School Mascots

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I am an alumni of VA Tech.  An Alumni is a person who graduated from a specific school.  So, you could ask me, "Are you an Alumni of VA Tech?"  And I would answer, "Yes, I am."

But you could also ask me, "Are you a Hokie?"  and I would still answer, "Yes, I am."  Because the Hokie is the mascot of VA Tech. 

A mascot is a character, often an animal, that represents a group, school or business.  And in the United States almost every college and high school has a mascot to represent the school. 

We identify ourselves and our school by the mascot.  Like when I said, "I am a Hokie."  A hokie is a turkey by the way.  You can read more about the history of the VA Tech Hokie at this website: http://www.vt.edu/about/hokie.html

School t-shirts and notebooks will have pictures of the school mascot.  And a person dressed up like the mascot will appear at different school events such as football games and pep rallies.

The purpose of the school mascot is to help build school spirit and pride. It also helps build tradition, community spirit and a connection between current students and former students.  Plus, it's alot of fun.

Does your school have a mascot?  Tell me about it in the comments section.

Thanks for listening this has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com

English Central - President Obama to Students

Here is another English Central Video for your listening and pronunciation practice on the topic of why education is important.

Interview Question What is your biggest weakness

Here is a video presented by USC college career center on how to answer the question - What is your biggest weakness? It's funny and gives good advice so I think you will enjoy it.

If I had to pick something ...

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In the last post I talked about the common interview question -  What is your biggest weakness?

This was the example that I gave

If I had to pick something, I would say my weakness is meeting deadlines.

You may be wondering why I started my answer with the phrase...  If I had to pick something

Well, wonder no more... I used this phrase because it's a common way to answer a question in American English that you don't really want to answer. 

But you don't have to take my word for it.  Check out the website PhraseMix for a more detailed explanation.  To find the post on this question and phrase click here. 

After you finish reading that post you will want to go to the  PhraseMix home page and check out all the other things they have to offer.  PhraseMix is a terrific website for learning English.  Everyday, website author Aaron Knight publishes a new phrase and explains it's use in clear easy to understand English.  It is a great learning tool so, check it out.

Interview Question - What is your biggest weakness?

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Sometimes when you are applying to college or applying for a scholarship, you will have to do an interview.  It is a good idea to practice ahead of time and think of answers to common interview questions.  For example, How would you answer this question -

What is your biggest weakness?

This can be a difficult question to answer.  You don’t want to appear unqualified by saying things like I’m addicted to drugs or I never go to class.  You want to pick something that can be turned into a positive but you also want to show the interviewer that you are a real person with good points and bad points.  But the bad points aren’t terrible and you are working on improving those faults. 

For example...


If I had to pick something, I would say my weakness is meeting deadlines.  In high school, I often lost grade points for turning in assignments late.  But I've been working on that problem and have started using a calendar to help me use my time better and my grades have really improved. 


Another way you can answer this question is by pointing out your lack of experience in a specific area and how being selected will help you solve it.


For example....


I really want to become a research biologist but I lack experience using modern lab equipment.  That's why I choose your college.  You have a great biology lab with all of the latest equipment and this will allow me to get the experience I need to suceed. 

You never know exactly what an interviewer will ask you but if you think about and practice common interview questions ahead of time, you will feel more relaxed and prepared. 

College admissions for international students - VA Tech

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Today we will look at information about college admissions.  I have picked VA Tech to use as an example because that is the college where I graduated.  This information is from the VA Tech website.

Last year 20,000 students applied for VA Tech and only 5,200 were enrolled in the Fall Freshman class in 2011.

Currently VA Tech has 23,647 undergraduates and 615 of those are citizens of other countries.  There are 4,623 graduate students at VA Tech and 1,614 of those are students from other countries. 

 
To apply as an undergraduate international Student you need -

· to apply on-line.

· Have graduated high school with a full course load.   That means you went to high school and took all the classes you were supposed to take in order to graduate.  Included in that course load they want you to have the following classes -  Algebra 1 and 2, geometry and 2 lab sciences either biology, chemistry, or physics.

· Pass the SAT or the ACT

· Pass the  IELTS with a score of at least 6.5 or the TOEFL with 80 for the internet based test, 207 for the computer based test or 550 for the paper based test.

· Plus certain degree programs may have more requirements

 
Now let's say you are a great student, you got high grades and many academic awards but you don't speak English well enough to pass the IELTS or the TOEFL exam quite yet. 
You can enroll in VA Tech’s Language and Culture Institute.  It is an intensive language program that helps students pass those exams and helps prepare them for college. 

If you would like to learn and listen to more about college life at VA Tech watch videos made by teachers and students at
My Virginia Tech

Today's post is brought to you by Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com

Audio Link - College Life

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Here is a link to a short audio, it's just 1 minute 25 seconds called College Life.  It is a conversation between a man and a woman about...  That's right, you guessed it, it's about college!   It is done by ESL Lab a website designed for teaching English.  After you listen to the audio clip you can take a short quiz to test your listening comprehension and do some vocabulary exercises.   This audio exercise is rated easy and if you like it you can check out the other audio programs on their home page. 


Thanks for stopping by this has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com