SUPA Accelerators Overview and Applications

SUPA Accelerators Overview and Applications Aimee Hopper November 28, 2013 1 Briefly describe the differences between the following ac-  celerators and give their advantages and disadvantages (54 Marks) Accelerates Protons/Ions with a Kinetic Energy of 20-35 MeV. The work done on the particle is proportional to the voltage of the terminal. (W =qVterminal). The voltage of the terminal is dependent on the height of the device (V _ kQL ) where Q is the total charge of the particles, k is the Coulomb constant and L is the total length of the accelerating chamber, i.e. the total height of the device through which the  ion falls. Advantages very simple to make, and the principles behind the acceleration are very well understood. easy and cheap to maintain Disadvantages very difficult to get to very high energies, as the only way to do so it so make a very high, stable structure. only allows one route for particles to travel. Betraton (6 Marks) Accelerates electrons with a kinetic energy of 10-300 MeV The betatron is a type of accelerator which uses an induced magnetic field to accelerate electrons to high energies in circular orbits. Uses solenoids with an electric current passing through to produce large magnetic fields to bend the particles. Advantages Simple design solenoids and their properties are well understood and can easily be tested and manufactured. Disadvantages Requires a huge amount of coils to get the induced magnetic fields required – therefore very heavy and costly. As the coils arent superconducting, this system is also very lossy, and so wastes a lot of energy. Cyclotron (6 Marks) Figure 2: [3] Accelerates Protons/Ions with a kinetic energy of 10 100 MeV. A circular device which operates using large magnets to bend the particles. Two semi-circular plates are connected to an AC source, applying a voltage across a gap between the plates. This applied voltage causes the particle to accelerate. However, as there is also a large magnetic field present, the particle is forced to bend its path as it accelerates, following a circular path. The more energy the particle gets, the larger its radius becomes until eventually it is extracted from the device. (v = qBr m where q is the charge of the particle, B is the magnetic field strength applied across the plates, r is the radius of curvature of the particle and m is the mass of the particle.) Advantages The same gap can be used for all energies of particles, as the kick that is received will always be in-phase with the kick produced by the AC source. This is because as the particles speed up, they have a longer path, therefore take longer to arrive to the same point they were originally. Disadvantages To have a small device, large magnetic fields are required, which could pose a hassle to the set-up and cost of the project. As the particles become relativistic, the AC source lags behind, therefore not producing the correct kick to the particles, possibly removing energy from the system. Synchro-cyclotron (6 Marks) Accelerates Protons/Ions with a kinetic energy of 100-750 MeV Special form of cyclotron takes into account relativistic lag from the AC sources. Advantages There is no need for a narrow gap between the plates as in the case of conventional cyclotron, because strong electric fields for producing large acceleration are not required. So, only one plate is required instead of two, the other end of the oscillating voltage supply being connected to earth. The magnetic pole pieces can be brought closer, thus making it possible to increase greatly the magnetic flux density. The frequency valve oscillator is able to function with much greater efficiency. Disadvantages The machine produces high energy ions with a comparatively low intensity. Synchrotron (6 Marks) Figure 3: [?] Accelerates either electrons (kinetic energy of 1-10 GeV) or protons/ions (kinetic energy of 1-1000 GeV). Utilises a number of different types of magnets dipoles (bend the beam), quadrupole (focus the beam), sextupoles (account for chromaticity of the beam) etc. Uses RF cavities to insert energy into the particle beam to account for synchrotron losses and increase the energy of the beam Advantages Can generate a high luminosity beam at very high energies. The Synchrotron radiation lost can be used for other applications which require a very specific wavelength, such as medical applications. Disadvantages Suffers from radiation losses A synchrotron cannot use relativistic particles, as RF lag would become an issue. Storage ring (6 Marks) Accelerates electrons with a kinetic energy of 1-7 GeV [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility]. A storage ring is a particle accelerator that keeps a particle beam at a certain energy for a long period of time. This is useful, especially in synchrotrons, as the beam can be kept at a certain energy ensuring that a specific frequency is emitted in the form of radiation. Advantages Stores a particle beam at a certain energy, so dont have to increase beam energy from 0 (time consuming). Disadvantages Systems have to be very precise and stable – costly Collider ring (6 Marks) Accelerates electrons (kinetic energy of 10-100 GeV) or protons/ions (kinetic energy of 1-7 TeV [Large Hadron Collider]). Particles of a particular energy are injected into the ring and stored there until they are forced to collide at set points throughout the structure. Advantages Can reach higher energies than in a LINAC at much lower cost due to giving each beam half the required centre of mass energy. if using particle-antiparticle, then the same equipment will accelerate the two beams in opposite directions (due to difference in charge) Disadvantages Beam pipe needs to hold 2 beams, which need to only interact with each other when required need very accurate equipment to ensure beam stays separated. Linacs (6 Marks) Accelerates electrons (kinetic energy of 20 MeV to 50 GeV) or protons/ions (kinetic energy of 50-800 MeV [Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility]) A Linear Accelerator accelerates the particle beam along a straight line as opposed to a circular path. Advantages No energy loss due to particles accelerating in a curve. Can accelerate heavy ions to far higher energies than possible in the circular accelerators. Can produce a continuous stream of particles as opposed to bunched particles present in circular accelerators. Disadvantages Need to be very long to get up to high energies. A high number of AC driver sources are required, which is both costly and introduces possible errors due to out-of-phase issues. Linear collider (6 Marks) Accelerates electrons from 50-1000 GeV. A linear collider is used to collide particles in a straight line towards one another. Advantages No energy needs to be pumped into the beam to account for radiation losses. beams will never be able to interact with each other before the collision points, therefore can use smaller beam pipes. can accelerates heavier particles since they dont need to be bent. Disadvantages   For collisions with the highest possible energy, two linacs producing beams with the same energy headed towards each other, the complete machine would need to be very long! 2 Explain the advantages of using a collider rather than  a single beam for collision experiments. Illustrate your  answer by considering 7 TeV proton beams. (10 Marks) By using 7 TeV proton beams in a collider, a centre of mass energy of 14 TeV can be achieved by sending both beams in opposite directions to collide. This is obviously very useful when probing matter, as a higher energy will result in higher mass particles / more low mass particles being produced, therefore available for analysis. The single beam would only be able to reach 7 TeV, and so has a limited range by comparison to the collider. To obtain a centre of mass energy of 14 TeV in a single beam is also incredibly difficult to produce, both due to the cost and the size of the equipment required. Therefore a 14 GeV beam isnt feasible to produce. Whereas 7 TeV is relatively easy. Also, when 14 GeV does become easy to produce, a centre of mass energy of 28 GeV would then be possible, which is far more attractive for high energy energy studies. 3 Explain briefly how a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator  works. What determines the limit in energy for a uniform  plasma density? (13 Marks) In laser-plasma wakefield acceleration, a laser pulse is used to excited very high electric fields in a following plasma wave. Efficient energy transfer is made between laser pulse and plasma wave if both the wave and the pulse are travelling at the same speed, with a high energy gain being obtainable in low-density plasmas, in which the phase velocity of the laser-plasma is equal to the laser pulse group velocity, which is very close to the speed of light. This allows the longitudinal electric fields associated to the fast plasma wave to accelerate relativistic particles within the plasma, and can even trap the particles to the electrostatic wave. This allows particles to be boosted to very high energies in a very short distance. It is important that the density of the plasma is below the critical density (nc =1:1 _ 1021=_20 _m)[5] We know that the maximum energy of a wave is related to the 2g of the wave by the equation E _ epn _1g (1) where g is the lorentz factor associated with the group velocity of the laser pulse which is equal to g =!0!p (2) So the more dense the plasma, the lower g is, and therefore the slower the wave travels. If the wave travels too slowly, then the particles will move away from the wave faster. 4 Briefly describe how a FEL and synchrotron radiation  source works. What is the advantage of a free-electron  laser? (10 Marks) A free-electron laser utilises both undulator and radiation fields to produce ponderomotive (essentially a light-radiation pressure) on the particles. This forces the electrons to oscillate at the fundamental frequency. If the electrons can be forced to bunch together on a wavelength scale (given by equation 3), then the electrons emit coherently. _ =_u22_1 +a2u2_ (3) Synchrotron radiation works by accelerating a particle in a circular path, therefore producing radiation. This generally gives an incoherent beam of radiation, as any discrepancies in the individual particle energies will result in a slightly different frequency radiation coming o_. It is caused by undulators, wigglers and bending magnets, and due to the high speeds of the particles, comes out the acceleration device in a cone, with an opening angle equal to _1 . The benefits of the free-electron laser are that it produces a much higher brightness due to the coherence of the wave, therefore producing a significantly higher photon flux for a given energy, as compared to the synchrotron. Synchrotrons currently produce an average brilliance of 1011. The FEL is able to produce a brilliance of up to 6 orders of magnitude higher, however there are currently issues with regards creating coherence throughout the whole length of the laser pulse. 5 Describe how particles and X-rays can be used to treat  cancer and give the advantages and disadvantages of the  different radiation types used for radiotherapy. (13 Marks) With regards to cancer, the aim is to damage or destroy the DNA of the tumour to kill it by disrupting the cell cycle of the tumour in one way or another. X-Rays produced in 5-20 MeV linacs are currently used to treat most patients. They can cure up to 45% of cancers, 50% of which is by radiation therapy alone, or combined with chemotherapy and/or surgery. This is achieved by using 3D Conformation therapy, where multiple X-Rays are used to concentrate the beam energy onto the tumour, whilst minimising the damage caused to surrounding cells. Particles that can be used to treat cancers include electrons (positrons), protons, neutrons and ions. These can either be used directly, or can help in producing radio-isotopes to also assist in treating cancer through Positron Emission Tomograohy (PET) or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). If used directly, then the particles are _red at the tumour. Charged particles interact with electrons in the body, and a vast majority of the energy of the particle is deposited according to its Bragg Peak (energy loss vs distance plot of the Bethe-Bloch formula). The aim is to get this depth to correspond to that of the tumour, so the energy deposited causes maximal damage to the cancer whilst causing very little damage to surrounding tissue. The advantages of particle therapy are All (most) energy deposited where required, with little to no damage of surrounding cells. Very few side effects Seems to have a higher cure rate with certain types of cancers (i.e. uveal melanoma). Massively reduces the damage done to children sufferers as less of their healthy tissue is effected, reducing the chances of side-effects caused by traditional methods. Particles can be accelerated to whatever energy is required to reach the tumour. The disadvantages of particle therapy are: It requires a huge capital investment, and is massively expensive by comparison to X-Ray treatments. Requires hospitals to have room for a large particle accelerator to accelerate the ions, which isnt always possible. Expensive to run, due to energies required. References [1] http://www.lbl.gov/abc/wallchart/chapters/11/2.html  as viewed on the 25/11/13 [2] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wideroe linac en.svg  as viewed on the 25/11/13 [3] http://images.yourdictionary.com/cyclotron  as viewed on the 25/11/13 [4] http://www.schoolphysics.co.uk/age16-19/Nuclear physics/Accelerators/text/  Synchrotron /index.html  as viewed on the 25/11/13 [5] V. Malka, J. Faure, Y. Glinec, A. Lifschitz, LASER-PLASMA WAKEFIELD AC-CELERATION: CONCEPTS, TESTS AND PREMISES, EPAC, 2006

Duplicitous Characters in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Duplicitous Characters in Othello Throughout Shakespeare’s play Othello, I’ve noticed that a couple of the characters in the play are duplicitous because they act one way when they are encountered with another person and act differently when the other person isn’t around. A duplicitous person is someone who can act like a friend to your face but when they aren’t around that person they tend to talk behind their backs, and don’t act like a friend. Duplicitous people are fake because you never really know if they are your true friends because friends don’t act like that when you aren’t around them. I don’t think there should be duplicitous people in the world because they are hurtful people. Now that you are familiarized with what a duplicitous person is, it is obvious that a couple of the characters in this play fit that category. Iago is a very duplicitous person. He is a villain and is Othello’s ancient. Iago seems to be everyone’s friend but all he really wants is to hurt and destroy the lives of people. Iago uses both Cassio and Roderigo to help him destroy Othello. From the very beginning Iago dislikes Othello because he gave Cassio the job as a lieutenant instead of him. In Act 1 scene 1 lines 10-27 just states how he dislikes Othello because of what he did. Since Roderigo also dislikes Othello because he had eloped with Desdemona his lover, Iago will use Roderigo to help him get back at Othello. Iago wants to notify Brabantio who is Desdemona’s father of what his daughter has done and he as asked Roderigo to help him. Iago says " Call up her father. Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, and though he in a fertile climate dwell, plaque him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, yet throw such changes of vexation on ‘t as it may lose color. (Act 1 scene 1 lines 61-75) Iago is using Roderigo hatred towards Othello to help him notify Brabantio of what is going on between his daughter and Othello, thus causing him to be upset and doing something to Othello. Another thing Iago does to Roderigo is make it seem like he was the only one who told Brabantio about what is going on so Iago wouldn’t get in trouble but Roderigo will.

Facts and Innovation of Education in China Essay -- Education Chinese

Facts and Innovation of Education in China I lived in a city and had a standard high school student life as others. I got up at 7:00 in the morning and tried not to be late for the morning class which is half an hour later. Then I had 9 classes till 5:00 in the afternoon, during which I could eat my one-hour-long lunch. Even at night and on weekends, I had to deal with tons of homework and tests, or locked myself in the classroom. It sounds crazy to have only one day per week free without classes or to stay at school more than at home, but millions of Chinese students are experiencing both situations. One research reveals that nearly 7 out of 10 students in Beijing have to attend classes during winter breaks. Another says that 67% of high school students have less than 7 hours sleep per day and about 42% students have less than half an hour free time per day. Half of them have no free time at all. For most high students in China, all the hard work aims at one thing, and the thing is called the National College Entrance Examination. In fact, it’s an exam which lasts 2 or 3 days depending individually on provinces, takes place nationally and synchronously, and the final score of the exam determines which college a student may get in. Although students fill out forms indicating several colleges they would like to apply to, the fact is they merely have one chance basically, which is the first choice. And once a student fails to get in his first choice, his chances of getting into other colleges are enormously decreased because the spaces have been filled already. Mostly, the Entrance Examination is the only way a college evaluates and admits a student. And in China, a good college degree more or less guarantees a promisi... ...a crushing fairer education environment. Work Cited: Jiajie Li, â€Å"Yang Zhenning jiaoshou bijiao zhongmei jiaoyu† (Prof. Zhenning Yang compares education between China and the US), Guangming Daily, June 18, 2004. Maolin Ye, â€Å"Dui Zhongguo fazhan mingban jiaoyu de sikao† (Thoughts about developing private schools in China); available from http://edu.tom.com/1050/20031030-1455.html; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004. Chenxin Zhou, Peng Jiang, â€Å"Zhongguo shisheng pubian renwei gaozhong kecheng guoduo guonan† (Students and teachers consider high schoolwork load too much and too hard); available from http://www.wendu.com/Training/11611.html; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004. Guangcheng Liang, â€Å"Jiaoyu buneng mangmu xihua† (Do not westernize education blindly); available from http://maths.guangztr.edu.cn/kcgg/bnmmxh.htm; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004. Facts and Innovation of Education in China Essay -- Education Chinese Facts and Innovation of Education in China I lived in a city and had a standard high school student life as others. I got up at 7:00 in the morning and tried not to be late for the morning class which is half an hour later. Then I had 9 classes till 5:00 in the afternoon, during which I could eat my one-hour-long lunch. Even at night and on weekends, I had to deal with tons of homework and tests, or locked myself in the classroom. It sounds crazy to have only one day per week free without classes or to stay at school more than at home, but millions of Chinese students are experiencing both situations. One research reveals that nearly 7 out of 10 students in Beijing have to attend classes during winter breaks. Another says that 67% of high school students have less than 7 hours sleep per day and about 42% students have less than half an hour free time per day. Half of them have no free time at all. For most high students in China, all the hard work aims at one thing, and the thing is called the National College Entrance Examination. In fact, it’s an exam which lasts 2 or 3 days depending individually on provinces, takes place nationally and synchronously, and the final score of the exam determines which college a student may get in. Although students fill out forms indicating several colleges they would like to apply to, the fact is they merely have one chance basically, which is the first choice. And once a student fails to get in his first choice, his chances of getting into other colleges are enormously decreased because the spaces have been filled already. Mostly, the Entrance Examination is the only way a college evaluates and admits a student. And in China, a good college degree more or less guarantees a promisi... ...a crushing fairer education environment. Work Cited: Jiajie Li, â€Å"Yang Zhenning jiaoshou bijiao zhongmei jiaoyu† (Prof. Zhenning Yang compares education between China and the US), Guangming Daily, June 18, 2004. Maolin Ye, â€Å"Dui Zhongguo fazhan mingban jiaoyu de sikao† (Thoughts about developing private schools in China); available from http://edu.tom.com/1050/20031030-1455.html; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004. Chenxin Zhou, Peng Jiang, â€Å"Zhongguo shisheng pubian renwei gaozhong kecheng guoduo guonan† (Students and teachers consider high schoolwork load too much and too hard); available from http://www.wendu.com/Training/11611.html; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004. Guangcheng Liang, â€Å"Jiaoyu buneng mangmu xihua† (Do not westernize education blindly); available from http://maths.guangztr.edu.cn/kcgg/bnmmxh.htm; Internet; accessed December 1, 2004.

Analize a Conflict in “Rip Van Winkle” Essay

One of the main conflicts in the story â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† is about Rip falling asleep for 20 years. To escape the verbal abuse of his wife that he had to deal with every day, Rip left to the forest with his dog Wolf. While he was enjoying a calm view at the top of the mountain, a strange man yelled his name over and over. The man reached Rip’s location and asked him if he could help him with the bags he carried. Rip helped the man and they headed to the mountain torrent. When they got there, they found a group of strange men playing nine-pins. Rip drank some Dutch gin that the men gave him, got really drunk, and fell asleep. When he woke up his dog was missing and his gun had blemished. He decided to go back to his town, but all the routes to get there had changed. He finally got to his town and saw that everything and everyone had changed. Rip even noticed that he had grown a one foot long beard. Nobody recognized him so they thought he was a spy, since he was talking about the king while others were talking about George Washington and the war. A girl approached him and he started asking her who her father and mother were. She said Rip Van Winkle and Dame Van Winkle. Rip figured that was his daughter so he told her that he was her father. She was very happy so see him again and brought him to live with her. Rip’s sleep’s real meaning is that he is escaping from his family and his responsibilities. Irving, the author of the story, had Rip draw in to sleep in the first place, so his character could have an adventure when he woke up, not just so he could escape the present. It’s important to see both points because Rip going into the spiritual woods means both escape and adventure. The point that Irving was making was that slowness will cause you to miss out on the things of the future. This story is like showing us what would happen if we could escape our responsibilities and come back at a convenient time. The fact that Rip’s wife had always nagged on him didn’t make him sorry that he slept for as long as he did. He was actually relieved because he escaped the snatch that his wife had on him. It seemed that she took away a part of his man-hood by always telling him what to do and what not to do. Rip then returned back to the town square and realized what had happened. Not too many people believed his story but reality struck and people started believing him. He was no longer looked at as a lazy irresponsible man, but as a hero. During the Romantic Period of American Literature it was believed that imagination is greater than logic and that imagination is the greater solution to finding truth and beauty, what most authors valued. Romantic writers also believed that cities led to corruption; therefore nature is a safe place to become more spiritual. This is why Rip Van Winkle schemes into the forest with his dog to escape the attack of his wife. Sleeping for 20 years is where the â€Å"imagination is greater than logic† part comes into play. The moral of the story, however, is to have your priorities in order. Rip helped neighbors whenever possible, yet was unwilling towards his family. Of course sleeping for 20 years isn’t reasonable for us. Whether Irving is romantic or not, the point is to display to every reader throughout time that we cannot sleep through a revolution, or shrink our responsibilities.

Costco Wholesale Case Study

Stakeholders invest money with the intent to gain return in the future. It is important for stakeholders to gain access to information and evaluate the firm’s performance before they put money in it. On the other hand, it is the firm’s management team job to make decisions that would maximize the long term value of the firm’s common stock. The intent of this paper is to analyze Costco Wholesale Corporation’s financial performance and to assess how efficient the business has been over a five year period as well as to provide recommendation for financial management strategy. The problem identified in this paper is the low margins in the industry. Because margins are low, the profitability of individual companies depends on high volume sales and efficient operations. Costco Wholesale Corporation is high-growth Retail Company. The company has experienced significant growth from 1997 to 2001, which has caught the attention of the competition. However, the numbers are decreasing because return on assets, return on equity, and asset turnover ratios have declined within the same time frame. Costco Wholesale Corporation has been a major player in the retail industry. It is the largest wholesale club operator in the US. â€Å"The company operates about 555 membership warehouse stores serving more than 53 million cardholders in some 40 US states and Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK, primarily under the Costco Wholesale name. † (Hoover's, Inc, 2010) Costco’s strategy is low prices strategy. The management team has been able to pass savings to customers, keep low prices and maintain healthy margins at the same time. This has been a result of the company’s ability to become more efficient over time. The company saves on operation costs in order to provide low price while still keeping high quality products for customers. It has been constructing warehouses with inexpensive concrete floors. Selling items in bulk has allowed for operating efficiencies. Also, carrying less variety of products than other competitors has contributed to keeping inventory costs down. High sales volume and rapid inventory turnover are very important for a firm’s financial performance. Therefore, they should not be overlooked by investors. Costco’s inventory turnover ratio of 11. 7% in 2001 is the highest compared to its competitors. It is a result of operating principle that allows Costco to improve its working capital and operate much more efficiently than its competitors. For instance, Costco buys directly from manufacturers and routes purchases directly to customers in less than 24 hours. â€Å"Cross-docks never stored inventory, so all of the items delivered were reloaded and shipped that same day. † (Case study, p. 6) This has increased efficiency by ensuring the trucks are operating at full capacity. It also has allowed Costco to receive cash in hand before it has to pay for the original merchandise from the manufacturer. This has resulted in a very high operating cash flow for the business. Cash is important to any company’s financial performance. It allows the company to pay its bills and invest in the business without having to use debt. According to Torres’s Common Size Financial statement Interest expense has decreased from – 0. 35% in 1997 to – 0. 09% in 2001. This has demonstrated Costco’s ability to reduce its overall amount of debt during these years. For example, the fact that short-term debts have increased from 0. 46% in 1997 to 1. 93% in 2001 and long-term debt have decreased from 16. 74% of sales in 1997 to 8. 2% in 2001, relates back to the decrease in Costco’s interest expense. This is a representation of the management’s team decision turn on to short-term and move away from long-term debts. In addition, the decrease in long-term debt has helped reducing total liabilities from 53. 32% of total assets in 1997 to 50. 46% in 2001. Costcoâ €™s current ration in 2001 is 0. 94, which is below its competitors. This could be a sign for weak liquidity position. However, the high inventory turnover ratio analyzed earlier in this paper in combination with the low current ratio is an indicator for efficient assets management. The competitors’ higher current ratio might also be a sign for too much inventory that might have to be written-off or too many old accounts receivables that could turn into bad debts. Sears and Walmart’s account receivables are a way higher than Costco and BJs, confirming that there is no significant reason for considering Costco’s current ratio a weakness. Costco’s gross margin has been well maintained over the five year period. Their gross margin of 10. 4% is much lower than Sears’ of 26. 6% and Wal-Mart’s of 21. 5%. Only BJ’s has a lower gross margin of 9. 2%. Costco’s 2001 gross margin suggests ability to remain profitable and very competitive at the same time. The company has been able to provide goods to customers at a very low mark-up and at a lower per unit cost. According to the case study Costco’s management team has decided to reinvest net income back into the company instead of paying dividends. This decision has resulted in earnings retention ratio of 100% as shown on Torres’s sustainable growth model. Absence of dividends could lead to some investor dissatisfaction in the short term. The return on equity (ROE) also has been decreasing during the five year period. It has dropped from 18. 6% in 1998 to 14. 2% in 2001, which could also lead to investor dissatisfaction. ROE tells how well stockholders are doing in term of return on their money. Costco’s 14. 2% return in 2001 is consistent with the current average industry ROE is 11. 5%[1]. Costco’s ratio is consistent with the industry average, but appears to be on the decline. A look at Costco’s ROE since 1997 shows a steady decline. Consistent reinvestment into the company has occurred in the form of new store construction and efficient modifications of old stores during these years. Such capital investments would take time to generate profits. Even though Costco’s ROE in 2001 is lower than in 1997 it still remains a large positive figure. As long as Costco’s management team continues demonstrates ability to successfully reinvest and improve efficiencies, stock price would most likely increase in the future and stockholder would be satisfied with long term returns on their investment. Economic factors should be considered when determining the future of the retail business. Economic factors include the economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. Economic downturns have forced customers to cut back on expenses. . Any significant decrease to consumer spending has to be considered as a threat. In 2000/ 2001 tough economic environment Costco has shown the ability to persevere and continue growing their business. Passing cost savings to customers is even more important in times of economic slowdowns when businesses and individuals are trying to do more with less. Economic constraints play a major role in wholesale business by forcing companies to be more creative and come up with higher efficiencies in order to provide lower prices. On the other hand, economic growth provides opportunities not only to Costco but to other rivalry as well. Social factors influencing the retail industry include culture, population growth, age distribution, and importance of safety. Costco warehouses are located further away from residential areas such as cities and older suburban areas. This creates inconvenience for customers as they would have to drive further to shop at Costco than a local grocery store. Costco has overcome this with a much better customer environment, larger discounts on bulk purchases and various incentives through their membership programs. Ecological factors include ecological and environmental aspects. For instance, Costco has been offering boxes to customers instead of plastic bags. Such green initiatives are necessary to address environmental concerns. They could also contribute to increased market share. Other factors that should be considered are customer demand, cultural changes, and technology. Today’s advanced technology provides opportunities for higher efficiencies as well as cultural changes. For instance, the internet has been a great shopping resource lately. It gives retailers the ability to offer lower prices and customers the convenience of shopping from their own homes. Costco’s management team should continue to work closely with customers in order to identify their needs and behavior. Costco’s mission is â€Å"To continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices. † (Costco, 2010). The management team should ensure that systems and processes are in place to carry on the mission. Ensure open communication channels between employees and management. Employees should be considered when the strategy is being implemented because successful strategy implementation requires motivation. The company should clearly communicate its vision and mission to all levels throughout the organization. Communicating the company’s vision and employees involvement in the decision making process would give them a stronger sense of job satisfaction. That would increase motivation and contribute to creativity enforce. Also to increase motivation the executive team should review management’s compensation and rewards. As part of trategy implementation the leadership team should develop support among stakeholders. One aspect of that is to establish global network of strong suppliers and ensure availability of strong partners who share technology, development cost, and speed to market Costco’s goal is to â€Å"Reward our shareholders. † (Costco, 2010) This analysis proves that Costco remains one of the industry’s leading players and there seems to be no reason for Torres to sell her shares. References Brigham, Eugene, & Houston, Joel. (2008). Fundamentals of financial management. South-Western Pub. Brigham, & Houston, 2008) Carpenter, M. A. , & Sanders, Wm. G. (2009). New Jersey, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Costco wholesale corporation . (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. hoovers. com/company/Costco_Wholesale_Corporation/rkfjif-1. html Costco, Initials. (2010). Costco wholesale corporation. Retrieved from http://www. csrglobe. com/login/companies/costco_wholesale_corporation. html Jun, J. (2009, January 19). Taking stock in costco. Retrieved from http://www. oldschoolvalue. com/featured/taking-stock-in-costco/ ———————– [1] Data collected from Google Finance

How to Write the MIT Application Essays 2018-2019

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, colloquially known at MIT, is often perceived as one of the world’s most prestigious research universities with top programs in STEM. Ranked at #5 by the U.S. News and World Report undergraduate university rankings, applicants to MIT are undoubtedly drawn to the institution’s top-tier education programs. Located just outside of Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT affords students the opportunity to explore their intellectual and extracurricular passions in a thriving urban setting. Beyond STEM, MIT also offers students an equally prestigious business and entrepreneurship program, making its urban environment all the more conducive for both business and engineering opportunities. With only 1,464 students gaining admission out of an applicant pool of nearly 22,000, MIT’s admission rate for the class of 2022 comes in at 6.7%, putting MIT at the same level as many Ivy League schools. Keep in mind that MIT does not use the Common Application, and instead uses its own system called MyMIT . To those seeking admission, MIT requires students to complete 5 additional essays, all of which understandably appear intimidating to approach. However, is here to help and offer our guide on how tackle MIT’s 2018-2019 application! One of the first things to note is the brevity of the response; with only 100 words, there’s no room to be too detailed. Even so, 100 words should be just enough for a few vivid sentences that really show the admissions officer what you do in your spare time. There’s no need to try to squeeze in an introductory or concluding sentence. For this prompt, it’s better to get straight to the point. Next, remember that the prompt is asking for an activity that isn’t required of you . If you’re the captain of your school’s varsity basketball team, then don’t write about basketball (even if you do play for pleasure outside of school). MIT wants to know something about you that they can’t already find elsewhere in your application, something outside of your academic and extracurricular responsibilities. Essentially, MIT is asking you: â€Å"What do you do in your free time?† A great way to approach this prompt is to construct a brief anecdote to illustrate your passions. Do you love reading because you enjoy imagining yourself in fictional worlds? Do you find peace in painting natural scenery? Now is a great time to describe these experiences. What makes each of these examples strong is the employment of imagery and sensory details. Although the response must be brief, you want to make the admissions officer interested in what you love; appealing to the five senses is an excellent way to do so. Don’t tell them that you love photography, show them that you love it by transforming your answer into a story. Be honest — don’t lie for the sake of sounding more impressive. While volunteering at the local homeless shelter may sound very humble, don’t write about that if it isn’t what you actually do in your free time. MIT can spot essays that try too hard and lying about humanitarian efforts is definitely one of those instances. While it’s important to be honest, make sure to also use good judgement when articulating your response. Generally, anything goes for this prompt and you can essentially write about anything you’re passionate about. But if your favorite activity is â€Å"looking at memes,† it might be better to choose something else (especially after the Harvard incident). Although not explicitly stated, MIT is using this prompt to combine two commonly asked questions: â€Å"Why X Major?† and â€Å"Why MIT?† As with the previous essay, there’s no room to provide too detailed of an explanation, but you must still briefly justify your response. The key word here is â€Å"why.† If you’re interested in chemistry but are also looking into a career in pharmaceutical manufacturing, you might write about your interests in MIT’s chemical engineering program. Or if you’re interested in economics, you can praise MIT’s Sloan School of Management, analyzing the ways in which the school will help you hone in and develop your leadership skills. If you want to conduct research in a STEM field, mentioning the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and citing some specific projects can be a great way to highlight your interests. For those looking to study EECS, you can discuss the appeal of MIT’s new curriculum, which offers more flexibility and independence for undergraduate students. Perhaps when compared to other campuses, you find that MIT offers a stronger entrepreneurial culture, a quality that you find necessary for your academic success. If you have hopes of one day launching your own startup or designing your own program, now would be a great time to mention the program’s emphasis on entrepreneurship. Writing about your long-term goals and connecting them back to MIT’s academic culture (demonstrated through EECS example) is a very strong way to approach this prompt, as it answers both â€Å"Why X Major?† and â€Å"Why MIT?† Avoid vague answers such as â€Å"MIT is known for its excellent STEM programs† or â€Å"the Sloan School of Management is among the best in the nation† — these types of answers do not answer the prompt nor do they highlight your interest in the school. No matter what major you intend on studying, remember to show admission officers how you plan to take advantage of MIT’s academic programs. Is there a specific professor you want to conduct research under? Is there a specific course you’re really excited to take? If so, mention it! There’s no need to write a creative response to this prompt; the best approach is to be straightforward and specific. As opposed to the previous two prompts, essay #3 gives you a little more room with 200-250 words; this should be just enough for an introductory sentence, one or two short body paragraphs, and a few concluding sentences. For this prompt, MIT wants to see your selfless side by looking at the strategies you take to help those around you. Don’t panic if you haven’t saved hundreds of lives or discovered the cure for cancer; as the prompt suggests, helping your community can be as simple as lending a shoulder for your friend to cry on. Whether big or small, think of a time that you made a positive impact on one or more people. Maybe you have experience volunteering at the Red Cross or at your local retirement home. Or maybe you founded a club at your school with the goal of bringing education to children in need. No matter what the cause is, show the admissions officers your generosity and willingness to make a difference in your community. What each of these examples succeeds in doing is describing the impact that an action has on others. Whether it be putting a smile on someone’s face or preventing a child from contracting a deadly disease, remember to show the reader what the outcome of your efforts were. Tying in your personal development is another great way to heighten the magnitude of your contribution, as it gives your actions more significant personal meaning (humanitarianism example). Ask yourself: How did you grow from this experience? What changes did you see? Submit your essay and we’ll get back to you with helpful edits. Out of the 5 questions, this one is the most open-ended. MIT is asking this question to see how you have adapted to your environment and how this environment has shaped you as an individual. A great way to start brainstorming for this prompt is to think about your dreams and aspirations first; what do you hope to achieve in your lifetime?    Next, reflect on your surroundings (your upbringing, your neighborhood, your school, etc.) and evaluate how this environment factored into your individuality. Perhaps you were a member of your school’s Model United Nations, and this fueled your desire to work in politics. Or maybe your childhood love for building Lego masterpieces contributed to your goal of becoming a civil engineer. Either way, remember to reflect on your past (or present) and use this reflection to analyze your future. What each of these examples succeeds in doing is analyzing the â€Å"world† that led to a specific realization. The key here is to demonstrate some sort of personal growth or moment in which you discovered your aspirations. For the first example, this could be the juxtaposition between traditional blue skies and the thick smog in Beijing; this was an eye-opening moment and made you look at the world from a different perspective, eventually influencing your career choice. For this prompt, it’s important to be specific. While it seems like this prompt is giving you two options to respond, the idea is relatively the same: discuss a challenge. Whether it is a personal struggle or a challenge you faced at school, MIT wants to know how you handle difficult situations and what you learn from such experiences. You want to construct an anecdote that goes through both the challenging situation and your thought process. When crafting your response, start by briefly describing the challenge, making sure to answer the question, â€Å"What was so significant about the challenge?† Next, go into detail about the steps you took to tackle the obstacle and how you went about this process. Make sure to discuss the outcome of the situation and show the admissions officer how you matured from this experience. As you brainstorm and begin drafting your response, here are some guided questions to get you thinking: Try to avoid â€Å"challenges† that are too trivial; although you may be upset that you got a B on that one calculus test, this is not a significant enough challenge to analyze. For this prompt, it’s important to demonstrate personal growth and maturity, as this shows your capacity to adapt to difficult environments. Overall, there are no secrets or gimmicks to any of these essays. MIT is simply trying to get to know you better, whether it’s by asking you about your interests or your personal experiences. For each of these essays, remember to ask yourself: What do I want MIT to know about me? Don’t try to write something you think the admissions officer wants to hear; be yourself and be honest. Remember to show and don’t tell , and highlight the reasons you think you would be a great fit for MIT. Want help on your MIT application or essays? Learn about our College Apps Program and Essay Editing Program . Want us to quickly edit your college essay? Submit it to our Rapid Review Program , and we’ll get it back to you quickly with comments from our expert team. The Ultimate Guide to Applying to USC Monikah Schuschu September 16, 2016 17 365,000 alumni can’t be wrong: the University of Southern California is an exceptional place to get your education. Among those alumni are luminaries as varied as actor John Wayne, astronaut Neil Armstrong, and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Comprised of nearly twenty different schools, upwards of 40,000 total students, and a rich variety of traditions, USC’s resources and global network present extraordinary opportunities for its students. At USC, high-level technological studies and a renown business school exist side-by-side with a venerable program in cinema studies and strong programs in other performing arts. You can even combine the two — where else could a budding innovator get a bachelor’s degree from a school founded in part by hip hop legend and entrepreneur Dr. Dre? (That would be USC’s Iovine and Young Academy , which focuses on â€Å"nurturing and developing original thought, leading to breakthrough products, systems, technologies and more.†) The sunny setting in Southern California and the amenities of the city of Los Angeles certainly don’t hurt. Are you interested in attending USC? Read on for more information about the different undergraduate programs available, what makes it special, and how to navigate the admissions process. Located in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California , only two miles away from downtown LA, the University of Southern California was founded in 1880 on land donated by a number of the city’s notables. USC was originally affiliated with the Methodist Church, but it has been nonsectarian since 1952. From its very beginning , USC has championed fair access to education, refusing to deny applicants admission based on race or gender. In fact, the valedictorian of its very first graduating class (comprised of only three students) was a woman, at a time when admission to many or most prestigious universities was restricted to men. Today’s USC is a large, private research university with a much-expanded total enrollment of over 42,000 students, almost 19,000 of whom are undergraduates. It has also expanded in land area, including its Health Sciences Campus in Los Angeles as well as a number of other facilities, satellite campuses, offices, and a scientific research station on Catalina Island. According to the U.S. News and World Report rankings , USC comes in at #23 in the National Universities category. Its business programs are especially well-regarded. The university is also famous for having the oldest and largest film school in the country. The thousands of undergraduate students at USC are spread out among majors in a grand total of 16 different schools and programs , listed below: Across these 16 schools, students can choose among 174 majors at last count . An exhaustive list of these majors , with links to additional information about each, is available. Since specifying your intended major is part of applying to USC, you’ll have to devote some time to researching the options before you apply. However, we can tell you that the most popular majors at USC are within the fields of business, social sciences, visual and performing arts, and engineering. Life on the USC campus is vibrant and packed with different opportunities. Athletics are an important part of the campus culture, with a number of varsity teams (known as the Trojans) having been extremely successful in recent years. USC’s honor is fiercely defended against such traditional rivals as nearby UCLA and the further-off Notre Dame . Even if you’re not a sports fan, with such a large and diverse student body from which to draw, USC’s student activities and organizations have something for everyone. Over 800 different student groups and organizations are officially recognized by the university. These include an engaged student government, an active fraternity and sorority scene with over 60 individual chapters, performing arts groups, cultural organizations, and volunteer opportunities. Outside of the campus,   students also have access to everything Los Angeles has to offer. The admissions process at USC is quite competitive; during the 2015-2016 application season, the university received a whopping total of over 54,000 applications for its undergraduate programs. 8,920 applicants were accepted, making the acceptance rate 16.2%. USC has not yet released enrollment numbers for the fall of 2016, but in most recent years, the number of students in the matriculating class has hovered around 3,000. All applicants to USC apply through the same basic application process, but depending on your intended major, which you will be required to specify on your application, you may be asked to complete additional materials i ncluding portfolios, videos, essays, auditions, or course prerequisites. When you’re getting ready to apply, it’s important that you thoroughly research the requirements for your particular intended major so that you can make an informed decision. In addition to first-year applicants, USC accepts applications from students at other colleges who wish to transfer to USC. In recent years, the university has received about 8,000 transfer applications per year, and has accepted approximately 25% of these applicants. When USC evaluates your application, it takes into account both your academic and other achievements, and your potential to be a good fit for the USC environment. Successful applicants are generally quite strong academically and have taken challenging courses in high school. Leadership and community involvement are important factors, as is â€Å"intellectual curiosity.† As a university with strong programs in the arts, USC also appreciates students who will bring creative talents to the campus, whether as arts majors or in addition to their other studies. The estimated cost of attendance at USC for the 2016-2017 school year is $69,711, $51,442 of which accounts for tuition. This estimate is meant to cover the entire cost of a student’s attendance for a year, including room and board as well as books, transportation, and personal expenses, but it may vary from student to student, especially for the many students who choose to live off-campus after their first year. Also, some majors and programs require additional fees. About two-thirds of USC’s undergraduate students receive some kind of financial assistance , need-based or merit-based, to cover the cost of their education. Need-based financial aid options include grants, loans, and work-study. Merit-based scholarships include a number of different scholarship programs , and about 22% of students at USC receive some kind of merit-based scholarship. Athletic scholarships are also offered to some incoming students, and may be awarded either as a specific dollar amount or as a percentage of the cost of attendance. Admissions to USC is need-blind for students from the United States, meaning that neither a student’s indication that they will apply for financial aid, nor the amount of aid they require, will affect that student’s admissions decision. For international applicants , admission to USC is need-aware , and international applicants will need to submit documentation certifying that they have the funds to pay for college. Need-based financial aid is not available for international students. However, international applicants are still considered for certain merit-based scholarships, and may have other options to privately finance their educations. Applicants who are undocumented students living in the state of California have some additional funding options. Under the California Dream Act, these students may be eligible for certain California state grants if they have attended a California high school and will be attending a California college. Students who receive these grants may also gain access to additional funding from USC, though the amount of funding available is limited. Domestic students can apply for need-based financial aid by submitting the FAFSA and the CSS Profile , both of which are due by February 14th. Residents of California should also apply for the Cal Grant state financial aid program by March 2nd. After the initial application is submitted, financial aid applicants will need to provide their family’s income tax documents to USC as soon as possible. Additional documents may be requested by the Financial Aid Office under certain circumstances, and these documents should be submitted to the office within 10 days of when the request is made.   Ã‚   Transfer applicants to USC who are from the United States will have to submit the same forms to apply for need-based financial aid, but their FAFSA and CSS Profile forms will be due on March 2nd along with the Cal Grant application. A number of merit-based scholarships are also available to USC students, whether or not they receive need-based aid. (Need-based aid may be reduced if a student receives a merit scholarship as well.) These scholarships range from awards of $1,000 to full-tuition coverage. Some scholarships are open to transfer applicants as well as first-year applicants. Students are automatically considered for some merit scholarships based upon the information they submit in their applications, but other scholarship programs require students to specifically apply to the program itself. A detailed list of USC’s academic scholarship options and requirements for the 2017-2018 school year is available, along with information about how to apply for each scholarship. In some ways, the process of applying to USC as a first-year undergraduate is simpler than at many other schools. All applicants use the same application form — the Common Application — and all apply on the same timeline, since USC has no Early Decision or Early Action option. Most first-year undergraduate applicants to USC will need to submit their admissions applications by January 15th at the latest, and most applicants will receive their admissions decisions by early April.    However, since USC is comprised of a rather large number of distinct schools and programs, application deadlines and requirements for different majors vary. You’ll need to submit your application by December 1st if you’re applying to USC’s undergraduate programs in Dramatic Arts, Cinematic Arts, or Music; the Kaufman School of Dance; the Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation; or the World Bachelor of Business program at the Marshall School of Business. Each undergraduate department may have additional admissions requirements with additional deadlines; USC’s list of additional major requirements is available for viewing. In addition to these program deadlines, if you would like to be considered for merit scholarships , you’ll need to submit your admissions application by the December 1st deadline. Applicants selected to interview for or receive merit scholarships will be contacted by USC in February. If you apply by December 1st and aren’t selected for a merit scholarship, your application will still be considered for admission, and you’ll hear back about your decision in early April. Students who have already completed some college courses can apply to transfer to USC. Just as with first-year students, applicants will submit the Common Application and supporting materials, which may vary depending on which undergraduate program they’d like to join. The application deadline for most transfer students is February 1st, or December 1 for transfer applicants to the School of Dramatic Arts, the Kaufman School of Dance, the Thornton School of Music, and the Iovine and Young Academy, as well as some programs within the School of Cinematic Arts.    Again, some departments have different or additional admissions requirements and forms to fill out, and prospective transfer students can check out the requirements for their program . You’ll be contacted by USC, either with an admissions decision or with a request for spring-semester grades, by June 1st. Now that we’ve introduced you to the USC application procedure, we’ll go over the school-specific questions that USC will expect you to answer on the Common App. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. As you probably already know, the Common Application is an online application system that allows you to enter all your basic information only once and send that information to multiple schools. For some help navigating the Common App, you can refer to the User’s Guide to the Common App , as well as our targeted posts regarding how to fill out the sections on your demographics , citizenship , academics , activities , awards , and more. In addition to the standard Common App questions, you’ll need to answer a number of questions that are specific to USC, and possibly even some that are specific to your intended major . To access these questions, you’ll first need to add USC to your My Colleges list within your Common App account. Once you’ve done so, navigate to your My Colleges page and click on USC. You’ll see the following page, illustrated by a screenshot from our sample student’s profile: On the left, under the USC tab and the heading that says Application, click on the word Questions. You’ll see the following screen: As you can see, there are four separate sections of questions for you to answer, labeled General, Academics, Family, and Other Information. Click on the section headers to access the questions in each section, or click Continue to move on to the next section. For the General section, you’ll answer the following questions: For the Academics section, you’ll answer the following question: For the Family section, you’ll answer the following questions: Finally, for the Other Information section, you’ll respond to the following prompts: Once you’ve finished filling out these questions, you’ll move on to the second part of USC’s supplement to the Common App. This part is often referred to as the â€Å"Writing Supplement,† but it’s more complicated than that — in addition to USC-specific essays, you’ll need to answer a number of short-answer questions and also provide additional information about your academic background. To get to USC’s Writing Supplement, look in the left-hand column under USC’s name. You’ll see a heading that says Writing Supplement, and underneath that heading, the word Questions. Clicking on Questions will bring up the following screen: As with the questions you’ve already answered, the questions in the Writing Supplement will be grouped into a number of sections. First, you’ll address the prompts under the Writing Questions section. Take a look at our blog post How to Write the USC Essays 2016-2017 for a detailed breakdown of these essay prompts and short-answer questions, along with some guidance on how to go about answering them. As you may have noticed from the screenshot above, our sample applicant has been given an additional essay prompt: â€Å"Explain your educational and career interests and why Annenberg is the best match for you.† You may or may not see this prompt when you apply, because this prompt is another example of the responsiveness of the USC application. The sample applicant is receiving this particular essay prompt because they indicated that their first-choice major was within USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. You may be presented with a different essay prompt, depending on your intended major, or you may not find an essay prompt here at all. For more information about the individual requirements you’ll encounter for each major, check out USC’s list of additional major requirements . Next, you’ll move on to the Academic History section, as shown below: Below this question, you’ll see this list of sections: In each of these sections, you’ll self-report information about each academic class you’ve taken from grade 9 to grade 11. For instance, the 9th Grade English, Literature, or Composition Courses section will ask you the following questions: Follow the directions and enter your high school course information here. (If your school doesn’t have a Semester 3, don’t worry about it — you don’t need to fill in every single field.) Make sure to give yourself adequate time to fill out this section. You’ll probably also want to have a copy of your transcript in front of you to make the data entry easier. Along with the Common App with USC-specific questions and essays, all applicants to USC must submit the following: In addition to these general application components, many of the individual undergraduate programs and majors at USC have additional requirements. These range from portfolios and auditions for programs in the arts, to video submissions and additional essays, to prerequisite courses you must have already taken in high school. For some majors and programs, your additional required essays will automatically be provided to you on the Common App once you specify your intended major, as we discussed above. If you complete a requirement using the Common App, you don’t need to additionally submit it in any other way. You can visit the USC admissions website to go over the additional requirements and due dates for each undergraduate program and major. Admissions interviews are not a requirement to apply to USC, and in an average year, less than 20% of USC applicants elect to schedule an interview. The university states that data from past years shows no real difference in acceptance rates between applicants who interview and applicants who don’t. However, USC does encourage applicants to take advantage of on- or off-campus interview opportunities if they can. Applicants who are able to visit the USC campus may be able to schedule on-campus interviews. Program-specific interviews are not available for every undergraduate program at USC, but all visiting applicants can interview with USC’s general Office of Undergraduate Admissions, or choose between the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Marshall School of Business, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and the Viterbi School of Engineering. If you’re planning on visiting campus this fall and would like to take advantage of an on-campus interview, you can check out your options on the USC website . Keep in mind that you’re only permitted to have one admission interview, so you’ll need to think carefully about which program you’d like to interview with. You don’t need to have already submitted your application in order to schedule an interview. USC also conducts off-campus interview sessions in a number of major cities across the United States during the fall application season. If you’re able to make it to one of these cities, you can schedule an interview with an admissions officer, just as you would on campus. Take a look at this website to start the process of setting up an off-campus interview . Again, the number of undergraduate programs that offer program-specific interviews is limited, and availability will vary from city to city, but if you’re not able to interview with your specific program, you can always interview with the general Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Since even off-campus USC interviews are only available within the United States, international applicants who are not able to visit USC have an additional option. These applicants are invited to submit interviews through Vericant, a third-party evaluator with whom USC contracts. (You can use a different third-party interview service if you prefer.) If you’re interested, you can learn more about this process . You should bear in mind that this process will involve additional costs not covered by your USC application fee. Since USC does not have an Early Action or Early Decision application program, most first-year USC applicants will hear back about their admissions decisions at the same time, in early April. (As we mentioned, some students may be contacted earlier if they’re selected for certain merit scholarship programs.) If you’re accepted to USC at this time, you have to make up your mind as to whether to attend by May 1st. If you decide to enroll in the fall, you must notify USC through their online system and submit your non-refundable $300 enrollment deposit by this date. You’ll also need to take care of applying for housing and signing up for an orientation program, about which you can get more information . You may be rejected by USC, in which case you’ll need to move on to other college plans , but may be able to reapply as a transfer student in the future. However, there’s a third option at USC, and unlike at many other schools, it’s not a waitlist . A certain number of USC applicants will be neither rejected nor accepted for the fall term. Instead, they’ll be accepted, but on a delay — they’ll have to wait until the spring semester to attend. If you’re applying to USC during the 2016-2017 application season and receive admission for the spring semester, that would mean that you’d enter the university in the spring of 2018. If you have more questions about how spring admissions work, you can learn more . One thing to keep in mind is that if you accept admission for the spring semester, there is a chance that a slot will open up in the fall class and you’d be able to enter in the fall as you originally intended. Few students are able to make this move each year, but you’ll only be considered for these fall slots if you have already indicated that you’ll attend in the spring. Should you agree to start attending USC in the spring if you’re offered spring admission ? It depends. If you’re certain that USC is your top choice, enough so that you’re willing to wait a while longer, spring admission may be worth it for you. You’ll still get to attend USC and have access to all the same opportunities as students who are admitted in the fall. Some students end up finding their â€Å"time off† before starting at USC very enjoyable and enriching, similar to a gap year . They may use that time to take community college courses, travel, work, or explore other interests. However, accepting spring admission to USC does mean reassessing your post-high-school plans somewhat. Spring admits may or may not graduate â€Å"on time† with the rest of the class of 2021, though taking transferable courses somewhere else prior to coming to USC can help. Some students are concerned about social and extracurricular opportunities, and others simply don’t want to wait to start their college careers. In the end, the choice is up to you as to whether the spring admissions program is a good fit for your needs. Are you excited at the prospect of becoming a USC Trojan? You can learn more about USC’s 16 undergraduate schools and programs on the USC admissions page . Remember, your prospective program choice is considered as part of your application , so you’ll need to make sure you know what your options are. Whether you’re applying to USC or elsewhere, getting through the college application process is a lot of work, and there’s no shame in seeking help to navigate this stressful (but potentially rewarding) time. Let ’s admissions experts help ensure that your applications showcase your achievements and make you as competitive of a candidate as possible. Fill out the form below for a free initial consultation!

Influences of U.S. Infrastructure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Influences of U.S. Infrastructure - Assignment Example These lines are research works pertaining to data infrastructure and parties with diverse histories of international categorization of illnesses for biological research (Hall, Reed, and Torralba, 2002). Second, infrastructure stabilizes the degree to which they can offer adaptable and domestic usage by all sorts of users. At the same time, infrastructure sustains adequate consistency to facilitate organization through local places and various communities. Third, infrastructure reveals faults or failures in the second line of research on previously distributed features of cognition. One negative effect of infrastructure is the failure of power that leads to disruption. Power failure means some gadgets become unfeasible, causing members of the navigation team to regroup their activities and cater to the demands of a fast-paced fix series. Another negative result is the rise in the risk of many infrastructural collapses that go past topographic and practical limits. The third negative effect is the inability to predict conveniently the long-term impact of new infrastructure and disruptive technology (Martin, 2007). In conclusion, infrastructure in the United States has more positives than negatives impacts on research and emergency management. The effect of infrastructure on the general level of emergency management and disruptive representation mostly relies on the existing level of productivity