Research Papers -- Alert

19 November 2012

Remember that roll call at the beginning of your first class on the week of 26-30 is the due-date for your research paper.  If you are late for roll call or if you are absent you will lose ten points -- this assignment was made on the first class day in August.  Roll call at the beginning of your first class on the week of 3-7 December is the late due-date, with a ten-point penalty.  If you are late for roll call or if you are absent you will earn a zero on your paper -- this assignment was made on the first class day in August.  With a zero I do not see how you can pass.

Most - not all - of the research papers turned in early for ten extra points are so inadequate that in some instances the ten points are the total grade.  These papers do not reflect three months' work; some even lack a thesis statement, and others are deficient in support, sentence structure, paragraphing, formatting, bibliography, and spelling.  The assignment was made in August, complete with handouts, and repeated at mid-term.  All the earlier assignments were in preparation for this most important paper, and after mid-term this assignment was the focus.  All students have had access to numerous sample papers from previous classes, to textbook resources, the 'net, and to in-class instruction and much in-class time for writing and assistance.  There can be no excuse for such shoddy work -- if anyone can earn an 'A' - and some have - then everyone could have earned an 'A.'  A research paper is not an intelligence test; a successful paper is the product of many hours of meaningful effort.

No papers will be returned nor any grades given until the end of your first class on the week of 3-7 December, which is the penalty due-date.  Please don't ask. 

Your research paper is, as per your syllabus and repeated reminders, 25% of your final grade.  Thus, a 0 on your research paper almost surely means a failing final grade. 

Multiple Topics, 12-16 November and 19-23 November

Topic 1 - Angelina College schedule and Jasper High School Schedule for Thanksgiving Week
Topic 2 - Research Papers, due-dates
Topic 3 - Lesson, Writing a College Application Essay

Topic 1 - Angelina College Schedule and Jasper High School Schedule for Thanksgiving Week

Angelina College and Jasper High School have a contract which applies to dual-credit students only.  JHS will take off the entire week of 19-23 November for Thanksgiving, and so JHS dual-credit classes will not meet.  However, I will be present on campus on Tuesday morning for one-on-one assistance for anyone from any of my classes on our current projects, the research paper and the college admissions essay.  I will be on campus by 8:30, and I will leave by 10:45 to give a speech to Lakes Area Hospice.

Monday night class, 19 November.  You are not dual-credit and so class will meet.  We will take the entire period for working on your research paper and your college application essay.

Angelina Thanksgiving holidays begin at 2:30 P.M. on Wednesday.

Topic 2 - Research Papers, due-dates

 

Because of my failure to anticipate the holiday schedule, submission of your paper at the beginning of class at 6:00 P.M. on the 26th (for the Monday class) or at 9:50 A.M. on the 27th (for the Tuesday and Thursday class) will merit you ten extra points.  These are absolute; after all, you have an extra week on the bonus points.

 

Topic 3 - Lesson, Writing a College Application Essay

 

We will begin this lesson on the week of 12-16 November.  I will talk (probably too much) about writing this essay and how to avoid common mistakes in content (The proper MLA format should be haunting your dreams by now).

 

 

English 1301 / 1302

Angelina College

M. Hall

College Application Essay

Employing one of the prompts below, write an essay of less than 500 words in the MLA format.

Although this project is objective-specific, its carry-over value is very high – think of scholarship and job application essays.

These topics are from  http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/EssayPrompts.htm, which I highly recommend, especially for the sample essays.

Tips for the Personal Essay Options on the Common Application

Avoid Pitfalls and Make the Most of Your Personal Essay

By Allen Grove, About.com Guide

The first step to writing a stellar personal essay on your college application is to understand your options. Below is a discussion of the six essay options from the Common Application. Also be sure to check out these 5 Application Essay Tips.

Option #1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Note the key word here: evaluate. You aren't just describing something; the best essays will explore the complexity of the issue. When you examine the "impact on you," you need to show the depth of your critical thinking abilities. Introspection, self-awareness and self-analysis are all important here. And be careful with essays about the winning touchdown or tie-breaking goal. These sometimes have an off-putting "look how great I am" tone and very little self-evaluation.

Option #2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

Be careful to keep the "importance to you" at the heart of your essay. It's easy to get off track with this essay topic and start ranting about global warming, Darfur, or abortion. The admissions folks want to discover your character, passions and abilities in the essay; they want more than a political lecture.

Option #3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

I'm not a fan of this prompt because of the wording: "describe that influence." A good essay on this topic does more than "describe." Dig deep and "analyze." And handle a "hero" essay with care. Your readers have probably seen a lot of essays talking about what a great role model Mom or Dad or Sis is. Also realize that the "influence" of this person doesn't need to be positive.

Option #4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Here as in #3, be careful of that word "describe." You should really be "analyzing" this character or creative work. What makes it so powerful and influential?

Option #5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Realize that this question defines "diversity" in broad terms. It's not specifically about race or ethnicity (although it can be). Ideally, the admissions folks want every student they admit to contribute to the richness and breadth of the campus community. How do you contribute?

Option #6. Topic of your choice.

Sometimes you have a story to share that doesn't quite fit into any of the options above. However, the first five topics are broad with a lot of flexibility, so make sure your topic really can't be identified with one of them. Also, don't equate "topic of your choice" with a license to write a comedy routine or poem (you can submit such things via the "Additional Info" option). Essays written for this prompt still need to have substance and tell your reader something about you.