Kevin Foco
February 17, 2015 4th Hour
Mrs. Robinson
Research Essay Final Draft
Argumentative Essay: School Choice
This decision is one that will shape the future. Education beyond high school is what determines the occupation and life for an individual. The variety of pathways to enroll and attend are endless. Whether it is a trade school or university, close or far away, or cheap or expensive are all factors to think about when making this important decision. This essay is about two schools imparticular; The University of Michigan and
Saginaw Valley State University. Both of these colleges are wellknown in the Michigan area, but one is a better option than the other. Saginaw Valley State University, SVSU, is the better college to attend.
First, money plays a huge part in everyone’s lives. The total cost of tuition, books, and other necessary expenses would be more affordable at SVSU. SVSU is the most affordable public University in Michigan(Discover). Requiring less money would be a huge advantage, in the fact that the money saved will help in other aspects of life. As well as being the least expensive, 85% of SVSU’s students receive financial aid(Discover). This will help student’s even more that have a tight budget for college. On the other hand, the extra money put in to attend the U of M will pay off in the long run,
because graduating from U of M will help in acquiring a job in the future. However, a degree from Saginaw Valley is just as good as one from U of M. Especially if the job field desired to go into is undecided.
Secondly, people will often say that location is key when it comes to a job, house, and even college. For someone living in the Central Michigan area, Saginaw Valley is in a more beneficial location. The surrounding area is a relatively quiet, secluded area, and the drive to and from the campus will be more affordable and time manageable.
Saginaw Valley is 5.4 miles away, while U of M is 96.5 miles away. This alone will save a large amount of money each year. Instead of always driving to U of M, getting an apartment in the surrounding area would cost approximately $8,200 for the fall and winter. However, living costs would be essentially free while attending SVSU, because living at home would be the best thing to do. Living at home would only require an approximate fifteen minute commute to SVSU, which is a desired time by almost anyone. Just deciding what college to attend is not the only step. Applying for, and being accepted is also part of the journey. The admission/enrollment process at Saginaw
Valley State University is easier than at the University of Michigan. The average high school GPA was 3.2 and ACT score was 22 for incoming freshman at SVSU in the fall
of 2014(SVSU Quick Facts). This alone shows the requirements to be accepted into this college is fairly low. There is over 90 programs of study that lead to one of ten baccalaureate degrees, or one of 15 graduate programs(Discover). Therefore, there is a wide variety of career pathways to choose from, making it easier for undecided students to choose one. U of M employs an individualized comprehensive process to review and choose each student’s application. This is a good process for enrollment, however, the expected requirements coming out of high school are also a lot higher. SVSU is a well respected university, and is not looked down upon for academics.
Once applied and accepted, the experience during class is another important aspect of college. On average, there is a smaller student to teacher ratio at SVSU.
About half of the courses at Saginaw Valley have 25 32 students and about half have fewer than 25 students. The smaller the class size is, the more opportunities there are for oneonone guidance from the professor. Of SVSU's 309 fulltime
