Prepare For the CLEP Exam

By Wayne Hemrick

When you enter college, the usual process is to take two years of what amounts to a liberal arts education, and then focus in on a major for the remaining two years of a typical four-year bachelor's degree. The general education classes, as they are fondly known, are usually introductory courses on a wide variety of subjects. If you have gained knowledge through your work experiences, through life adventures or through other classes that you have taken, you might want to consider the option of sitting for a Clep exam, and using clep prep to help you get ready. Through clep testing, you might be able to earn from three to twelve credits in as little as two hours of your time, depending on your school's policy concerning credit by examination.

If you decide to pursue this education option, you will want to utilize a clep study guide to help you prepare. Quality clep study guides will provide you with a host of help. They offer questions similar to the ones you will find on an actual clep test, along with the answers. Practice tests are also available, so you can try out several tests at home and see how well you do before you get into an actual testing situation. This type of clep prep is invaluable to help you feel more comfortable and relaxed on test day, because you will be properly prepared.

Clep prep study guides come in thick books, and online clep study guides are also available. These are particularly useful, because when you answer a practice question, they offer you immediate feedback as to the accuracy of your answer. This will help you remember facts more easily, because if you get a wrong answer you will find out what the correct answer is instantaneously, and you can make notes and store that away in your memory for future use on the actual test day.

Another way online clep study can help you with clep testingis in learning how to deal with the time constraints placed upon you. The clep is a timed exam, so you will need to learn how to use your time wisely so you can finish the entire exam in the alloted time. Some people like to answer the questions for which they are certain of the answers first, then go back and spend more time on the harder ones. This is fine, but you'll want to double check that you leave no questions unanswered if you skip around the questions. Clep study guides and clep prep practice tests can help you gauge how long you might need for certain questions likely to be asked on the exam. These forms of clep prep can help you succeed on your next clep test.

Wayne Hemrick is dedicated to higher education. In this article he writes about clep Exam

Want to Become a CSI? Top 5 Schools to Become a Crime Scene Investigator

By Jason Chisolm

So you've watched the cool TV show and now you've decided you want to be a CSI or crime scene investigator huh? Well, not to burst your bubble, but becoming a CSI or forensic scientist requires some real work on your part. Ready to give it a try? Here are the five best choices for colleges if you want into this exciting career path.

Not in any particular order, here are the top five forensic science colleges:

1. University of Mississippi

2. University of Central Florida

3. Loyola University, New Orleans

4. Michigan State University

5. Arkansas State University

What do these five schools have in common? They offer top notch degrees in the field of forensic science. You should know going in that advanced knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and human anatomy are prerequisites. While this science based background is extremely important, you should know that future potential employers are also going to care about what you learned as opposed to where you learned it. For this reason, no matter what school you end up at, be sure to get good grades, participate in as many extra-curricular activities as possible, and really dive into the subject matter at hand. You do these things, and police departments, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies will beat down your door to offer you a job.

If you want to be a CSI, you should actively pursue a school that offers a forensics science program. Whether you choose one of the schools listed here, or another institution, be sure to get the training that you need. It isn't quite as sexy as the popular TV make it out to be, however, CSI's do have an exciting and well paid career.

To learn more about pursuing a career as a CSI, visit Forensic Science Basics.

How to Write a College Application Letter of Recommendation

By Carol Eiseman

Over the years, I have written letters for business associates. However, my favorites to write are for young students who are applying for colleges, scholarships or their first job. These are personal reference letters and I love getting the chance to sit with these young adults and talk about their futures and aspirations. These conversations help me in writing letters that are relevant, meaningful and honest. As a result I have become the first stop for many of my four children's friends who are in need of a letter of recommendation.

A letter of recommendation should be one of the easiest pieces of correspondence to compose. You are usually asked to author this by someone that you know well either from your business or personal circles. Having direct knowledge about the subject of your letter should make it easy to expound on their character strengths, personal attributes and accomplishments. In spite of this, it may still be an overwhelming prospect for many.

So, how to start... As I just mentioned, get additional information from the person. You may know them personally as they hang out at your house, but find out what their other outside interests and accomplishments have been. Make sure you know the specifics of what is being asked for in the letter. Get a copy of the requisite for the letter. This information is usually on the college or scholarship application instructions. If it is their first job, find out why THEY think they are qualified. Review their resume together for further insights.

The letter itself... The recipient, their title and the address must be on the letter. Also for college admission letters, reference the candidate's name and social security or admission ID number. If you have a job with official stationary, use it. It adds a more professional touch. In the opening paragraph, confirm why you are writing the letter. For example, you could begin with a sentence like this. I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for "full name" who is applying for acceptance to your university. You want to make sure the recipient knows immediately what this letter is referencing.

The body of the letter.. You should identify how long and in what capacity you have know this person. It can be as simple as a "family friend for 20 years". Don't be afraid to point out background information about a strong family foundation. Personalizing the letter makes for a more interesting read. Next outline the accomplishments, attributes and interests of the person and relate them back to why these factors make your candidate an outstanding choice. Be specific and give examples. A generalized, vague letter will not help your student.

The conclusion of the letter should be a strong one line reiteration of the candidate's qualifications. You should also include your personal email and/or phone for any follow up that may be required. While the recipient may never reach out to you, this offer of further contact underscores your commitment to the person's qualifications.

In the final analysis, the candidate's resume will have to speak for itself. However, a well written, honest, and "real" letter of recommendation can be that little extra asset that will differentiate your candidate from the pack. So step up and offer to help the students in your life. Celebrate these kids by offering to help them. If you would like to see some sample letters of recommendation I have written over the years, please visit Celebration Ideas Online Sample Letters of Recommendation.

Carol is a married mom of 4 who works full-time as an account executive. She has been active with the kids and all their activities over the years. She served as a PTA President as well as President of numerous school booster clubs. Her favorite hobby now that the kids are all on their own or off to college is her web site: Celebration Ideas Online It was started as an album of family celebrations and has since developed into a resource center for anyone looking for celebration ideas and "how to" information.

25 Red Flags - Common Weaknesses in MBA Applicants

By Avi Gordon

When you apply to a competitive business school, it stands to reason that your essays, interview, and recommendations should highlight your strengths and mitigate weaknesses. Everyone will tell you that. But it's not always obvious to applicants what these weaknesses actually are - what factors cause admissions committees to raise their eyebrows and ultimately to waitlist or outright ding candidates.

Obviously there are many reasons applicants get sidelined, and often they will be specific to the candidate. However there are identifiable common weaknesses or red flags that push an applicant into ding territory.

Here are 25 common weaknesses to be aware of. You are in "red flag" zone if:

1. You intend changing your career direction or your primary industry

2. You have no hard evidence of leadership experience

3. You are under 24 or older than 30 at the time of application (for a full-time MBA);or under 30 or over 45 (for an executive MBA)

4. You are currently or have been previously self-employed; or there have been breaks in your career

5. Your background is very common: e.g. banking, consulting

6. Your background is unusual, and/or low in business experience

7. You have no volunteer or community service experience

8. You are applying to a foreign country

9. You come from a high applicant country - US, India, China, etc.

10. You are or have been unemployed in the last three years

11. You have been with your present company for under a year, or you have been employed by 3 or more companies

12. Your undergraduate academic record, GPA or equivalent, is sketchy

13. You have not been promoted in your job (or your previous job)

14. You do not have recommenders who will praise you unconditionally

15. Your GMAT is below 680 (for a top-20 program)

16. You are underpaid considering your level of seniority and responsibility.

17. You are not sure what you want to do with your MBA

18. You have no clear team experience, or don't know your team player profile

19. You have an arts or social studies background (hello, you're a "poet")

20. You were dinged last year from any business school

21. You have another Masters degree, or a PhD

22. You don't have some math or stats in your background

23. You are short of international or intercultural contact experience

24. You don't think you have any weaknesses (wake up and get one fast!)

25. You are short of active writing experience and the last time you wrote an essay was in college

If any of these apply to you, it's not the end of the world. In fact all candidates have stronger and weaker areas. The point is to be aware of the weakness and to directly deal with it. How to do this varies from situation to situation. Sometimes it's better to say nothing and not draw attention to a problem area. But more often the best policy is to create countering information. If you are underpaid for your level, explain how your compensation comes in other forms; if you don't get team experience at work, explain how much you got at college, and so on.

A.V. Gordon, MBA, is Director of the MBA Admissions Studio (http://www.mbastudio.net), a specialist admissions coaching and essay editing practice for MBA and executive MBA applicants. He is the author of MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing published by McGraw Hill/ Open University Press. He has been the resident expert on MBA admissions essay with The World MBA Tour. He writes and consults in various aspects of business coaching and communication strategy.