Advantages of Universities

Advantages of Universities

A degree from a university means many thing to many different people. Only you can define the importance of a degree such as this to you and only you can determine whether or not now is the time for you to pursue a university degree. If you are unsure about how advantageous a university degree could be to your life let's look at some of the advantages to a university education in relationship to a community college education.

Money. The first obvious advantage of a university education would be in future earning potential. A four-year degree trumps a two-year degree almost every time. There would have to be exceptional circumstances for someone with a two-year degree to earn more over the course of a lifetime than someone with a four-year degree in the same exact field. While a degree does not guarantee employability, iMoney. The first obvious advantage of a university t does improve the odds as well as the income potential that is associated with the field you are entering into. If you have a two-year degree the decision to continue your educational pursuits can be a tough one but it is well worth the effort in the end.

Housing. This is another distinct advantage that universities offer over community colleges. In fact, many universities are now offering housing opportunities to students with families in addition to those students who have no families. Colleges and universities are offering all kinds of value when it comes to housing and meal plans. A great deal of the college experience is missed when you do not live on campus. For this particular reason students wishing to enjoy the experience that dorm life provides often consider universities over community colleges.

Diversity. This is another key component that is often missing at the community college level. International students find no real price breaks between universities and community colleges so they tend to opt for the housing and cultural atmosphere that universities present rather than going with the limiting educational, residential, and cultural experience offered by many community colleges. You will find students of different races, religions, cultures, and nations on the university level-far more than will typically be seen in a community college unless you are attending community college in a very culturally diverse city such as New York.

Culture. This is something that is often lacking on the community college level, as they are largely commuter campuses. You will not see quite the opportunity to experience art, music, the theater, and other wonderful experiences that universities pride themselves in offering to their students. There is nothing quite like the cultural offerings of most large universities and if you get the opportunity I hope you will take the time to stop and experience some of the wonderful things that being in a university community present you with an opportunity to experience.

Research opportunities. On a university level you will have the opportunity to participate in research projects with certain professors if your prove yourself worthy and express an interest. This is something that isn't as likely on the community college level as most professors in a community college are dedicated to teaching rather than research. You will find that the experience of working on a large-scale research project is unlike anything you are likely to experience again if you ever get the chance.

Confidence. There is nothing quite like a college degree from a university to help you become a more confident person both personally and professionally. This is something that really can't be achieved on the community college level but can only be experienced by getting a degree from a university. If you lack confidence when dealing with others or in your career, I hope that you will find that your university education is just the thing to help you feel more confidence on all levels of your life.

These are just a small sampling of the many benefits of attending a university over a community college education. I hope you will carefully consider these when making your decision about which is best for your personal education needs.

College Education: Scholarship Grants or Financial Aid?

How much is the cost for a college education?

Is there an available financing scheme?

Let’s face the reality. College education is expensive! A lot of parents do a double take when their children are preparing and looking forward to attending a community college or a state university.

There are a lot of things which comprises the cost of college education and the tuition fee is just a part of the big picture of getting into college. Other everyday expenditure includes food, transportation, housing, pocket money, and other miscellaneous fees which when added up can create a significant portion in financing a college education.

A lot of families in this day and age, even if they belong to the upper-class society, think about applying for financial aid. College grants and scholarships are the most excellent kind of financial assistance.

Grant and scholarship programs do not entail students or the family to pay back. These could be of two kinds: (1) base on need, which is given due to the financial inability of the student and the family as a whole, and (2) base on merit, the talent of the student like in sports, is the main consideration. The student’s academic ability also falls under the merit-base college grant and scholarship.

Oftentimes, college grants and scholarships combine the merit and need criteria to ease out the whole financial aid process. Numerous students and their families are in the look-out for this type of financial aid. However, college grants and scholarships are limited compared with the growing number of students year after year.

Qualifying students can avail of federal and a number of state scholarship programs. Some of which are the following:

Federal or National Pell Grants – this is a program funded nationwide intended to endow assistance to any qualified undergraduate learner pursuing postsecondary schooling. Grants and scholarships of this kind are given to those who have not finished a baccalaureate degree.

The worth of the grant can vary year after year and will depend largely on the financial need of the students, the expenses that will be incurred while attending the chosen university or college, and the availability of funds from the national government.

This type of grant will open opportunity for the students to avail succeeding financial aid from the national government.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) – this is a program for ongoing undergraduate students with outstanding monetary need. However, not all students can avail this type of grant. This will depend on the eligibility of the students and availability of finances of the concerned school.

Another form of financial aid that students and families can turn to is through loans. This type of financial assistance should be paid back. The financial need of the family should be considered thoroughly to avoid paying high interest rates.

It is also a must to understand all the terms of lending agencies such as the schedule of repayment and interest rates, before signing in or making a commitment.

Work study is a form of financial assistance which calls for students to do labor to sustain their college education. Work study is commonly done on campus and is the most typical form of financial aid in all universities and colleges. Usually, the students will render service to schools for ten to fifteen hours per week.

Scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid to acquire college education is really multifaceted, confusing at times, and even exasperating. The good thing is college education is a non-refundable and non-biodegradable type of investment. It is for the future!

Sports Cars for Girls

Looking at different kinds of cars, one can't help but notice that each car has a special trait, a characteristic that makes it what it is. And we cannot help but categorize a car by its looks and features. On sports cars for girls, one usually arrives at an image of a convertible roadster that is small and compact. To give you a better idea, here are some cars that can be classified as a ‘chick car’.

 

Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle is a compact family car that is made in Germany. It is one of the most easily recognized cars in the whole world. Due to its popularity, it has even moved up to a cult status with many loyal followers. It is known as the beetle, bug, or kafer (German) because of its distinctive shape.

Mini Cooper

This car is an affordable, stylish, fun, and compact piece of machinery. It was first designed in 1959 as a car that combines a big interior space with a small car body. It is very appealing to the eye and popular to a wide range of people due to its affordability. With regards to safety issues, the mini cooper employs an anti-lock braking system for more stability and control especially during turns and cornering. The interior of this car is stylish and compact. One drawback is its small storage capacity but that is expected from this type of car. It is not a ‘hot rod’ but it is a fun to drive around the city.

BMW Z4 Roadster

The Z4 is the follow-up to the Z3 series which was first introduced in 1996. It is very popular to both young and old car aficionados because of its aggressive design. It is a bit bigger then the Z3 and its body is much stiffer even when measures were taken to reduce its overall body weight without compromising rigidity. It has a stiff chassis, a variety of transmission options, and large disk brakes that enable this car to provide great comfort and pleasure while driving.

These are some of the best sports cars that can be considered as ‘girl’ cars. If you are still thinking of what kind of car you want to get, consider the following: The prices of convertibles start around $20,000 and go up to the hundred thousand range. Engines used usually are four or six cylinder types while the pricier ones employ V6 or V8 engines. Maintenance costs for convertibles are roughly the same as those of sedans and technology has made soft tops stronger and more durable to withstand years of abuse.

A College Degree is Nearly a Necessity

Your education is the single greatest gift you can give yourself. While there are educational opportunities all around us, some of them come at a greater cost than others. A college education might require a hefty investment of time and money upfront but the pay off is much better over time than if you used your life experiences in order to achieve the same level of education that you can pack into 2, 4, or 5 years of an undergraduate education on the college level.

In other words, over the course of your lifetime you are likely to pay far less for your college education than you would pay (in earning potential) for not having a college education. At the same time, each level of college education you receive increases your overall earning potential. This means that a one-year degree in a technical field will provide a modest boost from a high school diploma when it comes to earning potential but an associate's degree will provide an even better boost. You will see an even more significant improvement in earning potential when you increase from an associate's degree to a bachelor's degree. The vast majority of students enter the work force upon completion of a bachelor's degree. Those students, however, who remain in school for graduate studies often, find that a master's degree even further improves their lifetime earning potentials.

The problem for most when it comes to making the jump between degrees and educational levels is cost. There are times in life when we simply need to get out of school and get to work. The good news is that it is gradually becoming easier for those with careers to further their education without sacrificing either their careers or their family during the process. Of course there will be some sacrifices along the way but it isn't an all at once or nothing endeavor. You can work towards your degree by taking online classes, night classes, and Saturday classes. The information age has made it easier than ever before to achieve the educational goals you need to meet in order to satisfy your dreams for the future.

Your level of education will get your foot in the door when it comes to certain jobs and your lack of education will limit you far more than a lack of experience will limit you in many cases. As time grows on, more and more companies are seeking employees that have degrees rather than those who have experience in the field. If you hope to remain competitive in the business world you need to arm yourself with the proper education. Check with your company to see if they offer any sort of incentives for employees continuing their education. You might be surprised to find that your company offers to match your tuition funds or even completely reimburse them if you are working towards a degree that will assist you in your job functions.

There is no wrong reason to get an education. Even if you are applying for a job that won't use your specific degree, you might find that having a degree at all gives you a boost over other applicants for the same position. A college degree is becoming more and more necessary in today's business climate. You need to take every opportunity that is available to you in order to get your college degree.

Break it up, Break it Down: Paragraphing Strategies for College Essays

Some of us fill a page with a wall of words, with no paragraph indentations, no transitions, and no clearly defined topic sentences. Some of us have the appropriate indentations, but within each paragraph our sentences are out of order. Francis Christensen [1] devised a brilliant trick for paragraphing, one you can use at (and not before) the revising stage:

First, let''s imagine we are creating a couple of "outlines" for paragraphs about places in the world. [2] Fill in the blanks for the two paragraphs below, by pretending each word or phrase is a sentence, with the first word (1) the topic sentence:

(1) WORLD

.....(2) COUNTRY___USA______ (2) COUNTRY____________

........(3) CITY___San Francisco__ (3) CITY_____________

..........(4) STREET__Haight______ (4) STREET___________

.............(5) BUSINESS_Amoeba Music_ (5) BUSINESS______

For this paragraph, we can see how each entry (sentence) refers back to (1), but is also a more specific reference to the place directly before it. So the sequence is tight/orderly.

But what if we tried to put another (2) next in this sequence, after the (5)? Would bringing in another country in the city, on the street, and at the business there work logically for our reader? Or would it throw our reader?

It would throw our reader.

So we need to start a new paragraph, a new (1), an ALSO/BESIDES/IN ADDITION.... For, this paragraph is of the kind Christensen calls the SUBORDINATE PARAGRAPH, and it must have an order and sub order of 1, 2, 3, 4, .... It cannot have 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, and it cannot have a 1, 5, 2, 3, 4 order.

***** SUBORDINATE paragraphs are good for telling stories, showing a process (or how-to) order, or moving from general to specific descriptions. They are one of three types of paragraphs in the writing world.*****

This brings us, then, to the next type of paragraphing. Fill in each of the blanks below with a phrase:

(1) What is truth?

(2) Truth is_____________________________________.

(2) It is________________________________________.

(2) It is________________________________________.

For this kind of paragraph, called a COORDINATE PARAGRAPH, each sentence that follows the topic sentence--the (1)--cooperates with the others to define and redefine a term or terms. Once you complete your own statements defining truth, note how musical, poetic, or symmetrical (matching) the paragraph is because of the effective repetition.

***** COORDINATE paragraphs are good for--as you likely guessed--definitions, reinforcing meaning in a delivered point, and re-defining a topic.*****

This brings us to the last of the paragraphing types, called the MIXED PARAGRAPH. This includes all other logical and reinforcing paragraphs that contain a combination of the SUBORDINATE and the COORDINATE, while it still keeps order. That is, for example, it can be a 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, pattern, but should not have a new 1 thrown in or an oddly placed sentence like another 2 after the 3, 3, 3, part.

To clarify and to try the numbering on already written paragraphs (if, for example, you draft first and then check order second), let''s look at the following. Try to decipher the numbering pattern in each:

A

___I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. ___I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeking to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered; and only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation. ___I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder. --from Dr. Martin Luther King''s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Dec. 10, 1964 [3]

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

B

___There''s nothing quite so risky as a parody movie. ___Some of them work out wonderfully, and examples like "Blazing Saddles" and "Airplane!" are two of the funniest movies ever made. ___On the other hand, sometimes you get examples like "High School High," the new film starring Jon Lovitz and Tia Carrere. ___It''s supposed to be a spoof of the "Dangerous Minds" type of movie, where a teacher comes into an inner city high school and changes everything around. ___Lovitz plays a teacher named Richard Clark -- get it, Dick Clark? -- who quits his job at a posh private school and takes a position at the worst public high school in the district, Marion Berry High. ___He meets the beautiful administrative assistant, played by Carrere, and the hard-nosed principal, played by Louise Fletcher. ___Yes, former Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher. Can you say, "tragic waste of talent"? I knew you could.... --from Alex Lau''s Movie Magazine International review, October, 1996

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

C

___Technically, Carlito''s Way is a combination of the innovative and the banal. ___The camerawork is invigorating, if sometimes too exotic. ___DePalma makes good use of the steadicam during the chase sequences, and this heightens whatever tension is present. ___Jellybean Benitez, a former DJ and club manager, is the music supervisor, and his choice of about a dozen mid-seventies hits helps to establish the time-frame. ___Patrick Doyle''s score, however, is horribly out-of-place.... --from James Berardinelli''s Colossus review, 1993

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

D

___Describing Tupac.... ___Shit, he was real. ___I''ma be real for a minute, because I can''t describe someone so real without being real myself: [Tupac] was everything and nothing. ___He was dreamful, hopeful, a leader, a rebel, a thug, a friend, a role model. ___Just everything he did was, as Tupac once said, "a calculated step to bring me closer to my death." ___He was the hip hop Jesus. --from Luis Camacho''s journal entry, June 16, 2004

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

What kind of paragraph do you find A is? If you see it as a COORDINATE, you are absolutely right!

How about B? Yep, a (well-written) SUBORDINATE.

My students are divided on C, with general consensus seeing it as either a COORDINATE, with each sentence after the first reinforcing the writer''s topic sentence or as a MIXED, with the final sentence (a 3)---or?possible a new 1?

And paragraph D? Looks like a rich MIX of details, doesn''t it? And the writer of D hadn''t yet done this paragraphing experiment!

End Notes

[1] Christensen, Francis. A Generative Rhetoric of the Paragraph. CCC 16 (October 1965).

[2] This part of the experiment is a modified version of that used in Graduate Composition Teaching courses taught by Deborah Swanson at SFSU.

[3] All paragraph samples taken from and/or modified for English 880, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. Passage D is a selected piece written by a student who has granted his permission for my use of it here and elsewhere. RM.

N.H.-born prize-winning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and award-winning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of http://www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas?of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can''t possibly get any longer??.', 122, 'Break it up, Break it Down: Paragraphing Strategies for College Essays, College-University, College-University articles, College-University information, about College-University, what is College-University, College & University Information', 'Break it up, Break it Down: Paragraphing Strategies for College Essays plus articles and information on College-University

How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better

If you''re a student attending classes, you have probably experienced many moments when it was hard to make yourself settle down and study, even when an important exam was coming up.

If you''re like most students, you put off studying until the very last minute. The night before the exam, you''ll stay up all night cramming, getting little or no sleep. In the morning, you''ll drag yourself out of bed, psych yourself up with lots of coffee and some cigarettes, and go into the exam feeling exhausted, drained and jittery all at the same time. You''ll find it hard to focus or think, and you''ll be cursing yourself for not starting to study sooner.

And not surprisingly, unless you''re blessed with natural brilliance, or you happen to know the subject matter extremely well, you''ll probably do terribly on the test.

If this is your typical method of studying, you already know it doesn''t work. Every time you go through this ritual, you tell yourself that you''re going to smarten up the next time you face a big exam. Next time you''ll start to study weeks in advance, you say. But instead, you keep repeating this crazy pattern. Why does this keep happening? And what should you be doing instead if you want to get better marks?

A big problem for most people, especially those who are young students, is that life gets in the way. If you''re a student, you probably have a part time job, and like most young people, you also want to have a social life.

Studying can seem very boring compared to all the exciting temptations just outside your door. Or the games on your computer. Even watching old reruns of Sesame Street can seem more interesting than the biology text your teacher is expecting you to master!

One reason we often don''t start studying until the last possible minute is that we have misjudged how long it will actually take us to absorb and understand the material. If your mid-term is still six weeks away, that might seem like plenty of time left before you need to get around to studying. You might find however, that the subject matter is a lot harder to understand than you thought it would be, and all of a sudden there''s no time left to ask someone to explain it to you.

Another reason we often put off starting to study is that we are too overwhelmed with how big the project actually seems to be. Somehow we convince ourselves that putting off a tough study project can be the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by it.

When we are faced with a study project that seems exceptionally difficult and overwhelming, it can be to maintain a high level of interest and motivation for the duration of the learning process.

If you have been guilty of all these bad study habits, it''s not too late to learn some other habits that will work better for you.

First, remind yourself why you want to do better in your studies. Maybe you need a good mark to get into a good college. Maybe you want a chance at a career that will pay you well. Always keep your end goal in mind.

You can put little cards up around your room with inspirational messages, and attractive photographs that will remind you why you want to do well in school.

If you feel very overwhelmed, you can improve your motivation and your performance by breaking up the project into smaller sections, or "chunks". Each time you accomplish one little bit successfully, give yourself a meaningful reward.

If you have a deadline looming, decide how much of the project you need to tackle at one time.

Let''s say you have six weeks to master the content of a difficult biology text. Looking through the book you realize that if you study one chapter each night, you can get through the book in 28 days, leaving two weeks in which you can again review the material.

With this knowledge you can pace yourself. You know what your assignment is. You know how much you need to read every night. Concentrate on the immediate task at hand. You don''t need to feel overwhelmed by the entire book at one time. Next, work out a system of rewards for yourself. Give yourself a series of small rewards each time you master one chapter, and a larger reward for completing the entire book.

For rewards to work they must be immediate, and personally meaningful to you. There is no point in rewarding yourself with a new fishing rod if you hate fishing.

Rewards don''t need to be material objects if there is something else that would really motivate and inspire you. How about attending a special concert, or taking a special trip? You decide. Get creative and think of something that will spur you to take action.

It''s very important that the reward take place soon after the work has been accomplished. This creates a sense of positive reinforcement. Give yourself a small reward every time you finish a small part of the job, and a bigger reward when the project is completed. If there is too long a gap between the activity and the reward, it will not have the effect of reinforcing the desired activity.

Besides motivating yourself with a series of external rewards, learn to motivate yourself internally. Tell yourself you''re a good learner. Tell yourself you enjoy learning. Tell yourself you enjoy giving your brain a good work out. Congratulate yourself for your efforts. Tell yourself you love acquiring new knowledge, and let yourself feel a joy in learning. Be proud of yourself for the work you do to gain more knowledge.

For information to sink into your brain and be accessible to you, you need to review it several times, and your brain needs to sleep properly for the memories to be encoded in your neurons. You need to reduce your mental stress. Your brain needs good nutrition and it needs to be in a peaceful, confident state. Drugs and alcohol don''t help the process of learning.

Write out what you are learning in your own words, and find a learning buddy. Practice explaining to someone else what you have learned. This will increase the likelihood that your brain will remember it.

If you start to cram the night before, you are putting your brain at a big disadvantage.

You''re increasing your physical and mental stress, and you''re not giving yourself time to review the material several times. By cutting back on your sleep, you''re not giving your brain a chance to put the information you''ve been studying into the hard drive storage of your brain.

By starting your studies early, and reviewing what you''ve learned, you have a much better chance of remembering and understanding what you need to know when you face a big exam.

Royane Real is a science educator and the author of several books on improving learning. This article is taken from the new short report "Your Quick Guide to Improving Your Learning Ability" You can get the paperback version or download it from http://www.lulu.com/real', 122, 'How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better, College-University, College-University articles, College-University information, about College-University, what is College-University, College & University Information', 'How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better plus articles and information on College-University

Writing Effective (and Requisite) Essay Openers

When we write for college courses, we write for an audience other than ourselves. And it''s an audience of more than one-the professor who assigned the piece. A good way to think of (and never forget) audience is to imagine we are writing the assignment for a popular magazine that sits in multiple copies on the shelves of an equally popular bookstore. For each magazine sold, pretend, we get a percentage.

Our goal, then, is to have as large and widespread a readership as possible-to hook as many browsers as we can-with an effective opener (also known as an introduction). We therefore must engage, first, before we entertain, educate, or inform.

First the Caveats and Comments on Ineffective (Bad) Openers

NO to SNORE openers ? Forget burdening or alienating your readers with comments of how many people in many countries have many different ideas about life and society and all those other blah, blah, blah hard-to-wrap-the-brain-around opening commentaries?which really just send the reader off to find a more intriguing read.

NO to OBVIOUS ? Similar to the snore generalizations, the obvious comments in an opener will have eyes (if not heads) rolling as readers take in the TV is mental masturbation or ads are used to manipulate us statements you can avoid--by using an old Marshall McCluhan quote or Cleo awards description, for example, instead.

NO to HYPERBOLE ? Putting myself through school as a waitress, I had a number of regular customers who were writers, too, they said. They would talk at me all through my shift, reciting their best work. One insisted on reiterating his description of the verdant rolling hills that kissed the edges of the glistening waters at the feet of the majestic span of the Golden Gate Bridge?until I would get so mental I would fantasize about bringing the heft of the glistening glass coffee pot screaming down onto his head. In other words, do not exaggerate. Do not bring in heavy drama and description that will overwhelm and, again, alienate your readers. Stick with the truth. Stick with the openers that work.

We Use Modes for Engaging Openers...and I''m going to Use One Here, Out of Necessity...and Spite

I once read a how-to article on web content writing, on making a site that brings traffic (the attention of many). I had already begrudgingly given in to the understanding that web content writing is very different than academic writing--it has different goals, different audiences, and different elements that lend themselves to an ''A'' piece of writing. In fact, it is so different that to write for the web we have to unravel all we have worked to weave, have to unlearn all we have learned as college English writers.

Don''t Confuse Web Content/Writing and Academic Writing

So the writer of this article says to start web copy you skip the opener and go directly to the main point (what we in academia know as the thesis). Okay. This made sense, I thought, as web readers read differently: they read fast, they skim, they scan, they skip...to draw the most usable info in the shortest amount of time. (Probably the way you are reading now, hoping I get on with the point).

-I was with Mr. Web when he explained these facts.

-I was with him as he noted the research findings that back up the rationale for sacrificing good academic exposition for web text.

-And I was there with his tips and tricks, which were great...until he went too far, editorializing about writers who actually use openers:

He claimed that writers who rely on openers don''t have "the courage" to just get to the point. So he lost me.

Don''t Let Anyone Shame Your Learning Writing Tricks

We can adapt to just about any rhetorical style. We can adjust our notions of what makes for good writing. But we should balk when a how-to writer insults other methods of writing. We should even disregard implications of cowardice as unnecessary ad hominem attacks. False attacks. Fallacious and floppy and frivolous teaching. Screw that.

Readers of Academic Essay Writing Appreciate (even Prefer) a Good Opener

Openers in academic writing, whether in a creatively developed literary response or a historical survey, are imperative. They are a gentler way of drawing in, luring our readers. They are at first quite challenging to get right, but our mastering them--which is possible--has nothing to do with courage, which comes from the French word, "coeur," heart. We have plenty of heart. We''re studying English, for hell sake.

Against my wishes, then, this page opens with a declaration and gets right to the point. At first. But it also has a "grabber" slipped in--because we''re looking at grabbers and because, well, I can''t help it. I want to model decent prose for you.

Samples of Effective Essay Openers by Mode/Type

Even better, I''ll share with you some samples, written by my former students (who have granted permission for the use of their work as models):

****People Love Stories. We Love to Tell Stories. The Narrative Opener:

Once upon a time, during the era of slavery, whites were afraid of blacks, and the "word" was born. That''s why someone came up with the "word." Two hundred years later around my sister''s house, the children still use this "word". Sometimes I even hear myself say this "word." But guess what? I check myself and correct myself, because when you use the "word" to address someone, no matter who you are or what color you are, it is totally disrespectful.

The word: "nigger". (1)

****To Establish Credibility, Try a Sober, Scholarly Introduction. The Statistics/Facts Opener:

By the age of forty-four, 47 percent of American women will have had an abortion. (Day 6) To describe this statistic as anything other than a tragedy is to deny the sanctity of human life. The Christian abortion debate rests upon the moral and theological dimension[s] of this issue. To examine the moral dimensions of abortion without examining the social realm is to ignore the mutually dependent relationship that surrounds this debate. (2)

****Appealing to the Senses Lures and Keeps Readers Interested. The Descriptive Opener:

Rain is pelting my car relentlessly as I drive home from [XXX] College. Cars rushing on the freeway cause the water on the pavement to burst into a fine mist, surrounding each and every vehicle with a billowing sheet of opaqueness. Finally, I arrive in front of my little two-bedroom home. With a sigh of relief, I enter my living room.

Lately, this house has turned into a haven of safety, sheltering me as much from nature''s elements as from the unpredictable and unprovoked malevolence I experience from one of my instructors. My dread is heightened by the fact that I appear to be the primary recipient of this teacher''s outbursts of viciousness. Slowly, my gaze shifts across the room and comes to rest on the play I have to read for my English class. It is Mamet''s Oleanna. I pick up the book and soon find myself drawn into the story. Quickly, it becomes clear to me that this play [deals with] the relationship between a teacher (John) and his student (Carol). While both characters show evidence of an interesting variety of behaviors, John mesmerizes me to a greater degree. I begin to wonder whether John displays symptoms of an underlying psychological disorder. (3)

Put the Readers in the Frame, Inside the Paper. The Direct Address Opener:

You are in the midst of a blazing inferno. Your mind is moving at the speed of light. Yet you are paralyzed by fear. The silence is deafening between the confinement of the four walls. You are no longer in control. You wonder how the communication between the members of the family has ceased, specifically between Mother and Father. Each passing day, only silence can be heard. The usual chatter at the dinner table is considerably lessened. It comes down to, "Pass the corn, please." Or one excusing oneself from the table. (4)

Advance Trust, Establish Authority from the Start. The Authoritative Quote Opener:

"Generations of students have studied calculus without ever seeing its power." This statement is found in an article by K.C. Cole titled, "Bringing Calculus Down to Earth," from The Los Angeles Times. I most certainly agree with Cole. At one point earlier in the course of the class (calculus), I was not sure about the use of calculus and the importance of it. Others like me, such as friends, felt the same way. For this reason, I would assume, I am doing this research. This research is for students like myself to realize that "there is something about calculus," as Cole states in the article.... (5)

Keep with the Traditional "Show, Don''t Tell" Lesson. The Example Opener:

Sex is great. To me, it is all about feelings and experiences--the feeling of flesh against flesh, the experience of orgasm after orgasm. Sometimes, even, there is that feeling of being special, wanted, and loved. I suppose my parents had sex. It is not really an image I like to bring to mind. But when my father has sex with someone other than my mom, how am I supposed to feel then? (6)

Engage by Asking for the Readers'' Opinion and Thoughtful Participation. The Profound Rhetorical Question Opener:

Is the play, True West, written by actor/writer Sam Shepard, a sublimation of his own sibling rivalry or a rationalization of one? He writes of two brothers who are equal in intelligence but opposite in character. The older brother lives by his wit and the younger by his pen. In his unique style, Shepard uses many symbols describing the keen emotions that make up these two brothers. He also uses metaphors that reel you, the audience, into the depths of anger, pain, and the reality of life.... (7)

Finally, the Encouragement of Effective (Good) Openers

YES to APPROPRIATE introductory material. That is, use an opener that is relevant to your essay topic. Use an opener that fits the material. For example, a definition of alcoholism (which might work if you were writing a book) might be too clumsy for a cause and effect paper studying the influences of alcoholism on the family.

YES to APT openers. Do the modes that you are best at writing. And do what you best like doing. Write what works for you, your audience, and your assignment.

YES, modes overlap. A narrative opener will have descriptive details. A quote may be combined with statistics and facts. But instead of tripping on what the exact boundaries are between modes or types of writing passages, focus on the specifics of one type of opener as you understand it. The rest will be bonus material that merely enhances your style.

And YES to engaging, alluring introductions that lead your readers in to the place where your thesis/opinion sits waiting to declare your bold, informed truths. Which should never be denied or neglected?any more than your audience should be.

End Notes

(1) Bronson, A. "The Word."

(2) Roncella, L. "Judging Abortion."

(3) Prince, U. "Who Cares? [A Study of Oleanna]"

(4) Tolosa, W. "Dark silence."

(5) Pham, D. "Calculus as a Necessary Tool."

(6) Guiterrez, R. "Dad, Why Cheat?"

(7) Stark, C. "[...a Study of the Psychology of True West]."

N.H.-born prize-winning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and award-winning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of http://www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas?of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can''t possibly get any longer??.', 122, 'Writing Effective (and Requisite) Essay Openers, College-University, College-University articles, College-University information, about College-University, what is College-University, College & University Information', 'Writing Effective (and Requisite) Essay Openers plus articles and information on College-University