Should I Go to the University of Texas at Arlington

Should I Go to the University of Texas at Arlington Ayona earned her bachelors degree in English from the University of Texas at Arlington. She specializes in American literature tutoring, writing tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, she shares her experience at the University of Texas at Arlington: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Ayona: The University of Texas at Arlington is a very academic campus that provides a variety of transportation options. The UTARI shuttle bus is very convenient for students who need a ride to class or want to tour the campus. In addition, the Mavs Courtesy Escort is very helpful when traveling on campus after hours to ensure the safety of students. One day after leaving the library at 2 a.m., I had to walk back to my car which was parked in a garage on the opposite side of campus. I felt safe because I was able to use the courtesy shuttle. Due to the surrounding neighbors and local school districts, UTA is a very rural campus. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Ayona:The professors have scheduled office hours where they are available to assist students. In most cases, they are willing to schedule a meeting outside of their office hours to meet the needs of a student. To set up a meeting with an academic adviser, you are able to go online, which was very convenient. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Ayona:Although I lived off-campus, I have heard from friends that dorm life is very beneficial. Living on campus helps to expand social life, because you have more access to events and social gatherings. Many guest speakers and concerts are held on campus as well. UTA has a dining hall that provides a buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are also restaurants available, such as Pie Five, Chick-fil-A, Bombay Chopsticks, Panera Bread, and many more. There are three Starbucks located on campus, which is where I spent a lot of time and money. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Ayona:Engineering and nursing are the top two majors at UTA. I received my bachelors degree in English. I chose this degree because of my strong passion for education reform. I want to teach English language arts and reading, improve education in low income schools, and progress toward becoming a college professor. The university was very supportive in helping me reach my goals. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Ayona:Although I was not involved in Greek life, it does play a major role in social life. I was able to meet new friends in most of my classes, because many of my classes involved group projects. How helpful are the Career Centerand other student support services? Ayona:The Career Center is very helpful for students who are looking to begin work in the corporate world. They connect you with many employers, help you develop skills to succeed as a professional, and host many job fairs on campus. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Ayona:There are many areas for students to study, including the library, the UC (University Center), or in each academic building. The library has six floors and offers a variety of seating and computers designated for study. The UC not only has dining, but provides an abundant amount of space to study. Since the UC is also used for dining, it does get crowded around lunchtime. Any other time, seating is easily available. There are also many study areas outside to enjoy on a nice sunny day. Describe the surrounding town. Ayona:UTA is within a few minutes of theme parks such as Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Many sporting events also take place locally. Although we are located in Arlington, the campus is only about a half hour from downtown Dallas, where you can enjoy museums and performing arts centers. If you want to enjoy a night out with friends, there are many exquisite restaurants to choose from. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Ayona:UTA has over 30,000 students from many different backgrounds. I was always pleased with the class sizes because they were never over-crowded. They usually consisted of 20-35 students. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Ayona:I really enjoyed Dr. Rambsys English courses, because we were able to combine literature with pop culture. I took a literature course dedicated to the rapper Jay-Z where we analyzed his lyrics, had class discussions about meaning of texts, and presented our findings using graphs and other online tools. Our findings included data such as the number of metaphors or slant rhymes that were used in his lyrics. We also compared Jay-Zs lyrics to the Autobiography of Frederick Douglass. Typically, literature courses engage students in close reading of poets from Emily Dickinson to John Donne. However, if you really think about it, rap is also poetry, which makes it relevant in the academic world. Check out Ayonas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

4 Important Facts to Know About Your GPA

4 Important Facts to Know About Your GPA At the end of your report card every year, listed under your current grades, is your cumulative GPA. You might know what is typically seen as a great GPAfor example, something at or near a 4.0 and what numbers represent weaker GPAs. But you may not know how your GPA is calculated, how it will influence your college admissions process, and how you can use it to decide what kinds of colleges might fit you best. Your cumulative GPA is a powerful marker of where you are academically and what kind of academic performance you might be capable of later on. When looking at your GPA from this past school year, keep these four important facts in mind: 1. Your cumulative GPA may be weightedand different schools have different methods of weighting GPAs If you take some honors or AP classes, your grades from these classes might result in your cumulative GPA being calculated with higher numbers. For example, some schools grade AP classes on a 5.0 scale and honors classes on a 4.5 scale, thus making it possible for your cumulative GPA to be over a 4.0. If your school weights these more advanced classes by adjusting the grading scale, then your cumulative GPA may be a weighted GPA, intended to reflect the increased rigor of your courseload. Furthermore, the way one school weights its more challenging classes may not be the way other schools weight theirs, and some schools may not weight their classes at all. Before you get excited about your GPA, figure out if your school weights classes and if the cumulative GPA on your report card is weighted or unweighted. [RELATED: How LSAC Calculates Your GPA] 2. Colleges may place more emphasis on your unweighted GPA Colleges receive a copy of your official high school transcript that may include both your unweighted and weighted GPAs. Because high schools calculate their weighted GPAs in a myriad of ways, many colleges look to standardize the grading scales of their applicants by putting everyone back on the old 4.0 scalemeaning that colleges may look at your unweighted GPA as well. Colleges can then assess the rigor of your courseload by looking at which classes are listed on your transcript. Thus, if you have an unweighted GPA of 3.7 and took four AP classes, you might be more enticing than a candidate with an unweighted 4.0 who took no challenging courses. 3. You can use your GPA to determine how competitive of a college applicant you might be Most colleges share the average GPAs of students in their recent entering classes, and you can use this data to help determine if you are a competitive applicant for certain schools. Applying to a few reach schools is standard for most students, but it should be noted that your reach schools should be just thatwithin reach. Use your GPA as a guideline during your application process. However, keep in mind the college admissions process is typically holistic, meaning the application reviewers review all aspects of your academic history and what you have to offer, so try not to completely write off a potential school due to a target GPA mismatch. Your GPA can act as just one of many guiding factors as you research colleges to find which are the best statistical fits. [RELATED: Is MCAT or GPA More Important for Med School?] 4. Colleges may use your GPA as an indication of how well you will perform academically at the collegiate level Colleges know that a past record of strong academic performance typically begets future strong performances. Colleges look at GPAs not only as evidence of your high school accomplishments, but as likely predictors of future promise. Your GPA may represent what you will bring to a school academically and how well you might do once you graduate from college. Make sure youre putting your best foot forward by working consistently hard and challenging yourself throughout your high school career so that your GPA reflects a promising candidate who is ready to take on a collegiate courseload. 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 atblog@varsitytutors.com.