Synopsis:

I chose to write about the mental and financial tension that GE courses pose on college students, specifically here at SUNY New Paltz. These general education requirements are up for debate on whether they are more helpful or hurtful for college level students. My firsthand experiences and what I saw and heard these past two years is the main driving force behind me supporting this widespread issue. There are multiple reasons why this topic is so important, one being the increase in the cost of tuition. Student debt has shot up 144 percent just in the past 10 years alone and there have been no signs of interruption. It is also shown that college students that have less financial stress are more likely to perform better in college. Many students cannot even afford to go to their dream school due to the extremely high tuition and then when they find a school that is affordable, they are put through a ton of stress. The other major issue with these requirements has to do with stress. One fourth of college students stress is caused by the number of classes and workload that college overlays on the body. I hope after people read this essay, they will be more aware, and action oriented towards helping us and our community out. There are a few ways that you could assist this problem and one includes spreading the word that we need more government funding. More government funding would significantly lower the costs of tuition. The most obvious way to reduce the amount of stress would be to decrease the amount of GE requirements. This would not just be beneficial for students but teachers as well. It would also enable students to focus on themselves along with giving more attention to fewer classes resulting in better grades.  

Final Research Essay

Major Assignment 1 Final Final (3)

Revised Copy:

Final

Rough Draft 1:

Rough Draft 1