How Much Is College Tuition Average Costs

How Much Is College Tuition Average Costs SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Tuition is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) costs associated with attending college. Because of this, it’s important to know exactly how much of your money will be going towards this expense. In this article, I’ll explain exactly what’s included in this â€Å"tuition† line item on your college bill. Then, I’ll get into some of the nitty-gritty details, like: What isn’t included with tuition Average college tuition cost and the wide range of possible tuition prices Ways to pay less for college tuition Read on to learn more! What's the Average College Tuition Cost? So, tuition prices vary from school to school. Sometimes tuition prices will even vary within a certain school depending on your program or state residency. With that being said, here are average college tuition fee prices (2014-2015): $31,231 at private colleges $9,139 for state residents at public colleges $22,958 for non-state residents at public colleges As you can see, there’s a lot of variation in the prices of tuition based on the type of school you attend. These average amounts are helpful of course - they tell you what typical costs to expect - but we can also look at extreme prices at both ends of the spectrum. The Cheapest College Tuition Prices Some schools offer tuition prices that are significantly lower than the averages listed above. Schools that offer such low prices usually fall into one of two categories: They’re public schools that receive large subsidies from local governments so that they can charge students less They’re private schools that have made it their mission to offer low-cost educations The lowest tuition price I could find was $660 per semester at Dine College, in Arizona. There are many other schools that are very inexpensive, however. The average cost of attendance on this list of low-cost schools came to only $6,077 per year. The Most Expensive College Tuition Prices Some schools offer tuition prices that are, frankly, intimidatingly expensive. Schools that come with such a hefty sticker price generally fit one or more of the following criteria: They’re private schools, which means that tuition is not subsidized by any local or state governments. They’re elite, competitive schools with high operating costs. They'resmall liberal arts colleges. The highest tuition price I could find was $52,320 per year at Vassar College, in New York. There are a lot of other schools that are close to this price range, though. This list of the most expensive colleges in the US might give you a better idea of how common it is to charge such high prices. One caveat about these high prices, however: the same schools that charge so much for tuition often offer some really generous financial aid. Just because a college or university has a very high sticker price (also known as Cost of Attendance) doesn’t mean that students actually pay the full sticker price. The more financial aid a student gets, the lower her Net Price, which is the amount she actually has to pay to attend a school. The Net Price includes all expenses - not just tuition - but it’s an important number to consider because it’s more relevant when it comes to your budgeting concerns. What Does College TuitionInclude? Most of the time, when people say â€Å"tuition† they really mean â€Å"tuition and fees† - these costs are generally lumped together into one sum. So what does tuition money actually pay for? Well, tuition is considered the core of your college bill. It’s the fee that you pay for taking academic courses, and it may be calculated per semester (i.e. a flat rate) or per credit. Your tuition helps cover things like instructor pay, facility maintenance, and administrative costs. The â€Å"fees† that are usually lumped in with tuition may vary from school to school. Fees are generally pretty small when compared to the cost of tuition alone. They’re billed to students in order to cover extra services that are required to run a functioning school. Some common fees include: Lab fees - cover extra equipment and supplies required for lab courses Library fees - cover expenses associated with library resources and materials, which can be quite expensive Registration fees - help cover administrative expenses associated with enrolling and registering students each semester Student organization, activity, or services fees- used to support different student organizations, clubs, sports, activities, or even visiting academics Technology fees - used to cover expenses associated with providing technological equipment, programs, and support on campus Parking fees - common at schools where students commute, they help to cover maintenance of parking areas Health fees - cover health and counseling services provided to students Sometimes, students feel that they should not have to pay for particular fees if they know they won’t take advantage of certain services or resources. As unfair as that may seem, schools tend to make most fees mandatory for all students - if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to properly budget for those expenses. That being said, it couldn’t hurt to talk to the student billing office if you don’t think you should pay for a particular fee (i.e. if you’re charged a parking fee but you don’t drive to school). Fees: Annoying add-ons that cover pretty important services (like the library that you need to do well in your classes.) Tuition and Fees: Reals Here, I'll go through a couple of examples of tuition and fee breakdowns at real schools. This way, you'll be able to see exactly where students' money is going. Example #1: Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts Sciences, Full-Time In-StateStudent An in-state college student at ASU would be responsible for the following tuition and fees before any financial aid funds were applied: Description Annual Amount Resident Tuition $9,484 Resident Surcharge $320 Financial Aid Trust Fee $94 Recreation Fee $50 Technology Fee $100 Student Programs Fee $50 Health and Wellness Fee $80 Student Service Facility Fee $150 Student Athletics Fee $150 Total Tuition and Fees $10,478 As you can see, the bulk of the annual cost goes towards tuition. The total fee amount comes to $994. Keep in mind that these expenses don't include things like room, board, and transportation. Example #2: Boston University Full-Time Student Boston University doesn't supply quite as detailed of a breakdown when it comes to tuition and fee costs. Here's what a full-time student would be responsible for at BU before any financial aid was applied: Description Annual Amount Tuition $47,422 Fees $1,014 Total Tuition and Fees $48,436 A lot more expensive than ASU, right?The major difference here is that ASU is a public school whereas BU is private. To learn more about why these sticker prices are so high, read our guide explaining why college has gotten so expensive. Although BU might come with a pretty high sticker price, that doesn't mean the average student pays $48,436 every year for tuition and fees. At schools like BU, students' average Net Price (what studentsactually pay) tends to be much lower. For more info on sticker price versus Net Price, check out our guide to college costs. WhatIsn't Included With Tuition? Tuition is a big part of your college expenses, but it isn’t the only part. Depending on where you decide to go to school, you could have to budget for some other significant costs. The most important expenses not included with tuition include: Room - This covers rent or housing, whether you’re living on-campus or off (this is usually combined with board if you live on-campus). Board - Board amounts to your food expenses, either in the form of a meal plan (if you eat on-campus) or grocery/restaurant bills if you buy your own food. Transportation - This includes the costs associated with traveling back and forth from campus. Transportation may just be daily travel (if you commute to school), but it also may include transport to and from campus for holidays and breaks. Textbooks - Textbooks are notoriously expensive - you’re responsible for getting your hands on these required materials for your classes each semester. Personal expenses - Presumably, you’ll spend some money on yourself each semester. Personal expenses include things like hygiene items, laundry, clothing, and entertainment. These costs vary pretty widely depending on a lot of factors, including the type of school you go to (public versus private), where you go to school (in-state versus out-of-state), and your own personal choices (e.g. living at home versus living on campus). To get more information about what these expenses come to, and what you can do to minimize them, check out our complete guide to college costs. How Do You Pay Less for Tuition? These tuition prices might have you a little freaked out at the moment, but don’t panic yet! Published tuition prices aren’t necessarily what students actually pay to attend a school - like I mentioned; your Net Price is more important than the published sticker prices. There aren't any fire sales or flash discounts when it comes to college tuition, but there are ways to save money. So how canyou pay less for tuition and get your Net Price down to a reasonable amount? Here are your options: Go to a School With Cheap Tuition Costs This is perhaps the most obvious strategy - you can get your tuition costs down by applying to schools where tuition is already low. It’s easy to get information about a school’s tuition cost- itshould be outlined on every school'sfinancial aid or admissions website. You can start looking for inexpensive schools by checking out this list of the least expensive schools in the US. Before you get started, however; you should be prepared for the drawbacks that come with this strategy.There isn't necessarily great selection when it comes to schools with cheap tuition rates - you might only find public schools that offer lower prices for residents or schools that aren't particularly prestigious. Apply for Financial Aid Financial aid can bring down your costs no matter where you end up -if you submit the right application, that is. Anyone can apply for federal student aid with the FAFSA, the applicationfor the biggest source of student financial aid in the US. Many colleges and universities use the FAFSA to award their own financial aid funds. For more information, check out our step-by-step guide to applying for financial aid. Attend an In-State Public School Most of the time, public schools offer subsidized tuition at very good prices to in-state residents. These prices tend to be much less expensive than prices offered to out-of-state residents. If you’re interested in any schools close to home, you may be able to save even more money on room and board by living with family instead of payingexpensive rent costs. Attend a School With a Generous Financial Aid Program I’ve already mentioned that some of the most expensive schools in the country also offer some of the most generousfinancial aid in the country. If your grades and test scores are competitive, and you’re accepted to a school that offers strong aid, much (if not all) of your financial need may be covered by the school itself. You should check out schools that cover 100% of financial need and schools that have the best overall financial aid programs. Come across a school that you're interested in? You can instantly estimate your chances of admission. Just google â€Å"PrepScholar [school name] admissions† to visit our interactive admissions page. What's Next? You've just processed a lot of information about tuition costs and how to lower them. If you want even more strategies for decreasing your costs, keep reading! Scholarships are a great way to get funding for tuition, fees, room, board, textbooks, anything you use for college, really. To get your hands on scholarship money, check out our guides to top scholarships for high school juniors and seniors.You might also be interested in top minority scholarships available to high school students. Don't have a lot of time on your hands? Submit these very easy scholarship applications. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

7 Expressions and Ideas About Elephants

7 Expressions and Ideas About Elephants 7 Expressions and Ideas About Elephants 7 Expressions and Ideas About Elephants By Mark Nichol The elephant, thanks to its majestic size and unusual features, has inspired an assortment of metaphors and other verbal associations. â€Å"The elephant in the room,† for example, refers to an obvious issue that observers go out of their way to ignore. A more complicated connotation is that of a white elephant, an undesirable possession often donated alongside other like items at a fund-raising white-elephant sale on the assumption that someone else will find value in it. This usage is a dilution of the original meaning, based on the custom among the kings of Siam of offering a rare white elephant to noblemen who had fallen out of favor. The unfortunate recipient would then soon be financially ruined by the cost of maintaining such a beast. From this connotation arose the usage of â€Å"white elephant† to refer to a massively expensive, wasteful construction project. A pink elephant, on the other hand, is supposedly the likely hallucination of a drunk person. â€Å"Seeing the elephant,† by contrast, alludes to the onetime novelty of the animal, when people would travel far to view one in a circus parade or under the big top itself; thus, any overwhelming experience could be compared to this memorable observation. Then there’s the elephant test, which refers to the idea that an elephant is difficult to describe, but one knows it when one sees it. And sight, or the lack of it, is integral to a story told of six blind men who gave conflicting descriptions of an elephant because though each was giving an opportunity to touch one, they felt different parts: the trunk, a tusk, an ear, a leg, the stomach, and the tail. There’s also the concept of an elephant in Cairo, based on the idea of an algorithm computer programmers would develop to describe how to hunt elephants in Africa, involving a methodical sweep of the entire continent from south to north. This analog for creating a search algorithm refers to the placement of an elephant in the city in the far northeast corner of Africa to provide a termination point for the search process in case an elephant is not otherwise discovered. Two other associations of elephants are their well-documented superior intelligence and memory, and their fallacious fear of mice, perhaps based on observations in zoos and circuses of elephants, which have poor eyesight, unnerved by the scurrying of rodents. Finally, the origin of the adjective jumbo is an elephant of that name owned and exhibited by master showman P. T. Barnum. His hyperbolic advertisements of the elephant’s size led to the adoption of the animal’s name as a synonym for colossal. (Elephantine, by the way, is another synonym, though it also refers to ponderousness.) 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections44 Resume Writing TipsUsing Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm

Research method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research method - Essay Example Positivists believe that all true knowledge is scientific, and that all things are ultimately measurable, and that knowledge can be organized in clear and generally accepted ways.   A positivist also tends to believe there is one best way to do things (Bryman & Bell, 2006, 57). Realism is all about accepting an event or situation as it is and preparing to deal with it accordingly (D’Aleo) Realism can thus exist independent of the onlooker. Phenomenology is about getting the deeper reasons behind human actions, concentrating on personal perspective and interpretation (Lester, 2000, 2). It would use personal interviews to get individual perspectives rather than make sweeping generalizations about the reasons behind choices. While measuring the size of the customer segment, it is clear that positivism using a scientific or mathematically verifiable method would be the best way to proceed. In research projects, both inductive and deductive reasoning can be used to establish hypotheses to be proved or disproved. Inductive reasoning progresses from the specific to the general (www.nakedscience.org). For example, regarding the feedback about their first visits to the Thai restaurant, we can start with the observations of individual opinion leaders or age groups and end by surmising the likelihood that a particular behavior or preference will be endorsed by the majority of the Brighton community of that age group or social segment. Deductive reasoning by contrast, progresses from the general to the specific (Saunders et al, 2009, 152). We can look at the major reasons why the Thai restaurant is preferred to others in the Brighton area and then concentrate on specific elements that are likely to draw in more

Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Aristotle - Essay Example Greek was the language of scholarship: it was excellent for reasoning, and since Aristotle was well brought up and educated, his language skills furnished him with the tools for analysis, calculation, interpretation, and reckoning. The Hellenistic time was when the rules of geometry were nutted out, together with the ideas for formal proof. In this area, Aristotle did a lot of thinking and discussing - which was the method of teaching of the day. Without formal rules for proving and establishing the fact, it would be impossible to formalize mathematics or science, so this was an important time in the history of mathematics. Aristotle was fundamental in establishing the ways of thinking necessary to make mathematical calculation possible, against a set of standards. Another factor that made Aristotle important is his recording of things studied, which provided evidence for those who later wrote histories of mathematics. Part of his contribution, therefore, is his perpetuating fact to enable others to read it. Fauvel and Gray, two mathematicians who did a lot of research into ancient Greek mathematics, give many extracts from Aristotle’s sources. Aristotle believed that logic must be applied to the sciences and to mathematics. ‘The sciences - at any rate the theoretical sciences - are to be axiomatised,’ he wrote. How people think mathematically is in part due to his works known as ‘Prior and Posterior Analytics’. In a simple way, this can be explained as a way to analyze, which determines the correct order in which things happen.

Cultural Diversity in the Media Essay Example for Free

Cultural Diversity in the Media Essay The term drugs refer to anything, which is not prepared by organisms and is generally considered that drugs are not part of food we eat. Although drugs also refer to Medical ailments (pills, syrups, capsules etc) but here we are discussing recreational drugs which are: LSD, Shrooms, Alcohol, Caffeine, Catnip, Salvia, Cocaine, Crack, DXM, Ecstasy, Ephedrine, Heroin, Inhalants, GHB, Tobacco, Cannabis, Methamphetamine, Milk (artificially prepared), Peyote, Nutmeg, Oxycontin, Ketamine, Whiteboard Markers and so on. Drugs have its uses and abuses. But mostly, its uses are almost negligible when one starts introspection of the conditions of society caused by the abuses of Drugs. Societies are damaging because of evils of the alarming increase in the intake of drugs all over the world, which is followed by the increase in crime and decrease in national income. It has been surveyed that people portray abnormal, illegal and ruthless behaviors after intake of drugs. Alcohols being widely available in societies of west provide easy hand in the provision of drugs. In America alone, every third child is said to be tainted by the drugs. All teens see some type of drug use or abuse in school or in the media. â€Å"The nineteenth-century explosion of drug use had gotten out of hand. Wiliam Halsted invented nerve-block anesthesia with cocaine (1885) but developed such a craving for the drug that his friends had to put him aboard a schooner for several months so he could kick the habit. He did, but became addicted to morphine from the ships supplies. It was long a closely guarded secret at Johns Hopkins University that one of the institutions founders was a junkie. Halsteds student, James Leonard Corning, invented spinal anesthesia with cocaine. Every family has a vicious drunkard dad or uncle on the loose; mournful mamas swigged patent medicines by the gallon; kids raised on heroin cough syrup graduated to coca-filled soft drinks. † Increasing display of drugs as element of â€Å"Being cool†, â€Å"Easy money†, â€Å"Failure in love†, â€Å"Family problems†, â€Å"Peer Pressures† and â€Å"Complexes†, in movies is grasping the attraction of teens and young adults. â€Å"An estimated 66. 5 million Americans 12 years or older reported current use of a tobacco product in 2001. This number represents 29. 5 percent of the population. Youth cigarette use in 2001 was slightly below the rate for 2000, continuing a downward trend since 1999. † Rates of youth cigarette use were 14. 9 percent in 1999, 13. 4 percent in 2000, and 13. 0 percent in 2001. The annual number of new daily smokers age 12 to 17 decreased from 1. 1 million in 1997 to 747,000 in 2000. This translates into a reduction from 3,000 to 2,000 in the number of new youth smokers per day. † Some of the most important movies to display drugs as an inspiration for live life, business and culture are given with their detail account of criticism and background. 1. The Blow The Blow was released in 2001 was based on a true story. The story of George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970s. It was directed by Ted Demme. The screenplay is by Nick Cassavetes and David McKenna. It is story of young man of middle class family struggling for a better place in society, which unfortunately do not turn out be very fruitful for the fate of the family. George then moved to California, where he starts his own business in which he finds both success and imprisonment. In prison, he meets a cellmate who introduces him into a partnership to the lucrative new market in cocaine. When George Jung released from jail he quickly becomes instrumental in establishing the exploding US market for cocaine in which he claimed that he handled about 85% of the supply in the 1970s. Although it was a movie that could be presented as a masterpiece for the awareness of the society, the movie missed its attempt. The death of the hero was tragic but his appearance in the movie appealed the young generation to a great extent. â€Å"Blow outlines the lifestyle of a mega-rich smuggler — the border crossings, the ruthless negotiations, the sudden betrayals, the wild characters, the run-ins with the justice system, the inherent problems in dealing with massive amounts of cash, the temptations — and, ultimately, the tragedy of blowing all of your dreams for greed. † 2. Trainspotting This Academy Award nominated movies was produced in 1996. Denny boyle directed it. This movie was based on a novel â€Å"Trainspotting† by Irvine Welsh. The screenplay was adapted from Welshs novel by John Hodge. This movie begins with the narration by Renton, who is a rent boy, he tell others that they should choose to live traditional family life. After his narration he tells that his train of thoughts ends with â€Å"who needs reason when you’ve got heroin? † all of his friend were addicted to drugs. The movie rotates all about dirty drugs business and its dealings. The movies most critical part is when Renton leaves drug addiction he feels no purpose of life. He then also deals in selling the heroin. Later Renton realizes that his friends are no his friends at all and leave them for a better life. â€Å"Its release sparked controversy in some countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, as to whether it promoted drug use or not. U. S. Senator, Bob Dole, decried its moral depravity and glorification of drug use during the 1996 U. S. presidential campaign, although he admitted that he had not actually seen the film. † 3. The basket ball diaries This movie was produced in 1995 and was directed by Scott Kalvert. It was written by Brian Goluboff. The movie is an autobiographical account of poet and rock musician Jim Carroll. The running time of movie was 105 minutes. As a member of an outwardly invincible high school basketball squad, Jims life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes an allegory for the world in his mind. It was biggest dream of Jim to become Star of basketball. He was Catholic high school student but later become drug addict due to bad company. Jim and his friends roam the streets of New York City as trivial thieves and revolts. Soon school expelled the Jim for he took drugs before game. Later Jim faces more trouble when his family throws him. This movie is a critical for most of its scene describing, â€Å"A youth (a mere school boy of age 13) is enjoying the drugs† and hence portrayed that it is not very offensive of a young boy or girl to take drugs in that age specially. â€Å"This movie contained incredibly dark and vulgar guided imagery which could quite possibly lead the impressionable into moral and value modification, poor coping skills, and dangerous decision-making. † 4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas The movie Fear and Loating in Las Vegas was released on May 22, 1998. It was directed by Terry Gilliam. This film was based on Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Journalist Raoul Duke and attorney Dr. Gonzo travel from Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1971 to cover a motorcycle race for a sports magazine and enjoy a haphazardly planned vacation. Fueled by the massive amount of drugs they purchased with an advance from a magazine to cover a sporting event in Vegas; they set out in the Red Shark. Wreak havoc upon the citizens of Las Vegas. Encountering police, reporters, gamblers, racers, and hitchhikers; they search for some indefinable thing know only as the American Dream and find fear, loathing and hilarious adventures into the dementia of the modern American West. The movie is filled with violence and drugs series. It effected the audience to en extent that even an incident got attached to it. During shooting Gilliam was approached by a group of young men, one of which complimented him on the film in general, but said that his favorite scene was the andrenichrome scene. He said that he had used the drug and that Gilliam had captured the effects perfectly. Gilliam didnt have the heart to tell the kid that it was made up, and went along with his story. 5. Dazed and confused Dazed and confused is a 1993 American film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The movie tells the stories of the last day of school in May 1976 in a Texas suburb. As the movie begins, the last day of school at a high school is beginning. The last day at Robert E. Lee High School proceeds with regular classes but the soon-to-be-senior class (Class of 1977) is more interested in getting ready for the annual hazing of the incoming freshman class, which will take place after school. The hazing is depicted as a ritualized event that has the support of the town, in the movie. Randall Pink Floyd was a football player who moves with simplistic grace among groups of greasers, nerds, stoners, and athletes alike. The coaches introduced a new policy for the upcoming 1976-77 school year in which athletes have to sign a written pledge that they will not use alcohol or illegal drugs. Pink refuses to sign the pledge sheet. The coach berates Randall Floyd for hanging out with that other crowd (referring to his stoner friends) and Floyd takes offense to it. â€Å"The movie conspicuously shows the much more relaxed attitudes toward both teenage alcohol consumption and driving with open beer containers at the time; Kramer can easily buy beer as the lawful Texas drinking age at the time was 18 and even that was lightly enforced. † References 1. http://www. thc-ministry. net/history-of-drugs. html 2. http://www. getsomeblow. com/index2. html 3. http://parentingteens. about. com/cs/drugsofabuse/a/druguse10_2. htm 4. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Trainspotting_(film) 5. ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP) by Thomas A. Carder http://www. capalert. com/capreports/basketballdiaries/basketballdiaries. htm 6. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Fear_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas_%28film%29 7. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dazed_and_Confused_(film)

How the Greek Revered Their Gods :: Ancient Greece Greek History

How the Greek revered their gods In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates. The ancient Greeks practiced a religion that was in effect, a building block to many ensuing pagan religions. This religion revolved around their reverence to the gods. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic. They believed that exercising the opportunity to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of freedom that they treasured. After all, the Greeks were known for their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played a huge part. Each city-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who protected and guided its residents. Within a given polis, the belief in common gods unified the people. Ultimately, the Greeks yearned for this unity and order in the universe, which is a characteristic that is not unlike that of people today. It might seem contradictory that they believed in many gods and sought organization at the same time, for larger numbers are inherently unstable. But, to the god-fear ing Greeks, each god represented a different facet of life that together upheld an organized universe if each of these gods was properly appeased. To satisfy these gods, the Greeks participated in activities such as prayer and sacrifice and erected divine temples and centers for oracles in honor of specific gods. There is evidence of this institutionalization early on in the reign of the Olympian gods, thus forming the Olympian religion. The Olympian religion lacked the presence of true sentimentality, and the gods were not seen as forgiving or "flawless" as the Christian God is often portrayed. The Greek gods were portrayed as humans, which meant that they were not perfect. That is, the gods made mistakes, felt pain (e.g. Aphrodite in love with the mortal Adonis), and succumbed to anger and their tempers (e.

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay

A marketing plan can be defined as a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the marketplace and indicates how a firm expects to reach its marketing objectives. It contains tactical guidelines for the commercialization programs and financial allocations over the planning period (Kotler et al., 2012). This document can be considered one of the most important outputs from the marketing process as it provides direction and focus for a brand, product, or company (Kotler et al., 2012). Typically, the marketing plan includes the following elements: Executive summary, situational analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and implementation controls. Executive summary Founded in 2014, Luxury-Pedic is a start-up manufacturer of luxury mattresses offering a product line that is focused on creating a lull the senses into a deep, relaxing, and peaceful night’s sleep. With other competitive offerings like Tempur-Pedic, Icomfort, and Sealy Optimum, the Luxury-Pedic product line will focus heavily on being different. By providing a quality product at competitive price levels, excellent warranty, and service experience, Luxury-Pedic will stand out. Luxury-Pedic will realize vital market penetration by utilizing a market challenger strategy and attacking the market leader on the basis of competitive pricing. Additionally, Luxury-Pedic will thrive based on the following operating principles: hiring a top-notch management team with extensive industry experience; a solid business model and long-term planning; and careful evaluation and response to competitive opportunities. Situational analysis Luxury-Pedic is entering into its first year of operation. Thus  far, its products have been well acknowledged with the intention of further and rapider expansion to come based on the marketing efforts soon to be implemented. Luxury-Pedic offers memory foam mattresses in three varieties of firmness and a several varieties of types of memory foam. Market Summary Luxury-Pedic understands the existing market and has done extensive research to understand the common attributes of the target market. This research will be used better to understand the consumers, their needs, and how to communicate best with the market. According to Business Journal for the Sleep Products Industry (2015), the target market for the mattress industry includes the following: Mattress Involved Sleep Sufferers Healthy and Content Brand Selectors Apathetics There is no set geographic target area for mattress sales. By utilizing in-store sales, Internet sales and delivery services, Luxury-Pedic intends to serve both domestic and International customers. The market can also be narrowed down to the adult demographic, ages 18 and up. Behavioral factors will include the working class, the sleep deprived or fatigued population looking for a good night’s rest. Market Growth Potential The mattress industry is a steadily growing, altering, and evolving. As the mattress industry has changed, the consumer demographics have changed as well. Baby Boomer’s no longer are wanting to deal with horrible sleep conditions as it saved money in exchange for a better nights sleep that allows consumers to be more energized and feel younger. This changing of consumer wants to consumer needs has enabled the mattress industry to become more prosperous than ever. There is an unlimited market growth potential as consumers are becoming more educated on the benefits of a better nights sleep as well as more educated on the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of mattress products. According to Wise (2012), â€Å"The mattress trade group recently revised its estimate and expects the value of mattress shipments to rise 10.5 percent and the number of units to grow 6.5 percent† (p. 3). This increased consumer knowledge base has changed the mattress market potential from being a small market with potential immediate rewards into a market where long-term growth and increase opportunity has become to the key to market success. Competitive Analysis The Luxury-Pedic 100% memory foam mattress line will move into a highly competitive space. Outside of the 100% memory foam mattress line, there is the independent wrapped pocketed coil line and the interlocking coil or traditional coil lines of a mattress. These lines are built and designed by mattress companies that have been selling mattresses for 65 to 140 years by brands such as Sterns & Foster, Simmons, Sealy, and Hampton & Rhodes just to start. When it comes to the 100% memory foam mattresses, Sealy, Tempur-Pedic, Hampton & Rhodes, & Serta are the most popular companies today. All four of these businesses produce memory foam mattresses that range in price from $698 to $9,000 for a queen set. The none memory foam mattresses range from $198 to $4,800 for a queen mattress set. Competitor Product & Price Summary When it comes to the prices of the 100% mattress foam lines, Luxury-Pedic is unable to compete with the prices of Hampton & Rhodes and the introductory lines from both Sealy and Serta. The quality differences between the Luxury-Pedic mattress lines and the lower end lines of Sealy, Serta, & Hampton & Rhodes are the differences between night and day. For their price point, none of their mattresses are 100% memory foam. They contain mostly low-grade heat conductive standard foam that sleep hot by giving back all of the heat put into the mattresses. Additionally, they do not have proper edge support or prevent body impressions. When it comes to the higher priced 100% memory foam mattresses from the other competitive brands, Luxury-Pedic mattresses will stand out due to same high quality of material, temperature regulation, comfort, and edge support at a price point that undercuts all other competing mattresses. Tempur-Pedic mattresses are the only mattresses in the entire industry that are price locked at a that is almost double of what any other memory foam mattress costs. Tempur-Pedic owns SealyTempur-Pedic, and so the focus of the Sealy  100% memory foam mattress line is to be only two steps above the Serta memory foam line. Out of all of the memory foam mattress lines, the Serta collection is the worst at temperature regulation and has no pillow top product offering. Sealy is better at temperature regulation but is the softest of all memory foam mattresses. The prices of these two lines are very similar. They range from $1,299 to $2,499. Segmentation, Target Market, & Strategy The Luxury-Pedic mattress lines will focus on three different areas of the consumer market. The first will be focused on consumer medical needs. The medical benefits of the Luxury-Pedic mattress lines range from increased circulation, increased recovery times, decreased: aches, pains, and soreness, and an increase in an overall comfort allowing for a better nights sleep. The second area will focus on consumer comfort. The Luxury-Pedic line will come in 3 different comforts from firm, plush, and pillow top allowing a customer to be able to identify the mattress that best suits their comfort needs. The third and final focus will be on consumer value as the Luxury-Pedic line will be more cost effective than Tempur-Pedic but will provide all of the same advantages and benefits of Tempur-Pedic. According to Perry (2010), â€Å"The mattress industry must sell dreams if it wants to elevate its image, boost its sale price and give consumers a better shopping experience† (p. 34). With the implementation of using these three different market strategies focusing on consumer segmentation and target marketing, Luxury-Pedic will be able to establish a stronghold in the 100% memory foam market. Pricing The Luxury-Pedic line will consist of three different mattresses firmness levels. There will be a firm, plush, and pillow top. When it comes a firm mattress, Tempur-Pedic queen price set is at $4,199, Serta is at $1,699, and Sealy has not actual firm 100% memory foam mattress. The price for a Luxury-Pedic firm mattress will be $1,899 as the Serta mattress has poor temperature regulation and it out prices the Tempur-Pedic significantly. When it comes to a plush mattress, Sealy is priced at $1,799, Serta $1,999, and Tempur-Pedic at $3,499. The Luxury-Pedic mattress will be priced at $2,099. The focus is to build value in the concept of adding more material  increases the size of the mattress allowing which causes an increase in the cost of the mattress. There is not a real pillow top in any of the Tempur-Pedic, Serta, or Sealy mattress lines, making Luxury-Pedic a true one of a kind, but in soft equivalences Sealy is priced at $2,099, Serta $2,199, and Tempur-Pedic at $4,999. The Lux ury-Pedic pillow top will be priced at $2,299. The point is to no be cheaper than a low-end mattress, but to be at a lower price than Tempur-Pedic. We will be at a higher price than Sealy and Serta with the benefit of much better quality. Distribution Strategies The distribution strategy for Luxury-Pedic will be following Indirect distribution. Luxury-Pedic Mattresses will initially be built and assembled in two factories in New Mexico and Kentucky to allow for easy mass distribution to wholesalers and mattress retailers. As Luxury-Pedic’s increase in the success, additional factories will be built to shorten delivery times in order to allow for an increase in mattress sales. The objective of the distribution strategy is to be able to get new mattresses to wholesalers and retailers in less than 72 hours after ordering. Developing clear objectives is vital to a successful marketing plan. There are numerous essential elements to consider when creating effective marketing objective. It’s important that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific or SMART for short. The SMART approach let you how to manage your marketing activities successfully. Luxury Pedic is always evolving. The mattress industry is continuously growing. Key performances indicators are an important part of information used to describe how companies such as Luxury Pedic will progress towards its marketing goal within the next three years. Retailing at competitive rates of $1899-2500 depending on the mattress performance level, Luxury Pedic is priced to achieve increased profit revenue continuously. The key performance indicators are based on legitimate data and business objectives, and they are not always financial but they are necessary for directing management to their full potential. Some other essential performances include new and existing customers’ status, customer segmentation by profitability or demographics, customer referrals, advertisement, and testimonies. Demand forecasting Demand forecasting and estimation gives businesses valuable information about the markets in which they operate and the markets they plan to pursue. The purpose of demand forecasting and estimation is to find a business’s potential demand so managers can make accurate decisions about pricing, business growth and market potential. Managers base pricing on demand trends in the market. Demand forecasting and estimation is critical for inventory management. Businesses buy inventory based upon demand forecasts. Demand forecasting and estimation methods are typically accurate for short-term business planning. Estimating demand for the long-term is difficult because there are many unforeseen factors that influence demand over time. The expansion of the global mattress industry is forecast to reach 3.7% p.a. in the coming years. Between 2007 and 2013 the market increased with an average annual growth of 4.9%. Currently, cellular plastic and rubber mattresses account for 40.9% of the global demand while the remaining market share is divided between other mattresses (41.8%), and mattress supports (17.3%). China, France, Germany, Japan and the United States represent the largest mattress markets while the strongest annual growth is forecast to occur in Tanzania (24.1%), Ethiopia (15.4%), Philippines (15.0%), Rwanda (14.8%) and Bolivia (13.3%). Marketing Objectives Developing clear objectives is vital to a successful marketing plan. There are numerous essential elements to consider when creating effective marketing objective. It’s important that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific or SMART for short. The SMART approach let you how to manage your marketing activities successfully. Luxury Pedic is always evolving, the mattress industry is continuously growing, and key performances indicators is an important part of information used to describe how companies such as Luxury Pedic will progress towards its marketing goal within the next three years. Retailing at competitive rates of $1899-2500 depending on the mattress performance level, Luxury Pedic is priced to achieve increased profit revenue continuously. The key performance indicators are based on legitimate data and business objectives; they are not always financial, but they are necessary for directing management to their full potential. Some other key performances include new and existing customers’ status, customer  segmentation by profitability or demographics, customer referrals, advertisement, and testimonies. Implementation Milestones As a new company, setting milestones in a marketing plan allows your company to track the progress of company goals; allowing the business to determine if it can reach the task by a particular date and if there is enough data to move to the next activity. Luxury Pedic will identify their tasks, the start date, and the scheduled completion date, each event will continue until every task is finished. Creating a milestone table for your business sets the plan in concrete terms with real budgets and deadlines. Luxury pedic started by identifying each milestone, assigning a due date, allocating a budget, and designating a responsible person or group for each task, this is how a plan is implemented. Control Metrics It is important to set the rules of engagement within Luxury-Pedic. In order to measure success, we must be able to have a way to create company goals and establish the way to control what needs to be done in order to achieve the objectives set forth. We must be able to have a rule to measure current success, as well. We must be able to deliver efficiently on four types of marketing control. Those types are Annual Plan Control, Profitability Control, Efficiency Control, and Strategic Control. Annual Plan Control provides us with the ability to see if the results the company is looking for are being reached. Profitability Control shows us where we are making money and, even, where we are losing money. If it is found that money is being lost, we can adjust what is being done to produce a positive gain in revenue. Depending on the money that is lost, the product or idea will go directly to the end of life cycle to save cost in that area. Efficiency control gives us the opportunity to see how our marketing dollars are being spent in relation to the impact that our marketing strategy is having on our consumer base. Strategic control will give us a roadmap letting us know if the company is going down the right path in product offerings and how we are going about to make these offers available to the public. With the proper control measures put in place, we can see a complete picture of how the company is doing at any particular time. We will be able to identify problem areas quickly and create contingency plans when needed adequately to address  any needs or areas of concern. Its falls on management to steer the company in the right direction. Creating a culture of success is vital. Frontline employees must be on board with the direction the company is moving. If it is determined that there are issue in that area by way in bad performance results, for example, it is up to management to find the right path to correct those performance issues. All parts of the business must work well together in order to serve our consumer base actually. Contingency Planning â€Å"Marketers must be ready to update and adapt marketing plans at any time† (Kotler & Keller, 2011, p. 55). There are many variables that can affect daily, monthly, and quarterly numbers in terms of production and revenue. We must be ready to address any and all areas of concerns promptly. The introduction of a new mattress company can affect the way we market and advertize to our consumer base. Competition in a marketplace can have several adverse effects. One thing we must be prepared to adapt to is the effect competition can have on pricing and promotions. Too much competition can drive prices down which mean Luxury-Pedic must change to be successful. We may need to invest in more cost friendly products that can deliver the same quality and comfort to cut cost, but will allow us to still deliver on our promise to our customer base with more affordable pricing. Major geological events can have an immediate impact on demand of our products. Floods, tornados, and hurricanes can create mass devastation that can leave our consumer base in need to rebuild. Adjustments in our offerings and promotion to assist in helping rebuild our community will increase our overall customer satisfaction. Community service events and product donations would be a way for us to stand out above the rest of our competition to show that we care about our customers and our community. During such a period, the company could see a short term dip in revenue. With the establishment of community service projects in the time of need, we can predict that we will reap positive long term success from that. Luxury-Pedic must be flexible in our approach and delivery of our products to our customer in order to achieve high success. In conclusion, a successful firm starts with a marketing plan within its first fiscal year. A marketing plan is a highly detailed and written document that summarizes how  a firm plans to reach its marketing objectives. Luxury-Pedic has outlined its marketing plans and detailed tasks to reach these elements, executive summary, situational analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and implementation controls will be discussed among other elements. This paper has defined the following objectives that Luxury-Pedic will implement to achieve this successful marketing plan. References BedTimes. (2012). Research Finds 5 Key Mattress Consumer Segments. Retrieved from http://bedtimesmagazine.com/2009/01/research-finds-5-key-mattress-consumer-segments/ Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2011). Marketing Management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Perry, D. (2010). Mattress industry should sell dreams. Furniture Today, 34(37), 33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/346182942?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com?accountid=35812 Wise, W. L. (2012). Going to the mattress. The Post and Courier Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/1115405056?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=35812

The Prevalence Of Barretts Esophagus Health And Social Care Essay

Gastro esophageal reflux disease is the chief known etiologic factor for Barrette Esophagus, and BE is the precursor lesion of esophageal glandular cancer. The prevalence of BE is reported largely from gastroenterology centres and few informations are reported from outpatients with indigestion. Lots of patients with GERD have grades of indigestion. This survey chiefly aims to find the prevalence of BE in dyspeptic patients. Material and methods: outpatients holding indigestion refer to endoscopy unit for endoscopy. Meanwhile the endoscopist takes biopsy of distal gorge. Barrett ‘s esophagus diagnosing will be find based on the endoscopic unnatural visual aspect of the distal gorge and besides based on Intestinal Metaplasia ( IM ) pathologic position. Consequences: the prevalence of BE was 5.4 % ( based on endoscopy ) and 3.7 % ( base on pathology ) . 69 % of patients with confirmed BE were & gt ; 50 old ages and 31 % were & lt ; 50 old ages. 81 % of patients with confirmed BE reported GERD symptoms as their dominant indigestion symptom, but consequence is merely 20.4 % in patients without BE ( p value & lt ; 0.001 ) . Decision: BE has a comparatively high prevalence in dyspeptic patients. The prevalence of GERD symptoms in BE emphasizes the demand for making endoscopy for dyspeptic patient. Cardinal words: Barrett Esophagus, Endoscopy, Heartburn, Pathology Introduction Prevalence of gastro esophageal reflux disease ( GERD ) is raising along with the prevalence of Barrett ‘s gorge ( BE ) and esophageal glandular cancer ( 1 ) . GERD is the chief known etiologic factor for BE, and BE is the precursor lesion of esophageal glandular cancer ( 2 ) . Adenocarcinoma of gorge is normally a locally turning tumour and it invades next variety meats and cause deadly complications ( 3 ) . BE is defined as altering the liner of distal gorge that can be recognized with endoscopy and is documented by presence of gablet cells and other standards for IM in biopsies taken during the endoscopy ( 4 ) . Hiatus hernia, fleshiness and presence of helicobacter pylori in gastro enteric piece of land are some of the hazard factors for BE ( 5, 6 ) . These factors are believed to increase BE by increasing acerb reflux. Many gastroenterologists make the diagnosing of BE by endoscopy and corroborate it with presence of IM in biopsies taken from the gorge ( 2 ) . The standard for endoscopy is the Presence of chronic GERD after ingestion of proton gaudery inhibitor or acerb suppressers for at least 4 hebdomads ( 7 ) . Association of BE with glandular cancer is the chief factor that thrust physicians to endoscopically measure GERD patients ( 8-11 ) . BE is found in 2 % of big population and 3-5 % of GERD patients ( 2 ) . The overall prevalence of BE in patients with chronic GERD is 3-12 % ( 8, 10, 11 ) .The prevalence of BE is reported largely from gastroenterology centres and few informations are reported from outpatients with indigestion. If we consider the coexistence of GERD with indigestion in many patients, the demand to measure dyspeptic patients for BE will be highlighted ( 10 ) . This present study is aimed specifically to show the prevalence of BE in dyspeptic outpatients and to research possible hazard factors for its presence. It besides determines the efficaciousness of GI endoscopy to name BE in the selected population. Material and methods: This is a prospective survey on Outpatients of GI clinic who were over 18 old ages old and had a primary ailment of at least 3 months of indigestion ( intermittent or uninterrupted ) and have been conducted during 2007-2011, after the approve of Kashan University of medical Sciences Ethic commission. We defined dyspepsia as composite of uncomfortableness or hurting in epigastric part ( with or without acerb regurgitation ) , inordinate belch or belching, abdominal bloating, early repletion or feeling of unnatural or slow digestion or pyrosis ( 10 ) . Patients who had a documented history of upper GI surgery, a clinical probe of indigestion by endoscopy or radiology ( in the old 6 months ) or on more than two occasions in the past 10 old ages, and used proton pump inhibitors within 30 yearss or H2-receptor adversaries within 14 yearss of registration excluded from the survey. Out of the outpatients enroll ; those who consented orally to an endoscopy enter our survey, and refer to endoscopy unit of shahid beheshti infirmary, a cardinal infirmary in Kashan. Of the enrolled outpatients, informations on age, sex, nationality, weight and tallness, presence and laterality of GERD symptoms and continuance of dyspeptic symptoms will be record in separate signifier. The presence of BE will measure in two ways: endoscopically, and histologically. Barrett ‘s esophagus diagnosing will be made based on the endoscopic unnatural visual aspect of the distal gorge. If there was a intuition of Barrett ‘s epithelial tissue in the distal of the gorge, the endoscopist find the instance as Barrett ‘s gorge and we mark the instance as BE instance by endoscopy. The presence of â€Å" gastric-appearing mucous membrane † or â€Å" columnar-lined † gorge is the standards for the endoscopist study of BE. The lengths of the unnatural epithelial tissue were non recorded. Biopsies from all instances were taken merely proximal to the gastro-esophageal junction, harmonizing to standard pattern for histological verification meanwhile the process. The determination of the figure of biopsies to be taken was made upon the estimate of Barrett ‘s epithelial tissue length by the endoscopist. If groundss of IM were seen in the biopsies by the diagnostician, BE could be confirmed, and we mark the instance as BE instance by pathology. These informations will be added to the patient ‘s signifier. Data enter SPSS package and analyze with descriptive statistics, qis square trial and t-test. Consequences Of the 1156 outpatients enrolled, 12 patients did n't consent to hold endoscopy. Out of these 12 patients 9 were afghanian who had n't return to hold endoscopy for unknown grounds. 3 of Persian patients did n't accept to endoscopy and establish endoscopy unneeded, although the physician explained the necessity. A sum of 1144 dyspeptic patients underwent endoscopy, 1100 ( 96.2 % ) of them were Persian and 44 ( 3.8 % ) were afghanian. The average age of the instances was 45.2 old ages old. BE was endoscopically diagnosed in 62 instances ( 5.4 % ) , and pathologically diagnosed in 42 ( 3.7 % ) of them. All these 42 instances were diagnosed with endoscopy as BE, but 20 instances ( 32.2 % ) that were endoscopically marked BE, were non confirmed as BE by pathology. Thus the sensitiveness of endoscopy for diagnosing of BE is 100 % but its specificity is 67.8 % . The average age of patients with confirmed BE was 53.2 old ages. 42.6 % of patients without BE were male and 57.4 % were female wh ereas 64.3 % of patients with BE were male and 35.7 were female ( p value=0.005 ) table1. Hiatus hernia was diagnosed in 10.2 % of all patients ( 117 out of 1144 ) . 9.1 % of patients without IM had Hiatus hernia, while 40.5 % of the patients with IM had Hiatus hernia ( p value & lt ; 00.1 ) ( table 2 ) . 54.8 % of the patients with BE had reflux esophagitis but merely 4.4 % of the patients without BE had reflux esophagitis ( p value=0.003 ) . The average continuance of dyspeptic symptoms in the 42 BE patients was 10.29 old ages ; 6 patients ( 14.3 % ) reported symptoms & lt ; 5 old ages in continuance and 1 ( 2.4 % ) reported symptoms & lt ; 1 twelvemonth in continuance. Comparision of patients with and without BE revealed that patients with BE have longer period of indigestion ( P value & lt ; 0.01 ) ( table 2 ) . Among 1144 patients 314 ( 27.4 % ) had acid regurgitation or pyrosis and 259 had these symptoms as their dominant symptom. Out of These 259, 34 ( 13.1 % ) had BE. 34 out of the 42 patients ( 81 % ) with confirmed BE reported either pyrosis or acerb regurgitation as their most bothersome ( dominant ) indigestion symptom, compared with 225 ( 20.4 % ) of the 1102 patients without BE ( p value & lt ; 0.001 ) ( table 2 ) . The average BMI among all 1140 patients was 28.8 and there were no important difference between patients with confirmed BE and patients without BE ( p value=0.995 ) . Discussion: The recognized method for naming BE is detecting IM in biopsies taken from the gorge. There is a argument whether presence of stomachic metaplasia ( without IM ) should sort a patient as holding BE or non. In this survey, presence of IM in pathology is the cardinal point to sort a patient to hold BE. In 1144 uninvestigated indigestion outpatients that undergone endoscopy, the prevalence of BE was 5.4 % if based on the endoscopic intuition of stomachic metaplasia in the distal gorge and 3.7 % when the diagnosing was histologically confirmed by the presence of IM. In one Single centre survey on 1248 Persian GERD patients, the prevalence of endoscopicaly suspected and pathologically confirmed BE was 8.3 % and 2.4 % severally ( 12 ) . But we investigated dyspeptic patients non GERD. The prevalence of BE among the patients that have acid regurgitation and pyrosis ( GERD symptoms ) as their dominant symptom is 13.1 % in our survey and is comparatively higher than old Persian probes ( 12, 13 ) . And is besides higher than 3-12 % in other surveies ( 8, 10, 11 ) . But our consequences are less than 24.1 % reported in a survey conducted in Japan ( 14 ) . As other surveies suggested ( 15 ) HH and esophagitis were more common in patients with BE and BE was more prevailing in males and older ages. In our survey people proposing pyrosis or acerb regurgitation tend to hold BE more than other surveies. In a survey by Breslin et Al. that reported on the findings of endoscopy in 3634 Canadian patients, the prevalence of BE suspected on endoscopy varied from 0.3 % to 2 % . And merely a minority ( 0.3 % ) was histologically confirmed ( 16 ) . This may be reflect the prevalence of BE in our country. In our survey 67 % of the endoscopically diagnosed BE were confirmed by histology. This rate is 11 % in another survey ( 17 ) Reflecting the function of endoscopist experience in naming BE. It has been shown that both longer continuance and badness of pyrosis are risk factors for the development of glandular cancer of the distal gorge. Patients with BE in the current survey reported dyspepsia symptoms of longer continuance and merely 14.3 % had symptoms for & lt ; 5 old ages. The fact that BE is a complication of longstanding GERD has been one of the chief grounds behind the recommendation for a ‘once in a life-time ‘ endoscopy in patients with GERD symptoms ( 10 ) . Decisions: In drumhead, the overall prevalence of histologically confirmed BE was 3.7 % in outpatients with indigestion. Patients with dominant symptoms of pyrosis, the prevalence of BE was 13.5 % . These informations should be used in the treatment about the demand for a one time in a life-time endoscopy in patients with dyspeptic symptoms. Our informations suggest that if endoscopy is recommended and should take topographic point at an older age ( such as age & gt ; 50 old ages ) and in patients with symptoms of & gt ; 5 old ages continuance as it will increase the output of diagnosing of BE.

Should You Really Trust College Ranking Lists

Should You Really Trust College Ranking Lists SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Since the U.S. News World Report college rankings list debuted in 1983, college-bound students and their parents have become quite enamored with college ranking lists. While the U.S. News list may be the most well-known, there are a plethora of college ranking lists out there. All use slightly different criteria to rank colleges and all claim to be the best and most reliable. However, should you trust any of these lists? Should you use them when deciding which college to attend? Do they provide any valuable information? In this article, I'll answer those questions. I'll let you know how much you can trust college ranking lists. Furthermore, I'll explain the pros and cons of these lists and how to use them to your benefit. How Are College Rankings Determined? Most ranking lists use a combination of objective statistics and subjective opinions based on survey responses to compile their rankings. Objective Numbers That Influence the Rankings These are the most common statistics used by the most popular college ranking lists that help determine the rankings. Retention: Some lists use the freshman retention rate, the percentage of students who return for their sophomore years, to help to determine their rankings. The logic behind using this statistic is that if a student is happy with a college and receiving the necessary support, then she will return for her second year. Also, lists use the 6-year graduation rate, the percentage of students who graduate within 6 years. If a college is providing quality instruction and nurturing its students, then the vast majority should be able to graduate within 6 years. Class Size: US News measures the proportion of classes with less than 20 students and the proportion with 50 or more. The idea here is that very small and large classes are indicative of having more resources. Also, students in smaller classes receive more attention and personalized instruction. Faculty Salary: The reasoning for using this metric is that schools that pay their faculty most generously are able to attract the best professors. Student-Faculty Ratio: If there is a low student-faculty ratio, then students can possibly get more attention and there will be more opportunities for students to interact with professors. SAT/ACT Scores: Schools with higher average standardized test scores are seen as being more selective and having more academically capable students. Percentage of Students That Graduated in the Top 10% and 25% of Their High School Classes: Colleges whose students all graduated near the top of their high school classes are judged positively for having the highest caliber of student. Acceptance Rate: The logic behind using this number is that if a college admits only a very small percentage of its applicants, then those that it does admit are likely to be the best and brightest. Average Spending Per Student: US News calculates spending per student by using the average spending per student on instruction, research, student services, and related educational expenditures in the most recent two fiscal years. Spending on sports, dorms, and hospitals doesn't count. If a college is spending more per student on education, then you may be able to assume that its students have more educational resources and quality instruction. Alumni Giving Rate:The alumni giving rate is the percentage of graduates who gave to the school, usually within the last year or two. According to various studies, the alumni giving rate is a measure of student satisfaction. However, I enjoyed my experience at Stanford, but I don't donate to my alma mater. Maybe somebody from Stanford will read this and I'll stop getting incessant letters and phone calls asking me for my money. Financial Aid: Some lists measure the average amount of financial aid awarded and others measure the percentage of financial need that is met. Better colleges should have the resources to enable all qualified students to attend regardless of financial need. US News also measures how satisfied students are with their financial aid, but that is a much more subjective rating. Salary of Alumni: The logic behind using average alumni salary in college rankings is that colleges that provide an excellent education and can offer good professional connections will have alumni with high salaries. Opinions That Influence The Rankings Academics US News World Report relies heavily on "undergraduate academic reputation" in its rankings. The academic reputation of a school is determined by how top academics and administrators at other colleges assess its academics. US News also surveys counselors from high schools to rate the academic programs of colleges to help determine "academic reputation." Princeton Review conducts a survey on how hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts to assess academics. Quality of Life Most college ranking lists assess the quality of life at a college through student surveys. Princeton Review grades quality of life through student assessments of "their overall happiness; the beauty, safety, and location of the campus; the comfort of dorms; the quality of food; the ease of getting around campus and dealing with administrators; the friendliness of fellow students; the interaction of different student types; and the quality of the school's relationship with the local community.† For the first time this year in its rankings, Forbes used a student satisfaction survey on Facebook where students were asked how satisfied they were with their school from 1-5. Obviously, the logic behind using quality of life measurements in rankings is that students should be happy if they're attending a good school. Pros of College Ranking Lists Discover New Colleges College ranking lists can introduce you to colleges that may be a good fit for you. I think this is probably the most valuable thing about these lists. Many students are not as familiar with smaller, well-ranked schools. Seeing these schools on ranking lists can provoke a student to research them, apply to them, and maybe even attend a school he would not have previously considered. For example, schools like Harvey Mudd and Williams are excellent schools that may not be as prestigious or have the same name recognition as Harvard or Yale, but they consistently rank very highly in college ranking lists. Provide Extensive Data for You to Compare Schools In one ranking list, you can see the average class size, high school GPA, or SAT/ACT score for many different colleges. These lists can offer you a resource for numerical comparisons. If you're considering a few different colleges, you can refer to a rankings list to compare the available statistics for each school and that may help you narrow down your list of colleges to apply to. Give You an Idea of What Others Think While the rankings can be disputed and these lists are subjective, college ranking lists do provide some insight into the reputations of different colleges. Graduate schools and employers often consider the reputations of different schools when they make decisions. Going to a #12 vs. a #20 school will probably have little impact on those decisions; however, going to a #12 vs. a #200 school could. Learn What You Need to Do to Be a Qualified Applicant Many of the ranking lists give you the average high school GPA, standardized test scores, and the percentage of students who graduate in the top 10% and 25% of their high school classes. From these numbers, you can determine what you need to do to make yourself competitive for admission to a specific school. If you want to have a decent shot at getting into a certain college, your numbers should compare favorably to those of the average student there. Cons of College Ranking Lists Some of the criteria used to evaluate colleges are highly subjective. For US News World Report, top academics and high school counselors answer survey questions about other schools' academic programs. Are they well-informed enough to have educated opinions on the academic programs of colleges they may have never worked at nor attended? Are they just relying on hearsay and the reputations of these schools to answer these questions? Similarly, some quality of life assessments may not account for natural variances in opinions. If the campus of a school in a rural environment is ranked as beautiful, that means little for the student who prefers urban environments and would find the rural campus unappealing. Some of the criteria used to rank schools may have no real impact on your educational experience. The rate of alumni giving and selectivity of a school will probably not impact the quality of instruction you'll receive at a particular college. Students can get too focused on the rankings instead of figuring out which school is the best fit for them. There's probably not much difference in the quality of education at a #5 school vs. a #10 school. The #10 school may be a much better fit for a student who could excel academically at both. Finally, colleges are very motivated by the rankings. They'll convince students who have little chance of getting accepted to apply to increase their selectivity rating. They'll spend countless hours and tremendous resources hitting up alumni for money to up their alumni giving percentages. Perhaps these schools could improve their academic programs or support services if they allocated their resources without regard to college rankings. College ranking lists can be both good and bad. What Do Some College Experts Think? Generally, in my research, the "experts" on record seem to have echoed some of my sentiments about college rankings. Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of Admissions at Yale from 2005-2013, believes that college ranking lists are of limited value to students: The formulas used to rank schools are based on factors that in themselves are often irrelevant to individual students. Their composite scores reflect alumni giving rates, student-to-teacher ratios, median SAT scores, persistence to graduation, admissions selectivity and other data that provide little information about specific program strengths, honors programs or the general way in which the school lifts and supports student aspirations. The simplicity and clarity that ranking systems seem to offer are not only misleading, but can also be harmful. Rankings tend to ignore the very criteria that may be most important to an applicant, such as specific academic offerings, intellectual and social climate, ease of access to faculty, international opportunities and placement rates for careers or for graduate and professional school. Colin Diver, former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and former President of Reed College, also wrote of his dislike for ranking lists. He wrote positively of Reed's decision to not submit information to US News World Report for its rankings list: For ten years Reed has declined to fill out the annual peer evaluations and statistical surveys thatU.S. Newsuses to compile its rankings. It has three primary reasons for doing so. First, one-size-fits-all ranking schemes undermine the institutional diversity that characterizes American higher education. The urge to improve one's ranking creates an irresistible pressure toward homogeneity, and schools that, like Reed, strive to be different are almost inevitably penalized. Second, the rankings reinforce a view of education as strictly instrumental to extrinsic goals such as prestige or wealth; this is antithetical to Reed's philosophy that higher education should produce intrinsic rewards such as liberation and self-realization. Third, rankings create powerful incentives to manipulate data and distort institutional behavior for the sole or primary purpose of inflating one's score.Because the rankings depend heavily on unaudited, self-reported data, there is no way to ensure either t he accuracy of the information or the reliability of the resulting rankings. However, some college admissions experts do see some value in the ranking lists. Lynda McGee is a college counselor at Downtown Magnets High School, ranked as a gold medal high school by US News interestingly enough. Like I previously mentioned, she states that college ranking lists can help introduce you to excellent colleges: Many factors go into college rankings, including alumni donations and how other institutions perceive them. Take that into account when you start to think that school #1 must be much better than school #20. What the rankings can do is introduce you to great schools you may be unfamiliar with. So check out those rankings, but remember that you will find an excellent education up and down the list. Keep in mind that while you may not find many representatives from colleges to speak positively about ranking lists, in general, hundreds of colleges routinely brag about their rankings and prominently display them on their websites and in their brochures. Colleges tend to care about these rankings, and they know they matter to students, their parents, and influence popular opinion. Rankings matter to many people. Final Word on Whether You Should Trust College Ranking Lists Don't trust the exact ranking. The #5 school isn't necessarily better than the #10 school in any given list. Use ranking lists to find colleges you may have not previously considered. Focus on the factors that are important to you in a college when looking at a ranking list. You want to go to a college that is a good fit for you. Use the objective available statistics like average high school GPA and SAT/ACT score to compare colleges and determine what you need to do to be a qualified applicant. College ranking lists do provide a rough idea of how colleges are perceived in the academic and professional worlds. What's Next? College ranking lists should only be one of many resources you use in your college search. Make sure you know how to choose a college. Also, look at the best college search websites. Finally, as you're deciding which schools to apply to, learn about reach and safety schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Coalition vs Common App Which Should You Use

Coalition vs Common App Which Should You Use SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When it comes to college applications, you have a few options for how you can apply. Two of these are the Common Application (or Common App) and the Coalition Application (or Coalition App). In this extensive guide to the Coalition vs Common App, we’ll go over the major features of the two application systems and take a look at their biggest pros and cons. We’ll then review the colleges that don’t accept either application system, and offer you tips on whether you should choose the Coalition or Common App. Coalition vs Common App: What Are They? The Common Application and Coalition Application are online platforms that allow you to apply to multiple colleges at once. Both systems streamline the college application process by letting students fill out critical details such as their contact information, extracurricular activities, grades, and essays just one time. Using the Common App and Coalition App is free for students, though you’ll likely have to pay application fees, which can vary depending on the colleges you’re applying to. (If you're worried about these costs, you canapply for a fee waiver.) To use these two application systems, simply go to their respective websites and make an account. You can then search for colleges that accept the Common App or Coalition App. The big benefit here is that you can apply to schools through a centralized college application system instead of having to submit all your applications individually.This type of system not only makes the whole college application process a lot easier, but also saves you a ton of valuable time since you won’t have to keep filling out the same information for each school. Note that someschools require supplementary materials, such as another essay or portfolio, in addition to the basic information required by all schools. You should typically be able to submit these supplementary materials to a school using that school’s application on the Common App or Coalition App. Now that we've gone over the basics of the two application systems, what are the pros and cons of the Coalition App? The Common App? We take a look at these next. The Coalition App: Pros and Cons We’ll start by taking a look at the much newer Coalition App, which was only released in 2015. What makes it a good college application system to use? What makes it difficult? Finally, how does it compare with the Common App? Let's find out. Advantages of the Coalition App Most schools that use the Coalition App offer good financial aid packages to students. In case you didn’t know, the Coalition’s actual name is the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (makes sense now, doesn’t it?). One of the system’s biggest selling points isits members' emphasis on supporting "lower-income, under-resourced, and/or first-generation students."If you’re worried about money, know that the schools on the Coalition App will be willing to lend you a hand. Some popular schools accept the Coalition App but not the Common App. These schools include Clemson University, Elon University, North Central College, Texas AM, the University of Montana, the University of New Mexico, UT Austin, and Virginia Tech. The Coalition App's locker feature lets you easily organize and save your information. You can keep track of important materials, such as essays or videos, starting as early as 9th grade. And what's great is that you have unlimited digital space, too! You can add people, such as your parents, mentors, counselors, or teachers, to your Coalition account. This lets you conveniently collaborate on any parts of your application with which you might need some extra guidance or advice. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Disadvantages of the Coalition App Far fewer schools accept the Coalition App than they do the Common App. This is the biggest drawback of the Coalition App. According to the official website, 139 schools will be accepting the Coalition App for the 2019-20 school year- but this pales in comparison with the more than 800 schools that accept the Common App. The interface can be a little wonky and hard to navigate at times. The Coalition App is still a fairly new application system, so compared with the Common App, its interface might feel a little less intuitive. The Common App: Pros and Cons The Common App has been around since 1975 and is well established among colleges. But does this necessarily make it a better application system than the Coalition App? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons. Advantages of the Common App It’s accepted by 800+ colleges, some of which are outside the US.The Common App is by far the most popular and widely used centralized application system. You can see the entire list of schools on the Common App website. Because it's been around for more than four decades, many high school counselors and teachers are familiar with how to use it. This fact is especially important when you ask for letters of recommendation from teachers- if they already know how to submit them through the Common App, this will cut their time in half and make the whole application process a lot easier for you as well. It offers more essay prompts than other college application systems do. Many schools require applicants to submit a personal statement, and since the Common App offersseven possible prompts to choose from, you’ll have a solid variety of topics to choose from. This is especially helpful if you often struggle to come up with an essay topic on your own. The Common App's rollover feature makes it easy to start your applications early and save any information you’ve already filled out. A new edition of the Common App opens each year on August 1, but with the Account Rollover feature, students can retain basic info they’ve already put into their applications without having to start over. Disadvantages of the Common App More than a million students use the Common App each year, and since the staff isn’t huge, it can take a while for them to get back to you if you have a technical issue. This is especially frustrating if you’re trying to turn in a college application right before a deadline and need a response ASAP. Definitely aim to submit all your applications as early as possible, just in case you run into any problems! The interface can run slowly at times, especially around application deadlines when more students are rushing to get in their college applications. Which Colleges Do NOT Accept the Coalition or Common App? Although the Common App and Coalition App are popular in the college application process, there are many schools that do not accept either the Common App or Coalition App. With these colleges, you must submit your application through an entirely different system. This could be a different centralized college application system, such as the Universal College App, or, more likely, a platform that’s entirely unique to the school. Here are some well-known schools that do not accept the Common App or Coalition App: Auburn University Brigham Young University Duquesne University Georgetown Loyola University Chicago MIT United States Military Academy (West Point) United States Naval Academy University of California system (including UCLA and UC Berkeley) In general, public schools are more likely to have their own online application platforms. In addition, some schools that use the Common App and/or Coalition App have their own university systems as well (meaning you can choose whether to apply through the school's online system or the Common App/Coalition App). You can see the list of schools that accept the Coalition App here,and search for schools by name on the Common App website here. The type of application system your schools use in the admissions process will have a big impact on whether you ultimately choose to use the Coalition or Common App (or neither- or both!). The choice is yours! Coalition vs Common App: Which Should You Choose? Before you choose the Common App or Coalition App, it’s important to know that you will not have any disadvantage by choosing one platform over the other. In other words, if given a choice between the Coalition App and Common App, it won’t make any difference whether you apply through one or the other- they’re both viewed equally by schools. In a recent US News article, Heidi Meyer, executive director of admissions at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, states, "We want to students to use whatever application best fits their life and where they are planning on attending or applying for school." Basically, whether you should use the Common App or Coalition App ultimately depends on your own preferences and what system the schools you’re applying to accept (and don’t accept). Below are some quick tips to help you make a decision when it comes to the Coalition vs Common App: Apply Through the Common App If †¦ You’re applying to schools that do notaccept the Coalition App and/or all your schools accept the Common App. If all the schools you're applying to accept the Common App (and not all use the Coalition App), you’ll save time and energy by choosing the Common App. Apply Through the Coalition App If †¦ All your schools accept the Coalition App and some of them do not use the Common App. If all your schools accept the Coalition App but not all of them use the Common App (e.g., Virginia Tech), then the more practical option is to apply through the Coalition App. All your schools use the Coalition App and you prefer the Coalition App's interface and features over those of the Common App. If you want to get started on college applications early and are a fan of the locker feature, for example, the Coalition App will better serve your needs than the Common App will. What’s Next? Struggling to decide between the Common App and the Universal College App? No worries! We've got an in-depth guide that goes over the biggest pros and cons of each application system. What schools accept the Common App? The Universal College App? Check out our guides for updated lists of schools and what application platforms they use. Trying to write the Common App essay? Let our expert tips lend you a hand! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Fate of Taamail's Export Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Fate of Taamail's Export - Assignment Example The World Trade Organization (WTO) regulatory context relevant in this case goes back to the Generalized System of Preferences as established under the Enabling clause of the GATT, allowing for the preferential treatment of the developing countries over their developed counterparts in matters of trade relationships (EC, 2004). The relevant legal issue is whether the recent change in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) as developed by Solia are in violation of Article I and Article III of the GATT of 1994. The most relevant legal issue in this case, however, is the existing inconsistency between the provisions of Article I: 1 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994), as required to apply to all the members of the World Trade Organization, and the Enabling Clause as implemented by the member states of the GATT. The provisions of Article I: 1 of GATT 1994 requires that any preferential treatment in relation to tariffs that is offered to one of the member states should â€Å"immediately and unconditionally† be accorded to all the other members in relation to similar products and other associated trade measures (GATT, 1979). On the other hand, the Enabling clause of the GATT provides for preferential treatment of some nations over the others in relation to similar products and associated trade measures, based on certain considerations and requirements for fulfillment of assigned conditions under their specified Generalized System of Preferences (Mckenzie, 2005) . Nevertheless, the applicability of the Generalized System of Preferences as provided under the Enabling clause of the GATT should be subject to authorization, and subsequent WTO waiver of Article I: 1 of GATT for a specified period of time (Gowa & Hicks, 2012).

Indias Participation in Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Indias Participation in Global Economy - Essay Example The Indian society is now subject to western imperialism and quite a distinct reflection of the western culture, styles, and language and business activity. The economic environment of India, after the reforms has predominantly changed from socialist policies to more liberal policies, facilitating an expansion of international trade. Some cultural values are very strongly established amongst the Indian workforce and may deter further expansion of international trade but Indian culture is one of business orientation because of its historical significance and industrial background and thus strongly supports trade activity. Yet there remain some economic challenges that may deter further growth of the economy. These include an inadequate infrastructure to support a growth rate of 8%. With so much international pressures to quality conformance and timely production, India must invest in up gradation of its ports, rail networks, roads, and power and water supplies. Hence, in order for Ind ia to capitalise on its economic benefits, it must overcome these economic challenges and increase its international market presence by developing indigenous brands and thus expanding international trade. 1.Problem Identification and Analysis With the highest population in the world of about 1.1 billion, second largest to China, India has made its way amongst the world’s leading economies in the year 2007. ... ccording to the World Bank Report, its economic growth rate was 8%, close to 10.4% of China, despite the high dependence of its economy on the agricultural sector (World Bank 2004). Recently the economy has moved towards massive production orientation in the manufacturing sector and there has been an observable proliferation of information technology and telecommunications. It is the augmentation within this sector, the software companies and call centres that have fuelled the economic growth in India. India has developed the right infrastructure to facilitate this rapid economic growth through development of an educated, English speaking workforce and thus has become a hub for outsourcing for large multinationals and overseas services to US companies (Banik 2007). Many companies like Ford Motors, General Motors and software companies have subcontracted their business services including customer service support, business support and troubleshooting computers, to this sector of Asia. Moreover, the country also has some skilled personnel to conduct customer surveys and research that provides the foundation for its international trade. Many companies are considering outsourcing their most expensive marketing process that is research, to the low cost researchers in India (Suresh 1999). The main reason that has fuelled this structural change is the emergence of a class characterised with young business professionals. It is also the culture of the country that promotes diligence, struggle and goal orientation (Kumar and Agarwal, Liberalization, Outward Orientation and In-house R&D activities of multinationals and local firms 2000). Therefore, the impact of globalization has been tremendous on Indian economy. With more and more companies looking to outsource in attempt to