed-book multiple choice exam. This exam will be assessing your understanding of the unit materials as a whole. Examination The end of semester exam is a two-hour closed book exam. While I have no more information about this year’s exam timetable than you do, you should be aware that last year the exam was timetabled for the very last day of the exam period. It would therefore be very unwise to book an early vacation or return overseas before the timetable becomes available. 15 If you have a disability or medical condition, you can apply for alternative exam arrangements to ensure that you are able to sit exams on an equitable basis. You should contact the Disability Support Office on 9360 6084, email: [email protected]. If you are unable to sit exams because of a serious illness or other exceptional personal circumstances, you can apply through the Exams Office to defer sitting an exam. For further information, please refer to http://our.murdoch.edu.au/Student-life/Getorganised/About-exams/Deferred-assessment/ Assignment submission Your proposal outline and final self-management project report should be submitted online through the LMS, as WORD documents (.doc or .docx). In order to submit you will be asked to confirm that you have complied with the University’s policies on academic integrity. LMS assignment submission now passes through software called Urkund. Urkund is pattern-matching software that enables you to check your work for inadvertent plagiarism. You can submit as many drafts as you wish in advance of the assignment due date to help find places where your referencing may be inadequate or incorrect. Urkund will provide you with reports for this purpose. You should then be sure to (re)submit your final assignment by the due date, keeping in mind that the final Urkund report will also be available to the marker. The assignment dropbox will only take one file at a time, so all elements of your submission must be contained within a single document, and you will need to delete any earlier submission before you can upload a new file. At busy times some Urkund reports can take a very long time to appear – several hours and in some cases more than a day. Your submission will be timed as the time that you upload your assignment and submit it – an Urkund report that is returned after the deadline does not make your submission late, but it does mean that you cannot amend your work without incurring a late penalty. To ensure fairness and equity across students, penalties will be applied to late submission of assignments. There will be a 10% deduction for each day the assignment is overdue for up to five working days, unless an extension has been granted. If your assignment is more than five days late it will receive no marks. Extensions will only be granted if written documentation can be provided. There are strict word limits for both of your written assignments. It is School policy that your assignments must not exceed the published word limit; markers will not read beyond the word limit, so you are likely to lose marks for incomplete work. These are limits though, not targets. Many of the project reports that received HDs last year were around 2000 to 2200 words. 16 Attendance/participation requirements It would be advantageous to attend ALL lectures and tutorials. Remember 50% of your final PSY172 grade is related to activities undertaken as part of the tutorials. If you are unable to attend a tutorial you must inform your tutor who will advise you on the possibility of making up the missed tutorial. Make-up tutorials will normally only be granted under the following conditions: (1) a medical excuse from a health professional related to an illness that caused you to be absent on the day of the tutorial, or that required the care of a dependent family member, or (2) a legal document attesting to your participation in a legal proceeding. Deferred assessments may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Any student who believes he/she has a disability for which accommodations within the education environment are needed should contact the Disability Support Office on 9360 6084, email: [email protected]. Accommodations will be made once written documentation from the Disability Support Officer has been received. Determination of the final grade Your final grade for PSY172 will be based on performance. The weighting for each component is provided in the assessment schedule and in most cases the total marks available for a piece of work are equal to that value, so that your mark for a piece of work represents exactly the number of marks that you have earned towards your total unit mark. The exam is an exception since it is marked out of 100 but weighted at 40%. See Section 11 of the Assessment Policy regarding grades http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessment.html#11 for further information in regard to grade allocation procedures. Notation Grade Percentage Range HD High Distinction 80 – 100 D Distinction 70 – 79 C Credit 60 – 69 P Pass 50 – 59 N Fail Below 50 DNS Fail Below 50, did not submit any assignments after HECS census date. S Supplementary Assessment 40 – 49* *The award of the grade of S shall be at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator. The grade descriptors are provided in the Murdoch University Handbook and Calendar at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessment.html#11 17 Learning Guide: Tutorial activities Introduction The following guide first outlines the study questions that will be discussed in tutorials. You will be expected to demonstrate engagement with the essential readings by contributing to guided tutorial discussions based on these study questions. You will be expected to have prepared answers to the questions in advance and to be able to discuss your answers in a well-reasoned manner. Where a chapter number is given this is a chapter of the Course Textbook: Morrison, V., Bennett, P., Butow, P., Mullan, B., & White, K. (2012). Introduction to Health Psychology in Australia. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Publishing. 18 Tutorial One – Week 2 Chapters 1 Chapter 1: Think of someone you know that you would describe as being ‘very healthy’ and write down the reasons and a brief descriptor of the person (age, gender etc.). 19 Tutorial Two – Week 3 Chapters 2 – 4 Chapter 2: 1. Read the ‘The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: findings to date on adolescents’ (available on LMS). What are the factors that the authors consider to be likely to influence health and wellbeing? 2. Which risk factors are significant to this population? Chapter 4: What is one “health enhancing behaviour” that you engage in? What maintains that behaviour? 20 Tutorial Three – Week 4 Chapters 5 – 6 Chapters 5 – 6: I’m thinking about joining an exercise class and have even gone as far as filling out the application form… What stage would I be in? (e.g. Pre-contemplation? Action?) What suggestions would you make to me that would help me move to the next stage? Read the paper by Leanne Hides et al. (2014) (available on LMS). This is a protocol paper, this is, it describes a study that has yet to take place. It is an Australian study comparing different interventions for alcohol use in young people. If you are short of time you only need to read through to the end of the section on ‘psychological interventions’ on page 6. 1. What is the setting for this study, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing this setting to try to change behaviour? 2. Which core components of motivational interviewing are described in the paper? 21 Tutorial Four – Week 6 Chapters 7 & 8 Chapter 7: Think of one public health campaign (e.g., related to smoking, alcohol usage, healthy eating, exercise) and describe any particular component of a sociocognitive model that has been addressed in the campaign. Chapter 8: Think about a specific illness and answer the following questions: a) What might be issues for people suffering from this illness? Are there differences between subgroups of individuals in these issues (e.g., gender or age differences)? 22 b) How could Health Psychologists (or Psychologists in general) assist people with this particular illness? c) What could be some of the challenges for Health Psychologists working with people suffering from this particular illness? 23 Tutorial Five – Week 7 Self-management project You should now be preparing to commence your self-management project: 1. How will you go about incorporating the feedback on your project outline into your project? 2. Do you have any questions about undertaking the project? 3. Do you have any questions about writing up the project? 24 Tutorial Six – Week 8 Chapters 9 & 10 Chapter 9: Read the article by Judith Finn et al (available on LMS) as well as the textbook chapter. List five reasons why some people delay in seeking help for their health conditions? Chapter 10: After reading the chapter and the recommended reading “An evidence-based perspective on greetings in medical encounters” (Makoul, Zick & Green, 2007 available on the LMS) how would you define what makes a good bedside manner? Think of your last encounter with a health professional, and evaluate the interaction based on the criteria from the article. 25 Tutorial Seven – Week 10 Chapters 11 – 13: The Student Stress Scale The scale below is an adaptation of Holmes and Rahe’s 1967 study (The Social Readjustment Rating Scale). Each event is given a score that represents the amount of readjustment a person has to make in life as a result of the change. People with scores of 300 and higher have a high health risk. People scoring between 150 and 300 points have about a 50-50 chance of serious health change within two years. People scoring below 150 have a 1 in 3 chance of serious health change. Event Life-Change Units Death of a close family member 100 Death of a close friend 73 Divorce between parents 65 Jail term 63 Major personal injury or illness 63 Marriage 58 Being fired from a job 50 Failing an important course 47 Change in health of family member 45 Pregnancy 45 Sex problems 44 Serious argument with close friend 40 Change in financial status 39 Change of major 39 Trouble with parents 39 New girl- or boyfriend 38 Increased workload at school 37 Outstanding personal achievement 36 First quarter/semester in college 35 Change in living conditions 31 Serious argument with instructor 30 Lower grades than expected 29 Change in sleeping habits 29 Change in social activities 29 Change in eating habits 28 Chronic car trouble 26 Change in number of family get-togethers 26 Too many missed classes 25 Change of college 24 Dropping of more than one class 23 Minor traffic violations 20 Add up your points to get your Total Life Change Score ___________ 26 Questions: 1. Which of these “stressors” do not apply in your current context? 2. What other “stressors” are not included but would be in the top 20? 3. What else would you need to know in order to predict who would develop a health condition in the next few months? (see chapter 12) 27 Tutorial Eight – Week 11 Chapters 14 & 15 Complete the General Health Questionnaire below Complete the General Health Questionnaire below Please consider the last four weeks and answer the following questions by selecting and circling one of the four answer options. Question 0 1 2 3 1. Been able to concentrate on what you’re doing More so than usual Same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual 2. Lost much sleep over worry Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 3. Felt you were playing a useful part in things More so than usual Same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual 4. Felt capable of making decisions about things More so than usual Same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual 5. Felt constantly under strain Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 6. Felt you couldn’t overcome your difficulties Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 7. Been able to enjoy your normal day-today activities More so than usual Same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual 8. Been able to face up to your problems More so than usual Same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual 9. Been feeling unhappy and depressed Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 10. Been losing confidence in yourself Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 11. Been thinking of yourself as a worthless person. Not at all No more than usual Rather more than usual Much more than usual 12. Been feeling reasonably happy, all things considered More so than usual About the same as usual Less so than usual Much less than usual General Health Questionnaire Scoring Scoring – Likert Scale 0, 1, 2, 3 from left to right, then add them up. 12 items, 0 to 3 each item, Score range is therefore 0 to 36. Scores vary by study populations but scores about 11-12 are typical. 28 Questions: 1. Where would a screening instrument such as this be useful? 2. Would it be a useful indicator of a person’s overall “Quality of Life”? 3. What else would you want to include? 4. What sort of definition of “General Health” is being adopted here? 29 Tutorial Nine – Week 12 Health behaviour in the media A study was published recently on the value of fitness trackers in a weight loss program. The original article is posted on the LMS. Reading the article is optional – but if you do, don’t be put off by the document being 57 pages long – the article is only the first 10 pages. Your required preparation is to listen to one of two radio programs on which the study and its authors were featured: ABC Radio National’s Health Report on September 26th 2016, where a transcript is also available if you prefer to read the material http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/wearable-fitness-trackers-mayhinder-not-help-weight-loss/7877858 or ABC Radio National’s Life Matters on September 27th 2016 http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/activity-trackers-are-not-the-secretto-weight-loss/7878520 Be ready to discuss the following questions: 1) Was there anything you wanted to know about the study that wasn’t mentioned in the radio program? 2) What reasons did the study’s authors suggest for the main outcome – that the participants who were given a fitness tracker actually did worse? 3) Which of the reasons do you find most convincing, or do you have any other suggestions? 30 Tutorial Ten – Week 13 Chapters 16 – 18 1. Consider the statement: ”health psychology has provided many answers to the question of why people do or do not engage in healthy behaviour”. Is the predominantly individualistic focus of health psychology sufficient? 2. Consider the statement: ”health psychology has identified individual cognitions and coping behaviours that are amenable to interventions aimed at improving illness outcomes”. What ways could some of these interventions be introduced into the healthcare system? 3. Consider the statement: ”health policy has no relevance for health psychologists”. Does this hold in light of recent governmental campaigns or policy changes, in for example, smoking bans in public places, health screening, and immunisation policy? 31 Self-Management Project Guidelines All submitted assignments must be typed (with the exception of graphs). Please use 2.5cm margins; double-space your work and use size 12 fonts and APA 6th Edition style for citation (Murdoch site http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/find/citation/apa.html and the manual is in closed reserve). Step 1: Identify your health/wellbeing goal and target behaviour. Think about and try to identify these before your first tutorial Look at your lifestyle, and after reviewing the first chapter of the textbook, think about what aspects you could change to increase your level of health and wellbeing.  Identify one goal (for example, increasing physical fitness or improving your emotional wellbeing etc.).  Next, identify one or more specific target behaviours that relate to achieving your goal (for example, increasing exercise and eating more vegetables). Think about which of these is most achievable FOR YOU. Here we define health very broadly – your overall physical and mental health, productivity at work or university, your relationships, your financial security and so forth. Here are some potential health targets from which you can choose. You are welcome to choose some other behaviour not on the list, pending tutor’s approval. Physical health behaviours – often best tackled with a reward schedule Role functioning (being better at what you do) – may respond to rewards or to a time management/problem solving intervention Eating habits (e.g. junk food – fruit & veg – sugar) Reduce recreational screen time Reduce alcohol or tobacco consumption Decrease Phone calls/texts/twitter/facebook Drink more water or less coffee Increase productive work habits Improve sleeping habits Increase reading before class Exercise Mental health/ emotional wellbeing – often best tackled with a meditation or relaxation intervention Other individual goals – best intervention will vary Improve mood Increase frequency of a desired behaviour e.g. musical instrument practice Reduce stress Decrease swearing Reduce anger Decrease excessive shopping Decrease road rage/driving stress Paying down debt or Start saving 32 Step 2: Defining and Changing Behaviour  Define your dependent variable. This is the behaviour you identified above, it is the thing you hope to change. Consider the following when selecting your behaviour change target:  Can you improve it in 5-7 days? o This is a very short intervention so identify a variable that you can change immediately, not your long term goal. For example, you may wish to lose weight, but in one week you won’t see much change. Instead target a behaviour that you can observe immediately – eating less fat, sugar or calories. Your variable will then be what you eat, grams of fat or number of calories, not your weight.  Set one small target o Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time available – if you take no exercise now, then you may not be able to achieve a 5km run every day with a short self-administered intervention. Target only one thing: don’t try to change the world.  Make sure you can measure your target daily o This means that having regular dental check-ups (an important health behaviour) will not work for you, nor will going to the gym three times a week or aiming to drink less alcohol if you only drink at weekends anyway. It must be a daily behaviour.  Choose a target without floor and ceiling effects o If you already take a lot of exercise, you may not be able to improve it very much – this is called a ceiling effect. If you already consume almost no fat, then you may not be able to show much reduction in your intervention phase – this is called a floor effect. Choose something with room to change.  Choose something that you can talk and write about in a public space o Keep it legal – for example illicit drug use is an important behaviour to try to change, but choose something else for class. o Keep it safe – do not try to tackle serious mental health problems without professional support. o Avoid embarrassment – condom use is a common behavioural target in the published literature, but you may not want to talk about it in class (and remember, your target behaviour must occur daily!)  Define your independent variable. This is what your research leads you to think will be effective for changing your health/wellbeing behaviour. This must be a psychological variable. Use techniques that have been shown by empirical research to be effective in meeting your goal, or have been used with similar goals. These behaviour change techniques (interventions) fall into three broad categories – again it is important that each of them can be executed every day of your intervention phase.  Reward/Punishment interventions: These work best for health behaviour change – e.g. eating and exercise. You might reward/punish yourself with money (e.g. $1 “fine” to savings for every 33 hour of television watching) or activities (e.g. for every hour of study you could reward yourself with a 5 minute facebook session). Research suggests that rewards are generally more effective than punishments, but there are individual differences – choose something that will be motivating for you.  Meditation or relaxation interventions: If you target stress or mood, then an intervention like this might be suitable, but also think about how you will complete it – for example set aside a time and place. Exercise (which for some people will be the thing they want to improve) can also be effective as an intervention for improving mood.  Scheduling/problem-solving interventions: Sometimes your suboptimal health behaviour can be the result of poor planning or time-management, and the best intervention can be one that provides you with the time or information to meet your goals. For example do you eat too much takeaway food? For some people the best intervention will be a reward for eating more healthily, but for others the best approach might be to make a shopping and cooking plan ahead of time with recipes easily to hand – this is a problem-solving approach and is based on identifying for yourself the main barriers to changing your behaviour. Such an approach can also be a stress-buster.  Keep your project simple – one target behaviour (DV) and one intervention strategy (IV). Step 3: Measuring Behaviour  Decide how you will measure your behaviour (diary sheets, rating forms, paper or electronic etc.). If you are targeting mood or stress then suitable published measures are readily available. Remember – your measurement must be taken daily. Some measures will be taken several times a day but reported as a daily average. Step 4: Outline Submission  Submit an outline of your project, using the template provided. In it you will define quite precisely what you are going to do.  While your outline is with your tutor for assessment, try out your observation recording process over a few days to see if it works, and whether the data is relatively “stable” over the period. A stable baseline may have some fluctuations (i.e. go up and down from day to day) but there should be no discernible trend – either going up (ascending) or going down (descending) as this will confound your results.  You may need to modify your dependent variable (e.g., you might want to change how many minutes walked to how far walked on a daily basis using a pedometer) or recording sheet as required. 34 Step 5: Completing Phase A  Once you are happy that you have a clear research plan and method, move on to this step, but think about how you will incorporate your tutor’s feedback on your outline into your study.  Continue with your measurements and decide when your baseline observations are stable: for example, the observation of 5-4-5-5-4-5 would be identified as a horizontally stable pattern; which simply means that there is no evident trend in the date and any differences in this series of numbers are likely to be only a result of random variation. Your goal is to have horizontal stability (only random variation) in the baseline data.  Once you have good observation methods and a stable baseline established, it is time to implement your behaviour change strategy (step 6 below). Do not move on to step 6 before you have received feedback from your tutor.  At the same time (or earlier) get on top of the literature research. You don’t need to wait for the results of your study to start writing the introduction. You will already have done some research to identify your intervention method – start collecting relevant references to support your introduction. You will need to describe your goals and targets, why they are important for health and wellbeing, and what past research has shown about the effectiveness of the intervention that you have chosen. Steps 6 – 8: Phase B and further  Implement the intervention (behaviour change) strategy and continue to collect data on the behaviour during the intervention. Continue for at least five days.  Reverse it according to your design.  Make sure that you consider intervention integrity (How will the reader of your report know that you rewarded or punished yourself as you said you would? How will you record this, and any lapses in behaviour or recording?)  Keep writing. Outline the procedures for the conduct of your project. Specify when data will be collected, and when consequences will be delivered. State the contingency as clearly as possible (and make sure you implement it). Describe the design of your study as clearly and succinctly as you can.  Create a graph of your baseline data and show it to your tutor. Step 9: Final analysis and write-up of your project It is now time to complete the assignment by writing up the project. Remember the written report should be a maximum of 2500 words in length (with text in 12-point font and doublespaced), not including references, figures or appendices. It is important to include the appropriate sections in your report (Introduction; Method; Results; and Discussion) and to properly cite your references. It is important that you include sufficient detail so that somebody could not only replicate your project but also improve upon it, for example state and clearly define the target behaviour. Be sure to report and discuss  Analysis of your data – 35  Visual analysis of trend lines for means  Descriptive statistics (e.g. mean of baseline period/s vs mean of intervention phase)  Any unexpected outcomes  Evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention in relation to improvement over baseline.  Evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention in relation to whether the objective was met within the time line you specified.  Evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention in relation to previous findings using similar methods.  Describe what you would do differently in implementing future self-management projects. Self-Management Project Related Readings A significant part of the project is to locate research literature related to your topic using your library skills and assistance from the librarians. There are a number of books and articles on EReserve and on LMS to help you with the design, implementation and reporting of your project but you will need additional references in the introduction section of your project report. Online resources are also useful, some examples are listed below. As a general rule, websites maintained by governments, universities, professional bodies and major not-forprofits such as Beyond Blue or the Heart Foundation offer reliable advice and information, but be selective about your sources of information online. Beyond Blue – (http://www.beyondblue.org.au) for examples of mood monitoring and self-management interventions for “reducing stress”, “reducing alcohol consumption..”, “sleeping well”, “keeping active” and other simple interventions. Centre for Clinical Interventions – (http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/doctors.cfm) for simple interventions covering Anger Coping Strategies, Assertive Communication, Problem Solving, etc. Australian Dietary Guidelines – https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/ As a concrete example of the need to be discerning when searching online, take the issue of safe alcohol consumption. Sites include: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol-guidelines Guidelines from the Federal Government – a good source of information. http://alcoholthinkagain.com.au/ Health information from the WA State Government – has many links to the Federal site above and interesting examples of intervention strategies – a good source of information and examples. https://drinkwise.org.au/about-us/about/# The site for Drinkwise Australia; a not-forprofit run by the alcohol industry! Also has links to the Federal site above, but offers advice, for example, on ‘how to drink properly’! A trap for the unwary – not a reliable source of health information. 36 A Guide to the Self-Management Project Outline (worth 10% of your final grade): A template for this assignment will be available on the LMS, but the headings are provided below for your information; note that these are the headings for the outline only – the actual project report will require different headings, in line with APA format. The word limit is 500 words excluding references (section 5) and appendices. The guidelines below explain exactly what is required in each section. 1. Dependent variable (2 marks) In this section describe the emotional or behavioural outcome that you will be trying to change. If you have a broader goal (e.g. to get fit or improve grades) then mention this as well, but be clear about which specific behaviour is your target – the one you will be measuring. If there are health relevant guidelines, give this information as well, e.g. your health target will be 10,000 steps per day or 5 serves of vegetables. Citations may be used but are not expected. 2. Independent variable (2 marks) In this section describe your intervention. Describe what you will be doing e.g. introducing a reward or implementing a time management plan, and why you think it will work for you. Be clear about the timing of your intervention, e.g. the reward will be delivered at the end of each day, or the meditation will take place each morning upon rising. Again, citations may be used but are not expected. 3. Data collection method (2 marks) Describe how will you collect and record your daily data. If you are using a published scale, for example to measure stress, then you should provide a citation for it. If you have designed your own recording sheet or scale, attach a copy. 4. Design (2 marks) State what sort of research design you will use. For example ABAB or ABA. Show that you understand what this will require in practice and include the length of time you anticipate for each phase (this may change of course). 5. References (2 marks) Provide a list of at least three references relevant to your project, you may or may not have used them in the sections above. They must be in APA format (6th edition) and should demonstrate that you have searched an appropriate literature. There are several guides to APA style on the LMS.

37 A Guide to the Self-Management Project (worth 30% of your final grade): A template for this assignment will be available on the LMS, but the headings are provided below for your information; note that these are the headings for the project report (they differ from the project outline), in line with APA format. The word limit is 2500 words excluding references (section 5) and appendices. The guidelines below explain exactly what is required in each section. 1. Introduction (6 marks) A clear title should summarize the main topic of the report and identify the variables (e.g. the effect of X on Y). A good introduction should address the importance of the problem, e.g. cost to the community or the individual, and provide evidence that the chosen intervention strategy is appropriate and likely to be effective. Previous literature should be clearly described such that a person unfamiliar with the topic can understand it. Terms should be clearly defined and abbreviations spelled out at first use. The introduction is expected to refer to at least five peer-reviewed sources (journals/books other than text), and may additionally use appropriate web sites, e.g. government or university sources. It should conclude with a clear statement of the research question or hypothesis. 2. Method (6 marks) The method should be divided into subsections:  Design identified as single case/subject with reversal/other.  Participant demographic information (gender, age, fitness, etc.).  Measures described in enough detail that a researcher could obtain or reproduce the same items (e.g. copy of recording sheets in appendix).  Procedure described in sufficient detail that the study could be replicated. 3. Results (6 marks) One or more graphs (figures) should be the focus of this section. The figure(s) should include a concise caption, clear axis labels and appropriate scale, and an accurate representation of data. This should be accompanied by a description of major findings. Further means may be provided, as well as an explanation of missing data or unexpected events. 4. Discussion (6 marks) The first para. should give a clear statement of the outcome – was the hypothesis supported? The results should then be discussed in relation to previous research findings. 38 At least 2 limitations should be mentioned, for example reliability/ validity of the measures, sources of bias in self-report, ethical problems. Future research recommendations should be made. A concluding paragraph should summarise the outcome and consider its implications for the individual or the community. 5. Presentation/Style (6 marks) The paper should be logically organized and build a coherent argument, with transitions used to connect ideas and link paragraphs. The paper should be correctly formatted in APA style, employ correct spelling and grammar, and use a clear and scientific writing style, but it may be written in the first or third person.

Two Piano Teachers on common ground with a Bi-Coastal twist

A few years ago, I received an instant message from piano teacher, Gail Trattner Isenberg, a member of FACEBOOK’s Art of Piano Pedagogy group and an avowed blog follower. Though we’d been “distant” cyber contacts, linked by common URLs, Gail’s text, that bubbled with enthusiasm in its introduction, had rapidly erupted into a full blown Shrinking Degrees of Separation blast from the Past. As segue way to a kickstart set of texts that increased in volume and velocity, Gail unraveled a bi-Coastal emigration that had both of us relocating in opposite directions. While I’d landed in Berkeley, having spent 30 native years in New York City, Gail had been comfortably nestled in “hometown” Berkeley before she and her family relocated to White Plains, New York. If such a paradoxical criss-cross of the map was enough to compel a deeper “bond” between us, what gushed out over weeks and months, was both daunting and ironic–drawing two lives even closer.

Gail, having the keen eye of a private investigator, had spotted her White Plains pal, Eda Friendlander Klinger on my Facebook Friends list, fleshing out still another common tie. Eda, who had been my sixth grade chum at P.S. 122 in the Bronx, appeared in my Class picture that I’d posted on social media.

“Jody Wise,” an Oberlin Conservatory classmate during my years as a Performance Major, was Gail’s duo piano partner in New York.

Naturally through decades of private teaching, performing, and playing chamber music, Gail and I had shared a common journey with a steadfast devotion to mentoring. In her capacity as a piano teacher, Gail was a faculty member of UC Berkeley’s Music Department, and the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York while I established teaching studios during my years in New York City, and Berkeley. (Add in a Central Valley stint.)

As a seasoned private teacher in White Plains, Gail’s sterling reputation had cloaked her for decades.

A biographical snatch:

Trattner Isenberg graduated U.C. Berkeley with two Bachelor’s Degrees: in English (Creative Writing) and Music. One of her teachers, Adolph Baller was Yehudi Menuhin’s accompanist, who often played without music. (Baller had fled the Nazi’s and eventually settled in Palo Alto.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolph_Baller

Here’s a 1947 performance clip of Menuhin and Baller.

Gail gave kudos as well to her teacher, Barbara Shearer, a Berkeley-based pianist who was married to composer and singer, Alan Shearer.

As an East Bay resident, Trattner Isenberg performed extensively as soloist, duo pianist, and chamber player, reinforcing her UC Berkeley bond through appearances at Hertz Hall.

***

Given Gail’s well-respected and enduring teaching career, I asked her to answer a few questions pertinent to the art of mentoring.

1) When did you start teaching piano? And can you describe your earliest students?

I began teaching at age 24 in Berkeley. My first students were very interesting, sophisticated children of university professors. I also had some graduate music students who needed secondary piano. I loved being part of a university community.

2) What is your all-embracing teaching philosophy? And what are your biggest challenges in the pedagogical cosmos?

I guess my all-embracing philosophy is that I do not use a cookie-cutter approach to students. I try to address their individual needs at all times.

My biggest challenges today are competing with the busy schedules of overbooked students almost across the board, as well as very little practice by many students. I want every student to feel she/he is progressing and I try to stay positive with each student. This is enormously challenging and can be frustrating.

3) What approach do you use for beginning students and what materials do you recommend?

For beginning students, I try to work on developing the ear and technique before plunging into reading. I like to begin with fingers 2, 3, and 4. This is something I have begun to do over the last few years and have been influenced by some fine teachers on the Facebook page “The Art of Piano Pedagogy.” It has helped me rethink the way I approach teaching beginning technique. I also teach rote pieces in the beginning, from Solo Flight by Elvina Pearce, and Little Gems for Piano by Paula Dreyer, plus other rote pieces I keep in a file. In the first few months I also do a lot of pre-reading from method books. I have the students improvise as well, although I do not feel this is one of my biggest strengths. I’m trying to improve in this area. I do not have a favorite method book series, but I tend to combine my favorite aspects of several methods and also teach landmark notes once the staff is introduced. I do emphasize reading in general, and try very hard to help each student become a good reader.

***

In conclusion, this posting must memorialize the two-way bi-coastal meet ups that eclipsed all social media interactions between Gail and me.

In June 2015, upon my landing in New York City for a family event, I had scheduled a side trip to Faust Harrison Pianos in New York to explore its rebuilding department. As follow-up to my Manhattan touchdown, co-owner, Sara Faust invited me to the factory and showroom in White Plains where I captured footage of the various stages of renovation.

Little did I know that the day I’d arrived by Metro in Westchester, I would bump into Gail with her brood of private students in recital at Faust Harrison. Naturally, a photo op was not squandered!

The opening header photo to this blog, captures our spontaneous get together here in Berkeley on Monday, June 25, 2018. (If home is where your heart is, then Gail might lay claim to an overlap of fondness for two “nesting” grounds)

It was uncanny that Gail had texted me, in a full circle impromptu recapitulation of our first meeting through Facebook. She had just made a stop-off at Hertz Hall, during her East Bay visit,

…before she’d wound her way to bordering Albany. In a matter of minutes Gail was in my neighborhood sipping tea with me at Cafe Roma. (short notice, but it worked!)

With boundaries of cyber fading right before our eyes, we savored a delicious face-to-face conversation in real time without a hitch! Gail later texted me that we should do this more often. I couldn’t agree more!

***

from Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/two-piano-teachers-on-common-ground-with-a-bi-coastal-twist/

Video Titan X Review | Demo | Exclusive Bonus Package | Biggest Chance To Profit with Video in 2018

Video Titan X Review | Demo | Exclusive Bonus Package | Biggest Chance To Profit with Video in 2018

Learn more here: http://mattmartin.club/index.php/2018/06/12/video-titan-x-review-demo-exclusive-bonus-package-biggest-chance-to-profit-with-video-in-2018/

Welcome To MattMartin.Club!

Thank You So Much For Taking The Time In Checking Out My Review On "Video Titan X"

Hope You Will Enjoy It!

What To Do When You Find A Video Making $x,xxx Per Day?

Overview:

Product Creator Chris X Product Name Video Titan X Front-End Price $7.00 Niche Video Marketing Bonuses YES! Mega Bonus Package Listed Below! Refund 30 Days Money Back Guarantee Recommendation Yes, 100% from Matt Martin 🙂 Launch Date 2018 – June – 11th @ 11:00 AM EST Official Website Checkout "Video Titan X" Official Site

Click Here @ 11:00 AM EST on 2018-June-11th To Get An Early Bird Discount On "Video Titan X" Along With My Exclusive Bonuses

He is known simply as Chris X and he’s a thief! But he’s not the kind of thief who breaks into your house and takes your TV. No, what he does is a little more subtle – and far more profitable. Instead, he makes over $12,000 a month as a Video Marketer, “skimming cash” from his competitors.

Some of his “victims” even know about him – and do you know why they can’t do a thing to stop him? Because, despite his ‘thieving’ ways, what he does is 100% legal. And now he wants you to become his partner-in-crime…

Are you ready to copy his video tactic? Here’s your rare and exclusive invitation to join him right now. Let’s check out my Video Titan X Review below!

VIDEO TITAN X REVIEW – WHAT IS IT?

Did you know Facebook gets 8 billion videos per day? That’s why… Smart eCom marketers, affiliates & TeeSpringers are making a KILLING with Facebook videos. Do you want to take advantage of the red-hot video platform? Well, my good friend Chris just released a new offer “VIDEO TITAN X”

This is THE complete tool suite you need to start profiting with videos. You can use this system for Facebook video ads, Google SEO, affiliate reviews, dominating YouTube…

Chris spent over $20,000 building 7 of the most incredible video software tools I’ve ever seen, then he combined them into only 1 bundle offer:

1 Click Videos – create videos in seconds. Better, faster & easier than any other software out there.

Tube Titan – discover the most profitable, most engaging keywords, niches & videos on youtube, then create YouTube PPC campaigns in seconds.

1 Click Video Pages – create video sales and optin pages for your videos in just a few clicks.

D4U WP Theme – SEO-optimized WordPress theme, built to dominate Google traffic and YouTube

Tube Traffic – add clickable images and videos to any video to boost engagement and profit with YouTube Ads

Video Dynamite – explode the potential profit of your videos by adding sub-title text

Secret bonus software tools

Video Titan X Rating - 9.2/10

Quality - 9/10

Features - 10/10

Support - 9.5/10

Easy to use - 8.5/10

Bonus - 9/10

Summary

This rating only shows our ideas about this product, we strongly recommend you firstly see the demo/preview to get the whole picture. Remember, You're also be backed by 30 Day Money Back Guarantee No Question Asked! You've got nothing to lose. TRY IT TODAY! What's your thought? Please let us know!

ABOUT AUTHOR

Chris X is an 34 years old Internet Marketing Expert who made millions dollars on the internet and then repeated this again the next years. He is also a professional marketer and an expert in software development field. Many marketers, bloggers, business owners trust him and give great comments on his products.

He is very famous for many digital products that help businesses to gain more visitors and traffic on the websites. Some of his launches are Traffic Titan, Video Titan, Affiliate Titan, Resell Titan, Insta Crusher, Insta Crusher 2.0, Zen Titan 1.0, Zen Titan 2,… Now, let’s look at the next part of this Video Titan X Review and find out its features!

FEATURES OF VIDEO TITAN X 

Here is detail of what you will get inside:

You’ll get Instant Access to the Video Titan X “tool-suite”, with all 7 super powerful video softwares:

Tube Loophole that creates the most TARGETED YouTube campaigns in seconds (ONLY available Monday + Tuesday!)

Tube Titan that discovers profitable videos making thousands of dollars per day & exports YouTube PPC campaigns

Titan Theme – a premium WordPress theme, focused purely on video & profitability. Installs rapidly

1 Click Video software that creates proven, profitable, viral videos for any niche, market or keyword in 60 seconds

1 Click Video Page software that instantly makes ready-to-upload video websites in minutes

Video Dynamite that lets you easily add sub-title text to any video, massively boosting engagement

Tube Traffic that lets you add clickable images and videos to any video, increasing the traffic you get from YouTube

And that’s just the Video Titan software – but there’s even more..

5 complete systems on profiting with video + Facebook, YouTube, affiliate marketing & much, much more

A quick start guide that shows you how to get started within minutes

Plus secret hidden videos where Chris explains all his secret tips and tricks.

But that’s not all. Order now, and you’ll also get access to all these additional newbie-friendly features…

5 complete systems on profiting with video + Facebook, YouTube, affiliate marketing & much, much more

A quick start guide that shows you how to get started within minutes

Over 100 pages of PDF training on video – beautifully formatted & complete PDF documents…

Training videos – how to use the software & start profiting with video marketing today.

Future upgrades, training & more – we supported T-Shirt Titan for 5 months. This is just the beginning!

Plus, you’ll get access to his T-Shirt Titan system, (with over 3,000 happy customers paying $25!) which teaches you how to profit with TeeSpring & Facebook Ads, and includes FOUR software tools & SOOOO much more…

The Tee Searcher that lets you find proven tshirt designs on eBay, Zazzle, Facebook & many others

The Idea Maker that auto generates over 100 proven design ideas in any niche in under 60 seconds

The Auto Designer that automatically generates ready-to-upload PNG design images in seconds

The Auto Model tool that lets you automatically create Facebook ad images that get dirt-cheap clicks

Over 8 hours of training videos, covering niche selection, finding designs, facebook ads management..

A quick start guide that shows you how to get started within minutes

Plus secret hidden videos where he explains all his secret tips and tricks..

So, on top of the $5,000 of Video Titan X software, you get T-Shirt Titan 1.0 (4x software, tools & 8 hours of training)… The #1 package (Titan) for t-shirts – as well as the #1 package for video! This cannot last! Oh, and of course, you’ll also get personal access to his email address in the members area. 🙂

WHY SHOULD YOU GET IT?

First, let’s take a look at some painful (but true) facts about making videos:

Creating your own videos from scratch is time consuming, and quite frankly a pain in the butt.

You are competing with 100,000 other videos just like yours… it’s so easy to get no views or traffic.

If you’ve been thinking, “there has to be a better way,” you’re right! The software tool gives you a way to turn the tables in the video wars, and that’s where Video Titan X  comes into play.

Listen: it doesn’t matter whether you’re a complete newbie or a serious video veteran, I guarantee…. In short, This tool will change the way you look at video making, forever. The makers of VIDEO TITAN are opening up about this “secret weapon” tool. And it lets ANYONE make a competition­crushing video in ANY niche, with just a few clicks. This tool will allow you to work less than ever…while making way better videos than ever before.

In the details, you can use the software to:

Get free traffic with YouTube & Google

Predict the most profitable Facebook video ads

Create world-class, Hollywood-style video sales letters

Sell videos to offline businesses (making thousands a day)

Build your list and suck in thousands of targeted leads

Add images, videos and text to explode the engagement of your videos

This system is something that side-steps the most time-consuming part of making videos that go viral. So quick that you can dive right in, and finally succeed, by doing something super-easy! RIGHT NOW, this is easily the fastest and easiest way to make videos that I’ve seen in years…

And don’t think this is one of those “run of the mill” video software tools out there… It is a REAL system that generate REAL results for REAL people. It is a NEW and revolutionary way of making videos

Revealed to you by a guy who has mastered the art and science of creating engaging, popular videos… And now he’s about to give you all the software tools and training you need to copy him – right now. This offer will disappear as quickly as snowflakes on a bonfire.

In addition, you will be getting tons of the vendor’s greatest bonuses for your fast action

Is it enough awesomeness for you? Because you will be also receiving my ULTIMATE huge bonuses. Those treasures are waiting for you at the end of this Video Titan X Review. And even though you do nothing but only read my Video Titan X Review, to thanks for your kind support, I still give you free bonuses. So keep reading then scroll your mouse down!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

All you have to do is 4 simple steps:

Step 1 – Find a hot video niche

First, We use “Tube Titan” video software to find YouTube videos that are making thousands of dollars per day. Simply enter any keyword to view 50 views with a dozen metrics: estimated earnings per day, daily views, engagement %, affiliate links found & more

Then legally steal the top-earning videos, then beat them with your own better converting video, which brings our to….

Step 2 – Create Videos in 1 minute

Now, we need to create a new video – automatically with 1 Click Video software. Simply paste in text, images and videos, then choose from dozens of done-for-you “motion graphics” animations.

1 click video maker software creates profitable videos for: video sales letters, explainer videos, offline, Facebook, YouTube, Google, and affiliate video reviews. Go from new idea, to profitable video in 1 minute…

Step 3: Create $1 Million Video Websites

Now your video is complete, you’ll want to host it online. And that’s where Click Video Page software comes in, to create VSL websites, squeeze pages and landing pages in seconds.

This software lets you select from 10 video pages that made the creator $1 million, then simply insert your video & tweak the design, and put it live on the Internet in seconds… OR install software #4, the D4U WordPress theme if you want a video site that gets free traffic!

Step 4: Explode Your Video Profits

Now we have our design, it’s time to get traffic & sales. We do this using Facebook, YouTube & Google. He’ll give you his formula for profiting with 5 Proven Video systems. Plus, he’ll give you 2 new software tools to explode the traffic, sales and engagement you get with Titan – Tube Traffic to add clickable images to any video, and Video Dynamite

Checkout The Demo Below To See It In Action!

Click Here @ 11:00 AM EST on 2018-June-11th To Get An Early Bird Discount On "Video Titan X" Along With My Exclusive Bonuses

PRICE AND EVALUATION

For a limited time, you can grab Video Titan X with early bird discount price in these options below. Let’s pick the best suited options for you before this special offer gone!

Front-end: Video Titan X ($7)

OTO 1: Traffic Titan ($17)

OTO 2: Affiliate Titan ($17)

OTO 3: Zen Titan ($7)

Let’s act now, don’t delay and grab it now while it’s still at the lowest price possible! And Just feel free to give it a try, because You have a full 30 days to put this to the test and make sure that this is for you. If you do not see any results within this period then please reach out to them. The Helpdesk Team is always there to help you out and make sure that you have been following the correct procedures.

VIDEO TITAN X REVIEW – CONCLUSION

In summary, I hope that all of the information in my Video Titan X Review can help you gain more understanding about this product and then be able to make a wise choice. If you’re ready to start making a real online income in the most passive way possible then click the button below before the price rises. I am look forward to seeing your success.

However, in case you are in need of any advice, please feel free to keep in touch with me anytime. Regardless, thank you for reading my Video Titan X Review. Goodbye, and see you again!

Click Here @ 11:00 AM EST on 2018-June-11th To Get An Early Bird Discount On "Video Titan X" Along With My Exclusive Bonuses

  PLUS, You Will Be Getting These "2018 WordPress Ultra-Mega Plugin Bundle" As Bonuses For Your Fast Action:

The 2018 WordPress Ultra-Mega Plugin Bundle

A rare once-in-a-lifetime Super Mega Bundle on all the best WordPress Plugins to take your site to the next level and beyond.

For the 1st time, we are including all 4 our of Mega WordPress Plugin Bundles into one Super-Mega Bundle. This will be the only chance to get $4000 worth of Premium WordPress Plugins for a one off price that is 98% off of the regular pricing.

Volume 1: includes all the Social Media and Engagement plugins you will ever need for any type of WordPress based site

Volume 2: includes all the Marketing Plugins you would need

Volume 3: expands on all these by offering additional tools

Volume 4: Includes everything else that is necessary for fast loading sites.

  Volume 1 Includes: ($3785 Value)

Volume 2 Includes:

Volume 3 Includes:

  Click Here @ 11:00 AM EST on 2018-June-11th To Get An Early Bird Discount On "Video Titan X" Along With My Exclusive Bonuses

4 SIMPLE STEPS TO CLAIM YOUR BONUS PACKAGE

1. Clear Your Cookies in your Web Browser (Ctrl + Shift + Delete) 2. Purchase Products Through My Email/Website 3. Contact Me Here OR Here On FB with the receipt of your purchase 4. ALL Bonuses in General Internet Marketing Bonuses Package is Yours & You will receive them within 12-48 hours.

  #Video_Titan_X, #Video_Titan_X_Bonus, #Video_Titan_X_Demo, #Video_Titan_X_Launch, #Video_Titan_X_Review