The 8 Most Valuable Career Skills Right Now, According to HR Experts - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / The 8 Most Valuable Career Skills Right Now, According to HR Experts - Introvert Whisperer The 8 Most Valuable Career Skills Right Now, According to HR Experts Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

4 Tips for Staying Focused and Organized as Junior Year Gets Busy

4 Tips for Staying Focused and Organized as Junior Year Gets Busy The following is a guest post written by Anna Carapellotti of Admissionado, a premier college admissions consulting company focused on helping students get into their dream schools. With winter break a little under a month away, were sure all of you are looking forward to some much-deserved relaxation. But in the meantime, youre probably feeling the pressure of pending exams and final papers, as well as the need to keep thinking about college applications. To help you put forth your best effort, weve compiled a list of things to help you stay focused and organized during the upcoming monthand then again in the new year! 1. Minimize distractions First things first, put your smartphone away and close Facebook on your computer. By minimizing the distractions posed by social media while studying, writing, etc., you will be able to get through your work more efficiently and effectively, as well as save more quality time for rest and relaxation, your family, and friends. In addition to minimizing the digital distractions, its important to find yourself a tidy, quiet place to work. If you have your own desk in your bedroom, keep it clean and uncluttered. If you dont have this luxury, find a quiet place elsewhere in your home, or plan to go to your local library when you have work to do. [RELATED: 4 Things NOT to Let Slide During Senior Year] 2. Develop a system for organizing your work Whether you use paper or a laptop, its important to keep your work organized. This will prevent you from losing assignments or forgetting to do them in the first place. Moreover, taking the time to develop a filing system on your desktop (or one on your literal desk) will make studying for your cumulative mid-year and final exams much easier. 3. Make to-do lists As your responsibilities increase (and trust us, they will only continue to do so), you may find yourself losing track of everything you need to do. It can be helpful to make lists of the things you need to accomplish, and it can be incredibly satisfying to mark off the things you have completed. So, regardless of whether you choose to use scraps of paper or something a bit more sophisticated on your smartphone, taking note of the things youd like to accomplish in the short-term can pave the way to what you would like to achieve in the long-run! 4. Keep a consistent schedule With a standard school day and extracurricular activities filling your afternoons, chances are your schedule is already pretty consistent. However, you can take your organizational skills to the next level by sticking to another sort of schedule in your downtime. Perhaps you could set aside Sunday afternoons to get organized, make your weekly to-do list, and spend some time looking at information about colleges, or you could set aside a certain block of time each evening during the week for reading and studying. This level of consistency will ensure that you make time for what is important. As you can see, tackling the remainder of junior year in an organized and focused fashion will be easy! By simply minimizing distractions and developing systems to organize your time and work, you will help ensure that you will accomplish a great deal in the short-term and will set yourself up to succeed in the long-run as well! The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Finding Accommodation in Brazil

Finding Accommodation in Brazil How to Find the Perfect Accommodation for Your Holidays in Brazil ChaptersBrazilian Hotels, the Classic SolutionRenting Holiday Apartments in a Brazilian CityYouth Hostels: The Budget OptionOther Types of Accommodation in Brazil“Brazil is always a party. You can tan and mingle with the locals on the country's seemingly endless beaches, from Rio's glamorous Copacabana to the unspoiled treasures along the northeastern shores. In the vast interior, outdoor adventures thrill: take a spray-soaked boat ride into Iguaçu's raging waterfalls or spot exotic wildlife in the Pantanal.” - Fodor's Travel GuideBrazil is a country that inspires many people. From its beautiful beaches like those at Copacabana to its cultural monuments like Christ the Redeemer, there’s something for everyone. Brazil isn’t the most popular country among European visitors. However, the number of services in Brazil has jumped up from 61.2 million in 2017 to 75 million in 2018, a growth of 23%. Many of these services include hotels and accommodation.  After all, when you travel to Brazil, the first question you’ll ask yourself is where you should stay.Why are you going to Brazil and what’s your main destination?Here’s our guide to how much accommodation costs and where you should go.Find out more about budgeting for a trip to Brazil. IrineuPortuguese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GabrielaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoanaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (1) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouisePortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £27/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RodrigoPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BlancaPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolinaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (6) £11/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsBrazilian Hotels, the Classic SolutionThe first question you’ll be asking yourself is what kind of accommoda tion you’ll be getting and how much you can afford. For many years, hotels were the only type of accommodation in Brazil (they counted for 74% of accommodation in 2005) but now there’s a competitive market when it comes to accommodation.The average cost per night is around £40.There are plenty of hotels in Brazil for all tastes. (Source: Poswiecie)Hotels are the simplest option when organising a trip to Brazil. They’re usually in good locations, affordable, and comfortable. A big advantage of hotels is that they often get the best locations near attractions like UNESCO world heritage sites such as Christ the Redeemer. Brazil's most popular cities have a lot of choices when it comes to hotels:Local modern hotelsCharming little hotelsLarge hotel chainsBudget hotelsTo make reservations, you can use sites Booking.com or Hotels.com. You can also filter your search results to a spa hotel, full-board hotels, or hotels near beaches or historic city centres. This is a great way to fin d the best prices on the market.Hotels are bombarded with bookings during Carnival as early as 9 months in advance so make sure you’re prepared!Did you know that in Brazil the term “pousada” refers to a special type of luxury hotel that’s classed as a historic monument?This is where you can have a glamorous stay in a historic area. Uacari Lodge, for example, is a 4-star hotel in the heart of the Amazon!Rustic, modern, authentic, or luxurious? Which type of hotel do you prefer?There are also motels in Brazil. These don’t often have the best reputation but if you’re in a big group, you could save a lot of money.Renting Holiday Apartments in a Brazilian CityHoliday apartments and flats are becoming increasingly popular in places like Brazil and its many coastal resorts including:Salvador da BahiaRecifeIlha GrandeGuanabara BayJericoacoaraChoose somewhere with access to the activities you like. (Source: LhcCoutinho)If you’ve been dreaming of a tailor-made trip to Corcovado, renting an apartment or holiday home is a great way to enjoy the local culture in a city centre or by the sea.  Furthermore, in some of the less touristy places, there might be a lack of places to stay you’ll need to look at local rents.  More and more people are starting to opt for seasonal rents over hotels and campsites.So what exactly is a holiday home?There are plenty of options including:Seaside wooden cabinsFurnished holiday homesSeasonal rents by the seaDo a bit of research to find these holiday homes or holiday rents or check out Airbnb. There are also sites like HousingAnywhere or Latin Exclusive to have a look at.Find out the best time to visit Brazil.Youth Hostels: The Budget OptionIf you want to save money in order to stretch your budget for visiting other attractions in Brazil, consider staying in youth hostels. This type of accommodation isn’t just for young people on a road trip! These are places where you can meet people and have unforgettable moments.While the y mightn't be as well equipped as hotels, youth hostels are the cheaper option. (Source: 12019)There are several types of youth hostels in Brazil:Hostelling International youth hostelsInternational Youth Hostel Federation hostelsIndependent youth hostelsIn most cases, you might need to pay a fee to reserve (around 5%). Many independent hostels take payment on arrival. You can make reservations in Brazil using the following sites:lhostelbrasil.com.bralberguesp.com.brDid you know that some youth hostels in Brazil can cost as little as a couple of quid per evening?There are plenty of youth hostels that are more comfortable than hotels. You can sit around a pool sipping a caipirinha, a few steps from the beach, for as little as a tenner per night. Of course, you won’t enjoy as much privacy as you would in a hotel.When choosing motels, make sure you do your research. You can also find stuff on Airbnb and there are over 200 motels on Booking.com.Why not stay with a host family off the b eaten path? Other Types of Accommodation in BrazilSouth America is full of surprises and Brazil is no exception. In terms of places to visit, the Amazon rainforest and the Iguaçu falls are unmissable.It's not recommended that you sleep on a beach. (Source: leogaleno)Why not stay in a wooden cabin in the Amazon?Now there’s an experience you won’t get in just any hotel!If this doesn’t appeal to you, there are plenty of other options for where to stay. There are other types of tourist accommodation if you’re still not sure where to stay.  You could stay in redários in a hammock in the Amazin if you want. These are incredibly cheap since its just you, your hammock, and the sky. This is a unique and cheap way to experience Brazil.You can also find holiday villages and campsites along the coast in coastal resort towns. Just like in Europe, they aren’t necessarily the most interesting places and they’re not necessarily more comfortable than the hotels you’d find in the city . The advantage is that they’re geared towards tourists.  If you want a relaxing time in Brazil, holiday villages are a good way not to get homesick.Finally, for a successful holiday, make sure you check that where you want to stay is available. During the high season like the Rio Carnaval or the New Year, you may have to book a certain number of days at a fixed price. Despite how awkward this may seem, these deals sell like hotcakes.Don’t forget that it’s a good idea to learn a bit of Portuguese to make things easier once you arrive and to get cheap flights using sites like Skyscanner. Destination Brazil!Now you know more about Brazil, when will you be going?Brazil is the largest country in South America and you can visit Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia (the capital city), etc. However, there's also plenty of things to do for nature lovers such as visiting the Amazon rainforest, the Iguazu falls, or hike up the Corcovado river.Additionally, as a fore igner, there are visa requirements if you want to visit Brazil. You'll need a tourist visa from the Brazilian government before you go. This is easily obtained by applying to the Brazilian embassy or consulate and will be valid for five years.Finally, before you visit Brazil, you should get a yellow fever vaccination!Keep in mind that Portuguese is the official language of Brazil (not Spanish like most other South American countries), so you might want to brush up on your language skills before you go.You can always get a bit of help from one of the many talented tutors on Superprof. There are three main types of tutorial available on the site: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. There are pros and cons to each and the best one for you really depends on your situation.Face-to-face tutorials are the most personal and have you and your tutor working together for the whole session. If shyness has been getting in the way of your language learning, this is prob ably the best option. Additionally, the tutor can tailor each lesson to exactly what you need to learn or what you've been struggling with.Online tutorials are similar to face-to-face tutorials and you're more likely to find native Portuguese speakers as you can broaden your search to anywhere in the world!In group tutorials, there are several students and just one tutor. With all the students sharing the cost of the tutor's time, these tutorials are usually the cheapest per person per hour but each student won't get the bespoke tutoring or one-on-one time that they would in the other types of tutorials.

12 Sided Polygon

12 Sided Polygon A geometric shape which is enclosed by 12 lines is known as 12 sided polygon, it is also known asdodecagon. The area of a regular polygon: The area of a regular polygon of n sides = (na^2/4) cot( /n) (1) Where a is the length of a side of the polygon. In particular, if a be the length of a side of a regular hexagonthen it means n= 6, now we can substitute n= 6 in equation (1) =(6a^2 / 4) cot ( / 6) =(33 / 2) a^2 Example: - What is the area of dodecagon. Solution: - Since 12 sided polygon is known as dodecagon. Therefor n = 12 The area of a regular polygon of n sides= (na^2/4) cot( /n) = (12 a^2 / 4) cot ( / 12). Now we need to find the value of cot ( / 12). Suppose a/2 = / 12 a = 2( /12) = /6 Since cot (a/2) = (1 + cos a) / sin a Therefore, cot ( /12) = [1 + cos ( /6)]/ sin ( / 6) = (1 + 3/2) / (1/2) = (2 + 3) Therefore Area of a dodecagon = 3(2 + 3) a^2 Example 2: - If each sides of dodecagon are 5 cm then find the area of dodecagon. Solution: - According to the problem a= 5 then Area of dodecagon = 3 (2 + 3) a^2 = 3 (2 + 3) 5^2 = 75 (2 + 3)

4 Famous Actors To Follow

4 Famous Actors To Follow Discover Four Famous British Actors Out There ChaptersDame Judi DenchSir Anthony HopkinsCharm and Grace: British Actress Kate WinsletGary Oldman: British Actor and ChameleonWith good actors being true chameleons when it comes to accents, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with which Hollywood actors are American - and which originally came from the UK. Did you know that Kate Winslet comes from Reading? That Anthony Hopkins is Welsh? Find out more about these talented British actors and actresses here. both of Judi Dench’s parents were indirectly involved in the theatre.Her first acting jobs were in productions of Shakespeare, first at the Old Vic, then as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.Her first film roles were Miss Humphries in The Third Secret (1964) and Sally Young in A Study in Terror where Sherlock Holmes attempts to solve the Jack the Ripper murders.In the 1970s she acted in several BBC dramas, while continuing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and even doing a few musicals - Cabaret in 1968, and much late r Sondheim’s A Little Night Music in 1995.Her big breakthrough in film came from the 1997 BBC teleplay Mrs. Brown, which was bought up by Miramax and distributed internationally. Starring Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Billy Connolly as her manservant John Brown, Mrs. Brown shows off Dench’s poise and dry wit admirably.MHowever, although Mrs. Brown may have convinced Hollywood of Dench’s acting talent and range, it was the James Bond franchise that made her a favourite with the viewers. In the 1995 reboot starring Pierce Brosnan, the role of MI6 head “M” was given to a woman - Dench.She has played M in every James Bond movie since until her character was killed off in Skyfall (though she has a flashback cameo in Spectre).Shakespeare in LoveThe 1998 historical comedy Shakespeare in Love includes Joseph Fiennes as Shakespeare, Gwyneth Paltrow as love interest Viola, Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe, Colin Firth as Lord Wessex and, for all of eight minutes, Judi Dench as Qu een Elizabeth I. This short performance was so intense, however, that it earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.The 2000s and 2010sIn the 2000s she has starred in a variety of classical adaptations and dramas, including Iris (2001), Ladies in Lavender (2004) and Notes on a Scandal (2006).Her most recent hits are comedies The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel, a fun romp about a group of retirees living in a hotel (2011 and 2015). She has also recently starred in a BBC One screenplay of Esio Trot, a children’s book by Roald Dahl, and as the Duchess of York in the historical series The Hollow Crown.Read more about Judi Dench.Sir Anthony HopkinsSir Anthony Hopkins is best known for his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Photo credit: Deutsche Bank on Visual huntAnthony Hopkins was born in Port Talbot, Wales and entered the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff at the age of 16. After doing his military service he continued to study acting at the Royal A cademy of Dramatic Art.His first job was at the Palace Theatre in Swansea where he stayed for five years until Laurence Olivier invited him to become his understudy in the Royal National Theatre.His film breakthrough was as Richard I the Lionheart in the 1968 movie The Lion in Winter. In The Elephant Man (1980), he played opposite John Hurt as Doctor Treves.Doctor Hannibal LecterHopkin’s most iconic role was as a genius profiler and serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs, starring Jodie Foster as trainee FBI agent Clarice Starling who must convince Lecter, incarcerated in a mental institution, to help her catch another serial killer.Hopkins reprised his role in the sequel, Hannibal (2001), and the prequel, Red Dragon (2002).Recent FilmsMore recent films with Sir Anthony Hopkins include an older Zorro in The Mask of Zorro (1998) and co-starring beside Brad Pitt in the drama Meet Joe Black, as well as a role as an exorcist priest in The Rite (2011).H e also starred as the god Odin, lord of Valahalla, in the Marvel comic films Thor (2011), The Dark World (2013) and Ragnarok (2017).He is currently one of the stars of HBO series Westworld.Get started with acting classes today with an acting coach.Charm and Grace: British Actress Kate WinsletKAte Winslet has starred in many dramas and indie productions.Photo credit: xenonanon on VisualHuntBorn in Reading, Berkshire, Kate Winslet had acting in her blood: two grandparents and both sisters became actors. She studied acting at the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, which helped her get roles on stage and in advertising.Her first on-screen role was as Reet in BBC One’s Dark Season in 1991.Her breakthrough film was Heavenly Creatures in 1994, where she played a teenager who helped her friend commit murder.Oddly enough, her intense performance in Heavenly Creatures almost cost her the part of Marianne in Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility, but she was able to convince director A ng Lee in a single reading.Before her most famous and iconic role, Winslet played in two more period dramas, Jude and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet, both of which came out in 1996. In Hamlet she played the difficult role of Ophelia to good reviews.TitanicOnce more, Kate Winslet fought for a role: that of Rose, a rich girl caught in the constraints of early 20th-century upper-class society, who meets a poor young artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) on board the cruise ship Titanic. Caught in a whirlwind romance, she refuses her place on a lifeboat to stay with Jack. Though she manages to survive, Jack does not; but she dedicates her life to him, learning to fly a plane and seeing the world.Indie Films and DramaAfter the pressure of stardom in Titanic, which was the highest-grossing film of all time when it came out, Winslet turned to smaller indie productions, refusing offers for roles in more mainstream films. She came back to slightly more established roles in the thriller Enigma i n 2001 and playing a young novelist Iris Murdoch in Iris, sharing the role with Judi Dench.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, widely hailed as one of the best movies of the 21st century, starred Winslet as a woman who erased all memories of her ex-boyfriend before meeting him again a few years later.Among her more recent films, the most controversial thus far has been The Reader in 2009, in which Winslet plays an illiterate concentration camp guard who has a younger Jewish boy come in to read to her - and falls in love with him.After a hiatus to focus on her children, she came back to star in the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce as a Depression-era single mother.In 2015 she played Apple’s marketing chief Joanna Hoffman opposite Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.One of her most recent releases is The Mountain Between Us in 2017, about a group of people stranded in the mountains after a plane crash.Gary Oldman: British Actor and ChameleonGary Oldman has played many villains, includ ing Count Dracula and Lee Hrvey Oswald. Photo credit: JiBs. on Visualhunt.comBorn in London in 1958, Gary Oldman studied at the Young People’s Theatre in Greenwich and graduated the Rose Bruford College in 1979.He worked for some years at the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow; his first film role was in the 1982 multiple-plotline Navy film Remembrance. He then went on to play a skinhead in Meantime, but it was his acting in a revival of Edward Bond’s play Saved that truly kickstarted his career.His performance earned him a place at the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. After seeing him in The Pope’s Wedding at the Royal Court, Alex Cox offered him a starring role in his film Sid and Nancy about the lead singer of the Sex Pistols punk rock band.His first Hollywood film was State of Grace in 1990; in 1991 he took on the role of Lee Harvey Oswald in Oliver Stone’s JFK, which opened the doors for a series of roles as villains:Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford CoppolaA sadistic pimp in True Romance 1993Bent DEA officer Norman Stansfield in Léon the Professional in 1994A cruel prison warden in Murder in the First 1995Tyrannical corporate magnate Zorg in The Fifth Element 1997A Russian  terrorist in Air Force One 1997Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space 1998Mason Verger in Hannibal, (opposite Anthony Hopkins) 2001A Man of Two FranchisesWhen the Harry Potter book series was filmed, Gary Oldman was cast as young Harry’s godfather Sirius Black, on the lam from wizard prison in the third instalment, The Prisoner of Azkaban, and subsequent films.After a slight hiatus, Christopher Nolan revived the character of Batman on the big screen in 2005 with his trilogy starring Christian Bale as the Dark Knight, Michael Caine as his loyal butler Alfred and Gary Oldman as the superhero’s liaison with the Law, Police Commissioner Gordon.In subsequent years, Oldman’s best-known films include The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic film co-starring Denzel Washington (2010), John Le Carré adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (in the role of George Smiley) in 2011 and 2017 biopic Darkest Hour, for which he won an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his depiction of Winston Churchill.Want to learn how to act with the best? Why not try out our Superprof acting tutors?Find drama classes near me with Superprof.

Need More Reasons to Learn English Listening Exercise

Need More Reasons to Learn English Listening Exercise If youre learning English, you probably have a couple good reasons. You probably need it for work, or to get a new job, or to get into a university. Or, you anticipate needing it for one of these reasons in the future.Chances are, youre not just doing it for fun (although thats not a bad reason to learn a language).According to the TED video we used for this weeks English listening exercise, learning a  new language is really good for your brain in general, beyond the ability to speak another language. This video is also interesting because it talks about the different effects learning a language has depending on when you learn it in your life.Answer the questions below and well answer them in comments.1. What are the two active and two passive parts of using a language?2. What type of bilingual are you (or will you be)? Does this affect your ability to become proficient in the language?3. What are the differences between child language learners and adult language learners?4. What a re some of the benefits of being multilingual?5. What did people think about being multilingual in the past?6. Its never too late to ___ ____ _ _____, and ____ the linguistic ____ from hello to hola.

Make Your Standardized Testing Prep Fun

Make Your Standardized Testing Prep Fun Preparing for Standardized Testing While Having Fun Many students think preparing for standardized testing must be rote and boring, when in reality it is a great opportunity to have fun while mastering new knowledge and skills. Finding ways to infuse fun into study sessions will boost students' confidence and give them something to look forward to as the testing day draws near. Making it fun shouldn't be difficult. Instead, find ways to integrate your child's interests and strengths into these study sessions. Find a friendMany students work well with peers and learn more within a study group. If your child is preparing for a standardized test, considerbuilding peer based study sessions into the preparation calendar. Once aweek your child could join a study group with others who are preparing forthe same exam. This peer interaction can help build confidence and providea welcome change of pace from the typical solo study session. CelebratestrengthsAt times, your child may feel overwhelmed by standardized testingpreparation. A great way to keep the studying fun and stress free is tocelebrate your child's achievements and strengths. Build incentives intothe study schedule for the amount of material mastered or when your child becomes proficient with a difficult skill or concept. Some childrenrespond well to goal setting with a tangible incentive at the end of a setperiod of time. For example, at the end of a successful week of studying for the ACT your child may earn a trip to the movies with a friend or theability to opt out of a weekly chore. Make agame out of itStudying for a standardized test doesn't have to be boring. There are many great educational games you can play with your child while preparingfor exam day. CardSharksIf your child likes playing card games you can put a fun diversion togood use. Use sticky notes to attach test prep strategies or contentspecific information to the cards. During the next study break ask yourchild to play the game, solitaire is a good choice, and remove the sticky notes as they appear on the cards. At the end of the game collect the sticky notes and review the each before placing them back on the cards for a future study break. Online vocabulary gamesThere are many great online or mobile app vocabulary games that studentscan use to study for a standardized test. These games boost your child'sunderstanding of challenging vocabulary over time using an engaging andinteractive platform. Many of them allow your child to earn badges or play games against other users for additional challenges. Track the TrainMath problems involving two trains leaving the station are quintessential on standardized tests. They assess a student's algebraicproficiency and the ability to accurately solve a problem. Spice up studying for these problems using a United States map and the cities yourchild has already visited. The distance formula,d = r*t (distance =rate * time), won't seem nearly as tedious when it involves familiarplaces and travels. Create the perfect study spaceHaving a dedicated space to study often helps students focus on thecontent and avoid being distracted by the surroundings or other familymembers. Help your child create the perfect study space and invest in funtouches that your child will enjoy. Allow your child to decorate the space or pick out desk accessories that add a touch of whimsy to the weeklystudy schedule.

Big Bridge Academy

Big Bridge Academy Big Bridge Academy Founded in 1993, Big Bridge Academy is a fully accredited, non-profit, coeducational independent school educating approximately 2,300 students of Grades 1 through 12. As a preeminent college-preparatory institution, the Academy is committed to a tradition of academic excellence and social responsibility by preparing its students for college and for lives of productivity, contribution, and fulfillment. The academic goal of the Academy is to provide students a specialized education that emphasizes on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of abilities. To this end, Big Bridge provides a faculty distinguished by the qualification, dedication, and personal character of its members. The Academy provides the faculty and staff with the facilities, equipment, technology, curriculum material, and support necessary to accomplish this goal. The nurturing, well-trained and dedicated teachers at Lower School are experts at planning for childrens social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth, bringing out each students special talents, and growing his or her self-esteem. Our children are taught respect, acceptance, cooperation, and caring. The curriculum follows the standards and guidelines set forth by the provincial education bureau and includes Language Arts (Grammar, Writing, Literature), Reading, Social Studies (History, Geography), Mathematics, Science, Computer Literacy, World Language, Art, Music, and Physical Education. The program makes certain that students obtain the very best in early education and establish a solid foundation to go forward on their educational journey. We ensure our children are not only educated, but also confident in their abilities. With its exceptional academic records, Big Bridges Upper School attracts academically talented students from the Greater Wuxi region as well as from other parts of Jiangsu Province. Test scores have consistently ranked the Upper School of the Academy as the best school in Wuxi and among the very few top ones in the province in the past five years. Annually, academic teams representing Big Bridge have returned with the highest honors from regional and provincial levels of competition. In recent years, 100% of its students graduate to four-year colleges with many of them ending up in the nations top schools such as Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, Nanjing, etc. Starting from 1996, about a dozen 9th graders are each year admitted with full scholarships into Hwa Chong Institution and Nanyang Girls High School of Singapore to complete their high school education. Many of them have ultimately enrolled into world-renowned institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge, and Oxford, amon g others. The school is located in the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, a city by the side of scenic Lake Tai with a population of 4.5 million. A big city 128 km/80 miles west of Shanghai, Wuxi can be easily accessed through air, by rail, or from the major highways passing through the city.