Writing a Real College Essay: Part 3 - Outlining

Summary

In this video, the instructor continues a series on structured essay writing, focusing on the outlining process. After presenting research and a working thesis, the video demonstrates how to use tools like Scrivener and Workflowy to organize ideas and arguments for a college essay. The topic explores the value of attending art school, with a critical look at its costs and benefits. The instructor emphasizes the importance of writing for discovery, structuring arguments logically, and integrating sources effectively, preparing students for the final draft of the essay.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is part three of a series demonstrating a structured approach to essay writing, using a real college essay assignment as an example.
• 😀 The presenter uses Scrivener for organizing research materials and notes in the first two parts of the series.
• 😀 The topic of the essay is whether attending art school is worth it for aspiring visual artists, with a specific focus on whether the cost of private art colleges justifies the value of the degree.
• 😀 The presenter introduces a critical essay by Noel Bradley, who argues that attending art school is often not worth the cost, unless the student gets a free ride or graduates without debt.
• 😀 After further research, the presenter transitions to using Workflowy, a web-based outlining tool, to organize the essay's structure and arguments.
• 😀 The initial outline focuses on creating a strong case against attending art school, with sections addressing whether art schools adequately prepare students for success and exploring potential moral implications.
• 😀 The objections section addresses possible defenses of art schools, including arguments about the suitability of certain artistic practices for art colleges and whether the critique of art schools applies only to some kinds of artists.
• 😀 The presenter emphasizes that the outline is part of the 'discovery phase' of writing, where the focus is on exploring ideas, making connections, and understanding the relationships between different arguments.
• 😀 The outline includes a cost-benefit analysis of attending art school, focusing on whether the costs outweigh the potential benefits, based on factors such as tuition fees, average salaries for graduates, and job prospects.
• 😀 Research is used to support the claims made in the essay, including statistics on art school tuition, average salaries, and the percentage of art graduates working as professional artists. Relevant sources are incorporated to substantiate the essay's arguments.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the essay discussed in the video?

The main topic of the essay is whether it's worth it to go to art school if you want a career as a visual artist, specifically focusing on whether the value of a degree from an art college offsets its high costs.

What software does the speaker use for organizing research materials and writing tasks?

The speaker uses Scrivener for organizing research materials and writing tasks, and Workflowy for outlining the structure of the essay.

Why does the speaker choose to use Workflowy for outlining rather than Scrivener?

The speaker chooses Workflowy because it is a web-based tool that offers a flexible and zoomable outlining environment, which the speaker finds useful for organizing ideas during the outlining phase.

What is the difference between the 'discovery phase' and the 'presentation phase' in writing, as explained in the video?

The 'discovery phase' is when the writer works through their ideas and concepts, focusing on the content and logical flow of arguments. The 'presentation phase' is when the writer focuses on how to present the ideas clearly and effectively for the intended audience.

What is the rationale behind the argument that attending art school may be an irrational choice?

The rationale is based on cost-benefit reasoning, where the costs of attending an art school, including tuition and potential debt, may seriously outweigh the benefits, making it an irrational choice for certain aspiring artists.

How does the speaker address the critique that art schools do not adequately prepare students for success as professional artists?

The speaker explores the claims that art schools fail to teach students how to produce professional-quality art and how to make a living as an artist, breaking down the reasoning behind these claims and analyzing their motivations in detail.

What objection does the speaker anticipate regarding the critique of art schools?

The speaker anticipates objections that the critique may apply only to some types of artists or professional work, and that certain kinds of artistic practice are better suited to an art college setting, with no viable alternatives.

How does the speaker approach the task of finding supporting evidence for their claims?

The speaker actively seeks reliable sources to back up claims about art school tuition, graduate salaries, and other key points. This includes searching for data, reports, and studies, such as one about the percentage of art school graduates who work as artists.

What key source does the speaker use to back up claims about the struggles of art graduates in the job market?

The speaker uses a report titled 'Artist Report Back: A National Study of the Lives of Arts Graduates and Working Artists,' which includes statistics and quotes about the low percentage of art school graduates who earn their primary income as working artists.

What is the significance of the outlining phase in the speaker's writing process?

The outlining phase is crucial for the speaker to work through ideas and arguments without worrying about presentation. It helps identify logical relationships between claims and objections, and it sets the foundation for a more focused and cohesive essay draft later on.