Posted by: admin at July 4th, 2008
This article was written by Alexander, a graduate of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). This is the second article of a five part series.
Part two of the series is going to beg you to do something you were taught in grade school, but now that you’re in college you think you’re too good for: outlining.
Yes, I know, it is tedious work, and you probably “outline while you write” and just try to let things “flow,” but take it from me, it doesn’t work. You will not fully understand the benefits of outlining until you get into college because the instant you start you suddenly become a master procrastinator. Yes, you will desperately look for things to try to occupy your time with — “anything but writing” you will say. And since you’ve now waited until the last hour before the due deadline, you have no other choice but to dive head first into your coursework or essay and attempt to make your last second gibberish coherent often resulting in a mess of incoherent thoughts, words and phrases.
Well, you could save yourself many headaches if you choose to outline beforehand. No, you do not need to go all out with roman numerals and long three page detailed synopsis of your term paper — a simple one-page outline will suffice. Make sure that you have a clear concise thesis that is no longer than a few sentences. Students often make the mistake of trying to write a thesis paragraph rather than a thesis sentence. Keep it simple stupid, the more condensed and clear you can be the better. Then do a general overview of each supporting paragraph, nothing too detailed. Each supporting paragraph should have a mini-thesis-sentence along with a nice concluding sentence.
Finally, wrap up your outline with your conclusion and closing statement; notes and sources to cite are a good thing to take care of here. This one sheet of direction will save you a ton of headaches down the road when you are tight on time. If you take the time to outline your papers before you start writing them I can guarantee you will see an improvement in the quality of writing and the grades you receive. You may even figure out after writing an outline that your general direction was wrong all along. We all like to believe that we are masterful writers who can cascade words from our brain onto the screen, unfortunately, it just isn’t true. So remember, beat it out before you write your coursework.
Posted by: admin at June 23rd, 2008
This article was written by Alexander, a graduate of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). This is the first article of a five part series.
Organising the place where you will write is one of the first steps to having a healthy work space.
If you’re doing any kind of high level collegiate writing, let alone important coursework, it’s imperative to understand how you work first:
Are you the type of person who likes to listen to music or do you prefer working in silence?
Can you write with someone else in the room?
Do you like to snack while you write?
Answering these questions first will help you establish a foundation. If you need silence to write, and you have a roommate who tends to make a lot of noise, you should inform him or her that you will be writing between a set amount of hours. They should respect your request and give you silence. If not, consider writing at the library or maybe getting a more compassionate roommate.
You should have a desk that is clear of any clutter or distractions. Your number one enemy as a writer in college is going to be procrastination. Put away the magazines and the mobile phone, turn off the WiFi internet on your computer and simply write. Many students prefer to snack on something when they write; however, this isn’t always the best idea. Not only will you put on the unsightly “freshman fifteen” very fast, but it can also gum up your keyboard and leave more clutter around your desk space; consider taking breaks to eat or drink if you must. Also, if you find yourself hungry when you write, try and eat a large dinner or lunch just before to curb your appetite.
The second largest distraction is going to be the internet. We all love to surf and find ways to not write, and with the internet it’s so much easier to do. I know many students who surf Youtube and browse blogs for hours before a major term paper is due, only to see them running into class, hair a mess and dishevelled, minutes before the deadline. Don’t do this to yourself; turn off any music, e-mail applications, web browsers and video games. If your paper requires research, try and accomplish this on a separate day and print out or bookmark them for easy acquisition. Doing all of this ahead will make the amount of work seem less tedious and you will accomplish much more in a shorter amount of time.
Don’t compromise the quality of your Coursework through poor organisation and distractions.
Posted by: admin at June 20th, 2008
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