<p>i'm supposed to write about a social issue that seems most pressing to me. and right now, it's actually college students being misconceived about college majors and the real world their whole life. this issue has actually impacted me greatly and made me realize how stupid that notion is. yet i can bet there are still many college students out there who are still mistaken about this and only choose something thinking about the lucrative means without even considering how this will impact them in the long run. maybe it seems kinda silly, because it's been believed for so long, and i guess the only way to change it is to support students to do what they like, and maybe there's even something wrong with the education system in high school. i don't know. just something that's always concerned me. is it important enough to raise?</p>
<p>Depends on how well you can write that piece - if you have your thesis and reasons for it, I think it is certainly important enough.
If you aren’t sure and write a lot of phrases, you might be better off with a ‘typical’ topic.</p>
<p>Your idea is quite refreshing: I immediately thought of things like dept, broken families, health care, ‘no child is left behind’.. These topics, as important as they are, have been used too many times: They bore me before I even start to write.
Maybe you could give your topic a bit more background by writing about unrealistic expectations, loss of values and greed in teenagers, being ill-prepared for life..</p>
<p>(Sorry for my grammar-not native)</p>
<p>Hopefully your paper will be more of a pleasure to read than your post.</p>
<p>If you have the time, I suggest setting up an appointment with your professor, catching him after your next class, or even just sending an email (if meeting isn’t an option). Your topic seems like it could be made to fit, but it’s a little bit out there, and that could work for or against you. If something isn’t very clearly in line with an assignment, or if an assignment is exceptionally vague (both of which seem true in this case), it can be good to get a very quick “okay” from the prof…</p>
<p>The purpose of the assignment also matters. If “social issue” was just a random prompt to get you writing, then you’re probably fine. If the writing is secondary and your discussion is the focus, then I reiterate the need for communication with your prof, particularly if this is a “meaningful” assignment (ideally, all homework is meaningful, but you should know what I mean…are we talking a major opinion essay or a quick paragraph to help launch next week’s discussion?).</p>
<p>All I know is that if I had given the assignment as you explained it, your proposed topic isn’t what I would expect to read about. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t work just fine.</p>
<p>it’s actually an essay for a program i’m applying to. they want to know which political or social issue is most pressing to me.</p>
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<p>Uh, ok. In that case I would probably avoid choosing the “college students don’t pick their majors for the right reasons” issue as the single most pressing one. Go for poverty/global warming/AIDS/war/etc.</p>
<p>I’m going to somewhat disagree with Jack on this one. Certainly it is a significant social issue when people spend their college years and early years out of college doing something that isn’t right for them; its a waste of talent and time. That said, I don’t see why it would be the most pressing social issue the OP faces right now. But that’s part of the essay; you need to convince the readers why it is the most important issue you think you face. Not sure you can do it, but if that’s what you believe …</p>
<p>I agree with Mike. If you aren’t starving or living with AIDS, those issues probably aren’t the biggest ones in your life, even though you might be conscious of and concerned about them. But if you do decide to continue with the topic, make sure you present it very clearly. Your post seemed a little muddled. If you can pull it off though, the judges (administrators?) could be very impressed at your unique idea among many papers about teen pregnancy and war in Africa.</p>
<p>Ditto Mike + Patsygirl (cross-post). If I were a reader, I would really question why you believe this to be the most pressing social issue. It risks looking gimmicky and naive. On the other hand, if you can make an argument for it, then by all means, feel free. It could be eye-opening, and it’s certainly a creative, non-standard choice. I can think of some interesting ways of approaching the topic, but I’m not sure whether I could pull off such a unique angle (although I also think I’d stay away from anything too “obvious” unless I really had the goods to back up my position). Good luck!</p>
<p>If you can make the reader believe that is the biggest issue to you, then go for it. This is your personal topic and there is no right/wrong answer.</p>
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<p>…and get him/her to understand + respect why…</p>
<p>ETA: I’m still going to say, as I did when I thought that this was a class assignment, that context matters. I’m not saying that any particular argument is un-winnable, but I think you’d be taking a bigger risk writing this for an Amnesty International internship than for certain other programs. Just be sure to consider your audience + your goals (as you should with any piece of writing).</p>