What to Charge for Yoga Lessons as a Yoga Tutor

What to Charge for Yoga Lessons as a Yoga Tutor How Much Should Yoga Classes by a Qualified Yoga Instructor Cost? ChaptersShould You Become an Employee in a Yoga Studio or a Self-Employed Yoga Instructor?Learning to Calculate How Much You Should Charge for Your Yoga SessionsHow Much Should a Beginner Charge as Opposed to an Expert?Money makes the world go ‘round - no matter where you are, no matter your country, culture or language, everyone does his best to earn money.Do you want to teach yoga either full-time or part-time? This article is for you!Yes, yoga is a very spiritual discipline, but it’s time to come down to earth and talk of crass, material things: how much to charge for your yoga sessions.Examples of Yoga Pricing on SuperprofMaryam in London: trained in India, fully accredited by Yoga Alliance, taught in India, Ireland and the UK. She teaches Hatha Yoga and is willing to travel to your home. She asks £ 40 an hour.Vivek in London has been teaching for three years. He offers flow and Hatha yoga and goes to your home. He charges £ 15 pounds an hour.Hugo in London is accredited by the Yoga Alliance and has studied in India. He teaches Himalayan style Hatha Yoga and Ying Yoga and his price is £ 20 an hour.Akhil in the greater London area actually comes from India and offers not only Hatha Yoga and Hatha flow, but Vinyasa and Sivananda Yoga as well, and asks £ 60 an hour.Outside of Yoga London, we have:Estefania in Bristol offers Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga as well as Vedic philosophy. She prices at £ 35 an hour.Emma in Tycroes, Carmarthenshire offers Hatha Yoga lessons for £ 20 an hour.Sharan in Lemington teaches Kundalini Yoga as well as online yoga classes and takes £ 40 an hour.In Grays, Roberta offers her yoga lessons for £ 18 an hour.Agnieszka in Bishops Stortford is accredited by the Yoga Alliance and offers Vinyasa yoga classes for £ 48 an hour.You will note than many of our superprof teachers offer the first lesson for free.Also, some of the teachers outside of London have higher prices, in part because of qualification and in part because there isn’t as much competition outside of the bigger cities.You now have more information on how to price your lessons. If you specialise in a specific type of yoga (Ahstanga Yoga, Raja Yoga, Kundalini Yoga or Yoga for Kids, for example), don’t hesitate to mention it.Also, if you specialise in stress management or have a spiritual or physical approach that will help your students achieve their goals of balance or harmony more easily, this will also influence your pricing.Learn to sell yourself to help you live your passion. And remember Rule Number One: listen to your students! Learn to how to plan your yoga classes here.

Parts Of A Plant For Kids Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Parts Of A Plant For Kids Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace The plant body is differentiated into 4 parts-roots, stems, leaves and flowers. Of these roots, stem and leaves are considered as vegetative organs whereas flowers are considered as reproductive organs.The parts of the plant which occur below the surface of the soil form the root system. The roots are no green and branched. The aerial parts which occur above the surface of the soil form the shoot system. It consists of stem, leaves and flowers. The main axis of the shoot is called stem. The stem is generally branched. Stem bears a number of green, flat photosynthetic structures called the leaves. The leaves are of various shapes and sizes. The point at which a leaf originates on the stem is called the node. The part the stem between two nodes is known as internodes. From the axil of the leaves, the buds develop. Each bud has a small axis and a group of minute leaves. The bud seen at the tip of the stem is called the apical bud or terminal bud. This bud may either grow into a vegetative branch or develop into a flower. Functions of various parts: Root: It fixes the plant firmly to the soil. It absorbs water and minerals from the soil. In some cases they store food materials. Stem: Supports the branches, leaves etc., Conducts water and minerals and food to various parts of the plant body. They store food materials and in some cases carry put photosynthesis. Leaves: Prepare the food by photosynthesis Flowers: It is the sexually reproducing part. They are bright in color to attract agents for pollination

Online Rational Equation Solver Tutors

Online Rational Equation Solver Tutors Rational expression is an algebraic expression written in p(x) / q(x) form. An algebraic expression is an expression written using numbers variables and constants. The condition for the rational expression is the denominator cannot be equal to zero i.e. q(x) 0. The rational equation can be solved using different mathematical properties such as multiplicative property, associative property, additive inverse multiplicative inverse and many more. Example 1: Solve the given rational equation 2x/(x + 1) + 1 = 7/(x+1). Solution: Given is the equation 2x/(x + 1) + 1 = 1/(x+1). Here the left had side has the equation 2x/(x + 1) + 1. Take the common denominator that will be (x + 1) 2 x /(x + 1) + (x + 1) / (x + 1) = (2 x + x + 1)/(x+1) = (3 x + 1)/ (x + 1). This gives: (3 x + 1)/ (x + 1) = 7/(x+1). The denominator on both sides is (x + 1) equating the numerators. This gives: 3 x + 1 = 7. Subtract 1 on both sides. This gives 3 x = 6. Divide both sides of the equation by 3. Therefore. x = 2. Example 2: Solve the given rational equation 4x/(x + 12) = 1. Solution: Given is the equation 4x/(x + 12) = 1. Multiply both sides of the equation by x+12. This give 4x = x+ 12. Subtracting both sides of the equation by x. 3x = 12. Divide both sides of the equation by 3. Therefore. x = 4.

The History of Origami

The History of Origami The Complex Story Paper Folding ChaptersPaper: the Essential Ingredient of OrigamiOrigami: the Symbol of DisciplineOne Thousand Cranes for SadakoOrigami in EuropeOrigami Today‘Mary’ sat on a stool, a stack of glossy magazine pages beside her. Deftly, she manipulated each page until it was but a fraction of its original size.She went about her work swiftly and silently, only nodding a greeting as we arrived.Mary (‘my English name!’, she proudly boasts) lives in a small-ish Chinese city with her family. She and her paper crafts claim a prominent place in the household; as the senior household member, she takes her job of protecting and passing on traditional culture seriously.I just wondered why she was busily folding and refolding magazine pages.Later, around the dinner table, I got my answer. By each food bowl lay a paper bowl that Mary had folded  meant for table scraps: fish bones, peppers and slivers of ginger.There is some argument over whether the art of sculpting animals out of folded paper originated in China or in Japan but one thing is certain: the Japanese words for this practice are the ones that everyone knows.Come with us now as we explore how the Japanese learned to make paper, who the first origami artists were and why they practised their art.We’ll also look at how far origami has strayed from its iconic cranes and flowers. NanaJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YukoJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EllyJapanese Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoJapanese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MelanieJapanese Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesJapanese Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PippaJapanese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarikoJapanese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPaper: the Essential Ingredient of Origami With a generous supply of colored paper, you too could make the origami star your trademark! Image by Gao Vang from PixabayNo matter how you cut it, paper had to be invented before anyone could fold it.Our first step to tracing the origins of origami is discovering paper-making, an act often credited to a Chinese inventor and politician named Cai Lun.Rather than inventing it, he refined the paper-making process; archaeologists found samples of a cruder type of paper along the ancient Silk Road that predates Cai Lun’s by about 300 years.Nevertheless, the relative ease and low cost of producing these hemp-fibre sheets in the manner he established meant that paper could be widely used. Soon, other provinces were making paper using a variety of fibres.The paper-making craft spread throughout Asia. In Korea, artisans discovered how to make paper out of seaweed, rice straw and bamboo fibres.Paper took the Korean Peninsula by storm! Soon, everyone had a use for paper and some envisioned e ven more paper possibilities: in 1234, Koreans invented the first metal movable type machine.The Chinese invented the movable type some 200 years earlier but they used wooden blocks.We’re getting much further ahead of ourselves than we should... the question we need to answer should be: how did paper making get to Japan?A Korean Buddhist monk named Don-Cho demonstrated the practice of paper-making to the Japanese emperor sometime around 610 AD. Soon, Japanese craftsmen were using paper to make fans, parasols and even body armour.In homes, windows consisted of rice paper; even the walls were sometimes made of paper!And then, someone had the idea to craft a keepsake box out of paper. Coating it with varnish and lacquer made it both beautiful and durable; thus an entire industry was born.In spite of its functionality, origami today still symbolises very specific aspects of Asian culture. what a personal touch a gift in an origami box would be! Image by Letterblade from PixabayOrigami: the Symbol of DisciplineEarly in Japan’s history of paper, it was very expensive so its usage was restricted to religious purposes. For instance, a wedding might feature origami butterflies. Such designs still feature in weddings today.Unfortunately, it is not known exactly when origami became a staple of Japanese culture.It is widely thought that the Shogun, an ultra-disciplined military force that ruled Japan (off and on) from 1185 to 1868 used the art of folding to teach discipline, precision and patience.Here, we have to make a distinction between two different types of Japanese origami: ceremonial and recreational.The aforementioned discipline exercises the Shoguns used would fall under the header of recreational origami â€" believe it or not. As for ceremonial origami, besides being used in weddings, this type had a more official purpose.Those samurai warriors were known to exch ange gifts. The recipient who would receive such a parcel adorned by a noshi â€" a type of ceremonial origami with a strip of dried meat or fish folded into the paper would have been a fellow well thought of indeed!Records of such gifts prove that, by the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), origami was firmly ingrained into Japanese culture.Do you know why origami is so important in Japanese culture? Hiroshima Peace Park.Every year, millions of paper cranes make their way there from around the world, expressing a global wish for peace.Would you like to learn how to make origami animals? The origami crane has come to symbolise peace and hope Image by Ulrike Mai from PixabayOrigami in EuropePaper made its way to Europe via East Asia somewhere around the 11th Century but, here again, it was not used frivolously until a few hundred years later.The first recorded instance of an origami boat in Europe was in a book published in 1490.The next, most obvious example of origami in Europe came in John Webster’s play, The Duchess of Malfi, published in 1623, wherein a character alludes to ‘a paper prison’ - what is known today as a water bomb.Before paper made its way to northern European kingdoms, royal courts enjoyed displays of napkin folding â€" a decorative type of folding done with napkins.Some designs were rather simple; a diagonal pocket or what was known as a bishop’s fold. Others were quite elaborate: fans and roses; a fleur-de-lys fold was quite popular in France.Ironically enough, napkins were ideal for decorative folding because they were square; unfortunat ely, they lacked the rigidity of origami paper and, because of their use, quickly lost their form.That is why napkin folding was only a passing fad. After the 18th Century, it fell out of fashion, possibly because porcelain took its place as decorative tableware.Nevertheless, the ground had been laid for folding things into decorative shapes; all the royal courts needed was the right material.The next, most significant advance in European origami was surely Friedrich Froebel’s Kindergarten Method of instruction.He maintained that learning should be a hands-on activity rather than a passive exercise and rote repetition.He devised a system of student engagement that incorporates something remarkably similar to the day’s popular practice of napkin folding, except using paper rather than cloth.A few years after his death in 1852, when Japan opened her borders, they imported Froebel's method of learning and, oddly enough, adopted his recommendations for how to make an origami: double -sided square paper and no cutting or trimming allowed.Prior to the Japanese incorporating the educational benefits of origami into their schools’ curriculum, their origami practice permitted cutting (kirigami) and glueing or sewing (kusudama).To this day, Froebel’s style of easy origami using a square piece of paper is standard practice in Japan; in fact, it has opened up new avenues of industry to support the Japanese art.Japanese paper, specifically Washi paper has been voted the hands-down best by paper folders around the world. And did you know that they are now producing fold paper with crease patterns already imprinted?So, whether you are just learning how to fold or you already have several origami models under your belt, you can rest assured your paper art will turn out finer the higher quality paper you use. Today, you can make an origami butterfly by folding a dollar bill! Image by jordandemuth from PixabayOrigami TodayThe Japanese word for folding paper is universally recognised even though it was thought to have originated from the German language.It’s not so far-fetched that the German word inspired the Japanese one; it was likely imported, along with the Kindergarten Movement, sometime around 1880.Sadly, other words incorporating the Japanese ‘ori’ or ‘gami’ have fallen by the wayside:orikata: literally 'folded shapes'. Compare to martial arts katas which also involve assuming a pose or 'shape'.orimono translates to 'folded thing' (you might recognise ‘mono’ from the Japanese word ‘kimono’; that word's literal translation is 'wearing thing'.tatamigami: tatami is a straw floor matting common in Japanese homes; these mats are smaller; something we might use as place mats on our tables.kirigami: to cut paperStill, origami, at its purest, is not a lost art! Would you l ike for someone to suggest a few origami projects or maybe show you how to fold a tessellation? Perhaps point you to a few origami books for kids or talk you through a simple origami?Today, fans of the folding technique can get their origami on at clubs throughout the UK: the British Origami Society, the Folding Society; even NetMums has an origami club.And, just when you thought folding origami was merely a paper craft... would you be surprised to know that origami has engineering applications? Indeed, if you are in that line of work, you most likely have a few constructions you could bring to the next meeting...From a small town in China to a farm in rural Minnesota where I learned 3D origami (folding pages of a periodical to make a tree), origami folding has proven to be timeless, universal craft.And to think, if that Chinese politician hadn’t figured out how to make a thinner, more durable sheet of paper...We've now determined that, although origami is not strictly Japanese, i t has firm roots in Japan. Now we just need to know why...

How Do I Start Homeschooling My Child

How Do I Start Homeschooling My Child According to the United States Department of Education, about 1.8 million students were homeschooled in the U.S. in 2012, the most recent year that statistics were available. If you are contemplating homeschooling your own child, you might wonder how to begin. Great ways to get started with homeschooling include learning about the homeschooling laws in your state, connecting with other homeschool parents in your area, and creating a homeschool plan. Heres how to start homeschooling your child: Learn the homeschooling laws in your state Rules about homeschooling vary from state to state. While all states permit parents to educate their children at home, there are certain states, such as California, that may require parents to register as a private school. Other states, like New York, require students to take standardized tests at certain grade levels. You should also call your local public school district to see if you are required to officially withdraw your child from school in order to avoid an investigation from a truant officer. [RELATED: How Can Homeschooled Students Prep for the SAT/ACT?] Create a plan for homeschooling your child Homeschooling provides you with some freedom to tailor your childs education to his or her likes, dislikes, learning style, and needs. Two of the homeschooling structures that are used today include the traditional approach, where a student follows a structured, school-like curriculum created by his or her parent, and the unschooling approach, where students choose what and when they would like to learn. Many homeschool families also adopt techniques in-between these two approaches. Consider your childs personality when deciding which homeschooling route to take. Is your child an enthusiastic self-starter, or does he or she thrive with outside structure? Is your child artistic, or more focused on traditional school subjects like math and science? Consider these potential scenarios: Student A is highly self-motivated with creative tendencies. He may do better in a less structured educational environment. Student B positively responds to structure. She may do better in a more traditional homeschooling environment. [RELATED: 4 Educational Family Field Trips] Reach out to other parents who are homeschooling their children It can be challenging for first-time homeschoolers to determine which approach is right for their family. To gain more insight, you can reach out to homeschooling parents in your community and ask them how they developed their homeschooling approach. If youre having trouble finding parents who homeschool in your community, it can be helpful to chat with parents online through resources like homeschooling forums. Homeschool co-ops can also be helpful for first-time homeschooling parents. A homeschool co-op creates a space where parents can trade their expertise and experience. Look online and on social media to see if a homeschool co-op exists in your area. [RELATED: How to Enhance Your Student's Experience with Literature] Take your time when starting homeschooling It can take time for your family to adjust to homeschooling, especially if your child has already been to a public or private school. It will also take time for you, the parent, to acclimate to being a teacher. Patience is essential. Be observant of your childs progress and attitude. If something isnt working, re-evaluate it, and try different curricula or educational philosophies. Homeschooling can be very effective due to its flexibility and its ability to accommodate the needs of your child, your values, and your lifestyle. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

7 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 7 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level - Introvert Whisperer 7 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level If you’ve been struggling in your current job for a couple of years now, perhaps it is time to prepare yourself for a new challenge. Of course, it is difficult to see the path your current career is leading you, unless you really took the time to plan every single aspect of it. Then again, you need not to fret about anything because the truth is that there are plenty of tips you can use to take your career to the next level. While some of these might seem too obvious, we are confident that they are really effective. 1. Find better jobs. Sometimes, you just really have to change things a bit for you to move up. If you have been in the same position for several years already, it is likely that your bosses wanted you there. Even if you worked so hard, it’s just that you can’t convince people that you have what it takes if you are still in the same role. Therefore, move on and take the leap. Find better jobs. 2. Hone your skills. The more skills you have, the more chances you’ll be up for a promotion. Whether you believe it or not, employers will value you more if you have more skills. And if they see your willingness to learn and improve your qualifications, they might even end up enrolling you to a new course. Well, that doesn’t mean you have to quit your job to learn things. Depending on your agreement with your employer, you can always ask for some time off work or maybe study at night. Just remember that knowledge is power. The more you hone your expertise, the more your employers will appreciate you. 3. Grow your network. Having great connections may give you an edge. When it comes to finding success in careers, networking is very important. Thus, you need to ensure you make new connections once in a while. Finding connections is never hard. You can attend conferences and participate in various seminars. You can also go out with your colleagues and bosses. As soon as you get the liking of the people around you, they’ll trust you more in dealing bigger responsibilities and projects. 4. Work even harder. Well, you should start working hard right now. You can begin by volunteering to stay late to meet deadlines. You’ll see that those extra hours could make a great difference in what your bosses think of you. Basically, you just need to go above and beyond. Be more initiative at work. Start projects on your own and impress your employers. By doing that, you will definitely stand out! 5. Consider changing industries. Okay, this one might be a bit tough, but more often than not, it can be the best decision you can do. If you think you have already reached the peak of your current career, take another ladder and find other opportunities. Some careers are just too easy to move up while others can be tough. Though changing your career is a difficult decision, you will get through it in the long run. 6. Take advantage of every single opportunity. As a professional, make it a habit of doing more than you are tasked to do. Find other opportunities you think may add value to your career. Understand why certain tasks are assigned to you. Know how these tasks will contribute to the betterment of the company. Pay attention to the bigger picture and find out how all your tasks affect the company’s goals and growth. 7. Your attitude matters. If you really want to succeed in your career, do know that your attitude matters. Arrogance and pride won’t help you in your career. Yes, your bosses can teach you about the technicalities of work, but they can never teach you how to act. If you ever find yourself caught up in a wrong situation, approach it openly and be willing to accept mistakes. Don’t act as if you know it all. It is about time to take a look at your present career. Once you decide to step higher, do your homework with diligence. Speak with professionals in your field and ask about what skills you need to be where you want to be. All your efforts will soon pay off. Author Bio: Crispin Magnus is a freelance writer in New York covering human resource management, and sales and digital marketing. When he is not working there is 99 % chance that he is planning his next trip to another country. Go to top CAREER ACCELERATION Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

What Are Standardized Tests and What Do Those Test Scores Mean

What Are Standardized Tests and What Do Those Test Scores Mean Raising children today means that youre very familiar with standardized testing. Standardized tests have been around for a long time but became especially noteworthy in the early 2000s with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, which mandated annual testing of students in grades 3-8 in every state and had punitive provisions for schools that did not make adequate yearly progress toward grade-level standards. In 2015, No Child Left Behind was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act, which offers greater flexibility on standardized testing. Still, the fact remains: while your child is in school, she is going to be tested and measured via some form of standardized test. What do standardized tests test? To put it simply, they measure how students are progressing toward grade-level standards in core subjects including math, English language arts, science and social studies. Each state gives testsoften called statewide assessmentsto students in grades 3 through 8 toward the end of the school year. Those exams are intended to provide an overall measurement of: How your student is performing in key content areas. What your student knows and what he needs to succeed in the future. Whether he is on track toward building higher-level thinking skills such as writing and problem solving. Across the nation, there has been a movement toward refocusing teaching on helping students learn and not preparing for standardized tests. So, the assessment of today is different than the assessment of several years ago. Students are spending less time taking tests, but states still place value on measuring what students know and what gaps exist (so they can determine how to close those gaps). Types of assessment tests When the Common Core State Standards were introduced in 2010, many states started using either the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) or Smarter Balanced tests that were aligned to Common Core. Things have changed since then, with only one-third of states using either test (as of spring 2019, according to Edweek.org). The other 32 states use tests that they designed themselves or purchased from another source, while three states give hybrid tests that mix their own questions with questions from PARCC/New Meridian or Smarter Balanced. Heres a summary of the standardized 3-8 tests used in each state as of 2019: State Name 3-8 Test Alabama Scantron Alaska Performance Evaluation for Alaska's Schools (PEAKS) Arizona AZMerit Arkansas ACT Aspire California Smarter Balanced Colorado Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) Connecticut Smarter Balanced Delaware Smarter Balanced D.C. PARCC Florida Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) Georgia Georgia Milestones Hawaii Smarter Balanced Idaho Smarter Balanced Illinois PARCC Indiana ILEARN Iowa Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) Kansas Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) Kentucky Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) Louisiana Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) Maine Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) Maryland PARCC Massachusetts Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Michigan Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP), PSAT Minnesota Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) Mississippi Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) Missouri Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Montana Smarter Balanced Nebraska Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) Nevada Smarter Balanced New Hampshire New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS), *Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) (some districts) New Jersey PARCC New Mexico PARCC New York New York State Assessments North Carolina North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests North Dakota North Dakota State Assessment (NDSA) Ohio Ohio's State Tests Oklahoma Oklahoma School Testing Program Oregon Smarter Balanced Pennsylvania Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Rhode Island Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) South Carolina SCReady South Dakota Smarter Balanced Tennessee TNReady Texas State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Utah Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE) Vermont Smarter Balanced Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Washington Smarter Balanced West Virginia West Virginia General Summative Assessment Wisconsin Wisconsin Forward Wyoming Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) The most up-to-date information about testing in your state, including specific skills and subject areas that will be tested as well as any recommended or required high school tests (such as exit exams), is available on your states Department of Education website. For questions about how to help your child best prepare for success on any exam, standardized or other, contact Huntington at 1-800 CAN LEARN.

Being Strategic Set Goals, Gather Facts, Consider Alternatives, Make Plans

Being Strategic Set Goals, Gather Facts, Consider Alternatives, Make Plans Improving Academic Performance “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different.” -Michael Porter, famous Harvard Business School professor I think training in strategic thinking could be the glue that is missing for many students trying to improve performance at school. By thinking strategically and following a structured process for reaching specific goals, you are far more likely to actually succeed. This article is all about bringing powerful principles of strategy development â€" principles the world’s most successful companies and best MBA programs have been discussing and refining for decades and which I learned both on the job as a strategy consultant for 6 years and in one of those top MBA programs â€" to the process of improving an individual student’s academic performance. As I researched and read about what truly drives academic performance, I realized this notion of employing strategies was extremely underrepresented, although Heidi Grant Halvorson, who is the Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School, in her book Nine Things Successful People do differently. does address head on the topic of employing strategies to reach goals. Any successful business develops a unique system for serving its customers and making a profit for its owners. The create processes for developing and producing products, recruiting employees, marketing and selling to customers, setting goals and plans, etc. The CEO of a large corporation or the owner of a small business generally tend to understand that market trends or customer preferences impact their success, but they intuitively know that they are, to a very large extent, in complete control of the success of their business. If the choices they make are right and they put in the required effort, they business will thrive. Sometimes the right choices aren’t clear, but they are in control of making them. So, it’s natural for a business to be very deliberate about setting strategies and making plans. Students need to do the same. How are good strategies developed? Basic strategy development involves four steps: 1) set a goal, 2) gather facts about how to reach that goal 3) consider alternatives (i.e., different sets of choices) for getting to that goal and 4) make specific plans and assign accountabilities and rewards. Without using too much unnecessary business jargon, let’s walk briefly through the process and point out what’s critical to get right when you’re developing a strategy. We’ll start by discussing these principles in the context of business strategy, and then I’ll use some personal examples to explain how these ideas can be applied in the context of academics. 1. Setting goals First, business must have specific goals, and fewer is better than more. For example, if you are the CEO and you have one goal â€" double profits in three years â€" every decision you make can be linked back to that goal. I’m not saying having this one particular goal is appropriate, but surely it would make decision-making throughout the company clear. Should you close this plant? We’ll, if you’ll save a million dollars without losing any revenue and your only goal is to double profits in three years, you certainly should close the plant, even though that’s a very tough decision to make. Another aspect of this goal is that it’s specific. After three years, the CEO of this business will either have doubled profits, or not. He or she will know if the goal was met without a doubt. But, if your goals as the CEO are to “improve profits for the owners, treat employees well, serve your community, and delight customers,” as you might imagine, you really have no idea whether to close that plant. Closing the plant might improve profits, but it won’t make the employees that get laid off very happy, and it hurts the local community. And, if your goal is to “improve profits,” you can never really know if closing the plant was worth it, because the goal itself isn’t specific enough. Here is an excellent, short blog article about goal setting as applied to individuals’ personal and career decisions. 2. Gathering Facts Businesses pride themselves on being “fact-based,” which is definitely a good thing. They track the moves of competitors, conduct research on their customers’ preferences, and analyze their internal financial data for interesting trends in sales, etc. They then use all of this information to make decisions. Basically any reasonably run business does these things. The practice of fact gathering is something students need to be doing more often and better. Ask a high school student what it takes to get into a Ivy League school, and they’ll probably say a perfect SAT score, perfect grades, a resume chock full of activities, and the probability is extremely low. It is just so competitive. But is this general sentiment true? Here are the facts. Per the above table, the average admission rate, under regular admission timing, is 9%. If you can develop an “average” Ivy League quality application only (i.e., test score, GPA, activities, etc.), and you apply to all 8 Ivy League schools, your chances of getting denied are 91% * 91% * 91% * 91% * 91% * 91% * 91% * 91% = 47%. In other words, the facts actually suggest you have a greater than 50% probability of getting admitted if you can pull together an average Ivy League quality application. Now, of course, the average Ivy League application is strong, but it’s within reach for many high school students to work towards an average Ivy League quality application and resume. Once that happens, the probabilities suggest you can get admitted, not that your chances are incredibly slim. What other facts would you then want to gather in this case? You’d want to know about average test scores, GPA, activities, etc. for those that applied, and of course for those that were admitted, to these schools. 3. Consider Alternatives I’ve consistently been surprised about the extent to which large business don’t effectively use alternatives when developing strategies. All too often, an opportunity arises (i.e., to develop a new product, enter a new country, or buy another company), and facts are gathered to determine whether to do it, or not. That’s it. Using alternatives releases the pressure of this binary decision, and tends to lead to even better options. The way new options are created is sometimes incredibly simple. For example, say a business is considering acquiring a competitor. Everyone knows the competitor is for sale, and the CEO starts asking for as much information (i.e., facts) as possible about whether it’s a good deal or not. Soon, dozens of people are focused on analyzing this opportunity, and forming opinions about whether it’s a good one or not. Let’s assume it’s a really expensive company to buy. All too often, the CEO forgets to step back and consider what other alternatives exists that might also accomplish many of the same objectives that an acquisition would accomplish. What about buying other, smaller, less expensive companies? What about a joint venture, instead of an acquisition? The best alternative should then be chosen after being evaluated against criteria that everyone agrees on. 4. Make plans Business tend to also do a very good job of making plans and assigning accountabilities. If the agreed alternatives is in fact to buy a company, there are many, many things that need to happen. Who is going to build a financial model to determine how much to pay? Who is going to organize the integration of the two facilities, etc.? The specific steps are typically written down, with accountabilities assigned to specific people. Students, and people in general, tend not to make specific plans in this way. We tend to be along for the educational or corporate ride, following the instructions given to use by teachers, guidance counselors, bosses, etc. But, if we have a goals, and we’ve gathered information about how to reach them, and considered some different ways to get there, we can and should write out the specific lists of activities and steps we need to take, hold ourselves accountable for meeting specific deadlines. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, 'f08a3c58-464f-4164-a82e-313b7951bbb2', {});