A Critical Gaze of Scientific Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Critical Gaze of Scientific Medicine - Essay Example In the novel, the different levels within the cosmopolitan medical system itself also embody the class structure during the 1920’s and 1930’s in China. In the hierarchy of the cosmopolitan medical system the upper class is composed of foreign physicians and foreign-trained Chinese male physicians, the middle class is made up of local-trained Chinese male or female doctors, nurses, therapists, and technicians, and the working class consists of Chinese female service personnel. Foreign physicians and foreign-trained Chinese physicians play the dominant role during the interactions between the patients and the cosmopolitan medical system in Gold-dust Dynasty, whereas nurses and service personnel are almost silent, which implies that the cosmopolitan medicine in Gold-dust Dynasty lays stress on the training of physicians, rather than the provision of care to patients. During the treatment, experiences of suffering and symptom expressions are explained as the depersonalized site of isolatable sickness episodes by physicians. Patients seek but do not get answers to their questions about their suffering and therefore develop their own understanding of their situations. For example, the formal wife of the biggest son of the Jin family is sick during her pregnancy. The physician prescribes her medicine without any explanation of her ailment. As a result, the lady begins to perceive her baby as the cause of her physical and psychological afflictions, leading to plans for aborting the baby.

Analysis of the Economic Impact of the Major Social Problem of Poverty Assignment

Analysis of the Economic Impact of the Major Social Problem of Poverty - Assignment Example Indeed, the article vividly shows that the government of New York City must aid the residents in their desire to climb out of their current poverty debacle. Subject: Business Topic: Article Analysis Introduction In terms of discussing the model or economic theory that relates to the issue presented in the news article, the economic theory in focus is a supply and demand theory. As prices of goods and services increase, the demand for the products and services decrease. Likewise, as the prices of goods and services increase, the supply of the goods and services increase (Arnold, 2008). In terms of discussing what economic theory states and predicts about the issue presented in the news article, as the prices of goods and services increase, the poverty level people will reduce their demand for the higher priced products. On the other hand, as the prices of goods and services increase, the business entities are eager to supply more services and goods in order to generate more profits (B oyes, 2010). Analysis of the Economic Impact of the Major Social Problem of Poverty The April 12, 2012 issue of the New York Times article is reflection on poverty. The title of the article is New York City’s Poverty Rate Rises, Study Finds (Roberts, 2012). The paper shows strong evidence there has been an increasing number of New York residents joining the ranks of the poor over the last years. The number of New York City residents has literally increased by 100,000 individuals. With the increase, the poverty ratio soared by as much as 1.3 percent. The new poverty rate is 21 percent. The percent indicates that one out of every five New York residents qualifies as poor. The article further states that New York has one of the highest poverty levels in the U.S. Once New York has implemented a more detailed description which defines who can be classified as a poor individual, current New York City’s statistics of the poor has the largest annual rise in poverty ratio. As J an Windebank emphasized, â€Å"Throughout the advanced economies, the widespread consensus is that employment is the best route out of poverty. Not only are the approaches of both the Old Left and New Right grounded in such a belief, but so too is the employment-focused third way approach of New Labor. In this book, however, our intention is to begin to explain why an alternative third way discourse has started to emerge that rejects an employment-centered approach to poverty alleviation† (Windebank, 2003). The current recession, which started in 2008, is blamed as the major culprit for the ballooning of the poor individuals in New York City. The recession brought a lot of the United States companies into the unfavorable quagmire of bankruptcy. With bankruptcy enveloping some of the companies in the United States skies, those that cannot innovate are forced to close shops. With the closing of the shops, many employees are retrenched. With the loss of their jobs, the retrenche d employees could not afford to retain their previous lifestyle. The retrenched employees had to join the long line of New Yorkers waiting for their turn to grab a set of food coupons. With the slowing of the United States economic wheel into a snail’s pace, statistics showed that one out of every four New York residents, under the age of 18 years, joined the poor of New York, the city that never sleeps. New York City’s Center for Economic Opportunity reported the latest poverty report. Likewise, the 2008 U.S. Economic crisis is

Development of Indias Banking System

Development of Indias Banking System Introduction With a population of over 1 billion, India is one of the most important countries with accelerating economic growth. According to the World Bank (2009), the annual GDP growth of India has been more than 7% over the past ten years. The financial crises in 1997 and 2008 have revealed the importance of robust banking system towards economic development. Indian Government liberalized the banking system through Indian Banking Sector Reform in 1991. From the first bank in India in 1786, the development of Indian Banking System has three distinct phases. Early Phase (1786 1969) There were 1100 small banks in India. The Government implemented the Banking Companies Act 1949 to facilitate the functioning of commercial banks. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was authorized to supervise the Indian banking sector and became the Central Banking Authority. Post Nationalization Period (1969 1991) State Bank of India was formed to act as a principal agent of RBI and handle banking transactions in India. Fourteen major commercial banks were nationalized as there was a decline in public confidence during the early phase. Nationalization guaranteed the sustainability of banking industry and aroused public confidence. Post-Liberalization Period (1991 now) Liberalization of banking practices occurred. Foreign banks, ATMs, phone banking, net banking were introduced to make the banking system more convenient and efficient. The development of banking system is transiting. Public-Sector Banks contributes to 78% of total banking industry asset. Private-Sector Banks, on the other hand, are experiencing great progress in internet banking, ATMs and other technology advancements. They are likely to expand in India. Central Bank Reserve Bank of India It was established in 1935 and was nationalized in 1949. It has 8 functions explained as follows: Note Issuance: It has the sole right to issue bank notes of all denominations as an agent of the Government. Government Banker: It acts as Government banker, agent and adviser. It controls the banking system through licensing, inspection and calling for information. It also supervises and controls commercial and cooperative banks. Maintenance of Minimum Reserve Ratio: RBI set the cash reserve ratio is 5% and repo rate is 4.75 % in 2009. Lender of Last Resort: It acts as the lender of last resort by providing rediscount facilities to scheduled banks. Credit Controller: It controls the credit operations of banks quantitatively and qualitatively like open market operations, discount policies and reserve requirements. Settlement of Clearing Functions: RBI facilitates the inter-bank clearing of current accounts in 1050 clearing houses in India. Custodian of Foreign Reserves: RBI sets a limit on money transfer in and out of India under Foreign Exchange Management Act. It examines Indias reserve of international currencies and maintains the official rate of exchange with all member countries of International Monetary Fund. Promotional Functions: RBI is responsible to extend banking facilities to rural and semi-urban areas, and establish and promote new specialized financing agencies. Banking System Banks in India The Reserve Bank of India heads the Indian commercial banks. Banks in India can be categorized into three tiers scheduled commercial banks; regional rural banks which operate in rural areas not covered by scheduled banks; and cooperative and special purpose rural banks. There are approximately 98 scheduled commercial banks, both Indian and foreign, almost 200 regional rural banks, more than 350 central cooperative banks, 20 land development banks, and a number of agricultural credit societies. Commercial Banks Commercial banking is dominated by 28 state-owned banks controlling 69.9% of assets in the sector in 2007/08. Private domestic held 21.7% and foreign banks had the remaining 8.4%. Commercial banks can be categorized into domestic banks and foreign banks. Domestic Banks They include public-sector banks, private-sector banks and savings, mortgage and co-operative banks. The biggest domestic bank is a public-sector bank, State Bank of India with market share 16.83%. The second biggest domestic bank is a private-sector bank, ICICI Bank with market share 9.11%. Public-Sector Banks They have a country wide networks and each has its own geographic stronghold. They provide a full range of banking services and are an important source of short-term funds. State Bank of India is the largest bank providing 16.83$ of loan advances in 2007/08. In 2008, SBI merged its subsidiary, State Bank of Saurashtra, and is increasing its international presence. The introduction of stringent capital-adequacy, income-recognition and asset-classification norms in economic reform promoted public-sector banks to reveal true positions in financial statements. The gap between strong and weak banks is thus widened. Private-Sector Banks There were 41 private-sector banks and 18 of them were listed on the stock exchange as of 2009. They usually have strong regional client bases and upgrade their technology and services. ICICI, the largest private-sector bank, merged with Bank of Madura in 2001 and Shangli Bank in 2007. Life Insurance Corporation of India raised its stake in Corporation Bank to 27% from 12.32% in 2001. It is expected that more mergers and acquisitions will be found in the coming decade. Savings, mortgages and co-operative banks They are small and contribute slightly to the source of funds for most companies. They tend to finance rural and small sectors and have geographically-restricted operations. New RBI regulations have imposed restrictions on them in 2001 as some urban cooperative banks were discovered to have a high exposure to the stock market. Foreign Banks The biggest foreign bank is Citibank with market share 1.55%. Standard Chartered Bank ranked the second. Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC and ABN Amro Bank dominate the sector in the diagram shown below. Comparing the advances of foreign banks and that of commercial banks, it is shown that foreign banks play a small role in banking industry. They accounted for 8.4% of total commercial-bank assets in 2007/08. But the rising net profits of the banks to Rs66.12bn in 2007/08 from Rs45.85bn in 2006/07 suggested the increasing importance of this sector. Foreign banks offer borrowing terms similar to local banks, but their benchmark prime lending rates are 1 to 3 percentage points higher. Foreign banks usually form part of a lending consortium. Foreign banks without a branch presence can conduct business through representative offices. These banks concentrate on providing offshore currency loans and related foreign-exchange products, rather than retail banking or local-currency lending. Investment Banks and Brokerages Investment banks and brokerages rely on advisory business. They have a limited involvement in risk capital. They can weather the downturn without the risk of going out of business. However, if the downturn continues in 2010, some banks may leave the small Indian market. Citi(US) and JM Financial Group have the greatest market share in this sector with their contribution of more than half deal value. Given the growth of Indian market, major foreign investment banks have reworked their partnerships with investment banks to help them to capture a greater market share. Development Banks Public-sector development banks were traditionally the principle source of long-term capital. Development banks provide medium and long-term rupee and foreign-currency financing, underwrite and subscribe to stocks and debentures. Due to the financial sector reform, they offer new services and products, set up organizations to provide a variety of financial services. Some countrywide development banks are Industrial Finance Corp of India and Industrial Investment Bank of India. The Post Office Saving Bank It has the largest retail-bank network, with over 155,000 branches. A growing number of post offices are also connected electronically. Given its large distribution network, India Post now leverages its presence to become a general financial-services distributor. It provides various mutual funds and bonds. It also offers an inward international money-transfer service. Offshore Banks Banks are allowed to set up overseas banking units within the countrys special economic zones functioning as overseas branches of domestic banks. Six domestic banks set up overseas banking units: Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India and Union Bank. Domestic banks can enjoy a tax deduction on the income from OBUs and advantages of global presence. Banks Deposit Composition The deposits of national banks dominate the banking industry because they are backed up by the government and the public thus have confidence in nationalized banks. However, regional rural banks have a small share of deposits. It is mainly due to the lower income level in rural areas. Although foreign banks have a second smallest share of deposits, liberalization of the banking industry will allow them to expand their business. Competitive Situation More aggressive merger and acquisition are stemming in India. One advantages stemming from merger is the ability to cross-sell a slew of retail products including housing loans, car loans, personal finance and credit cards. Further, merged entity will be able to compete with threats from global players, for instance, HSBC and Citibank. However, challenges of merger are the integration of financial and human resources, as well as satisfying statutory requirements. Also some FIs faced the problem of relying on an increasing cagey market to raise capital. As FIs were funding long-term projects with money rose short term, there was a critical asset-liability disparity. RBI then proposed to convert financial institutions into universal banks recently. A reverse merger with their own subsidiary banks will now give FIs access to low-cost funds. The trend of mergers and acquisitions will prevail in the coming years. Economic Conditions Indian banks balance sheets are not directly exposed to sub-prime mortgage leading in US. The GDP and GDP per capital are expected to grow in the coming decade. The global financial crisis does not undermine the banking industry in India in a great extent. The assessment of the banking sector risk is rather low compared to that in Asia and Australasia in 2009. The expansion of consumer credit does not pose a high risk to the banking industry as the level of debts per customer remains low. In contrast, RBI moved the focus of its policy from boosting economic growth to containing inflation. Interest rates are expected to rise and tighter monetary policy are expected to be implemented. Conclusions The liberalization of banking system has (1) strengthen the banking sector (2) provide more operational flexibility to banks (3) enhance the competitive efficiency of banks (4) strengthen the legal framework governing bank operations. This well-developed banking system is favourable when it comes to expansion in India. However, a keen competition is found in India. Each sector has various existing banks with strong customer loyalty. Numerous state-owned banks and FIs are the dominant players in India. Despite the stable Indian economy and the steady and slow movement towards liberalization of banking system, the Government will probably strengthen the financial regulatory system sufficiently before a complete liberalization. Therefore, it is concluded that India is not suitable for expansion. References World Bank (2009). Word Bank in India. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22398481~menuPK:2246552~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:223547,00.html India Finance Investment Guide (2009). Introduction. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://finance.indiamart.com/investment_in_india/banking_india.html Maps of India (2008). Banks in India. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://business.mapsofindia.com/banks-in-india/ Kamath, G.B. (2009). Emerald. The Intellectual Capital Performance of Indian Banking Sector, pp.4. Retrieved from, http://www.emeraldinsight.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=ArticleFilename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/2500080104.pdf Bank of India (2009). Main Functions. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/AboutusDisplay.aspx#MF OneIndia News (2009, July 28). RBI Keeps All Key Rates Unchanged. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://news.oneindia.in/2009/07/28/rbi-keeps-all-key-rates-unchanged.html Hubbard, R.G. OBrien (2006). How the Fed Reserves Manages the Money Supply. In Macroeconomics (2nd Ed.), Money, Banks, and the Federal Reserve System (pp. 451-452). United States: Pearson International Edition. NK Infobase (2009). Reserve Bank of India. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from http://money-transfer.in/reservebankofindia.html Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, July). Country Finance, India. Domestic Banks, pp. 14. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/report_dl.asp?issue_id=1784732363mode=pdf Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, July). Country Finance, India. Foreign Banks, pp. 14. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/report_dl.asp?issue_id=1784732363mode=pdf Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, July). Country Finance, India. Investment Banks and Brokerages, pp. 16. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/report_dl.asp?issue_id=1784732363mode=pdf Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, July). Country Finance, India. Development and Postal Banks, pp. 18. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/report_dl.asp?issue_id=1784732363mode=pdf Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, July). Country Finance, India. Offshore Banks, pp. 20. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/report_dl.asp?issue_id=1784732363mode=pdf Subhash, D.V. (2002, February). Birth of a Universal Bank. Retrieved 2 December, 2009. from http://search.ebscohost.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=7210765site=ehost-live Economist Intelligence Unit (2009, October). India: Banking Sector Risk. Retrieved 28 November 2009, from http://www.eiu.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/index.asp?layout=displayIssueArticleissue_id=1514868936article_id=1664868951 Scribd (2009). A Report on Non-Performing Assets Challenge to the Public Sector Banks, pp. 10. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/8817767/A-REPORT-ON-NPA-IN-BANKING

Child Abuse Prevention Programs Essays -- Child Development

Introduction Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in the United States, as well as other countries. Child maltreatment touches everyone, from the child to the nurse that cares for the child to the entire community. I have chosen to research this problem because of its far reaching effects on the community and its preventable nature. Research on prevention Research on the prevention of child maltreatment focuses on home visitation programs, abusive head trauma prevention programs, and parent training programs (Krugman, Lane, & Walsh, 2007). Mikton and Butchart (2009) also concluded that there are four promising intervention, which include: home visitation, parent education, abusive head trauma education, and programs that have multi-components. Krugman, Lane, and Walsh (2007) note that it has been hard to test the effectiveness of these programs because many programs have not integrated robust program evaluation or meticulous research methodology. Interestingly, laws banning corporal punishment have been looked at as a prevention technique. Sweden was the first country to ban corporal punishment of child by any caregiver and research found that there was a reduction of infant mortality from child abuse (Krugman, Lane, & Walsh, 2007). However, Roberts states that it was not the ban but the change in the attitude towards corporal punishment that caused the reduction in child abuse (as cited in Mikton & Butchart, 2009). Parent education programs, community child abuse prevention programs, abusive head trauma programs are all promising, however, they have not been studied well. It has been shown that these all decrease the risk factors for child abuse; nonetheless, there is insufficient evidence that these programs ... ... Care Professionals. Pediatrics, 127(4), 962-969. Hien, D., Cohen, L. R., Caldeira, N. A., Flom, P., & Wasserman, G. (2010). Depression and anger as risk factors underlying the relationship between maternal substance involvement and child abuse potential. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 105-113. Krugman, S. D., Lane, W. G., & Walsh, C. M. (2007). Update on child abuse prevention. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 19, 711-718. Leventhal, J. M., Martin, K. D., & Gaither, J. R. (2012). Using US Data to Estimate the Incidence of Serious Physical Abuse in Children . Pediatrics, 129, 458-464. Mikton, C., & Butchart, A. (2009). Child maltreatment prevention: a systematic review or reviews. Bulletin of World Health Organization, 87, 353-361. Newton, A. W., & Vandeven, A. M. (2010). Child abuse and neglect: a worldwide concern. Cerrent Opinion Pediatrics, 22, 226-233.

My Autobiography

My Autobiography Name:Jasmin Ariane A. Vallo Sec:IV – Mendelssohn My name is Jasmin Ariane Arciga Vallo. I am 15 years old. I am from Philippines. My birthday is on February 9th, 1997. I have in my family my Younger brother, My Mom & My Dad.. My Father’s Name is Sonny G. Vallo and He is a Musician in Shenzhen, China. And My Mother’s Name is Mary-Ann A. Vallo and she is The one who’s With us. In my life I have bad and good experiences, but a fantastic life overall. These experiences help me to be happy, and I learn from them every day of my life.As a typical Filipina girl, I have brown eyes, brown skin complexion, dark hair and a height about 5’0 tall. I am a persistent kind of person, once I have a dream I will do all my best to achieve it. I started kindergarten when I was 4 years old and I finished it at 6 years old. In the kindergarten, I had very good times. There I made my first good friends in all my life, and I remember them for the games that we played together. Later, I started elementary school when I was 6 years old at Dau Central Elementary School.I remember school very well, because at first I was so scared of my new environment. I made friends there and I liked to study, do my homework, play with my friends, and talk with them about cartoons on television. In fact, I really enjoyed this time in my childhood. I finished elementary school when I was 12 years old. I was ready to go to high school to learn new things and make new friends there. After elementary school, I went to high school at School of the Infant Jesus. It was bigger and had more students than elementary school.There I had more teachers than I had before. My new friends were very friendly and some of them were shy, especially the girls. But I’m with my elementary friend so it is not hard for me to adjust because I’m with a close friend. When I was studying in high school, I went to all the activities there. In particular, I liked m ost the dancing and games activities, because I could spend more time with my friends. I really like to remember these moments from high school because I learned a lot. And about my friends, we are very good friends.I remember these happy moments with them and we laugh about it. And now I’m in 4th year and in a few months I’ll finish my high school. But I’m Still undecided on what Program I’ll take. But ill promise that I could reach my goal by studying hard and not going out with my friends too much. My favorite sport is volleyball. When I don’t have anything to do, I love to surf the net, open my mail, facebook, instagram, & twitter. Then watch comedy, romantic, and horror movies in Tom365. com. I can play some musical instruments like guitar, piano & flute.But I mostly loved to play Guitar. My first guitar was given by my Father, it is color pink and its body is sparkling & shimmering because of its Glitters. And I also like hanging out with my friends. 😀 All my success and trials  are experienced with me. Until I graduate  in my Program that I will going to take. I have many plans in my life, when the time was come  I’ll  find a job and I’ll help my parents. Because I want to repay those hard works and sacrifices that they did just to make us happy and to finish our studies. And that’s the short story about my life My Autobiography It all started nearly fifteen years ago, in a little industry town called Wigan, in a hospital called Billinge, when a 35 yr old woman gave birth to a baby boy called Shaun Graham weighing in at 6lb 4oz. Once born, he had to go straight into an incubator. He then went home to live his life for the next 15 yrs in an area called Gidlow and street Gidlow Lane. Once he got home he lived his life in the same house for 15 years. So here I am now to tell you the journey of me Shaun Graham for the best of my 15 years. You'll get the ups, the downs, the achievements and the disappointments. One of the main parts of my life would be my background. My dad is originally from Scotland a bad area called Grangemouth he lived in a flat with his Mum Dad and brother Ian. His mum died when my Dad was seventeen. That's when my Dad started to hate his Dad. This was because his Dad wouldn't have a head stone on his Mums grave. My Dad then went on holiday to Blackpool where he met my Mum. Her life is a completely different story. Her Dad came from Ireland, Cork. They lived their life in a nice area called Standish Lower Ground. Her Dad died on my Mums 6th birthday and her mum died not so long ago 24/2/2003. Once the two got married on 5/2/1983 and moved to the current area that we still live now Gidlow. It's not the nicest of places but its half decent. They gave Birth to Michelle 1 year on, and then another year on Marie was on her way. They lived together for four years then the best news ever was that I was on the way. All my mum ever wanted for four years was a boy and then that's what she got. People have told me as a child I was quite stupid just running around and running into everything like cupboards and lamp posts. There's one time when my shoes got to big for me as a baby. So my Mum took me to get some more, but the size up was way 2 big for my feet, my Mum looked at them and little did she know it I had pushed two dummies in them. Everyone says I was an active child but also was a very moody one too. It only took me 9 month to learn to walk. As I grew up to a small child I started then to like sports, didn't know the rules just liked playing on my local field, Gidlow field. The more I grew the more active I became and the less moody I got which was described as a miracle by my family. From my families earliest memories of me, to mine. Well this wont be in order of age or importance, just order as it comes to my head. First of all is my first ever football match. It was at Standish strikers a 6-a-side league. I played for Roma and this is where I found out I was going to be a goalkeeper. We lost that game 2-1 but I kept us in the game. The next memory has to be the time when Joseph and I used go to play school, I used always have the bike and Joseph the car we would play in them, all day 7 days a week. When I was in year five at Sacred Heart, I cracked my head open on some metal bars, Mrs Birchall rushed me to A&E, I waited in the waiting area for about 1 hour talking to a man who had fallen off some ladders. We both got called in at the same time, all I needed to have in my head was some glue, which later came off in 4 days. The cut did leave a scar for live though. I've had a few special events. They vary from athletics to funerals. Ill start with the sad news first, it was a school day Friday 28th 2003 the big day for the graham household as it was my Grandmas funeral. We waited and waited for the cars to pull up 2 take us to the church people in black all crying because a popular member of the family had gone. The cars pulled up, mum, dad, Marie, Michelle and I all in the first car looking onto the car which held the coffin surrounded in flowers. In the second and last car were my aunties and cousins, it was all tears as we went past the old folks home my Grandma had spent 7 yrs of her life their. As we approached the church loads of people were awaiting the arrival of the three black cars. Three males and one female carried the coffin to the front of Sacred Heart Church. The small beech oak coffin laid right in front of us speeches from my dad and Michelle. We then went on a long journey up to ST Marie's church where she was buried peacefully with her long missed husband and sister. Now to give you some happy news, it was happy for me anyway. It was 28th June 2003, Greater Manchester Youth Games. I was doing athletics 10 towns and cities competing. Manchester were the favourites, like always, but it seemed to be the Wigan team hadn't read the script. The Wigan squad was looking strong as I led the male team and Becky led the girls. It started off poor with none of our athletes winning in the 100m but after that it was all positive for the Wigan team. My first event was the discus, it was also my weakest. I ended up 8th out of twenty so it weren't a bad start were as my team mate got 6th. After that event we were both rushed to the next event which I was more confident at, the triple jump after three jumps, all beating my personal best, I ended up in a superb position of 3rd out of twenty again so I was over the moon with that. I was then rested for a few hours as my next event was a long time off, I was waiting watching all my mates winning and getting valuable points for us. I was then called over by Coach Claire, she told me to get warmed up with my running partner, Jordan. I was all mentally prepared for this with a crowd of hundreds watching. The loud speakers came on shouting out â€Å"can all 800m competitors please go to the finish line. † I was there within minutes of the call I could not wait. BANG! The gun had fired for the start. I was off, and in my favourite position, setting the pace at the front. 00m gone I was still at the front but something horribly went wrong, my calf muscle was giving in, but I wanted this race so bad I kept going. I was later taken on the 250m mark I was in 2nd. As I ran round the left bend, I could hear the roars from the Wigan camp. It gave me a huge urge to catch up with the leader. 50m go I was catching up to the lead it was going to come down to who had the sprint finish, unlucky for me he beat me by 2m. I was upset at losing the lead but happy I pulled through an injury and gave Wigan the points they needed. After a much needed rest we were all awaiting the results. They mentioned the seven loser, I'm glad to say Wigan wasn't mentioned but Manchester weren't either. 3rd place was then read out â€Å"BURY! † they took their time getting the medals and left Manchester and Wigan athletes in nerves. After all the medal ceremony to bury was over, it was then again the loud speaker â€Å"with 125 points in 2nd place. † Then this long delay bout 10 seconds but seemed hours â€Å"MANCHESTER! † a big roar came from the Wigan team. Once we picked up our medals we were quickly rushed to have our picture taken for the papers. I don't remember much after that just being so pleased to have captained a winning side. There are people who I have to mention, these people I tell you about next are my important people who have helped me all they way in my life. â€Å"It's not the fact you've lost it, it's the fact of what you do to get it back. † That is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me. It was from one of the most important people in my life, my dad. He's always been there for me normally to help me in sports and so on. Obviously my Mum would be an important part to my life. She always helps me go down the right track and not the wrong. The main reason has to be she gave me my pocket money and still does. Then there's my sister Michelle who always, without fail, gave me money when I had no money at all. Well moving away from family ill have to pick 1 of the only people who know me inside out, and that is Joseph Hull, also known as Hully. I've known him since play school, he knows everything about me almost. When we played for the same football team 2 years ago, I played in net he played up front, we had a perfect connection off kicks etc. My character can change depends what mood people give me in the morning. It takes a bit for me to get moody. At times I like to be on my to realise what I am doing with my life and just sort all my problems out but I do like to be with my mates because they make me laugh smile n just are good mates. I am very energetic. I have been said to have the legs of a gazelle, the reactions of a cat and the height of an Irish lepricorn. I can also be very lazy, if I am in house alone I can just sit on couch and watch television or play on lap top. People don't think I'm a mystery, just think I'm stupid. For my future I've got a few things planned so in case one don't go to plan I've got another one to fall back on. More importantly I plan to go to collage and university maybe Edge Hill, I don't know yet. When I'm older I want to earn a living by coaching or P. E teacher maybe outside of Wigan, due to people have been telling me its better pay. When I retire im hoping to have a holiday home but instead of going to the future ill let the future come to me. That's been the main points in my life for the past 15 years, fair boring weren't it, I hope you enjoyed it. My Autobiography It all started nearly fifteen years ago, in a little industry town called Wigan, in a hospital called Billinge, when a 35 yr old woman gave birth to a baby boy called Shaun Graham weighing in at 6lb 4oz. Once born, he had to go straight into an incubator. He then went home to live his life for the next 15 yrs in an area called Gidlow and street Gidlow Lane. Once he got home he lived his life in the same house for 15 years. So here I am now to tell you the journey of me Shaun Graham for the best of my 15 years. You'll get the ups, the downs, the achievements and the disappointments. One of the main parts of my life would be my background. My dad is originally from Scotland a bad area called Grangemouth he lived in a flat with his Mum Dad and brother Ian. His mum died when my Dad was seventeen. That's when my Dad started to hate his Dad. This was because his Dad wouldn't have a head stone on his Mums grave. My Dad then went on holiday to Blackpool where he met my Mum. Her life is a completely different story. Her Dad came from Ireland, Cork. They lived their life in a nice area called Standish Lower Ground. Her Dad died on my Mums 6th birthday and her mum died not so long ago 24/2/2003. Once the two got married on 5/2/1983 and moved to the current area that we still live now Gidlow. It's not the nicest of places but its half decent. They gave Birth to Michelle 1 year on, and then another year on Marie was on her way. They lived together for four years then the best news ever was that I was on the way. All my mum ever wanted for four years was a boy and then that's what she got. People have told me as a child I was quite stupid just running around and running into everything like cupboards and lamp posts. There's one time when my shoes got to big for me as a baby. So my Mum took me to get some more, but the size up was way 2 big for my feet, my Mum looked at them and little did she know it I had pushed two dummies in them. Everyone says I was an active child but also was a very moody one too. It only took me 9 month to learn to walk. As I grew up to a small child I started then to like sports, didn't know the rules just liked playing on my local field, Gidlow field. The more I grew the more active I became and the less moody I got which was described as a miracle by my family. From my families earliest memories of me, to mine. Well this wont be in order of age or importance, just order as it comes to my head. First of all is my first ever football match. It was at Standish strikers a 6-a-side league. I played for Roma and this is where I found out I was going to be a goalkeeper. We lost that game 2-1 but I kept us in the game. The next memory has to be the time when Joseph and I used go to play school, I used always have the bike and Joseph the car we would play in them, all day 7 days a week. When I was in year five at Sacred Heart, I cracked my head open on some metal bars, Mrs Birchall rushed me to A&E, I waited in the waiting area for about 1 hour talking to a man who had fallen off some ladders. We both got called in at the same time, all I needed to have in my head was some glue, which later came off in 4 days. The cut did leave a scar for live though. I've had a few special events. They vary from athletics to funerals. Ill start with the sad news first, it was a school day Friday 28th 2003 the big day for the graham household as it was my Grandmas funeral. We waited and waited for the cars to pull up 2 take us to the church people in black all crying because a popular member of the family had gone. The cars pulled up, mum, dad, Marie, Michelle and I all in the first car looking onto the car which held the coffin surrounded in flowers. In the second and last car were my aunties and cousins, it was all tears as we went past the old folks home my Grandma had spent 7 yrs of her life their. As we approached the church loads of people were awaiting the arrival of the three black cars. Three males and one female carried the coffin to the front of Sacred Heart Church. The small beech oak coffin laid right in front of us speeches from my dad and Michelle. We then went on a long journey up to ST Marie's church where she was buried peacefully with her long missed husband and sister. Now to give you some happy news, it was happy for me anyway. It was 28th June 2003, Greater Manchester Youth Games. I was doing athletics 10 towns and cities competing. Manchester were the favourites, like always, but it seemed to be the Wigan team hadn't read the script. The Wigan squad was looking strong as I led the male team and Becky led the girls. It started off poor with none of our athletes winning in the 100m but after that it was all positive for the Wigan team. My first event was the discus, it was also my weakest. I ended up 8th out of twenty so it weren't a bad start were as my team mate got 6th. After that event we were both rushed to the next event which I was more confident at, the triple jump after three jumps, all beating my personal best, I ended up in a superb position of 3rd out of twenty again so I was over the moon with that. I was then rested for a few hours as my next event was a long time off, I was waiting watching all my mates winning and getting valuable points for us. I was then called over by Coach Claire, she told me to get warmed up with my running partner, Jordan. I was all mentally prepared for this with a crowd of hundreds watching. The loud speakers came on shouting out â€Å"can all 800m competitors please go to the finish line. † I was there within minutes of the call I could not wait. BANG! The gun had fired for the start. I was off, and in my favourite position, setting the pace at the front. 00m gone I was still at the front but something horribly went wrong, my calf muscle was giving in, but I wanted this race so bad I kept going. I was later taken on the 250m mark I was in 2nd. As I ran round the left bend, I could hear the roars from the Wigan camp. It gave me a huge urge to catch up with the leader. 50m go I was catching up to the lead it was going to come down to who had the sprint finish, unlucky for me he beat me by 2m. I was upset at losing the lead but happy I pulled through an injury and gave Wigan the points they needed. After a much needed rest we were all awaiting the results. They mentioned the seven loser, I'm glad to say Wigan wasn't mentioned but Manchester weren't either. 3rd place was then read out â€Å"BURY! † they took their time getting the medals and left Manchester and Wigan athletes in nerves. After all the medal ceremony to bury was over, it was then again the loud speaker â€Å"with 125 points in 2nd place. † Then this long delay bout 10 seconds but seemed hours â€Å"MANCHESTER! † a big roar came from the Wigan team. Once we picked up our medals we were quickly rushed to have our picture taken for the papers. I don't remember much after that just being so pleased to have captained a winning side. There are people who I have to mention, these people I tell you about next are my important people who have helped me all they way in my life. â€Å"It's not the fact you've lost it, it's the fact of what you do to get it back. † That is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me. It was from one of the most important people in my life, my dad. He's always been there for me normally to help me in sports and so on. Obviously my Mum would be an important part to my life. She always helps me go down the right track and not the wrong. The main reason has to be she gave me my pocket money and still does. Then there's my sister Michelle who always, without fail, gave me money when I had no money at all. Well moving away from family ill have to pick 1 of the only people who know me inside out, and that is Joseph Hull, also known as Hully. I've known him since play school, he knows everything about me almost. When we played for the same football team 2 years ago, I played in net he played up front, we had a perfect connection off kicks etc. My character can change depends what mood people give me in the morning. It takes a bit for me to get moody. At times I like to be on my to realise what I am doing with my life and just sort all my problems out but I do like to be with my mates because they make me laugh smile n just are good mates. I am very energetic. I have been said to have the legs of a gazelle, the reactions of a cat and the height of an Irish lepricorn. I can also be very lazy, if I am in house alone I can just sit on couch and watch television or play on lap top. People don't think I'm a mystery, just think I'm stupid. For my future I've got a few things planned so in case one don't go to plan I've got another one to fall back on. More importantly I plan to go to collage and university maybe Edge Hill, I don't know yet. When I'm older I want to earn a living by coaching or P. E teacher maybe outside of Wigan, due to people have been telling me its better pay. When I retire im hoping to have a holiday home but instead of going to the future ill let the future come to me. That's been the main points in my life for the past 15 years, fair boring weren't it, I hope you enjoyed it.

Ronnie Steel’s Drug Addiction

From the list of selected books, the one that stuck out to me the greatest was Ronnie Steele’s, â€Å"My Own Worst Enemy: A Memoir of Addiction. † This book observes the parallels between addiction and self-image. This book takes the reader into the mind of Ronnie Steele and analyzed how he not only coped with his addiction but how the addiction made him who he was. The reason why I enjoyed this book over many other autobiographies that I have read before is that Ronnie allows the reader to dive deep into the realms of his life. By reading this autobiography I could tell that Ronnie poured out every inch of his heart and soul into the pages. In order for the reader to gain a deeper understanding about his troubling addictions, Ronnie sacrificed his privacy and intimate lifestyle relationships. As I finished reading this book I began searching some feedback on the net, positive and negative. Many of the positive comments on this book exclaims how this autobiography helped them cope with the extremities and hardships of addiction in the present day world. The negative feedback, though, focused on how Ronnie’s stories seemed lavish and fabricated. Many of the people who wrote the negative comments focused not on the mission of the book; however, they focused on the satirical writing style and how the story related to present day extremities. Ronnie concludes his autobiography by stating that his biggest plight for this book is that he hopes it will influence someone to stop drinking, smoking, cheating, and lying. This book explores the differences between succumbing and overcoming an addiction. The protagonist, Ronnie Steele, dives into the realms of testament as he attempts to shield current addicts and future human beings who are interested in drinking and smoking from the same trials and tribulations that he went through. Throughout the book Ronnie consistently mentions how he was the sole cause of his substance abuse. He tells the reader that he felt like he couldn’t control his urge for alcohol, thus forcing him to continue to do it. Ronnie mentions how alcohol was not the only thing he was addicted to; lying, cheating, and smoking was a part of his addiction. Through months and months of dealing with his addiction, Ronnie finally was forced to go through treatment. He gives a detailed account of his road to recovery and how it was difficult yet necessary for his well-being and the future well-being for his family. Ronnie’s partner, Sarah, was a very good woman for seeing him through his recovery and treatment as he dealt with his addiction. The thing that surprised me about this autobiography was how Ronnie identified one of the sources for his addiction: early childhood problems. Being a psychology major, I know that many psychological abnormalities, such as addiction, can be explained by environmental factors. Ronnie gives a detailed account of how abuse was a huge and vital part of his childhood. The theory that is evident in this book is the on addiction. Addiction is described as using a drug in a way for which it is not attended for, that will lead to long or short term harm to the user or others, and the result in the user no longer being able to be responsible for his/her thoughts, feelings, or behavior. DSM-IV classifies addiction and drug abuse as a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. There are currently five different models that covers addiction: medical model, psychodynamic model, social model, moral model, and bio-psycho-social model. The model that seems to cover the key experiences in this book is the psychodynamic model. This model explains how drug abuse and addiction is a symptom of underlying psychological problems and is used as a maladaptive psychological coping strategy. I came up with the conclusion that this model fits with the essence of this book because Ronnie uses drugs to resolve his internal conflict with the person who abused him in early childhood. From reading this book and exploring Ronnie Steele’s online blogs I can include a few different things about drugs and society. I can conclude that drugs are a big part of society’s coping mechanism. From the information that I know from being a Psychology major and the information I received from reading this book and blog, many addictions are triggered by drug abuse from use of drugs to cope with past and present day problems. In this autobiography, the main character uses drugs as an outlet to forget his past; with addiction, though, comes rehabilitation. I can also conclude, from this autobiography, that rehabilitation in America works. I can conclude this because Ronnie had fought a great fight with addiction to alcohol and through the encouragement of his partner and his rehabilitation he overcame it. It was a difficult battle and struggle for Ronnie but the fact that he overcame his addiction and uses his book as a catalyst for help for other addicts is amazing and inspiring to me. In all, I believe I made a great choice in selecting this book out of the many novels on the list. This autobiography explores not only the recovery from addiction, but also the road to recovery. I love how Ronnie is so open with his testament and how he wants his book to inspire others. I believe this book is a great read and I really appreciated this being on the list.

Complete Guide to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

Complete Guide to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The Bright Futures scholarship programs are great resources for Florida students who plan on staying in-state for college. Aswith any scholarship program, though, there's a lot of information to processabout the awards. Just sifting through all the eligibility requirements and award limitations can be overwhelming, never mindfiguring out how to actually submit an application. In this guide, I've compiled all the information you need about the Bright Futures scholarships. I'll talk about the different award programs, their eligibility requirements, the application process, and strategies to help you win your own. What Is the Bright Futures Scholarship Program? The Bright Futures program offers merit-based scholarships to Florida residents who stay in Florida for college or vocational school (unfortunately, you won't be eligible for an award if you attend college out of state). If you qualify for a scholarship, you’ll receive funds to attend any public or private college in Florida. Financial need is not considered in awarding Bright Futures scholarships. There are three different scholarship programs, all with different eligibility requirements and award amounts. All of these scholarshipsare renewable - as long as you continue to meet eligibility requirements, you can get these awards year after year until you’ve finished your program of study: Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - This is the most competitive scholarship and most generous scholarship. It's geared towards â€Å"A students." FAS winners canreceive funding for the entire duration of their course of study. Florida Merit Scholars (FMS) - This scholarship is less competitive than the FAS, but it still has relatively high minimum test score and GPA requirements. It's geared towards "B students." FMS winners canreceive funding for the entire duration of their course of study. Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV) - This scholarship helps students pursuepost-high school vocational and certificate degrees. It's the least competitive award and provides the least amount of funding. GSV winners can receive scholarship funding for up to 72 credit hours of a technical degree program or career certificate program OR up to 60 credit hours of an applied technology degree program. Award Amounts Like I mentioned above, scholarship funds are awarded per credit hour. Scholarship recipients receive a fixed amount based on scholarship type, school type, and credit type: SCHOLARSHIP TYPE PROGRAM TYPE CREDIT HOUR AWARD - SEMESTER CREDIT HOUR AWARD - QUARTER CLOCK HOUR AWARD FAS 4 year $103 $69 2 year $63 $42 $2.10 FL Public Colleges - BA programs $71 Technical programs $52 $35 $1.73 FMS 4 year $77 $51 2 year $63 $42 $2.10 FL Public Colleges - BA programs $53 Technical programs $39 $26 $1.30 GSV (20-2012 high school grads and later) Career certificate program $39 $26 $1.30 Applied technology degree program $39 $26 $1.30 Technical degree education program $48 $32 $1.60 Want to calculatehow much scholarship money you could potentially receive? Just multiply the award amount (per credit hour) for the scholarship you're gunning for by the number of credit hours you'd need to complete a particular program. For example, a standard bachelor's degree requires 120 credit hours to complete. If I won the FAS scholarship, I could potentially receive $12,360 over the course of 4 years (120 credit hours x $103). Award Limits As flexible as the awards are, there are some ways in which you can't use Bright Futures funding. In addition to eligibility limits (which we'll get to shortly), there are some restrictions on how and where you can use Bright Futures scholarship money. You can only use the fundsat Florida schools - for more information, you can check this full list of eligible or participating institutions. You also can't use Bright Futures money to fund remedial coursework or (except in special circumstances) summer term work. How Do You Know If You're Eligible? Now that you know all about the sort of funding you can get with a Bright Futures award, I imagine you're interested in figuring out if you're eligible. First, you should determine if you meet the general Bright Futures requirements (these apply to all three scholarships): You must be a Florida resident and US citizen or eligible noncitizen (this is determined by your college). You mustcomplete the Florida Financial Aid Application by 8/31 of the year of your high school graduation. You must earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalent from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education private school. You can’t have been convicted of (or pleaded no contest to) a felony charge. You must be accepted by and enroll in a degree or certificate program at an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution (postsecondary institution = college, university, vocational school). There are additional academic criteria for the FAS, FMS, and GSV scholarships.The FAS and FMS scholarships have pretty demanding criteria for GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and service hours, whereas the GSV program isn’t quite as demanding: FAS Requirements 3.50 minimum GPA (weighted) 29 minimum ACT scoreor 1290 minimum SAT score 100 minimum community service hours FMS Requirements 3.00 minimum GPA (weighted) 26 minimum ACT scoreor 70 minimum SAT score 75 minimum community service hours GSV Requirements 3.00 minimum GPA (weighted) in non-elective high school courses ACT score minimums = 17 in English subsection, 19 in Reading subsection, and 19 in Math subsection SAT score minimums = 440 in Critical Reading, 440 in Math 30 minimum community service hours There’s quite a bit of fine print when it comes to eligibility requirements. If you want to learn more (and you should), check out our complete guideto Bright Futures requirements. What Information Do You Need to Apply? Thankfully, there isn't too much of this involved in submitting a Bright Futures application. You'll be able to streamline the whole application process if you have all the necessary paperwork and materials in orderbefore you begin. Here's everything you'll need to prepare if you want to apply for a Bright Futures scholarship: Florida Financial Aid Application You'll need to submit the Florida Financial Aid Application, or FFAA, no later than August 31 of the year of your high school graduation.If you don’t submit the FFAA, you won’t be able to get any Bright Futures funding.The applicationtypicallyopens December 1. Official Transcripts Fortunately, Florida public high schools automatically submit official transcripts to the Florida Department of Education for Bright Futures evaluation. Ifyour high school doesn’t automatically send transcripts, you can ask them to submit yours via email toOFSA.transcripts@fldoe.org. SAT or ACT Scores You can take the SAT or ACT for the purpose of submitting your scores to the Bright Futures scholarship program through June 30 of your graduation year - this is obviously much later than you would take the tests for college applications. This long window gives you some extra time to meet score requirements if needed. You can submit your ACT/SAT scores for Bright Futures consideration when you register for the exams. Request, at registration, that your scores be sent to one of Florida’s 12 state universities, public community colleges, or public high schools. The scores will automatically be forwarded to the Florida Department of Education repository. The application process should run as smoothly (and as automatically) as a well-oiled machine. How Do You Submit an Application? Much of this process is automated - you won’t have to do much extra work outside of submitting the FFAA and keeping an eye on your application to make sure everything is processed correctly. Here are all the steps you should take to make sure you submit a complete and successful Bright Futures application: Step 1: Submit the Florida Financial Aid Application Remember, this must be submitted by 8/31 the year of your high school graduation. YourFlorida Bright Futures account login information will be sent to you after you submit the FFAA. Step 2: Take the ACT or SAT and Submit Your Test Scores You’ll have to take either the ACT or SAT for college applications anyway, so this shouldn't require extra work on your part. Send your scores to a Florida public school (like I mentioned earlier in this post) to ensure that the Florida Department of Education receives them. Step 3: Check on the Submission of Your Official Transcripts If you attend a Florida public high school, your transcript willbeautomatically submitted for Bright Futures consideration. It’s a good idea to check with your guidance counselor to confirm submission, especially if you don't attend a public school. Step 4: Keep the Information in Your Bright Futures Application Account Updated Again, you'll get account login information for your Bright Futures application account once you submit your FFAA. Once you have access to this account, you can use it to manage and monitor different parts of your application. To make sure that your scholarship application is on track, you should: Monitor your number of reported service hours. Update your postsecondary institution. Once you’ve enrolledat a FL college or vocational school, you shouldmake a note of this in your account. Update any demographic information. View your eligibility determination - check your account once everything’s been submitted to see if you’re eligible for the scholarship. When Do You Find Out Whether You've Been Selected? There are two different evaluation timelines: Early Evaluation and Final Evaluation. For the Early Evaluation timeline, you can get an eligibility determination posted to your online account as early as March. Your transcriptsand test scores mustbe submitted by January 31. For the Final Evaluation timeline, you can get an eligibility determination posted to your online account as early as July. Your transcripts and test scores canbe submitted following your last high school term. You actually don't get much of a say in how this cashis used (which may be a good thing if money tends to burn a hole in your pocket). How Can You Use Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Money? Now that you're up to speed on the application process, you'll probably want to know what actually happens with the Bright Futures funding once you get it. You won’t receive the money directly. The financial aid office at your school will calculate your award and then disburse funds (i.e. apply the funds to your account) after the end of the add/drop period each term. Like I've mentioned before, you have to use the funds at an eligible Florida school. Interested in studying abroad? Your school decides ifany Bright Futures funding can be applied to study abroad programs. Strategies: How to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Winning a Bright Futures scholarship could mean that the bulk of your tuition expenses (and maybe even some room and board costs) would be covered for up to four years. If you're going to submit a Bright Futures application, you'll want to make it count. There are four main eligibility requirements that you have control over (aside from state residency): coursework, GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and service hours. Here are some strategies to make sure you meet all of those requirements. Coursework If you attend any school in Florida, you're likely on track to meet all the coursework requirements. If you're in any way concerned,schedule a meeting with a guidance counselor ASAP to see if your schedule needs to be adjusted. For more information on coursework requirements, see our Bright Futures eligibility guide. GPA If you're concerned that your GPA isn't high enough to win the FAS scholarship - the most competitive of the awards - set a more reasonable goalby aiming for the FMS or GSV GPA requirement. Also, keep in mind that all the GPA requirements listed are weighted. If your GPA is currently unweighted, your weighted GPA may be higher if you've taken any advanced or honors classes. See your guidance counselor for more help in calculating your weighted GPA. ACT or SAT Scores You'll be doing yourself a favor in a couple of ways if you work on bringing up your ACT or SAT scores. Higher scores will open up more scholarship opportunities in addition to better-ranking school options. To give yourself time to bring up your scores, start preparing for and taking the tests earlier rather than later. The end of your sophomore year through the beginning of your junior year is a good time to start working on prep. Optimize your scores by choosing one exam to work on, rather than splitting your energies between the ACTand SAT.If you're unsure which test to take, check out our guide to figure out which test is best for you. If you're an upperclassman and don't have much time to prepare for thetests, check out our fast prep guides for the ACTand SAT. Service Hours The best way to meet theservice hours minimum is through consistency. Try to set a schedule (e.g. go at the same time every week) so that it feels like more of a serious commitment. The more consistent you are and the earlier you start chipping away at your community service hours, the fewer hours you have to volunteer per week. If you start as a freshman, you'd need to volunteer for 1 hour every 2-3 weeks to meet your minimum. If you start as a senior; however, you'd need to volunteer 1.5-2 hours every week. It'll be easier to stick with your volunteer commitment over the long run if you work with an established, legitimate agency thatwill consistently track your hours (although it's a good idea to keepyour own records as backup). If you need community service ideas, read up on the nine best places to volunteer. What's Next? Now that you know exactly what to focus on in order to get a Bright Futures scholarship, you can start working on making sure you meet all the eligibility requirements. Concerned about meeting those minimum testscores? Check out our prep guides for the ACT and SAT. Want to bring up your GPA? Read about four ways to bring up your high school grades fast. Interested in more community service ideas? Check out our guide to 129 great community service projects. You may alsobe interested in other community service-based scholarships. 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: