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I have decided that I am going to write an essay. But cant decide on a topic. I need your help, they all make me quiver with anticipation, but I cant choose.

The Necessity of Genetic Enginering

The Evolutionary Origins of Ethics and Altruism

The Necessity of Inetllecutal Liberty in a Democratic Society

Ignorance and Stupidity: An Epidemic?(this one I can actuallyuse for a scholarship, will require field research, and will be rather long)

Seriously, if the stupidity one can net you a scholarship go for it. It also very much needs to be said, but if benefits weren't a factor my vote would go for the genetic engineering one, because that is one area where ignorance and misconceptions run especially rampant.

The ignorance epiemic I can do for Young Epidemiology Scholars. An epidemic need not be a disease.

I will be doing one for them anyway, but I need to find a good topic.

I'd be willing to help you with the evolution of altruism...

Thanks!

I will probably do all of these at some point, it is just a matter of when and in what order.

Whichever one is the least preachy. The necessity of genetic engineering sounds like a good choice.

TO Clarify: The stupidity epidemic would entail an analysis of standardized test scores, tests of basic knowledge, and how we in the US rank with other industrialized nations in science and math.

Go for the money Aly. You can't really have enough at this point.

That's sounds good, but "Stupidity Epidemic" is a bad title for a scholarship essay. Think up something more scholarly sounding.

Ignorance and Stupdity: A Problem of Epidemic Proportions.

I am not very good at titles, but I think that works.

Alyrium Denryle wrote:Ignorance and Stupdity: A Problem of Epidemic Proportions.

I am not very good at titles, but I think that works.

How about something along the lines of:

"Poor Education: An Epidemic Plaguing Our School System"

You don't want your title to sound like you're deliberately insulting someone. Remember, you want something like this to sound as professional as possible, yet at the same time not something that screams "this will bore me to tears". (You can go ahead and use the title I provided if you like.)

How about "Inquiry into the deficiencies in the quality of education in the United States"?

[edit]changed my mind while it was transmitting[/edit]

Alyrium Denryle wrote:Ignorance and Stupdity: A Problem of Epidemic Proportions.

I am not very good at titles, but I think that works.

"The Promotion of Ignorance by Educational Systems in the U.S. and the Polarisation of Wealth"

Not really what you intended with your essay, but it's an observable trend.

The education topic is pretty interesting. YOu should take a look into things like PISA and those studies/surveys.

WHat I will probably do, is work with the evolution of ethcs for one essay(also worth a scholarship) and work on the Epidemiology essay over the long term, seeing as it requires massive research including my own experimentation.

I will have really bad hand cramps over the next few months.

Alyrium Denryle wrote: I will have really bad hand cramps over the next few months.

Yeah, I know the feeling.

Ignorance and Stupidity: The Failings of a State Based Educational System.

What most forget is that education is entirely left up to the individual States, so in some places, like New England, you get kickass high schools, while in the South, like Florida, your public schools are the worst in the nation.

If you do your essay on the sad quality of American public education, you should add something about teacher qualifications. Here's a true story:

My high school band director described his college education as follows: he drank beer, smoked pot, and played trumpet for four years. Since he was a music major, he took NO science courses and only college algebra for his single math credit. When he took the Georgia teacher's examination (all Georgia teachers take the same one) he scored in the 97th percentile in math and science.

He did better than 97% of all the people who wanted to be teachers in the state of Georgia. These are people who supposedly took math and science classes, and will be teaching those classes. Frightening, is it not?

Maybe he was really smart. It happens.

It doesnt work that way in Math and Science... You cant Bs your way through those subjects.

StormTrooperTR889 wrote:Maybe he was really smart. It happens.

Admittedly, he WAS the only competent teacher I had in high school. However, when he told me the story, his point was NOT that he was really smart but that the wannabe teachers of the state of Georgia are really stupid (something I knew already) because they couldn't do better than a drugged-up trumpet player who'd been actively killing his neurons for four years. Maybe 80th or even 85th percentile would have been alright, but 97th percentile is a bit...extreme. My band director was smart but he wasn't the genius the score would (or perhaps should) lead you to believe.

Alyrium Denryle wrote:It doesnt work that way in Math and Science... You cant Bs your way through those subjects.

I've done it. Although college would be much more difficult.

The Genetic Engineering and Evolution of Ethics would be the most itneresting to me, personally, but I think you should go for the scholarship and to hell with whatever anyone else thinks.

You should do something like how advanced we are but the every day american dosen't knows where the hell New Mexico or that it is a state in the U.S.A.

Definitely go for the failure of the school system.