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Firat Educational Journal January 2011
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JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 1
How to find the right roommate?
By Ingrid Furtado
You just had a midterm, started
walking into your room and all you smell is
trash in your kitchen, living room and
bathroom. To make the matters worse,
your bills are due and your roommate,
who is also responsible for paying, says
that he is short money. Your frustration
seems it is getting worse as the semester
goes on. Living in a dormitory far from
home can be a nightmare or a dream for
a student. Therefore, making the correct
decisions is crucial in order to find a good
roommate for you. This assessment can
make a huge difference in your campus
life.
The Interim Executive Director of Resi-
dential Life & Housing at University of Hou-
ston Javier J. Hidalgo has vast experience
FIRAT EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL The New Educational Journal of Houston
Sponsored by Firat Educational Solutions
Image courtesy of http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/09/19/audrina-patridge-leaves-lcs-house-was-it-a-choice-or-was-she-pushed-off-the-hill/
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
in dealing with rooming and advises
that not preparing in advance is one of
the main mistakes a student can make.
“While rooming with another indi-
vidual presents opportunities, room-
mates need to understand that they
are responsible for their space and
what happens in that space. Under-
standing each other needs and ex-
pectation has to be part of that prepa-
ration”, Hidalgo says, on behalf of
housing 6,400 students in eight residen-
tial communities at University of Hou-
ston.
Hidalgo explains that the resident
students come primarily from the
Greater Houston area. However, there are
residents from farther Texas cities and other
states. International resident students corre-
spond to 12% of the total population. “One of
the most com-
mon conflicts
comes from resi-
dents who want
to room with
their friends and
later find out
that they did not have much in com-
mon. There may be boundary issues or sim-
ple incompatibility. While living with a room-
mate presents a series of advantages and
opportunities for personal growth and devel-
opment, these roommates will be spending a
lot of time together so opportunity for conflict
can always arise”, the director says.
Hidalgo also says that for the most part
“we try to make it easier on our residents in
terms of bills by billing them individually; how-
ever, there may be charges that need to be
charge to the room and residents need to
deal with that”.
He believes that is important that the
institution also provides approaches to assist
the resident selection. “Self-selection mean-
ing that a resident request a roommate and
through a selection criteria. In the applica-
Educating our future with solutions for
life. ™
www.firateducation.com
.
2
“The key (to find a good
roommate) is to anticipate and
get answers”
Interim Executive Director of Residential Life &
Housing at University of Houston Javier J.
Hidalgo
Image by Javier Hidalgo
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 3
housing offer furnished units and
rooms. Nevertheless, the student still
needs to bring certain items that are not
provided
like bed
liners, co-
vers, and
pillows.
“Try to
engage
with your
room-
mate in
advance
so that if
your
room is a
small
one, you do not end up with two refrig-
erators or microwaves. You could have
problems with circuits breaking due to
current overload. Look for a campus
housing option that fits your needs
(money, privacy, cooking, etc.) The key
again is to anticipate and get answers”,
the director says.
The 22-year-old senior at St. Ed-
ward’s University (Austin, TX) Jessica Ma-
rie Gonzales knows well how important
tion process we try to match students
that have certain preferences. For in-
stance, we will not match a smoker early-
riser with a
non-smoker
late-riser.
We certainly
think that
with proper
preparation
should not
be so hard
to find a
good room-
mate. In
fact, we
think it is an
opportunity
to learn certain skills that you may not
have unless exposed to living with a
roommate”, he points out.
The secret to locate a potential
roommate is also on the internet. Hidalgo
says that social media is getting big in this
area. “Furthermore, we also try to provide
opportunities like mixers that could lend a
hand in finding roommates. Before mov-
ing out, try to ask as many questions in
advance”.
Hidalgo explains that most campus
Jessica Gonzales prefers to live with a roommate than be by herself
image by Jessica Gonzales
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
is in finding a good person to divide an
apartment in college. She was 18 years
old when decided to leave Houston.
Right now, she is enrolled in her last five
classes.
“I had my doubts about moving
away from home, but the positives defi-
nitely outweighed the negative. This
was a way for me to become inde-
pendent and live on my own. There
were times when I thought I couldn’t do
it or that I would fall behind in my school
work and the courses, but I thought I
should give it try”. Four years later, she
has had two same sex roommates and
interesting experience to talk about.
Jessica says that the main conflict
she has had is cleaning the apartment.
“I am the main one who cleans the liv-
ing room, bathroom, and kitchen. I am
a clean freak when it comes to my
apartment because I hate the idea of
little bugs crawling around in my room
or my apartment. We had a little ant
problem in our bathroom and I freaked
out! I am also the kind of person that
when I see dishes in the sink I clean
them whether I used them or not. How-
ever, my roommate only washes her
dishes even if I have a knife in there. So I
only clean my dishes and she cleans
her dishes”, she says.
Even a simple air conditioner can
also become a problem. “My room-
mate loves it cold in the apartment
even when it’s freezing inside. I would
turn it off or raise the temperature, and
she would get mad because she was
too hot even with the fan on in her
room. Even though we made a com-
promise about the situation, I still feel
like it’s still unresolved because she
gets upset when I touch the tempera-
ture gage”, Jessica says.
But overall, she believes that living with
a roommate has its perks. “I would ra-
ther live with someone than live on my
own because I get scared easily. It is
nice to have someone there at night
especially when the apartment com-
plex is in the way back. It’s also nice to
have someone to talk to and go out
with”, added Jessica.
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 4
PIVOTAL CHANGES
~ LIFE AND BUSINESS
COACHING WHEN THE STATUS QUO IS
NOT AN OPTION
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 5
Image courtesy of http://education-portal.com/articles/Where_to_Find_Free_Math_Courses_Online.html
Hints of Math
Orders of Operation
By Edward Garcia Jr.*
Many students still get the order of
operations wrong. In a problem they
want to jump into the equation and try to
work it the wrong way because they for
get the order to do it in. The best way to
remember the order of operations is by
this simple little phrase: “Please Excuse My
Dear Aunt Sally!” Now let me explain
what this means.
Parentheses: ( ) This is the first thing you
look for.
Exponents: 3² Second thing you look
for.
Multiplication: 1 x 4 Third thing you look
for.
Division: 6 / 2 Fourth thing you look
for.
Addition: 6 + 6 Fifth thing you look for.
Subtraction: 0 – 0 Last thing you look for.
Hint: Multiplication and Division are
interchangeable. Once you get this far
you read the equation like a book from
left to right and do the operation that
comes first either multiplication or division.
The same goes for addition and
subtraction.
Examples:
100 / 5² + 4 x (5 x (4+2)) = ?
Parentheses:
100 / 5² + 4 x (5 x (4+2)) Do inside
Parentheses first!!!!
100 / 5² + 4 x (5 x 6)
100 / 5² + 4 x 30
Continues on next page
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 6
*Edward Garcia Jr. is a
graduate from the University
of Houston- Downtown with
Bachelor’s in Science for
Applied Mathematics and a
Minor in Statistics. He enjoys
the objectivity of Math and is also one of the FES
tutors.
Exponents:
100 / 5² + 4 x 30
100 / 25 + 4 x 30
Multiplication or Division: Do
operations from left to right!
100 / 25 + 4 x 30
4 + 4 x 30
4 + 120
Addition or Subtraction: Do
operations from left to right!!!!!
4 + 120 = 124 and you are done!!!!!!
Another hint:
When you have operations within
parentheses you go through the order
the same way you would if you did
not have them.
Example:
(3² / 3 + 3)
Parentheses:
(3² / 3 + 3) Go through the orders again!
Exponents:
(3² / 3 + 3)
(9 / 3 + 3)
Multiplication or Division:
(9 / 3 + 3)
(3 + 3)
Addition or Subtraction:
(3 + 3) = 6 and you are done!
JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com 7
*Roberto Noce is recognized as an accomplished
and respected executive with nearly two decades of
marketing and management experience. He is a
professional engineer registered in the state of Texas and
an active member of numerous professional
organizations. Roberto is the owner and founder of
Pivotal Changes. He is a professional who chose
coaching as a means to share his insight and expertise
and help others live their passions.
[email protected] (713-505-5576
Make Your Glass a Half-Full One
By Roberto Noce*
"Great leaders are capable,
visionary, and inspiring. That does not
mean they're rational. I happen to
believe that those who accept the
madness in themselves may be the
healthiest leaders of all." - Manfred F.R.
Kets de Vries, Director of INSEAD's
Global Leadership Center.
I wish to share with you excerpts
from a very interesting article written by
Professor de Vries. It emphasizes the
importance of honoring who we are in
our work.
Healthy* leaders are able to live
intensely. They're passionate about
what they do. That's because they are
able to experience the full range of their
feelings - without any color blindness to
any particular emotion.
At the same time, healthy leaders
strongly believe in their ability to control
(or at least affect) the events that
impact their lives. They are able to take
personal responsibilities; they are not
always scapegoating or blaming other
people for what goes wrong.
Healthy leaders don't easily lose
control or resort to impulsive acts. They
can work through their own anxieties
and ambivalence. Healthy leaders are
very talented in self-observation and self
-analysis. Healthy leaders have the
ability to deal with and work through
the disappointments of life.
Very importantly, they have the
capacity to establish and maintain
relationships. They are creative and
inventive and have the capacity to be
non-conformist.
Creativity is at the heart of Prof. de
Vries' speech, and this is what I invite all
of us to do: create our own lives, filled
with love, passion, and fulfilling work
that develops not only our talents and
skills, but our character.
Whether your glass has
Prosecco, beer, or super sweet Texas
iced tea, I invite you to conclude this
exciting and challenging year by
looking at the glass half full. Start now
on creating a prosperous 2011.
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Houston, TX 77027
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JANUARY, 2011 VOL 1 ISSUE 7 Educational Headlines
The following are headlines found in international, national, and local newspapers and
magazines concerning education in today’s world.
Educating our future with solutions for life. ™
www.firateducation.com
60 First graders, 4 Teachers, One Loud New Way to Learn by The New York Times
UStudy Finds Family Connections Give Big Advantage in College Admis-
sion by The New York Times A Researcher Finds Easy Solution for Test Anxiety
by Education Week