SAMPLE ESSAY 3

Read the following passage, and think about how the author uses:

•          Evidence, such as applicable examples, to justify the argument.
•          Reasoning to show logical connections among thoughts and facts.
•          Rhetoric, like sensory language and emotional appeals, to give weight to the argument. 

You Get What You Pay For

Finding a job directly out of college is, for many, a catch-22. Employers want experience and graduates are hard-pressed to gain the experience needed to, well, gain experience. As a remedy, universities are encouraging internships, opportunities to enter the workforce temporarily and train in a position of interest. The idea is that both sides will come out the better– the intern strengthening his or her resume and building a strong social network, the employer expanding its workforce and investing in a prospective employee. But now, more students are questioning exactly who is getting their money’ s worth when many internships are unpaid. Rather than doubting the value of experience, they wonder at its fairness and practicality. Internships, when paid, are not only more valuable, but also more meaningful.

After all, it is a small minority of college students who can afford to work for free. A certain incongruity exists when those students, who have the least connections and need the most help breaking into the job market, are also those who have to pass up internships to earn cash for food, gas and books. First-generation college students from low-income families are particularly frustrated at the prospect of unpaid work. Between adjusting to campus life and difficult coursework, there is little time to spare, what is left must be devoted to bookstore clerking, restaurant serving, pizza delivering and other rent-paying positions, even when it would be better spent in on-the-job training.

There is conflict too, when interns are doing the same work as entry-level employees who enjoy a salary for their efforts. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, internships can legally only go unpaid when the work is similar to training in, an educational environment and does not give immediate advantage to the employer. These stipulations have students asking, “Then, what’ s the point?” If the work is not directly benefiting the employer, and the student is not being paid, the situation seems much more like a lose-lose. The lack of reward for each party paints a dismal picture—one with interns failing to perform at high standards and employers hesitant to offer permanent employment.

  Instead, internships, when requiring investment by both parties are more likely to result in job matching. According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, paid internships markedly increase a student’ s chances of landing a job by graduation, while unpaid internships give little or no edge. Statistics of that same survey fid starting annual salaries of those with paid intern experience some $15,000 higher than those with unpaid work. Not only are students profiting, but employers are finding more valuable after their paid on-the-job training. When the stakes are raised, everybody is coming out on top.

Then there are the naysayers. Forbes answered the “mantra” of pro-payers with a simple solution: let the individuals decide for themselves. If it were only that simple. Do students, in dire need of a bullet point or two under the subheading “experience,” have a choice with the current 11% unemployment rate for recent graduates that Forbes reports? Critics concede that all experience is valuable, and so it must be left to the students to decide whether or not to take an internship based on pay rate, or lack thereof. Clearly, they add, the requirement to offer only paid internships will discourage many corporations from offering them at all, and limited opportunities will only further harm the untested, job-seeking graduates. Yet if these unpaid prospects are doing so little to enhance their job search, why should students express concern over their depletion? Additionally, if companies are forced to offer internships only under paid circumstances, are not they more likely to provide substantial training to new talent and offer permanent employment to those who meet their expectations?

Work experience in a market that expects experience at the entry-level is thus hard to come by. Student’ s yearning to expand their skills and marketability should not be met with meaningless, unpaid work, particularly when so many families are financially strapped with tuition, housing, and living expenses. The opportunity cost of committing time, effort and aptitude to a prospective career must be acknowledged with fair pay and genuine likelihood for extended employment. While students hone their skills, employers relish in a skillful and productive workforce generation after generation. The key to a successful internship lies in its potential reward for both parties.    

      Write a response that demonstrates how the author makes an argument to persuade an audience that a liberal arts education is valuable. In your response, analyze how the author uses at least one of the features from the essay directions (or features of your own choosing) to develop a logical and persuasive argument. Be certain that your response cites relevant aspects of the source text. Your response should not give your personal opinion on the merit of the source text, but instead, show how the author crafts an argument to persuade readers.

        Full Top-Scoring Essay Response

In response to the current market difficulties surrounding young people and job opportunities, the author argues first that internships are essential for young people, but secondly, that unpaid internships are inherently unfair, and that they furthermore provide little benefit for either the employer or the intern. Instead, she argues first through the introduction of a Catch 22 paradox that establishes the importance of internships in general, and then through statistical evidence and an appeal against those that support unpaid internships that the establishment of paid (rather than unpaid) internships would be most advantageous for both employers and interns.

As stated, the author begins her persuasive approach with the use of a Catch22 paradox to emphasize the need for internships. “Employers want experience, and graduates are hard-pressed to gain the experience needed to, well, gain experience,” she asserts in her opening paragraph. The primary point here is that the requirement to attain entry-level employment is often previous entry-level employment. Thus, the author seems to call to attention the rhetorical question: If I need a job, what in the world am I supposed to do? However, the author states that all is not lost; this is where the concept of internships is introduced to fill the paradoxical void. With an internship, young people can attain that work experience before they began to apply for full-time employment upon graduation. Nonetheless, not just any type of internship will do. After all, many college students can’ t afford the opportunity cost of working for free. Thus, these internships must be paid to accommodate not just students who can afford to work for free, but rather all students, the author posits. “A certain incongruity exists when those students who have the least connections …. Are also those who have to pass up internships to earn cash for gas, money, and books.”

In addition, the author relies on the concreteness of statistical evidence to lend additional credence to her perspective, according to a report from Forbes, the author states that the unemployment rate is currently 11%. Her point here is that, when one out of every nine prospective applicants is unable to attain work, something must be done to remedy this shortfall. Again, this is another example that is introduced in order to strengthen the argument in favor of internships; if this 11 % had had the opportunity to complete an internship before hitting the open market, they would certainly be stronger applicants, and also would have a connection and an “in” with that employer with whom they interned. Furthermore, the author introduces a statistic that epitomizes the value of paid rather than unpaid internship: according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, those with paid intern experience commanded starting annual salaries that were a whopping $ 15,000 higher than those with unpaid experience. Thus, the employees with paid experience benefit tremendously, and the employers evidently feel that they benefit from employing a paid intern, as well; otherwise, the additional compensation would not be as pronounced. Now, as Mark Twain famously stated, there are “lies, demand lies, and statistics” but this is an awfully convincing figure to support her position.

Finally, the author strengthens her own position by weakening that of her position. Again, she calls attention to a Forbes reference, but this time, she does n’ t agree with the assessment. Forbes states that the invisible hand of the market should dictate whether or not an internship should be paid or unpaid. In essence, Forbe’ s point is that, if people are completing unpaid internships of their own volition, then they must feel that there is still benefit to be had the opportunity. The author does n’ t dispute that young people are willing to offer free labor, but she argues that-based on her points already stated-these unpaid internships are not achieving anything. Thus, though two parties might enter into a consensual agreement, that does n’ t necessarily constitute a productive agreement.

In conclusion, the author argues that internships fulfill a void in society, but only if they are of the paid variety. She supports her position by offering a Catch-22 paradox, statistical evidence, and by attacking the position of her opposition.