ABSTRACT
This chapter is thus about changing the measure for postsecondary success from academic proficiency to intellectual passion, from workforce preparation to liberal learning, and from diploma or degree completion to a life well lived. Rhetorical knowledge changes how students write when it matters most. For students who feel uncomfortable describing their achievements in statements of purpose or scholarship applications, for example, an understanding of exigence can be liberating. Literary readers are much more likely to be involved in cultural, sports and volunteer activities than are non-readers. For example, literary readers are nearly three times as likely to attend a performing arts event, almost four times as likely to visit an art museum, more than two-and-a-half times as likely to do volunteer or charity work, and over one-and-a-half times as likely to attend or participate in sports activities.
