Writing well in college, particularly in an English program, requires a high level of critical thinking and communication skills. Here are a few tips for success for students planning to take a degree in English.
Avoid the Five-Paragraph Essay
Comparative essays are common in college, as well as “exploratory” essays, where students make observations on a range of questions and arguments, without a predetermined thesis in mind. English majors will find the five-paragraph essay, which was drilled into their heads in high school, insufficient to encompass the greater complexity of their college essays.
The purpose of the five-paragraph essay was to help students think about structuring their papers in a form that readers can easily follow and understand. Essays in college should still be well structured with a beginning, a middle, and an end, and with arguments and counter arguments logically following each other, but are much more complex and flexible than the five-paragraph form permits.
Brush Up on Grammar and Style
Nothing is more irritating to a professor than an essay full of spelling and grammatical mistakes. Stop making common errors such as comma splices, “their” vs. “there”, “its” vs. “it’s”, “your” vs. “you’re”, “affect” vs. “effect”, and others. Spell check is everywhere now – use it! Additionally, students should purchase and familiarize themselves with a good style guide – the MLA Handbook is often used.
Read Widely, and Not Just Novels
The study of English Literature is also the study of society, its ideas, and its progress. Take a philosophy class and become familiar with the ideas that have formed culture and society throughout the ages. Literary geniuses do not write in a vacuum – they reflect on, criticize, affirm or challenge the ideas and debates of their time. Writing papers for political science, philosophy and history classes also help hone logical argumentation skills. English students often find that ideas and concepts discussed in other classes are highly relevant to their English literature courses.
Become Adept at Close Reading
Professors in college often ask students to write 3000-word essays on 20 lines of poetry in Milton, Shakespeare, Spenser, and other great poets. Knowing how to analyze poetry and prose includes drawing links between words and understanding how rhetorical figures such as allusion, alliteration, rhyme, metaphor and symbol contribute to meaning.
Sleep on Essay Before Revising
Outline, edit, proofread and rewrite essays a few days before they are due. Spending a few days away from an essay helps the writer to discover flaws in logic and style, and gives students an opportunity to think of new observations and arguments.
English Majors and Their Prospects
Students who choose an English major develop excellent critical thinking and communication skills, and are prepared for a variety of career choices in the working world. The English major is truly a “thinking person’s major”, and the skills students learn during their years in a college English program will stand them in good stead long afterwards.
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