Assignment/Activity TitleCritical Thinking Paper (First Draft) Year FreshmanSkillWriting, Research, AnalysisPortfolio Category Critical Reasoning

I chose to do my first draft of the Critical Thinking Paper because it was the first major paper I wrote for CAP. Unlike the Thoreau-Crane essay or the feminism essay, both of which were substantial papers, the Critical Thinking Paper was a huge research paper that was not for a specific teacher, but for CAP in general. It also required each things that the other papers did not, such as a bibliography, and the grade I received on it was counted in all four CAP classes instead of a singular one. I placed the paper in the Critical Reasoning category because it was the epitome of critical reasoning. I had to come up with a general topic, in my case, the topic was the cost of higher education, and then argue something about it. I argued that the cost was too high and then I demonstrated why in several paragraphs and then I introduced solutions to the issue. The thing that made this paper interesting was that next year, I will have to argue the flip side of my argument this year. That is another reason why I am including this paper in my portfolio. I want to be able to look back at this paper next year and see the difference between the two arguments and be able to analyze and compare the two papers. My writing style will most likely change in the year and of course my argument will change and it will be fascinating to view the differences and also the similarities between the two papers. The Critical Thinking Paper relates to my future in a very big way. My topic was the cost of college and in three years, I will have to figure out a way to pay that high cost of college. Unlike some of my friends, who chose issues that may be resolved within the next few years, it is unlikely the issue of college tuition will be solved soon. I will have to face heavy tuition and incredible debt in student loans when I graduate. This is a problem that I actually worry about now, in freshman year, partially because my sister is a senior. My parents are worrying about how they will pay for my sisters college tuition next year and how they will do so for that one year when my sister and I are both in college in the same time. I have considered going to community college for two years before transferring to a regular college and my paper was very helpful in this respect. One of the solutions I wrote about in my paper was the Universities at Shady Grove which is this two year program that allows kids to study at cheaper two year colleges and then transfer to four year colleges for the other two years of their college education, this way, they get a diploma from a more prestigious college without creating as large debts for themselves. This is extremely relevant to me and will continue to be relevant as I get closer to going to college. I learned many things writing this paper. I learned all about how college tuition works and why it has been raised so much in the past few decades or so. I learned about the aforementioned Universities at Shady Grove and I learned about ways students can go to college without suffering from such huge debts. I also learned more about the struggles many students face trying to pay for college and how many drop out from the intense pressure of trying to meet the prices. This paper was very informative and actually interesting, unlike argumentative papers I have had to write in the past. I do not think I would go as far as to say the paper was fun to write but I would say it was an interesting and enjoyable experience for me.

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