Who Gets to Graduate?

Who Gets to Graduate?

I have provided the first two paragraphs of a student’s essay #1 so that you can see how an introduction is structured, as well as a body paragraph with a topic sentence. I have underlined the topic sentence and thesis statement. Use this essay model to help you understand how to structure your essay, but make sure that you do not plagiarize (copy) what this student has written.

Make sure that you also note the use of MLA format. The author and page number should be cited in parenthetical citations after every quote. I have highlighted those citations below. Make sure that you do the following:

Note that when the parenthetical citation is at the end of the sentence, the period is after the parentheses.
You place the author, and not the person quoted (if they are two different people), in the citation.
When articles come from the internet and do not have a page number, no page number is needed in the parenthetical citations.
If you are citing web sites, there typically is no author, so you will cite the title of the web page in parentheses.
Titles of short works like web sites and articles should have “quotation marks” around them while titles of longer works like books and movies should be italicized.
Your paragraphs should be double-spaced (I can’t double-space in Canvas).
Indent the beginning of each paragraph by hitting the “Tab” button.
Don’t add extra spaces between paragraphs. The indentation notifies me that you have a new paragraph.
Note: You are not required to include quotes in your introduction or conclusion. However, the student who wrote the essay below decided to do so.

Introduction
In the article, “Who Gets to Graduate,” Paul Tough calls attention to the hardships of first-year college students who come from poverty-ridden communities as they navigate the unfamiliar culture of college. Vanessa Brewer, the main character in the article, represents that community of students. Regardless of their “working-class” background, Vanessa’s family was set on raising her “to believe [she] could accomplish anything” (Tough). In this case, Vanessa is to become the first in her generation to attend college. Vanessa excelled in high school with her “G.P.A. [being a] 3.50, placing her 39th out of 559 students in her graduating class” (Tough). She had no doubt that this success she carried in high school would not follow her throughout her years in college. Vanessa’s romanticization of the university, a space where she envisioned herself as an “independent, intelligent, [and] a young woman full of potential,” (Tough) clouded her judgement and led her to underestimate the struggles that would eventually come along her way when attending a university. Tough’s article sheds light on how students like Vanessa can succeed in a university. Colleges are aware of this population, which is why they provide many programs, services, and clubs to cater to their specific needs. Students like Vanessa should take advantage of counseling, tutoring, financial aid, student clubs, and health services in order to be successful in college.

Body Paragraph 1
With the anxiety and fear that college freshmen feel on the rise as they adjust to a new environment, visiting campus counseling centers will provide them with guidance throughout their journey. There are a variety of counseling centers to visit, and there are many tailored for first-year students. The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) resource, according to the SMC website, is a “counseling and retention program for full-time students coming from low-income families, first generation or facing adversity to educational success” (“EOPS”). EOPS support students’ health with “food vouchers, CalFresh, and food pantry,” and they support them financially and academically by providing “counseling, priority registration, supplemental textbook assistance, developmental workshops, and application fee waivers to four-year institutions” (“EOPS”). According to the website, the requirement to become a part of EOPS is to be “educationally disadvantaged,” meaning “[being] a first generation college student… apply and receive a California College Promise Grant, Method A or B, … have full-time enrollment (12+ units), and not qualified for enrollment into the minimum level English or Mathematics course.” EOPS offers many resources all in one and it is a great way to become a part of a smaller community to have that extra attention devoted to one. EOPS provides additional support than what a student outside the program receives and as stated on the Santa Monica College website, they specifically cater to students who are low-income and first generation, so they will welcome students similar to Vanessa with open arms. Another beneficial counseling service for students similar to Vanessa would be a career counselor. Vanessa envisioned her perfect career path – she would “make her way through the nursing program at U.T., then get a masters in anesthesiology,…[and] get a good job at a hospital,” yet she was quickly discouraged after failing one statistics test (Tough). Not everything may go as planned, which is why meeting with a career counselor can be crucial in either maintaining or adjusting one’s career path. A career counselor will “help you on your path to success. Whether you are undecided for your major/career or know exactly where you want to end up” (“Welcome to Career Services”). They will give that reassurance a student needs about whether or not they are successfully headed towards the path they desire for the future.

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