The Five Keys to Successful College Writing

Overwhelmingly, time and time besides, research has shown the ability to write sane is key to overall college success. This is no surprise. After all, writing at its core is thinking on paper, and the ability to deem and reason is what separates great students from prevalent performers. In my transition from high school teacher to college professor, I have noted five distinct differences in high school and college writing. If each of these differences were addressed, students, especially adult learners - - those returning to school after a long absence, would make a smoother transition to college level work thanks to writing is needed for halfway every class.

One

High school students write papers that are informative owing to college papers are explorative.

College students are expected to be clutch new concepts and expand upon those ideas in their papers. Most high school papers are usually informative. A high school teacher generally assigns students papers to check for their understanding. For instance, a high school teacher might ask a student to write a paper on the Civil War. The student is expected to regurgitate facts and ideologies discussed in class. A history professor, on the other hand, wants the student to discover new ideologies about the Civil War that were not discussed or explored in class. Furthermore, the student may be asked to research another war and note political, economic or other similarities to the Civil War.

Two

High school students write general thesis statements, whereas college students are expected to form solid argumentative thesis statements.

In high school students wrote very general thesis statements, if they wrote them at all. Students might write: I am going to discuss the way Romeo and Juliet interacted with their families. However, a college thesis is much more specific and directive and really drives the paper. For instance, a college thesis might be: It will be proven that the friar ' s lack of religious influence caused the death of Romeo. The college thesis should be opinionated and it should be written in such a way that it could be challenged by someone with an opposing view.

Three

High school students may surf the web and find sources to use in their paper whereas college professors will only accept scholarly research sources.

In high school students Googled and used popular sources like magazines, websites and books in their papers. For the most part, if students did not plagiarize, these sources were accepted as authoritative. College writing, on the other hand, requires the use of scholarly sources. Scholarly sources are research references that are peer - reviewed or an articles or books from an academic publisher. A website has to meet certain criteria to be scholarly.

Four

High school students were taught to write in a simple form, whereas college writing requires more invention.

In high school most students were taught to write the typical five paragraph essay. This essay generally included an introduction, conclusion and three body paragraphs and each body paragraph elaborated on each point. This was the way most students prepared for the writing portion of the SAT. In College writing students are expected to write expansively and decipher each point, and the five paragraph essay just does not meet the standard.

Five

High school students write papers using a loose form of MLA or generally no form at all, whereas college professors require strict adherence to form.

Students should know how to cite in Modern Language Association ( MLA ), Association of Psychological ( APA ), Chicago, etc. The font should always be 12 point. The research within the paper should be cited a specific way.

These five areas, if addressed will help students to write well in college and beyond. Adult learners, especially those returning to school and those taking online classes, often struggle repeatedly with some of these issues. However, once students master these skills they quickly transform into strong students.

The Real Purpose Of Term Paper Writing

Term paper writing has been the claiming of students all over the world. It has been the way professors and instructors countenance how much their students have learned and how effectively they can apply their newfound knowledge to the real world. Able are a lot of benefits that can be gained from term paper writing, however, majority of students detestation writing them. Students who are encountering term paper writing for the first time ofttimes do not know where or how to start, which is why a lot of websites offer students sample term papers. These sample term papers are important guides to students who do not have a lot of experience in term paper writing.

No matter how much students despise term paper writing, it is an inevitable part of their college life. At least 1 term paper will be required per class; and sometimes, the deadlines for these papers coincide with one another. This makes it much harder for students to cope with the pressures of term paper writing. To cope with it, some websites are offering sample term papers that can help guide students in term paper writing.

What students must realize is these term papers are actually helping them in their education. They must get rid of the notion that their professors are just trying to give them a hard time or they just want another way to evaluate what you have learned. Term papers are required so that each student can learn how to apply their knowledge in the practical world; they serve their purpose by helping students achieve their career goals.

One of the best benefits of term paper writing is that it helps boost a student ' s confidence. How so? Students who successfully write their term papers will get a sense of fulfillment and confidence on their newly acquired knowledge. By being able to write a good term paper, it means that the student has a full grasp on the endless lectures and discussions done in class. By knowing that they are capable of writing their own term papers independently, a student ' s self - esteem and confidence will grow, leaving them much more prepared for the real world.

Successful term paper writing helps instill a good work ethic on students. This is because they realize how much of what they learn in class is applicable in real life situations. Term paper writing can also help prepare a student with the demands of a career, especially in the corporate world. Students may not be able to see it just yet, but term paper writing is an effective way for them to reach their potential and increase their self - esteem.

In the end, no matter how much a student despises term paper writing, it is an inevitable and vital part of college life. Without it, a lot of successful people will be having a much harder time coping with the pressures of a career.

Tips on Writing your Admissions Essay

So, you ' ve studied oppressive and volunteered, what ' s next? An important admissions criterion that colleges have appurtenant is the personal statement.

Your personal statement is your only chance to have a ' conversation ' with the admissions committee. Wherefore, portraying yourself as a real student who overcame hurdles and have tangible achievements becomes important. Consider the admissions essay as a job interview only it will be on paper and you won ' t be started to impress them with your personality, skills, and enlightenment. With that vocal, you would need to have those qualities shine through your sentences and paragraphs to be able to sell your product which is you... the student applicant.

Your personal statement can be a article about your trek as a high school, transfer, or returning adult student, whichever applies to your situation. For example, if you ' re applying as an animal science major, discuss any experience you may have while discovering your passion. You may also talk about how you were able to achieve your short term goal because of your will and motivation to succeed. Remember that your experiences are what make you who you are right now. They shape you into a more mature, responsible adult who is able to face even greater challenges that college life may throw your way.

Since this is a very important topic, I would like to provide you with an extensive example using my personal statement and the questions I answered. Remember, only use this as a reference because the questions change from year to year but the goal stays the same. And that goal is to get to know you as a person and a student and make the admissions committee want you to be a part of their academic institution.

One word of advice before you begin writing you admissions essay, keep the required ' word count ' in mind. All universities have this requirement so make sure to check for your particular school ' s application instructions. Keep you essay within the limit without sacrificing your content. Hopefully, my following example will help.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

I can still remember that day so vividly in my mind when I sat in my usual study area feeling depressed and overwhelmed with all the work that was required of me from school. I wondered what compelled me to take in all these things that were quite overwhelming: sleepless nights spent studying, worrying about deadlines, dreading a class presentation and, most of all, finals week. Then one day I came to my English class, still quite unsure of my purpose in going to school. On that day, my teacher handed out an article entitled " Claiming an Education " by Adrienne Rich. As I read through the article, I asked myself, " What did she mean by claiming an education? " All this time, I thought education was supposed to be passive. I thought all students have to do to have an education is to come to class and take in everything that is taught to them. I thought wrong. This moment of awakening made me re - evaluate my purpose of earning my education.

Writing Articles About Colleges And Universities

One very snappy organization which finds an abundance of readers online is that of " colleges and universities " and best of all folks of all ages peruse these articles. Consider if you will all the kids in college, all those who ' ve gone to college, want to go back to college, work for academic institutions, or somehow are involved in the sector. Just so, that ' s a lot of folks indeed, and most of this crowd is highly literate and they all seem to have personal tech devices constantly connected to hunk and all online content. Okay so, lease ' s say shall we?

You scan, over the years, I have authored a ton of articles on colleges and universities and related topics. Consider if you will all the sub - categories, quickie segments, and on - energy new developments such as online lectures and e - Texbooks for instance. That right there is good for wholly a few articles, and might I ask why no one is writing reviews for online professor university level lectures? We have online reviews for movies, video games, e - Books, and every product under the sun, why not reviews for online lectures? Why not write some articles in that venue? What about things like;

Student Loans

Best Business Colleges

College Life

Dealing with Dorm Room Mates

Sports Programs

Entrance Exams

Textbook Costs

Research Studies

Teaching

Technical Colleges

For - Profit - Colleges

On - going Education Requirements

Colleges of the Future

Best Degrees for Getting a Job

Out of State Colleges

Foreign Exchange Programs

Are you beginning to see the possibilities here? Now that I think about it, even though I have over 100 articles on college topics, I see I can even write some more. Indeed, I cannot do this all by myself, I could certainly use some help from my fellow article authors to help me fill the gaps. In fact, if you will consider some of the subtopics I have written above then you can come up with four or five more of your own.

Whereas there are other people writing on this subject matter there certainly aren ' t enough articles on these topics to quench the thirst of the Internet. Make sure that you have your target market in mind, and if you are writing to students do write from their perspective, and always title your articles as questions they might pose or ask into the search engine search bar. This way they can find your article.

Best of all, you don ' t have to dummy down your article to an eighth grade reading level, as this group of people are a little more sophisticated and actually enjoy being challenged with an upper - end vocabulary. That makes it kind of fun and challenging too. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.