F IVE W AYS TO S TART AN E SSAY

S TART WITH A R HETORICAL Q UESTION “When was the last time you spent over 20 minutes trying to find on-campus parking?” Note- by this point in your life, unless you’re writing a short story or a narrative, you should never use first or second person point of view. However, for just this rhetorical question, it is generally accepted use of the word “you.”

B EGIN WITH A D ECLARATION “Campus parking has gotten out of hand.” This is short and to the point, but your audience knows exactly what is coming with this essay.

B EGIN WITH A D EFINITION, A S TATISTIC, O R A Q UOTATION : “There is one parking spot for every ten students at our campus.” Define a key term from the reading, present a powerful statistic related to your topic, or use an intriguing quotation to hook your readers. If you use anything from your source material you must cite it! DO NOT make up statistics. If it’s not directly in the source material, do not use it.

B EGIN WITH A SPECIFIC DETAIL OR EXAMPLE “Most students at our campus wait at least 120 minutes for a parking space if they arrive between the hours of 9:00 AM and noon.” If it’s a detail you learned through research, you’ll have to cite your source.

B EGIN WITH A CREATIVE SCENARIO OR ANECDOTE “Imagine your first day at a new college. You pull into the main parking lot 15 minutes before your first class is scheduled to begin. However, as soon as you enter, you see at least 209 cars circling the very full lot.” Again, using the second person “you” is iffy, however, if your grabber is entertaining enough, it can be overlooked. NOTE: Avoid general problematic statements that use “all people,” or “In today’s society” You are using broad unprovable statements and it makes you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about.

T HESIS S TATEMENTS A good thesis statement establishes the scope of your topic, provides at least one controlling idea (or purpose) and gives a basic “map” to let your readers know how you will structure and develop your ideas. A thesis statement is making a claim. It always involves your opinion, not just facts or details. It’s what you want your readers to understand about your topic.

T HESIS N O - NOS : Remember, your thesis should not be a question, or series of questions. It should be the ANSWER of what you’re trying to prove. Avoid awkward baby phrasing such as ‘I will attempt to explain…” Don’t. Don’t attempt it. And don’t tell me what you will do. Just do it. While we’re at it… get rid of all the “I believe, I think, I feel, I will explain…” Duh. Of course you will. It’s your essay. You don’t need to tell me, since this isn’t a conversation.

T HESIS S TATEMENTS SHOULD ASK : 1. What is the purpose of my essay? 2. How will I develop it? 3. So what do I want to explain or prove to my readers through this essay? Example: [What?] “Our campus has a serious parking problem [How?] since we have far more students than spots, [So what?] so our campus needs to build a second parking lot.”

1. Chihuahuas may be tiny, but they tend to form packs like bigger dogs. 2. Miniature greyhounds are fast, like their larger version breed. 3. Toy poodles, like the standard poodle, are dogs with strict rules for breeding. C REATE A THESIS STATEMENT THAT IS NEITHER TOO BROAD NOR TOO NARROW AND THAT PROVIDES AN OPINION AND PURPOSE, BUT STILL PULLS TOGETHER THE MAIN POINTS. This is way too narrow to write about. [What]Small breed dogs share many characteristics with their large breed counterparts [How]due to breeding restrictions [So What] so that the dogs will be safe.

1. Mexican food feathers a lot of cumin and fresh cilantro. 2. Italian dishes often include fresh oregano and basil. 3. Indian cuisine is rich with coriander, hot chilies, and star anise. Thesis: One way to appreciate the differences between cultures is by understanding how different cultures showcase various spices in their foods.

O N A PIECE OF PAPER, DO THE FOLLOWING TWO BY YOURSELF ON YOUR NOTECARD. Thesis 1: 1. Tennis provides an excellent source of cardiovascular activity. 2. Playing basketball gets the heart pumping and the blood flowing. 3. Skiing burns calories and provides a great workout. Thesis 2: 1. Zombie films used to be tremendously unpopular due to low-budget and bad acting. 2. Films like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland changed people’s minds on the stereotypes of Zombie films. 3. The T.V. Show The Walking Dead is currently the highest-watched show on television.