Sample Essays

It has recently been announced that a new high school may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details in your answer.

I oppose having a new high school built in my neighborhood. Although I know there’s a real need for a new facility, I have to say that I don’t want one built so close to me. I think it would cause a lot of problems.First of all, there are very few teenagers in this neighborhood, or in our suburban subdivision, for that matter. Most of the residents here are either retired or are just starting out with young children. This means that the kids coming to the new high school wouldn’t be walking. They would come on buses or would be driving to the school. Either way, this would mean a lot more traffic on our streets.In addition to the traffic on school days, there also would be traffic whenever there was a sporting event, such as a basketball or football game, or activities at the school. Would there be enough parking in the school lot for everyone attending those events? Probably not. Consequently, those extra cars would end up our neighborhood.My neighbors and I would also be upset about the loss of the park, which is the site that’s been selected for the high school. Mothers with young children gather there every morning for their kids to play together. People my age like to take a walk after dinner. On weekends, that park is a place for picnic and relaxation. We’d be sorry to lose our neighborhood park.I also have some concerns about all those young people being in our neighborhood. Would there be problems with drugs or fights? Could the school district guarantee us that security would be a priority? These are concerns that I don't think can be addressed sufficiently for me to support a new high school in my neighborhood.
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Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: saying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.

Even though I have lived in the same house, in the same neighborhood, in the same city my entire life. I know I would be happy living in a variety of place. Moving would expose me to new people, new weather, and new housing.Even if I were to move to another part of my city, I would encounter new people. Each neighborhood has a distinct personality. When I move to that neighborhood, I would meet the shopkeepers and residents that shape that personality. I may even adopt part of there manner as my own so I could be recognized as part of that community.If I want to encounter different weather patterns, I would have to move beyond my city. Where I live now, it is the same temperature all year, I would like to go to a place where there are four seasons so I can experience really cold temperatures. I would like to walk in the snow and perhaps go skiing. I could learn winter sports if I lived in the north.Now of course, I live with my parents in their home. It is a one story house built around a courtyard where our family spends a lot of time. If I were to move, I would like to live in an apartment on a very high floor so I could see all around me. I could also meet my neighbors in the elevator and we could get together for coffee in my apartment.The more I move the more I would experience change. I would meet new people in every place I lived; I could move to sample countries with four seasons or even a continent like Antarctica which only has two. Wherever I lived, I would experience living in housing particular to that area. I would then be a citizen of the world, wouldn’t I? Could you call me a foreigner if I called everyplace my home?

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Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

“Save it for rainy day.” That’s my motto. When I have a choice between spending my money or putting it in my savings account at the bank, I always put it in the bank.I will have a lot of expenses in the future like my education, travel, and unforeseen emergencies. I need to have money set aside for these expenses.Education is expensive. I can’t depend on my parents to pay all my bills. I have tuition, room and board, books, and incidental expenses to pay for. I’ll try to get a scholarship to cover some of these costs, but I know I will be responsible for a lot of the expenses. If I spend my money now, I won’t be able to pay for my education. I need to save money for my education.Travel is also very expensive. I don’t mean vacation travel. I mean travel to get to and from school. Transpacific airfare costs a lot even special reduced fares. I first have to get to school and then, of course, I want to return to my family for important festivals and occasions. Going back and forth will be costly, but worth it. I need to save money for these trips.Emergencies could arrive at any moment. I might have an unexpected illness while I am at school. There might be costs that won’t covered by the school insurance. One of my family members may need help, I will have to send them money. You can’t predict emergencies like this, but you can be prepared. I need to save money for these emergencies.When you are not rich, you cannot spend your money carelessly. You must plan ahead. I know in my life, I will have expenses for my schooling and for travelling to and from my home. I know that I will also have unexpected expenses related to unforeseen emergencies. I must be prepared. I need to save money for these events.

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You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

The choice between spending money on tickets to a concert or spending money on jewelry is an easy one. Given this choice, I would buy jewelry. The reasons are obvious, jewelry is an investment; it is permanent; and it is fashionable.Jewelry like a gold bracelet for example is a very good investment. It is important for women( and for man, too) to have gold jewelry. If you have some serious financial problem, you could always sell your jewelry to help you over any rough spots. You could not sell your used concert ticket.Jewelry, unless you sell it, is permanent. You always have it ware. Each time you put it on , you will remember the day you bought it. It will give you pleasure for years and years. You could not wear the ticket stub from the concert.Jewelry is very fashionable. I would feel very smart wearing a beautiful gold bracelet or diamond pin. People would comment and tell me how much they loved my jewelry. They would compliment me on my good taste.I would feel very rich with my jewelry. I would have a good investment which is permanent and fashionable. Then, when someone invites me to a concert( and pays for my ticket), I will have something beautiful to wear.

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You must select a person to teach others to do a job. Which one of the following is the most important for you to consider in making you selection?- The person’s education- The person’s work experience- The quality of the person’s previous work
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Training someone to do a job is an important task. It requires a good education, work experience, and skilled job performance. Of these three requirements, I believe it is most important that a potential job trainer be judged on the quality of his or her previous work.A person may be well educated, but not able to perform a job proficiently. A doctor may know how to treat childhood diseases, but not be able to train medical students to perform surgery. An accountant may be able to balance a company’s accounts, but not be able to help the company’s executives invest their money.A person may have a lot of work experience, but not be able to do the job well. Time is not the best measure of quality. A mother may spend 17-years raising her children, but not be able to train young mothers to care for their infants. A typist may have typed ten-years worth of letters, but may not type over 30 words a minute.A person who does a job well is the one you want to be a trainer. I want to learn to fly a plane from a pilot who has faced a lot of mechanical problems in flight and never had an accident. I want to learn how to make money from a billionaire not form a salaried investment broker.As in all things, it is quality that we look for, not general knowledge or time spent in an occupation. I want others to learn from the best, so they can be the best, too.