Tips for College Writing
I write a lot.
I write for this lovely blog, edit for the school paper, tutor for writing in the library, and since I’m an English and English Ed major, I write for that every once in a while too. I spend a lot of my time with words. And since I do, I’m here to impart a few tips that I’ve found helpful for writing papers in college. That being said, I’m no professor. I don’t get 100% on every paper. I’m just an overcaffeinated 20-year-old college student out here trying her best like everyone else. So feel free to disregard my advice if you want to. Or print it out and frame it on your wall. As you like.
Number one: Know how you want to answer the prompt. Writing is done to convey an idea. If you don’t know what idea you’re trying to convey, your writing won’t go very well. If you’re still trying to come up with ideas, maybe try to create an outline, or a bulleted list, and see what comes to mind. But it’s best to have a clear idea in your head as you begin writing, that way you know what you want to communicate even if you aren’t sure how.
Number two: Find out how. (Wow! Bet you didn’t see that one coming.) Should your paper be personal and use the word “I”? Should it be professional and avoid the word “I”? Should you start with the big picture, then narrow things down as you go, or should you build up to a big ending piece by piece? These are things to decide before you start writing. That way, you stay consistent throughout. You should also choose one tense and stick with it. If you begin your paper writing in the present tense, end it in the present tense. If you start in past, use past throughout.
Number three: Be yourself, which starts with word choice. Put the thesaurus away. I know that a lot of people look up synonyms for common words to make their writing sound “smarter”. Using big words will get a good grade, right? No, sorry. Throwing unnecessarily hard words into the middle of normal sentences makes the whole thing sound a little off. So relax! Don’t worry about making yourself “sound smart”. You’re smart enough already. And it’s ok to have a tone. You don’t need to sound like a dictionary when you write. You need to sound like you. So it’s ok to use words that you would normally use. Be professional, of course. But be genuine. You have a distinct voice, and your writing can too.
Number four: Proofread the heck out of it. Look for grammar mistakes, passive voice, tense changes, logical slips, and anything else that catches your eye. It’s always good practice to reread a paper that you’ve written. Do I always do that? No. Absolutely not. But I should. Proofreading is also a good time to condense your work. Everything that is in your paper should have a reason for being there. Is there something in your paper that has no purpose? Is it paying rent? No? Then it has no reason to stay. If you struggle with writing, it’s also totally ok to ask for outside opinions on your work. You can always ask a friend to proofread for tense changes or grammar mistakes, and don’t be afraid to ask professors or tutors for help either. They’re all awesome and would love to help you out. (except for that one tutor named Lauren, not sure about her…)
Number five: Just do it (sponsored by Nike). Writing can be tough, but just like in a sport, the only way to get better is to practice. The more you write, the better at it you’ll get. It doesn’t always have to be great writing, or even good writing. But you still need to write. The practice will improve your writing as a whole, and good writing will not only help you get good grades, but will make you a better communicator, which is a skill that can apply to many areas. Plus, once you feel comfortable with it, writing can even be a lot of fun.