Choosing the Best Thesis for a Draft

In practice

This worked example is constructed for this course. A short essay has three body paragraphs. The first shows that students who work part-time study fewer hours. The second shows that the college's tutoring center closes before most working students finish their shifts. The third reports that working students who used evening tutoring when it was briefly offered improved their grades. Consider four candidate theses. First, "Many students work while attending college." True, but it is a fact, too narrow to argue, and it ignores the tutoring. Second, "College is hard for everyone." Too broad; it fits any paper and none of these paragraphs specifically. Third, "This essay will discuss working students and tutoring." An announcement with no stance. Fourth, "Because working students cannot reach tutoring during its current hours, the college should offer evening tutoring sessions." This names the topic, takes a debatable stance, and matches the three paragraphs: the first establishes the problem, the second the cause, and the third the evidence that the solution works. Test it against the body: every paragraph supports it, and every part of it is supported. The fourth is the best thesis, and it also suggests that the paragraphs are already in a sensible order.