How to Improve Your Writing Skills before Going Back to College

How to Improve Your Writing Skills before Going Back to College

StraighterLine
3 minute read

If you’re thinking of going back to college but you don't enjoy writing term papers and essays, you are not alone. Many other people share concerns like these . . .

  1. You found writing hard when you were in high school and think that college writing will be even harder.
  2. You suffer from writer's block and getting started on any writing project is agonizing.
  3. You feel embarrassed because other people seem to find writing easy, and you don’t.

Try these Strategies to Become a More Confident Writer

Find writing help online. Here are a couple excellent options . . .

  1. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers a large selection of excellent exercises that build writing skills. It’s free and open to everyone.
  2. Writing.com offers practical advice and encouragement for student writers, professional writers . . . writers of all kinds.

Take online courses to refresh or improve your writing skills. StraighterLine offers some great options and each course includes access to our Writing Center for draft feedback and tutoring that is available 24x7. . .

Student taking an online writing course

  1. English Composition I and English Composition II are two great courses that you can take at your own pace and on your schedule. Learn the art of persuasive and argumentative writing.
  2. Introduction to Communications will guide you in learning principles of speech communication from a wide range of perspectives.
  3. Developmental Writing is the ideal course for students who want to improve their overall writing ability, and learn writing strategies for multiple disciplines and professions.

Read one of the following books about writing. We’ve picked them because they are all encouraging, practical, and fun . . .

  1. The Transition to College Writing by Keith Hjortshoj doesn’t focus on basic writing skills, but on specific challenges of college writing, like how to understand and deliver what professors are really looking for when they assign term papers.
  2. Writing Essays for Dummies by Mary Page and Carrie Winstanley and English Grammar for Dummies by Geraldine Woods both deliver sound advice on writing better. They have the kind of fun, easy-to-digest approach that you expect in books in the Dummies series.

Fear Writing No More!

We’ve selected today’s resources because they take the fear out of writing, help you build writing skills, and build writing success in college. So get online, get going, and start becoming a better writer today. 

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