A Rhetorical Analysis Of Harvard's Financial Aid Web

The transition to college represents a major shift in the lives of students. Of the many things to consider, the issues that causes students and their families the most stress are finances and the ability to afford college. The “Financial Aid” webpage, published by Harvard University on its website, seeks to address and alleviate these concerns by informing people about their financial aid options. Harvard University effectively relieves the financial concerns of students and parents through information on their financial aid program. Harvard University The page is short, and subsists of a header picture of a bridge, a bar containing three statistics, a side panel with hyperlinks, three pictures with the same links, and in late, bold type: …show more content…
The page contains only nine unique features: three statistics, one statement, an important dates section, and four pictures. The rest of the page is merely serves as a way to get to other sources of information about financial aid. The repetition of the links makes these special pieces of information stand out more to the reader, and it is this information that is used to put the reader in relaxed, confident state of mind before they move on to view the other pages. Despite the limited number of opportunities the author has to provide evidence for their point, they do an impressive job of utilizing the full rhetorical triangle. The statistics appeal to the viewer’s logic by providing hard evidence that what they are attempting can be done, and proof that others have done so before. The declarative “You Can Afford Harvard” appeals directly to the reader’s knowledge of the credibility of Harvard University. The pictures, specifically one picture, provide a emotional connection to the viewer. The picture is a image of a building on Harvard’s campus, viewed through an open gate. This gate represents the idea that Harvard is within reach of everyone, and motivates the viewer to apply for