5 Things College Students Can Learn from Academic Writing

Academic writing pic

The difference between academic writing and a prose is as clear as night and day, but there’s only one way of doing it. Writing essay papers poses a great challenge for college students especially those who do not possess inherent linguistic intelligence. Used to the casual tone of writing, they have difficulties shifting from their blog-type writing to an academic one. Apart from the tone, there are lots of factors that they need to bear in mind, which include grammar, words choice, and viability of arguments to name a few. You might wonder if novelists face the same set of challenges when they try to pen their very first book. The answer is yes.

Marguerite Duras may have written “The Lover” in colder Paris while recalling her younger years in humid Indochina. The above factors would play a critical part in imagining how her readers would feel the sensations that she felt while boarding the wooden raft (aboard the Mekong). Skeptics would change their minds after reading Jack Kerouac (travel) essays, where he didn’t bring a gadget to the remote parts of America and forgotten corners in New York (and the other big cities that he had set foot on). Some would argue that these authors were gifted, if not above the multitude of writers who would struggle to make a living on writing. It’s not different from college students who must meet the requirements, most of which are concentrated on paper writing. It didn’t need to be too difficult, though.

For the stressed-out students who wish to improve their marks, there are elements that they need to avoid in their papers. And it won’t take a few minutes to recall it.

Your Essay Paper Would be Better Without the Following

Apologies. No matter how inferior the college students feel when writing their essay, this should not translate into the paper nor be made apparent to the readers (or their professors in this matter). Starting the essay or the paragraph by saying, "I know I am not an expert so forgive me…" or using clichés such as "in my humble opinion" can undermine the ideas and arguments of their (essay) paper. An opinion is personal so there is no right or wrong answer here. What is important is that students are able to defend their argument, if not stay true to their thoughts (or feelings).

Irrelevant topics. In writing essay papers, college students must understand that coherence is an essential factor that their professors probably consider as the most important element. Coherence is simply the logical arrangement of ideas. However, most students fail the coherence test because they tend to digress from their original arguments. They go astray and discuss irrelevant topics. To avoid this, they can draft an outline on how they want to go about their paper before proceeding to the actual essay writing. They need to proofread their writing to ensure that nothing vague (or ambiguous) would be left to be discovered (by their professors).

Superfluous words. Professors always appreciate brevity, as this enables them to understand better what their students would like to impart. Being verbose and using compound complex sentences when a simple one would suffice can work against the students. Long sentences have the tendency to turn into run-on ones. and are points against the paper. It would be better to be safe than sorry. Direct-to-the-point writing leaves no room for ambiguity and makes the essay papers an easier read. They can attempt on writing long sentences when they pen a prose.

Grammatical lapses. College students, and even seasoned writers, commit these common mistakes. Inasmuch as students want their essay papers to be perfect, grammatical lapses do creep occasionally. Hence, it’s important that they watch out for common errors like subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and homonyms. There are other things to know, which they can apply in their essay writing. They can explore these factors later. (It would mean the second half of their first year, if not the second year. It should depend on their learning curve.)

Typographical errors. Like grammatical lapses, typographical errors can also diminish the strength of the essay papers. Therefore, college students must make it a habit to spell check their essay papers before submitting them to their professors. Although spell check software in word processors could not detect all typographical errors, it can still help in eliminating the mistakes frequently committed by students. However, the ultimate remedy for proofreading is to let others review their assignment papers. If this is not possible, let the papers sit for a while before proofreading them. This (necessary) step is what novelists do.

Where Do College Students Go Next

When college students follow these tips and avoid the typical mistakes that can weaken the quality of their essay papers, they will get better marks. These tips are not just applicable in essay writing but are valid in other academic writing requirements as well. They would learn more about it during their final year in the university. And it won’t be too daunting as they think.

 

DMCA.com Protection Status

X
Thank you.

Our representatives will contact
you within 24 hours.