Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Duel

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr meet at Weehawken on July 11, 1804 to end the long contention between them two. The impact among Hamilton and Burr in 1804 was certain that they originated from family foundations that have added to their competition. Burr was naturally introduced to an esteemed economic wellbeing and Hamilton being an ill-conceived child of West Indian guardians and had no association. Subsequently, he wedded Elizabeth Schuyler.Where his dad in-law was a Senate and in 1791 G. Philip Schuyler lost his Senate seat to Burr. Because of Hamilton notoriety in Federalist, he obstructed the Federalists to designate Burr for representative. At that point in 1792, Burr pronounced himself a Democratic-Republican. John Adams called Burr â€Å"unprincipled both as an open and private man† Hamilton was a Federalist and Burr was a Republican. The two men have over and again contradicted each other.Hamilton possessed the Bank of New York. Burr broke the stranglehold of the F ederalists financers. Hamilton had lost the intensity of the tote and his political conspicuousness all as a result of Aaron Burr. In that year, a tie between the Democratic-Republican competitors Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton in exertion for denying Burr for turning into the victor for applicant, he favor Jefferson and squashed Burr crusade that let to Jefferson winning the election.On June 27, Burr officially moved Hamilton to a duel, and Hamilton acknowledged in light of the fact that Hamilton political drove him to decline to deny the test. The duel wasn’t the aftereffect of the 1804 political race however to a greater degree a climax of their competition and contradiction between them two for quite a long time. Hamilton demise was genuinely a disaster for America since his endeavors during American Revolution and Secretary of the Treasury.

Basketball Tournament Brochure - Free Essay Example

Basketball is a game loved by many teenagers especially those who are still in school. German town academy most students cherish basketball compared to any other game. Games are used for uniting people together in the society, most Non-Governmental Organizations when soliciting for money to support unlucky kids like ones suffering from cancer, they use basketball game in our school to bring people together. Its shattering to almost all parents who learn that their kids have medical complication, since the cost of treatment is very high and the chances of survival are very minimal. This why most NGOs and other support teams chip in to help in collection of enough cash for the treatment. This is achieved through games in Germany town academy. basketball is a scintillating game at our school and most student covet displaying splendid performance so as to earn public recognition. The adorable game earns its honor when nearly all students wear basketball jerseys. The fight of every team to win and every individual to display fantastic performance is what unites everyone and mostly the cancer kids, they get hope in life, since games reduces stress and pain in life. The unison cheering and support by everyone helps to forget some hurdles in life and precisely the fatal disease. In conclusion, many organization uses different means of uniting people for the sole purpose of supporting each other in our school, basketball is used as a tool in our school of cherishing and helping affected victims of cancer through sports. References Playing basketball has some benefits in addition to being fun, it offers effective body exercise, it help students learn a variety of skills, students also learn through playing basketball and sundry.

Solidification Definition and Examples

Solidification, also known as freezing, is a phase change of matter that results in the production of a solid. Generally, this occurs when the temperature of a liquid is lowered below its freezing point. Although the freezing point and melting point of most materials are the same temperature, this is not the case for all substances, so freezing point and melting point are not necessarily interchangeable terms. For example, agar (a chemical used in food and the laboratory)  melts at 85 C (185 F) yet solidifies from 31 C to 40 C (89.6 F to 104 F). Solidification is nearly always an exothermic process, meaning heat is released when a liquid changes into a solid. The only known exception to this rule is the solidification of low-temperature helium. Energy (heat) must be added to helium-3 and helium-4 for freezing to take place. Solidification and Supercooling Under certain conditions, a liquid may be cooled below its freezing point, yet not transition into a solid. This is known as supercooling  and it happens because most liquids crystallize to freeze. Supercooling may be readily observed by carefully freezing water. The phenomenon can occur when there is a lack of good nucleation sites from which solidification can proceed. Nucleation is when molecules from organized clusters. Once nucleation occurs, crystallization progresses until solidification happens. Solidification Examples Several examples of solidification may be found in everyday life, including: Freezing of water to form ice in an ice cube trayFormation of snowCongealing of bacon grease as it coolsSolidification of melted candle waxLava hardening into solid rock

Should We Interfere With The Natural Process - 845 Words

I have such a hard time with this topic. Reading all of these articles and watching these videos have genuinely put some things into perspective. These things are those of which I have never put much thought toward, if any. Should we interfere with the natural process? First I want to touch on the slide that Dr. Scott Rae presented from the Newsweek magazine. I do agree when he says that we are interfering with the natural process by waiting so long to have children, if we are physically capable. He briefly touches on the fact that women are waiting longer in life to have babies because they have things such as IUI and IVF to depend on. These women, usually celebrities, are waiting so they do not have to ruin their bodies at an early age and can continue a successful career while at a younger age. Now in this perspective, I do agree that the natural process should not be interfered with. In retrospect, the natural process, more or less â€Å"fails† for some people. For example, a couple struggling with infertility or with medical issues preventing the natural process to take place, seek out help from technology. This, in my opinion, is not interfering with the natural process. I do however agree with the the lack of importance people are putting on the embryos that are in storage. From a personal standpoint, these are indeed human life ready to be conceived, but unfortunately there are thousands upon thousands that will probably never have the chance. The dominionShow MoreRelated Against Cloning Essay667 Words   |  3 Pagessold as manufactured products. If we allow that, we would be violating others human rights. One of them is that no one should be held in slavery or servitude. Cloning also threatens individuality and uniqueness. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/cloning/clonesindividual.shtml) Life would be very dull considering the fact that everyone would have the same personality. If we follow this to the future, one wouldn?t want to live in that kind of world. The process of cloning involves killing a greatRead MoreThe Cloning Of Human Cloning1332 Words   |  6 PagesCloning Science today is developing at warp speed. We have the potential to do many things, which include the cloning of actual humans and animals. The question no longer seems to be if we will clone humans, but when? Somewhere, sometime, a human clone will be born. This fact has exploded the world into a global debate. Will large armies of soldiers be raised to fight our wars? Or perhaps we will create a race of slaves to do our dirty work. Cloning is becoming more credible and concrete idea ratherRead MoreMy Favorite Case We Went Over In Constitutional Law This1102 Words   |  5 Pages My favorite case we went over in constitutional law this year is Lochner v. New York because of the display of power by the justices joined in the majority and the fervent dissent countering their reasoning. I have described Lochner above in the context of the Commerce clause above but my focus for this question is the case in context of the Substantive due process section of the class. The substantive due process clause deals with the law itself and not the process, substantive rights are protectedRead MoreThe Perception Of The Olfactory Function1228 Words   |  5 PagesWe must be aware of the smells in an environment because that can alter students’ ability to focus and learn. â€Å"Smells can capture a child’s attention, and when they do, access to sensory information from other sensory systems capable of providing more useful information can be compromised.† (Allman, C., Lewis, S. and Smith, M. 2014) The olfactory function is extremely sensitive and bout pleasant or unpleasant smells can create issues. People often make decision based on their interaction with a scentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Inside Of A Dog 1136 Words   |  5 PagesInteraction with This Sense Daily we see those mini-size cute toy poodles jumping around, the tall and slim Doberman Pinscher staring acutely into distant place, or the pure white Samoyed sticking his tongue out with a natural, angel-like smile. Dogs are everywhere now; they are the best friends of humans. But do we really understand them? In Alexander Horowitz’s book Inside of a Dog, she explains how dogs’ senses, particularly smell, differ from humans’ in ways we may never think about. People utilizeRead MoreEssay on Should Drug Use Be Decriminalized?824 Words   |  4 PagesShould Drug Use Be Decriminalized? To begin examining this statement, one should first examine what drugs purposes are and if they have a worthy enough purpose to be excepted into society. Drugs such as Marijuana have been legalized for strictly medical purposes only. Marijuana has been found to treat the nausea suffered by cancer patients and also treat the wasting of AIDS patients. Both fatal diseases with no cures. But what effects overall does Marijuana and otherRead MoreThe Ethical Issues Of Procreation Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesProcreation is a beautiful miracle that God has blessed humans to perform. God granted us this blessing so we can reproduce our offspring and start families. However, not everyone has been blessed to be able to procreate an offspring and this can carry a heavy burden on almost anyone who is less fortunate. For these less fortunate people who are unable to procreate an offspring, there are other ways to overcome this devastating scenario. In our present day, there are numerous outlets and technologiesRead MoreThe Cloning Of Cloning For Medical Services1586 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ethicality of Cloning Cloning the latest process that could change the way we look at our environment, and the step to take us to lose what makes us unique and unparalleled. Cloning is the process of producing a genetically identical individual to the original. There are three types of cloning: gene cloning, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. The disadvantages of cloning is that there had been many attempts at cloning and the results have been numerous deformations and abnormalitiesRead MoreHigh Fructose Corn Syrup : Obesity, Diabetes, And Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease845 Words   |  4 Pageszinc-depleting effect that comes from consuming HFCS and certain food colors found in processed foods, and the additional Hg [mercury] exposure that may occur from the low Hg concentrations sometimes found in HFCS as a result of the manufacturing process. The study concludes that, A comparison of autism prevalence between the U.S. and Italy using the Mercury Toxicity Model suggests the increase in aut ism in the U.S. is not related to mercury exposure from fish, coal-fired power plants, thimerosalRead MoreGenetic Engineering : Medical Perfection Or Playing God1280 Words   |  6 Pagesthe natural autonomy of life. Does genetic engineering interfere with God’s natural order or a manipulation of God creation and the intended purpose of our lives? Genetic engineering goes against the theological belief of the authority of God and religion governance order. This new paradigm of genetic engineering reproduction of life as we know is an interference of the creation of God’s and life. I believe if we continue the use of genetic engineering cloning it is against everything we believe

What Is Bravery free essay sample

Bravery is having or displaying a sense of courage as well as being a daring individual. It is also a person who lacks the qualities of being cowardly or timid. Throughout history most great leaders showed that they were very brave individuals through their actions and as well as the way they carried themselves. They didnt allow what other people or forces said dictate their actions. Leaders that show high levels of this characteristic fight for what they believe in, even if it results in their own death. A story and character that demonstrates these characteristics pretty well is Beowulf. Beowulf was an altruistic individual who ended up giving up his life in order to saver other peoples lives. Beowulf also showed zero fear when dealing with the different circumstances he was forced into as well as the situations he put himself into. Another story that shows examples of an individual being brave is the poem Battle of Maldon. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Bravery? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This poem was based on real events that took place in England somewhere around 900AD. The story is about a battle between a group of Vikings and a group of men defending England. This poem shows multiple examples of bravery, but does this story show the same consistency as Beowulf? There are some similarities between the two stories but do their examples of bravery add up between each other to be considered consistent. I personally believe that theme of bravery is ultimately the same between the two poets. Both stories give a great representation of bravery throughout their stories. The first example that shows similarity between the two stories is the leader as well as the main character in the story is an altruistic individual. Beowulf, the leader and main character in the Beowulf, and Byrhtnoth, the leader and main character in the Battle of Maldon, both ended up dying in battle for what they believed in and they both went own fighting. Beowulf shows this this type of bravery when he goes and fights the dragon that has been terrorizing his town close to the end of the story. Even though he knows the dragon is probably going to kill him before he starts to battle it, he is willing to give his life in order to keep his people safe. This also represents a warriors most honorable death. Byrhtnoth shows the same altruistic behavior by not retreating when the Vikings try to overtake them. Byrhnoth ends up getting stabbed a couple of times but he continues to fight for his people. As the last blow strikes his body he knows he is dying with honor and bravery. Both of these examples show a high characteristic in bravery and both show equal amounts of consistency in the bravery department up to this point. The second example that involves bravery that I chose has to deal with the people that were willing to follow their leaders into battle. It takes a brave individual to go into battle knowing that their either out numbered or that they are completely outmatched. In Beowulf their was a group of warriors from Geatland that followed Beowulf on his adventures and helped him get out of different situations . One of the notable situations i recall is when Beowulf and his men are in Heorot Hall and Grendel shows up to kill. The men are scared and some start to get killed but they show bravery by standing by Beowulfs side whenever he tries and attacks and eventually takes down Grendel. In the Battle of Maldon a similar situation occurs when the Vikings start to come on shore. Byrhtnoth ordered his men to line up at the shore line in order to hinder the Vikings from coming on shore. This is a brave and risky task because the Vikings are using spears and arrows so they wont have to get very close to hurt them. The fact that the men took those orders without hesitation shows that have a high quality trait in bravery, and they trust their leader in this tough situation. The third example that I felt belonged in this discussion was what some of the men did after their leader died. In the end of Beowulf there is a great dragon that starts terrorizing Geatland because of a disturbance in his lair. Before Beowulf goes and tries to kill the dragon, he goes and gathers eleven of his best men from Geatland. Before they leave Beowulf informs his men that it is an extremely big chance that he might die. Once they get to the dragons lair Beowulf goes to face the dragon by himself and ends up dying from a bite from the dragon. When this happens ten of the eleven men decide to act cowardly and run away from the fight, but one man named Wiglaf stays and fights the dragon by his lonesome and ends up killing the dragon. This act that Wiglaf does one of the bravest and loyal things an individual can do in that situation. Wigalf could have run away with the rest of the men but he decided to stay and show honor and bravery by killing the dragon after it killed his leader. In the Battle of Maldon the same thing basically happened when their leader Byrhtnoth went down. As the tides started to shift in battle when Olaf’s men started getting on shore and some of Byrhtnoth men decided to flee. When a small group of his men decided to retreat more and more followed because they thought that was the signal to retreat but it really wasn’t. The men that started running away first were Gordic and his brothers, and that triggered the reaction to the rest of the men. Even though most of the men ran, a couple of men decided to be honorable and brave and fight until death. I think this theme of bravery is the most important theme that I have given thus far. It also goes along with my second example but this theme shows more bravery, courageousness and more honor because they are fighting for their fallen leader. It takes a strong willed and an extremely brave individual to stay and fight when their leader and strongest person has fallen and there is now no one there to give them orders in battle. This theme shows up a lot in different stories and movies in today’s world. A more up to date example of this is in the Star Wars series. In a couple of the movies the main Jedi, the leader, dies and the Padawan has to step up to the plate and fight the enemy by himself instead of running away like a lot of people would do in the same situation. The fourth example that demonstrates bravery is the daringness and boldness each leader shows towards their enemy. Each leader did something out of the ordinary when it came to battle. In Beowulf, Beowulf decides to chase Grendel’s mother all the way back to her underwater lair to kill her. I think this move is one of the boldest moves I’ve ever read in a story. The fact that Beowulf trusted his breath holding ability in battle against a beast like Grendel’s mother puts me in awe. Grendel’s mother would already be hard enough to fight alone, but add on the fact that its under water and add the fact that none of Beowulf’s weapons work on Grendel’s mother shows that Beowulf is an extremely daring individual and that he really isn’t scared in any situation. In the battle of Maldon, Byrhtnoth also does something that doesn’t quite make sense but shows how much of a brave and daring individual he is.

The Haunting Effects Of Stanley Kubricks Eyes Wide Shut Can Be Identif

The haunting effects of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut can be identified as creating curiosity, fear and anxiety in the viewer. They can be understood as painting a mosaic of symbolism in the viewer's eye, and as depositing fragments of concepts inside his mind. The film's slow pace seems to open wide gaps between the joints of the story's framework, causing the viewer to lose his secure sense of balance during the progression of the plot. Eyes Wide Shut is not a tale of terror nor one of mystery or of love; it is not a documentary about a married couple nor a psychological drama. It pretends to be all of these, and in so doing explores the filmic medium and secures the effects of its own elements. Like any film that is carefully constructed, Eyes Wide Shut is the sum of its elements and of the ways by which these interact with each other. The most significant elements of the film are 1) color, particularly red, blue and yellow; 2) sound, such as voices plus external and internal music; 3) camera movement, especially the track-forward, track-backward and the revolving shot; 4) the dissolve, as the main transition technique between shots; and 5) the recursive figures of the Female Nude, Masks and Christmas Trees. Some of these elements are recognizable from the earlier Kubrick films, such as A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, a fact which reveals the signature of Kubrick the auteur. Eyes Wide Shut can be divided into three parts, each of which contains the elements mentioned above. Part I introduces the main characters and their relationship towards each other. Dr. William Harford and his wife Alice attend a party where pianist Nick Nightingale (Todd Field), an old acquaintance of Bill and a pivotal character for the plot, provides the music. The Harford's friend and host Victor Ziegler (Sydney Pollack), introduces his wife to his guests and later solicits Bill's medical attention to save the overdosed prostitute and beauty queen Mandy (Julienne Davis), who is sprawled naked on a divan in an upstairs room of the mansion, while Ziegler nervously gets dressed. On the wall behind her hangs a large painting of a female nude. In this manner, the figure of the Female Nude is introduced as having a dual significance: as a measure for risk and fatality (Mandy), and as a representation of aesthetic beauty (the painting). In the meantime, Alice drinks several glasses of champagne and dances with a pressing suitor. Half drunk and in full coquettish swing, her swaying disposition and her reluctant tongue oscillate between words, like a pendulum pulsating a decrepit waltz. Upstairs, Bill in a demanding staccato calls out to Mandy's dying ear: Mandy...can you hear me? Can you hear me...Mandy? Look at me...Mandy. In both cases, Alice's drunkenness and flirtatiousness, and Bill's tense, yet hopeful tone produce a slowness in their way of speaking and in the overall rhythm of the scenes. This device becomes characteristic of the film, where whatever altered state the character happens to be in (fear, shock, distress, stupor) can be defined as a justifier for the prolongation of his or her oral expression. This strategy of justifiers is used in numerous scenes. In one which follows the scenes of the party, for example, Alice and Bill smoke marijuana and she initiates an interrogation which tests her husband's sense of jealousy. The scene evolves from her dispassionate questioning to her violent reproach, to a daring confession of figurative adultery. Throughout all three phases, however, Alice deals with the effects of the drug and of the mental tiptoeing around her husband's defensive rationale. This is represented by her slow speech. In addition to this, during the confession phase, the film's grainy quality is accentuated, establishing a kind of screen or filter to distance the viewer from the subject, thus creating in the viewer a sensation of voyeurism. This relationship is first established in the initial credit sequence, where Nicole Kidman --or her unknown character-- very casually undresses, as if unaware of being viewed, setting up the viewer as the unsuspected voyeur of the events to follow. Furthermore, the scene establishes the red, yellow and blue colors, where Alice's character is usually set against the

Do You Need to Go on College Tours 4 Reasons to Visit

Do You Need to Go on College Tours 4 Reasons to Visit SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve probably felt the pressure to go on college tours, but just how important are they? Are they an essential part of the college planning process, or is it not a big deal if you opt out? This guide will go over the most important reasons to visit a college, along with some circumstances when you might choose not to tour.We’ll also discuss how you can prepare to make the most out of your college visits. First off, what are some reasons you should tour your prospective colleges? Why Should You Tour Your Colleges? There are several strong reasons to visityour colleges of interest. For one, seeing and learning about the school in person can be a huge help in determining where you want to apply. You can find out more about the college from firsthand sources, like your tour guide and other current students. All of these impressions can serve as useful material if you need to have a college interview or write a supplemental essay about why you want to attend. Finally, having your name on the tour rosters can markwhat many admissions officers call â€Å"demonstrated interest.† Let’s take a look at each of these reasons in more detail, starting with how useful it can be to see a college and its surrounding environment in person. Seethe collegecampus and its surrounding environment with your own eyes, like this intrepid explorer. Reason #1: To See the School and City in Person One of the most compelling and important reasons to tour your college is to see it firsthand! These are the classrooms, dorms, and library you’ll be living in for the next four years; you want to check them out in person before committing. Walk around, soak up the atmosphere, and listen to what your intuition tells you about how it would suit your personal and academic goals. A college tour will let you see the buildings inside and out, including classrooms, dorms, dining halls, gyms, music rooms, and science labs. You can get a sense of what’s happening oncampus on flyer-covered bulletin boards, and see the places where students congregate - especially if you visit when classes are in session. The official tour will show you around campus, and you can check out the surrounding environment too. Some students are drawn to the busy, active vibe of New York City; others would prefer to study in a peaceful countryside setting. Some would love to see fall colors paint the trees on campus; others want to get as far away from the possibility of snow as they can. As you explore the surrounding scenes, find out if there are cafes and movie theaters around, or if most students stay on campus to socialize. You may want to find out if the area's affordable or generally asafe place. If you're looking for mountains to climb, a suburban feel, a large music scene, or a big city full of business internship opportunities, you can see if the area has what you want. Virtual tours and photos can only take you so far, and descriptions of colleges may be biased to promote it. The best way to get a genuine sense of the place is toexplore it in person. You’re the one who will be attending, so you should first see it with your own eyes. Learn about the college by going straight to the source. Reason #2: To Learn About the School from Firsthand Sources If your searches for school info have led down dead ends, then you know that admissions websites don’t always have the answers to all your questions. Tour guides will be there to answer any outstanding questions, plus they’ll teach you fun facts and history that give you a deeper insight into the college. Most tour guides are current students who are big fans of the college. Since they’re students, they can give you firsthand knowledge ofthe student experience.In addition to getting your own questions answered, you can learn from the questions askedby others in the tour group. Some tours involve an hour or so walk around campus. Others, though, involve a much more involved itinerary. You might be able to sit in on a lecture, meet with admissions officers or a professor, or even arrange to stay overnight in a dorm. That way, you’ll get tons of personalized guidance and stories from all different perspectives: faculty, administration, and perhaps most importantly, current students. All of this can serve to fuel your excitement and enthusiasm about a school, which may empower you to produce an even stronger application. On the flip side, it may save you a lot of effort and an application fee if you discover, in the end, that the school’s not for you. Either way, clarifying your desires and reasons to attend is key before you apply. Spark some ideas for any supplemental essays. Reason #3: To Write a Killerâ€Å"Why Us?† Essay Besides amping up your motivation to create the best application you can, a college visit will help if you need to write an essay to the prompt, â€Å"Why us?† Not all colleges ask for this, but there are many that require a supplemental essay in which you delineateyour reasons for wanting to attend. Colleges want to ensure that you have specific knowledge of their culture, courses, professors, and other opportunities. If you can include something unique that you learned on a tour, rather than repeat info from their website, then your essay could stand out even more. You don’t know what stories you’ll gain from your tour and exploring the surrounding area, so go with an open mind and see how your impressions translate to any supplemental essays that you may need to write.Just as some colleges ask you to write about your interest, some also keep track of their tour rosters to see if you â€Å"demonstrated interest† via a tour or communication with the admissions office. Having your name on a campustour list might officially document your "demonstrated interest." Reason #4: To Officially Demonstrate Your Interest in the School So far, we’ve talked about how personally illuminating it can be to tour your college and its surrounding environment. You may have also heard that touring can strengthen your chances of admission, because it shows you did your due diligence. So what’s the story with this idea of â€Å"demonstrated interest†? Does it really help you get accepted? Admissions committees are, generally speaking, rather secretive about their processes. They emphasize that their process is a holistic one that considers the â€Å"whole student,† rather than pieces of data. While this system has its strengths, it also means that we don’t have clear answers aboutexactly how officers consider eachpiece of your application. In the end, we’re often left with the frustrating answer, â€Å"It depends.† So as for how far demonstrated interest makes an impression on admissions officers, I’d also have to say, â€Å"It depends.† Generally speaking, the conventional wisdom seems to be correct - it can be in your favor for the college to have your name on its visit records. The more you can connect with a school, by going on an official tour, emailing admissions officers, and/or speaking to faculty, the more interested in the school you’ll appear to be. It will seem as though you’ve been thorough in your research, and admissions officers can be fairly confident that, if given an offer of admission, you will accept and enroll. Since colleges are looking to improve their yield - or increase the number of students who accept admission offers - they appreciate your â€Å"demonstrated interest.† A few admissions officers, furthermore, have said that they would perceive it as a lack of interest on the student’s part if she lived close by and didn’t ever take a tour. This definitely isn'ta make or break part of your application, but you certainly don’t want to come off as disinterested. Admissions officers value enthusiasm, excitement, and commitment. On the other hand, some schools, probably for the sake of fairness or because they already have more than enough information to evaluate, don’t track your interest. Yale, for instance, says, â€Å"Yale does not track visits to campus or contact with our admissions staff for the purposes of evaluating applications."They want people to sign up for tours, so they have a sense of numbers, but they say they won’t look at it later. Admissions officers understand that not everyone cantour a school. If you live far away, then they shouldn’t hold it against you. In the end, taking a tour is not essential, nor should it affect your admission chances very much. If you live close toa college, then you should make every effort to demonstrate your interest by signing up and touring. If it’s geographically or financially difficult for you, don’t stress about it. In fact, there are a few reasons why it might not make sense for you to tour a school. Let’s look at what a few of these reasons are. Don't worry if your college is just too far away. Are There Any Reasons Not to Tour a School? As I said above, don’t stress if it’s just way too difficult for you to visit a school. Some students apply to colleges across the country, and they might not have the time or money to visit all, or any, of their far-off prospective colleges. Others may be busy with after-school jobs or babysitting siblings, or they simply might not be able to afford the planes, trains, or automobiles to get there. Distance and finances are two very understandable reasons for not being able to tour a college, despite your interest in seeing it firsthand. Hopefully, you can still reach out to administration and current students online and check out the photos and virtual college tours offered on many school websites. Now, if your only reason for forgoing a tour is that you already know a lot about a school - perhaps a sibling already attended - I wouldn’t advise skipping it. It’s still a good idea to visit, demonstrate your interest, and shape your own impressions. To reiterate, if visiting a school is burdensome or otherwise just not feasible for you, then don’t worry about it. If you have the means and time, then check it out! In that case, your next step should be signing up. Like any good guest, make sure to RSVP to your college tour. How Do You Sign Up for College Tours? You can find tour schedules and sign-ups on each college’s website. You’ll often find this info on the admissions site under the heading of â€Å"Visit.† To get there most directly, you could search for â€Å"Name of College + Visit.† If you want to check out what a few of these pages look like, you can see the tour information for Penn State,University of California at Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Harvard here. For colleges of historical interest, like Harvard, double check that you’re finding the tour for prospective freshmen, rather than a general historical tour! You may notice that many schools offer a morning and afternoon tour. If you’re looking at schools that are close together, should you fit in two tours in one day? How Many Tours Should You Sign Up for On the Same Day? Since many schools offer two or more tours a day, some students try to fit in two or more in one day. While you may be able to check out two colleges if they’re close together, I recommend giving each visit the time it deserves. In addition to the one to two hours that most tours take, you may be able to sit in on a lecture or meet with an admissions officer. Beyond the tour itself, you also should take some time to explore campus and the surrounding area, searching out the cafes, movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls, hiking paths, or whatever else you might be looking for in your life as a college student. So rather than rush around checking colleges off your list as fast as possible, make sure to take your time and make the most of your visit by focusing on one tour per day. Most high school students are granted several excused absences in junior and senior year to visit colleges, and you may be able to find extra time by visiting on weekends. That being said, when’s a good time to visit colleges? You'll see a much different college if you visitduring the semester versus winter or summer break. When’s the Best Time to Tour Schools? Considering your school visits can help you determine what schools make your college list, it’s a good idea to visit in junior year or earlier. Most junior students are granted 3 to 4 excused absences to visit colleges. If you can’t miss a school day due to your high school'spolicy or a largeworkload, many colleges also offer tours on the weekends or over the summer. The only drawback of visiting over the summer or, to some extent, on weekends is that you won’t get to see the college in full swing. There’s a big difference in the atmosphere if students are walking between class and studying on the lawn or the library versus cleared out and empty. Plus, with summer tours you may not have the opportunity for an overnight visit or to sit in on a lecture. Touring in the summer still beats no tour at all, but if you can, try to visit during fall or spring semester. Colleges, by the way, usually have different vacations than do high schools. So if you’re too busy with assignments and after-school activities to tour during a school week, then you might go during February or April break or certain high school holidays that fall on a Monday. You’ll be on vacation, but college students won’t be. This plan probably won’t work for the December holidays, though - colleges tend to have several weeks off, usually from early to mid-December to early to mid-January. Besides this big winter break, what other times are not ideal for touring? Hey, where'd everyone go? When’s the Worst Time to Tour Schools? Colleges have a different schedule than do high schools. You can take advantage of your vacation times to visit colleges when classes are in session, but you also should probably plan to avoid college break times. In addition to winter break, colleges have breaks over Thanksgiving and typically in the second or third week of March (spring break!). Before the December holidays vacation, they usually have a â€Å"reading period,† a week or two during which students study for finals and then take their exams. Classes won’t be in session. Reading periods and exam weeksusually precede the end of the fall semester and end of the spring semester. Finally, if you’re interested in visiting admissions offices, then you should check ahead to make sure this is a possibility. Admissions officers get busy with application review season in March and April, so if you’d like to visit at this time and meet with an admissions officer, just make sure they have time to talk with prospective students. However,you can still gain a lot from walking around campus and checking out the facilities and thesurrounding city even if classes aren’t in session. But if you plan ahead, you can make the most of your visit by visiting during the semester and getting the truest sense of the college in action. Apart from signing up for the tour, you should also prepare some questions to connect with your tour guide and find out more information about the college. Before you visit, prepare some questions to ask your college tour guide! What to Prepare for Campus Tours College tour guides are there to help! Most tour guides are current students who are enthusiastic about sharing info and insight into the school. Make the most of your visit by preparing questions to ask. It’s especially important to prepare a list of questions if you’re meeting with an administrator. So what should these questions look like? They might include, How much time do you typically spend on homework? What’s the average class size? (You may specify this question for a certain department.) What kind of orientation programs are there for freshmen? Are there opportunities for research in nanoengineering (or whatever the subject might be)? Can you talk about the community service clubs? Is it common to study abroad? What are the dorms like? How would you rate the food, on a scale from decent to inedible? Do a lot of students belong to frats or sororities? Really, you can ask anything you want to know that’s specific to your unique interests or goals. Find out answers to your questions that aren’t already available on the school website. Now that you’ve made it this far, let’s summarize what you need to remember about why, when, and how to visit your prospective colleges. To Sum Up... If you're able to find the time, money, and transportation to visit your colleges, I highly recommend doing so. Not only will you learn a ton of important info about the school, but you'll get to see and sense the general atmosphere of the campus and its surrounding area. Since this is the place where you could learn, live, and grow for four years, you want to make sure it fits your goals and personality. Most schools give juniors three to four excused absences to tour, plus you can go during your winter or spring breakssince colleges have different vacation schedules. Try to prioritize visiting when classes are in session. That way, you'll have more chances to sit in on a lecture, meet with administration or faculty, and get an authentic sense of the college when it's in full swing. Sign up for tours online, andspend plenty of time exploring. Show up with some questions in mind. Your tour guide can especially give you genuine insight into the student experience and social scene on campus. Visiting colleges will be a huge help in determining where you do and don't want to apply. In addition to weighing the courses and facilities the colleges have to offer, you should also make sure to listen to your intuition. Take some time alone to sit on a bench or steps outside the library, look around, and see if you can picture yourself there. If you feel it would be a great fit, you may, after your visit, be even better equipped tocommunicate whyin your application. Then, hopefully, admissions officers will feel the same way! What's Next? Just as you should explore the surrounding environment when you visit college campuses, you should also take the time to think about what kind of place would best fit you. Do you want to go toa big schoolor a smallschool? Do you want to stay close to home or look farther away? Check out these guides for more on how to decide and what other factorsto consider when creating your college list. Another concernwhen making your college listmay be financial aid. If this is important toyou, checkout these 27 colleges with the best financial aid! Want to improve your SAT score by 160points 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: