Waymarsh State College GMAT AWA Essays

Waymarsh State College GMAT AWA Essays talks about the students of Waymarsh state college and how a handful of them are protesting against proposed cuts in state college program funding. This sample consists of one sample answer. The task requires the candidates to provide a tentative and argumentative answer to the question. The sample answers comprise two parts: Introduction and body. The introduction is a brief description of the topic. The body contains argumentative statements and tentative answers to support the test-taker's perspective.

GMAT AWA examines the test taker’s ability to analyze, critically think, and put their own views in an essay in 30 minutes time. Candidates need to assess and find the faults in their assumptions. The process of checking the GMAT analytical score is based on a grading scale of 1-6 in half-point increments. To increase the GMAT AWA score, practicing from GMAT analytical writing practice papers is necessary.

Topic:

The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:

“This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren’t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state’s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.”

Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

Sample Essay:

The argument states the editorial of the newspaper has stated about 200 students of Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol as a way of protesting against the proposed cuts in funding for numerous state college programs. But this protest didn’t witness the maximum percentage of students which has amounted to around 12,000. Those students were either staying on campus or went for winter break when the other 200 were protesting. Based on the disassociation of the major number of students, the argument is stating that the state legislature will probably not pay heed to the protest of the handful of students. This whole argument is based on a very feeble claim and doesn’t constitute a substantial amount of evidence and facts to be called strong.

Firstly, the argument nowhere stated any facts about the kinds of 200 students. Their types, from where they belonged, in what departments they were, and especially if they were a part of state college programs. In maximum instances, we notice that during any kind of protest, the representatives of the group or party comprise the protest group and not all the individual members. Maybe in this case too, only the group representatives attended the protest, and the remaining students stayed back. It may also happen that due to lack of time and arrangement, there were not enough logistics to accommodate all the students of the state college programs. Maybe on proper inquiry, the author would have received information that all the 200 students were actually representatives of different state college programs. And those 200 students actually represented the remaining 12,000 students.

Secondly, almost every college consists of a union, and that union is headed by a leader. It may be the case with this protest as well. Those 200 students may be the union leaders of the state college union who were actually representing the other 12,000 students. If the author would have probed into the matter by inquiring if that is the case, then this argument would have become a strong one. If the clarification was made about the purpose of the student’s protest - was it for themselves only or for the remaining students as well, then this would have been complete. Based on this fact itself, the State Legislature could have altered the decision as by then most students would have wanted the same thing.

Thirdly, a very solid reason for the 12,000 students not approaching the protest can be a lack of money. Most of the college-going students have less money, they either get some as pocket money from their parents or by doing part-time work. Therefore, traveling to the State Capitol would have cost quite some amount of money for the cause of traveling, and that resulted in them not being able to go. The author again could have also inquired the remaining 12,000 students about their mindset with regard to the proposal of cut down funding and also about their intention of going to the protest.

Lastly, it can be concluded by stating that the argument lacks evidence on many grounds. The author didn’t question the 200 students for making their way up to the protest, or the 12,000 students who didn’t take part in the protest. Without hearing both sides of the groups, a solid argument cannot be formed.

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Waymarsh State College GMAT AWA Essays

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