What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours

What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours SAT/ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For those of you who have begun exploring school confirmations, you may have known about the idea of a â€Å"safety school.† What is a security school? Basically, a wellbeing school is one in which your chances of getting in are amazingly high. Each and every individual who applies to school ought to apply to wellbeing schools. Why? You don’t need to hazard getting dismissed from all the schools you apply to. In this article, I'll characterize and clarify the idea of a security school. Besides, I'll examine how to distinguish your security schools and decide the quantity of wellbeing schools you ought to apply to. What Is a Safety School? A wellbeing school is a school that you're nearly ensured to get into. Your GPA ought to be well over the normal understudy's at that school and your SAT or ACT score ought to be over the 75th percentile for that school. I would state you ought to have at any rate a 80% possibility of picking up affirmation, in light of the numbers, to consider a school a wellbeing school. Likewise, no school with a confirmations rate lower than 15% can ever be viewed as a wellbeing school. In the event that a school is that particular, paying little mind to your evaluations and SAT scores, you can never accept that your chances of confirmation will be more noteworthy than 80%. The most particular schools routinely dismiss understudies with impeccable evaluations and state administered test scores. Here's a speculative guide to delineate the idea of a security school. Model Brittany has a 3.75 GPA and gotten a 680 SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score and a 700 SAT Math score. She applied to Arizona State University. Is ASU a wellbeing school for her? Truly. The normal GPA for ASU is 3.54, and the normal SAT scores are 610 for EBRW and 620 for Math. The 75th percentile SAT score is 1350. Moreover, the affirmations rate for ASU is 84%. Brittany should feel incredibly sure that she'll be admitted to ASU and can utilize it as a wellbeing school. Brittany's security school Step by step instructions to Identify Your Safety Schools How would you know which universities to use as security schools? Numerous understudies will apply to their less serious in-state government funded schools as security schools, particularly in light of the fact that in-state open universities will in general offer lower educational cost rates to in-state occupants. Likewise, there are schools that offer ensured affirmation on the off chance that you arrive at a specific GPA and SAT/ACT score. The majority of these universities are state schools and the offer reaches out to in-state occupants. There's an ensured way to confirmation for California occupants at University of California schools and programmed affirmation programs in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, and Nevada. Exploration a school's affirmations necessities on its site to decide whether there's a comparable proposal at that school. You can allude to well known school rankings records from sources like US News World Report, Forbes, and Princeton Review and examination schools that meet a portion of the measures you're searching for in a college.Your government sanctioned grades ought to outperform the 75th percentile and your GPA ought to be over the school’s normal to perhaps consider a school a wellbeing school. Use PrepScholar apparatuses. In the event that you enter your SAT score here, PrepScholar will consequently give you a rundown of conceivable wellbeing schools dependent on your SAT score. Furthermore, you can Google (name of school) prepscholar affirmations necessities and utilize the confirmations adding machine on a school's profile to get an unpleasant thought of your odds of affirmation. On the off chance that you have in any event a 80% possibility as per the adding machine, at that point you can presumably sort the school as a wellbeing school. On the off chance that you know undergrads who had capabilities lower than yours, you can investigate the universities they’re joining in and check whether you can utilize any of those schools as your wellbeing schools too. Remember that your GPA and SAT scores are just two parts that decide if you’re acknowledged to a school. Your extracurricular exercises, suggestions, papers, and foundation likewise assume a job when your application is assessed. Be that as it may, GPA and SAT/ACT scores are the most significant variables and they’re the most target accessible measurements. On the off chance that your GPA and state administered test scores are a lot higher than those of the run of the mill candidate, at that point different parts of your application can be more vulnerable you'll still likely increase affirmation. What number of Safety Schools Should You Apply to? There's no set number of security schools that you ought to apply to, yet ensure you're available to going to the schools you're applying to. It's an exercise in futility to apply to a school that you could never join in. The school application procedure can be expensive and tedious, particularly in the event that you apply to schools that don't utilize the Common Application. For the most part, I prescribe applying to 1/3 security schools. On the off chance that you apply to ten schools, at any rate three ought to be viewed as security schools. You need to give yourself a few choices from the schools that are probably going to concede you. At that point, 1/3 of the schools you apply to can be arrive at schools, schools that are probably going to dismiss you dependent on your capabilities or their amazingly low acknowledgment rates. The staying 1/3 of schools you apply to can be target schools, schools that offer you about a 30%-80% possibility of affirmation. A few understudies choose to apply to a higher level of arrive at schools since they're increasingly keen on setting off to those schools and are confident that they'll get into one. The most significant thing is to apply to at any rate a few security schools to guarantee that you'll have numerous choices during the school choice procedure. Give yourself choices! Snappy Review A security school is a school to which you have an amazingly decent possibility of picking up confirmation (above 80%). You can securely expect you'll be acknowledged. Distinguish conceivable wellbeing schools by counseling sites, positioning records, and companions. Consider in-state open universities that are security school alternatives. Utilize the confirmations adding machine on the PrepScholar database to decide whether a specific school could be a security school. See whether there are any schools to which you fit the bill for programmed affirmation. Apply to around 1/3 security schools. Guarantee that you have alternatives. What's Next? In case you're going to begin the application procedure, figure out how to expound on extracurriculars on your school applications. Likewise, look at this post in the event that you have a high GPA yet low SAT score. At long last, as you're thinking about your school alternatives, read about whether you ought to consider setting off for college out of state. Need to improve your SAT score by 160 or your ACT score by 4 points?We've composed a guide for each test about the best 5 systems you should use to have a taken shots at improving your score. Download it with the expectation of complimentary at this point:

Speech

Discourse How Horseback Riding Changed My Life Essay I know a young lady who is 15 years of age and has been riding ponies for a long time. She originates from a little city where additional land is rare. A spot where ponies, cows, and sheep are never observed. Be that as it may, on one unique day, consistently is an exceptional motorcade. On that day consistently there is right around a 100% assurance that there will be a major truck pulled by two Belgian Drafts. She never took in their names nor their accounts, yet since the time she was 2 they were her preferred part. One year when she was 5 and a half she remained before the dollar store as she did each year and watched two ponies come past that certain point. Before she could even hear the hints of their hooves moving toward she saw something other than what's expected these ponies were littler, various hues, and they had individuals on them, roosted on their backs like minimal blue jays laying on a tree. She had seen nothing like it, it was insane, odd, and another wellspring of inquiries that would make her folks insane for a considerable length of time to come. We will compose a custom article on Speech How Horseback Riding Changed My Life explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now As the ponies drew nearer the numbers developed from 2 to 4 to 8! Her eyes became wide and she began to shudder in fervor. She tuned in as her mom read a sign that one young lady was holding â€Å"MVA Summer Camps†, that young lady gazed toward her mom and had just single word that struck a chord â€Å"please†. Her and her mom strolled down to a little zone after the procession where individuals were arranging to sit on these ponies. Without even re-thinking herself that young lady hopped in line, her mom surging behind her to get up to speed. They sat tight for 5 minutes and when they got to the front of the line her mom conversed with the woman about these day camps as her little girl was slobbering over the ponies coming towards her. A major yellow pony drew closer and a young lady was lifted away from her, a man came up behind the young lady and lifted her onto that equivalent ponies back. The man revealed to her the ponies name was Whitey and he drove them on, that man had no clue he was the start of that young ladies most current, greatest, dream. Great morning Judges, Parents and individual 4H individuals. My name is Riley McNeice and I am that young lady. Individuals regularly ask me how I engaged with ponies since I live in a town that never had them I never realize how to respond to that question so I normally state, â€Å"it simply occurred. I went to that day camp, for a long time! I rode ponies and horses from ages 3 to 22, ponies with names that had to do with their shading to names that were heavenly bodies in the sky. I gained such a great amount from that day camp, how to clean a pony, how to tack a pony and how to ride. I was so fortunate! I have such incredible associations with individuals I met there and individuals I worked with there. Despite the fact that doing likewise for a long time is fun, it gets exhausting. I had developed as an individual and a rider and I felt that I had developed as much as Possible there. I knew on my eighth year it was my last and it was terrible, yet I likewise realized that I was moving to greener fields. What's more, I did, I met the delightful Hamer/Ziegler family right around a year prior, I had a feeling that I was greeted wholeheartedly. I was some arbitrary young lady who appeared in rain boots and in a colossal sweater simply requesting a chance. They never at any point fluttered an eyelash. I genuinely accept that I wouldnt be remaining here doing what I am managing without them. I think I have created as a rider and an individual as a result of them. That mid year I spent it at their ranch, I assisted with day by day tasks and rode astounding ponies from the day school finished till the day preceding school began. I despite everything work there and would like to state that for some time longer. At the point when I recollect that question, I currently observe that it wasnt the ponies that attracted me yet it was the individuals that helped me understand who I am.

Prejudice on to kill a mockingbird 1 Essay

Partiality is an adverse part of society that has negatively influenced a wide range of individuals. In the novel, racial preference is apparent yet there are more kinds of partiality on the novel. We said that racial preference is obvious in light of the fact that in the novel a dark man (Tom Robinson) was caused from assaulting a lady named Mayella Ewell and in this way needed to go to preliminary. There were numerous perspectives with respect to the instance of Tom Robinson, obviously completely affected by preference on the grounds that the shade of Tom. The individuals of Maycomb town felt that Tom was blameworthy. Atticus and kids (Scout, Jem, and Dill) felt that he was guiltless. At the point when we read this we can see that the bias is a significant topic in the novel. Therefore it is important to make an investigation of this point. Individuals of Maycomb town consistently realized what the decision of the preliminary would have been (the legal framework was brimming with preference), despite the fact that some of them where it counts realized that Tom was honest, he don’t assault Mayella. [1]. Maycomb, as most little southern towns, has an issue with broad bigotry (sort of bias) toward African American individuals. As Maycomb was an unassuming community with practically zero new occupants, individuals living there shaped biases about different families over the ages. Social preference in Maycomb made families be generalized, which negatively affected individuals from those different families as it made their character become ‘fixed’ just by their commonly recognized name. It likewise negatively affected the individual inhabitants of Maycomb, making them have inconsistent treatment. A case of this partiality is the dismissal demeanor of the town to Boo Radley, simply because he is a Radley . Bias in To Kill a Mockingbird can be ordered into three structures, social preference, racial partiality and sexual orientation preference.

Benefits of the Databases or IT Resources Free Essay Example, 1500 words

It is evidently clear from the discussion that databases help in saving time to find any specific information. This is possible only because, retrieving a single record might take some minutes in searching manually from the paper files. But to attain the records from the computerized database may be done just by some clicks. Along with this, a proper merging of the database records with documents also helps in reducing the high level of tensions and distress of data entry. Moreover, still after completion of the writings, one had to check spellings, addresses, historical data, or other records. Databases also offer varied types of ways to access data and information. If a specific list of information is requested from the database, then a query may be presented to attain that. It takes a very small amount of time to present those requested data in front of the users eyes. In this way, the IT resources also present the list, if the proper commands or given to the computer. Then immed iately that list of data or information is saved in a spreadsheet and used for future evaluation of the organizational betterment. We will write a custom essay sample on Benefits of the Databases or IT Resources or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Databases also allow you the opportunity to link varied sources of information or data together so that it might be noticed. Previous sales records and new financial year targets may be witnessed so as to analyze the techniques to achieve those. Other than this, the strategies are also presented to the employees so that, the sales target might be achieved very easily to increase the productivity of the organization. Apart from this, it also helps in improving the profit margin and efficiency of the organization. It also presents the ability to provide the database reports to thousands or millions of other potential customers so as to analyze the information and data gathered from these resources. These reports may be provided by the social networks like Twitter and Facebook to other friends and peers. This helps in evaluating the effectiveness of the information essential for organizational betterment. So, it is highly preferred by maximum extent of the organizational members or employees to cope up with situational changes.

The World as Meditation - 993 Words

Where is the line that separates imagination and reality? Can imagination heal a wounded heart? In the poem, The World as Meditation by Wallace Stevens, Penelope, seeking to allay her irresistible longing for her husband, immerses in a metaphysical state of thought about Odysseus and their love. Her daily engagement in such form of imagination illuminates her unbending loyalty, growing yearning, and unconditional love towards her husband. Through various literary devices, Stevens shows the power of imagination to fortify one’s mind by shifting away from the cold reality and venturing into a realm of transcendental thoughts: an empowering meditation. Stevens begins the poem, emphasizing Penelope’s mixture of doubt and yearning for†¦show more content†¦Things don’t appear as distinct in the horizon line especially when its at dawn when its hazy, yet to have that someone â€Å"above† the horizon, it conveys his majestic self, and its as if he brings glory to the world, alongside with the sun, while the sun can also represent her growing hope for his return, once again, the fire in her sparks. The powerful imagination of Penelope reflects the strong yearning of his husband. Through an â€Å"inhuman meditation†, a state where Penelope soars from reality and into deep transcendental thoughts, she â€Å"composed† a self to welcome him. The symbol of composed indicates that Penelope had prepared, and planned well, for the day of his return, â€Å"which she imagined†, which paradoxically states that, she is ready for something that would never come. Penelope knew Odysseus had died, yet her yearning drove her away from reality and heightens her belief. The narrator replaces Odysseus as a â€Å"dear friend†. In a marriage statement, it says â€Å"till death separates us† which means only after death would their love be disintegrated, however a friendship’s bond is everlasting; Penelope’s desire. Odysseus would be her â€Å"necklace and belt†. These metaphors suggest that Penelope longs to be embraced. While jewelry completes a woman, Odysseus will complete her, enhancing the everlasting harmony betweenSho w MoreRelatedThe World as Meditation977 Words   |  4 PagesWhere is the line that separates imagination and reality? Can imagination heal a wounded heart? In the poem, The World as Meditation by Wallace Stevens, Penelope, seeking to allay her irresistible longing for her husband, immerses in a metaphysical state of thought about Odysseus and their love. Her daily engagement in such form of imagination illuminates her unbending loyalty, growing yearning, and unconditional love towards her husband. Through various literary devices, Stevens shows the powerRead MoreThe Meditation Health Benefits Of The World1102 Words   |  5 Pagesold activity one opens their mental and physical wellbeing to multiple benefits. â€Å"It did to my mind what going to the gym did to my body† said Dr. Hedy Kober, a neuroscientist who studies the effects of meditation, â€Å"it made it both stronger and more flexible.†(Meditation Health Benefits). Meditation is a practice that may train on e’s mind to be at a state of consciousness and wholeness. Throughout history Buddhist monks and other eastern religions have been utilizing this practice for religious purposesRead MoreYoga Sutras And Early Buddhist Meditation1118 Words   |  5 Pages Both the Yoga sutras and early Buddhist meditation studies the eightfold or eight limbs practices and principles. The eightfold of the early Buddhist meditation practices includes the right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The eight limbs of Yoga sutra meditation similarly practices five restraints, five observances, postures, breath control, control of the senses, concentration, contemplation, and meditativeRead MoreAnalysis Of Descartes s The Six Meditations 1272 Words   |  6 PagesThrough the six Meditations, Descartes comes to the conclusion that memories and dreams are deceptive and are not to be trusted. He discusses the existence of material objects, God, and himself. God exists and allows deception and Descartes’ ability to recognize that everything is false proves that he exists as well. He explains the difference between imagination and intellect, as well as the idea that the senses are deceptive and that knowledge comes from the mind and reason. Descartes’ belief inRead MoreExploring the Practices and Types of Meditation1479 Words   |  6 PagesStated most simply, Meditation is the practice of deep concentration of the mind. The practice involves either altered state of mind or relaxed state of body. Meditation has been around for thousands of years. Evidence of the practice can be found throughout history in many different religions and many different places in the world. In the past decades, the practice has gained new popularity in the world for its physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. Many people have tried and felt the benefitRead MoreIsabella Vigil . Mr.Short . College Composition . 19 March848 Words   |  4 PagesComposition 19 March 2017 A Spiritual Gain but a Financial Lose Meditation has always been seen as a way to keep the mind and soul healthy. Mediation dates back to 1500 BCE originating in Ancient India. The practice soon started to expand and adapt to other cultures around the world. Some of the earliest references to meditation are found in the Hindu scriptures and it was around the 6th to 5th centuries that other forms of meditation developed into Confucian, Taoist China, and Buddhist India (Taham)Read More Meditation and the Brain Essay1538 Words   |  7 PagesMeditation and the Brain When discussing the relationship of brain and behavior, the materialist view of human experience runs into conflict with the historically dominant religious accounts. Recent studies, however, suggests that there may be a middle view between the two world-views. Religions, especially Buddhism, stress the role of meditation in ones spiritual growth. Meditation has tangible psychological and physiological benefits, though, which can be explained strictly in neurobiologicalRead MoreA Research Study On Meditation966 Words   |  4 Pages10/15/15 History Research Paper on Meditation May I be well and happy. May I be peaceful and calm. May I be protected from dangers. May my mind be free from hatred. May my heart be filled with love. May I be well and happy. (1) Meditation is a powerful tool that can be used by anyone regardless race,gender,social standing, religion, and intelligence. It’s a unifying practice. Meditation is a conscious effort to change how the mind works for better understanding the world and yourself. Throughout historyRead MoreEssay about Buddhist Religion Experience: Personal Narrative1521 Words   |  7 Pagescuriosity. I decided I would visit a Buddhist center. With the company of my mother, I went to the Diamond Way Buddhist Center in Miami. According to my interview with the Buddhist that instructed the meditation service, every Monday and Friday they have a meditation service for the 16th Karmapa meditation from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. This center is part of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Anonymous). Upon arriving, I reali zed that it was in someone’s home. Many Buddhist offer their homes for BuddhistRead MoreWhy Mindfulness Meditation Gaining So Much Popularity Essay900 Words   |  4 PagesWhy Is Mindfulness Meditation Gaining So Much Popularity in the West? By Charles A Francis | Submitted On March 26, 2012 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Charles A Francis If you re new

Predictive Analytics the Future of Business Intelligence

Predictive Analytics: the Future of Business Intelligence Introduction By M. Zaman The market is witnessing an unprecedented shift in business intelligence (BI), largely because of technological innovation and increasing business needs. The latest shift in the BI market is the move from traditional analytics to predictive analytics. Although predictive analytics belongs to the BI family, it is emerging as a distinct new software sector. Analytical tools enable greater transparency, and can find and analyze past and present trends, as well as the hidden nature of data. However, past and present insight and trend information are not enough to be competitive in business. Business organizations need to know more about the future, and in†¦show more content†¦Credit card companies try to retain their existing customers through loyalty programs. The challenge is predicting the loss of customer. In an ideal world, a company can look into the future and take appropriate action before customers switch to competitor companies. In this case, one can build a predictive model employing three predictors: frequency of use, personal financial situations, and lower annual percentage rate (APR) offered by competitors. The combination of these predictors creates a predictive model, which works to find patterns and associations. This predictive model can be applied to customers who are start using their cards less frequently. Predictive analytics would classify these less frequent users differently than the regular users. It would then find the pattern of card usage for this group and predict a probable outcome. The predictive model could identify patterns between card usage; changes in one’s personal financial situation; and the lower APR offered by competitors. In this situation, the predictive analytics model can help the company to identify who are those unsatisfied customers. As a result, company’s can respond in a timely manner to keep those clients loyal by offering them attractive promotional services to sway them away from switching to a competitor. Predictive analytics could also help organizations, such as government agencies, banks, immigrationShow MoreRelatedPredictive Analytics : A Gold Mine1554 Words   |  7 PagesPredictive Analytics: A Gold-Mine Yet To Be Exploited To Its Zen ith Akanksha Pandey Information Technology Department, VESIT, Mumbai-74, India. Abstract 1. Introduction The proliferation, ubiquity and increasing power of computer technology has increased the volume of data oday`s mobile technologies and social media have collection and it`s storage manifold. This led to unleashed an exponential increaseRead MoreBusiness Intelligence Vs. Business Analytics Essay1660 Words   |  7 PagesBusiness Intelligence VS Business Analytics â€Å"Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the web like deer on a freeway.† – Geoffrey Moore, author and consultant. Introduction Business intelligence and analytics (BIA), a term coined in 1989, has gained much reaction in the IT practitioner community and academia over the past two decades. BIA refers to: (1) the technologies, systems, practices, and applications that (2) analyze critical business data to (3) help anRead MoreIntroduction. Predictive Analytics Is Quantitative Analysis1371 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Predictive Analytics is quantitative analysis to support predictions. Predictions of for example - product sales, costs, headcount, metrics; customer churn; credit scoring; cross sell / up sell opportunities; market campaign response; anomalies, fraud. SAP Predictive Analytics is business intelligence software from SAP that is designed to enable organizations to analyze large data sets and predict future outcomes and behaviors. For example, SAP Predictive Analytics can help make senseRead MoreBusiness Intelligence And Marketing Analytics Essay1321 Words   |  6 PagesBI and BA Business intelligence and business analytics†¦ aren’t they the same thing?Or are they describing opposite processes?There are a lot of big words that get thrown around in the world of BI, and it’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of interpretation.The diversity of opinion reflects the fluidity of how we understand the defining language of the field.It also demonstrates that in business intelligence, one term can mean different things to different people, depending on their business focus andRead MoreRole Of Predictive Analytics For Asset Optimization Of Oil And Gas Industry Essay980 Words   |  4 PagesRole of Predictive analytics in Asset Optimization in Oil and Gas Industry In recent times, Predictive analytics has started to play an important role in asset optimization in various industries. One such industry which is highly asset intensive is the oil and gas industry, a capital intensive and equipment heavy industry with lot of scope for improvement in asset management, supply chain network optimization, and operational management with its multiple assets ranging from drilling rigs, wells inRead MoreBusiness Intelligence, Business, And Data Mining1544 Words   |  7 Pages1. Introduction to Business Intelligence, Business Analytics and Data Mining Business Intelligence Business Intelligence is a process which includes different technologies and methods process for analysing data and presenting information which is helpful for top level management.BI includes various tools, application, and methodologies that enable organizations to collect data from internal and external sources, prepare that for analysis develop and run queries against the data and generate differentRead MorePredictive Analytics, Data And Data1194 Words   |  5 PagesPredicting future with being able to access and store real time data is the future of BI and big data analytics (Jamack, 2012). When BI reports are run using the data and queries, information is retrieved and it is called Descriptive Analytics. When the dataset is further analyzed and drawn inferences using statistical methods like correlation or regression then it is called Diagnostic Analysis. Based on this information when the possible outcomes are predicted it is called Predictive Analytics. FinallyRead MorePers onal Statement : Marketing And Finance804 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Statement Growing up in a business background where my family had been in the international trade business for the last hundred years, I was always amazed to see how data science gradually involved in our family business. I have also gained insight into the data science tools and how data science improved our business decision-making and performance. During the past three years, I have found my post-graduation in Marketing and Finance comes out to support my success on my professional careerRead MoreBusiness Intelligence ( Bi ) And Business Analytics1308 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness intelligence (BI) and business analytics (BA) (sometimes used interchangeably) has revolutionized the way businesses use data and can be contrasted, for the purpose of this essay, in the following way: BI is raw data that has been transformed into meaningful information that provides historical, current, and predictive views of business operations and environment, and BA uses data and statistical methods to provi de actionable information for decision makers. BI explains what is happeningRead MoreImpact Of Big Data On Businesses1298 Words   |  6 Pages The impact of big data to businesses CIS 5681 Research Project Big Data Solution for Businesses Summer 2015 06/24/2015 Sai Kireety Kokkiligadda Sxk77140@ucmo.edu â€Æ' Abstract Big data is buzzword in every field of business as well as research. Organizations have found its application across various sectors from Sports to Security, from Healthcare to e-Commerce. Information when rightly put in use can cease the market. For instance, with the rise of smart phone purchases, transactions through

The Human Animal Bond free essay sample

The year 2003 started out the same as any other year. It was my second year in the Army and I was just beginning to get used to the demands of military life, when, all of a sudden, my unit got orders to go to Iraq. I felt as if my world had been turned upside down, and I had no idea how I was going to get through the deployment and still keep my sanity. About three months into the deployment, I was taking the trash out after dinner when it happened. As I was about to launch the bag into the trash trailer, I could have sworn I heard a cat meow. I thought, â€Å"I must be crazy! † I hadn’t seen a cat since I left the United States, but sure enough when I bent down to look under the trailer, there he was. Staring back at me was a cat that could have passed for my childhood cat. I doubted that he would come to me if I called him, but I decided to give it a try anyway, and to my surprise he came! This was the beginning of a three month relationship. I started calling him Marvin since he reminded me so much of the cat I had when I was young. For the three months I spent about 30 minutes a day with Marvin. He would usually show up right around dinner time. He always knew where he could find me, and when he did, he would come over and jump into my lap and lay down. He would sit with me for a while and I would pet him and talk to him about my day. Some of the people I worked with would come by and tell me that I was crazy for touching a stray cat in the middle of Iraq. â€Å"He might have a disease,† they would say. I didn’t care what they said, Marvin was important to me. There I was in the middle of the desert in Iraq, half a world away from my family and everything familiar to me. For half an hour a day, sometimes more, that little cat allowed me to forget where I was for a while. There are countless other stories of the bond that humans and animals share. In recent years, we have also learned how animals can help humans overcome a wide range of social and individual problems. The relationship between animals and humans provides a common social bond among people of diverse cultural backgrounds, and due to animals’ unique capabilities, they are able to improve our lives. The most common human-animal bond is the relationship we have with our pets. Other ways are through therapy animals, and service nimals. Therapy and service animals are different from each other because of the types of training they receive and the ways that they assist humans. Each bond is unique and provides a specific benefit to the participants. NEADS (Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans) was established in 1976 to train and provide independence to people who are deaf or physically disabled through the use of canine assistance. These assistance dogs become an extension of their owners and bring security, freedom, independence and relief from social isolation to their human partners (NEADS, np). Service Dogs are trained to assist people who are physically disabled. They are trained to retrieve things that drop, portable telephones, or items from shelves and other hard-to-reach places; open refrigerator and other doors; push elevator buttons; turn light switches on and off; carry items in their mouths or backpacks; pull wheelchairs up ramps or short distances; go get help should their partner need human assistance. (NEADS, np) A Hearing Dog is specially trained to assist a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. The dog is trained to respond to sounds such as a smoke alarm, baby crying, doorbell, alarm clock etc. nd alert his or her deaf partner that these sounds have occurred (NEADS, np). Service dogs can help disabled people in the following ways: The person who uses a wheelchair can now retrieve dropped items without having to call someone for help. The child with a hearing disability is alerted to the school bell signaling a class change. The person with a visual impairmen t can walk in the park without holding on to another person. This independence can be accompanied by an increase in self-esteem as the person no longer has to rely solely on other people (Delta Society, np). Specifically for disabled children, a service dog becomes a constant companion acting as a facilitator of social interaction. The dog can be an icebreaker in social situations where disabled children are often shunned by their peers. Service dogs can help to encourage conversation and to facilitate the formation of friendships (Delta Society, np). NEADS also trains specialized dogs as service dogs in the ministry. These dogs know skills such as retrieving things that are dropped, opening doors or cabinets, turning on and off light switches and more. They are placed with a minister in a church setting or as a chaplain in an institutional setting. The dog accompanies the minister in his or her duties including visiting those in hospitals, nursing homes or private residences, conducting worship services, greeting parishioners, meetings and day to day activities through the community. They also accompany the minister on pastoral calls, are present during worship, help with children’s’ stories, and provide comfort to those who are distressed. The presence of a friendly, soft, engaging animal often puts people at ease. Children especially seem to find comfort in the presence of a friendly dog. And, as one minister explained: â€Å"I discovered that pastoral counseling took on a whole new depth with my service dog present. Some people stroke him as they talk seeming to gain comfort from his soft coat. Others talk to him or through him making it easier for them to express themselves(NEADS, np). Social Dogs are trained to assist children and adults who can benefit from the therapeutic value of a dog, but are not able to assume total responsibility for its care and training. A third party facilitator (parent, guardian or PCA) will help with the dogs daily needs and learn to assist in public situations. Social dogs may also be trained to assist a therapist or counselor in settings such as nursing homes, halfway houses and psychotherapy centers (NEADS, np). There are also specially trained dogs which are paired with social workers, therapists, and teachers who work with children who have physical, emotional or developmental disabilities. They are integrated into the educational curriculum as motivators and serve as an innovative teaching tool for the children (NEADS, np). Therapy Dogs International has a program called â€Å"Tail Waggin’ Tutors†. The objective of this program is to provide a relaxed and â€Å"dog-friendly† atmosphere, which allows students to practice the skill of reading. Many of the children chosen for this program have difficulties reading and as a result have developed self-esteem issues. They are often self-conscious when reading aloud in front of other classmates. When reading to the dog, all threats of being judged are put aside. The child relaxes, pets the attentive dog, and focuses on the reading. Reading improves because the child is practicing the skill of reading, building self-esteem, and associating reading with something pleasant (TDI, np). At Murray State, pet therapy is used to help de-stress students during finals week as well as once every month during the regular academic year. This also allows the dogs live up to their role as â€Å"man’s best friend. † Pet therapy began several years ago during finals week at Waterfield Library. â€Å"That was so successful that we started doing it once a month at the library,† Henderson said. â€Å"We still try to do it during finals week. It’s been shown in character that being around a dog and petting a dog actually lowers blood pressure. Henderson is one of the owners of the dogs being used as therapy dogs at the university (Taylor, np). Therapy animals are used in the aftermath of natural disasters or catastrophic events to assist victims and rescue workers in dealing with emotional trauma. Their steady and unwavering companionship helps to provide consolation. Physical contact has a calming effect and dogs have the ability to bring back pleasant memories of a persons life. Therapy dogs help combat loneliness and they give people the chance to have something to look forward to (TDI, np). Non-traditional animals such as horses and dolphins are also used as service and therapy animals. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (D. A. T. ) is a new and exciting field of modern medicine that has shown extraordinary results in relation to the conventional methods of treatments such as prescribed medication, human therapy and others. It is relatively new, but already has documented results in patients that chose to try it. Dolphin therapy programs are designed to help children and adults with physical, developmental, and chronic physical problems. The program consists of classroom and in water activities (dolphin assisted therapy. com, np). Horse therapy is used to help children with mental and emotional disorders. Children with autism and attention deficit disorder can benefit from horse therapy. Even those showing severe anti-social and aggressive behavior become calmer and more communicative. (wayofthehorse. com, np). Children with ADD will focus on the horse for long periods while grooming or leading the horse when usually they cant concentrate long enough to do anything much. Autistic children who are withdrawn and living very much in their own world will begin to express themselves often using new words or gestures theyve never expressed before. † (wayofthehorse. com, np). The Colorado Boys Ranch (CBR) is one place where they offer this kind of therapy to emotionally challenged boys. Most of the boys here come from the inner cities and many of them have been in jail or reform schools (Canfield, 113). The story of Martin comes from a â€Å"Chicken Soup† book. When he came to the ranch, the fifteen year old had already been in jail for a variety of offenses, including assault. Martin had a serious attitude problem and was always pushing smaller kids in order to get in the front of the line. He had never had experience with animals, but chose to do the horsemanship program at the ranch. When it was time for riding, Martin was the one trying to ride as fast and as reckless as he could. One day, one of the mares suddenly became ill and died. While the staff was unsuccessfully trying to feed her newborn foal, Martin came rushing into the barn, pushing his way through all the other kids to see what was going on. He started yelling that he wanted to feed the horse. The staff let him, and amazingly the foal responded to him. When he asked what would happen to her now that her mother had died, the staff told him that she needed someone to watch over her. Martin said he would be her new â€Å"Mama†. Martin read everything he could about horses and within a few months, he was one of the best horsemanship students at the ranch. His attitude changed, and he even began to help the younger boys with saddling their horses and other tasks. When Martin came to the ranch, he was considered a â€Å"lost cause† and nobody thought there was much hope left for him (Canfield, 113-6). Stories like Martin’s are proof of the importance of the human-animal bond. When everything else had failed, the relationship a teenage boy developed with a newborn foal was enough to turn his life around. In today’s culture, animals are practically as important to us as the air we breathe. Pets can be found in over 60% of households, and 90% of owners consider their pet to be a family member. (Brodie, 330). A drive around town or a stroll around the mall is all it takes to see how important pets are to those who have them. Bumper stickers that read, â€Å"I love my Golden Retriever†, or â€Å"Cocker Spaniel on board† can be seen all over town. Entire stores and websites are devoted to our pets, but studies have shown that happiness is not the only thing our pets can provide us with. There are a number of reasons why acquiring a companion animal is beneficial to health (Serpell, 720). Pet owners report benefits to their well-being such as ongoing reciprocal affection, companionship and affection. In addition, it has been claimed that companion animals protect against boredom, loneliness, and helplessness in nursing home settings (Winefield, 303). As far as pets providing us with health benefits, many medical studies have been done to prove that pets are beneficial to us. In a blood pressure study, Brodie states pet owners had significantly lower systolic blood pressure and plasma triglycerides than non-pet owners. Male pet owners had lower cholesterol levels when compared with male non-pet owners with similar BMI, smoking habits and socioeconomic status (331). Pet owning subjects had significantly decreased blood pressure when they interacted with their pets when compared with a resting control group. 331) Brodie states that although there are some conflicting results, general research and published material tentatively suggests that human/pet interaction can have positive effects on human health. Those effects include: decreased loneliness, improved morale, and increased social interaction (333). Brodie also states that it may be justified to accept that those people who interact with pet animals may benefit from improved physical, psychological and social health experiences and that animals can provide specific benefits for special groups in society (the disabled) (334). In another blood pressure study, when the effects of pet ownership on cardiovascular responses to psychological stress were examined, the results showed that ACE inhibitor therapy only lowers resting blood pressure, whereas the addition of social support (a pet) lowers responses to stress (Allen, 817). During an exit conference of the study to which all of the dog owners and most of the cat owners brought their pets. The question, â€Å"how has your pet changed your life? † was posed to the group. By consensus, the response with the highest rating was, â€Å"having this pet makes me better able to see what is really important and to put things into perspective†(Allen, 818). When asked about the pros and cons of pet ownership, participants responded that â€Å"the positive aspects far outweighed any added expense or responsibility and that they would never give up their pets†(Allen, 818). Allen states that participants were asked to â€Å"identify whether they thought pets influenced their resting blood pressure, their responses to stress or both. All participants except for two who answered â€Å"both† believed their pets helped lower their blood pressure. Participants also claimed they believed the combination of drug therapy and pet ownership over all contributed to their lower blood pressure. (819) In another study, Cline states that dog ownership may also decrease depression through promoting physical activity, and that physical activity has been shown to improve psychological well-being. Also, dog owners are more likely to get the prescribed 30 minutes of daily exercise than non-dog owners. Singles may benefit more from dog ownership than married people because the dog serves as an alternative source of social support (119). Cline also states that older owners are especially likely to gain benefits from dogs because the dog is the primary focus in conversation with others during walks. All of these individuals talked to their dogs during walks. Dog ownership may have more positive effects on women’s than men’s depression because women seek social support more than men do, and also because women place a higher value on their relationship with their pet. Pets can have positive effects on well-being, but these effects may not be the same for all individuals (120). Cline states that â€Å"dog ownership is at an all-time high in the United States, with approximately 39 percent of households owning at least one dog. The impact of dog ownership on psychological health is becoming increasingly important as the landscape of family life continues to change (e. g. families living further apart, increased divorce rate, etc. )† (127). â€Å"There has been a more or less implicit assumption that the human-animal bond is a form of emotional attachment with the same benefits as close human relationships. (Winefield, 304). For those of us who have pets, this statement is true. To some, animals are a necessity for them to retain their independence. For others, animals help them to see a purpose in life and give them something to live for. In order to get the benefit of the human-animal bond, it is not necessary to own a pet. Any interaction with animals can benefit us in some way. Even a short, three month relationship with a cat in the middle of Iraq had an impact on me that I will never forget.