Frank Bruni's Argument Analysis

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Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be goes against everything you’ve been told about college—i.e., do anything you can to get your son or daughter into the absolute BEST university you can. Getting into a top university is like the ultimate report card. When you get that "A" it means, "You have arrived!" So, take practice SAT tests, hire tutors; talk to alumni--in short, DO ANYTHING! Try for Harvard or Yale—or maybe Stanford. Of course, one doesn't mention the lowly community colleges. That’s for those who don't want to succeed. This modern thinking is utter folly, explains Frank Bruni. First of all, you need to see that your value as a person is NOT the same as the school you attend. Secondly, it is simply a lie to connect top achievement solely…show more content…
One of the many uses of statistics and credible sources is, his references to studies done by the New York Times to analyze diversity in colleges “Given that most students in the country attend public school (nearly 90%), I was surprised that having more than 50% of a Yale class coming from a public institution was a mark of diversity to celebrate”.(104) Citing these sources boosts Bruni’s credibility by showing that he has done his homework and has provided facts and statistics, as well as expert opinions to support his claim. He also uses personal examples from his own life to further add to the discussion, which shows that he has a personal stake in and first-hand experience with the…show more content…
He successfully speaks of his own and others stories to create a sympathetic image at times; Bruni notes that big name schools can ruin just as well as develop “She was a little fish in one of the deepest and most competitive ponds in the country, and the experience of comparing herself to all the other brilliant fish shattered her confidence, it made her feel stupid even though she wasn't stupid at all.” The image he evokes of the challenges of going to college, as well as the high emotions a student feels at that time effectively introduce the argument and its seriousness. The reader will side with the view of the students which is what Bruni wanted in the first place. His goal is to make the reader feel sympathy for the students and to educate them on the truth. Adding to this idea are words and phrases such as, “You can measure what you can count easily, and then often fail to measure what really counts.” (84) these words evoke negative emotions towards the college admissions process, which makes the reader sympathize with the students against the schools. Another feeling Bruni reinforces with his word choice is the concept (INSERT),

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