Blog #3

Roberts advises this student to improve their essay on college football by avoiding the obvious arguments. He says this will help them avoid writing the same paper as every other student. According to Roberts the student should instead go for the unique, and therefore harder to prove, arguments. This impresses the professor and keeps them interested. Roberts also argues that the student should also try to use more specific examples instead of general statements. General statements are unlikely to persuade the reader to agree with an argument. However, if the student uses a specific story to prove what they are saying it is more likely to convince their audience to agree with them. Additionally, Roberts advises the student should get rid of obvious padding. Just because there is a specific word count the student should not turn four words into forty with out adding any new information. Roberts states that just because students are younger and less experienced does not mean they should demean themselves by writing "in my opinion," or other similar phrases. They should instead simply state their opinion in an authoritative way. Roberts also says the student should avoid phrases that are cliché. He says they are acceptable on occasion, but too many can cause the essay to loose its meaning. Also word choice is important. Roberts reminds the student that fancy words are not always better and the flow of the essay is the most important thing. 

Specifically in the student's essay on college football I would suggest that they use Roberts' advice regarding the use of more specific examples instead of general statements. The student uses very vague ideas and does not give any support. Instead of arguing that college football is bad because a "high school star was offered a convertible if he would play football for a certain college," the student should have put some more research in and found a specific example.