While you might informally argue that some of the investors of the 1920s deserved to lose their money, that s not the kind of argument that belongs in formal essay writing.

The thesis statement of any essay belongs in

Your thesis is the statement that describes the argument you plan to make in your essay. A well-written thesis will intrigue your reader and entice them to read your entire paper. The goal of your essay is to convince your reader that your thesis is correct.

Where Should Your Thesis Go?

Your thesis belongs in your introductory paragraph, which is the first paragraph of your essay. The most effective way to incorporate your thesis is to work it in towards the end of this paragraph. Begin with some general information that introduces your topic before coming to your thesis, which will tell your reader the argument you plan to make in relation to this topic. For an example of a strong introductory paragraph with an effective thesis, see below.

What Makes A Good Thesis?

• It is focused on the topic of your paper.
• It makes an argument and not a statement of fact.
• It reflects the supporting arguments (main points) that you will develop in your essay in the order that you will discuss them.
• It sounds original and not mechanical.
• It is phrased as a statement, not a question.

Examples:
Negative thesis: The voting age should not be lowered for any reason.

This argument would be difficult to support because the writer would have to take into account every possible argument in favour of lowering the voting age and show all of them to be invalid.

Positive thesis: The voting age should be lowered to sixteen because youth are highly impacted by government decisions, and they are willing and responsible enough to take on this important civic duty.

This argument would be easier to prove because the writer can focus on developing only the specific points mentioned in the thesis.

Still not sure how to write a thesis? Check out this helpful video:

How do I create a strong thesis from a very general writing topic?

8 Things to Avoid When Writing a Thesis

The following examples are poorly written thesis statements for papers on the topic of lowering the voting age in Canada.

1. Being unclear or too general: The voting age should be lowered to sixteen for many reasons.

2. Making a statement of fact rather than opinion: Y ou must be eighteen-years-old to vote in Canada, but the government has the power to lower the voting age to sixteen.

3. Not taking a clear stance on the issue: I think the voting age should be lowered to sixteen, but there are also many reasons to keep the current voting age of eighteen.

4. Sounding formulaic or mechanical: In this essay I will discuss the many reasons sixteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote, including their maturity, the support systems they have in place and the need for young people to be more involved in politics.

5. Using an example in your thesis: Sixteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote because they are already given many responsibilities; for example, they can drive a car.

6. Using information that is contradictory or not logically connected to your argument: While some sixteen-year-olds are responsible and mature enough to vote, many would not exercise their right to vote or take voting seriously if the age was lowered.

7. Phrasing your thesis as a question: Should the voting age be lowered to sixteen?

8. Veering off-topic in your thesis: The government should change laws that discriminate against teenagers, like the voting age and the graduated licensing system.

An Example of an Effective Introductory Paragraph and Thesis

One of the biggest challenges facing our democracy in Canada is voter apathy, especially among youth. In fact, young people aged eighteen to twenty-four are the least likely to cast a ballot on election day (Barnes par. 11). When teens first learn about the political system in Canada, they are in high school and considered too young to vote. While they may feel passionate about political issues when they first learn about them, they must wait, sometimes for several years, before they can vote and make their voices heard. Political leaders may dismiss the views of youth because they are too young to vote and cannot help their party to get elected. This whole process can be very discouraging and causes many young people to withdraw from political life before they even turn eighteen. The government should consider lowering the voting age to sixteen so that Canada’s youth become more politically active and engaged at a time when they are most passionate about political issues, have the free time to become involved in politics and still have the support of parents and teachers to guide them in taking on this important responsibility.

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The thesis statement of any essay belongs in

Your thesis is the statement that describes the argument you plan to make in your essay. A well-written thesis will intrigue your reader and entice them to read your entire paper. The goal of your essay is to convince your reader that your thesis is correct.

Your thesis belongs in your introductory paragraph, which is the first paragraph of your essay. The most effective way to incorporate your thesis is to work it in towards the end of this paragraph. Begin with some general information that introduces your topic before coming to your thesis, which will tell your reader the argument you plan to make in relation to this topic. For an example of a strong introductory paragraph with an effective thesis, see below.

Make a Statement

Making a statement of fact rather than opinion Y ou must be eighteen-years-old to vote in Canada, but the government has the power to lower the voting age to sixteen. Perhaps it is a synthesis of ideas and research that you have distilled into one point, and the rest of your paper will unpack it and present factual examples to show how you arrived at this idea.

Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.

Resources:

https://msliewsclass.weebly.com/thesis-statements.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/thesis-statement-composition-1692466
http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/composition/thesis.htm
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The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said.

Do Schools Give Out Too Much Homework Now? Yes, They Do, and it Needs to Stop

With more than 60% of students from high school and college seeking counseling for a variety of conditions ranging from general anxiety to clinical depression, all of which induced by school and studies, it’s safe to say that our country’s children are stressed out more than they should be. In fact, more and more students in the high school level are starting to report stress levels that rival that of adults working in officers, in some cases even exceeding those stress levels.

But what’s got them so riled up? The answer: Homework. Now, before you go full boomer and say “homework was more difficult back in my day!”, let’s make one thing clear: today’s educational system is far more advanced, complex, and even more difficult than it was a couple of decades ago.

Is There Too Much Homework in High School?

Of course, sometimes homework is necessary, but if it cuts into a child’s social, family, and down time, it borders on the cruel and unnecessary. Children should NOT be subjected to what-is-essentially training to be overworked in the corporate world. But how long does the average high school spend on homework? 3 hours a night. That’s 3 hours a night per class to complete, so it’s no wonder that our high school students are getting less than the National Sleep Foundation’s required 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night, with 68% of high school students reportedly getting less than 7 hours of sleep on the weekdays.

And that’s not even an exaggeration: in between a full day’s worth of school work, extracurricular activities, and homework, a high school student’s life is almost designed to be stressful. Sure, the point of all those activities is to turn them into an educated, well-balanced individual, but at what expense? A modern-day American student might know how to solve for X and throw a pigskin to the end zone, but what good is all of that if they’re haggard all the time and constantly deprived of sleep?

And what of the parents? It’s not like they can just leave their kids to the wolves: most parents (the responsible ones, at least) will want to help their kids with the influx of work they’ll be doing once they hit 9 th grade, as if a full day’s work and commuting wasn’t enough. All to fulfill antiquated ideas of course fulfillments and state-mandated credit requirement.

But rather than focusing on busy work, why not focus on things that actually matter, like fulfilling learning standards while maintaining positive mental health?

Educators across the country need to rethink homework, why they need to give it and what kind of work they should be giving our children.

Is Homework Even Necessary?

With the amount of stress students go through, it’s tempting to curse the person who invented homework. But take note: it’s not all bad.

Homework now can seem like unnecessary busy work instead of actual learning materials, but before we get further into this topic, let’s be clear: some homework is necessary (although researchers are still waiting for conclusive evidence for homework’s necessity).

What researchers can agree on, however, is that any type of school work that is purposeful, appropriately challenging, and aligned with the student’s interest truly is beneficial: not only does it teach the lesson for that subject, it also improves study habits, establishes self-discipline, and develops independent problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

However, if homework is mind-numbingly tedious, without purpose (other than to fulfill a quota), and overwhelming, then it becomes detrimental: not only will it demotivate a student from learning, it can also affect the way they view school, negatively affect their learning retention, and eventually turn them off completely to that subject.

Unfortunately, many schools across the country use homework as a way of creating extra class time beyond what is mandated by the state. Not only is this inefficient, it’s needlessly cruel. If a teacher is using homework as an excuse to make your child do their job for them, you need to contact your child’s school and set up a meeting. Homework should be a tool that supplements lessons, not replace lessons as a whole.

How Can We Make Homework Better?

The National PTA suggests that high school students should have a maximum of 2 hours of homework per night, a far cry from cramming 18 hours’ worth of schoolwork into 4-5 hours after school. We can do better by demanding that schools revisit their requirements for students and reconsider lessening the amount of required homework they give students.

As for the teachers, it’s time to treat homework not as busywork but as actual tools to help students learn more about your subject. It doesn’t have to be fun per se, but it should be inspiring enough for your students to take a more active role in your class the next day. Homework should stoke the fires of creativity and instill a spirit of inquisitiveness; homework shouldn’t be a chore that students dread doing, nor should it be an impossible activity designed to confuse them or punish them.

Homework should include activities that reinforce what they learned throughout the class and not something that combines lessons for the next day with activities designed to test what they’ve learned on their own. Not only is that tedious and inefficient, it’s also a lazy way to teach.

For parents, get a better idea of what your child is going through by taking the time to sit down with them to listen to their concerns. Keep an open mind and avoid being dismissive; this is the best way for your teenage child to open up and is an opportunity for them to practice critical communication skills with people they can trust (i.e. their parents).

What Countries Give the Most Homework?

However, if homework is mind-numbingly tedious, without purpose other than to fulfill a quota , and overwhelming, then it becomes detrimental not only will it demotivate a student from learning, it can also affect the way they view school, negatively affect their learning retention, and eventually turn them off completely to that subject. Homework should stoke the fires of creativity and instill a spirit of inquisitiveness; homework shouldn t be a chore that students dread doing, nor should it be an impossible activity designed to confuse them or punish them.

"This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students’ educational experiences..

Resources:

https://www.througheducation.com/do-schools-give-out-too-much-homework-now-yes-they-do-and-it-needs-to-stop/
https://www.playgroundequipment.com/are-students-in-the-united-states-getting-too-much-homework/
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/more-two-hours-homework-may-be-counterproductive-research-suggests
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Make sure to check yes when claiming California residency this has nothing to do with legal status.

No essay, no problem — How the CSU application may affect the university’s diversity

Cal Poly’s application for the Fall 2019 term opened Oct. 1 on the university’s online application portal, Cal State Apply. Cal State Apply allows applicants to apply to multiple California State University (CSU) campuses with the same application. Unlike many colleges and universities, Cal Poly’s application does not require an essay.

Prospective students can fill out the general application through Cal State Apply and are then redirected to additional admission criteria based on the schools they are applying to.

The 2017 State of College Admission report from The National Association for College Admission Counseling found that a majority of colleges and universities see the essay as moderately important in determining academically qualified students.

Admission essays showcase writing skills, but also help the admission boards to humanize applicants, according to the report. The essay allows students an opportunity to express their goals in life or the obstacles they have faced — something not found through test scores or grade point averages.

“I honestly don’t know how they would know who I am as a person because it’s mainly just putting in your transcript and grades,” business administration freshman Savannah Juel said. “Obviously, you can see that each student here is academically talented, but I don’t think the application process shows much interest in diversity and what people actually do outside of school.”

According to the enrollment data from the CSU and University of California (UC) systems in 2018, Cal Poly had the least racially diverse student population of all California public universities. In Fall 2017, 54.8 percent of Cal Poly’s student population identified as white — the highest of all schools in the 23-campus CSU system and 10-university UC system. The university was also ranked among the worst universities for Black students by the USC Race and Equity Center.

Race and ethnicity do not play apart in the admission process, according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier. The use of race or ethnicity in admission processes is against state law according to California Proposition 209.

The admissions boards may not be able to use race/ethnicity as a factor when evaluating students, but diversity also accounts for age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and much more.

An essay can show the life experiences and personality of an applicant. This can help admissions take into account factors other than grades.

CSU spokesperson Elizabeth Chapin said Cal State Apply does not include an essay, but requires general information such as test scores, transcripts, citizen status, etc. to keep it a uniform application for all 23 campuses. Later on in the application process, more information may be required, but that is up to the campus and program being applied to.

According to Cal Poly Director of Admissions Terrance Harris, one main way Cal Poly’s selection of students differs from the processes of other CSU campuses is its comprehensive review as part of the Cal Poly impaction strategy. Many other CSU campuses use an eligibility index — a combination of an individual’s high school grade point average (GPA) and score on either the ACT or SAT to create a single number.

Cal Poly’s admission for undergraduate programs is highly impacted and competitive. When applying to Cal Poly, students are required to declare a major. Potential students are evaluated through variables under the faculty-mandated Multi-Criteria Admission (MCA) process.

Juel said she had to specify how many hours a week she participated in extracurricular activities, like volunteering, leading a club or playing a sport, but was never asked to describe her role in the activities or clubs on Cal Poly’s application.

“Diversity at Cal Poly is impacted by so many factors. One of the best ways to positively impact diversity at Cal Poly is to ensure that the students who are here attending Cal Poly have as positive an experience as possible,” Harris said. “The better the experience of our current students, the better opportunity we have to retain and recruit diverse students.”

Cal Poly only accepts applications for the fall term through the Cal State Apply online application. The application fee is $55.00. Interested students must apply within the window between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30. All applicants will be notified with an admission decision via email by April 1 and students have until May 1 to accept or decline an admission offer.

What is admission based on?

Some CSU campuses are impacted, or have programs that are impacted meaning the number of applications received from qualified applicants is greater than the number of available spaces. Dual enrollment college courses must be reported on the CSU application as college courses , regardless of where they are taught and whether the student will earn high school credit.

Historically, admission to 22 of the 23 CSUs was determined by an eligibility index based on two criteria

Resources:

https://www.touchstoneadvising.com/post/applying-to-a-cal-state-university-in-2020
https://mustangnews.net/no-essay-no-problem-how-the-csu-application-may-affect-the-universitys-diversity/
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/cal-state-application
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