How to Effectively Support Your Essay Thesis with the Help of Sample College Admission Essays
Writing is an inevitable part of life. Writing usually becomes persuasive, convincing others that you have a valid, logical point of view on a particular subject. Like in college, students are often asked to present an academic argument, or a persuasive case done in writing, with the objective of convincing your reader of your viewpoint. After a short introduction of your topic, you state your points of view, also known as the “thesis statement,” which is usually in a single sentence. It serves as the road map of the argument you’ll be making till the end of your paper.
How strong is your thesis statement?
When you are aked to write about something requiring your analysis, interpretation, demonstration of cause and effect, or merely to take a position on an issue, you are being asked for an essay thesis statement. The very first thing you should do is gather all evidence related to your topic, then start formulating a working thesis, based on the relevance and interrelationships of the evidence you gathered. Then, analyze how strong your thesis is, since you’re also the one who is going to argue for it later on in your paper.
Evaluating your thesis
Review your first set of drafts and answer the question as to whether you have taken a position that your reader might be antagonistic about, or whether you simply stated facts or gathered other people’s opinions, putting you in a safe place of no arguments. Sometimes, you unconsciously forget to make an argument; you just merely provide a summary.
Supporting your thesis
Check if all your arguments are relevant to the thesis statement, because even if you plenty of arguments but they are not relevant to your thesis statement, they don’t make sense at all. They are just a waste of time, not only for you, but for the reader as well. Make sure you incorporate adequate strong evidence at all times, also providing sufficient main ideas to fully support the statement. One tip to really make your essay thesis heavily supported is to be specific in explaining each main topic or argument. You can add on some specific examples and accurate explanations to effectively support your essay thesis. Also, identify what needs further clarifications and support, so you can revise and bring more impact to them.
If you feel that your main thesis has vague points and lacks backbone, then, support it with stronger and more relevant pieces of evidence. You can do this by gathering some more relevant information about your thesis. Furthermore, before you wrap up on your essay thesis, put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Ask, “If I were the one reading this, would I be convinced? or at least raise relevant questions about the topics?” Also, check if there is coherence between your thesis statement and your arguments.
Finally, check for overall unity. Do all pertinent information relate to the thesis statement? Make sure you presented an argument not mere facts. If not, then that calls for you to change your working thesis, based on the evidence and pieces of information you’ve previously gathered. Remember, a good writer always reevaluates and revises his or her writing as necessary.
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Using Sample College Admission Essays as Guides when Applying to Schools with Topnotch Environmental Programs
If you want to pursue a career related to the environment, you may want to check out the profiles of the following schools. These institutions of higher learning have topnotch environmental programs.
Yale University, with its Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, has for over 20 years, built the most credible reputation in producing brilliant conservation and environmental leaders. They offer students with Yale Business & Environment Program, a topnotch environmental education under a three-year joint degree program, combining MBA and Environmental Master’s Degree. Training is geared towards environmental sciences and conservation, teamed up with management development. Yale University has also partnered with Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to select candidates with potential managerial capabilities of environmental and conservation organizations worldwide. Through Yale University’s FES’ various programs, the candidates will be trained to emerge as effective managers posing changes in the most critical eco-systems in the world.
There’s also the Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Program, established in 1990, combining academic training and a comprehensive approach to intertwining environment with technology. The program aims to train students in handling intricate, multifaceted environmental problems in the world. Furthermore, there’s the Environmental Engineering Program which started in 1998, the most comprehensive program wherein undergraduates may choose from four degree programs: Environmental Engineering Technology, Environmental Engineering Science, Environmental Chemical and Biological Science, and Environmental Resource Management.
Washington State University is located in Pullman, Washington. Though situated in the middle of vast wheat fields, the university has a lot to offer that’s why it is considered one of the best institutions in the nation. In 2004, Washington State University was again recognized as one of the best national universities by the U.S. News and World Report.
There are many academic programs available at WSU, but one of its best education programs include Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences which offers a wide selection of specializations. In environmental engineering, they offer general environmental engineering, air quality engineering, and hazardous waste engineering, for both undergraduate and graduate levels. Washington State University also offers academic programs on Environmental Soil Science, which emphasizes on the basic principles of soils in relation to the quality of the environment, as well as tackling their role in agricultural and natural ecosystems.
University of Alberta, Augustana Program
Due to the rapid changing of our environment, many universities like the University of Alberta, in Camrose, Alberta, see the need to educate students about environmental issues, such as the deterioration of our natural environment, climate change, natural resource depletion, and many others. Thus, the University of Alberta, in Camrose, Alberta is now offering a wide selection of environmental programs. These include the B.Sc. degree in Environmental Science and the B.A. degree in Environmental Studies at the Augustana Faculty. These are highly interdisciplinary courses which provide graduates adequate knowledge to deal with various environmental issues. The objective of their programs is to educate students about the earth’s natural processes, teach them techniques to critically analyze environmental issues, and to eventually, formulate solutions for implementation.
The experience of an Augustana outdoor education provides a rural perspective to the programs. And their programs conform to the competency profile for universities and schools, as provided by the Environmental Careers Organization and by the Canadian Council of University Environmental Science Program Heads.
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How Sample College Admission Essays Can Help You Discuss Relevant Health-related Experiences in Your Essay
If you are a student planning to take up a medical degree in the future, it is very important that you gather as many health-related and research experiences as possible to guarantee your medical school admission. Make sure you capitalize on them when you write your essay for the admissions committee. Of course, as an applicant, you’d want to be the best candidate in the eyes of the admissions committee. So, here are some tips on how to write your essay, emphasizing your health-related experiences, which definitely will help guarantee your school admission.
Highlighting experiences
Highlight your “hands-on” or practical experience on handling real patient-care situations, either in school or in your community. Focus your writing on your previous experiences on the various health fields such as having direct patient contact, working in a hospital or doctor’s office as a receptionist, or working in summer camps for diabetics. Tell them how these experiences allowed you to observe the nature of work of various professionals that make up a health system, which includes the doctors, nurses, support staff and patients.
Clinical, research, and community service experiences, which you may have had, are also very important to highlight especially if they involve direct patient contact. You should aim to list down as many health-related experiences you’ve had as possible, so that you will be a very much potential candidate for admission, as well as be very knowledgeable in preparation for your admission interviews.
You may also include your practical experiences in hospital work such as hot-line or personal counseling, EMT, and lifesaving CPR, which are highly valued by the admissions committee. If you emphasize these, you increase your chances of being accepted to medical school. Since your experiences will indicate your interests in the field of medicine, be unique in laying-out your health-related experiences. You may also highlight a volunteer organization you have joined, such as the volunteer services in hospitals and health-related agencies, where you have participated in. If you have experienced paid jobs for positions such as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA), Phlebotomist, EMT, and many others, include them as well for they will be an integral part of your evaluation.
Other factors vital for admission
Students should be aware that high grades alone are no guarantee of admission. In recent years, admissions committees have been going beyond reviewing undergraduates’ grades and standardized test scores such as the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT. Now, they also review an applicant’s character, knowledge of health care, and the depth of commitment to pursuing medicine. Dwell on these factors and you are guaranteed admission.
Most medical school committees also scrutinize for a trace of “leadership” or “organizational ability” in the applicants, looking for any record of health-related participations. So, always remember that the school admission committee will put great value on your record of service. Therefore, make sure you highlight this as well on your essay,not to mention that you have a broad understanding of the human conditions. Again, if you really are decided on pursuing a career in the field of medicine, make sure you qualify for the school admissions committee’s criteria. You should have theneeded level of maturity, participated actively in community service, have experience in healthcare-related fields, be aware of healthcare issues, show human compassion and sensitivity, possess medical ethics and the trait of a logical problem solver. Make sure you clearly write them down on your essay. With these, you are surely on your way to becoming a doctor.
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