Professional Return on Investment:
While choosing a major and profession is often based on personal preference and a desire to “do what one loves,” it is important to consider the practical side of investing time and money in a college education. Baccalaureate degrees vary in cost depending on students’ choice of institution, but the choice of major has a greater impact on students’ earning power upon graduation. Consider the costs involved in pursuing a degree in your intended major. Compare the expected costs to expected compensation upon graduation. Research the impact of student loans, common scholarships, and loan forgiveness programs. Using this information, write an essay that determines whether pursuing your intended major at a university similar to this one will yield a return on investment that makes the pursuit a good investment. Your essay should address the following components:
• An explanation of all relevant costs, supported with current data.
• A thesis that determines a reasonable return on investment and methods to maximize it.
• Consideration of common means for funding the degree.
• Discussion of the expected compensation early, mid-career, and as an experienced professional.
• Methods for analyzing the data on costs and compensation to support the thesis.
In addition to being a compelling, interesting, and innovative approach to the topic, your essay should include the following components of good writing:
• An introduction that approaches the topic without referencing this as a class assignment.
• An argument.
• Credible, convincing, and diverse sources.
• A structure that is logical and easy to follow. Organize the essay in a way that leads the reader through the numbers and data. Use tables, if necessary; however, tables should not be calculated in the length of the paper.
• A conclusion that leads the reader to think in a new direction or reconsider previous knowledge.
• Necessary citations from multiple current, credible sources.
• Lucid prose.
• Standard American English that represents multiple edits and revisions.
Some things your essay should avoid:
• Use of first or second person.
• Broad generalizations about the profession or the college experience.
The essay format should adhere to these expectations:
• Three-five pages
• 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced
• One-inch margins
• MLA style and citations
Because this is the last major assignment, the following course objectives will be addressed during the unit of study:
• Analysis of the rhetorical situation in reading and writing: audience/purpose/text/context;
• Aiming writing at specific, and differing, audiences;
• Use of rhetorical strategies such as appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos;
• Use of narrative, analytic, and argumentative structures as appropriate for the rhetorical situation;
• Editing for conventions of usage and style;
• Introduction to the process of summarizing, paraphrasing, and using quotations;
• Introduction to MLA style/documentation; and
• Introduction to research.