Answer

Thesis Statement

In my essay I am going to advance the argument that lower-income students struggle to excel in college because of social isolation, alienation, and marginalization.

Source to Be Incorporated in the Essay

One of the four sources that will be employed in supporting my thesis statement is the article entitled “Why Poor Students Struggle” by Vicki Madden

Evidence from Madden’s “Why Poor Students Struggle”

Students from lower-income families struggle in college because of social isolation. According to Madden, Students from lower-income families are ridiculed because of their background and grapple academically because they fear asking for help or meeting with their professors and forming discussion groups with other learners (Par 3). Also, this isolation is based on the learner’s stereotypical beliefs of inferiority and insufficiency especially for lower-income students in elite schools. Likewise, this sentiment of isolation adds to the already existing view of stigmatization and lower sense of belonging. The value of college education is unchallenged by most Americans who trust that it is a meaningful investment in their futures. Students from low-income backgrounds experience social and emotional isolation because of where they come from and who they are that challenges their identity, and right to be in a college, translating into low college graduation rates (Par 4). Madden state that lower-income learners grapple in colleges due to social isolation and disaffection they must confront (Par 2).  Therefore, these students are made uneasy by elusive social differences in their new college setting. Irrespective of how well-equipped low-income students are in succeeding in college, they are confronted with the challenge of developing new identities once they enroll in college.