One of the greatest challenges I see for new college students is the leap from high school to college-level writing.
Many students are not prepared for the quantity or quality of writing expected in college. A strong command of spelling, grammar, organization, and reasoning are all required to write well at the college level.
Here are a few tools I recommend for you or your child if you’re new to college!
Grammarly. Install the plug-in and you’re good to go. I still find this to be tremendously helpful. Install Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/.
The Purdue Owl. It can be overwhelming at first, but if you will need to cite your work (APA or MLA style), you will want to learn how to navigate this excellent free tool. Visit The Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/
Connect with a private tutor. Tutors can help you brainstorm, organize your thoughts, or just proofread your finished work. It never hurts to hear from someone who has graded hundreds of student papers before your professor grades yours. Reach out to Emma: https://statswithemma.com/contact/.
Lastly, one tool you should exercise caution when using…
ChatGPT: It has its merits, but be careful when using it for college-level writing. It’s a fast way to get in trouble for plagiarism, even if you didn’t mean to. It can also provide you with *so much* information that you lose sight of the focus of your paper. One thing professors hate is a needlessly wordy paper.