9 Tips For Improving Your College Writing Skills
BY MARCUS DANIELSON
Writing is an underappreciated skill that will probably be more useful in your career than you realize. College is the best time to sharpen your writing skills, so here are ten ways you can improve the way you write your assignments and dissertations.
- Focus on the topic
The best writers know how to focus on the topic and tie in different thoughts and ideas to make their point. If you’re writing an essay on fashion journalism, for example, you could use your knowledge about internet marketing and the cotton industry to make a clear and concise point about the way journalism has evolved over the years.
- Keep it simple
Keep your write-ups short and simple. Every assignment you get in college will probably come with a word count limit. While some writers struggle to meet the word count, others go way over the limit. The key to writing well is to stay as close to the word count as possible. Make your pieces relevant and informational without getting boring.
- Find a writing spot
Silence is key. While people can work and study in a noisy environment, almost no one can write in it. You need to find the college library or a quiet spot on campus to write your important pieces.
- Talk to the audience
Always keep the reader in mind while you’re writing. It helps to use the professor’s own lecture notes while writing an assigned essay, because it helps you tailor the piece for them.
- Proofread
No matter how good a writer you think you are, you always need to proofread your work. Even a quick glance over the finished draft will help you weed out a few silly mistakes. Use an online grammar checker and a plagiarism checker to make sure the work is error-free and completely original.
- Get someone else to proofread
Proofreading yourself is fine, but it’s rarely enough. Get someone else to look at your work and they’ll find problems you would have missed completely.
- Master Google research
Google is bound to be your best friend at college. Every piece of data or authoritative source you find will come through an in depth online search. Learn how to use Google effectively and you’ll end up with better data and information than your peers.
- Style Guides
MLA or APA styles are going to take a lot of time to master, but your college probably prefers one over the other for all your work. You need to go over the specific style guide your college requests to make sure the format is correct.
- Practice
Like math, writing is a skill that develops over time. A ton of practice and regular writing can help you churn out quality work by the end of the semester.
These nine tips can help you boost your writing skills and deliver top-notch assignments throughout the semester. But writing is a skill that will help you throughout your career. So, take the time to master it now.
Bio: Marcus Danielson is a traveler and world-citizen,who believes in the power of education and enjoys spreading it. He also takes pleasure in reading, watching old movies, and taking pictures.
