Eugene Said:

What TOPIC do YOU want to See debated?

We Answered:

1. Economy
2. War
3. Health Care
4. Education
5. Environment

In this order.

Allison Said:

Is it permitted for a college professor to ask her students their views on abortion in an English?

We Answered:

I am a professor. I would NEVER touch an issue that charged and personal. It depends on what type of college it is. I would say in a state school it would be not only inappropriate but perhaps a violation of policy If it is a private institution there may be more leeway.
Don't tape anything as it's inadmissable without permission. I would question that instructor's ethics. there are other ways to get students to debate.

Stella Said:

What do you think of this law school statement? I just put the X's there I have a college though?

We Answered:

You know, after reading this I must say that there were parts that really grabbed my attention, and there were other parts that I felt were bordering on disingenuity and arrogance.

The first two paragraphs are excellent, however the third paragraph begins to falter. You tell us your emotions, which is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. You also mention going to Tennessee which is, again, completely irrelevant. Why on earth does the reader need to know that?!! It fails to make your essay more personable and ultimately weakens the paragraph. In my opinion, you should cut right to "In my vital opening statement.."

You then committed an inexcusable grammatical error. You used "everyone" with "their": "After everyone on my team completed their argument".. Everyone is SINGULAR; you need to use singular pronouns!! You're going to law school where how well you write will determine everything about your career. How can you make a mistake like that?! It reflects poorly on you and could hurt your chances of being admitted into this law school.

Next you say "I could tell both of my theories really impressed the judges by their reaction". Again, this statement is too vague and useless to be of any value in that paragraph. What was the reaction? Why is this important to the paragraph? It sounds presumptuous to me, and I'm sure you don't want to come off sounding this way in the essay.


Next, you say "I felt relieved because all of our hard work of arduous research and practice debates paid off." I would re-phrase this. It's not a coherent sentence the way it's worded now.

"I thought about our perseverance from problems such as changing our arguments frequently, disagreements, and the possibility that members of the group would be absent that day". There's a rule that you don't introduce new information in the closing paragraphs. I'd adhere to that rule here. The reader doesn't need to know what "almost" happened--only the facts. I'd cut out that sentence as well.

You then say "This is why I plan to attend the University of XXXXXX to start a legal career as part of a general counsel and later in my career become a lawmaker for Congress in Washington D.C.". I'd cut out the "become a lawmaker for Congress" part. You need to show you are focused on getting into this school, more so on what you "hope to do" with a law degree. This sounds a little pretentious to me as well.

WHEW! I know I was pretty brutal, but I think this could be a very good essay with some grammatical tweaks and editing. I'm applying to law school as well so I know the importance of having a cogent, articulate, creative essay.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me at tpoplar@yahoo.com

Good luck!

Virginia Said:

Community college student transferring (advices for high school record)?

We Answered:

The point of going to a community college and transferring is for people with a weak high school record to have a chance by showing what they can do after high school. Your high school grades are not going to matter, your college grades are.