Years ago, many highly selective colleges and universities required that all applicants complete an interview with a staff member and/or an alumnus.

Now, far fewer educational institutions insist on an interview, although a significant number do. And, although other institutions do not use the word “interview”, they often rate applicants after conversing with them. At some institutions, even students participate in applicant evaluations.

You would be well advised to assume that anything you say to an institutional representative may influence your admission decision. Here are ten ways to help yourself.

1. Never indicate that a college or graduate school is not your first choice: if you do, you may put your chance of admission at risk.

2. Do not express doubt about continuing your education. Graduate school applicants should not express doubt about wanting to pursue the degree program in question. For grad school applicants, expressing doubt can be the kiss of death.

3. Dress appropriately for all meetings with institutional representatives.

4. Read the printed literature and websites of the institutions to which you are sending applications. Do not brand yourself as lazy by asking a question which can be answered after five minutes on the college/university website.

5. Never make a comment to a student tour guide or anyone else that you would not want the Dean of Admission to hear. If you do, he or she will.

6. Send thank you notes to anyone who spends significant time with you. The less generic they sound, the better.

7. If a family member accompanies you on a campus visit, which can be a good idea, be sure he/she knows not to be a “helicopter” parent or spouse.

8. Have a few well-conceived questions prepared to underline your interest. The critical phrase here is “well-conceived”.

9. Do not make statements that assume your admission, regardless of your qualifications. Humility is a virtue…if you don’t have it, fake it until you do.

10. Meet with representatives of your top choices only after you have had practice with a few of your back up choices. It’s a good strategy.

Essentially, successful interviewing is a combination of good manners, well developed listening skills, reasonable analytical ability, and practice. You can do it.

After high school many people dream of going to college for the next several years, meeting lots of life long friends and going to a lot of parties. That reality is not the case for everyone though. It costs money and takes time for that lifestyle and many people need to finish college fast to earn a degree and get out in the real world supporting them and their family.

Someone in the military for example who does not have the luxury to be on a campus due to the fact that they are out at sea or overseas for an extended period of time. Another example would be someone who works fulltime and is not able to stop working in order to finish a degree program.

Whatever the reason for not being able to go to college fulltime to finish a degree there are other options to consider. So yes the traditional experience of going to college may not happen fully or at all, but at least it is possible to still complete a degree and get on with your professional working life as quick as possible.

The first thing you may be thinking is online or distance education programs. Yes those can be great ways to get a college degree without being on campus and giving you flexibility to do so.

To finish as fast as you can it may require additional steps as well. In case you are not aware there are tests that if you successfully pass them (and there are study guides) you may not be required to then complete certain college classes. Completing one or several of these tests could save you money and time.

The CLEP or College Level Examination Program is one of these tests. Some colleges allow you to earn up to 12 credit hours from a CLEP exam. Some colleges also use these as a part of admissions. Remember however to check with the college you want to earn your degree from to make sure they accept CLEP exams as each college has different policies.

Some examples of the CLEP exams you can take include Accounting, American Government, American Literature, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, and more.

Hopefully completing your college education as fast as possible may seem more doable now. With a combination of finishing CLEP exams along with online colleges (assuming they accept CLEP) you may be able to finish your degree fast and get on with your professional career.

Not everyone is cut out to pursue a career in continuing care. It requires a special temperament and personality to withstand the unique challenges and pressures that the caregiver will be subjected to. So how do you know if you have the right personality for the job, preferably before you start down this career path? This is an area where personality and ability are both extremely important.

Many medical professionals avoid this area because it requires a dedication that just doesn`t suit everyone. Looking after someone for a long period of time just isn`t the right way to go for everyone, so you`ll want to be sure that it`s the right path for you. There are a few characteristics that are common throughout the continuing care community. If you have these, then chances are, this is the right line of work for you.

Compassion: Without this, you`ll fail. It takes a compassionate heart to spend long hours caring for someone who is unable to look after themselves. If you have always enjoyed helping people and feeling useful, then this is a good indication that you`ll enjoy enrolling in a continuing care program.

Strength: Not just physical, though this is quite useful, as well, when you are lifting a full grown adult into the tub. However, mental strength is also necessary. You need to be able to deal with situations that may not be very comfortable, for you or the patient. It can be embarrassing for a teen boy to be helped onto the toilet, for example, and you`ll need to deal with things like this on a daily basis.

Patience: If you are an impatient person, chances are long term care isn`t a good place to work. This is a career that requires long hours of doing very little, simply being present in case your patient needs help. It can involve repetitive tasks, like checking heart rate and blood pressure, reading the same book over and over and hours doing tasks that would normally take a few minutes, like feeding a patient or helping someone get from one room to another. Patience is essential.

Friendliness: Continuing care involves long periods of time spent with the same patient. Unlike regular hospital care where you only see a patient for a few hours or days and never really get to know them, this career will leave you with more than enough time to get to know the people you work with. A callous attitude won`t work well, though many patients, particularly those in hospice care, will be resistant to you. A friendly attitude can go a long ways.

It can be mentally and physically exhausting working with people in long term care. You`ll be working with the elderly, the terminally ill and those who have been incapacitated in some way. It can take a toll on your personal life if you aren`t careful, so you also need to know when to take a break. You won`t be able to continue indefinitely and it`s important to be able to separate work from personal life.

Continuing care is not the ideal career for everyone. However, if you are compassionate, friendly and strong mentally and physically, with the ability to separate the life you lead on your off hours from your work, then it could be a good fit for you. The world needs people who are willing to participate in long term care, so this is an area that will always be open to more workers. It`s a good field to go into if you find that you have the right personality.