My College Essay

My College Essay Ahh, the application essay. Why is it so agonizing for students worldwide? Which topic shall be chosen, A or B? Can I impress those admissions staff? Is there such a thing as too personal? I cant recall precisely when I decided to apply to MIT Early Action. Or precisely why. It was that dream in the sky that I think I wanted more than other dreams in the sky. And so my college application season began. My interview was at the Cosi at 13th Street and 6th Avenue with a young recent graduate named Steve. I always get really nervous at interviews. I remember nothing else about Steve (was he Course 15? 14? did he even know NYC?), but he liked the drawing Id made while waiting for him and seemed really impressed by my response to my upbringing and family situation. Like, about to pee his pants impressed that Id climbed so high on the life ladder. I left more than an hour later feeling like that went pretty well. Then theres the essay. Like a good hopeful applicant, I spent weeks thinking about and working on my essay. And reworking it. Over and over again. The online submission date was November 1. Shortly before then, something amazing happened. The website crashed. ZOMG THE SITE CRASHED If I recall correctly, nothing was actually lost. But for the trouble, we were granted a few extra days to submit our applications. The due date was moved to Friday, November 4th 11:59pm. WIN! (Also known as, do you know how to procrastinate? You will soon) I sometimes wonder whether what happened next was a fantastic twist of fate. How much would have changed if the following had not happened?: Early Friday evening, I decided I hated my essay. I hated it so much that I considered it broken beyond repair. So, with only a few hours before the deadline (maybe the site wont crash again?), I started my essay from scratch. The next two or three hours were a frantic night of keyboard-banging, friend-proofreading, and increasing panic. Wouldnt it have been safer to submit the overly-edited essay? I gave MIT the new essay, and MIT gave me admission. For those beginning their applications and perhaps working on their essays this very moment, and perhaps for those who were just curious as to what a decent college application essay is like, I share mine with you. Youll learn more about me in the process, which is really what the essay is supposed to do in the first place right? :) (If Ms. Cleary happens to be reading this, um, well, hi. Look where I am now. :D) Living in the graffiti-adorned projects of the Lower East Side, I’ve adjusted well to low-income living. Stuyvesant High School’s done a first-rate job on making me feel like an outcast for it. “You can get a fee waiver once you give us a copy of your parent’s 1040 tax forms,” Ms. Cleary automatically explained. “My parents don’t have tax forms,” I said pointedly. “They don’t fill them out.” “Of course they file tax forms,” she shot back. “Everyone does.” After a few more minutes of fruitless discussion, I left the College Office, unsuccessful. I would pay for SAT II exams, again. Even with fee waivers, applying to college is pricey. Sending test scores to more than 4 colleges cost money, AP exams fees are reduced but not obliterated, and I’d love to meet the genius who thought of charging a fee for applying for financial aid. When approaching Ms. Cleary for help with the CCS Profile I didn’t know where to indicate welfare and food stamp income she asked me which school I chose to apply to. “M.I.T.,” I replied. “Oh, M.I.T.?” she mused. “How ironic, that you’re applying to M.I.T. and yet you can’t fill out a form…” I don’t consider my school’s administration supportive or welcoming. My family felt strained enough paying $57 for senior dues when I attended middle school. Being a senior at Stuy is much, much worse. So far, this year’s classes have demanded about $270 total in textbooks, workbooks, art supplies, and other expenses. When my teachers ask whether anyone will have trouble paying for their supplies, no one speaks up and an awkward silence ensues. While academic costs have mostly been waived, high school memories are not priceless. Yearbook photos just came in, and packages cost from $86 to about $230. I’ll probably wear an old dress and take the subway to my senior prom, which will probably set me back another $160. I will not get a class ring. Many of my friends carry $10 and $20 daily, while I get $5 on a good day. Most of their parents are middle to upper class, working as teachers, lawyers, programmers, doctors, writers, social workers, or scientists, unlike my mother who is excused from work because of illness. Some of my classmates come from private schools, and many buy prep books for exams and have been in expensive SAT prep courses since middle school. They seem unable to comprehend my situation; the blank, baffled looks on their faces upon learning I have no cable television, cell phone, or air conditioning shock me. “We do it because we want you to be happy,” my grandmother had explained to me when giving me $60 to attend a discounted college trip. Even in a nation governed by socioeconomic class, I believe that happiness and perseverance are enough for success. Although I use second-hand paints and brushes in acrylic painting class, I know that my painting will look just as striking. MY college essay Responses to comments: Sam said: Laura, I cant make my lab printer duplex. Can you come fix it? No. Anonymous said: SOMEWHERE theres a photo of a Burton-Conner room also with an amazing beach theme (jaw-dropping in its home makeover-like looks). Do you know anything about it? (JKim didnt.) Arg, you know, I think I actually know what youre talking about. I feel like it was used in some previous i3 publication (the handbook with photos of the various dorms distributed to incoming freshmen during the summer), but Im not sure where I could find it Sean said: So..can anyone paint any dorm room any style? How far can the decoration go?-Custom fish tank/mini fridge/plasma screen a possibility? Ah, so its important to note that only some dorms, namely the East Campus (Bexley, Random, East Campus, and Senior House) dorms plus Burton Conner allow students to paint their rooms. Other modifications, such as lofts, and I suppose, custom fish tanks, are allowed in these dorms if they meet safety requirements. Other dorms would be less understanding. As for your plasma screen TV and fridge, sure- youre welcome to put whatever youd like into your dorm room (in any residence hall), except for microwaves and hot plates, which are usually allowed to be stored in some common area. Snively said: The beads are so confusing!!! Ha! I wish I had a good video of Snively trying to come into my room, its hilarious. I sometimes refer to the beads as my Snively trap. Anonymous said: Im sorry but I just have to tell the truth. Your room doesnt look like a I could be an interior designer persons room. Its boring and looks like very typical college dorm. What makes you so proud? Way to be a total killjoy. *eyeroll* Obviously a college dorm room is not ideal to demonstrate interior design skills. What exactly would a future interior decorators college dorm room look like anyway? Would it look less like a college dorm room? Equally obvious, I would think, is that Im not even actually serious about becoming an interior designer. Im proud because I took what most people considered to be an awful room with a bad shape, size and lighting and through a lot of hard work made it seem more spacious and livable. Steve said: good blog,I am doing research for my Daughter,she wants to apply to MIT but I think she may be feel somewhat intiminated,she is a hs jr in a sci.math. tech. academy in the midwest ranked 8 of 667,she didnt get much respect going in as a girl,that know has changed, it if I can get her to read your blog ,it may help her. Thanks Oh boy, I could go on for hooours about the topic of women in engineering, and I might not have exactly the opinions that you might assume. In any case, you can read lots of other peoples perspectives on the topic here. I said: Im off to grab some food, head to a 2.009 meeting, and then pack for a spontaneous 24 hour trip back to the greatest state ever. sauza said: but why are you going to colorado? Oh, haha. Now that Im back from New Jersey, I can say it was a much-needed break to get off campus for awhile. Im even more confident to not continue on into grad school right away, because man, living on a college campus puts you in such a bubble. I think I even forgot that suburbia existed. It was also my first time home after living in Spain, which represented not only another culture, but my first time really living on my own, outside the whole college dorm system. So I think I looked at my hometown with even more adult eyes than ever before. I dont think Ive actually expressed what I mean here at all, but basically, it was interesting. I was also lucky enough to come home on the weekend when my sister had her Baby Think it Over doll for health class- its basically this electronic doll that will start crying at random times and will only stop when you feed it, change its diaper, whatever. It was hilarious. =) So, on to my real entry. I thought about posting my college admissions essay before, but it just sort of never happened. But Cristen has just posted hers, so it seems like now is the time, since it will give our dear readers a chance to compare and contrast how two different people approached the essay situation. I started digging through my hard drive for this essay and of course couldnt help myself: I stopped to read the whole bunch. It was pretty interesting to read them with 3 years of perspective on life, and experience talking to people about college admissions. I re-read one of the essays I wrote for Caltech and the moment I finished I said, that was a really good essay, but no wonder they waitlisted me! It was well-written and engaging, but really didnt give them any useful information about me, I dont think. It was also weird to be reminded of the many colleges I applied to, and the fact that almost all of them admitted me. MIT is great and all, but I am very intrigued by the mysterious thought of where I would be if I had chosen the fork in the road marked Columbia, University of Maryland, or Case Western Reserve. Its actually a little creepy. So, on to the essay. For a little backstory and explanation, the essay prompt was Life brings many disappointments as well as satisfactions. Tell us about a time in your life when you experienced disappointment, or faced difficult or trying circumstances. How did you react? I had a pretty rough time writing this essay, as I described in my first application advice entry. I will now blatantly plagarize myself instead of writing the exact same thing over again. For my essay, I decided to write about problems I had to overcome on my high school field hockey team. I thought I had a great, original story to tell. So I wrote my essay about overcoming obstacles and not giving up and gave it to a friend to proofread, and he told me it was horrible. I got pretty upset with him, as you can imagine. Here I was, totally convinced that I had this edgy, original story to tell, and he went and shot me down by telling me just how unoriginal it was. It turns out we were both right. I did have a pretty cool and original story- after all, it was a true life story. No one else has had the same experiences as me. But while writing the essay, I tried to cram 3 years of experience into 500 words, so all that came across was I didnt give up even though I came across obstacles. Well guess what- that has happened to everybody! So I sat down and completely started over. Only this time, I chose a very specific obstacle that I was faced with- one incident that happened on one particular day- and wrote a very detailed description about that experience. I showed this new essay to my mother, who told me it made me look like I was just whining about challenges! The actual story had been lost in all my details about that one specific incident. By now I was really frustrated with everyone who kept telling me my essays sucked, and I was determined to prove that I actually did have a good essay in there somewhere! So I sat down with the 2 completely different essays and pieced together a hybrid with the most important parts of each. By the time I was done I thought I had a pretty cool college application essay. The key is to find the right balance between giving detailed descriptions that are about you, and showing the admissions people the big picture (how your story shows something about who you are, and how it relates back to the question they actually asked you in the first place!) And just one note, for the record: I apologize for the last couple of lines. They are a bit ridiculously heavy-handed, and I recognize that they not necessarily absolutes. So before you start arguing with me about them, please remember that this is a college admissions essay, and I tried desperately to make the last paragraph into something both with an inspiring message and not cookie-cutter beat-you-over-the-head cheesy, and if I failed I am sorry. =) Also, if Coach Bower is out there reading thiswell, too bad. I couldn’t breathe. If there was ever a time to quit, this was it. It was an innocent conditioning drill. Two partners raced to a ball at the fifty yard line with incentive to win: the loser ran an extra one hundred yards. My partner was Kelly, one of the fastest girls on the team. It wasn’t long before I was having an asthma attack. I often imagined myself wearing a varsity jacket with pride, but my field hockey coaches impeded my goal. They humiliated me on the field. They promoted freshmen to varsity and made me the ball girl. They told me I’d “never be more than an okay player.” When I crossed the end line after yet another one hundred yard punishment sprint, I’d long since given up hope on my goal. The dream of a varsity jacket I could wear proudly had degraded to the dream of a varsity letter gathering dust in the attic. After years of sacrifice and hard work, I was nothing more than a senior in high school still playing junior varsity. Coach Bower called my name. I turned to her, holding my back erect and pressing my hands to my stomach, desperately trying to control the frantic nature of my breathing. She must have noticed the wheezing. She must have seen the tears threatening to spill from my panicked eyes. “Walk to the stroke mark.” She was giving me a six yard head start. I forced my body forward, head to the ground to hide the tears of shame that burned my eyes. There was dead silence behind me as my teammates stood in a uniform line and stared at my back. “Take a few more steps.” The silence was broken by my own gasping sobs. This was more than embarrassment. This was abject humiliation. I could see my teammates out of the corner of my eye, whispering. Coach announced to the field: “Let’s see if we can give Kelly a challenge.” My hands shook with rage. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the orange ball ahead of me. It suddenly didn’t matter if it was forty-four yards or fifty yards or three miles away. I was going to get there first, or die trying. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet, wheezing, hiccupping, and waiting. She blew the whistle. I clenched my teeth through the pain in my chest and sprinted, sobbing between gasping breaths. I beat Kelly by one step. Days later, I was finally given one chance to play varsity and prove myself to the same coaches who said I’d never be “more than okay.” It wasn’t long before I was a varsity starter. I might have waited my whole life and never caught that lucky break necessary to capture my dreams, but it would have been impossible to succeed if I had given up before that chance came my way. There is no such thing as failure. There are only missed opportunities.

Belmont Abbey College SAT Scores, Admit Rate, Tuition

Federal Reserve Bank Of New York Essay - 1620 Words

I. Introduction According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, â€Å"The Balance of Payment† (BOP) is a statement used by a country to summarize an economy’s transactions with the rest of the world by both private and public sectors for a specified time period, usually every quarter or year. It is known as â€Å"Balance of International Payment†, it involves all transactions between a country’s residents and its non-residents involving goods, services and income, financial claims on and liabilities to the rest of the word. If a country has received money, this is known as a â€Å"credit†, and if a country has paid or given money, the transaction is counted as a â€Å"debit†. Theoretically, the BOP should be zero, meaning that assets (credits) and liabilities (debits) should balance; however, in the reality, this is rarely the case. The BOP is divided into 3 main categories: the current account, the capital account, and the financial account (Reem Heakle, 2015). 1. The Current Account The current account refers to the export and import of goods and services into a country. Within the current account are credits and debits on the trade of merchandise, including goods such as raw materials and manufactured goods that are bought, sold or given away in the form of aid. Services refer to receipts from tourism, transportation, engineering, business service fees such as lawyers or management consulting, and royalties from patents and copyrights, and income-generating assets such as stocks. Last butShow MoreRelatedFederal Reserve Bank Of New York924 Words   |  4 Pagesthe education system is not thriving. Three decades ago, America was the leader in the quality of high school diplomas, yet, students in the U.S. rate 31st in math literacy and 23rd in science in comparison to the rest of the world. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) The country that is famous for being the most advanced and innovative country in the world is yielding a generation t hat is falling behind in the global education race. Public K-12 education is worsening simultaneously with the growingRead MoreThe Federal Reserve Essay695 Words   |  3 Pagesthe early 1900s; he passed the Federal Reserve Act. American citizens have been wary of a government-controlled banking system since the formation of the country. The people did not trust centralized government action, and they were largely agrarian people, knowing little about the banking industry. Still, Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury, was determined to create a national bank. His efforts resulted in the establishment of the First Bank of the United States in 1791, andRead MoreFederal Bank Of Commerce : The Knickerbocker Trust Company1047 Words   |  5 PagesIn the year of 1907, New York City had three types of banks which were; national banks, state banks, and trusts. Trust companies were making more money, successfully seizing large portions of stock from major industries. The Knickerbocker Trust company was ranked the 3rd largest Trust company in New York City. This was a major concern for the National bank, and they perceived the success of the Knickerbocker Trust company as a threat. While riding the waves of success, the Knickerbocker Trust companyRead MoreFinanical Crises of September 11th Essay1531 Words   |  7 Pagesthe economic issues temporarily receded politically. The Federal Reserve had a major challenge on September 11, 2001 as the attacks by terrorist on Washington, Pennsylvania and New York were disruptive on the U.S. financial markets. The Federal Reserve immediately issued a short statement (FRB, 2001) â€Å"The Federal Reserve System is open and operating. The discount window is available to meet liquidity needs.† The results, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates and loaned more that $45 billion toRead MoreThe Federal Open Market Committee1313 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract The Federal Reserve System has three branches: the Board of Governors, The Federal Open Market Committee, and Reserve Banks. The Federal Reserve System (Fed) supplies and regulates America’s money to all the banks. The Board of Governors is the main authority of the three branches of the Fed, and it supervises other banks. The Federal Open Market Committee is the most prominent policymaker of the three branches and regulates the supply of money in the economy. Federal Reserve Banks serve otherRead MoreThe Federal Reserve System Is The United States Central Bank1339 Words   |  6 PagesHayden Hill Macroeconomics Professor Gislason 27 April 2017 The Federal Reserve System The Federal Reserve System, also called â€Å"the FED†, is the United States central bank, a national institution which governs the production and distribution of money. It was created to provide the United States with a more secure and more stable financial structure. The Federal Reserve System has many responsibilities today. First, the FED controls U.S. monetary policy by altering the supply and demand of the economyRead MoreThe Federal Reserve1187 Words   |  5 PagesJannet Yellen is Chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, and arguably the most influential person in the world. The Federal Reserve is the bank of the United States. The Federal Reserve’s decisions, approved by Jannet Yellen, impact the entire US Economy, the largest and most important economy in the world, almost instantly. The Federal Reserve is quasi-private. It is not apart of the U.S. Government, however, it is not an entirely separate entity. The Federal Reserve was founded in 1913 as a means toRead More The Federal Reserve System Essay1087 Words   |  5 PagesGovernment have always been difficult to figure out especially when it comes to interest rates. Due to our Federal Reserve System, its chairman Alan Greenspan, and his Board of Governors dedicated to seeing that our economy blossoms, those doubts have become a thing of the past, for now. The Federal Reserve System is a central banking of the US Government, most commonly known as the Fed. A central bank serves as the banker to both the banking community and the government. It issues the national currencyRead MoreThe United States Economy: The Slow Recovery of a Nation711 Words   |  3 PagesRecovery of a Nation Consumer concern over a declining housing market, political gridlock in Washington, high energy and healthcare costs, and budget worries collectively have resulted in an economic meltdown in need of a recovery. After 9/11, central banks around the world cut interest rates so low that investors borrowed disproportionate amounts of money leading to reduced liquidity and a buildup of foreign exchange outside the United States. While at the same time, Americans overindulged in consumptionRead MoreThe Workings And Structure Of The Federal Reserve Banks Of Usa1507 Words   |  7 Pagesfurthermore consists of the Federal Reserve System, foreign banks, commercial banks, offshore banks, credit unions and saving institutions. Financial markets consist of debt and money markets, equities markets and futures and options markets. Lastly, nonbank financial institutions consist of asset-based finance companies, commercial lending companies and insurance companies. This paper is an endeavor to un derstand the workings and structure of the Federal Reserve Banks of USA. Founded by the U.S

Reflection on Beauty Practices Free Essays

Beauty has been defined in many ways. In some cultures beauty is everything, its what makes them who they are and in some cases represents where they come from. For example in America white teeth and pink gums are desired to fulfill a beautiful smile; however the women of Senegal and the Philippines believe this is not true. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection on Beauty Practices or any similar topic only for you Order Now To beautify their smiles, Senegalese tattoos their gums black, and the women of the B’laan tribe file and blacken their teeth. These women also convinced themselves that they are not only beautifying their smiles, however they are also maintaining dental hygiene. Some cultures are willing to go through pain to fulfill their idea of beauty. For example the women of china bound their feet to be more desirable to men. This process was extremely painful, their toenails were cut very short and their toes were curled under the sole of their feet until they were broken. This procedure limited women in their daily tasks. Tattooing of the gums in Senegal is also an extremely painful procedure. In order to achieve black gums one must go through excruciating pain, needles are repeatedly inserted in a rapid pace with black ink. About seven layers are ideal to achieve this desired look. Viewing these videos has giving me a better understanding of beauty in different cultures, and even though beauty is mostly shown on the outside it can also have a huge mental affect on people. I have also learned that cultural beauty tactics that has been passed down from generation to generation can also come to an end at times. It can be rather upsetting to the older generation, however it cannot be avoided, for generation can also change with time. How to cite Reflection on Beauty Practices, Papers

Star Wars Essays (950 words) - Fiction, Action Heroes, Star Wars

Star Wars Star Wars By George Lucas Paperback, November 1998 Star Wars is a science fiction adventure novel. The symbolism and characterization was really excellent in the story. The story gives a great look into the future as it has many different types of things we have not yet invented; blaster rifles, space ships that go the speed of light, fat alien slugs, and beam swords. The plot of the story sucks you into the novel and makes you want to continue reading the novel. The plot of the story mainly reflects on a young boy, Luke Skywalker. Luke was raised on his Uncle's moisture farm on the planet Tatooine. He meets up with Obi-Wan Kenobi by following a droid, R2-D2, he had purchased through a small natives of Tatooine known as Jawas. R2-D2 believes he is the property of Obi-Wan and decides to search for its master. Luke is attacked by another group of natives, Tusken Raiders also known as sand people. Obi-Wan comes and saves Luke from the sand people and take him back to his home. Obi-Wan tells Luke a little about his father. He tells Luke that his father was his apprentice in learning the ways of the Force. Obi-Wan gives Luke his father's old light saber and Obi-Wan finds something inside R2-D2. It is a message from Princess Leia. She sent the two droids, R2-D2 and C3-PO, to send this message to Obi-Wan. Luke and Obi-Wan head back to Luke's house and find a Sandcrawler, a vehicle the Jawas travel in, destroyed. Luke thinks that some Tusken Raiders did this, but Obi-Wan points out that Imperial Storm Troopers have attacked the Jawas. Luke then finds out that his uncle and aunt are dead. He then decides to train to be a Jedi Knight. They head to a Mos Eisley, a spaceport to search for a pilot to get them to the planet Alderaan. Obi-Wan and Luke meet up with a smuggler named Han Solo and his co-pilot, Chewbacca the Wookie also known as Chewie. They make a deal for Han to take the two humans and the two droids to Alderaan. While preparing the ship Han runs into a crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Jabba was mad at Han for dropping off his shipments and running with out paying him. Han promises Jabba he will have his money soon and a little more. As they start boarding the ship some Storm Troopers find them and started attacking. They take off in the Millennium Falcon and escape the Imperial forces. While heading for the planet Alderaan, Luke trains in the Millennium Falcon. Obi-Wan suddenly feels something evil through the force. They reach the area where Alderaan is and find that it had been blown up. They see an Imperial TIE Fighter. They follow it to a small moon, but discover it is not a small moon, but a space station, The Death Star that was built by the Empire. They got sucked into the station by a tracker beam and had to hide from the Storm Troopers, who were checking the ship for the crew. Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, Chewie, and the two droids hid in secret compartments Han used to smuggle goods. When some rookie Storm Troopers came aboard they mugged them and took their uniforms to sneak through the Death Star. Obi-Wan headed alone to deactivate the tracker beam from inside the Death Star. Luke, Han, and Chewie went to the prison block to free Princess Leia. They get attacked by Storm Troopers and escape into a garbage chute. There the crushing walls in the garbage chute almost flatten them, but C3-PO and R2-D2 barely save them by shutting down the garbage crushing units. After their escape from the garbage disposal unit they get chased by more Storm Troopers, but this time Luke and Leia get separated from Chewie and Han. They meet back at the Millennium Flacon. There they watch Obi-Wan battle with Darth Vader in a grueling light saber duel. Darth Vader one, but in the same time lost. Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewie escape the Death Star and head for the Rebellion Base on the planet Yavin. There, Han and Chewie get their reward money for saving Princess Leia and leave,

Possessives and Apostrophes on SAT Writing 4 Key Tips

Possessives and Apostrophes on SAT Writing 4 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you know how to determine if a noun should have an apostrophe? Do you know where to place apostrophes in possessive nouns? Do you know when to use there vs. they're? These are all topics that are tested on the SAT. The SAT Writing section has questions about possessive nouns and pronouns. In this article, I'll provide you with all the rules and strategies to correctly answer these questions. Possessives on the SAT Possessives indicate ownership. Here are some example sentences with the possessives underlined: Sergio’s kindness is amazing. The students’ behavior was unacceptable. Their voices should be heard. Generally, you can expect about 2-4 questions about possessives on the SAT. The questions on possessives will test your knowledge of possessive nouns and possessive pronouns. Possessive Nouns On the SAT, you will be tested on how to correctly form possessive nouns. Thankfully, the basic rules for forming possessive nouns are pretty simple. If a word is singular or if it’s plural but it doesn’t end in â€Å"s,† then you add an apostrophe and then an "s" to the end of the word. The giraffe’s neck is really long. The children’s playground has monkey bars. To create a possessive for a plural word that does end in â€Å"s,† just place the apostrophe after the â€Å"s.† I saw a dance troupe perform last night, and I was impressed with the dancers’ skills. Prayitno/Flickr On the SAT Writing section, the questions on possessive nouns are about determining whether an apostrophe is needed, and if so, whether the possessive is singular or plural. Should a Noun Be Possessive? To determine if a noun should be possessive, take the noun, put an â€Å"of† in front of it, and stick it after the noun or phrase that follows it. Here’s an example: The schools code of conduct is very strict. Here’s how you change the sentence to determine if â€Å"school† should be possessive: The code of conduct of the school is very strict. Does that make sense? Yes. The sentence is referring to the code of conduct belonging to the school; therefore, â€Å"school† should be possessive. This is the corrected sentence: The school’s code of conduct is very strict. Also, plural nouns don’t contain apostrophes. Check out this example: Incorrect: I downloaded 15 song’s yesterday. Correct: I downloaded 15 songs yesterday. Is the sentence describing "yesterday of the song?" No. That doesn't make much sense. The sentence is just using the plural form of the word â€Å"song† because there was more than one song downloaded. Because the noun isn’t being used as a possessive, there shouldn’t be an apostrophe. Should the Possessive Noun Be Plural or Singular? The other factor you’ll have to consider is whether a possessive should be plural or singular. As mentioned above, that can have an impact on where the apostrophe is placed. For example, â€Å"the candidate’s rhetoric† refers to the rhetoric of one candidate, and â€Å"the candidates’ rhetoric† refers to the rhetoric of more than one candidate. Use context clues to determine if the possessive should be singular or plural. Example: Every contestant’s goal was to win the grand prize. Should the possessive be singular or plural? This sentence can be tricky for some students. Are we referring to the goal of one contestant or many contestants. Some may incorrectly assume that the possessive should be plural. However, â€Å"every† implies that we’re talking about the goal of each contestant individually. To remember that â€Å"every† implies singular, think of â€Å"every† as â€Å"every single.† Check out another example: All of the contestants’ buzzers weren’t working. â€Å"All† implies more than one; therefore, we should use a plural possessive and the apostrophe should come after the â€Å"s.† SAT Example The SAT will test you on the issues we just discussed. Use your knowledge of possessive nouns to answer these questions. There are two nouns in this sentence, â€Å"bodies† and â€Å"biological clocks.† Based on the answer choices, we know that we have to determine whether each noun is a plural noun, a singular possessive, or a plural possessive. You should recognize that â€Å"biological clocks† is a plural noun; there is no noun or phrase that follows â€Å"biological clocks† before the comma, and the sentence is not referring to anything of the biological clocks. Therefore, that noun shouldn’t contain an apostrophe. Immediately, we can get rid of B and D. Now we have to determine whether â€Å"bodies† should be a noun or a possessive. Let’s try the replacement method. Is the sentence stating that circadian rhythms are controlled by the "biological clocks of the body?" Yes. The sentence is indicating possession and â€Å"bodies† should be in the possessive form. The correct answer is C. The sentence is referring to the body in general and not multiple bodies, so we use the singular possessive form. Try one more example: From the answer choices, we know we have to determine whether â€Å"waterways† should be a possessive or a plural noun. Again, let's use the replacement method. Is the sentence describing something of the waterways or referring to more than one waterway? It should be a plural noun without an apostrophe because the sentence is stating that acid-whey runoff can pollute waterways. There is nothing indicating possession. Therefore, we can eliminate B and D. Now the question becomes a verb tense question. Because the sentence begins in the present tense with â€Å"is,† the correct answer should also have a verb in the present tense to maintain consistency. The correct answer is A. Possessive Pronouns The SAT will also test you on possessive pronouns. Examples of possessive pronouns include â€Å"my,† â€Å"your,† â€Å"its,† â€Å"his,† â€Å"her,† â€Å"our,† and â€Å"their.† Most of the SAT questions on possessive pronouns will test you on the third person possessive pronouns â€Å"its† and â€Å"their.† There are two types of possessive pronoun questions: word choice and pronoun agreement. Word Choice Homophones These are the most common type of possessive pronoun questions. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings. Typically, you’ll have to choose whether to use â€Å"there,† â€Å"they’re,† or â€Å"their.† Or you’ll have to choose between â€Å"its† and â€Å"it’s.† Here is a table showing these common homophones and how they're used. there- usually shows location or that something exists they're- contraction for "they are" their- plural possessive pronoun its- singular possessive pronoun it's- contraction for "it is" Check out these example sentences that demonstrate how these words are used: Incorrect: The girls said mean things. There statements were unkind. Correct: The girls said mean things. Their statements were unkind. In this sentence, we can determine that the underlined word should be a possessive pronoun by using the replacement technique. The sentence is saying that the statements of them were unkind. The word â€Å"there† can be used in multiple ways, but to keeps things simple, just remember that â€Å"their† indicates possession and â€Å"there† doesn’t. silverkeys/Flickr Also, keep in mind that the word â€Å"they’re† is a contraction for â€Å"they are.† You can only use â€Å"they’re† if it can be replaced with â€Å"they are.† Incorrect: I love my friends. Their the best. Correct: I love my friends. They’re the best. The underlined word is not indicating possession, but it can be replaced with â€Å"They are.† â€Å"They† is a pronoun that refers to my friends and â€Å"are† is the verb in the sentence. Check out one more example: Incorrect: The puppy was wagging it’s tail. Correct: The puppy was wagging its tail. The word â€Å"it’s† is a contraction of â€Å"it is.† The word â€Å"its† indicates possession. The sentence is referring to the tail of the puppy or the tail of it. To correctly answer these types of questions, use the replacement technique to determine if the underlined word should be a possessive pronoun. Possessive Pronoun Agreement There may also be questions dealing with pronoun agreement. The main rule you have to remember is that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. Singular pronouns must refer to singular nouns and plural pronouns must refer to plural nouns. Here are some examples: Incorrect: Sheila untied their shoes. Correct: Sheila untied her shoes. Incorrect: The chairs had dust on its legs. Correct: The chairs had dust on their legs. In the first sentence, the pronoun â€Å"their† describes the shoes of Sheila. Because Sheila is one person, we need to use the singular pronoun â€Å"her.† In the second sentence, the underlined pronoun refers to the legs of the chairs. Because â€Å"chairs† is plural, we should use the plural possessive pronoun â€Å"their.† SAT Examples Answer these questions related to possessive pronouns. First, let’s determine if the underlined word should be a contraction or a possessive. Does the word mean â€Å"it is† or is it a possessive? Let's try the replacement technique. Does this sentence work? Scientists have long known that soot particles facilitate melting by darkening snow and ice, limiting the ability of snow and ice to reflect the Sun's rays. Yes. That works. The sentence is referring to the ability of snow and ice to reflect the Sun’s rays; therefore the underlined word is a possessive. So we can get rid of A and C. Now we have to determine if the possessive pronoun should be singular or plural. What has the ability to reflect the Sun's rays? Snow and ice. That's two things, so the pronoun that takes their place needs to be plural. The correct answer is D. Try one more possessive pronoun question. In this question, there are two words in the underlined phrase that could be possessive pronouns. The first is the word â€Å"they’re,† which is a contraction for â€Å"they are.† Should that word remain the same, be the word â€Å"there,† or the possessive pronoun â€Å"their?† The sentence implies that the word is referring to the value of his findings, or â€Å"their value.† Therefore, we can immediately eliminate A and C. Next, let’s look at the underlined pronoun â€Å"their† after â€Å"in.† That word also refers to findings and should be a possessive. Thus, that word should remain the same and the correct answer is B. Review: Strategies for Possessive Questions Here are the most important tips to remember to conquer the SAT Writing questions about possessives. #1: Use the Replacement Technique Once you see a possessive underlined or in the answer choices, make sure you determine whether the word should be a possessive. Remember that â€Å"Justin’s book† is another way of saying â€Å"the book of Justin.† If you saw â€Å"Justins book,† you should recognize that there is an error because the phrase is referring to the book of Justin. If a sentence doesn’t work using the replacement technique, then the underlined word is not a possessive. #2: Singular or Plural? If you determine that one of the underlined words should be a possessive, then you need to decide whether the possessive should be in the singular or plural form. Use the replacement technique, and if the possessive is "of (singular noun)," then you need a singular possessive. If the possessive is "of (plural noun)," use a plural possessive. #3: Focus on Apostrophe Rules For possessive nouns, remember your apostrophe rules. For singular nouns or plural nouns that don’t end in â€Å"s,† just add an apostrophe to the word and then an â€Å"s.† For plural nouns that end in â€Å"s,† just and an apostrophe after the â€Å"s.† #4: Know Your Contractions On possessive questions, you may have to choose between â€Å"it’s† and â€Å"its† or â€Å"their† and â€Å"they’re.† Remember that â€Å"it’s† is a contraction for â€Å"it is† and â€Å"they’re† is a contraction for â€Å"they are.† If you select â€Å"it’s,† the sentence would have to make sense and be grammatically correct if you substituted â€Å"it’s† for â€Å"it is.† Similarly, if you selected â€Å"they’re,† the sentence would have to work if you substituted â€Å"they’re† for â€Å"they are.† What's Next? As you continue your SAT Writing studying, make sure you know the 12 most important grammar rules. Also, pay special attention to punctuation and transitions. Finally, if you're familiar with the old SAT, find out how SAT Writing has changed. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

25 Confused Homonym Pairs

25 Confused Homonym Pairs 25 Confused Homonym Pairs 25 Confused Homonym Pairs By Mark Nichol Dozens of homonyms, words that sound like other words but are spelled differently, are sometimes confused for their near doppelgngers. This post lists and defines twenty-five frequently confused word pairs, in which the first word is usually used mistakenly in place of the second one. (Definitions for words are simplified and not comprehensive.) 1. add: increase ad: abbreviation for advertisement 2. aid: help aide: one who helps 3. block: area bounded by streets, or an obstacle or a solid object bloc: group with ideas or ideology in common 4. cannon: piece of artillery canon: collection of works, or regulation, or standards or rules or a collection of them 5. canvas: durable, heavy protective material canvass: debate, examine, or go out in search of responses 6. chomp: bite down champ: bite down (same meaning, but idiom is â€Å"champ at the bit†) 7. compliment: praise complement: complete or enhance 8. conscious: aware conscience: adherence to or regard for fairness or moral strength 9. council: deliberative or legislative body counsel: legal adviser 10. discrete: separate discreet: modest, prudent, unobtrusive 11. fair: event for entertainment, exhibition, and trade fare: specific type of food 12. phase: carry out or introduce a stage, or adjust for synchronicity faze: disturb 13. flare: signal fire or light, or a reflecting or bright, unsteady light or a sudden outburst, an outward spreading or something that spreads flair: style, or talent or tendency 14. forward: ahead of foreword: brief introductory section of a book 15. hardy: audacious, brave, durable hearty: healthy, vigorous, enthusiastic, or unrestrained, or full of appetite 16. isle: truncated form of island aisle: passage between groups of seats 17. ordinance: law or rule ordnance: ammunition and explosives 18. premier: best, or a political leader premiere: first performance or showing of a form of entertainment 19. principal: leader of a school, or a leading person in an organization principle: code, idea, or law 20. roll: list or other document, or material held as or in a roll role: function, or character or part played 21. tact: diplomacy or discretion tack: approach or course 22. team: group organized to achieve a goal or to compete teem: be filled to overflowing or present in large quantities 23. tenant: renter tenet: something generally held to be true 24. troop: unit of military personnel troupe: group of performers 25. wreck: destroy wreak: cause, inflict Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of HumorDoes "Mr" Take a Period?5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation