SAMPLE QUESTION 7

As you read the passage below, consider how the author uses

• evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
• reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
• stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

             The Hunt for Success

1.       Ask parents what they want most for their children and many will answer success. By “success,” they may mean happiness, financial stability, good health etc. Chances are, they mean a combination of these things and many more. Perhaps, success is not a concept that falls to easy measurement or simple understanding because of its tendency to particularity; it is different for every individual—there is no one recipe. So then, without a clear definition of success let alone an apprehensible path toward its fulfillment, how is one to choose a field of study, a major, and eventually a career?

2.       According to Forbes magazine, more than half of Americans are unhappy at work, with disconnection hitting a record high in 2010. Fifty-two percent of people report feeling disengaged at work, while eighteen percent say they downright hate their jobs. Business insider complicates the statistics further by asking the working public whether they chose a passion or a paycheck, and whether these two are incompatible. The argument only gains complexity when one considers how much fulfillment comes from the pay itself: would be unfulfilled be bigger fans of their current jobs if the salary was higher, or do they, regardless of pay, need to feel pride in what they spend forty hours a week or more doing? With so many falling short of self-realization, surely there needs to be more attention paid to what makes up a successful career.

3.       The answer to choosing the right career lies in the nuances of success itself. Just as there is no one definition of success, there is no one path to it, and one will rarely find success by sitting around thinking about it. Furthermore, it can be equally futile to weigh everything in the name of one small part of the plethora that makes up success: there are plenty of wealthy men and women who do not consider their work fulfilling, just like there are many who don’ t consider themselves successful despite their contentment at work. The fact is, one does not know the best career path for them until they feel it, see it, hear it. This balance, particular to an individual’ s personal needs and priorities, is found most often through action.

4.       In Lindsey Pollak’ s Getting from College to Career, she suggests that career-hunters “follow every rainbow,” a tip that involves finding and exploring every opportunity that comes one’ s way. From job shadowing to career fairs to campus ads to online resumes, Pollak asserts that the potential paths to one’ s dream job are innumerable, so every angle and every avenue should be pursued. Her work as a career expert has allowed her to interview thousands of people who boast that they found success in a fulfilling and engaging career; their paths are as many as their number. Some cite a family friend, a coincidental conversation with a stranger, an employment agency, or a referral as the reason behind their success. Yet, all successful stories have this in common: action.

5.       Many universities have caught on and are beginning to implement programs that encourage, or even mandate, action throughout a student’ s undergraduate study. These initiatives often include study abroad, research experiences, internships, community outreach, career fairs, and senior project fairs—all with the goal of bolstering one’ s exploration of opportunities and exposing one’ s talents to prospective employers. When students are able to expand their interests and experiences by trying new things and meeting new people, they are likewise expanding their career search. Not only are students more likely to find employment, they are more likely to be engaged, challenged and enriched by their work. While universities are undeniably attempting to improve their career placement rates, they are simultaneously doing something much more important—changing the lives of their students.

6.       With the evidence for action so overwhelming, one must ask if the university is really the best place to start. College application indeed ask students for their intended majors, and with many undergraduate degrees taking five and even six years to complete, it would appear that students are expected to come into the university with some sort of direction. High schools—which are presumed to prepare students for the workforce, military and/or college—must take on some of this responsibility in order to ensure the success of future generations. Seventeen-year-olds with an idea of where their interests lie and what makes them happy, albeit uncommon, undoubtedly have the advantage in exploring meaningful opportunities.

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.