All you need is an iOS device and an Apple ID. Download the free Cards app from the App Store, then get creating! There is a wide selection of Mother’s Day card designs, and it is extremely easy to add your own text and photos. 

To create a card, simply touch on the design you want. Then, enter any text or add a photo for the outside of the card. To add text, simply touch a region where text is already present, and type whatever you want. To add or change a photo, tap an area with a photo on it and either take one with your device’s camera or choose one from your library.

To change the inside of the card, tap the “Inside” tab and edit any text and/or photos using the method described above. 

When the card is done, tap the “Envelope” tab at the top of the screen and enter your return address in the top left corner, and your Mother’s address in the center. Postage is applied automatically when you purchase the card. 

When everything is all set, tap the price button in the top right corner of the screen, and click Buy Now to order the card to be sent directly to your mother, wherever in the world she is. To mail within the United States, the base price is $2.99 plus any applicable tax. Mailing internationally has a base price of $4.99 plus any applicable taxes. 

Enter your Apple ID and password, submit, and your card will be uploaded and delivered. Your card should arrive at its destination within approximately 1 week if mailing within the United States and within 3 weeks if mailing internationally.

Happy Mother’s Day, and happy card creating!

The first thing that you need to think about is how far you’re willing to move. Some people cross the world to go to university, while some are not willing to go anywhere that they need to move out of their home for. You should consider things such as how you’d get to university from home, how much things are going to cost where you’re planning to live, and what you would do if you were not able to go to your first choice university. 

The second thing that you should think about is which subject you’re going to want to do. Different institutions are better at different subjects, and this means that you should always look into this rather than just thinking about which university is best overall. You can find information about this on a lot of websites. You need to make sure that the subject of your choice is something that you really enjoy, as you’re going to be dedicating a lot of time and effort to it over the course of the next few years should you get onto the course of your choice.

The other thing that you need to consider is whether you’re going to get the grades that you need. You should know how good you are at your chosen A Level subjects and will therefore have some kind of idea about which places will be in your ability and which just will not. There is not all that much point in applying to places where you’re just not going to be able to get the grades, because this means that you will have much less chance of getting an offer to somewhere that it is possible for you to achieve.

When you have considered all of these things, then you should have a decent shortlist of some universities that you think you could be able to attend. Once this is the case, you can start booking yourself onto open days at the universities that you like the look of. You will not know whether you truly want to attend anywhere until you have been there. You will then be able to see what the local areas are like, what the buildings are like, what the tutors are like, and what the halls of residence are like. All of these things are important when you’re making your choices, because at the end of the day you have to live there for several years of your life, so you want it to be somewhere that you’re going to be able to be happy.

Overall, just remember that this is going to be one of the most imporatant decisions that you might ever take for yourself. This is not just about your education, but it is also about the rest of your life, and this means that you really need to think hard about which university you eventually choose. For me, university was one of the best times of my life, and I know that this could be the case for you as well if you make a well informed decision for yourself. 

Professor Richard Wiseman, Hertfordshire University Psychologist has helped to create an iPhone application to find out if our dreams can be influenced.  The application, available today (Monday, April 9) will be used to gather data as part of a mass experiment as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, where it is assumed the findings will be made public.

The application is called “Dream: ON,” and can be downloaded for FREE from the iPhone “app” store, and there is a plan to create a version to be used on Android phones in the near future.

How it Works

Before going to sleep, select the time you want to wake up, and choose your ideal dream scenario soundscape from those offered.  You then put your phone on the mattress close to your head, face down.  The application has an in-built motion sensor to decide when you are dreaming by recording your movements. 

Since there are three phases to sleep, (deep, light and REM), the application will be able to differentiate which stage of sleep you are in because during the first two stages, the body is restless.  However, when you are in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage, the brain paralyzes the body.  This is also the “dream” phase.

The application waits for the REM phase and then plays the chosen dream scenario, and will wake you up within a minute of this phase ending.  By waking you within a minute (which will be close to your chosen time to wake), there is a high chance that you will remember your dream, and are then invited to record your dream to the online database.

There are even soundscapes (recordings) that may encourage “lucid” dreams, whereby you know you are dreaming and can influence what happens in your dream. 

The experiment can potentially gain some important insights to the unconscious mind, and provide valuable information in helping individuals with sleeping disorders, and maybe, help professionals learn more about how we interpret our dreams.  Too Sci-Fi for you?  Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

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When my family applied for residency we applied in the catagory of skilled workers with a wait time for processing of about 13 months at the time.  All applications sent before the date in 2008 were expected to take about 5-6 years which was a long time but obviously some people already had their applications in.

There have been messages to my parents stating that even though they applied after the 2008 date they have been hitting further and further delays.  They have now been here 3 years and still no residency.  They came as tempory foreign workers just like we did.  The apx processing time is now about 27 months so they should have had requests for medicals by now.

I do not think the new rule is fair at all as now immigration to Canada for skilled workers has a cap for each occupation meaning that most of the returned applicants wont even be able to re apply for another year or more as once they reach the cap for a trade they return them. 

I understand that they have in unbelievable back log but my heart goes out to those families and people who are having their files returned.  Its a long wait and if you have been dreaming of moving to Canada,  I am sure most of them have had there lives on hold.  You go without things as you know you will have to sell what you cant take.  You never know when you will hear something or not and to have a dream crushed like this is extremely hard to deal with I am sure.  My family is lucky we applied after the date and we managed to get our residency but my parents are still waiting.  They are facing having to try and get another work permit which means they need to get an approval of an LMO first.  So much more paperwork and it is destroying our family and hope.  We don’t know how much longer they are going to be in Canada.  it is unfair that some files are taking so long.  I recently read that they are now picking the applicants they want meaning that they are probably not doing them in file order.  This too is unfair.  We all came as a family and only my parents are still waiting.  They also applied as skilled workers and have only just turned 50.  They are not old and my father is a fantastic trades person.  He has been employed by a Canadian employer now for 3 years and to have to think that because of the delays they may have to leave is totally unfair.  Something needs to be done to make this more fair for applicants.  I am sure it is ruining a lot of lives and causing stress to their families. 

For applicants for residency that are already working in Canada and can already support themselves and their family they should be able to continue to live and work here.  Let those people at least get on with their lives instead of worrying about the moving back and forth between countries.

So many things run through your mind.  Is there a problem, Are they going to decline it?  What can be the reason but no one can tell us anything and we are still within the new processing times so we just keep getting fobbed of with the same excuse.  Since we have been working in Canada now for over 2 years we can now apply for residency through the experience class so either way we should qualify.  There’s no points on the experience class.  Just experience, that’s it!  (Well pretty much)  We have a job and have been employed for 3 years,  We have now submitted an extra application for the experience class just to cover ourselves in case further delays are added.  Experience class processing times are currently showing 15 months compared to the present 27 months for the skilled worker applications.  Both files could still hit delays but what else can you do when further delays are added.  I would have hoped that Canada would look after their foreign workers.  They advertise that they want skilled workers and then don’t help them to settle and stay.  It is wrong and I hope to see changes where they do more to help people moving their entire families to make a new start and work for THEIR country!

After being a worker in Canada for 24 months however you can apply for experience class which the processing times are currently showing as 15 months so we are putting an additional application in to run along side the other one (Which is costing $1100 just to submit it) just in case the original application hits further delays.  There’s nothing we can do and if the work permits are not extended then leaving the country is the only option other than to request visitors status which costs extra money and does not allow you to work or have any health coverage.  The system is just rubbish.  Once you are hear and working they should make it easier for you to stay especially if you have a residency application in that has come across significant delays.  I can not see this being rectified before we run out of time and our whole family are going to suffer.  The grandchildren will not see their grandparents and vice versa and they are the only grandchildren.  Our family is going to be split and torn apart until something happens.

As with candidates, all universities are different, and each have their own individual preferences in prospective candidates. Some look for a student who is 100% committed to their studies, so these universities would like to see a personal statement with a strong focus on academics. This could include talking about books or articles you’ve read, any lectures you’ve attended or even any private tutoring you may have done relating to the subject. On the other hand there are universities that prefer to see evidence of a more balanced lifestyle. So if you’re applying to one of these uni’s then tell them if you play sports or have completed the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Elaborate on your points

4000 characters may not seem like a lot (and it isn’t) but don’t make any points without elaborating on what you have gained from it. Universities like to see an active involvement in your studies, so if you have read a book you found particularly interesting and mention it in your personal statement, discuss how it made you feel, rather than just saying that you read it and thought it was good. The same goes for anything else you talk about really. If you have been on a relevant trip (to a museum for instance), then what did you gain from it? If you have done some work experience, then what did you learn from it?

Steer clear of careers

From my experience, universities want students who really love their subject, and aren’t just going to grin and bear it for the three or four years they’re at uni so that they can pick up a nice salary when they graduate. So I would advise to steer clear of saying you want to study economics so you can go and work in an investment bank, for example. Obviously, if it is a course where the career is directly linked to it, medicine being a prime example, then ignore this advice completely and show that you have made an educated decision and put a lot of thought into the path that your life will be on if you study that course.

Read about the course

A major downfall many applicants have is that they are applying for something that they have a brief understanding of and pick their uni’s superficially without actually reading the course outline in either a prospectus or on the website. Some uni’s even outline the specific modules that you would be taking if that is where you ended up so why not make use of the information that is so easily available to you. Look at areas of the course that your selected universities have in common and base a few paragraphs around them. For example, if there is a foreign exchange programme on offer by your universities then clearly state that that may be something you are interested in. After all, if you discuss at depth an aspect of the subject that your university doesn’t offer modules in then they may see you not being a good fit for their course as an easy reason to reject you.

Don’t discuss your A Levels/other examination system subjects

Your teachers, referees, whoever, may disagree with me on this point but personally I feel that it is a waste of time discussing the subjects you study at college and how they relate to the course you are applying for. It is often recommended that applicants loosely link their subjects to their chosen course, but admissions tutors already know that English Literature has enabled you to read between the lines of a text, and that Mathematics lets you look at problems objectively, so the idea that you would tell them things they already know seems incredibly wasteful. Whilst 4000 characters may seem a lot to start with, believe me you will be looking for things to cut down by the time it comes to submitting your application. Make the most of the limited space you have.

More than enough times, I have seen students–my own classmates, friends–do things to “look good” for college. They traveled to Haiti so they would be recognized as benevolent; they fundraised for food banks so that colleges would know that they were conscientious individuals. No, I will not argue against the fact that they had certainly gained valuable experiences from their efforts, nor that those who received their services were grateful, nor certainly, that their resumes were granted some nice decorations. And no, I’m not being cynical–I have participated in such honorable activities with less than honorable intentions myself–and my classmates have openly admitted–and laughed–at their own pretensions. I remember an upperclassman, now a freshman at UPenn, smirk when I asked him about volunteering and reply that when it came to colleges, it was just the surface work that mattered.

Perhaps I have been extremely childish to even imagine the possibility that all the good work in this world could have been accomplished without any ulterior motives. Yet, this does not assuage my disappointment. I am at risk of sounding like a disillusioned naivete, yes, but I do wish that students like myself could be doing at least part of their “good deeds” for the sake of the intrinsic value of the deeds themselves, and not just because collegeboard prescribed so.

I wonder now, once we pass our still relatively sheltered stage of high school life, will we become yet more entrenched in this rule of surface scratching? Will the modest deeds done out of pure goodwill continue to be outshone by the better marketed acts of that ostensible sort?

I do not wish to make accusations here, nor be hypocritical. Simply, I wonder, is there anyone who still truly gives without expecting anything in return?

            Since the summer after my freshman year I have been working at a local Trap and Skeet Gun Club.  Working there has helped gain respect for social and cultural differences in many ways.  The people that shoot at the club are all different from one another, and have different stories to tell.  A majority of the shooters are older men, who have a lot of worldly experience.  I have got to know many of these people and their different backgrounds.  Working with and serving all of these different types of people has helped expose me to their many differences.

            After working at the club for around two years I was promoted to club manager.  This position put a lot of pressure on me and gave me a lot of new responsibilities.  As the club manager I was responsible for hiring, firing, supervising, and scheduling employees.  Doing all of this helped me to get to know a wide variety of people and how to handle them.

            I am a native Montanan, born and raised here.  The culture around here is different than other places in many ways.  Life here is very rural and agricultural, unlike most cities.  People from other states have a very stereotypical view of Montana as being nothing but farms and ranches.  This stereotype is untrue.  Allowing me to attend your university would allow me to show the people there what I am all about and share my personal experiences with them.

            I am a native Montanan, born and raised here.  I have always wanted to leave here and go to a bigger, more urban place.  College will be my first major opportunity to do so.  I have visited cities along the west coast and have always wanted to live in an urban environment.  Madison seems like an ideal town for me because it is more urban than any city in Montana, and more rural than a city like New York City.  The idea that there is still wilderness outside of the city limits, and lakes close to the city is perfect for me.

            Being from Montana symbolizes a lot in my mind.  People from here seem to have a special work ethic not seen in many other places around the country.  Many of the Montanans still live on farms and make their living off the land, but not all of them.  Living here I have noticed that it is very easy for someone to move from out of town or out of state and fit in.  Generally the people here are very nice and respectful to one another, and saying hello or waving to a person you have never met before is not out of the ordinary.  Being born and raised here has given me some of these attributes.  I can bring these attributes, being from a place where there are more horses than people, to Madison if I am given opportunity.  Typically people from out of state view Montanans stereotypically, and think we are all farmers or ranchers.  Going to Wisconsin would allow me to show people there that not all Montanans fit this stereotype, and that we are just like them.

            Not many people from here take interest in fields like chemical engineering and nuclear engineering, but I am unique.  One of the reasons I am interested in the University of Wisconsin so much, is because it is one of the only schools I have looked at that offers both of these majors.  Both of these programs at the University of Wisconsin are top of the line programs.  Being undecided on what I want to study, this is a big plus because it gives me time to decide and leaves my options open.  Most of the other schools I am looking at offer one of these two majors but not both.

            Going to school in Madison would be a great opportunity for me to grow and develop, and for me to bring everything I have to offer there.  Giving me the chance to study there would be a positive experience for the University of Wisconsin and myself.  I truly believe it would be a win-win situation for both me and the University.  Giving me the chance to prove myself, and accomplish what I want to accomplish would be greatly appreciated.