November 4, 2024

Prospective College Students Looking for Value in Education Find Plenty of Top-Notch Options

According the US News, the average incoming college student will take cost into consideration when school shopping. While some may believe that a higher price means a better education, that simply isn’t always the case. The following highly respected schools have all been placed on the 2014 Best Value Schools list for offering excellent academics along with consumer friendliness.

California Institute of Technology

Just outside of Los Angeles, Caltech was founded in 1891 and boasts alumni such as Nobel laureates Vernon Smith and Douglas D. Osheroff along with Intel founder Gordon Moore and Former US Senator and Astronaut Harrison Schmitt. 52% of students here receive needs-based grants meaning the average 4-year tuition is approximately $21,500.

Cornell University

Attracting scholars from 122 countries, Cornell University is considered one of America’s premiere Ivy League Research Centers. And with an average degree costing just over $21,000 after grants and scholarships are accounted for, it’s one of the most affordable schools in the nation for those who can keep up with the curriculum. [Read more…]

Apostle Pierre Bennett: Praying for One Another

Apostle Pierre Bennett

Apostle Pierre Bennett

Apostle Pierre Bennett has lived a life full of ups and downs, on his path to find true righteousness. While in church with his grandmother as a child, Apostle Pierre Bennett was first introduced to the Word, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Apostle Pierre Bennett was inspired to found God’s Luv International Ministries Church.

According to Apostle Pierre Bennett, it’s easier to believe God will work miracles when you pray for a complete stranger. Apostle Pierre Bennett says that when we pray for someone we know, we have our emotions attached to it.  When we pray for people we don’t know, it can be even more powerful than when we pray for ourselves.

Apostle Pierre Bennett   says we are to pray for each other. We often pray more passionately for someone else than we do for ourselves.  That’s because when we pray for others, our own human intellect and feelings don’t get in the way, as they do when we pray for ourselves.    Apostle Pierre Bennett encourages his congregation to have prayer partners. You pray for each other, in addition to praying together for certain blessings. The Bible says one can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight, Apostle Pierre Bennett quotes from Deuteronomy 32:30. That means the prayer of two is more powerful than the prayer of just one.

Praying together also helps keep the enemy at bay, according to Apostle Pierre Bennett. Once you’ve prayed together, you’ve agreed and trusted together in it. If one person’s faith gets shaky, the other is there to carry forward. Apostle Pierre Bennett uses the example of people who know something is bothering them but can’t seem to say it. The enemy is holding their tongue, Apostle Pierre Bennett says, because the enemy doesn’t want them to heal. The enemy knows once you are healed you may be ready to move to the next level spiritually. So, Apostle Pierre Bennett continues, by confessing it, you can defeat the enemy.

Pray to God to give you the healing you need, Apostle Pierre Bennett advises. Pray to be delivered and strengthened so you can move past the pain. If God can strengthen you, that particular thing will stop being a weakness and you’ll move forward from it, according to Apostle Pierre Bennett.

But you have to have faith, Apostle Pierre Bennett states. Your faith in God’s power may not be as strong as it should be at that time, but by praying with someone else, together you’ll be able to find the faith you need, at every level.

Dr. Pierre Bennett Stresses Following God’s Word

Dr. Pierre Bennett

Dr. Pierre Bennett

Interviewing Experts recently spoke with Dr. Pierre Bennett about how he feels that the world, as a whole, can learn to work together to fulfill God’s plan for us all.

Interviewing Experts: Good morning, Dr. Pierre Bennett. We thank you for taking this time out of your busy schedule to be with us today.

Dr. Pierre Bennett: I appreciate you asking me. God does have a way of opening up opportunities to spread His word doesn’t He?

Interviewing Experts: Yes, indeed. Can you tell us exactly what you think people can do to live more harmoniously?

Dr. Pierre Bennett: I always refer back to Joshua. You see, God told Joshua he could take the city of Jericho if he followed a specific set of instructions. Joshua, without question, did as God told him.

Interviewing Experts: And the city’s wall fell, yes?

Dr. Pierre Bennett: That’s right. Because Joshua had the courage to be obedient and follow God’s word without question, he was able to achieve his goal. I think that if we all followed this example  we could all achieve our goals individually and learn to live together peacefully.

Interviewing Experts: For our readers’ benefit can you please explain a bit more about the story of Joshua?

Dr. Pierre Bennett: Well, God told Joshua to take the city of Jericho. Jericho was a virtually impenetrable fortress and Joshua only had a few men. Then God directed Joshua and his men basically into an army formation  with the Ark of the Covenant in the center In carrying the Ark the priests carried around the physical symbol of  the essence,  power, and Spirit of God.

Interviewing Experts: For somebody actually there it must have looked like a great marching band.

Dr. Pierre Bennett: That’s right, with the Spirit of God right smack in the middle.

Interviewing Experts: And God had specific instructions too…

Dr. Pierre Bennett: He had a specific instruction for them to march around Jericho seven times. A lot of times we get lax in following instructions. We don’t pay attention to the details. But when God is giving you something very specific it is because He wants you to follow it to the letter.

Interviewing Experts: We wonder how many people in the natural would have said, “I’m not marching around that place seven times. That’s crazy.”

Dr. Pierre Bennett: Amen. Many people would’ve gone around one or two times but then would’ve found a bush to duck behind. They would’ve said something about their feet hurt or they had a tummy ache. They might say they overslept and were too tired to keep on.

Interviewing Experts: Many people would’ve gotten stuck at the Jordan…

Dr. Pierre Bennett: They were in the specific formation that God had said. He also instructed the people to stay completely silent while the priests blew the horns. In other words, don’t shout until the seventh time. How many people would’ve followed that one?

Interviewing Experts: Very few… Seven times. That is very specific instruction.

Dr. Pierre Bennett: God knows what he’s doing. Think about it. In order for you to get to this interview this morning you had to get in your car and drive. You had to follow a specific set of instructions. This place is a little tricky to find. Without the instructions, the directions, you might not have made it.

Interviewing Experts: So what you are saying is that if you don’t pay attention to the specific instructions you can miss the mark for the destination you’re supposed to arrive at, right?

Dr. Pierre Bennett: That is exactly what I’m saying. But my main point is that if everybody in the world would just listen to God, we could each win our own individual battles and conquer our individual fears. And when people no longer have to live with fear, there can be peace.

Interviewing Experts: That makes perfect sense.

Dr. Pierre Bennett: You have to go just on faith. You follow me?

Interviewing Experts: Yes, sir! Well, Dr. Bennett we’re afraid that we’re out of time for the day but we really appreciate you taking this opportunity with us.

Dr. Pierre Bennett: Thank you for having me.

Dr. Pierre Bennett is the Pastor of God’s Luv International Ministries Church.  Meetings are held at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston, VA 20191.

Pastor Pierre Bennett: Learning to Practice the Fruits of the Spirit

Pastor Pierre Bennett

Pastor Pierre Bennett

Pastor Pierre Bennett is the founder of LifeSource Foundation, an organization that helps families in need. The organization, which fosters Pastor Pierre Bennett’s mission to create a worldwide ministry of care, that is committed to academic enrichment, prevention  and intervention programs that reverse the impact of unhealthy lifestyles to those in need.

Pastor Pierre Bennett urges his congregation at God’s Luv International Ministries Church to be good, faithful and gentle, and to practice self-control, even when they don’t feel like it. This, Pastor Pierre Bennett insists, will help them walk in the true power of God’s love.

Goodness, Pastor Pierre Bennett says, means doing the right thing all the time. If you are good, you are promoting love, Pastor Pierre Bennett believes.

By faithfulness, Pastor Pierre Bennett means you must remain faithful to people even when they aren’t returning that same faithfulness. By being faithful in love to those whose paths you cross, you are acting as an angel of God, Dr. Bennett tells his congregation. While people may not return that faithfulness right away, in time it will click for them if they are meant to follow a path that leads to God.

In being gentle, Pastor Pierre Bennett means you should reply with   kindness, even when someone is shouting and cursing in your presence. It also means practicing self-control. According to Pastor Pierre Bennett, when you hold back those feelings of anger–even when someone is trying to start a fight, you are serving as a good representative of Jesus Christ.

Walking in the power of God’s love has many benefits. Everything you have that is not in God’s likeness is removed from you when you begin following His example, Pastor Pierre Bennett tells members of God’s Luv International Ministries. Even things you don’t like about yourself will be removed from you—things you don’t even realize you don’t like, until you’re free of them.

Additionally, those things you do like about yourself will be multiplied when you follow God’s Word, Pastor Pierre Bennett explains. The gifts and talents that make you special are multiplied until you are almost superhuman, according to Pastor Pierre Bennett.

Pastor Pierre Bennett quotes from John 3:16: “For God so loved the world.” God loved the world and God loves you. Pastor Pierre Bennett suggests telling people you love them–even strangers–if only for the freeing feeling it gives you. That warm feeling of love can be with you all the time once you choose to follow God, Pastor Pierre Bennett says. By loving others, you’ll have an abundance of blessings and that is exactly what He wants for you.

Inga Freise Stahle | How Many Ways to Say…Anything

Inga Freise Stahle

Inga Freise Stahle

Profiling Lingual Prodigy Inga Freise Stahle

Most people speak one, perhaps two languages if their home is bicultural. There are those who top out at three lingual proficiencies, and then there is Inga Freise Stahle. Inga Freise Stahle is proficient in five different languages.

Inga Freise Stahle’s native tongues are French and German, however a Swiss upbringing adds yet another dialect to her collection. Inga Freise Stahle’s status as a business professional adds to her reasoning for mastering the English language.   [Read more…]

Stephen Pitz Promotes the Value of Fine Arts in Public Schools

Stephen Pitz has spent many years teaching students. Recently, Stephen Pitz made the decision to step away from teaching and focus on his goal of becoming an author and poet. His experience as a teacher convinced Stephen Pitz that fine arts are critical to student development.

According to Stephen Pitz, schools with arts and theatre programs teach students to think creatively. For this reason, Stephen Pitz believes that students need opportunities to learn how to use such creativity. Without such opportunities, Stephen Pitz believes that his own love of writing and poetry could never have grown to such great lengths. Fine arts are valuable tools that provide learning experiences for students, says Stephen Pitz.

Another argument for keeping arts and theatre programs in schools, according to Stephen Pitz, is that students will learn to spend their time more wisely. Many children spend countless hours each week playing video games for fun, but Stephen Pitz suggests that fine arts is a much more productive way to find enjoyment. Developing talent is a huge confidence builder, says Stephen Pitz, and without it, students are missing out on an important element of learning. Spending time productively is important to prepare for the real world, insists Stephen Pitz.

Stephen Pitz’ own experience in education has provided him the basis to give recommendations to school administrators for fine arts programs. For one, participation should be required for some amount of time. Students may not realize the benefits of participating without a push in the right direction. Stephen Pitz also states that, for many students, it takes time to understand why fine arts are so important to their overall education. The benefits far outweigh the cost, says Stephen Pitz, and schools ultimately will function better when they provide students an arts and theatre program.

Online Computer Training | An Asset to Better Business Skills

Information Technology (IT) professionals must find ways to stay current in their chosen field of vocation, which may often require more than a basic training update. Staying up-to-date with relevant materials is also essential. The world of computers is one that changes so often that without the latest information available, an IT professional can soon fall behind.
More and more IT pros go online to seek further computer training, both for new knowledge or to upgrade a current base. Finding educational tools online is a relatively simple process. Entering keywords “online computer training” as well as the “desired field” in Google or other search engines will return numerous results. Qualified computer training businesses are easily found. A decade ago, online computer training was a small niche market, but as the demand has grown, so has the number of online computer training service providers.

Prior to signing up for an online course, it is essential to do adequate research on the various options available.  Begin by checking the credentials of the institutions that seem to best fit the required needs. Again, looking on a major search engine like Google for accredited online computer training schools is easy to do from the comfort of your home or office. While researching a school first may seem to be common sense, it is often a step that is overlooked by potential students. This can lead to disappointment, wasted time and money on the part of an individual looking for further training.  Many times, however, financial institutions and lenders require proof of accreditation before releasing loan funds to a college or university, especially if the learning institution is online.

Buyer beware if an online computer training schools promises to teach in a couple of weeks what normally requires a month to learn. Confirm that a school will provide comprehensive support through an 800 number and email. Look for computer training mentorship with a trained IT professional.

Whether you seek a new certification or to upgrade a current knowledge base, it is possible to accomplish your goals for a reasonable cost through online computer training. You will also find that most courses are structured so that students have the benefit of self-paced instruction. The ability to set a learning schedule has served to aid the popularity of online computer training courses. This type of self-paced instruction usually mandates more focused time to complete the study. In other words, to obtain 14 hours of training in a particular skill, the student must not log less than 14 hours of learning time, which maintains the integrity of the certification. The student’s progress is also tracked, along with other pertinent data. This enables a student to pause the study at any given point and then resume later on as time permits.

So whether an IT professional wishes to sharpen valuable computer skills or obtain a completely new skill, online computer training is a viable and relatively simple process.

Guide for Parents | Learning About Student Loans, Scholarships, and Grants for College

If your child is a high school junior, no doubt you’ve already started the search for a college in earnest. This, of course, brings with it many mixed feelings – pride, joy, and the anticipation of loss. Finding the right college or university is one of the challenges of life that most parents face, and despite the current financial climate, it’s still a given for many families.

Although it is one of the major milestones of life, high school graduation is not the end. In fact, as the word “commencement” infers, it is just the beginning of tougher challenges that await your student in coming years – going deeper into studies to receive a college education.

It is never too early to begin planning how you will finance the studies of your college-bound child. With the increasing expense that tuition represents, it is essential to plan ahead of time to avoid any unforeseen surprises, especially if, like most people, you haven’t inherited great wealth. The sooner you start planning for the college education of your child, the less stress and pressure you will encounter later on.

To begin with, it is important that you educate yourself regarding the different financial aid programs available for college and university students. There are many options available, and your child’s school guidance counselor will help you sort out the possibilities. You may also find unexpected blessings as you search the Internet for loans and scholarships.

A basic type of college financial aid available is a GRANT. This form of assistance requires the completion of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. This is a process that can be initiated online, and you can learn more by going to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Once the application has been submitted, it will be evaluated to determine what sort of financial aid for which your student is qualified. The application will ask that you provide the name of the college(s) for which your child wants to apply, the FAFSA information will then be forwarded on to each school.

A second form of financial assistance is a SCHOLARSHIP. Although scholarships are usually assumed to be intended solely for students who have “brains” but do not have the “fortune”, not all college scholarships are limited to academics. Students who do not have the most pristine academic record can still qualify for many other college scholarships. For instance, many athletes are eligible for college sports scholarships, and other students qualify for community service work scholarships, social involvement scholarships, etc.

STUDENT LOANS provide a way to make college possible by offering lower interest rates as compared to traditional types of loans. At times the loans are subsidized, so that interest does not accumulate until a student finishes college. Furthermore, these loans are uncollateralized, which means there is no risk to your home when you get this student loan for your child. Most of these loans are available on a variety of repayment plans at low interest rates and low monthly installment payments.

If you have not begun to research various financial aid programs that might be available to your family, it is highly recommended that you begin sooner rather than later. Doing the legwork now will help you be prepared as your child grows toward the milestone of high school graduation and successful adulthood.