Remember that the goal of the Persuasive Essay is to select a specific category of college students, define a practice that could lead to enhanced success for that category, and argue for the adoption of that practice.

Step 1: Brainstorm Categories of College Students

List as many different “types” of college students that come to mind in a 3-minute window. These types might include degree or certification programs, gender, socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, academic performance, sports, where they go to school, how they pay for it, and more.

Step 2: Reflect

At the end of 3 minutes, stop writing and review the list you generated. Which groups on that list seem most interesting to you? Which would you like to explore further, or learn more about? Which would you find value in helping to achieve success in school?

Circle your 2 or 3 top picks.

Step 3: Focus

Perform some initial research on the student types you circled in Step 2. Use the guide for initial research in this section to help you.

Based on what you learn from the first few articles you read and skim, narrow your selection to one type. You may combine up to two elements into one type of student, if you’d like.  For instance, if you’re most interested in “student athletes,” you might further refine that as “female student athletes” or “college soccer players.”