Key Tips For Finding The Right Tutors Online

Online tutoring is one of the most important technological advancements in education. It made the study process a lot easier, more flexible, and more affordable. Today, the online tutoring industry has grown rapidly to include both verified and non-verified providers.

Students who unwittingly subscribe to non-verified providers inevitably get less value for the services they paid for. Hence, it’s become important for prospective online students to learn tips on how to find the right tutors online. In this article, the key tips for finding the right online tutors are discussed.

 

  1. Have A Specific Learning Goal And Need In Mind

The first step to finding the right tutor is to have a specific study need and goal in mind. For your study needs, you need to know your desired course level, including basic, medium, or expert options before searching for a tutor. 

Your learning goals should be focused on what you wish to get from the course. Some goals to consider include:

  • Clearer understanding of specific subject topics
  • Help with study plans and materials
  • Expected score in an exam

With both your needs and goals in view, you can determine an online tutor’s suitability based on qualifications, experience, certifications, and other determining factors.

 

 

  1. Identify The Focus Area Of Various Platforms

Online tutoring platforms have focus areas but often market themselves as being able to adequately cover several subject areas. These focus areas may be influenced by topical demand, the staff’s area of specialization, and how courses align with a platform’s mission. Your subjects of interest should be checked against these focus areas to determine which one is best for you.

Some of the focus areas you’ll encounter are:

  • Information Technology (IT): IT is a highly sought-after topic in the 21st century, and most of its subject lessons are offered strictly online. On platforms focused on IT, you can find different tutors including a CSS, Python, and R tutor.
  • Creativity: Creativity lessons are next to the IT learning rave. It’s an online learning path many adventurous and creative minds can use to develop their DIY abilities while learning at their comfort. Topics on such platforms include bead making, knitting, and baking.
  • Education: Educational courses are offered by accredited tertiary institutions online. Most online educational courses have peer physical courses running on campuses. This allows individuals that don’t have the means of traveling to take educational courses from their respective locations to get certified.

 

  1. Confirm The Details Of The Host Platform

The details of a tutor’s host platform should be confirmed before choosing an online tutor. Online education startups tend to market their platforms above their deliverables. Hence, it’s important to correlate the marketing information of platforms with facts about them. Some details you should confirm include:

  • Accreditation: The right online tutoring platforms obtain approvals as dictated by State laws. Such approvals and accreditations can be confirmed on a platform’s website interface and governmental databases.
  • Years Of Existence: The number of years a host platform has been in business can play a role in determining its ability to provide services successfully. Conventionally, a higher number of years in existence attests to service quality compared to younger tutoring platforms.
  • Technologies: There are modern technologies that are affiliated with the best online coaching platforms. These include low latency video output, neural networks, and offline services.

 

  1. Determine The Type Of Online Learning Adopted On A Platform

Different types of online learning are defined by the learning structure adopted by a platform. Student learning preferences and differences make it important to consider the type of online learning available while looking for the right online tutors. The various online learning types include:

  • Synchronous Online Learning: This learning method allows both participants and tutors to interact in real-time. It’s one of the highly interactive means of tutoring, which helps tutors track multiple students’ progress. It’s beneficial for student groups that desire personalized learning and can work with strict learning times.
  • Asynchronous Online Learning: This is the opposite of synchronous online learning, wherein study materials are made available and accessible to students at any time. It allows students who have busy schedules to adopt a self-paced learning path.
  • Interactive Online Learning: This is the peer-to-peer version of learning. A single tutor and student interact in real-time, adding more personalization to the learning process. It allows students to express themselves freely to tutors, but also requires fixed meeting times.

 

  1. Confirm The Tutor’s Experience And Qualifications

Be sure to read through the profiles of various tutors on online tutoring platforms or personal websites. The basic qualification to expect for an online tutor is a bachelor’s degree. Further qualifications to check for include graduate degrees, past student ratings, professional certificates, years of experience, and areas of expertise. 

Host platforms also tend to rank tutors in a descending order, allowing the best tutors to show up first. The number of students who have taken a course might also prove how relevant the course has been to students with similar needs.

 

  1. Get Recommendations And Read Reviews

Recommendations are another way by which you can find the right online tutor. A recommendation is synonymous to a vote of confidence for the service of a tutor. You can ask colleagues, schoolmates, and neighbors who have a prior experience with specific online tutors if they’ll advise you sign up for their course. Ensure to ask about both the pros and cons of taking such courses.

In addition to individual recommendations, you should read reviews online. Check websites like Yelp, Google search results, and Glassdoor for reviews on any recommended online tutors and platforms.  

 

  1. Take Note Of The Costs

A major attraction of using online tutoring is the lower cost compared to physical lessons. Some online tutors charge per hour, per lesson, or require students to pay a bulk fee at once. Students must confirm they can afford an online tutorial they wish to sign up for.

However, you must take note that lower or higher costs don’t guarantee good services. Therefore, you must do your due diligence and make pricing and your budget a final deciding factor.

 

Final Thoughts

Your learning goals and needs must be clear before searching for an online tutor. The next set of considerations include the focus area of the learning platform, its operational details, the type of learning method adopted, and the tutor’s qualifications. 

Individual reviews and tutorial costs must also be considered. Having made these considerations, you can easily choose the online tutor you deem right for you.

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7 Best Colleges Who Produce The Most Academic Journals

Once a student enters college, a necessary part of their academic pursuit is to write papers and journals. Depending on your chosen institute and field of study, it can even be a requirement for graduation to come up with these papers. Of the variety of papers that you’ll be gaining exposure to during your academic journey, a common category that you’ll surely come across is academic journals.

This refers to scholarly documents published by experts. Before they make their way to the public, they would normally have already undergone a thorough peer-review process. In general, an academic journal is not published to earn money. Rather, its purpose is to share information with the public, so that knowledge can be passed on to benefit others.

That said, some universities have truly excelled in this pursuit. Some of the universities that rank the best in terms of number and quality of academic journals are the following.

  1. Harvard University

Of course, it would come as no surprise to anyone that Harvard has made it to this list. In fact, Harvard always makes its way to all listings of excellence, such as College Rank. When it comes to academic journals, Harvard tops the list, particularly when talking about nature and science.

Harvard is considered a top-notch university, not just in the United States, but in the rest of the world as well. It boasts quite a long list of notable alumni that have made a name for themselves as experts in their respective fields. Hence, the quality of academic journals that it produces is consistently high. 

Going beyond scholarly articles, Harvard has also produced a number of inventions that have changed the world. These include oral contraception and the vaccine for smallpox.

  1. University Of Toronto

The University Of Toronto is second on this list, because of its comprehensive scope of subjects and degrees offered. The overall performance of its alumni is also excellent, publishing not just academic and scholarly journals, but also achieving prominence in their respective fields. If you happen to be an international student who’s considering attending the University Of Toronto, it’s a great choice because of its high population of international students.

The University Of Toronto also consistently receives an A or the highest rating for the following:

  • Academic research
  • Quantity and quality of research publications
  • Top-cited publications
  1. Stanford University

If you’re interested in quality academic journals in different fields of science, Stanford University also produces quite an impressive number. It ranks well in terms of chemistry, physical sciences, and life sciences.

Stanford University has also produced notable authors as their alumni, one of which is bioengineer and neuroscientist, Karl Deisseroth.

There are several good reasons why Stanford stands out, and these include:

  • It has some of the best research facilities, in terms of technical capability and laboratories.
  • It allows students the freedom to be innovative in their research.
  • Its professors and research advisors are top-notch professionals who are prominent in their respective fields.

 

 

  1. John Hopkins University

John Hopkins University is one of those institutes that consistently features well in rankings, in terms of overall academic performance. This also includes its outstanding plethora of academic journals.

This university focuses on applied science and technology, so most of its academic journals are also centered on this field of study. The Whiting School of Engineering, in particular, is the one that excels notably, due in part to its commitment for outstanding research and academic standards.

Another great advantage of John Hopkins University is that it has quite a number of academic partnerships with international peer organizations, allowing their collaborative research for better academic journals to regularly materialize.

  1. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

MIT is often labeled as one of the world’s most prestigious higher education institutes. It has earned its spot on this list, as it has an impressive 150 years’ worth of background in research to boast of. More specifically, the emphasis of its academic journals lies in the field of entrepreneurship and applied science.

In 2018, MIT became very famous for one of its published research journals, which investigated which kind of news spread faster – true or false news. It was featured in over 360 news stories. The final verdict? Lies spread faster.

For all these reasons, MIT is a great choice for academic research and studies, including the following:

  • Its rigorous curriculum forms the basis of top-notch published journals and articles.
  • Its faculty are prominent names in the field of engineering and science.
  • It enables you to participate in the Undergraduate Research Program, which caters to all the academic journals that it has published, even before you make it to grad school.
  • It enables you to work alongside some of the best and most brilliant names in the industry for the completion of your research paper.
  1. University Of Michigan

Another college on this list from the United States is the University Of Michigan. When students make their way to the halls of this college, they are guaranteed endless opportunities, as evidenced by the scholarly and academic journals that graduates have produced.

The University Of Michigan boasts a wide breadth of educational opportunities, mainly due to its status as a public research institution. 

  1. Max Planck Society

The Max Planck Society is the most successful research institution in Germany. This puts it on equal footing with the rest of the prestigious research institutions in the world. Eighteen Nobel Laureates have passed through here, so you can rely on their academic journals to be wide-ranging and of excellent quality as well.

The Max Planck Society is so successful that it’s able to come up with over 15,000 publications each year consisting of renowned scientific and academic journals.

Not surprisingly, Max Planck is also the birthplace of many notable discoveries in the field of science. These include matters as complicated as antiretroviral treatment for HIV-Aids.

Takeaway

When you initially think of an academic journal, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is unlike any other publication. It’s not a simple commentary, nor is it written by journalists. The authors of these academic journals are experts that have excelled in their fields. Hence, this list comprises some of the best universities that have become known for publishing the most academic journals.

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Too Much Stress in College: Best Ways To Cope With It

Most students look forward to joining college because it comes with new experiences, social settings, and freedom to explore life as a young adult. As much as college life is exciting, it has its fair share of stressful situations. No doubt, the workload is higher than when you were in high school. Loads of assignments, assessments, research papers, group forums, and much more can take a toll, especially on first-year students. You may have taken a challenging course that requires long study hours to ace the units. With so much to accomplish, juggling between maintaining a social life and academics can be overwhelming. 

If you do not maintain a healthy balance, you might find yourself dealing with stress without any coping mechanism. The independent education structure in college allows students to practice self-discipline and to plan their study hours conveniently. Thus, most students end up spending too much time on books without engaging in other extra-curricular activities, which can lead to academic stress.

Today, numerous custom writing services are available online ready to help out stressed students with academic writing tasks. Feel free to order essay writing and delegate your assignments and research papers to professionals and get time to engage in other school events. 

You can also battle with social stress during your first months in college since you are in a new environment where you have to form new social circles. Getting a roommate, balancing relationships, and new friendships with academics on the side can be quite tricky. So, what do you do to cope with stress in college? Read on to find out more about the best ways to reduce stress as a student in college:

Plan Your Schedule 

With new-found freedom, it is tricky for most students to organize their study schedules. You need to practice self-discipline and ensure that you attend all the lectures and complete your assignments on time. You might be tempted to attend a weekend party while your term paper is due on Monday morning, causing late paper submissions. 

It is vital to be an organized student by prioritizing your to-do-list. Create a convenient space in your room where you can concentrate during your study hours. If you have a messy and noisy roommate, you can become a frequent visitor in your quiet college library. 

Also, create a timetable and follow it strictly so that you can train yourself to have a regular study schedule and personal time to carry out errands and participate in various social events. It helps you to maintain a balance and avoid stressful situations where you have to work all night to complete assignments. 

Exercise

Regular exercise is a coping mechanism for stress. It reduces feelings of frustration as well as prevents weight gain. A ten-minute work-out can do wonders for your well-being, especially in the morning before starting your day. It releases tension and puts your mind and body in a healthy balance. 

Even if you are not an early riser, you can incorporate simple exercises in your daily routines, such as walking around campus, to the mall, or a friend’s house. You can also take physical education or gym classes during your free time. Enroll in yoga, salsa dances, martial arts, or gymnastics. Find an option that suits your preference and have fun while keeping academic stress at bay. 

Healthy Living 

Most college students feed on junk and sodas since they find it cumbersome to prepare a healthy meal. Taking care of your mind, body, and soul is essential in living a healthy life. While fast foods are readily available and affordable, it may seem convenient to grab on the go, but it will take a toll on your health in the long run. Eat a balanced meal to get the energy to face the day with confidence. Stock up fresh-fruits and vegetables in your room and learn to cook simple and healthy meals.

With hectic schedules, most students find it hard to get adequate sleep. Tight deadlines, anxiety due to exams, and pulling all-nighters can drain your energy. So, plan your schedule and sleep early to get enough sleep. It is vital for your physical and mental health. 

Wise Budgeting

You need to budget your money wisely to avoid financial stress. Do not engage in impulse buying, or you will end up broke within no time. Have a budget in place to guide you in your daily expenses. Try to make meal plans if you love eating out by cooking a few times a week. If you leave outside the campus, set aside your commuter allowance per month to prevent missing lectures. If you have an entertainment allowance, stick by it and don’t take money from your meal budget when it is depleted. Practice self-discipline, and you will enjoy a fulfilling financial future even after college.

Finding Support

Starting a new life in college is always stressful since you leave a secure support system at home – family members and friends. On the other hand, developing a new circle of friends and learning people takes time and effort. You might end up feeling home-sick and lonely during the first few days, weeks, or even months. So, ensure that you keep in close contact with people who matter in your life – parents, guardians, or close friends at home. Call your mother, send an email, or organize a video conference with your family. It might boost your attitude and motivate you to push ahead with school.

Also, you can find social support by joining clubs and discussion groups with like-minded students. Be social and start making friends in your class. Form study groups and engage yourself in different activities in college. You will avoid stress and loneliness since college life will start making sense in the long run.  

Ultimately, stress management is different for all students. What works for you may not work for another individual. Thus, it is imperative to find a suitable coping mechanism that will help you to reduce stress. Have a positive attitude, talk to someone, and engage in relaxing activities. Take care of your mental health since it is valuable and impacts your academic success.

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Too Much Stress in College: Best Ways To Cope With It

Most students look forward to joining college because it comes with new experiences, social settings, and freedom to explore life as a young adult. As much as college life is exciting, it has its fair share of stressful situations. No doubt, the workload is higher than when you were in high school. Loads of assignments, assessments, research papers, group forums, and much more can take a toll, especially on first-year students. You may have taken a challenging course that requires long study hours to ace the units. With so much to accomplish, juggling between maintaining a social life and academics can be overwhelming. 

If you do not maintain a healthy balance, you might find yourself dealing with stress without any coping mechanism. The independent education structure in college allows students to practice self-discipline and to plan their study hours conveniently. Thus, most students end up spending too much time on books without engaging in other extra-curricular activities, which can lead to academic stress.

Today, numerous custom writing services are available online ready to help out stressed students with academic writing tasks. Feel free to order essay writing and delegate your assignments and research papers to professionals and get time to engage in other school events. 

You can also battle with social stress during your first months in college since you are in a new environment where you have to form new social circles. Getting a roommate, balancing relationships, and new friendships with academics on the side can be quite tricky. So, what do you do to cope with stress in college? Read on to find out more about the best ways to reduce stress as a student in college:

Plan Your Schedule 

With new-found freedom, it is tricky for most students to organize their study schedules. You need to practice self-discipline and ensure that you attend all the lectures and complete your assignments on time. You might be tempted to attend a weekend party while your term paper is due on Monday morning, causing late paper submissions. 

It is vital to be an organized student by prioritizing your to-do-list. Create a convenient space in your room where you can concentrate during your study hours. If you have a messy and noisy roommate, you can become a frequent visitor in your quiet college library. 

Also, create a timetable and follow it strictly so that you can train yourself to have a regular study schedule and personal time to carry out errands and participate in various social events. It helps you to maintain a balance and avoid stressful situations where you have to work all night to complete assignments. 

Exercise

Regular exercise is a coping mechanism for stress. It reduces feelings of frustration as well as prevents weight gain. A ten-minute work-out can do wonders for your well-being, especially in the morning before starting your day. It releases tension and puts your mind and body in a healthy balance. 

Even if you are not an early riser, you can incorporate simple exercises in your daily routines, such as walking around campus, to the mall, or a friend’s house. You can also take physical education or gym classes during your free time. Enroll in yoga, salsa dances, martial arts, or gymnastics. Find an option that suits your preference and have fun while keeping academic stress at bay. 

Healthy Living 

Most college students feed on junk and sodas since they find it cumbersome to prepare a healthy meal. Taking care of your mind, body, and soul is essential in living a healthy life. While fast foods are readily available and affordable, it may seem convenient to grab on the go, but it will take a toll on your health in the long run. Eat a balanced meal to get the energy to face the day with confidence. Stock up fresh-fruits and vegetables in your room and learn to cook simple and healthy meals.

With hectic schedules, most students find it hard to get adequate sleep. Tight deadlines, anxiety due to exams, and pulling all-nighters can drain your energy. So, plan your schedule and sleep early to get enough sleep. It is vital for your physical and mental health. 

Wise Budgeting

You need to budget your money wisely to avoid financial stress. Do not engage in impulse buying, or you will end up broke within no time. Have a budget in place to guide you in your daily expenses. Try to make meal plans if you love eating out by cooking a few times a week. If you leave outside the campus, set aside your commuter allowance per month to prevent missing lectures. If you have an entertainment allowance, stick by it and don’t take money from your meal budget when it is depleted. Practice self-discipline, and you will enjoy a fulfilling financial future even after college.

Finding Support

Starting a new life in college is always stressful since you leave a secure support system at home – family members and friends. On the other hand, developing a new circle of friends and learning people takes time and effort. You might end up feeling home-sick and lonely during the first few days, weeks, or even months. So, ensure that you keep in close contact with people who matter in your life – parents, guardians, or close friends at home. Call your mother, send an email, or organize a video conference with your family. It might boost your attitude and motivate you to push ahead with school.

Also, you can find social support by joining clubs and discussion groups with like-minded students. Be social and start making friends in your class. Form study groups and engage yourself in different activities in college. You will avoid stress and loneliness since college life will start making sense in the long run.  

Ultimately, stress management is different for all students. What works for you may not work for another individual. Thus, it is imperative to find a suitable coping mechanism that will help you to reduce stress. Have a positive attitude, talk to someone, and engage in relaxing activities. Take care of your mental health since it is valuable and impacts your academic success.

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Making Friends in College: Tips that Work

There are many tips on making friends in college. What for? Why do you need these tips? Some people – we know this from life and numerous movies about college students – have only one or two best friends or maybe even just a sibling and are doing just fine. They completely devote their student life either to study or to some hobby. They have a goal, and they don’t need to hang out aimlessly. Mostly these guys and girls are introverts. They can make more friends, but they don’t need it. But such students are a minority. What about the rest?

So You Are in College…

Being alone in college, especially if you live on campus, is next to impossible. And quoting someone famous, “One cannot live in society and be free from society.” So even if you have the strongest desire to keep your distance, be ready to accept the fact that it’s not going to happen, always someone will keep you company, even if you do not want it: a teacher, a roommate in a dorm, a neighbor at a table in the dining room, and so on. 

But one thing is the society that is being imposed on you, and another thing entirely is the society that you want and seek. We are social beings and need to be surrounded by people. Just be sure to choose the right ones. 

So the question is, What to do? How to make friends with people who potentially may change your life for the better?

There are a lot of “classic” tips, whole instructions and guidelines, which contain various tips on how to make friends in college. Some of these tips are more like good wishes because, in practice, not all of them work.

On the other hand, some of the tips are quite suitable for their use, because they are taken from life and tested by real people. Below we will try to share only the tips that do work.

Become Interested in Others

If you want to make friends with someone, you must show genuine interest in a person. Ask about his or her hobbies, favorite movies, exciting experiences like traveling or backpacking, about their day and family, but not in a stalking way though – just a friendly interest. Let them ask you the same questions, and don’t be shy to answer. It may turn out you have lots in common, and the next thing you know, you are the best buddies.

Try to be open and friendly, but don’t overshare, or you might end up earning a reputation of a weirdo. Show only your positive sides, and leave your flaws for the next level of friendship.

Of course, for some, it may contradict the Be Yourself advice, but in this case, you need to take time and be sure it is the right person you are opening up to.

Remember not to impose your company on another person, especially if he or she gives you the cold shoulder repeatedly. Here it is best to politely “bow out” and leave.

It’s All About the Right Place

Let’s also think about where and how it’s easiest to make friends in college.

Where does a college student spend the most time? The answer is obvious: in the classroom, in the dorm, and in the cafeteria. It is easiest to try to make a friend in one of these places. You will have to get acquainted in any case cause you will not be able to remain incognito for all of your university years.

And one of the simplest ways to make a friend is to suggest a joint pastime: going out for a coffee or lunch before the classes start, walking together to the next class or back to the dorm, watching a movie in the nearest cinema, or going to a university event. Spending time together will let you learn more about the potential friend and whether you’d like to continue building a friendship. It is also an ideal moment to let the other person learn more about you. As mentioned above, try to show your best self. And most importantly, be positive: people tend to feel uncomfortable and confused around sad and or negative individuals!

Joint pastime is not limited to fun activities only. You can also be spending lots of time on a joint project or working together on complicated writing assignments, for which you can hire professional essay writers and spend the extra free time getting new knowledge on favorite subjects.

Sports events, social activities, music groups, theater performances, libraries, and any other type of student activity you can think about – all are great places to make friends, and at the same time, do what you enjoy. Just like you get interested in other people, they will get interested in you and will try to make friends with you. Just be sure not to get too nervous and give them a chance to know you. After all, not only you want to build friendships in college.

Final Thoughts

Having someone to have your back in college and share unforgettable moments of being a student is priceless. Often friendships built during the college years turn into lifetime friendships. Don’t rid yourself of a chance to find a new best friend by staying aside and distancing. We only live once!

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