The varying characteristics of a college are likely to influence your decision making when selecting which one to study in the UK.

Typically, college amenities and services will be one of the most important factors.

This may lead you to ask what level of student resources should be available when evaluating colleges?

Library:

One of the most important resources in Higher Education is the library. As an International student you should expect a well stocked academic library with information in a range of formats including CD, DVD, and video, which is relevant and up to date in your subject area.

College libraries will offer students access to a variety of resources including, desk space in a quiet location for independent study or group projects , a cataloging system to locate information, Internet and wireless access.

In addition, it is necessary to have a sufficient number of functioning photocopiers and access to a variety of periodicals and journals in your subject.

An excellent college library there will have extended opening hours and it will be well-stocked with the core publications for your course as well as supplementary information for detailed research.

Generally, postgraduate students who study in UK Higher Education Institutions, will have increased library privileges included within their course fees in comparison to undergraduate students, providing greater access to on line academic resources such as the specialist journals, research papers and articles.

As an example the SCONUL Access Scheme offers Post graduate students the ability to draw information from additional Academic libraries which are not affiliated with their college but may offer a greater range of subject specific research material.

IT Services:

All reputable colleges in the UK will have well-equipped IT resources providing abundant access to state of the art work stations, printing facilities and a help desk.

It is likely that the computer room will become a typical refuge for you while you are at University for completing coursework and keeping in touch with loved ones back home.

Computer rooms with plenty of work stations available which are situated on campus near to your classes will assist you to use your time most effectively for studying as you can catch up on work in between lectures.

Most UK Universities will ensure that their computers are modern, running the newest possible programs and will provide super fast and secure links to the web, local college networks and to printers.

The college will usually provide individual computer accounts for students and a printing credit system which can be topped up on line from your account.

The majority of UK Universities also offer students the opportunity to join a privacy protected Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The VLE is an additional learning resource for students providing access to detailed course information, research links and a class portal for submitting and feed back on assignments.

In most cases, International students who investigate the available study resources in their short-listed colleges before they study in UK Higher Education will be satisfied with their final decision.

A person don’t need to clock A FEW hours of study time daily if you would like to achieve great grades. It all boils down to find out how to study effectively and maximizing your study time to finish studying what you want to study. As a researcher in the field of educational psychology, I know through a great number of surveys and findings that people who study long hours each other won’t necessary achieve academic success if they do not know how to study effectively. Of course I’m not saying you shouldn’t put in effort to study, I’m just saying, merging a bit of hard work and study techniques will get you very far up the position ladder in school.

So the secret behind all high achievers in college is being aware of how to study effectively. Here are a few suggestions:

Take control of your stress and reduce it to a manageable level. An excessive amount of stress is harmful to your cognitive functioning and will hinder your ability to memorize information. Procrastination will gradually lead to a stress filled period just prior to a major occasion such as an exam or project submission dateline. So keeping yourself up late to study EIGHT chapters the day prior to your exams doesn’t help at all. Study regularly from day one of school and you will definitely see a big improvement in your grades. A little amount of effort each day can lead to a huge difference at the end of your semester.
Take little steps. If you have a huge amount of information to learn and memorize, looking at the sheer amount of pages in your textbook doesn’t aid your emotional response to the circumstance. Separate your section into pages of threes. Go through 3 pages by 3 pages. Reward yourself with a little sweet after every 3 pages and celebrate, because you’re 3 steps closer to reaching your goal. With this, you will find your studying process satisfying and more successful.

Take more breaks when you’re studying. A person’s maximum concentration period is about 90 minutes, so make sure that you take a break after at least every 90 mins of studying. Taking more breaks helps you to memorize more facts as we can study more efficiently at the start and end of our studying time.
The above are just simply one or two guidelines among the numerous that can help you achieve academic success with the smallest amount of hard work. Studying can be monotonous sometimes, but with the right techniques, you can get it over and done with fast yet get distinctions for your exams.

Zoology is the aspect of science that deals with the study of the animals’ evolution, habitat and behavior. Many students wonder why they need to study zoology. It is a branch of science that does not have anything to do with people so they are left wondering why they have to learn it.

1. The first answer to the question, why is zoology important to us is for humans to have an appreciation for nature. Our nature is not just composed of the humans but of plants and animals as well. Everything in our environment is connected in a complex cycle. If you have a better understanding of how animals would behave and interact with us then you would appreciate nature better. You would feel nature should not be taken for granted.

2. The second answer to the question, why is zoology important to us is for people to have a better understanding of the animals. Some animals are usually misunderstood by people like sharks and snakes. These creatures are thought of as human killers, and this is mainly because we don’t understand why they behave that way. In this branch of science you would be able to learn their natural behavior as well as their habitats so you would completely understand why they would behave in a defensive manner when they seem threatened. Studying zoology would help people achieve clarity over the common myths we have on different wild animals

3. The third answer to the question, why is zoology important to us is to understand the urgency of preserving the animals. Studying this subject would help people know the real facts about animals. One of the negative facts is the dwindling numbers of some species of animals. It makes people realize that there is a need for nature to be always balanced. We need animals to maintain the balance in our environment and for humans to survive as well. This branch of science would help us learn the needs that animals lack and we can respond by thinking of solutions we can give to the endangered species of animals.

4. The fourth answer to the question, why is zoology important to us is for people to learn the importance of the role of humans as caretakers of animals. Modern progress is needed for a country to grow in terms of its economy however it should not force us to compromise our rainforests and oceans. It reminds us that modernization should not just be equated with tall buildings and skyscrapers. People should realize that our modern lives should include the lives of the animals that live with us. They should not be contained in zoos but in their natural habitats as well. We will learn that every living creature on earth has the right to own a habitat and as their caretaker, we need to fight for them to have permanent habitats.

No one knows learning better than a teacher. But what if youve got your teaching degree and even a job teaching? Is that enough? Like their counterparts in almost any field, teachers know that the higher the levels of education, the better are the opportunities for advancement, job security and a higher salary. But when are you supposed to do all that? Specialized online masters degree programs in education can really give your career a boost, without forcing you to drive back to the old college campus for two more years.

The biggest question may be just which area of education do you wish to specialize in. There are a wealth of booming careers in education for which demand will continue to grow over the next 10 to 20 years and the best of them definitely require a masters degree.
Special Education Teachers: Its true; there are positions out there that will let you work without a masters, but the better positions command salaries of up to $75,000 annually, that with a masters. Check the listings from Walden, Capella and Grand Canyon Universities that will let you get your masters degree online while still working at your current job.

Education Administration: A masters in educational administration, management or even a Ph.D. in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning is a terrific way to advance what you already love doing. Administrative positions can command up to $95,000 per year and you can study online. The programs weve looked at most closely are those from Capella, Walden, Keiser, and Strayer Universities. Each of them allows you to work toward your goals online while still maintaining your current career.

Primary or secondary school principals: Nearly all of the degrees above can qualify you to work as a school principal where youll be earning somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 annually. A Masters in Educational Leadership could be exactly the right move if thats where your studies lead you.

Instructional and Curriculum Coordinators: Advancing education and lesson achievement has never been more important to todays schools and its all in the hands of the coordinators who lay out the vision. Coordinators can earn anywhere from $60,000 to $90,000 annually and there are a number of very good online only programs offered by Capella, Walden, Keiser, and Grand Canyon Universities
A Masters in Education can mean a $9,000 to $15,000 difference in your starting salary and many states require continuing education to qualify for salary increases. Of course, this can vary a lot from state to state. But educators with a masters degree also enjoy a considerably higher level of job security to go along with the higher salary. Studying online for your masters in education can make all the difference to your career and you can do it while youre still working and without giving up your current schedule.

The logic of it makes perfect sense: teens don’t function at high levels early in the morning. So the results of a study from the Eastern Virginia Medical school aren’t too shocking: when high schools start too early, teens are more likely to crash their cars on the way there.

The study compared teen accident rates between Virginia Beach and Chesapeake counties, two adjacent Virginia counties with differing school start times.

Robert Vorona, a sleep doctor at the school, compiled data on drivers between 16 and 18 in the two counties. In Virginia Beach, the high schools start at 7:20 a.m., and in Chesapeake, 8:40 a.m.

While the time difference was seemingly minimal, the crash data was drastically different.

Among students who started school very early in Virginia Beach, there were 65.4 car crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers. In Chesapeake County, there were just 46.2 crashes per 1,000 teen drivers.

That is a 40% crash rate increase for schools starting a little over an hour earlier.

While this particular study didn’t account for the time of day of the crashes, this is not the first time school start times have been linked to the crash rate.

A 2008 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed a 16% decrease in accidents when a Kentucky school pushed start times back.

Falling asleep at the wheel is obviously dangerous, but for a new driver, merely being tired can have just as poor an effect on their driving.

To anyone who has ever lived with a teenager, this need for sleep isnt news. The average teen needs 9.25 hours of sleep and typically cant fall asleep until 11, so its no wonder that later start times help.

Several lobbyist groups are already pressuring schools to adopt earlier start times. If you don’t have time to get involved, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your teens are getting enough sleep.

Try turning off cell phones, computers, etc an hour or two before your teen needs to go to sleep so they can start winding down.

Avoid too many caffeinated beveragesand avoid caffeine entirely after 4 p.m.

Consider going over your teens daily schedule with them. When alarms start to go off at 6 a.m., and extracurricular activities last until 6 or 7 p.m., it can be hard to find time to juggle homework and a social life. Learning time management strategies from a young age ensures they can make time for sleep well into their adult life as well.

If your teen still didnt get the necessary amount of sleep, dont let them bike or drive to school. They may hate you for it, but at least they wont be a hazard to themselves or others on the road.

Copyright (c) 2010 James Parrish