essay should be five paragraphs and 2 1/2 - 3 pages long.Please use 12 point, Times New Roman FontIndent the first line of each new paragraphUpload to the Essay 1 First Draft assignment as a MS Word d

• essay should be five paragraphs and 2 1/2 - 3 pages long.
• Please use 12 point, Times New Roman Font
• Indent the first line of each new paragraph
• Upload to the Essay 1 First Draft assignment as a MS Word document ONLY

Understanding the assignment: On page 17 of Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell debates whether or not some kinds of success are actually based on individual merit.  He argues that "these kinds of personal explanations of success don't work.  People don't rise from nothing.  We do owe something to parentage and patronage" (19).  Gladwell goes on to explain the effects of age cutoffs with regard to schooling practices in the U.S.  He cites the study conducted by Dhuey and Bedard (29), noting, "At four-year colleges in the United States - students belonging to the relatively youngest group in their class are under-represented by about 11.6 percent.  That initial difference in maturity [between students immediately before and after the cutoff date] doesn't go away with time.  It persists" (29).

Assignment Details: Using one of the templates for "Introducing standard views" found on page 23 of They Say/I Say, discuss the issue of cutoff dates, introducing both the argument of individual merit (the best kids will rise to the top) and relative age advantage (the oldest kids have the greatest advantage).  Argue whether schools SHOULD or SHOULD NOT change their cutoff date policies to account for relative age differences.