10 things you can do after B.Tech

If you ask a question on yourself that, after BTech what can I do? Here is the explanation about it.  Once you have completed your B.Tech the world becomes your oyster and there are a variety of  things that you can do. You have all most all avenues that are open to you after you have completed your graduation in engineering. Here are the 10 things that you can do after B.Tech.

1. Directly go in for an MBA
If you want to, you can go in for a MBA directly after the completion of the graduation. For this you will need to first appear for all the entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, SNAP etc so that you can get admission in a reputed college. It was one of the option if you have doubts related to question after BTech what can I do.
2. Specialize in your field of study
In case you are not interested in doing an MBA, you can go in for an M.Tech, and specialize in the field of study that you chose for your graduation. For this also, you will need to start preparing for the exams well in advance.
3. Get selected in the campus interviews
In case you do not want to pursue higher education then you have the option of getting into a company soon after your graduation and for this you need not go around looking for a job as there are many companies that will be coming for campus recruitment to your college.
4. Pick up a diploma course in an area of your interest
After you have done your B.Tech you can now go in for a diploma course in something that you like, it can be painting, music, writing or anything else that you want to pursue.
5. Appear for the Civil services exams
This is a great option for those who have thought like after BTech what can I do and want to be a part of the administration and after the completion of your graduation you can give your complete attention to the preparation of the UPSC examinations that are very tough and need a lot of focus.
6. Try journalism
This is a great option after completing your graduation. There are many reputed colleges in the country for journalism and you can join any of them after clearing the entrance exam. Make sure that you have the language and other personal qualities before you go in for journalism.
7. Set up your own business
If you do not want to go in for further studies or for that matter work as an employee in anyone else’s company  you can set up a business of your own and work by yourself or in partnership.
8. Try to be an actor or go in for modelling
This may not sound like a practical idea but in case you do have the looks to be a model or the talent to become an actor then you can try for either of them and if your luck is good, you might be the next big star.
9. Go in for animation
There are many animation courses that are available and you just need to join them and as it is an interesting field of study. You are sure to enjoy the course and later you can take it up professionally.
10. Go abroad and study
It is also a good option and you will get global exposure in case you choose to study abroad. Also, you will be able to pick up a job while you are studying there and might also want to permanently settle there in the future.

These are the 10 things to do after BTech. Choose ant one of them or go on the road that is less traveled. Whatever it is, make sure that you indulge in something that you really want to do, if you want to stay happy. We think this article gave some idea who are having a question after BTech what can I do.

Thermodynamics vs. kinetics in chemical reactions

Thermodynamics vs. kinetics in chemical reactions
Thermodynamics dictates equilibrium (which says whether
this reaction will take place).
Says nothing about what rate (how fast) the reaction will
be.
In a spontaneous reaction, ΔG is negative. When ΔG is
negative, reaction is spontaneous.
ΔG (Gibbs free energy) follows this fomula : ΔG=ΔH - TΔS.
It is largely dependent on two concepts :
Enthalpy : ΔH. Negative values of this (i.e. exothermic)
decrease ΔG, making the reaction more favorable.
Entropy : - TΔS. The T represents temperature. The S
represents entropy, or a measurement of disorder. This
term in the equation is negative and temperature is
always positive. Therefore, increasing the change in
entropy (positive ΔS) makes the reaction more favorable.
The endothermic or exothermic qualities of a reaction are
indicated by ΔH (enthalpy).
Negative enthalpy indicates exothermic reaction
Positive enthalpy indicates endothermic reaction
Note that because ΔG is dependent on both enthalpy and
entropy, it is possible for endothermic reactions to proceed
spontaneously.
Thermodynamics is independent of reaction mechanism
(concerned with original and final states only).
Thermodynamics concerns the equilibrium constant K
(upper-case).
Kinetics involves the rate of the reaction
Kinetics is affected by catalysts. The rate of the reaction
involves the activation energy. Catalysts lower the
activation energy, which causes the reaction to speed up.
Kinetics concerns the rate constant k (lower-case).
Examples of thermodynamics-kinetics feuds :
Combustion (aka burning) of my physical chemistry book
is thermodynamically favored. Unfortunately, it is not
favored kinetically because the activation energy for the
combustion reaction is too high for the present conditions.
One could always invest a little energy in the form of a
flame and start the reaction. The energy produced from the
combustion would supply the activation energy of the next
reaction.
The conversion of diamond into graphite is
thermodynamically favored (negative ΔG.) The speed of
this reaction is just too darn incredibly slow for a diamond
to turn into graphite.
Thermodynamics
Kinetics
Determines
Equilibrium (product vs. reactant)
Speed of reaction
Constant
K (uppercase) = equilibrium constant
k (lowercase) = rate constant
Determined by
ΔG (enthalpy and entropy)
activation energy
Buzzwords
Entropy, enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, spontaneous, endo-
and exothermic, equilibrium
Rate, speed, time, catalyst, enzyme, activation energy,
reaction order, first-order, second-order, rate-limiting step,
bottleneck

Kinetics vs Thermodynamics

Kinetics vs Thermodynamics
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Kinetics Overview
3. Thermodynamics Overview
4. Thermodynamics vs. Kinetics
5. Outside links
6. References
7. Problems
8. Answers
9. Contributors
Kinetics and thermodynamics are related to each other in
ways that can be explained by using chemical reactions. A
discussion of kinetics and thermodynamics requires an
explanation of the underlying relationships between the
two, through application to chemical reactions and several
examples from natural processes.
Introduction
It is important to mention that a chemical reaction has
kinetic and thermodynamic aspects. The quantity related
to kinetics is the rate constant k; this constant is
associated with the activation energy required for the
reaction to proceed, that is, the reactivity of the reactants.
The thermodynamic quantity is the energy difference
resulting from the free energy (ΔG) given off during a
chemical reaction—the stability of the products relative to
the reactants. Although kinetics describes the rates of
reactions and how fast equilibrium is reached, it gives no
information about conditions once the reaction equilibrates.
In the same measure, thermodynamics only gives
information regarding the equilibrium conditions of products
after the reaction takes place, but does not explain the rate
of reaction.
Kinetics Overview
The rate constant, k, measures how fast a chemical
reaction reaches equilibrium assuming the reactants were
supplied with enough activation energy to enable the
reaction to proceed in the forward direction—reactants to
products. This requirement for input of energy symbolizes
the fact that the reactants are unreactive under certain
conditions The reaction must have some sort of energy
input before it can proceed; otherwise, the reactants
cannot cross the activation energy threshold and convert
to products. The reaction is activated by energy supplied
to the reactants by different energy sources. The rate of
reaction , the rate constant, and the kinetic energy required
for activation of reaction indicate how fast the reaction
reaches equilibrium. See Diagram #1.
Diagram #1: Depicted in the graph below are the main
points discussed in the previous paragraph. The transition
state represents a threshold the reactants must pass
before the reaction can proceed in the forward direction.
The activation energy is the energy required to reach the
transition state. Once this threshold is reached, the
reaction proceed in the favorable "downhill" direction. It is
important to remember that each reaction has a different
transition state threshold, with different activation
energies, and determined by the reactants and the
conditions in which the reaction is taking place. The value
of k is affected by these two factors, and can be increased
in the presence of a catalyst (such as an enzyme), which
increases reaction rate. In chemical reactions, specifically,
the catalyst can both provide more energy to the reactants
and lower the transition state energy. The provider of
activation energy can also be a spark, heat, or anything
else that gives off energy. Regardless of what provides the
activation energy, a kinetic or nonspontaneous reaction is
one in which the most stable state is that of the
reactants. The change in energy between the reactants
and products, also known as ΔG, relates to
thermodynamics and will be discussed shortly.
Diagram #1 link: http://www4.nau.edu/meteorite/
Meteorite/Images/EnergyDiagram.jpg
Example 1: Fuel
The gas in a fuel tank is not "wasted" or burnt away while
the car is sitting in the parking lot. Fuel is unreactive
under standard conditions; the spark created while turning
on the engine is what provides the activation energy to the
reactants, beginning the process of fuel-burning that
powers the car. For more information about the way fuel-
burning reactions are driven, visit 'outside link' number 1.
For a video that shows why two elements do not
spontaneously combust (as fuel would, had it not needed
activation energy), go to 'outside link' number 5.
Thermodynamics Overview
Thermodynamics can be considered in terms of the energy
stored within a reaction, a reactant, or a product. Most
often, thermodynamics is thought of as the different forms
of energy that are converted every time a reaction emits
energy or is initiated by energy. With respect to Gibbs free
energy (ΔG), thermodynamics refers to either (1) the
energy released during a reaction, in which case ΔG will be
negative and the reaction exergonic or spontaneous, or (2)
the energy consumed during a reaction, in which case ΔG
will be positive and the reaction endergonic or
nonspontaneous. A thermodynamic reaction favors the
products, resulting in a spontaneous reaction that occurs
without the need to constantly supply energy. This
indicates that the reactions' most stable state is that of
the products.
Thus, going back to Diagram #1, thermodynamics is what
describes the free energy between the reactants and the
products. Because thermodynamic values apply only after
the reactants have turned into products, they are said to
describe the equilibrium state. The relationship between
free energy (aka, Gibbs free energy) and other
thermodynamic quantities is expressed mathematically in
the following equation:
Because "U" is the variable representing the internal
energy of a system, it is closely correlated with the free
energy. Changes in internal energy change the value of the
free energy, in turn affecting chemical reactions in several
ways: the rate of reaction, whether the reaction is
spontaneous or non-spontaneous, and even whether or not
activation energy will be needed to initiate the reaction.
Example 2: Systems
The best way to understand thermodynamics is by
realizing that anything that transfers, receives, or contains
heat can be described as a system. Heat can enter or
leave a system, which affects the amount of thermal
energy it contains. Consider a kettle of water sitting on a
stove. As it is heated, thermal energy is added to the
system (the kettle with the water). As the stove is turned
off, the kettle cools down as the heat diffuses back to the
room; the kettle slowly equilibrates to room temperature.
This is an example of the system losing thermal energy.
To view an animated diagram of a thermodynamic system,
click on 'Outside Link' number 2.
Thermodynamics vs. Kinetics
As mentioned above, the most stable states of a kinetic
reaction are those of the reactants, in which an input of
energy is required to move the reaction from a state of
stability, to that of reacting and converting itself to
products. Kinetics is related to reactivity. In contrast, the
most stable state of a thermodynamically favorable
reaction is the products, because the reaction occurs
spontaneously, without the need for energy to be added.
Thermodynamics is related to stability .
Therefore, something that is unreactive will desire to stay
in the form of reactants, which will require an input of
energy to cause the reaction to go forward, converting
reactants into products. This is illustrated in example #3
below. A reactive species does not require an input of
energy to be converted from reactants to products,
because its most stable and preferred state is that of the
products. Instead, a thermodynamically favorable reaction
requires energy to be converted from products back to
reactants.An energy source moves the reaction forward
(kinetics corresponds to movement). The same is for
thermodynamically favorable reactions, except that the
reaction must be stimulated backward from products to
reactants.
Example 3: ATP
Adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP, provides the
energy cells require in order to maintain metabolic
pathways, DNA synthesis and repair, and any other cellular
function necessary for survival. ATP itself is a reactive
molecule that has three phosphate groups. Molecules tend
toward stable states, converting to states of lower
energies. Thus, ATP, a high-energy molecule, tends to lose
a phosphate group and become adenosine diphosphate,
ADP. In order for this to happen, an enzyme strips one
phosphate group off of ATP, converting it to the more
stable molecule ADP. This enzyme provides the energy of
activation that enables ATP to become ADP, indicating
that ATP is kinetically stable.
Example 4: Water and Sugar
The following example involves solvents and polarity:
consider a simple situation, a spoonful of sugar is added to
a cup of water. If the two are left to react, over time the
sugar dissolves in the water, becoming the product of
sugar+water. The natural charges and polarity of water
causes the sugar molecules to react with it, eventually
dissolving within the water. There is no required input of
energy, indicating that this reaction is thermodynamically
favorable, and therefore spontaneous. Clearly, the two
reactants prefer to react and maintain stability as
products.
Note: although this is a thermodynamically favorable or
spontaneous reaction and does not require energy input,
the use of kinetic energy will force this reaction to happen
faster. If sugar is added to the cup of water and the
system is heated, the kinetic energy of the reactants is
increased by the thermal energy of the heat, which causes
the molecules to react with one another at a much faster
rate than if they been left alone at room temperature. This
is an example of how thermodynamics and kinetics are
closely related.
Outside links
1. Fuel Reactions and Kinetics: http://
www.explainthatstuff.com/fuelcells.html
2. Thermodynamic System: http://
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/
Triple_expansion_engine_animation.gif
3. Nonspontaneous Reaction (compare with Diagram #
1): http://www.biology.arizona.edu/biochemistry/
problem_sets/energy_enzymes_catalysis/
graphics/16t.gif
4. Thermodynamics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Thermodynamics#Thermodynamic_systems
5. Demonstration of two kinetically-stable elements in
a mixture, after given enough energy of activation:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/908325/solid_
rocket_fuel_ignition/
References
1. Journal of Coordination Chemistry, Volume 62, Issue
1 Oct. 2009, pages 108-109
2. Thermodynamic stability and crystal structure of
lanthanide complexes with di-2-pyridyl ketone. S.
Dom iacute nguez a; J. Torres b; J. Gonz aacute lez-
Platas c; M. Hummert d; H. Schumann - e; C.
Kremer b
3. Role of Solvation Barriers in Protein Kinetic Stability.
RODRIGUEZ-LARREA David ; MINNING Stefan ;
BORCHERT Torben V. ; SANCHEZ-RUIZ Jose M.
Problems
1. Is it possible that graphite is thermodynamically
stable and diamond is less reactive under standard
conditions?
2. Explain how kinetics relate to thermodynamics. Use
the terms 'energy of motion', 'energy of heat', and an
example from the module in your answer.
3. Why would it be beneficial for a thermodynamically-
stable reaction to use an energy input in the form of
an enzyme or a catalyst even if it does not require
energy to proceed?
4. How come gas does not spontaneously combust
inside a fuel tank?
5. How is the rate constant k related to equilibrium?
How does the rate constant change if heat is added
to the reaction?
6. If the difference in energy between the reactants and
products is negative, is the reaction spontaneous or
nonspontaneous?
Answers
1. Yes. Their different structures will differentiate their
polarity and charge, and will cause the two
compounds to act differently. Thus, one can be
thermodynamically stable, while the other can be
less reactive.
2. The energy of motion is related to kinetics, which
determines how fast the reaction will reach
equilibrium, related to thermodynamics. The energy
of motion (kinetics) added to a reaction causes the
reaction to happen faster, using energy of heat as a
way by which to accelerate the reaction. An example
of this is the cup of water with the sugar while it is
being heated. The heat energy converts into kinetic
energy (energy of motion), accelerating the reaction
between the water molecules and the sugar crystals.
3. A catalyst or enzyme will still be beneficial in a
thermodynamically-favorable reaction because it will
simply accelerate it.
4. Fuel is unreactive to standard conditions and regular
atmosphere, which means it'll require an energy input
in order to react. The energy input is the spark
caused by the ignition of the car.
5. The rate constant k is related to equilibrium in that
it tells us about how fast the reaction reaches
equilibrium. If heat is added to a reaction, its rate
will increase due to increased kinetic energy.
6. The reaction will be spontaneous, thermodynamically
favorable. This is because the energy is given-off,
not consumed by the reaction.

FEW TIPS FOR GATE

GATE Preparation Tips

After pursuing engineering, all engineering students stand at the crossroad of making a decisive choice so as to explore interesting avenues as a choice for their careers. A majority of people opt for mainly two things that are management or M.Tech. With the current economic scenario of the India, there are various colleges that are not able to give 100% placement to their students. This results in candidates making a tough choice between management and M.Tech. In order to get admission in M.Tech the examination that holds significant importance on national as well as international level is GATE.

So, if you are the one seeking admission in post-graduation programmes in reputed engineering colleges and institutes in India, you need to crack GATE. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), is an All-India examination that holds high significant and is conducted in eight zones across India by the GATE committee. The main objective of GATE test is to identify the quality of students and assess their potential to continue higher education. By conducting GATE, it becomes easy to evaluate the students on the required skill scale and consistency to pursue higher studies in the field of engineering.

With the cut-throat competition, even those who save more than 85% in the GATE examination, lag behind in getting admissions into the reckoned institutions such as NITs and IITs. The questions of GATE are usually the derivation of fundamentals and preparation of GATE is an ongoing process and is supposed to take place in varied stages. Prepare your best with the fundamentals and then test yourself those fundamentals.

There are students who prepare at home with the number of book options available in the market today. Then there are few aspirants who opt for correspondence coaching courses. A coaching material cannot be assessed until one goes through the same word by word. Hence GATE aspirants can go by some tips of their seniors.

Those who are getting regular classroom coaching need to check whether the institute suits their requirement or not by considering some of the following parameters:

• Distinct Study Material- Now-a-days all the coaching institutes offer study material for assistance in studies. But if this material simply copy paste or re-write of materials taken from other books then these hold minimal importance. In comparison to all this, there are several standard books on each subject by good authors which can make your study enjoyable as well as interesting.

• Compilation of quality books- While studying theory, conceptualization and building application capabilities, and one needs good collection of books, which can really put our brain on exercise. Ensure that your coaching institute has a collection of good and informative books.

• Flexibility- There are aspirants who have slow or fast grasping power than the average. In such cases, it is better to ascertain the model that suits your needs and provide enough guidance to you at the same time.

• Tests and Evaluation Model- Ensure and track your progress through a set of tests and evaluation as this is the most crucial part of the preparation. This is the main area where the students fail due to lack of essential test and evaluation material.

How To Manage Time For GATE Preparation

Time management is a real trick for achieving any goal in life. GATE is no exception. Recently, I have been receiving many emails and questions regarding time management for GATE exam. The questioners are either having full time job or students of final or pre final year.

The answer is not easy, and every great thing is not easy in life. If someone has a full job or college to attend they need a give an extra effort by managing their time tightly. For managing time first one need to find where is the time that they can use. I have few points to share with you all regarding time management.

• Check daily routine and write down these activities on a paper with hours. Don’t need to be very hard and strict about timing, don’t need to mention exact hour and minutes of the activity.
• Once we have a list of activities we do in a day we also have a good idea of what we are doing in a day.
• Figure out activities we are doing for fun and can be compromised for certain time.
• Make use of this time for GATE preparations.

When I was student I noticed that usually I spend time in traveling and with friends without doing any productive work. My college was 13 KM away from home and used to take about 30 minutes to reach there.
The first thing I did was started using public transportation. And second thing was to go little early. By which I can get a seat in bus to go to college and I spend that travel time either for reading, revising or taking rest in bus.
I was a student so I used that early hours to sit in library and prepared GATE and other exams. And another thing I did was to leave college very late may be at library closing time. I tried to make best use of library. When I finished my B.Tech, everyone knows where I am, if I am not in class. To make it great we need to sacrifice and need cut some of the thing which we love. Every time we make a hard decision by knowing what are we are doing, it will benefit us in long run. The hard work always pays us, one or the other day, in one or the other day.
The common distracters for students are
1. Travel long distance driving our own vehicles on regular basis.
2. TV serials
3. Too much unproductive time wasting friends
4. Too much sleeping
5. Spending too much in markets
6. Watching movies almost every weekend, watching them from bed till return to bed.
These are few common time consumers in life. If we manage them properly we can do many things miraculously on time.
The last point is to be very consistent in our preparation. It’s not a one day job it’s a consistent effort achieve big result.
GATE is big opportunity for student who didn’t have a chance to prove, because of image issue with lectures in B.Tech. They have a golden opportunity to prove. GATE is totally an open competition and you may beat the best student of your college with consistent efforts.
Your friends may tease for your change, please don’t worry about them much. They will also cherish your great achievements in future and feel great to associate themselves with you. Hard work with consistency will take you there.

THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED:

Do wear your wrist watch, without fail now a days we people are used to cellphones so we never mind wearing a wrist watch but this attitude will not help you in the time of examination. So please do wear your watch.

Do carry a water bottle with you, so if you feel thirsty you can have it in between the exam. Never think that you can get bottle from nearby shops of your exam center at times you will end up in the place where you find no shops in and around the area.

People think that GATE is all about marking in OMR SHEET, but the fact is the space allotted to you will not be sufficient enough, if you go wrong somewhere then you will find a strong hurdle to workout, whereas if you pick a pencil with you then you will find it easy.

Don’t take heavy breakfasts, better have some light breakfast or fruits which are easily digestible, and that wont make you feel drowsy too, and get some biscuit packets with you so that after exam you can have it if you feel hungry

Wear clothes which is comfortable for you,so that you will feel ease.

Take a writing board with you, so if you find that furniture at classroom is not proper you can switch to your writing pad.

Take your own vehicle to reach your centre, or if you are opting for public transportation please plan it earlier and so that you will be in safer side.

Learning before the day of examination is not advice able, so better take rest and so that you could challenge and solve even more difficult problems.

If you are unable to solve the questions, pick some random questions and try solving it, please don’t get tensed it at all you are arriving with answers, try to tackle situation in logic way. Start working with the area where you are strong enough so you will gain your confidence level.

Get Set for GATE 2015

‘Well begun is half the battle won’ says a quote which when experienced proves to be absolutely true. With the academic year coming to an end, students in colleges already feel the heat of the competitive exams waiting around the corner for them. Here is where the GATE aspirants of 2015 have a thing or two to cheer about. Firstly, they must thank themselves for having made the decision to appear for the exam well in time. Secondly, if they are aiming to enroll themselves in a study group or a coaching centre they will benefit as the batches will commence shortly.

The paper pattern of the examination has changed in 2014. The changes mainly include the following:

The tests will now be conducted online and are called as Computer Based Tests.’

The students will have to answer multiple choice questions and numerical questions.

For numerical questions the candidate has to enter the answer using the virtual keyboard.

For MCQ, an optical response sheet is provided to mark the answers.

The duration of the exam is about 3 hours.

The total number of questions is 65 and the total marks are 100.

Every wrong answer is negatively marked i.e. for every wrong answer the marks will be deducted.

The exam pattern of GATE is not very difficult to understand. Hence, options like,

Appearing for online test series or eGATE test series

Enrolling for distance learning courses where test material and notes are couriered or sent by post,

Attempting the test series of a coaching class proves helpful.

Test series enables the students to get used to the question paper pattern. It prepares them psychologically thereby reducing the stress and nervousness.

Articulate and precise notes on the specific subjects obtained from the classes helps in omitting out the unimportant topics.

Most of the prep centres hire ex IIT’ians who have a firsthand experience of the exam and can hence relate to the candidates queries efficiently.

Apart from the prep centres, study groups are a rich source for obtaining info especially with the peers studying the same syllabus as also experiencing the same anxiety.  Such peer study groups also help relieve the stress as they provide a very comfortable environment for the give and take of thoughts amongst the students.

Rigorous training at the coaching centres, long hours of self study, is sure to take their toll on health which can prove fatal if ignored.  A few common problems like,

Loss of sleep

Loss of hunger

Low BP or high BP

Low HB

Low concentration may hinder the progress of the GATE aspirants.

So simple tips like,

Eating healthy homemade food comprising of sprouts, fruits and vegetables and pulses keeps the BP in check.

Meditation, yoga or even a 15 minute walk calms the mind down, and is helpful in improving metabolism, thereby ensuring good food intake and sound sleep.

Nuts like almond help improve memory.

Communication with family members once in a while about the challenges of appearing for the exam is a great way to relive  the frustration as family will always be a great support and will always provide the much needed comfort and confidence.

GRE/How to start preparing for GRE

First general guideline is the more time you prepare ,the better. Practice is what makes perfect. Meanwhile maintain good Academics. Also consider taking Subject GRE. This will help you get into the top 10 colleges (Stanford, Gatech, UMich, UIUC., etc.).

Keeping a backup career option is important. Give your best to go to the US of A. Don't ever think that it is the ONLY career option, or it is your life itself or anything like that. It's a good idea to keep it as "one of" the career options.

We don't think you should start off with word lists straight away. Start with books like Norman Lewis and then Rosenblum. What Srihari has stated (reading a lot in a vareity of fields) is the best way. And still learning words helps. You need to tackle finer nuances of the language in analogies and some difficult antonyms

How long does it take?

Well. It depends. Some people prepare for 12 months and some even 14. I prepared three months. There are guys who prepare one month, and still manage a decent score. It's all a matter of "What's your potential?" and "How high a score do you want?"...You are in IT. A very competitive field. Hence it is necessary that your score be 1500 (Q+V) upwards. I don't know what's the scale they use for AWA writing. But you must score well there too. So that means you have to spend a long time preparing, and still I would say it depends on potential. I have detailed what to do below:

Quantitative Ability

In my opinion, it is a "tactical blunder" to aim at anything lesser than 800 in Quant. So aim at 800. This is because, Quant is the section where you can max your score. Aim at 800 and get it. Since you are an engineer, you are at a certain advantage, you can easily do Quant. You can easily get 800 and don't let overconfidence set in. Do Barron tactics for 3 or 4 days. Don't prepare all day for Quant. And in the 30 minutes you prepare, concentrate well. That is enough.
After doing baron tactics, solve big book - one section everyday (it takes 30 minutes). Then correct it. Analyse your performance after some time. For example, if you do the test in the morning, you should analyze your performance in the evening and viceversa. See where you have committed mistakes. This way, it will take 54 days to complete Quant in big book. Everyday, you spend a maximum of 30 or 45 minutes on it. Don't spend many hours continuously as it wont help. You have to do "some" Quant daily for about two months. Do the tests in a specified time of the day daily. Analyze it in a specified time of day. For the first six or seven days, this kind of discipline might be too difficult. Once you survive that first week, you cannot stop from doing it at that time, even if you want to. That is the kind of groove you need to get yourself into. Also, meanwhile, document your results daily. Like on which question (Q number) you made a mistake. How many mistakes per section? On what section (algebra, arithmetic, geometry, etc.)? Document it properly in a separate notebook or Excel worksheet. This will make you well versed in Quant within two months. And don't stop here. Then take a break for about two or three days from Quant. Just look at formula, etc. Now do the same bigbook tests again. Yes, the same tests in the same order. This time see if you can complete a section within 2/3rds of the time allotted. That is, you should be able to solve a section within a maximum of 20 minutes. Also solve more sections everyday. Now, compare the new results with previous results. Refer to your documentation. See if you are committing the same mistake twice. See if you commit any new mistakes. Even on questions where you did not commit mistakes both the times, see if there is an easier and time saving way of solving it. If you repeat your mistakes, it means that you need to work on that type questions more. Learn new tactics for those. See what is the best tactic for a problem. Work real systematically. This way, within 80 or 90 days, you should complete it with a LOT of confidence. Now, go to the real tests. Take Kaplan CD, see what tactics he suggests, see if there is anything you did not know. Likewise do Princeton. And don't spend too much time on these. You are good enough now. So spend more time on verbal. That does not mean "stop Quant". Revise quickly everyday. After 90 days, don't spend more than 30 minutes everyday. After 120 days, start with Kaplan section tests. Do 1 each day. Then take break for 1 week. Do the tests again,as usual. On the day of the exam, concentrate on the question. Read it properly. Just think... and then click. This will make sure you get 800 in Quant.(I hope it makes sure!)

Verbal Ability

THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THEM ALL.
OK. Now about verbal. Look, verbal deserves some good preparation. It is "supposed" to be difficult, And not invincible. Given that you work consistently, you can conquer it. anybody can. Sure. AND yes,you need to be disciplined in your effort. Very disciplined.To put it in a single word, you should try and be the word "discipline" itself. It demands nothing else from you. What I will suggest is that you begin with "Norman Lewis". If you have any questions in your mind like "Should I learn these useless words, especially because they are not going to come there in the exam??", remove any such doubts.I agree that you are preparing for an exam. And that does not mean, "you should learn only what comes in the exam". You can never afford to miss any word. NEVER. Not one word should be missed. So all books are important. Work with them. Develop a love for words. Enjoy words. Only then you can be successful with Verbal. For this you need to develop a keen love for words. What I am saying is that you learn words to learn them. Not for marks. If you feel like you want to learn words only for marks,then, I am afraid, you are taking a dangerous path, which will never ultimately fetch marks. You lose on every count if you work this way. 100% Sure. Damned sure. And on the other hand, if you begin to develop a love for words, it will ultimately fetch you not only marks, and also a sense of well being, of having been enriched and improved. You will be totally different. You will improve on all counts. Marks is just one of them. Think of the multiple benefits you receive if you work this way. So please understand that you need to develop a deep love for words. You cannot afford to hate them. It's far tooooooooo costly. Read a LOT. See what's the new word in each page. Search. Find out. "Think".
So, begin with norman lewis. Do 1 section(or 2 at the most) everyday(It will take you 10 to 15 minutes per section). Do the tests given in it seriously. NOT frivolously. Meanwhile, begin to work with Barron. Look, I strictly do not advise cramming of 100 odd unconnected words everyday. It won't help. You will remember nothing. So I suggest the following.....Read each word. Look at its meaning as it is given in the dictionary (Webster is preferable..Oxford is OK...If you have any others(especially English-Tamil), throw them away...they are useless.) BTW, if you don't have a dictionary, please buy one. TODAY. Do some "thinking" about each word you learn. Look at the example usage (sentence) as it is given in Barron. Read the dictionary usage. Think what that sentence could "exactly" mean. After this, think of a situation in your life where you can use the word. Frame a meaningful sentence. It will be especially good, if you can frame a sentence that has some special meaning (and appeal) to you alone. Maybe not that much to others. You may ask, "Why this way?" This is because, you are trying here to associate something that is part of your life(and uniquely yours!) with a new word. And,from now on, whenever you see that word, you must remember that situation in your real life. This will remind you of "that" sentence, which you first formed. After that sentence, you will ultimately remember the meaning. Please note here that the meaning of the word as you remember it will NOT contain the exact words as it appears in Barron/dictionary. It may come very close. In most cases it is never the exact. Only rough. And that doesn't matter. What matters is that you remember a meaning.
By now,you must be conscious of having really learnt something new. You must be able to "feel" your knowledge increasing as you continue your work. This way, try and form your own sentence for every word you learn. Write it down in a notebook. If not, maintain a text file, where you type in your sentence. You read this file now and then, even if you are doing it frivolously. To do this for every wordlist, it may cost you more than 4 or 5 hours. Allot a definite time of the day each day. Learn not more than 30 words everyday.

Revision: It's importance

In my opinion, disciplined revision is more important than learning itself. So revise each wordlist on the following days:

• revision 1: After 1 hour.
• revision 2: The Next day.
• revision 3: Exactly after 1 week.
• revision 4: Exactly after 1 month.

I know it is very difficult to follow the above procedure, especially in the beginning.And once you are used to it, it must feel ok. And after month, the routine would have set in. You will revise the following after a month.....

1. Today's words (30)
2. Yesterday's words. (30)
3. Last week's words. (30)
4. Last month's words (30)

It might be difficult to do 120 words per day. But 90 are those you already know. So it should be easy(At least I hope its not tough).

How to revise

Well there are many ways.Use the one that suits you. One is to go through the barron again. Other is to see the sentences you prepared. Third is to take a test in the word list.I used third. In my opinion, it is the best. Sometimes I used studywiz, And mostly I used "Voctutor".

What else should I do

Please remember here Barron is not "Exhaustive". You have to collect Non Barron Words from many sources. These sources include mainly the bigbook, Voca s/w, American Edu aids book, GM Voc tests, "GRE6000 - the chinese list" etc.(there are many more).The words in the Chinese list are especially weird. You have to follow the same procedure as Barron for these Non Barron words as well.Learn them. I have uploaded the Non Barron(Non_Barron.zip) words I collected (And it is not "Exhaustive")in the files area.. See if it helps.

The Final Step

Finally,you should try and learn how to associate words with each other. This will help you remember both the words. For example, think of the word "Curmudgeon",then you must remember a related word, which is "Stingy",then "Skinflint", then, "codger", then, "Parsimonious" then, "Niggardly" then, "Tightfisted", then ,"Tightwad" then,"Thrifty" then,"Frugal" and then.."Husbandry"....
This is the way I learnt at datamatics. I have found it damned useful. Extremely useful. This is because, each of the words differ lightly in meaning(Note here that "stingy" has a negative connotation while "frugal" has a positive connotation)...And each of the words means almost the same(Yeah.Both "frugal" and "stingy" means not spending much).If you can see in which way they are "same" and in which way they are "different"...you have succeeded...Well I have uploaded the "word groups" I prepared in the files area.(GRE_verbal.zip)..See if it helps.
Besides, after completing Norman Lewis,try and do "Rosenblum"...its also good. Enjoyable. You can also play vocab games in rea and kaplan to relax.this will help u enjoy while u learn.

AWA Writing

Well I don't know much about this section. But what I know for sure is that it must be easier than the now "antediluvian" Analytical section.Analytical is a difficult section (Remember that's where I lost 90 valuable points -:(.....I despise it for that. I think AWA should be easier. Because its writing(At least for Indians). It must be easy..since we have good English knowledge...some times better than Americans). What I can advice here is "Be original" in your writing. It always helps. Don't mug up and write standard essays that are found in ARCO essay book and all that.. Take some guidance from books...But be original in your writing. I think other people can guide you better here.

A Final Word

These techniques have worked well for me. I am an ordinary person. If they have worked for me, then it must work for anybody. I believe so. I will be extremely happy if you succeed by using the above techniques.
My single Advice: Work hard. It REALLY pays off! AND Work systematically and intelligently!..Don't Get carried away by too much hype and rumours.. work your own way.. you will succeed...
ALL THE BEST!!
WORD TO THINK ABOUT: sempiternal

What to look for when preparing for GRE?

I suggest you look at the following:

1. Personal interests.
2. Career ambitions
3. Research, Teaching standards.
4. Fame of school, presence in their local area. Employment opportunities.
5. Rank, score requirements, your profile match to their students' profiles.
6. Financial aspects - funding, costs etc.

What you should NOT use:

• Weather
• Proximity to relatives, proximity to Hollywood (don't worry most good schools will naturally create that for you :)),
• "my friend told me its a great school despite what you hear",
• "my seniors are there" and so on.

FAQ

Some of the questions in the minds of the aspirants are.

1. While I am applying for my admission in the USA/Canada universities what should be my best approach to attract them
2. What sort of subject I should select while applying?
3. Some names of good engineering schools that would match with my profile and I'v got a fare chance to get admission there.
4. What should be my minimum GRE score to apply ?

Welcome to the group. Your queries are quite general in nature, which is not unlike those of a beginner. However, for us to be able to focus down and help you better with the answers, it would be nice if you spent some time looking at the files, and at least some of our more recent archives. These files and emails will help you understand how we guide people along with their queries.
There are no baseline scores that will work for any particular set of schools. However, to ensure smooth sailing during your visa interview procedures and to stay at least moderately competitive, you will need scores of 500 and above.
The departments and programs you choose will be of your own volition and we always recommend you spend most of the time doing research on programs. A good place to start would be through the generic list of top 50 or so schools (remember we don't say that those schools listed by US News as Top 50 are actually top 50, its just a list to start from).
You should set aside a considerable portion of time (given that it is your future we are talking about) to research school websites, professor profiles, their publications and to chat with students present, and past from these schools.
We have several documents on how to attract schools, but the basics include a clearly thought out SOP, a well written (or typed) application stating why you need to be admitted by the school, great references and punctual submission of documents and follow up.
It is also generally pleasing for the schools "'f u don' write in da kool way dat impresses non on" and "DONT WRITE IN CAPS". In essence, punctuation, grammar and syntax generally please people who are looking for responsible graduate students.
Good Luck

 

ABOUT GRE

ABOUT GRE

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test is a multiple-choice admission test for applicants to graduate schools. It is a common prerequisite for all Graduate School applicants. It is developed and conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS)-a subsidiary of the Graduate Record Examination Board of the U.S.A. The test is a computer-adaptive test (CAT), and consists of three scored sections.

The scores of this standardized, computer adaptive format test help graduate schools to assess the advanced study potential of their prospective students. GRE test scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for graduate study. GRE offers two kinds of Examinations to enable admissions panel to assess the applicants and their attitude towards their chosen fields of study - GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test. Most applicants to Graduate Schools are generally asked to take the GRE General test.

Importance of GRE

The GRE General Test measures the skills that you've acquired over the high school and college years. It is an aptitude test because it is meant to measure your potential to succeed in graduate school. While the GRE is only one of several criteria that graduate schools use to evaluate your application, it is one of the most important. This is particularly true if your college GPA is not as high as you'd like. Exceptional GRE scores can open up new opportunities for grad school. The GRE General Test contains sections that measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills.

Eligibility

A 10+2 pass out of any recognized Indian Board or University is a suitable qualification to take the GRE but generally students go for it after completing their Bachelors degree.

Test Structure

Total time allotted for the Computer-adaptive GRE test is 3 hours, whereas for the Paper-based test it is 3 ¾ hours.

GRE offers two kinds of Examinations to enable admissions panel to assess the applicants and their attitude towards their chosen fields of study - GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test. Most applicants to Graduate Schools are generally asked to take the GRE General test.

GRE General Test: Generally taken by prospective graduate students, this test measures Verbal reasoning, Analytical and Critical Writing and Quantitative Reasoning skills of a candidate.

GRE Subject Test: This version of GRE exam assesses candidates' knowledge level and accomplishments in a specific field of study. Unlike the GRE General test, this test is available only thrice in a year and can be taken only as the paper-based test. The scores of this test are often required for doctoral programs in the US, though some universities require the GRE Subject test scores for Masters-level programs too. The eight subjects in which the GRE subject test is presently conducted are: Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.

Each of the three sections is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. The average scores for the GRE are about 470 for Verbal and 570 for Quantitative.

How to Apply

There are no specific dates or schedules for taking the GRE/GMAT/TOEFL. These are conducted round the year. The procedure is to first obtain a form and consequently register yourself for the exam.

1. Ordering the form- Forms and their details are available (free of cost) at:

Institute of Psychological and Educational Measurement (IPEM)

119/25-A, Mahatma Gandhi Marg.

Allahabad - 211001 (U.P.), India

Phone: 0532 - 624881, 623858

Fax: 0532 - 624637

E-mail: ets@ipem.org

Website: http://ipem.org/ The United States Education Foundation in India (USEFI)

Educational Advisor

USEFI, Fulbright House,

12 Hailey Road,

New Delhi - 110 001

Phone : (011) 3328944

Fax : (011) 3329718

E-mail : vijaya@usefi.ernet.in

2. Registration: Thereafter, to register yourself for a particular test date, you can contact Sylvan Testing Services in New Delhi.

Address: Sylvan Testing Services Pvt. Ltd.

Senior Plaza 160-A, Gautam Nagar, 3rd Floor Yusuf Sarai,

Behind Indian Oil Building, New Delhi 110 049

Tel: 011-6511649 Fax: 011-6529741

Acceptable Forms of Payment:

International Credit Card: The fee can be paid to Sylvan

Testing Services through any of the following

international credit cards- VISA, Master, American

Express over a telephone.

Cheque’s, bank drafts, money orders payable in U.S.

dollars must be drawn on banks located in the U.S  and

be made payable to ETS-GMAT/GRE/TOEFL.

If payments are made in the Indian currency, these must be made at the telegraphic transfer selling (TTS) exchange rate of the U.S. dollar equivalent. Cheque’s, money orders payable in Indian Rupee must be drawn on a bank in India

Computer Based Test (CBT) Centers in India

Allahabad - IPEM, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Madras, Mumbai, New-Delhi and Trivandrum.

For more details view the below links:

http://etsis4.ets.org/tcenter/CenterListIntl.jsp?I=I

http://www.prometric.com/testtakers/contactus/Email.htm

Famous scientists and their inventions

Some famous scientists and their most remarkable inventions and discoveries Invention is something you create by experimentation, where as discovery is finding out that already exists.

Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647)

The famous Italian physicist and mathematician is the inventor of the barometer (scientific tool used in the field of meteorology to estimate atmospheric pressure), built in 1643. It would be interesting to note that a number of Italian Navy submarines were named after the inventor.

Ferdinand Verbiest (1623 - 1688)

Verbiest was an astronomer and a mathematician. He was the one to invent the world's first automobile. The inventor came up with the idea to create an automobile while visiting China as a missionary. His automobile was powered by steam, but could not carry humans.

Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

Charles Babbage was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. Considered as “Father of Computers”, Babbage  is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845 - 1923)

The famous German physicist Röntgen is the one who discovered the X-rays (also known as Röntgen rays). This invention allowed the German scientist to win the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)

He has made a large number of inventions, but the most well known one is the electric bulb. Among other discoveries of Thomas Edison there are telegraph devices, phonograph, carbon transmitter, direct current generator, universal electric motor, and more.

Emile Berliner (1851 - 1929)

The German-born Jewish American scientist became known for his disc record gramophone (in the United States known as phonograph or record player). Used for recording and reproducing sounds on a gramophone record, vinyl record, the device (with certain modifications made once in a while) was
popular until 1980s.

Alexander Graham Bell (1857 - 1922)

During the experiments he carried out with the telegraph, Bell came up with the idea of the telephone.
The inventor of one of the most popular devices today thought that the telephone was intruding, that is why he did not have one in his workplace.

Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858 - 1913)

Being a mechanical engineer, Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel managed to discover the diesel engine. The German inventor was also a well-known thermal engineer, a polyglot, an expert in arts, and a social theorist.

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

One of the greatest scientists of the 20th century is the creator of numerous inventions and theories that transformed a lot of concepts linked to space and time, with the most important discovery being the theory of relativity. Other discoveries of Einstein include the photoelectric effect and the Einstein
calculator.

Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955)

During the World War I Fleming worked as an army medical doctor. He is the inventor of penicillin that prevented a lot of soldiers from being infected. The discovery of penicillin managed to significantly boost the evolution of medicine industry.

Fritz Pfleumer (1881 - 1945)

The German-Austrian engineer is the inventor of the magnetic tape used for recording sound. Pfleumer decided  to grant the right of use to the AEG, a German manufacturer of electrical equipment. The event took place on December 1, 1932. Based on Pfleumer's magnetic tape, the German firm created the world's first practical tape recorder dubbed Magnetophon K1.

Frederick Banting (1891 - 1941)

Initially Banting was dedicated to politics but later decided to shift to medicine. In 1916 he completed his MD and during the World War I worked as a doctor. He was very interested in diabetes and continuously worked on a cure for it. Banting searched for cure for diabetes together with Dr. Charles Best. In 1923 the researcher was awarded with the Nobel Prize for discovering insulin.

Edwin Herbert Land (1909 - 1991)

The co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation was the first who came up with low-cost filters for polarizing light (useful system of in-camera instant photography). His most popular invention, Polaroid instant camera, was officially launched in late 1948 and allowed users to take and develop a picture in just under 60 seconds.

Konrad Zuse (1910 - 1995)

Konrad Zuse built Z1, world's first program-controlled computer. Despite certain mechanical engineering problems it had all the basic ingredients of modern machines, using the binary system and today's standard separation of storage and control. Zuse completes Z3, world's first fully functional programmable computer in 1941.

Samuel Morse (1791-1872)

Samuel Morse was an American painter and inventor who is best remembered today for his invention of single- wire telegraph system and the co-inventor of the Morse Code – method of translating textual information as a series of on and off tones. His discovery changed the way the messages are sent and received in the entire world, and even today Morse Code is still in use in various areas of radio communications.

Guglielmo Marconi (1874 – 1937)

Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi’s law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is credited as the inventor of Radio, and he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun “in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy”

John Logie Baird (1888 – 1946)

Braid was a Scottish Engineer and inventor of the world’s first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world’s first fully electronic colour television tube. Braid’s early successes demonstrating working television broadcasts and his colour and cinema television work earned him a prominent place in televisions invention.

The Wright Brothers, Orville(1871-1948), Wilbur(1867-1912)

The Wright brothers were two American brothers, inventors and aviation pioneers who were credited for inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and making the first controlled,  powered and sustained, heavier than air human flight on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed wing aircraft.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934)

Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a polish physicist and chemist working mainly in France, who is famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the inventor of radium. She was the first  woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win in two fields and the only person to win in multiple sciences. She was also the first female professor at university of paris and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in Paris.

Sir Chanderasekhar Venkata Raman (1888-1970)

Sir Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, an Indian Physicist, was the first to describe and explain in the review nature, in 1928, the experimental observation of the phenomenon in liquids. On 28th February  1928, through his experiments on the scattering of light, he discovered the Raman Effect. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.

Definition of Biodiesel

Definition of Biodiesel

Bio-diesel is a vegetable oil processed to resemble Diesel Fuel. The first use of peanut oil was made in 1895 by Dr. Rudolf Diesel himself (1858-1913), who predicted- "The use of vegetable oils engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." Bio-diesel is the ethyl or methyl ester of fatty acid. Bio-diesel is made from virgin or used vegetable oils (both edible and non-edible) and animal fats through trans-desertification. Just like diesel, bio-diesel operates in compression ignition engines, which essentially require very little or no engine modifications up to require very little or no engine modifications up to 20% blends, and minor modifications for higher percentage blends because bio-diesel is similar to diesel but is very Eco-friendly.

The Recent depletion and fluctuation in prices due to uncertain supplies for fossil fuel, make us to search renewable, safe and non-polluting sources of energy. India is not self sufficient in petroleum and has to import about two third of its requirements. Presently Indian Government spend Rupees 90,000 crores for petroleum fuel and annual consumption is around 40 millions tons. One of the solutions to the current oil crisis and toward off any future energy and economic crunch is to explore the feasibility of substitution of diesel with an alternative fuel which can be produced in our country on a massive scale to commercial utilization.

Indian Government, research institution and automobile industries are taking interest on bio-diesel from various non-edible oil bearing trees like Jatropha, Karanji, Mahua & Neem. As India is short of edible oils even for human consumption and since the cost of edible oil is also very high, it is preferable to use non-edible oils. Jatropha curcas is one of the prospective bio-diesel yielding crops. This paper highlights our work on alternate fuels and the importance of choosing jatropha. It reduces pollution drastically in terms of sulphates and carbon mono-oxide. To start with, we reduced the viscosity problem faced to a large extent by carrying out the transmogrification process in our chemistry laboratory. we also studied the cost factor involved in the usage of jatropha. Performance test was conducted on an electrical loaded diesel engine and a study on the emissions was made using Exhaust Gas Analyzer in our thermal laboratory. The pollution levels came down drastically and performance was better with various blends of jatropha and diesel.

Process Explanation

If methanol is used in the above reaction, it is termed methanolysis and fatty acid methyl esters are generated, which are called biodiesel. Three consecutive and reversible reactions are believed to occur in the transesterification which are given below:

Triglyceride + ROH Catalyst Diglyceride + R' COOR

Diglyceride + ROH Catalyst Monoglyceride + R" COOR

Monoglyceride +ROH Catalyst Glycerol + R"' COOR

The first step is the conversion of triglycerides to diglycerides, followed by the conversion of diglycerides to monoglycerides, and finally monoglycerides to glycerol, yielding one methyl ester molecule from each glyceride at each step. When methanol is used in the esterification A catalyst and excess alcohol are used to increase rate of reaction and to shift the equilibrium to the product side, respectively .

Good Interview Questions for Faculty

Good Interview Questions for Faculty

• Tell us a little more about your professional experiences, particularly those not metioned on your resume/application. 
• Why are you interested in leaving your current assignment and why do you feel that
  this assignment would be better for you?
• How does this position fit into your overall career goals?
• How do you define good teaching?
• Describe your teaching style.
• Describe your teaching philosophy.
• What do you think are the most important attributes of a good instructor?
• What do you think are your greatest strengths as an instructor? In which areas do you feel you can use some further development?
• Describe the duties of your current job.
• What do you dislike most about your current job?
• What is your favorite part of your current job and why is it your favorite part? 
• Share your ideas about professional development.
• In what professional development activities have you been involved over the past few years?
• What are your current research interests?
• Have you involved your students in your research?
• How do you feel your teaching style can serve our student population?
• How do you engage students, particularly in a course of non-majors?
• How do you adjust your style to the less-motivated or under-prepared student?
• On the basis of the information you have received so far, what do you see as the major challenges of this position and how would you meet them?
• Describe a situation in which you did “all the right things” and were still unsuccessful.
• What did you learn from the experience?
• Why did you choose this profession/field?
• What new skills have you learned over the past year?
  How would your background and experiences strengthen this academic department?
• Think about an instance when you were given an assignment that you thought you would not be able to complete. How did you accomplish the assignment?
• Have you ever had a great idea but been told that you could not implement it? How did you react?
• What did you do?
• Tell us about your preferred work environment.
• Describe your ideal job.
• Tell us how you would learn your new job in the absence of a formal training program?
• What things have you done on your own initiative to help you prepare for your next job?
• In your opinion, how should the workload of a faculty member be split and into what areas?
• Tell us how you go about organizing your work. Also describe any experience you have had with computers or other tools as they relate to organization.
• What experiences or skills will help you manage projects?
• Can you describe how you go about solving a problem? Please give us some examples.
• What is the biggest conflict you have ever been involved in at work? How did you handle the situation?
• What pedagogical changes do you see on the horizon in your discipline?
• How would you characterize your level of computer literacy? What are some of the programs and applications with which your are familiar?
• Tell us how you would use technology in your day-today job.
• What technology applications have you utilized in the classroom? 
• How would you go about being an advocate and resource for the use of technology in the teaching and learning process?
• What courses have you created or proposed in the past five years?
• What changes have you brought to the teaching of ______________?
• Think about a co-worker from the present or past whom you admire. Why?
• What are the characteristics that you prize most in an employee? What behaviors or characteristics do you find intolerable?
• Describe the best boss and the worse boss you have ever had.
• What would your co-workers or your supervisor say about you?
• What are one or two of your proudest professional accomplishments?
• Do you have any concerns that would make you have reservations about accepting this position if it is offered to you?
• What do you think most uniquely qualifies you for this position?
• Do you have any additional information that you would like to share?
• Do you have any questions for us?