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Hello everyone! i'm about to take the GRE and TOEFL in about two months. The strategy i'm taking for the Analytical writing section has been to practically write 2 essays per day, but i think i also need some feedback...especially since english isn't my first language. Any more suggestions about how i should prepare for this or the other sections are very much welcomed. Thank you so much for your help. Issue task Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. Most of us could have empathy for students that are about to graduate from high school and are now reflecting on the field they will choose for their life. As many of us could remember, this time is one of the most stressful we will experience, because at that time we lack the knowledge to make informed decisions about the career path we want to take. It doesn’t help that during this time of uncertainty young people become vulnerable to the influence of individuals with bad advice about the path they should take. In my opinion the claim made in the passage about how students should choose their field of study based solely on positions available is not only damaging to society but also affects students’ opportunities of employment in the future. Firstly, this passage suggests that the number of positions available in the workforce should be the most important factor – if not the only factor- when choosing a career path. After all what else would you expect of a career than to have plenty of job opportunities once you graduate? Yet the author of this passage fails to consider that the quantity of job opportunities does not equate quality in job opportunities; Opportunities with a good salary, a healthy work environment or health care. For several fields, there exist a wide variety of position in the market, yet this aren’t necessarily opportunities that would allow you to achieve financial stability and a healthy work-life balance. Careers in Graphic design or Communications are an unfortunate example of this, because once students are out in the workforce, they may encounter jobs with a seriously low pay, yet a plethora of responsibilities. Secondly this passage seems to suggest that a school should only be graduating students from fields that have practical use outside of the universities. Fields in medicine, science and engineer are presented as examples of career paths that have a tangible contribution to the society. It is understandably that most people would hold this opinion, given the impact that scientific discoveries and the development of artifacts have had in our daily life; There is no individual in the world who doesn’t need a doctor, after all. But this idea fails to consider that just because a certain career appears to lack a practical use doesn’t mean that it is useless to society. There exist many areas apart form the hard science whose improvement and research directly affect the way humans live. Think of areas in psychology, politics and arts. These are not fields that produce artifacts or whose contributions have immediate and tangible results, but that overall deal with serious issues in society that aren’t entirely visible, and therefore need exhaustive examination in order to be overcome. Discouraging students from pursuing those fields would prevent them from making serious contributions and carry out change in the world. Finally, since the belief that certain fields have more tangible contribution in our society is painfully common, so is the idea that skills found in less demanded fields like humanities, aren’t skills worth learning. The claim is that most students should be focused on improving abilities relevant to the fields in mathematics or science, since these are the ones that would allow them to advance in their career path, make relevant contributions and overall make them attractive to future employers. But let us not forget that although skills in mathematics and science are indeed crucial for those areas, the so-called soft skills (Interpersonal communication, writing ability and management) are relevant in any field. Employers aren’t entirely looking for employees with knowledge of hard science. They often need people with good interpersonal skills and critical thinking to enhance the communication dynamics in their business. In fact, because most scientists lack this crucial skill is that employers look for people in the humanities, making students from those fields not only relevant but competitive. In conclusion I believe is not advisable to choose a field solely on the quantity of job opportunities available in the workforce, since there are more important factors that should be taken into consideration. When is time to choose a career, students should be encouraged to research the fields the are interested an evaluate them based on the quality of job opportunities, relevance of those fields contribution to society and their competitiveness. With this information at hand, perhaps students would have a better time deciding on the future of their education and make choices they won’t regret. Argument task The following recommendation was made by the president and administrative staff of Grove College, a private institution, to the college's governing committee. "We recommend that Grove College preserve its century-old tradition of all-female education rather than admit men into its programs. It is true that a majority of faculty members voted in favor of coeducation, arguing that it would encourage more students to apply to Grove. But 80 percent of the students responding to a survey conducted by the student government wanted the school to remain all female, and over half of the alumnae who answered a separate survey also opposed coeducation. Keeping the college all female will improve morale among students and convince alumnae to keep supporting the college financially." Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation. This passage discusses the option of whether an all-female College should begin to admit men into their programs. It appears that the administrative staff is mostly concerned with the financial repercussions that transitioning into a coeducation system would bring to Grove College. Yet the surveys made by the student government may not provide accurate information whether this decision will or will not improve the school’s finances. In the first place, the administrative staff should evaluate why the independent survey gave substantially different results from the one made by the student government, and why both results demonstrate enough evidence of the general opinion of the students on this matter. Further review should be made to the student government survey to make sure they aren’t choosing specific groups of people that they know are against admitting men into Grove College. Also staff should review the student sample that answered the survey and determine if whether it is representative of the student population, because although 80% of the students who took the survey want the college to remain an all-female school, this doesn’t mean that that is the desire of 80% of the students in Grove College. Making sure that the sample of students answering the survey is in fact representative of the overall student population would help to make to determine the overall desire in students to accept or deny admission to men in the school. Finally, it is stated that preventing current female students to stop supporting the school financially is one of the main reasons why the school is deciding on remain an all-girls college. Yet there is not enough evidence to support this belief. Both because we aren’t that the two surveys made provide accurate results of the student’s opinion, but also because it implies men students won’t be enough to support the school financially. Although most faculty members hold the opinion that admitting men would increase the number of students at Grove college, evaluating the level of attractiveness the school may have to male students would be an important factor to consider.

Question "SuperCorp recently moved its headquarters to Corporateville. The recent surge in the number of homeowners in Corporateville proves that Corporateville is a superior place to live than Middlesburg, the home of SuperCorp's current headquarters. Moreover, Middleburg is a predominately urban area and according to an employee survey, SuperCorp has determined that its workers prefer to live in an area that is not urban. Finally, Corporateville has lower taxes than Middlesburg, making it not only a safer place to work but also a cheaper one. Therefore, Supercorp clearly made the best decision." Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted. Response This argument is flawed since it lacks enough evidence to support the case, and it is based on assumptions that might not hold true. First of all, the argument does not give enough reasons tu support the decision to move the headquarters from Middlesburg to Coporatesville wise. Would SuperCorp's revenues increase? Would the number of customers raise as a consequence? In other words: wil the decision be a good business decision? Furthermore, the arguments make a lot of assumptions about why things happened that are not well supported. It states the recent surge in the number of homeowners in Corporateville proves that it is a superior place to live than Middlesburg. But the surge might be due to other reasons. For example, it could be that rental is extremely expensive in Corporateville, making it more economically sensible to buy a house than to rent it. It could also be that housing in Corporateville is cheaper than in Middlesburg because there is more violence, which would not make it a better place to live than Middlesburg. The argument fails to provide any information about the reasons behind the surge in the number of homeowners at Corporateville. The argument also suggests that workers would prefer to live in Corporateville based on an employee survey that said they preferred to live in an area that is not urban. This argument is flawed for several reasons: first, even if we know that Middlesburg is an urban area, no information is provided about what kind of citiy Corporateville is. It could be an urban area as well. Second, living in a non urban area might not be the most important factor when deciding where to live. There could be other factors that they might assign more weight to as for instance, proximity to supermarkets or the quality of the schools areound. Furthermore, even if Corporateville was rural and living in a non urban area were the most important factor when making a decision about where to live, that does not necessarily mean that workers are going to move to Coporateville. There might be other considerations such as family connections or house pricing that might prevent them from moving. And most important: nothing is said about how the survey was conducted. It could be the case that is not at all representative of what workers really want: was the sample big enough? Was the sample representative of all workers? What were the questions in the survey that might give us more complete information about whether workers would actually move from Middleburg to Corporateville? Finally, the statement that says that because Corporateville has lower taxes, it is a safer and cheaper place to live makes absolutely no sense. It might be that taxes are cheaper precisely for the opposite reason, because the place is dangerous and needs to attract investment. Also, cheaper taxes do not guarantee cheaper prices in general. A tax is one of many other prices.

I'm taking the GRE for the first time in a few days, and I would really like it if anyone could help critique my essays. I have no idea where my essay scores lie on the GRE scale from 0-6, so if anyone has any advice or comments, please let me know! I would really like to improve as much as I can in the next few days, if possible. Anything is appreciated! Prompt 1 (Issue Task): The best leaders are those who encourage feedback from the people whom they lead. Essay 1: Leaders throughout history have all lead in their own way. Some do their best on their own, while others create the best solutions with their people by their side. Regardless, understanding the minds of citizens around you is a key aspect to governing. If you stand as a leader, it is important to encourage feedback from people around you. This will not only allow the people to feel involved in decision-making, but it will also provide different perspectives. Having more than one idea on an issue can lead to better governing in that it will give the leader a look from multiple angles. If a leader were to decide how to resolve all issues alone, it may be more difficult for the leader to succeed by reducing the likelihood of a problem being solved in the best way. Encouraging others to give their opinions on an issue will also create stronger future leaders. Great leaders should be able to share their wisdom and power with others while holding the ability to maintain a firm leadership on their own. If a powerful person is in charge and asks those around him to use their minds to help resolve an issue at hand, the people will grow in intelligence and confidence as a whole. Although having opinions of others can prove to be beneficial a lot of the time, there are also times where it is appropriate for a difficult decision to be made alone. Sometimes having different viewpoints from many people can make a decision more challenging. Hearing what others have to say can add bias to a solution, and sometimes the direction that the majority votes towards may not always be the best. If a leader is leaning toward one side, but the people are leaning toward the other, this may negatively impact the leader's decision. It is important to note that if someone is in charge, they are in charge for a reason, and the people must be able to trust their leader's judgement. Some of the world's best leaders lead alongside with their people. It is important to be wit others. Prompt 2 (Argument Task): The following was presented as part of a business plan by Apex Corporation. "To answer the increased demand for artisan coffee, Apex Corporation is releasing a new line of coffee, "Gourmet Select." Apex Corporation will first introduce the coffee into major supermarkets, where it hopes word-of-mouth advertising will sustain sales. After a few months Apex Corp. will run an advertising campaign aimed at television and radio while simultaneously releasing the brand to several major chain restaurants. Based on this strategy, Apex Corporation hopes to make "Gourmet Select" one of the top sellers in the coffee market." Essay 2: Many companies attempt and fail at making a new product a success, and oftentimes, it is the business plan that is responsible. Apex Corporation's business plan is weak and flawed in several ways. Firstly, an increased demand for artisan coffee will not necessarily be solved by introducing "Gourmet Select," a new line of coffee. Buyers may not want a new product but rather, more of an original product. Gourmet Select may not bring the same taste or be of the same quality as those products that consumers are already used to. Releasing a new line of coffee does not mean that the demand for artisan coffee will be met. Furthermore, the next step in Apex Corporation's business plan is a poor step because sustaining sales can require more than simply word-of-mouth advertising. Introducing Gourmet Select to major supermarkets may help sales increase a little, but there's no telling how much it will help sales. Relying on customers to spread the word of a new line of coffee is at the very least naive. If customers dislike the new coffee product, they may advertise the product negatively. Many factors of the new coffee line such as quality, taste, and smell must all be stellar for Apex Corporation to be confident in selling their coffee through word-of-mouth, but there is no way to know this through the presented business plan. Finally, advertising on the television, on the radio, and through major chain restaurants may increase sales, but it does not guarantee that Gourmet Select will become one of the top sellers in the coffee market. The product itself must prove to be of top quality in every aspect to make its way to the top of the coffee market, but this business plan mentions nothing of the product's quality. This argument should include reviews on Gourmet Select in order to predict how it will sell in the public market. Due to a number of flaws and weak assumptions, it can be concluded that this business plan will fail. Apex Corporation should review and improve each step in this strategy for a chance to make Gourmet Select a success.