#rules - the entry exam - the other school related activities and much more

[alexanderstarhero]

Day 03 GX month: “Rule the School”

Today I don’t have a journal entry for my OC in the academy.

Instead I’m going to go around my own head-canons of how DA works, based on what I would believe is actually happening, some tidbits I remember from the show, and the games where we had actual exams, like Duel Academy.

Basically, this is me taking the idea of Pro Card gaming way too seriously and what I imagine happens in Pro gamer school for card games

Also, shouldn’t it be Duel Monster Academy? That logo looks like it has an M with the fusion of D and A, but it’s always called just Duel Academy. Something I find funny actually.

Anyway, let begin with this late class session, for those who like me, are late as always XD

Basic Class/Knowledge: It’s very likely that you have some basic classes as part of your schedule as a student. However I just see them covering Chemistry, P.E. and Math. Not sure what else they would have, but I would assume it doesn’t have a much priority. Except P.E and Math. P.E. cause exercise si important I guess, and Math cause the game does involve numbers. Which don’t make sense half the time in my opinion 

Quick Thinking: Probably most of dueling links question minus the ones about the characters are in there. But they are on minor levels and are part of memorization skills for cards that become staples. Speaking of which

Dueling lingo: Or Keyword for Card Games in general. I think It would be required to understand the game better. Staple, aggro and tutor are a few words that come to mind as something you might not know about the game.

Deck Building. Because of course. But seriously, is a necessity for a good player to know how build a decent deck, even if it’s a meme.

Art and Design: This is for those who are going specifically into card creation business, like Chumley. But this is only the art though,

Card Balancing and Statistics: This is the other part, which by looking into the actual state of the game, is something none of the developers actually looked into.

This is for the classes. As to what some exams or other activities related to dueling? Well...

For the Exams and requirement for Graduation is what we already know.

First part of the Exam is written, which would entail the following:

Multiple option questions regarding rules of the game and effects of certain cards.

A paragraph about a card, and in which kind of deck it would fit.

Order of activation in a Chain Link.

Which description of the effect correspond to certain card name, etc

Second Part, I can only assume there would be close cubicle and you have to pass puzzles games, which need you to finish the opponent in one turn.

Just like in Duel Links and other games, you have the knowledge of what’s on the field as well as both deck and hand of both players. I would assume they would leave 5 puzzle programmed in the computer before letting you off, and has a timer for each.

It would look something like this but in a small room

Third Par of the Exams are, well. The Duel. I think that they keep a score on how well you do in official games and outside school hours duels, as well as how well you do in classes, which pair you up with the people of your same level. Unless they tamper with the programming, or something.

As for Graduation, well, we have the Graduation Duels. The third years must earn 100 points through dueling. 

The rules are as follow:

You can duel as many times as you want, but points won’t be count if dueling the same person again.

1 point for losing.

1 point for winning against any first year.

2 points for winning against a second year.

3 points for winning against a third year.

After you met the 100 score points, you can still earn more points for an exclusive replica of a deck from a famous duelist

In GX case during season 4, it was Yugi Muto’s deck, but i would assume that it changes depending on who is trending.

The would get a final exam like how I described it before, but the duels for the final exams are exhibitions, in which agents and sponsors are invited to find the next generation talent.

I don’t believe there would be a college after this, cause Zane and Chumley, who careers are Pro Duelist and Card Creator are already working and making profit, though one ended better than the other.

That would be all for me. Need to get better at time management. Thanks for reading :D

[doodledialogue]

Interview series - What after B.Arch? #16

Interviewee: Ar. Valentin Gheorghian Post-graduation: Masters in Architecture | Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, Romania

What prompted you to take up Architecture?  I wanted to become an Architect ever since we had a school assignment in 4th grade at a subject called “technology” when we had to draw our “ideal house” for us and our family. I loved that assignment so much, took a long time to do it properly, and with excellent results – that then and there I decided this is what I would like to do for a living and started to buy architecture magazines/ magazines with houses.

Tell us about studying Master of Architecture at TUIASI. In Romania architecture studies comprise of 6 years and result in gaining both degrees: Bachelor’s and Master’s. One cannot do just the first one – the first one is meaningless. You are not considered a graduate before you finish year 6, pass all your exams and pass the Graduation/ Degree project (final project, 6 month long).

After graduating Year 4, you continue with Year 5 – which is – in theory – already “Master” level – but nothing changes – it’s a continuous 6 year study cycle, no interruptions, same school, same teachers, same colleagues – only different subjects (more advanced), more projects and more complex projects.

Tell us about the application process. There is no “application process” in the way it’s understood in the UK – one has to pass a gruelling admission exam at one of only 6 universities in the country that have Architecture departments. For that 5-6 hour exam, students train – via private tutoring – for at least a year – because the examination requires excellent hand drafting skills, technical drafting skills and advance descriptive geometry – none of which is being taught in high-schools; in that lies the need to take on private tutoring. 

One should start with the application process for 2 years in advance.

What preparation did you do before starting the program? There were 10 days of intensive drawing courses – both technical and hand drafting – organised by the university just before the admission’s exam. These were good and useful for someone who already knew what they were doing – but pointless for someone who didn’t have a clue. Students take a minimum of 1 year of difficult private tutoring (with a lot of homework) to get to the drawing (both technical and freehand) skill level required to pass the admission examination.

In terms of pre-reading for the program– I’ve always enjoyed reading about architecture and buildings – but especially about historical buildings/ cities and the history of architecture.

Did you speak to any alumni/professors of the program? I hadn’t met any architecture students or young architects before joining the program – and it would have been extremely useful to gain some insights and tips & tricks and the subtleties of the university. Had only met old architects/ teachers – the ones with whom I did private tutoring to prepare for my admission exam.

Did you have to give any entrance tests? How did you plan for them? The 6 years integrated study program has a 5/6h entry examination testing freehand drawing, technical drawing and mathematical/ geometry skills. One trains in private for at least 1 year for these.

How long was your program? 6 years – October 1st 2007 – October 2013. There is no flexibility regarding fall/spring semesters.

Did you have post-study plans in mind when you took it up?  Just went with the flow. Now, however, I am planning to do a PhD in a related field and go into teaching at an Architecture University - because I am astonished about the low wages in the Architecture field - as opposed to other skilled careers - and I would do this as a way to supplement my income. I love teaching as well and I think it would be an excellent for for me - but the main reason is the financial one.

Did you have to apply for a visa? Non-applicable – neither in my home country of Romania (where the bulk of the program took place) – nor during the time spent abroad – which was all spent inside the EU – thus not requiring visa.

How was the experience at the school? Very difficult yet very rewarding at the same time. Longer hours, more courses, more seminars, more projects and more time spent on projects – than any other university that I know of. Less time for socializing and leisure activities than any other students. Longer academic year: from the 1st of October – start of the academic year – until mid-July (end of “practical training” week/ weeks)

How was the teaching and learning environment at your school? Every class (year of study) had their own classroom - 6 years of study – 6 classrooms. There were roughly 50 people per year of study/ class – but never would everyone show up (except perhaps some exams) – so everyone could fit in. Apart from these 6 classrooms – there were 2 multi-function rooms/ projection rooms, amphitheatre type (although not sloped) for projections and special presentations, and an IT lab with computers. That’s it – those were all the available spaces (small school, intimate, student-oriented). 

Classical style of teaching – you go in class – just like during high-school – and the teacher teaches for 2h their subject – with either a 10min break between classes, or a small 5min cigarette break mid-way. Most difficult or practical subjects also had “seminars” same duration, same location – during which we would do exercises and problem solving

The frequency of the classes depended on the year of study. The busiest teaching schedule was in year 1 – and decreased progressively towards year 6 – when there are no taught classes at all (only non-supervised individual work on the final project, “degree project” and on the Dissertation – at the same time). Year 1: 6-8hours of classes per day, every day. Year 5: about 3-4hours per day. Year 6: 0. The decrease in number of taught hours was compensated by an increase in number of projects (like “homework”): in year 1 students only had to work on projects in the main school subject, “architectural design” (counting for half of all study credits). This grew up to year 5 – when there were projects to be worked on at home for at least 10 school subjects, such as: urban planning, interior design, special structures, construction materials, and so on.

There was no time for other things – not even a shade of social life. Architecture life occupies ALL your time, at least during uni.

Tell us more about the mentors. One would meet mentors/ teachers/ assistants whenever one could find them around the school or in their office – in years 1-5. There was no formality in the method used to meet with them, no “appointments”, nothing like that. In year 6 – final year – it would be even easier – one would have personal contacts for one’s degree/ final project mentor, as well as a few others with whom one would have a close collaboration for their final project – such as a structural engineer/ structures professor. These meetings would either take place somewhere in the university – or at that teacher’s private practice – most if not all of them also had their private practices and would be project architects on their own. Despite this ease in meeting and approaching – there was and is a much higher degree of formality in addressing/ interacting with teachers – as compared to the

UK or the west. One would NEVER address a teacher/ tutor/ assistant by their first name, for example; that would be a sign of huge disrespect. 

Did your institute have any support system for international students? Any incoming international students would come through the Erasmus program, and would stay for half a year, usually in years 3 or 4. There were very few of these – maybe 2-3 per academic year – due to the fact that Romanian architecture and architecture education is completely unknown internationally.

As a general rule – these internationals would live like princes – would enjoy a much easier life than locals/ regulars. The teachers were way more lenient towards them – on one hand – so they would get high marks regardless of their academic performance, and on the other hand – they always had money. Erasmus scholarships barely cover half of one’s living costs in a country such as France (where I had studied as an Erasmus student) – but are way more than needed in a cheap country such as Romania – so sweet life!

Were you involved in research projects while studying? I was involved in all research projects, volunteering activities, publications, work camps and anything related to the subject, both internally and abroad – as visible from my CV. Those abroad were taking place in either English or French. I’ve never seen/met any students from the UK taking part in any of these – thus gaining the impression that UK students are very inward-looking – as opposed to EU students who are very open-minded and open and international and love foreign exchange programs and so on. 

Tell us about your time abroad? My 6 month Erasmus program was spent in ENSAP [École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture et de Paysage] Lille, France - and I lived on campus through the duration of the exchange.

It was a brutally difficult program - not because of the academic level, which wasn’t any higher than back in Romania - but because of the density of classes, amount of project work outside of hours spent in uni, and the (lack of) dedication of my teammates (all projects were done in teams). I regret not having more fun and a social life during my Eramsus - such as most of my friends had - those who went to different countries and destinations - but there was nothing I could do about it.

Could you tell us in brief what your thesis/dissertation/final project was about? My thesis/ dissertation was about gentrification and urban regeneration – with case studies of several post-industrial global cities: Paris, Brussels, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Detroit; contemporary urban challenges – in very different political/ social/ economical contexts. Differences, similarities, solutions. My final project was an Immigrants Integration Centre in central Paris – combining urban regeneration of a brownfield (urban planning part) with architectural design of 9 individual buildings – a small “city within a city” 

The dialogue with my supervisor went smooth and on friendly terms – one chooses their supervisor based on one’s previous grades – and as I finished years 1-5 3rd in my generation (3rd highest score) I could obviously choose whichever tutor I wanted – and chose the one that I had the best relationship with.

What were the frequency, duration and structure of the meetings with supervisor? 

All of this was flexible and down to our own (me and the tutor’s) preferences, schedules and available times. Usually we would meet either in my tutor’s practice or at university, for a couple of hours, every 2 weeks or so, and go through the work. Sometimes I would send the latest over email the day before – just to give them the chance to take a look and make some notes – but this wasn’t always possible.

What challenges did you encounter?

The scale of my project and complexity and limited time. I practically managed to finish a volume of work 5 times greater than most of my peers. Practically in 6 months’ time, I did my urban planning dissertation project (a 65-page theoretical analysis, on the subject mentioned above), the urban design of my site, and the full architectural design of 9 large buildings, plus the presentations and graphics of all the aforementioned.

How did you manage the finances? There is NO tuition fee – Education is completely free in Romania – for all levels all the way up to PhD. One only needs to cover for living expenses. My parents covered my living expenses – which – in Iasi, Romania – amounted to less than 200GBP/ month. For example: monthly rent in student dorm: about 50 GBP- all expenses included (heating, electricity, broadband, and so on); local transport card – unlimited travel – 1 month – about 5GBP (yes, five, I am not missing a zero or two J). Some people worked part time/ full time to cover for some/ all of their living expenses. Given the fact that school work required at least 70 hours per week (total - both “home” and “in class”) meant that those who worked were not very good students, and usually missed/ skipped class.

Did you volunteer/work part-time job/intern while studying?

I did only a short stint just before year 6 in a small architectural practice in a small city. It is compulsory to work for 3 months in a supervised way in a practice – and submit reports of what exactly you have been doing there – to be accepted to begin your final/ graduation project and dissertation. I got the job through an older friend’s recommendation – she had already been working there.

How did you choose your accommodation? 

I chose a student residence on the university campus. In year 1 nobody is allowed to choose – one is simply allocated a place in a student residence in the campus – if one doesn’t wish to live elsewhere (rent out) – but after graduating year 1 – places are given based on the student’s past performance and grades – and one is allowed to choose. Based on my marks – I always finished among the top 5 people from my class – I always chose what I wanted….though there wasn’t much difference between residences. The ”commute” was a 20min walk – from campus to the Architecture School (all classes and exams took place in the same building – the architecture school building – up to year 5; in years 5 and 6 one might have to do some assignments in a few other buildings – all actually closer than the architecture building)

I considered several factors such as campus student life, proximity and contact with colleagues, proximity to the university, proximity to the shopping mall (there was 1 shopping mall in the city – right there next to campus), social contacts, costs – much lower than renting out while choosing my accommodation. 

Did you travel while studying? I had never visited another country before university. By the end of university, I had travelled to over 20 European countries, mostly for studying their culture, architecture and history. Did a 6 month long Erasmus exchange program in France (at ENSAP Lille), an international volunteer restoration work camp in St. Tropez (France) as well as summer universities and specialization courses every summer during my studies – such as at the Bauhaus Architecture school in Dessau, Germany.

How do you think the Master’s degree helped you? By allowing me to be a registered Architect in the UK, EU and RO. Without it I could have only worked as a “draftsperson”

Did the city you studied in play a major role during your study? Yes it did – Iași is a great city to study in – perfect size for a university city (a third of the city is student-population), cheap, interesting, cultural, laid-back: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ia%C8%99i

Could you tell us about your current work and future plans? I’m working as an Architect and BIM specialist in central London. Depending on the economic prospects in Britain after Brexit – I might move back to France. It was a gamble moving here – having to choose between Paris and London – between the Euro and the Pound Stirling – and the balance tipped in favour of the UK because the GBP was a more valuable currency at the time. Right after the Brexit vote, the Pound dropped by 20% in value – on international markets. What can I say? Very bad timing…my reasons for being here (and not elsewhere) keep disappearing.

Looking back was there anything you would have done differently? I really wish I had worked less and had more fun. I could have had a similar result by working smarter but less – and having more fun. I’d always been afraid to not be a workaholic and go above and beyond. Too bad.

What message would you like to give those planning their post-graduate studies? Think about actual job prospects and the career you want to pursue – and study the market; plan accordingly. Work smart, don’t work more! Have fun – in a smart way – these years are never coming back! Social interaction will never be as easy and with so many opportunities ever again – take full advantage of this! It’s all downhill after graduation – in terms of social life ☺ Seriously, no kidding…

Presenting our team's project at EBEC [European Best Engineering Competition] Romania & Republic of Moldova - National Stage

Presenting our team's project - and winning first place - at SUC 12 [Summer University Carinthia] - Villach, Austria

Architect's chat at Bauhaus Summer University, Dessau, Germany

Presenting a school project in front of the Dean of Harvard Universty - Graduate School of Architecture and Design

Specialization course in Kosice, Slovakia - international team

Year 1 - working in the studio - hand drafting

Year 1 or 2: working in the university student dorm

With colleagues from uni

Exploring Luxembourg's contemporary architecture - European Quarter

Study trip in Venice for the Architecture Biennale

[khalilhumam]

Playing Snakes and Ladders with International Development Aid: When Fragile Accounting Rules and Political Pressures Mix

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/playing-snakes-and-ladders-with-international-development-aid-when-fragile-accounting-rules-and-political-pressures-mix/

Playing Snakes and Ladders with International Development Aid: When Fragile Accounting Rules and Political Pressures Mix

In 2020 we have seen a huge increase in the need for development assistance, in tandem with the fiscal space of richer countries shrinking. While the world’s largest economies pledged in March to “do what it takes” to mitigate the damage wrought by COVID in the developing world, the reality has not matched this rhetoric, as most recently exemplified by the UK’s announcement to cut back its aid. This mix of political pressures—and the desire to be seen as good international players—risks placing more strain on the definition of “official development assistance” (ODA), the most commonly used measure of aid. This risk comes at a time when donors are taking an ever broader view of ODA’s scope. In our new paper, we explore these dynamics, and ask what can be done to ensure ODA remains robust and relevant. Along with others, we suggest clearer separation, and more credit, for  “Beyond-ODA” activities such as spending on global public goods, to prevent them from encroaching on the ODA basket. We also recommend more formal developing country involvement in aid rule-setting. Here we explore how recent announcements on aid plans interact with these ODA rules, to help some aid providers climb the table of aid-generosity, but cause others to slip down.

Ups and downs in 2020

The UK government has just decided to allocate only 0.5 percent of GNI—expected to be around £10 billion ($13 billion)—to its aid budget in 2021, and plans to modify an existing law requiring a minimum of 0.7 percent. That is a cut of around £5 billion compared to the 2019 budget. Defending the decision, Foreign Secretary Raab pointed out that “on the 2019 OECD data, only one other G20 member allocated 0.5 percent or more of GNI to development spending. That was before the pandemic. Many are re-appraising their spending plans, as we are being forced to do.” This statement is wrong on several levels. The G20 is not a good comparator, as roughly half of its national members are themselves emerging economies and aid recipients. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as Germany and the UK, which Raab referenced, all exceeded 0.5 percent last year. The EU is also a G20 member, representing several other nations already over that threshold (Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden). Let’s though look specifically at the G7, the advanced-economies club which the UK usually benchmarks in the international aid context and, coincidentally, will chair in 2021.  Germany has increased its aid budget in 2020 and plans to do so again in 2021. France has also done so and is poised to exceed the UK’s proposed new ratio this year, at 0.52 percent of GNI. Then in 2021, both countries are set to approach, if not surpass, the totemic 0.7 percent target (see here for France, and here for Germany), leaving the UK far behind in their wake. Japan is estimated to have increased its reported ODA in 2020, though from a much lower ratio of national income. Canada has slightly increased theirs, also from a low base. Italy’s ratio remains low but must rise, as its aid budget was not reduced in line with GNI post-COVID. Ditto the US, depending also on the incoming Biden administration’s foreign aid posture, about which many observers are optimistic. So it is in fact the UK which turns out to win the booby prize in this group “reappraising its spending plans.”

What’s going on?

The COVID-19 crisis has put stress on aid budgets, of course, in at least three ways.

Firstly, ODA targets are often framed as shares of donors’ national income, as a crude but fair indicator of countries’ relative generosity.

So, when that income falls sharply, as it has almost everywhere in 2020, it is perfectly feasible to stick to 0.7 percent, or any other chosen ratio, but still cut aid volume proportionately.  The ratio operates as an automatic safety valve in times of crisis and a ratchet upward during subsequent economic recovery. By just leaving aid budgets unchanged or not reducing them much, let alone increasing them moderately to help address the pandemic’s impact on poorer countries, donors can easily maintain or improve their ratios, and that is what most of them are doing so far. Deliberately cutting the minimum ratio itself is, of course, a double-whammy and a quite different political choice, one which seems unique to the UK so far among major players.

Secondly, the scoring of debt and debt relief

New rules approved by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee earlier this year, in expectation of a new COVID-triggered developing country debt crisis, allow creditors to score debt relief as ODA on a very generous basis. Older rules that have caused controversy for decades remain in place, allowing ODA to be scored for relief on commercial loans which never qualified for ODA, nor had development goals. In 2021 alone, France forecasts that debt relief will increase its reported ODA by over 25 percent, bringing its forecast ratio to 0.69 percent-based on deals currently under discussion. Other creditor countries will report “debt relief spikes” on a similar basis, though they may well—as France has proposed to do, to its credit—sustain their other aid, net of debt relief. We argue that these rules greatly overstate their fiscal effort and risk needlessly inflating ODA, and need to be reconsidered urgently. Moreover, the scoring of official loans as ODA on entry, aside from any debt relief, itself has a number of unusual quirks, chief of which the relatively high discount rates used to calculate their “grant equivalent.” Applying a different but plausible set of discount rates based on actual default rates of ODA loans, we estimate that Japan’s ODA ratio would fall by around a fifth to below both Italy’s and Canada’s, for instance. The only constant is the US at the bottom of the league table on aid generosity. The rank of every other country effectively depends on loan accounting rules.

Thirdly, dipping into the aid pot to spend on global challenges

The third and perhaps most insidious risk to ODA in the longer term is the temptation to fund large amounts of new spending on global challenges—such as tackling health pandemics and climate change—out of existing aid budgets. At the moment, the rules allow donors to record as ODA only programmes on such items spent within developing countries, with the proviso that they must be fully justified by the welfare of those countries, even where they also have wider spill-overs for humanity at large. So, vaccination campaigns for COVID-19 (or other global pandemics) in poor countries are included, but not research in rich ones to develop those global vaccines. Ditto investments in energy efficiency and improved public transport in poor countries, but not carbon sinks, or, again, climate-related R+D within donor countries.

Getting back on course

We argue that this quite subtle distinction—of which the general public is not aware—will become increasingly hard to sustain politically in future, particularly for climate change finance. It will also be harder to enforce with limited staff resources, as fast-moving technology and price changes complicate the identification of investments which are, and are not, sufficiently justified on national development grounds alone. We have proposed, as have other colleagues, setting up a beyond-ODA separate category, or “tier,” of international spending on such global challenges, to relieve some of that pressure. This tier may or may not have targets associated with it. In the end, every binding public policy target, ODA ratios included, carries with it the potential risk of its underlying metrics eventually becoming corrupted, also known as Goodhart’s Law. The best-known examples are national and local targets for school exam results, hospital waiting lists, and police response rates. In the aid case, donor countries have a particular set of incentives in common: insofar as being seen to increase ODA is appealing, but actually doing so is costly, there will naturally be pressure to broaden ODA’s scope. Those on the receiving end do not share these incentives—and may have opposing ones—yet clearly have a large, legitimate stake in the outcome. So, the way forward must also include a much greater dose of transparency and consultation with developing countries in the formulation of the ODA rules themselves, for example on debt relief.

[lastbaff]

Where to Study International Law in Nigeria 2019

Law is one of the most respected courses in almost all Nigerian schools. It is the wish of most parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and well-wishers to have law graduates either as friends or acquaintances. Studying law in Nigeria takes up to 5 years in most universities. Law students spend 4 years in the university and 1 year in the law school. This is to enable them to have more advanced knowledge in their field. Most law graduates I've seen are usually posted to law firms and government parastatals associated with the law during their compulsory youth service. This is not to say that some are not posted to teach in secondary schools. This article discusses studying international law in Nigeria, the requirements to study it and the best universities for the course.   What is Law? When anybody hears the word law, the first thing that comes to his/her mind would probably be crime, police or prison. However, law is much more than just crime-related activities. Law encompasses all aspects of life as there is a law for almost everything from issues related to personal finance, business, economy, health, human rights, politics, environment, and international relations. Law in its simplest term is seen as a set of rules given to govern the activities of humans such that a man may not cause harm to another.   Why International Law? Law is no longer something that is just unique to a particular country operating in a silo. It is a global practice which now involves regional and international treaties. It is also significant for lawyers to understand that legal problems now span countries, hence, the need for them (lawyers) to study international law in relation to bringing solutions to global legal problems.   Requirements to Become an International Law Student in Nigeria The following are top requirements to study international law in any government accredited university in Nigeria.   O’Level Result Your O’Level result is the very first admission requirement to study international law in any Nigerian university. As an applicant or university aspirant, you must have a minimum of 5 credits in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) which includes either WAEC, NECO or its equivalent.  This result must be obtained in not more than 2 sittings. It is compulsory you pass important subjects like Mathematics and English. And you must also have, at least, a credit in Literature-in-English.   JAMB The next important requirement after you have gotten your O’Level result is the JAMB result. JAMB stands for Joint Admission Matriculation Board. To get admitted, you need to know the right subject combination. The right subject combination to study international law is English, Literature-in-English and any other two art subjects. The JAMB cut-off mark varies from school to school. The ideal cut-off mark for major universities starts from 200 out of possible 400 marks. However, to stand a better chance, you are expected to score at least 250 in JAMB.   Post UTME One more hurdle you need to pass after passing your JAMB is to sit and pass the Post Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Board Examination (UTME). The Post UTME is conducted by each university without the help of any external agency, unlike as it is with the O’Level and JAMB. Your chances of gaining admission may be very slim if you don’t pass the Post UTME, even after you passed the other exams.   Direct Entry The last requirement you will need to study international law in any Nigerian university is through the use of the direct entry form. This is mostly for students who possess a diploma degree. Note that even with the Direct Entry, you are still required to submit the other three requirements above. But in this case, you will not start from year one as the regular jamb students. This is not a requirement for fresh secondary school graduates who haven't been to any higher institution.   Top Universities that Offer International Law in Nigeria The following are the top accredited universities where you can study international law in Nigeria. The list comes in no particular order.   University of Ilorin (Unilorin) Starting the list is a very popular university located in Kwara state. Unilorin is one of the sought after universities in the country and it is the best to study international law in Nigeria.   University of Lagos (Unilag) When it comes to academic excellence, Unilag is always ahead as the institution has produced notable Nigerians both home and abroad.   Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Popularly known as OAU and located in the ancient city of Ife is one of the best citadels of learning in Nigeria. They have always been known for producing students with great qualities who are doing well in their chosen fields.   University of Ibadan (UI) This is the oldest university that has been offering law in Nigeria. They also have the most renowned law programs in Nigeria. The institution is a great choice when you want to study international law.   University of Nigeria Nnsuka (UNN) This university was established when it became compulsory to establish a university in the Eastern Region. Since then till now, they have never disappointed in producing the best. They have one of the best law faculties in the country.   University of Jos (Unijos) The University of Jos started as a campus in the University of Ibadan before it became a university of its own in Jos, Plateau state. It is currently the best university to study any law-related courses in the Northern part of the country.   University of Benin (Uniben) This school commenced as an institute of technology and later developed into a university. The law faculty is one faculty that the university doesn’t joke with. This makes it a great choice for you to study there.   Lagos State University (Lasu) Popular known as Lasu, the Lagos state university is another great school to study international law in Nigeria. It is worthy to note that it is the first state university on this list. It is regarded as the best state university in Nigeria and also a hotspot for law programs.   Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Located in Zaria, ABU is generally known for its academic performance. It is also a great choice when it comes to law programs.   Babcock University Babcock University is located in Ogun state. It is the only private university on this list because of its outstanding performance. It prides itself in good academic performance and up-to-date learning facilities. The law faculty is the best when it comes to private universities in Nigeria.   Final Words Listed above are the top ten universities out of numerous universities where you can study international law in the country. They are listed above because they have standard facilities, latest resources, and materials capable of making you the best when it comes to international law. However, there are some other universities in the country that equally have good law programs. They are: University of Calabar University of Abuja Covenant University AfeBabalola University Ekiti State University Ogun State University Delta State University Ambrose Alli University Abia State University University of Maiduguri Read the full article

[studytothehd]

Studyblr asks

I was tagged by @vceandtea, thanks zoe! 1. How long have you had your studyblr? About a year and a half, I think 2. Why did you decide to make your studyblr? Studying had become a chore, I was in real need of inspiration, motivation and a positive influence 3. Do you have any other blogs besides your studyblr? Yup, my main personal blog, @les-hamiltables . If you're looking for a mixture of art, activism, fandom and memes, you've found the blog for you 4. How did you venture into the studyblr community? I don't really remember, I just saw some posts and decided to get in on the action 5. Did you have good study habits before making this blog? Yeah, they havent really changed all that much to be honest 6. Have you made any friends through your studyblr? One or two, I think 7. What do you think about the studyblr community? I think it's great, really supportive and positive. The 'aesthetic' can be annoying but I also kind of don't really care. I'm in it for the tips and solidarity, not for the pens 8. Do you do your homework as soon as you get home or late at night? Both. Just, always studying (I have no life) 9. What is your favorite stationery? I love things for desk organisation! Like magazine files and stuff, even though there's not enough room on my desk for them :( but also notebooks and pens and STICKY NOTES 10. What is your favorite piece of stationery you own? Hmm I really like my Staedler (?) fineliners, as well as my sticky note collection 11. What kinds of pens do you prefer? Anything that lets me write quickly and without smudging, preferably black and quite fine-tipped 12. Favorite book you’ve read for school? The Great Gatsby or Macbeth 13. Favorite studying apps? Um I don't know... Forest is pretty cute I guess? I do recommend the chrome extension Tab for a Cause - for every new tab you open, you earn a heart which translates into money you can donate to a charity. It's not exactly study related but it's a really great extension 14. What advice about studying changed your life? Work as hard as you can, but not at the expense of your physical, mental or emotional wellbeing 15. What quote has impacted you the most? "Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?" - Hamlet 16. What do you do when you’re feeling unmotivated? I take a break and make a cup of tea le go for a walk. If I'm really not getting any work done afterwards, I stop, because there's no use trying to work when you're just wasting time. But that doesn't happen too often! 17 Have you ever felt not good enough? Yeah... but I'm working on some positivity! 18. What is your organization system for school? Well usually I have a binder for each subject divided into topics, with the topic outline, notes, exercises, summary and assessment inside. But this year I'm trying something a little different, using just loose leaf paper for notes and work, and only one binder across the five subjects that I'll empty after each topic 19. How has having this blog changed you? I feel accountable to someone now, like if I'm not studying I'm letting down not just myself, but also people here 20. Do any of your friends from school know you have a studyblr? One or two, I think 21. What is your dream job? I have no clue... I'd love to work at the UN as a humanitarian worker, or perhaps with a non profit like Médecins san frontières. Or even a lawyer for people who wouldn't normally be able to access legal support, or perhaps an LGBT+ inclusive sex educator. Lots of things hahaha 22. How do you bounce back from a bad grade? I grouch and sulk a bit. But then move on, because in the end it was one test or exam and i know that doesn't define my whole academic life 23. Biggest academic achievement? I've gotten a couple of my school's academic awards, and also a raw 40 for methods this year which I was absolutely thrilled about 24. Do you keep a bullet journal? I Yup, sure do! 25. What was the last entry in it? I think it was a list of what to pack for the holiday I'm currently on 26. What is your favorite subject? Legal studies! 27. What is your least favorite subject? I don't know, I can usually study anything if I put my mind to it. I hated music though omg, I was so terrible and had so much stage-fright 28. Are you athletic? My sporting talents start and end with yoga, so no, not at all 29. What colleges are you looking at? Any that offer a Bachelor of I Don't Want to Make Life Decisions at 17 30. Are you interested in the arts? Which ones? I freaking love musical theatre but I am an untalented bean so am destined to be audience only. Also I can't afford theatre tickets why the hell are they so expensive 31. What majors are you thinking about? Crying 32. What extracurricular activities do you take part in? Debating, various sports (volleyball, softball), future problem solving, choir, Amnesty, our GSA 33. Do you need coffee to study? Nope, but I do need tea! 34. Do you pull all-nighters often? Nah I like sleeping too much 35. Do you drink energy drinks? Nah 36. Who has been a role model for you in your academic life? One of my friends, and also my English and history teacher in year 10 37. Do you have a favorite professor? I definitely used to, but I'm not sure anymore 38. Do you prefer to study with or without music? It depends... if I'm doing homework, I like music, but if I'm revising then I don't 39. Do you prefer to study alone or with friends?Deepnds who, but usually alone 40. What is your ideal way of learning? I don't know... I like to rewrite and summaries material, but I also have to hear it taught as well 41. Do you do well with lectures? Hm I prefer a more interactive style class 42. What is your note-taking strategy? A mix between Cornell style and Linear 43. Do you like giving presentations in class? Yeah, they're alright 44. How do you feel about group projects? I hate them 45. Have you ever lost a friend because of something academic? Nope 46. What are some changes you would make in your school? Bigger emphasis on the Arts and languages 47. Are you friends with any of the staff at your school? Not really friends, but I would say I'm familiar with several 48. Do you go to the library to study often? Omg the school library, during spares 49. Do you usually do your research online or from a book? Online! There are so many more resources. But I do research from books as well, particularly for history 50. Are you taking the SAT or ACT soon? Nope, we don’t have it in Australia 51. What SAT subject tests have you taken? None 52. What APs have you taken? (+ scores if you’re comfortable) N/A 53. Are your notes usually color coded? If it's necessary 54. Does the Pomodoro technique work for you? If I'm feeling unmotivated 55. How do you feel about highlighting? Only for when I'm rewriting/summarizing notes 56. Do you read your textbooks? How often? Depends on the subject, but usually just as we go along in class and in review 57. How good are you at aesthetic shots of your studying? Not very! My desk is always pretty messy and i struggle to find good lighting 58. How do you feel about school dress codes? My school has a uniform with really strict rules. I like the uniform, but all of the rules are extremely annoying 59. Is your locker organized? For the first week of school 60. Do you use loose leaf paper or notebooks for notes? Loose leaf 61. Do you prefer to learn by yourself or through an instructor? Definitely through an instructor 62. What languages do you know? English is my first language, and I'm okay at French 63. How often do you ask for extra help from a teacher? Not very often, even though I should 64. Do you consider yourself responsible? Averagely so, I guess. I'm responsible for myself, but no one else really depends on me for anything 65. How do you keep track of important deadlines/events? My billet journal and calendar 66. Do you go out often during the weekdays? I 'go out' to yoga with one of my friends, and starting soon to the gym with some others. Um, but that's all. 67. How do you balance social life with school life? I fail at that. I try to be social once or twice a month but... yeah that fails. 68. Do you have a tutor for any subjects? Nah 69. Do you always do your homework? Even if it’s not due? Yeah usually 70. Do you use your school planner? Nope, my bullet journal instead 71. How do you file your papers at home? I have a folder split into 'personal documents', 'urgent documents', 'documents to file' and 'other' 72. Do you use binders or accordion folders? Binders 73. Has a relationship ever distracted you from school? A little bit, but nothing drastic 74. What’s a mistake you’ll never make again in school? Assuming that I'm naturally good at school. That backfired. 75. Do you do extra work for classes? Extra work? I don't really understand the question, but I usually go above and beyond before tests and things. Especially in 3/4 methods last year! 76. Do you feel like you have a teacher to ask for recommendations? Yeah, a couple 77. Do you prefer top or bottom lockers? Bottom 78. Do you get lockers by your friends? All of the year level is in one room, so while I'm not next to my friends, they're all nearby 79. Do you prefer having classes with or without your friends? It depends who. I love my friends, but some of them can be really distracting! 80. Do you consider yourself just smart or hard working? Definitely hard working 81. Does your school have uniforms? Yep 82. Do you wear make up to school? I don't generally wear much makeup, but I do if I feel like it. Though for me, that's mascara, tinted moisturizer and maybe lip balm, nothing heavy 83. Do you have enough time to dress up in the mornings? I mean there's not much you can do to my uniform... 84. What is your favorite breakfast food before school? I like making a mango, banana and passion fruit smoothie to drink on the train to school 85. Do you take the bus or car to school? The train! 86. Do you always write important things down? Yep, I always have a pen with me so it goes straight in my bullet journal or on my hand 87. How many alarms do you have in the morning? Two on my phone, and then my dad of my light is still off 88. Do you prefer studying in the morning or in the evening/night? Definitely the evening/night during the week, but the mornings on the weekends 89. Do you prefer having your hardest class first or last? Neither? Just in between haha 90. What is your school’s schedule? 8:30-3:25, with 55 minute classes, and a 20 minute recess and 55 minute lunch 91. Do you tend to skip out on parties or hang outs to study? Only if I didn't want to go in the first place 92. Do you legitimately enjoy studying? Depends on the subject, but usually I do! 93. What is your favorite topic to study? History or law 94. What is your favorite way to study? Practice questions or summarizing notes 95. Do you study in your bed? Nope 96. How do you feel about sororities? We don't have them in Australia 97. What is your rooming preference for college? I will probably end up living at home during uni, but in a dream world I'd love to live in an apartment bike riding distance to uni, with one or two other people 98. Does your desk face a window or a wall? A wall, with the window right next to it 99. Do you prefer natural or artificial lighting when studying? Natural 100. Do you use flashcards often? Not really, I find that linking information together and learning it is more useful than just memorizing individual parts. 101.What’s the highest grade you’ve gotten on an assignment you BSed? Every history assignment last year, oh my god. I got full marks throughout the year except for one exam (where I got 99%) and I barely studied and didn't deserve any of the marks 102. Some of your favorite studyblrs? @vceandtea @arielsstudies @vcestudyblog @theoverstuffedpencilcase Just any vce blogs tbh 103. Do you consider yourself lazy? A little 104. Are you a slut for stationery? yeah 3 things you like about school - Learning, the people and friendships, the opportunities and co-curriculars 3 things you dislike about school The pressure, the emphasis on STEM, the uniform rules Thanks for the questions zo! I can't actually be bothered tagging anyone, just do this is if you want to :)

[lilac-milk-moon]

How to Avoid Financial Failure to Launch

Note from Mr. SR: Recently, one of the top media complaints about people in their 20s and 30s is that they’re not moving out on their own. A USA Today article shares that “for the first time in 130 years, young adults ages 18 to 34 are more likely to be living at home with their parents than with a romantic partner.”

I don’t have kids yet, but I’m excited to share this post written by my friend Brian from Debt Discipline.

Whether you are the parent of a young adult or you yourself are are trying to launch, this article will share some practical tips — for both your finances and your relationship with your parents.

Have you heard the phrase “failure to launch” before? I’m sure you have, there was a $100 million-grossing movie, starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker of the same name. If you are a parent, you might be thinking about how it relates to your kids.

No parent wants their child to experience the failure to launch and end up living in their basement until they’re thirty-five. Failure to Launch is a common way to describe a young adult who is struggling with the transition to adulthood. It’s often defined as an inability to leave home and support oneself.

One of the common reasons a young adult fails to launch is because of money. Lack of it or not knowing how to manage it. Many parents want to soften their child’s entry into the real world, but at what cost? Do they work more, delay retirement, skimp on savings?

Parents want the best for their kids, but not by sacrificing their own futures. The phenomenon of failure to launch is so rampant that several treatment programs have been developed to help address it. I’m not sure if a costly program is needed unless you are genuinely dealing with a medical condition.

Let’s breakdown some of the ways you can prevent the failure to launch syndrome from occurring.

Techniques to overcome failure to launch

Finding passion

It mind sound a bit cliche, but young adults need passion in their lives. In fact, we all need a bit of it. Passion combats failure to launch by letting us be participants rather than observers. Passion comes in all shapes and sizes and doesn’t necessarily need to be your job. You may find passion in helping others, cooking, music, art, a particular career field, sports, chocolate, video games, movies, etc. The list is almost endless.

The key is to harness that passion and let it help drive and motivate you. As parents, we can be supportive of a child’s passion. We need to reinforce the idea that life is not about “likes” on a social media platform, but about real, meaningful connections to people and activities.

If all else fails in discovering your passion, you might want to try the opposite, by listing all the things you hate doing. By systemically eliminating these things from your life, you will be left with only the things you enjoy doing. This is an excellent exercise for someone struggling to find their passion.

Financial literacy

Let’s face it. We use money in all of our lives. But only 1/3 of states require their students to graduate having taken a personal finance class. Formal education is just one way we increase our knowledge. A lot is learned from family and friends too.

Failure to launch into what has recently been coined “emerging adulthood” has a lot to do with money. Children learn by example, so it essential to be a good one and involve them in money discussions. Money shouldn’t be a taboo topic. If you’re bad with money, how do you think your children are going to handle it?

Sure there are exceptions, but most will fail too. Financial literacy needs to start with you. There are plenty of books, blogs, and podcast to help you increase your financial IQ if you need help. In turn, you can better prepare your kids. Involve them in age-appropriate topics. If you ever want a captive audience, talk to them about smartphones. They are always interested in getting the latest and greatest model.

Teach them about costs

You can explain the cost of a new device, your choices for paying for it (in full or payment plan), the reoccurring charges each month, and how many hours someone would have to work to covers these costs you’ve just successfully navigated a money conversation with your child.

Taking a money discussion further, does your child know how much you make? What your rent or mortgage costs? Discussing these real-life examples helps them better understand money and what things cost and how to pay for them.

As a teenager, with a part-time job and driving a car are two great opportunities for preparing them for their financial futures, and avoiding failure to launch. Review their paycheck and taxes. Give them the challenge to save, spend, and give a portion of their income. A car is another teachable money moment. The overall cost to own, maintain, insurance, and gas it to keep it running.

These examples are all thing adults handle regularly, but as pre-adults, we probably don’t care about them at all. That was one of the benefits of being a kid, no adult responsibilities. But if these details are always hidden and never discussed, how would we ever be able to handle them when presented?

Avoiding debt

Debt is a four letter word for a reason. Starting your financial life with debt is an apparent reason why emerging adults fail to launch into financial adulthood. Debt causes stress. Debt causes fear. It causes fights. Being in debt limits your options.

Would any of us want to have these restrictions in our lives? Now consider your young adult trying to balance these with a new job and social life it could be overwhelming. It’s essential to stay within your means while supporting your young adult. You do not want wat to sacrifice your financial future or lifestyle by taking on debt for someone else, even your children.

One of the biggest drivers of debt for young adults is student loans. As of 2018, 69% of college students took out student loans, and they graduated with an average debt of $29,800. Ouch! That’s a significant number looming over anyone head.

A college degree doesn’t have to be a debt death sentence. A degree can be obtained with little or no debt if you get creative.

A Side Note: Some of you reading this may already be deep into debt. There are resources available to help. You must be careful of debt consolidation services and the like. You need to know what you’re getting into; and that it will benefit you, not the company allegedly trying to help.

College without debt

Here are five ways to get through school without student loans (or minimal debt):

1. Make the most out of high school

High school offers several ways to get a head start on your college degree. Advanced Placement (AP) are college-level classes you can take in high school and earn future college credit for completing. Most colleges will accept these classes and credits if you score a three or above on AP final exam. This is an excellent way to earn college credit in high school at the cost of an AP exam.

High Schools often offer college-level classes through a partnership with a community college or a local University. These classes allow high school students to earn college credits at a reduced rate. CLEP (the College-Level Examination Program) is another way for students to earn college credits inexpensively. CLEP offers 33 exams that cover intro-level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits.

2. Understand the ROI of your degree

What’s the income and job opportunity in your field when you graduate. Don’t borrow $160K for a degree that has the income earning power of $40k per year. You don’t have to kill your dream, and can still follow your passion but find colleges that are cheap to attend.

3. Stay local

Community college is an affordable option and a springboard to larger universities. Attending a community college for the first two years of college life save a ton of money. Many community colleges act as feeder schools for four-year universities.

4. Work

You are going to need to work during college to avoid debt later. A part-time job during the semester help keep sending money in your pocket. A full-time summer job allows you to save for expenses like books and materials. Check with your employer to see if they offer student loan assistance too, many do.

5. Become a resident assistant (RA)

Becoming an RA has its benefits when living on campus. Many colleges offer free room and board if you become an RA. Your responsibilities as an RA will vary, but often an RA helps enforce the rules and policies of residence life, housing and dining services, and the university. Taking on these responsibilities can save you thousands of dollars a semester.

Now student loan debt is only one form of debt someone may encounter. Car loans and credit cards are typical debts too. The idea is the same with those debts. You want to minimize and avoid altogether if possible. Just follow the general rule of living within your means and using cash.

Tough love

If all of your parenting and coaching fails to help your young adult launch, more drastic measures may be needed to push them toward independence. Tough love is often the category this type of parenting falls into. Tough love’s end game is ultimately the person’s welfare. If a child is unable to launch, you may need to enforce stricter boundaries. If they fail to take responsibility for their actions, a clear consequence must occur.

It’s painful to watch someone you care for fail and have to face the consequences, but sometimes it the jolt of reality they need. Enforcing a curfew, deadlines, schedule, etc. may be the structure they need to be successful. You do not want to continue to enable someone who is facing a failure to launch.

Pitching in

Although we want our children to move out, live on their own, and be successful, there could be some benefit for their extended stay at home. Set clear expectations, like pitching in with house chores, including cleaning and cooking. This work helps build some skills they will need on their own.

Consider charging them rent. It’s another one of those items they will need to handle on their own someday. It’s money that you can choose to save for them, so they have a cushion when they finally launch. It could be about spending some extra quality time with your child. Having them living at home gives you the undivided opportunity of their time. Once they are out of the house, they may not always be available. This time might help you develop a deeper relationship.

Have an exit strategy

In any of these steps of overcoming a failure to launch, you need to have clear communication with your child. They need to understand how long or how much support you are will to give. Setting these clear expectations helps them plan for their exit. It doesn’t mean that once they move on that emotional or moral support will stop. You might stay on as their financial accountability partner to help guide them with their money. You may offer resources like books or articles they could read to increase their knowledge on a particular topic.

The key is to have them understand that even though your monetary support has ended, you are always available for a talk or questions. This might be the safety net they need to launch successfully. As parents, we should fulfill our parental responsibility. We need to teach our kids to function independently and raise a person who contributes to society. It doesn’t mean we need to support them financially forever.

Final Word

We all want to live a balanced life. As a parent, we often experience peaks and valleys in our own life. Many factors can contribute to what can feel like a roller coaster ride: things like our work, health, loss, and stress are just a few. As our children grow and experience these things for themselves, we need to help guide them, and let our own experiences act as an example. They will experience speed bumps along the way, and it’s our job to help smooth them out, but eventually, they need to navigate on their own.

This post was written by Brian from Debt Discipline. It originally appeared on The Money Mix and is re-published here with permission.

The post How to Avoid Financial Failure to Launch appeared first on Semi-Retire Plan.

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[meraenthusiast]

8 Ways Young Adults Can Avoid “Failure to Launch”

How to Avoid “Failure to Launch” into Financial Adulthood

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is a guest post from Brian over at Debt Discipline]

Have you heard the phrase “Failure to Launch” before? There was a $100 million-grossing movie, starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker of the same name. If you’re a parent, you might be thinking about how it relates to your kids.

No parent wants their child to experience the failure to launch and end up living in their basement until they’re thirty-five. (Dave Ramsey calls these “boomerang kids“)

Failure to Launch is a common way to describe a young adult who is struggling with the transition to adulthood. It’s often defined as an inability to leave home and support oneself.

One of the common reasons a young adult fails to launch is because of money. Lack of it or not knowing how to manage it. Many parents want to soften their child’s entry into the real world, but at what cost? Do they work more, delay retirement, skimp on savings?

Parents want the best for their kids, but not by sacrificing their own futures. The phenomenon of failure to launch is so rampant that several treatment programs have been developed to help address it. I’m not sure if a costly program is needed unless you are genuinely dealing with a medical condition.

Let’s breakdown some of the ways you can prevent the failure to launch syndrome from occurring.

Techniques to Overcome Failure to Launch

1) Finding Passion

It mind sound a bit cliche, but young adults need passion in their lives. In fact, we all need a bit of it. Passion combats failure to launch by letting us be participants rather than observers.

Passion comes in all shapes and sizes and doesn’t necessarily need to be your job. You may find passion in helping others, cooking, music, art, a particular career field, sports, chocolate, video games, movies, etc. The list is almost endless. (This is how people find their side hustles.)

The key is to harness that passion and let it help drive and motivate you. As parents, we can be supportive of a child’s passion. We need to reinforce the idea that life is not about “likes” on a social media platform, but about real, meaningful connections to people and activities.

If all else fails in discovering your passion, you might want to try the opposite, by listing all the things you hate doing. By systemically eliminating these things from your life, you will be left with only the things you enjoy doing. This is an excellent exercise for someone struggling to find their passion.

2) Financial Literacy

Let’s face it. We use money in all of our lives. But only 1/3 of states in the U.S. require their students to graduate having taken a personal finance class. Formal education is just one way we increase our knowledge. A lot is learned from family and friends too.

Failure to launch into what has recently been coined “emerging adulthood” has a lot to do with money. Children learn by example, so it essential to be a good one and involve them in money discussions. Money shouldn’t be a taboo topic. If you’re bad with money, how do you think your children are going to handle it?

Sure there are exceptions, but most will fail too. Financial literacy needs to start with you. There are plenty of books, blogs, and podcasts to help you increase your financial IQ. In turn, you can better prepare your kids. Involve them in age-appropriate topics. If you ever want a captive audience, talk to them about smartphones. They’re always interested in getting the latest and greatest model.

3) Teach Them About Costs

You can explain the cost of a new device, your choices for paying for it (in full or payment plan), the reoccurring charges each month, and how many hours someone would have to work to covers these costs you’ve just successfully navigated a money conversation with your child.

Taking a money discussion further, does your child know how much you make? What your rent or mortgage costs? Discussing these real-life examples helps them better understand money and what things cost and how to pay for them.

As a teenager, a part-time job and driving a car are two great opportunities for preparing them for their financial futures, and avoiding failure to launch. Review their paycheck and taxes.

Give them the challenge to save, spend, and give a portion of their income. A car is another teachable money moment.

Discussions could be centered around:

overall cost to own

maintenance

insurance

gas

These examples are all thing adults handle regularly, but as pre-adults, we probably don’t care about them at all. That was one of the benefits of being a kid; no adult responsibilities.

But if these details are always hidden and never discussed, how would we ever be able to handle them when presented?

4) Avoiding Debt

Debt is a four letter word for a reason. Starting your financial life with debt is an apparent reason why emerging adults fail to launch into financial adulthood. Debt causes stress. Debt causes fear. It causes fights. Being in debt limits your options.

Would any of us want to have these restrictions in our lives? Now consider your young adult trying to balance these with a new job and social life. It could be overwhelming. It’s essential to stay within your means while supporting your young adult.

You don’t want wait to sacrifice your financial future or lifestyle by taking on debt for someone else, even your children.

One of the biggest drivers of debt for young adults is student loans. As of 2018, 69% of college students took out student loans, and they graduated with an average debt of $29,800. Ouch! That’s a significant number looming over anyone’s head.

A college degree doesn’t have to be a debt death sentence. A degree can be obtained with little or no debt if you get creative.

A Side Note: Some of you reading this may already be deep into debt. There are resources available to help. You must be careful of debt consolidation services. You need to know what you’re getting into; and that it will benefit you, not the company allegedly trying to help.

5) College without debt

Here are five ways to get through school without student loans (or minimal debt):

a. Make the most out of High School

High school offers several ways to get a headstart on your college degree. Advanced Placement (AP) are college-level classes you can take in high school and earn future college credit for completing. Most colleges will accept these classes and credits if you score a three or above on AP final exam.

This is an excellent way to earn college credit in high school at the cost of an AP exam. High schools often offer college-level classes through a partnership with a community college or a local University. These classes allow high school students to earn college credits at a reduced rate.

CLEP (the College-Level Examination Program) is another way for students to earn college credits inexpensively. It offers 33 exams that cover intro-level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits.

b. Understand the ROI of your degree

What’s the income and job opportunity in your field when you graduate. Don’t borrow $160K for a degree that has the income earning power of $40k per year. You don’t have to kill your dream, and can still follow your passion but find colleges that are cheap to attend.

c. Stay local

Community College is an affordable option and a springboard to larger Universities. Attending a community college for the first two years of college life can save a ton of money. Many community colleges act as feeder schools for four-year universities.

d. Work

You’re going to need to work during college to avoid debt later. Trust me, it won’t kill you! A part-time job during the semester helps to keep spending money in your pocket. A full-time summer job allows you to save for expenses like books and materials. Check with your employer to see if they offer student loan assistance too.

e. Become a Resident Assistant (RA)

Becoming an RA has its benefits when living on campus. Many colleges offer free room and board if you become an RA.  Your responsibilities as an RA will vary, but often an RA helps enforce the rules and policies of residence life, housing and dining services, and the University. Taking on these responsibilities can save you thousands of dollars a semester.

Student loan debt is only one form of debt someone may encounter. Car loans and credit cards are also common debts associated with college students. The idea is the same with those debts. You want to minimize and avoid altogether if possible. Just follow the general rule of living within your means and using cash.

6) Tough Love

If all of your parenting and coaching fails to help your young adult launch, more drastic measures may be needed to push them toward independence. Tough love is often the category this type of parenting falls into. Tough love’s end game is ultimately the person’s welfare. If a child is unable to launch, you may need to enforce stricter boundaries. If they fail to take responsibility for their actions, a clear consequence must occur.

It’s painful to watch someone you care for fail and have to face the consequences, but sometimes it’s the jolt of reality they need. Enforcing a curfew, deadlines, schedule, etc. may be the structure they need to be successful. You do not want to continue to enable someone who is facing a failure to launch.

7) Pitching In

Although we want our children to move out, live on their own, and be successful, there could be some benefit for their extended stay at home. Set clear expectations, like pitching in with house chores, including cleaning and cooking. This work helps build some skills they will need on their own.

Consider charging them rent. It’s another one of those items they will need to handle on their own someday. It’s money that you can choose to save for them, so they have a cushion when they finally launch.

It could also be about spending some extra quality time with your child. Having them living at home gives you the undivided opportunity of their time. Once they are out of the house, they may not always be available. This time might help you develop a deeper relationship.

8) Have an Exit Strategy

In any of these steps of overcoming a failure to launch, you need to have clear communication with your child. They need to understand how long or how much support you are willing to give.

Setting these clear expectations helps them plan for their exit. It doesn’t mean that once they move on that emotional or moral support will stop. You might stay on as their financial accountability partner to help guide them with their money. You may offer resources like books or articles they could read to increase their knowledge on a particular topic.

The key is to have them understand that even though your monetary support has ended, you are always available to talk or questions. This might be the safety net they need to launch successfully. As parents, we should fulfill our parental responsibility. We need to teach our kids to function independently and raise a person who contributes to society.  It doesn’t mean we need to support them financially forever.

Final Word

We all want to live a balanced life. As a parent, we often experience peaks and valleys in our own life. Many factors can contribute to what can feel like a roller coaster ride; things like our work, health, and stress are just a few.

As our children grow and experience these things for themselves, we need to help guide them, and let our own experiences act as an example. They will experience speed bumps along the way, and it’s our job to help smooth them out, but eventually, they need to navigate on their own.

The post was expertly crafted for and originally appeared on The Money Mix and was written by Brian from Debt Discipline.

The post 8 Ways Young Adults Can Avoid “Failure to Launch” appeared first on Debt Free Dr..

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FAQs about SNAP entrance exam 2019

These are the mostly asked FAQs by students. We hope by now you have a much better understanding of SNAP entrance test 2019, and thus be able to create an exam strategy for it. All the best!

July is that time of the year when students all over India gear up for various MBA entrance exams 2019. A good score acts as an entry ticket for studying in the top business schools in our country. If you are planning to appear for such an entrance exam, Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) conducted by Symbiosis International University (SIU) should be on your list.

If you are interested in pursuing a master's programme from any one of SIU's coveted institutes, it is essential that you know the different facets of the exam. It will give you an idea about the exam, and help you prepare the right way. Hence, we listed down FAQs about SNAP entrance exam 2019 to help you out with your queries. Let's have a look.

1. What is SNAP?

SNAP is an annual aptitude test for MBA, conducted by SIU for securing admission in Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Symbiosis Centre For Management And Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), and Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB), SITM, SICSR, SCIT, SIMS, SIMC and others. The prospect of joining these top B-schools motivates over 60K students across 92 cities to appear for the SNAP test. 

Now, let’s look at its syllabus. 

SNAP Syllabus

The syllabus is divided into 4 sections -

a. Verbal Ability

b. Quantitative Aptitude

c. Analytical & Logical Reasoning

d. General Knowledge.

Let’s discuss each section in detail

a. Verbal ability

This section consists of the following topics -

Reading Comprehension

Synonyms and Antonyms

Sentence Completion

Sentence Correction and Error Spotting

Jumbled Paragraphs

Vocabulary based questions

This section tests your knowledge of the English language and the ability to comprehend written information. You can prepare for this section by solving at least two reading comprehensions (RCs) every day, ranging in different subjects. It will also help you improve your vocabulary and answer vocab-related questions such as synonyms, antonyms, word meanings, idioms completion, etc. 

b. Quantitative Aptitude 

Quantitative aptitude is divided into two sections:

Maths

Data Interpretation. 

Math is divided into further subsections

Arithmetic - Percentages, profit & loss, averages, mixtures, time and work, etc

Geometry 

Number system - Unit's digit, digital root, divisibility rules, real numbers, prime numbers, natural numbers, and whole numbers

Algebra - Expressions and Inequalities, equations and functions, etc.

Higher Math - Set theory, probability, permutation and combination etc

Data interpretation consists of

Pie Charts

Tables

Bar Graphs

In this section, you need to attempt maximum questions within the given time limit. Therefore, you should practise shortcut methods and memorize formulas which will help you solve these questions quickly. Try solving at least 5-10 questions a day, so that you can cover the entire syllabus before the exam.  

c. Analytical & Logical Reasoning

This section consists of the following topics

Blood Relations

Linear arrangements

Matrix arrangements

Statement and Conclusions

Cause and Effect

Assertion and Reasoning

Direction

Clocks & Calendars

Coding-Decoding

Syllogisms

This section will measure your thinking capacity and mental speed through puzzles, number series, analogies and more. You need to practise these questions every day to solve them in the SNAP test without spending much time.

d. General Knowledge.

 Since GK has no specific portion, you have to be aware of the key events that have happened in a calendar year. Therefore, update yourself with the events of the day. Plus, be well-informed about history, geography, sports and famous brands. These questions come under static GK.

Now that you have a brief idea about the syllabus of SNAP, let’s understand how it is different from other exams.

2. How is SNAP different from other MBA entrance exams 2019?

Unlike other exams, SNAP focuses on overall cut-off instead of sectional cut-off. Therefore, you can focus on your favourite section to improve your overall percentile.

You can only apply in SIU’s B-schools through SNAP score. 

As compared to other exams, you can easily avail SNAP’s mocks from different exam portals. It will aid your preparation. 

SNAP lays more emphasis on MCQ questions than on non-MCQ questions. It means that the exam’s difficulty level is from easy to moderate. Therefore, 

students with proper preparation can solve these MCQs quickly. 

3. How is an MBA admission in Symbiosis beneficial to you?

Symbiosis is known to change the life of its students for the better. You can be one of them. Here’s how -

Opportunity to study in a premier B-school

Excelling in SNAP can help you enrol in one of the SIU’s highly ranked B-schools in India. Here, you will not only study with the best minds in the country but also be subject to new ideas and perspectives.

Experience the Symbiosis culture

Symbiosis is known for its student-friendly culture. It aims to create a feel-good factor around the campus. It includes conducting various cultural activities, in which you cannot only participate but also have fun. You will also be provided with peer training to help you get accustomed to the campus.

Placements

Symbiosis is known for its 100% placement record. Moreover, a top company will potentially recruit you. A few of these companies are:

Asian Paints 

Hindustan 

Coca Cola Beverages

Cummins India

GSK Healthcare

ITC

J.P

Morgan Services 

Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd

Nestle

Pidilite Industries 

Wipro

Syngenta India

Tata Steel

HSBC India

ICICI Bank

Idea

Your starting salary will range between Rs 14 lacs and Rs 16 lacs p.a. You can also be offered a PPO by the company you interned in. Remember, this figure might differ depending on the company and the position they are hiring for.

4. When can you fill the SNAP Application form 2019?

The registrations for SNAP application form 2019 will commence on August 28th ‘19 and end on November 25th ‘19. We have also prepared a list of other tentative important dates. Mark them in your calendar!

Last date to Pay Exam Fee

November 27, 2019 (tentative)

Start date for Admit Card download

December 1, 2019 (tentative)

End date for Admit Card download

December 15, 2019 (tentative)

Exam date

December 15, 2019, from 2PM to 4 PM

Result date

January 10, 2020. (tentative)