APA Formatting and Writing the Rough Draft
Prompt
You previously selected topic: Convince a friend, family member, or coworker to consider
earning a college degree. Please use the attached file or your previous paper: Reasons why
someone should be a college graduate.
Here is a suggested sequence for writing the first draft:
Step 1: Write the introduction to your paper.
The introduction must include a thesis statement. This is where you clearly state what your paper
is about and your stand on the topic. Remember to include three reasons or support for your
thesis. For example, Chocolate labs make the best dogs because they are loyal, good
companions, and good with children.
Step 2: Write other paragraphs in the essay’s body.
Each body paragraph should discuss one of your reasons or one support piece of your
thesis. For example, the first paragraph of the above thesis would be about how chocolate labs
are loyal, the second about how they are good companions, and the third how they are good with
children. You should also include transitional paragraphs that can be used to move from
one supporting paragraph to the next.
Step 3: Write the conclusion.
The conclusion must be strong and not leave the reader hanging, like at the end of a bad
movie. It also should not be merely a summary of what the reader just read. Instead, focus on
what you learned during your research. The conclusion is your last chance to convince your
audience to believe what you say. Use this opportunity to leave them with your most important
points.
Step 4: Put your rough draft into APA format.
Step 5: Make sure your draft is long enough and uses your sources.
This draft should be between 500-600 words long, and it should include your two sources. The
sources should be used to support your own ideas.
Running head: REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
Reasons Why Someone Should Be a College Graduate – Reflection and Outline
Names:
Institution:
1
REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
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Reasons why someone should be a college graduate
The selected topic for this paper is the reasons that someone should consider being a
college graduate. In this case, the paper will focus on researching some of the key reasons that
people should attain a college degree and its benefits in their lives. This is particularly
directed to friends. Most of my friends are either graduates or considering the same. However,
there are still a few that may not be considering having a college degree while others may not
be in a position to achieve the same as a result of many factors. This is thus a persuasive paper
that seeks to illustrate the benefits of becoming a college graduate and probably convince
young adults to make college degrees their priority.
There are a number of reasons that I have considered this topic. As I have explained
above, not everyone among my friends is a college graduate or is considering to enroll for
one. However, it is necessary that everyone understands the necessity of being a graduate. As
reported by OECD (2016), degree programs have become increasingly significant due to the
rise in the competition in the employment sector, which means that everyone should seek to
maximize their leverage over others. However, not everyone understands the same. In fact, a
recent paper reported that a significant number of those that enroll in various undergraduate
and graduate programs lack focus and may not entirely understand the importance of their
education and training (Oreopoulos & Petronijevic, 2013). While this could explain a large
number of people without a college degree, it could also explain the reason that a number of
those that have already graduated are still unemployed. Further, providing these reasons could
also help both those that have graduated and those that are still in college to optimize the
benefits that they realize from their education. This should then give a purpose for those in
high school and the young children while at the same time motivating them by providing them
with the information that attaining is not in vain.
REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
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The target audience for this paper is the young adults. However, it does not necessarily
mean that other groups within the society cannot benefit from this paper. Notably, it is
common to find young adults, middle-aged, and the elderly enrolling in various degree
programs regardless of their age. While it is of great importance for everyone to attain without
limiting themselves to their age, it is important to understand that one can optimize the
benefits of a college degree by attaining early enough. It is for this reason that the paper has
prioritized on the young adults and particularly those in high school. After all, it is at this
period that they should be building their foundation while at the same time having concrete
knowledge in areas that they want to pursue in college. In return, this will help them on
focusing on areas that could be the most beneficial to them, areas that they have the greatest
interest, and specialize in areas that they have a good chance of excelling at later stages of
education.
My target is to persuade the young adults not only to make attaining a college degree a
priority but also to ensure that they graduate early enough. Notably, recent data shows that the
level of literacy and attainment of higher education is on the rise. For instance, college degree
attainment data a decade ago showed that Canada was the leading country in the number of
people with tertiary education at 48% followed by New Zealand and Japan at 41% apiece and
the US at 40% (Statistica, 2018). However, there has been a shift in the recent past in both the
level of tertiary education attainment and the age at which learners attain their degrees. For
instance, based on data published two years ago, countries like Russia, Japan, and South
Korea had surpassed the former leaders with a huge margin (OECD, 2016). For instance,
South Korea took the lead at 61% followed by Japan and Russia at 60% and 58%,
respectively, while a country like the US trailed at 47%. Interestingly, many nations – and
particularly emerging leaders such as South Korea and Japan – had the largest proportion of
those that have attained a college degree concentrated at the age of 25-30 years (OECD,
REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
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2016). This is an indicator that times are changing and the young people should thus consider
enrolling in college education at a tender age so as to ensure that they align with the current
trends. In return, they will have more years to utilize the skills and knowledge that they gain
in college.
This topic will be easy to research. Notably, education is one of the key pillars in
many nations and the global community alike. As a result, one should expect to find a lot of
data regarding this topic and that analyzes it from all perspectives. Based on some of the
resources that have been cited above it has already been identified that global organizations
such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other
leading national and international data repositories such as Statistica, among others, possess a
lot of important data regarding the topic. In fact, they not only provide current data pertaining
the topic, they also provide historical data and an analysis of the topic from multiple
dimensions such as the impact that this has on various issues that affect the society. As a
result, I expect to have many sources of vital data that will help in compiling the research
paper.
Paper outline
a. Introduction
i. There is a rise in the number of people attaining a college degree (OECD, 2016;
Statistica, 2018).
ii. Some reasons that cause this increase include gaining skills and raising one’s
employability levels.
iii. The age at which people attain a college degree is dropping in many nations, which
means that younger adults should make it a priority.
b. To gain skills, further knowledge, and improve the quality of life
REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
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i. Learning helps one gain more knowledge regarding life as there are many issues that
are learned outside the area of specialization.
ii. Learning comes with experience and one can better manage their lives and resources.
iii. People that have achieved high levels of education are likely to have better health and
lifestyle standards (Van der Heide, Wang, Droomers, Spreeuwenberg … Uiters, 2013).
c. To get more career options
i. Companies seek specialists in most of their key areas.
ii. High levels of education are associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and
commitment (González, Sánchez & López-Guzmán, 2016).
iii. It is easier to get a job when one has a college degree than for those without one.
d. Higher income
i. People with a college degree are more paid better than those without as a result of
their skills and qualifications (Turčínková & Stávková, 2012).
ii. High levels of education are associated with low levels of poverty (Turčínková &
Stávková, 2012).
e. Conclusion
i. Everyone should consider having a college degree.
ii. They should have college degree at the least age possible.
REASONS WHY SOMEONE SHOULD BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE
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References
González, F., Sánchez, S. M., & López-Guzmán, T. (July 02, 2016). The Effect of educational
level on job satisfaction and organizational commitment: A case study in
hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 17(3),
243-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/15256480.2016.1183547
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016). Education at a glance
2016: OECD indicators. OECD: Ontario: Canadian Electronic Library.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2016-en
Oreopoulos, P., & Petronijevic, U. (January 01, 2013). Making college worth it: A review of
the returns to higher education. The Future of Children, 23(1), 41-65. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1015240.pdf
Statistica (2018). Percentage of adults who have earned a university degree, by country 2007.
Statistica. Available from https://www.statista.com/statistics/232951/universitydegree-attainment-by-country/
Turčínková, J., & Stávková, J. (October 01, 2012). Does the attained level of education affect
the income situation of households? Procedia - Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 55, 1036-1042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.595
Van der Heide, I., Wang, J., Droomers, M., Spreeuwenberg, P., Rademakers, J., & Uiters, E.
(2013). The relationship between health, education, and health literacy: Results from
the Dutch adult literacy and life skills survey. Journal of Health
Communication, 18(Suppl 1), 172–184. http://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2013.825668
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