Encouraging University Freshmen to Perceive Writing Positively - Essay Example

Encouraging University Freshmen to Perceive Writing Positively Introduction I am 22 years old, and pursuing a major in pre-business. I come from China, and look forward to venturing into the world of consultancy. Being a second year student gives me an opportunity to reflect about my first year writing class. I took up the subject unsure of whether I would match the requirements of the unit. However, my fears vanished within the second week of learning as I got many materials to help me succeed. Consequently, I can assure any nervous incoming graduate from high school that they can make it, given the available and vast resources. Hard work also contributes to your success, and the taking the subject seriously contributes positively to the rest of your academic, and professional life (Foster, 3). Comparing the reality of the experience to the expectations of incoming students When students join the university fresh from high school, they get nervous about their ability to succeed in a writing class. Though this is expected, hard working students find the subject interesting after attending a few classes. They use the available materials from such sources as Think Tank, WSIP, the library, as well as UITS to develop their skills, thus finding it easy to do the subject. On the other hand, those who do not put in enough effort find the subject tasking, thus developing a negative attitude towards the subject. This hinders the ability of such students to excel in the subject. Consequently, the overall performance of the student gets affected, as other subjects also require them to write assignments as part of their course work. Therefore, I urge you to maintain a positive attitude towards this particular subject as it defines part of your success story at the university. How my writing has improved I joined the writing class without much knowledge on how to do good writing. I had problems with constructing logical sentence, and maintaining flow in my work. More to these, I had problems with clarity as most of my points were disorganized, which made it difficult to comprehend my writing. In addition to these, the tenses gave me a load of problems, which gives you enough reasons that I was once a pathetic writer. However, I believe a determined mind conquers any difficulty. Consequent to this belief, I purposed to improve in all these areas. I attended my lectures punctually, and paid attention to the lessons. More to these, I set time to practice my writing skills on a daily basis, leading to an improvement in four weeks. I can now write well, I use good grammar, and my writing always follows a logical order. The writing process Once a lecturer gives you a certain topic to write on, three basic steps help in making the writing easy. First, brainstorm the topic given. Think of as many ideas as you can, which relate to the topic. Once you have your points in order, proceed to make your draft. The draft serves to give you a view of what your final copy will look like. Finally, make a revised copy of your work, which should be properly edited. Personally, I adhere to a specific writing process, which follows the following sequence. I start by introducing my topic. This gives the reader an overview of what the rest of the writing focuses on as I highlight the major theme or topics to be discussed in the rest of the writing. This gives the reader an understanding of what to expect in the rest of the writing. Once I am done with the introduction, I move on to discussing my major points. I discuss the points one at a time. I also ensure to discuss a single point in a paragraph to avoid confusing the reader. More to these, I use rhetorical strategies in my writing to enhance my expertise in writing (Cavazos, 5-6). These strategies promote my writing as they help me persuade, and convince my readers about what I have written. Conducting Research Research plays a vital role in your academics. It allows you to gain a better understanding of the topic you want to write about, thus boosting your credibility. Given that we do not have sufficient knowledge in most fields, knowing how to research can help you strengthen your writing ability, because it helps you identify various fallacies in your writing (Chaffee, 511). Many resources exist, which you can refer to in such cases. The internet, for example, provides you with a wide source of information. The university’s library also serves as a perfect alternative. It gives you access to millions of academic literature that you can use to build on your writing ability. Given the availability of all these resources, you should be confident of an easy time at the university. The institution serves to help you prosper in every way. You just need to be optimistic, and purpose to work hard. The course books The university provides a number of books that you can use for this subject. These books give you the information you need to succeed. Additionally, the resources give enough illustrations to help you revise, thus boosting your confidence in the subject. These books include First Year Writing, Rules for Writers, Writing as Revision, as well as Writing Public Lives. The books use a simple language that can be understood by any student, thus making it easy for you to study the materials individually at your own free time. Conclusion In conclusion, I want to remind you that you hold your destiny in your hands. Consequently, the power to succeed or become a failure is locked within you. If you have made it through high school, I believe you can make it in university. Challenges exist in every area of our lives, but the way we handle the challenges make the difference. Concerning this writing subject, all you need to do is work hard. The university provides adequate resources to help you, hence leaving you with no other choice, than to make it in your writing class. In case you have any questions, you can always contact me for assistance. Works Cited Cavazos, Melissa. The Rhetoric of Technical Writing: Applying Social and Verbal Rhetorical Strategies to Prepare New Technical Writers for the Workplace. Ann Arbor: Proquest, (2008). Print. Chaffee, John. Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing. Stamford: Cengage Learning Publishers, (2014). Print. Foster, John. Writing Skills for Public Relations: Style and Technique for Mainstream and Social Media. London: Kogan Page Publishers, (2012). Print. Read More