How I Know You Wrote Your Kids College Essay

How I Know You Wrote Your Kid’s College Essay A depiction of Harvard’s Campus in 1720When the first colleges were founded, they primarily existed to serve the needs of the church to train clergymen. In fact, about half of Harvard’s first 500 graduates went into ministry, with the remaining half largely obtaining liberal arts degrees. One of the reasons was that colleges began putting an emphasis on the aesthetic of their campuses. Campus architecture became a focal point of the college experience. Technological advancements combined with growing amounts of wealth in American society led to the construction of incredible campuses during the early 1900s. In fact, the building construction done during this period was so good that it remains a strong pull for many historical universities to this day. This was the first of several key events that started to move Colleges away from serving as a signal of prestige to serving as a means for receiving more practical education. This caused a shift in the college model from acting as a public service to more of a traditional business model which involved aggressively selling a service to customers. At the center of the college sales pitch was the idea that a 4-year college degree was necessary to have success in the professional workforce. If you've said all you have to say in 500 words, don't try to pad your essay to make it longer. Regardless of length, and even if yours is a transfer essay, the best writing will tell a compelling story, provide insight to your character and interests, and are written with crisp and engaging prose. Again, use the essay to narrate an engaging story. Make sure it highlights something you care about deeply, and be sure to provide a window into your interests or personality that isn't already obvious from the rest of your application. As you plan your essay, you definitely want to keep the length requirement in mind. Your intro tells your reader what to expect from your essay. Think of it as a brief roadmap that begins with an intriguing opening line, includes a quick summary of the topic and ideas you’ll present, and concludes with a thesis statement. By the end of the research and planning process, you’ll feel energized and ready to write about all this interesting stuff your research has uncovered. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Brainstorm ideas for what you’re going to write if the assignment is specifically about one topic. Make a sub-list for each topic that you could write about. Finally, keep in mind that what you say and how you say it is far more important than whether you have 550 words or 650 words. Be sure to attend to your essay's style, and in most cases you're going to want to avoid these ten bad essay topics. Vocational knowledge isn’t practical if it doesn’t map to actual jobs in the workforce. The college sports model is under rightful scrutiny for making billions of dollars off the backs of amateur players who sacrifice many personal rights to play for their school. The once iconic concept of the college social experience has become increasingly tainted by reports of rampant alcohol/drug misuse on campus as well as startling numbers of sexual assault cases. Lastly, a 4-year degree no longer appears to be the best proxy for professional success, with 50% of graduates from 2011 either unemployed or underemployed 2 years later. As a result of the decreases in funding, colleges were forced to raise tuition prices to make up the difference. One exercise that I think can greatly help us in our quest to answer this question is to spend some time reflecting on the history of the college system, and how it’s purpose in society has changed over time. In your conclusion, you wrap everything up in a neat package. Restate your thesis in a clear way without repeating it word for word. Leave your reader with a takeaway or something to think about. Here’s the conclusion of the Skyline College essay sample. Another key event was the Morrill Land-Grant Act, which was passed into law by President Lincoln. As part of the Act, states could apply to receive free land from the government to build public universities. This all started to change in 1825 when the University of Virginia was founded. It’s founding was championed by Thomas Jefferson, who would push for colleges to move away from their religious ties and also become both affordable and useful enough for the general public. In summary, colleges started by only serving a small fraction of the population. When this narrative first began to form, it was a relatively easy sell. Universities were able to keep their costs low due to strong support from the government, so many students saw a great opportunity with very little downside. Debatably the most important event in the history of college education happened in 1944 with the introduction of the GI bill. The GI bill was created to help veterans of World War II. Among other aspects, it granted stipends to cover tuition and expenses for close to 9 million veterans. As a result, colleges saw a massive spike in enrollment in the decades following. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers. Read back through your essay and make sure that all of your examples prove your point adequately. Have a friend read your essay and ask her what she thinks could be explained more clearly. List three to five topics that you are interested in or would like to write about.