Dear Prospective Hope College Students,
First of all I want to wish you all luck on your college searches. Having been through it myself, I understand the time and effort that goes into finding the perfect college. That being said, there is no question that on the next level—the collegiate level—the stakes are higher. In this post, I wanted to talk about some of the expectations, the “do’s and don’ts” if you will, of college writing.
One of the biggest misconceptions about writing that they teach in high school is that there is a standard way to write a paper: intro, body, conclusion repeat. This may not be the best way to write papers in college. In fact, the English department at Hope College encourages its students to use varying sentence structures, phrases, sources, and even to be creative.
You may be thinking, “How can I be creative in a research paper?” well, there are many options you can use to get out of the habit of boring yourself and your professors. One effective way to make your research paper creative is to add a sense of voice to the paper itself. This will make sure that the paper is (A) not plagiarized—which isn’t taken lightly at Hope College—and (B) does not sound like the other 20 or so papers the professor will be reading. Being an English education major, I understand the value of trying something outside the box.
Another way to spice up your papers is to choose topics that are interesting to you. Most professors that I have had in the English department are very willing to tweak their prompt in order to accommodate your needs and wants; use this to your advantage. Unlike other colleges—where you could have up to 300 students in your intro to English class—Hope College classes are between 15-30 students, which means you will know your professors and they will know you. So don’t hesitate to ask for help or advice. This is one thing that I find very valuable, especially in an English setting.
Also, use the writing center on campus. If you’re like me—stubborn—you’ll say things like, “My writing is good enough, I don’t need someone else to proof it” but I hate to break it to you: it’s not. I came in with the same understanding of my own writing and while I held my own, I never could quite get over the hump of mediocrity. However, The Klooster Center for Excellence in Writing will not only proof your papers, but they will give you tips. Did I also mention that many professors award extra points on papers for attending the writing center? (A helpful hint I was unaware of when I first stepped on campus.)
I hope this post gave you a sneak peak into the world you’re about to enter, college. I again wish you all luck and I “Hope” to be seeing you soon. Thanks.
Logan Klepac, Senior; English Education