UCC SUMMER CLASSES

In spite of the tendency to treat summer as a break from the normal routine, students are finding that the large menu of courses and schedules offered by Union County College can take some pressure off the regular academic schedules they face in fall and spring semesters.

This summer, Union County College is offering over 350 credit classes in subjects that are transferable to almost any college program. Summer offerings include classes in English, Business, Economics, Fine Arts, History, Sociology, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics, Government, Computers, Foreign Languages, Criminal Justice, and Accounting.

With variable starting dates that from May through July, and sessions that can be as short as three or as long as 12 weeks, UCC affords students maximum flexibility. Most courses are held Monday through Thursday.

For added convenience, students can select from a large number of distance education courses also being offered this summer. With online or telecourses, students can learn at home at their own pace. These courses are equivalent to traditional courses, except that most of the information is presented over the Internet or on a set of videotapes.

Union County College; 908-709-7518

QUICK CHEK NEW JERSEY FESTIVAL OF BALLOONING

The 24th annual Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in association with PNC Bank will take off July 28-30, 2006 at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ. The annual event is North America’s largest summertime hot air balloon festival and is the premier family entertainment event in the Garden State, attracting 150,000 people each year. The three-day festival features up to 125 hot air balloons and offers morning-through-night family entertainment, including fireworks, live musical entertainment, children’s amusement rides, and hundreds of arts and crafts booths and food vendors, truly something for everyone.

A special return feature this year is the Quick Chek Original Toasted Italian Sub Eating Contest. Here’s an overview of this year’s Festival highlights:

Up to 125 colorful hot air balloons, both sport and special-shaped, are scheduled to fill the skies. Special-shaped balloons are a staple of the festival. This year’s group includes the 135-foot-tall Quick Chek Eagle; the PNC Bank American Flag; the Little Bees, the only balloons that hold hands and kiss in mid-flight, a pink, 16-story-high Energizer Bunny; and Beagle Maximus, the world’s largest dog, who is making his festival debut. Balloon ascensions are scheduled at the calmest hours of the day: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., wind and weather permitting.

• Kachunga & The Alligator and the Purina Incredible Dog Team top the list of family attractions.
• The Festival concert series on the Bud Light Main Stage begins Friday at 8:00 p.m. with New Riders of the Purple Sage. Headlining Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. will be The Charlie Daniels Band, presented by State Farm in association with NJ101.5 FM. Peter Frampton, presented by PNC Bank and Q104.3 FM, takes center stage Sunday at 3 p.m. His performance will be followed by the Festival’s final hot air balloon ascension at 6:30 p.m. Musical performances are held rain or shine.
• The Marriott Hotel Fireworks Extravaganza is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Friday. The New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism Balloon Glow lights up the Festival grounds Saturday night at 9 p.m.

Festival hours are July 28, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.; July 29, from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and, July 30, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Call 1-800-HOT-AIR-9 or visit www.balloonfestival.com to order tickets.

SHOULD YOUR STUDENT TAKE THE SAT’S OR THE ACT’S
by Willard H. Blaskopf Jr.
Myrna G. Wasserman Educational Center

Now that just about every college accepts both the SAT’s and the ACT’s, which one should your student take is a question that many parents of high school students
are asking.

By now, most people know that the “new” SAT’s offer a writing sample as part of their scoring. In fact, the SAT’s now offer maximum grades of 800 in each of Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, and Writing. The maximum score is now 2400.

The ACT’s have four required sections and an “optional” Essay section. The ACT’s test in Mathematics, Reading, English, and Science. Each section has a maximum score of 36 and the ACT’s compile these into a cumulative score. Each section’s score and the cumulative score are reported to the colleges.

Except for the essay section, which both tests now offer, the tests are still multiple choice. The grading of the multiple choice sections differs on the two tests. The SAT’s count up the number correct and subtract 1/2 of a point for each incorrect answer. Blank questions do not hurt the scoring on either test. The ACT’s add up
only the total number correct in each subject before computing a score. The SAT’s therefore discourage random guessing while the ACT’s encourage guessing.

The ACT questions are generally worded as a teacher would word them in class. The questions are usually straightforward. The SAT’s will often word a question in a “confusing” manner so that the student must first read the problem, interpret what is asked, and then solve the problem. Particularly in math, some students are better at one type of question than the other. Examples of test questions can be found at www.collegeboard.com and www.act.org.

Students taking the SAT’s must sit through 10 sections: three Math, three Reading Comprehension, three Writing, and one experimental section. The test is now over four hours long. The sections range from 10 to 25 minutes each. The SAT uses the experimental section to test out problems for future SAT’s and does not count
towards a students score.

The ACT’s require the students to sit through only one section each of Mathematics, English, Reading, and Science along with the optional Essay section, which every student really should take. The sections range from 30 to 55 minutes long.

Another difference in the tests is “score choice.” The ACT’s have it and the SAT’s do not. Score choice means that a student can choose which sitting or sittings they want sent to the colleges. The SAT’s send every sitting to the colleges.

There are other unlisted differences in the two tests. Which test is best for your student is best determined by your student’s strengths and weaknesses, how they take a test and their high school experience.

Myrna G. Wasserman Educational Center; 1044 Route 22 West, Mountainside; 908-654-7227; dr.math@comcast.net.

PREVIOUS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4