The one thing we all have in common is that we are all here at UCSB… Earning a bachelor’s degre ...

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The one thing we all have in common is that we are all here at UCSB… Earning a bachelor’s degree is a major determinant of future earnings, but going to college is not only determined by academic capability. Your essay will reflect on various aspects of the structures that shape your ascribed status (what Mills calls the context of “history”) in order to identify the resources that led to the achieved status of being a student at UCSB (what Mills calls the “biography”), including any individual agency you exerted to overcome the constraints of social structure or that you used to take advantage of your position within it. This is an analytic essay that happens to be about you. This means that you should treat your own story sociologically, analyzing key details about your social position in relation to social structures. This should not simply be a story about how you got to college. Your thesis statement should be in the first paragraph and respond to this question: Based on your unique background, ascribed statuses, and identities, how difficult or easy was it for you to get access to the academic and financial resources needed to attend UCSB? The paragraphs of your essay should address the following key questions: When did you first think that you might go to college? Where did this idea come from, and how did your social position influence when and how you came to think about it? What kinds of academic and financial resources allowed you to attend UCSB? What elements of structural structure did you have to overcome (if any) to obtain these? How do your social identities affect your sense of belonging here at UCSB? Are there places that you feel more or less comfortable on campus? Why or why not? Paper guidelines: 3-5 pages, double-spaced with 1” margins, in a standard 12pt font Have a clear and underlined thesis statement in the first paragraph. Include and underline at least 3 key concepts from the course, in addition to those included in this prompt. Define these and apply them to your analysis. Address each of the 3 key questions above You may include external resources as long as they are cited (I highly encourage you to look up demographic information about your high school, for example) Essays will be graded according to the following rubric: Thesis statement 2 points Addresses 3 key questions 9 points Defines and accurately applies 3 concepts 9 points Clarity of writing and analysis 5 points TOTAL 25 points