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Schaffer Essay Practice
Write a five paragraph schaffer essay. You have a choice of two topics. Please choose one!
Essay #1: There are plenty of colleges that can provide a top-notch education.
Read the newspaper article “Plenty of Colleges” and write a Schaffer essay. If you prefer, you may use Microsoft Word to type your essay.
Essay #2: Community colleges can be a wonderful place to explore academic, career and personal interests.
Read the newspaper article "College Bound ” Write a Schaffer essay. If you prefer, you may use Microsoft Word to type your essay.Review of Schaffer Paragraph:
- Topic Sentence. You may rewrite the prompt as your topic sentence.
- Concrete Detail #1
Lead-in and Quotation
For example, . . ..- Concrete Detail #2
Lead-in and Quotation
In addition, . . .- Commentary – some comments that you write about the concrete details
- Conclusion – restate the topic sentence in new words
Article #1
Plenty of Colleges
College Bound. A weekly guide to higher education. San Francisco Chronicle.
Joanne Levy-PrewittLinus Pauling went to Oregon State University.
Annette Bening and Dana Carvey went to San Francisco State University.
Oprah Winfrey went to Tennessee State.
Colin Powell went to City College of New York.Great people often attend schools that lack the cachet of UC Berkeley, Stanford University or the Ivy League.
I like to think it's not where you go to college but rather what you do there that matters. Lesser-known colleges are bending over backward to attract students who are ready to get beyond the myth of a "name brand."
New athletic facilities, state-of-the-art science laboratories, gourmet cuisine and wireless Internet are just a few of the features being offered at campuses across the nation. And more importantly, many of these unknowns boast of top professors, small classes and innovative programs.
Plenty to offer
Last summer, I visited Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., a gem of a liberal arts college with a student body of only about 1,800 undergraduates. Yet it manages to have nearly 70 different clubs, teams and organizations, as well as a wide range of men's and women's athletic teams, including football, and golf teams for both men and women.Did you know that Michigan State University and Cal Poly Pomona have top-ranked hotel management (hospitality business) programs? Or that Cal State Sacramento has a growing program in graphic design? That UC Davis has a food science and technology program with an option in brewing science? Even if you aren't looking for a specific program like brewing science, keep in mind that there are literally thousands of colleges that can provide a top-notch education.
Tips for high school underclassmen
What are you doing outside the classroom? Are you involved in clubs or leadership? Is there a club that reflects your interest in the Civil War? If not, start one.Do you volunteer in your community? If you're passionate about math, try volunteering at a local elementary school as a math tutor. If you're a bookworm, volunteer to shelve books at the library. Do you like the theater but have no interest in acting? Volunteer to work backstage at a community theater.
Now is the time to get involved in something you enjoy -- not because it will look good on your college application, but because it will enrich your life and enhance your high school experience.
Copied from the Sunday, November 20, 2005, San Francisco Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/20/BAG8BFR37E1.DTLCOLLEGE BOUND/A weekly guide to higher education
Joanne Levy-PrewittMost high school seniors who are applying to four-year colleges and universities have completed their applications and can now enjoy the remainder of their senior year.
However, many graduating seniors won't apply to four-year colleges and universities, and instead will attend two-year or community colleges. Community colleges can be a fantastic place to continue your education while fine-tuning skills and exploring interests.
Relative to a four-year college, community colleges are inexpensive (about $600 per year for full-time students) and offer early morning and evening courses for working students. Community colleges have many of the features found at four-year colleges, such as intercollegiate athletics, drama, student government and interest-clubs.
However, the best reason to attend a community college is because of the high-quality faculty, says Terry Armstrong, dean of Counseling and Student Support Services at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Armstrong said that the teachers at DVC are there because they want to teach, not do research, and unlike at a large research university, the teachers, not the graduate students or teaching assistants, actually do the teaching.
Most community colleges have small-class sizes -- often fewer than 30students per class -- and rigorous academics. The by-product of those small classes is that students get the attention they need to engage with the curriculum so they can prepare to succeed at a four-year college when they transfer.
"The data shows that students who start at DVC and transfer to a four-year college often perform as well as or better than those students who began at a four-year college or university," Armstrong said.
The best way to succeed at a community college is to enter with a plan, and for many that means a plan to transfer to a four-year school. That way, from the very start, a student can map out which classes to take and when to take them.
It's best to meet with an academic counselor or adviser soon after you apply, which in many cases can be done before high school graduation.
Unfortunately, many community college students drop out before transferring to a four-year college, and often it is for financial reasons. Students who work full-time may find it hard to find time to study, or may lack the funds to buy books or supplies. Just as four-year college students can apply for financial aid, so can community college students, and financial aid might make the difference between staying in school and dropping out.
Not all community college students enter with the goal of transferring. Some enter certificate programs in accounting, dental hygiene, administration of justice, multimedia and Web design, hoping to land a job after completion.
For students choosing community college, it is important to realize that attending a community college instead of a four-year college is not a consolation prize -- community colleges can be a wonderful place to explore academic, career and personal interests, connect with teachers, make friends and become a contributing member of a college campus.
Joanne Levy-Prewitt is an independent college admissions adviser who works with students throughout the Bay Area.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/18/BAG49G9R0J1.DTL
Sunday, December 18, 2005 (SF Chronicle)