Why An Actual College Student Thinks Every College Student Should Work On Their Writing Skills
My name is Maggie Smith, and I’m a current sophomore at Elon University in North Carolina. Since the beginning of my education (I’m talking kindergarten here), the importance of writing has always been emphasized. There’s a reason most colleges require a writing course, and there’s a reason the skill’s importance is stressed so early on in our education.
But what exactly is writing? Here’s the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:
Vague, right? To me, writing is many things. It’s how we communicate, it’s how we learn, it’s how we express our ideas and ourselves, it’s how we share stories. It’s also grammar and paragraphs and periods and papers. It’s essays and poems and songs and scripts and texts and emails and resumes. It’s this very blog post. We write ALL THE TIME, especially in the age of social media and smartphones where we constantly have access to a keyboard at our fingertips. That text you just sent to your friend? Writing (but maybe not at its finest).
But what exactly makes a good writer? College students can obviously write, but not all can write well. According to this article from Writers Online, there are three main skills that are essential to a good writer: narrative skills, technical skills, and personal skills. Between these three sections, becoming a good writer is no simple task — but it is essential for a college student’s success. I know we hear it from our professors almost every single day, and it can get a little old. However, as a student, I genuinely agree with what our teachers are telling us, and here’s why:
- Being a good writer will get you hired
Did you know that writing is the most favored skill when asking employers? I didn’t either, until reading this article from Milne Library. In fact, from the survey, 89% of employers said that colleges and universities should place more emphasis on “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing.”
Whatever field you’re in, you’re definitely writing something, whether it’s a lab report, a marketing plan, a campaign proposal, a lesson plan, or anything in between. You need to be able to be amazing at your career-specific tasks once you enter the workplace, and that requires great writing skills.
More so, what gets you in the door at any job is your resume, cover letter, and application materials. All of these require writing, and in order to stand out, your writing can’t just be decent; it has to be perfect. That missed capitalization, or lengthy bullet point, or poor summary of your experience could cost you the job. On the other hand, being an excellent writer will make you stand out from the hundreds of other applications employers must read, and could get you the job.
2. Good writing = better communication
Today, especially in the world of COVID-19, so much of what we do is virtual. While Zoom exists, I feel like I’m writing more emails and discussion board posts than ever before. In order to do these things efficiently and effectively, I need to be able to clearly convey my thoughts through-you guessed it-writing.
For example, I work for my university’s student-run PR agency. I am constantly writing emails to my client, and if I was a poor writer, things would never get done and questions would never be asked or answered. Tone in emails really matter in this case, and speaking through email is a skill that helps me on a day to day basis. I also wouldn’t come off as very professional if my emails were disorganized and filled with grammatical errors.
Better writing doesn’t just come into play with jobs. It helps in group projects, when you’re trying to figure out who’s doing what. It helps when you have to text someone about getting lunch. It helps when you have to email a teacher about an assignment. Conveying exactly what you’re confused on, what you need help with, or what you think of a certain topic only further develops your knowledge on a subject.
3. It will save you time
What college student has an abundance of time?
Trick question. The answer is nearly none.
Being able to write well helps save time when it comes to those daunting assignments. Having those small things, like punctuation and grammar, become second nature speeds the writing process along SO much. Being confident in also portraying your thoughts through writing is a skill that is developed over time with practice, but the results are worth it. As I’ve improved my writing, I’ve noticed it takes less and less time to get my thoughts down on paper and finish assignments.
As a college student, good writing also helps me save time on one very important learning tool: my notes. When professors talk, they tend to speak a mile a minute. Being able to comprehend what they’re saying and jot down a quick note or two that I know I’ll understand later has been the key to success in so many of my classes.
In the end, being a good writer has so many benefits as a college student. I only touched on a few, but there are dozens more. Writing isn’t going anywhere ever, even as life evolves. It will always be at the core of communication and professional skills, and these things are particularly important to college students who are trying to figure out what they want to do and how to get there. Knowing how to write, and write well, will only help us fulfill our dreams a little faster, and stand out among our fellow peers. So keep writing, and make it a point to start writing a little better. You never know how much of a difference it will make in your academic, professional, and personal life.
