In fall 2013, a record 21.8 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities (National, n.d). A vast majority of these students will be recently graduated high school students. While a smaller group of these student will be adult learners over the age of 25. Both of these groups are going to face the same challenges in their studies. High school prepares Students for the rigorous classes in college, but most of what they teach is just the basic skills needed for college. One of the biggest obstacles for freshman students, adult learners, as well as some returning students is the challenge of writing college level papers. Professors will expect more than general high school writing and as a serious student, they should strive to deliver what is expected of them. With the focus and proper planning any student can overcome this task with ease. Therefore, what does it take to become an effective college writer in the demanding college environment?
One of the first steps students need to do when writing a paper is to find sources to support their subject. The sources they use can be found in many different places. Once they have their topic, visit a local library, or start up an internet browser. When looking for resources, focus on questions such as “what am I looking for?” or “what is my main thesis.” Most inexperienced college writers often make the mistake of taking the first source they find, and using it as their main or only source. Students should always use more than one source, so that their point can be explained in a simple, yet versatile, understanding manor. (Turabian, 2010) states “The appropriate kind of evidence is crucial in your information: primary, secondary, and tertiary” (p.45). As st...
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.... What is a scholarly journal? - Finding Scholarly Articles - Research & Subject Guides at CSU, Chico. Retrieved from http://libguides.csuchico.edu/content.php?pid=28325
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Turabian, K. L. (2010). Student's guide to writing college papers (4th ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel K. Durst. "They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. Vol. 2e. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. Print.
Turabian, Kate L. 2013. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations Chicago Style for Students & Researchers. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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The first question to ask when you read an article is the one with the most obvious answer: “Who wrote this?” This is the rhetor, and it has two parts: the author, the one who actually sat down to write the piece and whose name’s at the top of the page; and the others, those that helped the author by adding to their argument through evidence or support (Grant-Davie 269). As high school students preparing to enter the wonderful world of college research papers, it’s important to understand who’s making the points you reference in your own work, and you can do that by analyzing the rhetors. An exam...
Drown, E., & Sole, K. (2013). Writing college research papers (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
- Unfortunatly, all research papers have a limitation to their studies. Some of the limits I may come across is, lack of information, lack of respectable and trusted articles or books. These two will be my biggest concern when writing this paper. The way I plan to try and overcome this obstacle is by gathering all the information I have before hand, and understand the limitations I may occur before I begin writing my paper. This way, I will know my limits while writing my paper and not overstep my boundaries.
Thomas, Cal. “Is the American Dream Over?.” They Say I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. Graff, Gerald. Birkenstein, Cathy. New York. London: 2012. 569.
Over the past semester, I have found the most challenging part of this course to simply be the transition from high school composition classes to college. Because writing expectations are so different in college than in high school, even with AP and Dual Enrollment “college level” classes, I first found myself being overwhelmed with the pressure to write the perfect first draft. The pressure came from knowing how much a final draft of a paper contributed to my grade. This left me sitting in front of my computer for hours at a time with thoughts of what I wanted to say racing through my head, but unable to deliver these thoughts into organized, structured sentences. I learned, through writing my persuasive essay, that instead of trying to write the paper start to finish and already in its perfect form, it is easier for me to look at the paper through its different components and focus on them individually, then work to best organize my ideas fluently.
Recently, I have been writing quite a few essays and papers throughout my college experience. This entails, but not limited to, English, History, and Economics. My style of writing and methods have generally remained the same throughout the process. In this assignment, I will be discussing how I prepare to start a paper, what my thoughts are through the process, and my strengths and weaknesses of what my final drafts look like.
Writing can be very frustrating; laying your ideas out on paper so that others can grasp the concept you are trying to convey is a very difficult task. In Writing 101 I have learned how to formulate good theses that are arguable and also how to validate articles that have to do with my topic. The most important element of a paper is the thesis statement. It captures the reader's attention and tells them what the essay is about. Having a well-structured thesis along with evidence to support that thesis are the main ingredients to a well-written essay. I have also learned how important it is to research an author’s background to ensure their credibility. This is a very important step in writing because today we can find information on a topic, however, it is not valid. By researching the author, we can see if he or she is an expert in the area and so this would make his or her information more credible. There is a ...
As I look back on my schooling I can’t believe how many papers I’ve written throughout my life. Naturally as I’ve grown up, my writing has developed from learning how to write sentences all the way up to the pages of essays that consist of deeper criteria. I know for a fact that I’m a better writer now than I was before. College writing is more challenging and I’ve had to learn how to adjust to it.
Crème, P., & Lea, Mary R. (2008). [PDF format]. Writing at University (3rd edition.), McGraw Hill Education. Retrieved from www.kantakji.com/fiqh/Research/ti134.pdf.
Joseph, N. (1999). Research writing: Using traditional and electronic sources. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Improving writing skills is critical to the college student’s success across all academic disciplines. Writing has become the key to survival in many fields of study. (Pirš1, Pirš1, & Kesié, 2011) There are several strategies to become an effective college-level writer. An important strategy for a writer is project management. Next, writing with a purpose is an essential step. Another crucial guideline is following the mechanics of writing. Finally, utilizing online resources provides the writer invaluable knowledge and references.