Sample Essay— EXEMPLIFICATION (Developing with EXAMPLES)

EI have italicized the thesis sentence and underlined each body paragraph’s topic sentence)

Frustrations of a College Student

By R. B.Campbell

(Source unknown)

Life is never simple. For the businessman, the housewife, the factory worker, and even (or perhaps especially) the young child, each day is filled with its share of frustrations and disappointments. The college student is not exempt from these incidents; in fact, attending college exposes a person to a unique set of such experiences. (An Inferential thesis sentence)

Registration is an occasion which often gives rise to frustrating circumstances. Classes which are closed because they are filled, or due to lack of registrants, can destroy the most carefully planned schedule. Even if the desired classes are available, clerical errors can wreak havoc. A computer mix-up at Miami University during one recent quarter sent an estimated 5,000 of the school's 11,000 students to the drop/add line on the first day of classes. To view such a line from near the end, as I did, can indeed be a frustrating experience.

Even if the desired class is obtained, the instructor can make it seem as if it would have been more profitable to take some other course. College professors are often chosen for their ability to do research rather than their ability to teach. Every student can tell of at least one professor who, although more than competent in his or her field, could not effectively communicate knowledge to the class. Also, the more able professors are in their disciplines, the greater the demands on their time. My cousin, a student at a small, private college, once took a non-required psychology course specifically because a well-known doctor was listed as the professor. The doctor, however, was rarely seen. Most of the classes were given by a graduate assistant, who also marked the papers and made up the tests. The much-hailed doctor was too busy to actually teach.

Perhaps the most frustrating experience for college students is the realization that they have been following a course of study for which they are not suited. During my first five quarters of college, I was a chemistry major. It was not until after I had received failing grades in that subject from three different institutions that I finally came to the conclusion that it would perhaps be better if I studied a different subject. A friend of mine, an education major at Kent State, also found herself in this situation. It was not until she completed her student teaching experience, fifteen hours short of graduation, that she found she had no desire to teach. She will graduate at the end of the present quarter with a highly specialized degree in a field she has no desire to pursue.

College can be and should be a highly adventurous, rewarding period in the student's life. But like all other situations in life, it can often be fraught with frustration.