What is it Like to Attend University of Denver

What is it Like to Attend University of Denver The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Nadine is currently a sophomore at University of Denver majoring in Spanish and Communications. She specializes infirstgrade throughninthgrade Math tutoring, as well as English tutoringand Spanish tutoring. Check out what she had to say about University of Denver: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Nadine:The University of Denver campus is quite small, so transportation never seems to be an issue. I personally longboard around campus, and many of my friends bike, but you can get from one side of campus to the other with a 15-minute walk. Students are given free RTD passes, which enable us to use any form of city transportation (i.e. buses and the light rail), but it is honestly unnecessary unless you are living very far from campus. University of Denver is located on the outskirts of the city. It is a very safe campus, but a 15-minute light rail ride can take you right into the heart of Denver. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Nadine:The professors and advisers I have had so far have been very available. If you email with a question, they will undoubtedly respond within 24 hours. If you are looking to meet during hours outside of their normal office hours, they are more than willing to work with you and to find a time that suits you both. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Nadine:Although I currently live off-campus, I thoroughly enjoyed my dorm experience. I lived in a Living and Learning Community, which anyone is able to apply for, and that is where I met the majority of my friends here at University of Denver. Living in the dorms is a great way to socialize with new people, but there are also plenty of clubs and organizations that one can become involved withI have also made a large amount of friends through my club involvements. There are two main dining halls, which serve a variety of food, as well as a few other places to each at, such as Subway or the late-night pub. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Nadine:University of Denvers Daniels College of Business is by far the most represented and supported here; many students come here specifically to study Business. However, I am currently double-majoring in Spanish and Communications. I chose these two majors because I am genuinely interested in them, and I know that I will choose a more specific subject related to teaching when I get my Masters degree. Although the main focus is Business, University of Denver supports all majors, and it even has an opportunity where you can create your own. VT: 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? Nadine:Because I was very involved in clubs, club sports, and my Living and Learning Community, it was very easy to meet new people and make new friends. I would say that as long as you are willing to put in the effort to try new things, you will be successful in finding compatible friends. About 20% of students at University of Denver are involved in Greek life. I have many friends who enjoy it, but I personally decided not to be a part of it, and I have never felt my social life has suffered because of that choice. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Nadine:Although I have limited experience with the Career Center, the few times that I have visited were very helpful. The counselor I met with provided me with advice on applying to certain internships, and she goes out of her way to inform me of company opportunities that I may be interested in. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Nadine:I spend a lot of time in our library, which was built about two years ago. The library is beautiful and very spacious. There are multiple floors with varying silence levels. During midterms and finals, the library becomes much more crowded than usual, but there is never a problem finding a quiet place to study and get work done. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Nadine:We are very fortunate to have Denver very close to our campus. It is a very unique and spacious city with a lot of opportunities. Some choose to go downtown for various reasons, but there are many choices around the general campus in terms of restaurants, bars, etc. If there is something you are looking for that is not near University of Denver, I am sure you will be able to find it with a quick ride on the light rail. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Nadine:The undergraduate population at University of Denver is around 5,500, which I believe is the perfect size. It is small enough where you are always running into someone you know, but also large enough where you are always meeting new people too. I have been very pleased with my class sizes so far. My largest class, which was a general science class, had about 60 students, and my smallest class had about 8. This year, my largest class has been about 25 students. I am very happy with the class sizes here. It was a large factor in picking University of Denver for my undergraduate education. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Nadine:For my Freshman Seminar Class, I took a course called Revolutions and Revolutionaries in Latin America, which I very much enjoyed. The professor was absolutely wonderful, and I learned a tremendous amount. One day in the spring, I was with a friend throwing a Frisbee around before our biology class, and my professor and his friend saw us and joined in. We played for about 15 minutes together, discussing random current events and joking around. I do not believe that at many schools I could have a close connection with a professor like this. I believe that the professors genuinely enjoy what they teach here, and it makes it much more enjoyable to be a student when the professor is passionate about what he or she is here for. Check out Nadines tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

6 Common Questions on the CARS section of the MCAT

6 Common Questions on the CARS section of the MCAT MCAT Medical School Admissions Daily, physicians face challenges to apply, analyze, and communicate scientific and medical information. The ability to communicate and analyze is a softer skill that is difficult to develop compared to the effort it takes to memorize something like the Krebs’s cycle. This vital skill set has become emphasized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through the production of the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Section (CARS) on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). CARS is the section that most premedical students struggle with and requires the most time to build skills. Identifying question types on your exam will allow you to establish patterns of performance and test trends. Below we will discuss the six most common types of questions you will encounter on the CARS section and how to best approach them. Given Information or Retrieval Questions Given information questions are questions that draw information directly from the passage. These questions are typically straightforward and are easy points to earn for the CARS section. Often these questions can be answered from memory. However, most students tend to reference the passage to ensure the information is correct. The key to these questions is to balance confidence in your reading comprehension against the need to double-check facts. Since CARS is a section that most students struggle to finish, it is important that you minimize the time it takes to find the correct answer to a question. Be sure to spend time practicing these question types and see how your passage retrieval skills compare when answering from memory or referencing the passage. Inference Questions Inference questions are by far the most common question on the CARS section, as well as the most commonly missed question type. Inference questions require the reader to take passage information and infer or interpret tone or underlying meanings. These questions tend to be difficult for students the answer is not explicitly stated and requires deductive skills. Correct answer choices for these question types will often be consistent with the main idea of the passage. The key to these questions is to avoid strong or extreme answer choices, as well as answer choices with information that was not present in the passage. New Information Questions New information questions are typically the lengthy questions that students hate to see. These questions present additional information outside of the passage and ask the test-taker to make inferences on how to apply that information. This variant of the inference question, while less difficult, can use similar strategies as discussed above. The key to these questions is to not get bogged down in reading the information presented since timing is key on CARS. Author’s Opinion or Main Idea Questions Questions about the author’s opinion tend to hint at the tone or main idea of the passage. The key to these questions is to establish who the author is and who their audience is. Is the author an unbiased writer or do they feel strongly on the topic they are writing about? What is the author’s purpose in writing this piece? Are they aiming to persuade readers or simply inform them of the facts? These are all questions that should aid you in establishing what the author’s opinion is and more importantly identifying the correct answer. Except, Least, or Not QuestionsExcept, least, or not are modifiers that have been used to trick test takers since the invention of standardized testing. The MCAT is no different in that it poses a lengthy question and answer set in hopes that the student will forget the modifier by the end of the question. The best way to combat this mistake is to write the modifier in large, bold letters on your scratch paper. This will serve as a reminder as you work through the question. Roman Numeral questionsThis question type is ubiquitous throughout the other sections of the MCAT. Roman Numeral questions are difficult because they increase the number of answer choices available. A common approach to this question type is to look for the roman numerals that are most and least common throughout the alphabetical answer choices (A-D). If either of these roman numerals can be eliminated, it should give you a better indication of what the correct answer is. The key to these questions is to focus on the grouped alphabetical answer choices rather than the validity of the individual roman numeral answers. Another strategy to these questions is to look for answers that directly contradict each other. If two roman numeral answers are in direct opposition, they cannot both be correct and should give you at least 1-2 answers to eliminate.