The Top 5 Challenges for Writing College Papers

Entering a college course at any age can be daunting, especially to the new student. The workloads are heavier, the demands greater, and the writing assignments longer. Students are expected to communicate their ideas and absorption of course materials through carefully constructed essays and papers. Whether traditional or online, writing clearly and succinctly is core to the higher education experience.

Lack of Preparedness

This is a common complaint that we hear from instructors who are teaching entry-point undergraduate college courses and we also find this is a common issue. The Chronicle of Higher Education conducted surveys to determine the perceptions held by faculty members about new college students and it concluded that 44 percent of college instructors “will tell you that students are ill prepared for the demands of higher education, specifically college-level writing.” This is not an insurmountable problem and one that can be addressed by instructors and students.

Social Networking Influenced Writing

A post on Inside Higher Ed, The Facebook Mirror, discussed how communication through this social networking website has influenced the writing habits of users who are actively posting on it. One of the primary issues is that users “trade the pleasure of imagining the absent reader for the imagined adoring gaze of selves, and they expect their friends to ‘like’ their posts, pictures etc. immediately, and to shower them publicly with praise.” The mirror effect experienced by users is described as writing “only to themselves and to those who are just like them.” When students begin to write for an academic assignment they may not receive instant gratification and instead, they receive constructive criticism from their instructors that may be difficult to accept at first. In addition, they are required to write for a diverse audience, which requires the use of persuasive writing skills as this is not a group consisting of family and friends

The Use of Text Speak

A Wall Street Journal article discussed the effect of text messaging on MBA students’ written communication and it was noted by several recruiters that the use of technology has had a negative impact on the ability of these students to “communicate clearly and professionally.” This is the nature of text messaging – it is an abbreviated form of communication that allows for a quick response and use of phrasing that becomes unique to the sender and receiver.

Overused and Tired Cliches

A cliché is a simply a statement that has lost its effect through overuse. A Chronicle of Higher Education article, Clichés Are the Poster Child for Bad Writing, provided some examples of clichés that commonly used, including “the expression [to] throw [someone] under the bus, meaning to publicly betray an erstwhile ally.” There is also a category called “FFBC or clichés that are Famous for Being Clichés,” which includes clichés from the world of sports, “he gave 110 percent.” The reason why they are ineffective is that “they’re tired, overdone, unoriginal, dull, and mindless.” These phrases become so over-utilized that they are almost rendered meaningless.

Writing with a Purpose

Another writing issue that students struggle with at times is writing clearly and concisely, and getting to the point of their paper. This frequently occurs when students do not have a central theme or thesis developed and they start writing whatever thoughts come to mind, without editing and refining their work. According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (another excellent resource for students), “the purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing,” and “essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction – this means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from her purpose; they must be deliberate and interesting.”

Developing Academic Communication

What students must develop is an academic form of communication. Until they enter a college classroom, the typical format of communication occurs through the use of social media, email, and text messaging – which are often very casual in nature. Those methods are not necessarily ineffective; however, they are not appropriate for the development of written assignments as the thoughts and ideas expressed must be done in a clear and concise manner.