Preparing for academic success at a graduate level

Chapter 2 of Successful College Writing written by Kathleen McWhorter focused on several different points. However, the main core of the chapter is mostly focused* on college writing and what is expected of it. It mentions* how college introduces you to new forms of writing, and also using sources to support your information and arguments in your essays. This chapter not only mentions the new writing styles you will experience, but also how to be successful in them by giving you helpful tips and aiding you in figuring out your learning style.

We live in a dynamic time when staying focused and on top of things are the tools to excel and guarantee success in both professional and personal arenas. Pursuing a graduate study and improving communication skills are a few of many ways I chose to guarantee my personal and professional success. It wasn’t easy taking the decision to pursue a graduate study, and like all major decisions in one’s life, it comes with challenges, which were of an emotional, financial, and organizational nature in my case. To facilitate success, setting goals is most commonly seen as the way forward. In addition to discussing setting goals and milestones, I will be exposing the challenges met in the road to success and the related strategies to overcome them

In Dan Berrett’s article, “Students Come to College Thinking They’ve Mastered Writing,” the idea of freshman thinking they are or must be a refined writer is discussed. Students may think this way coming into college, but their teachers do not. While students might feel satisfied and think that they are prepared with their writing skills, professors found that these students did not necessarily meet the expected level (Berrett 1). Many students reported that they would normally write around 25 hours every week. They said that most of those hours of writing was for more formal purposes like passages to make changes in society (Berrett 1). It was found that one reason the new students might feel this way is that their assumptions about writing differed greatly from those of faculty members and their expectations. One big thing that students will not get for a while, is that good writing is not just listed as a bunch of steps one is to follow that automatically make one’s writing good. Good writing requires one to be in different mental states; it requires the understanding of how to write for different audiences and different reasons (Berrett 2). Berrett includes in the article that writing is not just universal and that in order to do very well, writers must use different forms of writing specifically for their purpose (2). It seems as though students think that, before they even take a class, they are supposed to know everything about writing; in reality, they are supposed to learn new skills and enhance others (Berrett 2). Berrett says that many believe the schools these students previously attended with their test focus might cause these feelings about writing (2). Berrett ends his article by saying that students these days do not think that informal writing actually counts as writing, and that students should practice writing for informal purposes because it can help them (2). Even if they feel like it, students are not fully prepared to write in all contexts when they arrive at college.

Thonney states, “a study of scholarly research articles from six disciplines provides insight about academic writing that composition instructors can use to prepare students to write across the curriculum” (2011 pg. ). Moving forward, Joseph Williams and Lawrence McEnerney’s essay, “Writing in College” targets students currently enrolled in college which is clear from the title itself and its first opening sentence at the beginning of the first paragraph. The author states, “Some students make very smooth transitions from writing in high school to writing in college, and we heartily wish all of you an easy passage” (Williams and McEnerney page 1). Throughout the essay, the author provides a set of structure and tips that first year college students should know when writing an academic paper. Among this paper, we are able to see that there are students whose instructors are dissatisfied with their paper because it is “lacking something” ( Williams and McEnenery’s pg1 ), it isn’t “quite there” or “You haven’t change”. Both passages consist of informative research that first year college students can identify themselves.

Additionally, this chapter identifies some fears that college students may face when taking writing classes, especially at the time of working on an essay. Most of the time, these terrors are the product of non-factual or misleading beliefs from students that have not taken a writing class yet, however, it plays an important decision making when enrolling to take writing classes.

The decision to attend graduate school can be one of immense commitment and responsibility. Success requires rigorous planning and well-defined goals, both short-term and long-term. Exceptional communication skills are also necessary to interact effectively with fellow classmates and faculty. Although completion of a Master’s program opens doors to many professional career opportunities, it does not come without challenges. One also must have several strategies in place for dealing with these challenges when they arise. With determination and hard work, overcoming these barriers will lead to success.

Receiving counseling on written assignments, regardless of the author’s own confidence in their abilities, helps one to ensure that they are effectively executing the goals they may have for the assignment. However, I the Writing Success Program is especially unique because they go beyond the goals of academic success. Rather than solely focusing on a student receiving a good grade on an assignment, WSP aspires to encourage students to use writing as a means of self empowerment. Furthermore, because of the Writing Success Program’s prioritization of empowerment through writing, it is especially attractive to students of color and nontraditional students who, in many cases, didn’t receive the sufficient preparation for UCLA’s stringent academic demands. As a result, the resources provided by WSP not only aim to challenge and empower individuals as students, but also inspire students, specifically nontraditional students, to think critically in order to possess and assert agency as advocates for themselves.

Personally, writing has always been a difficult and daunting task. I always found myself asking, “Why is this required?” “How is this helping me and preparing me for my future?” “What’s the point?” However, at the completion of my writing 122 course I have come to realize how important writing is for my future. Some may think that taking a writing course is not necessary and shouldn’t be considered a “requirement” to graduate. However, you go through your whole life needing writing skills. No matter what profession. Writing is way more complex than I ever thought of it to be. I have discarded my high school habits and establish new techniques that has made writing much more enjoyable and less stressful. The skills you learn in a college

Written communication is the design of clear concise writing, meaning the organization of the paper is structured in a clear incisive manner. Written communication helps to preserve our thoughts or feelings. We tend to use this form of writing to reminisce with others, whether it be a family member, loved one, or general audience. Being able to express those feelings through written communication allows for capturing the memory, and setting the mood of the message being conveyed.

Writing scores vary for many different reasons. The score of a person can increase or decease due to their gender, race, socio economic status, type of school, type of program, and their scores on other academic studies. In this paper, I will analyze each criteria individually as well as its affect or significant in relation to writing.

Strong writing skills are vital component used by post-secondary students, considering a large proportion of third and fourth year courses assign term papers to assess and grade a student. Upon graduating high school, I believed my writing skills were above average and that I would not benefit from the FAW courses required for my undergraduate degree. The FAW I orientation furthered this belief with a very simple power-point presentation, propagating the assumption that the FAW I and FAW I courses required for my undergraduate degree would be a simple way to increase my academic average. However, it became blatantly aware that this assumption was incorrect. In fact, the FAW courses helped me distinguish valid academic sources, learn the importance

Prior to starting my journey towards a doctoral degree at Capella University, I found myself to be an excellent writer. While pursuing a bachelor and master’s degree, I wasn’t fond of the exams that was required to pass a class. I truly appreciated that writing portion of the classes, because I felt that I could display my knowledge more that way rather than taking an exam. Therefore, when I began my doctoral degree, I was excited that majority of my work would be based on my analytical writing skills. Although, I was excited, I did have some apprehension about the level of writing that I was about to complete. Despite my conflicted emotions in the beginning, overtime I discovered a few roadblocks and pitfalls as each course was completed.

Keeping a personal schedule or calendar can assist in prioritizing important dates, deadlines, and goals (Martinez Tucker, 2002). Asking for assistance from friends, family, and neighbors can also provide support. Finally, engaging in various stress relieving activities may prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.

There are many different types of writing, and ways in which we use writing. We can utilize writing for entertainment, business, and academic purposes. Each type of writing and the ways in which we use them, has their own benefits. Many people are frequently unaware of the benefits and importance of the different types of writing. Therefore, they do not take learning about the different types of writing seriously. For instance, many students do not take learning about academic writing seriously. They just go through the motions of writing to earn a grade because they do not realize the benefits or importance of academic writing. Some things that students are unaware of that keep them from taking academic writing seriously is, what a major form of communication it is, how substantial a part it plays throughout someone’s life, and how it can help them in their professional careers.

What is academic success dependent on? This has been the question for many psychological studies. To answer this question qualitative research needs to be done to investigate what hinders or promotes academic success. This essay will investigate these factors by way of interviews, while framing them in the context of current research. It will then be demonstrated how the Job Demands-Resource model can be used to inform such a study. First though it will be shown why it is of the utmost importance to identify and understand these factors, in essence why such research should be conducted.