Myths About Writing in College

by Neal Lerner, former MCPHS Writing Programs Coordinator

Paper due tomorrow? Feeling pressured? Experiencing writer's block? Well, perhaps you've succumbed to your fears about college-level writing. However, I can tell you that those fears are unjustified and, in fact, are probably based on some persistent myths about writing in college. My task here is to debunk those myths and to help you succeed in the writing you will do at MCPHS.

MYTH #1

I cannot use "I" in college writing. Every semester several students will ask me if they can use "I" in their essays. "Sure," I say, "you're the one writing it!" The anti-I myth seems to have much to do with sounding "college-like" and formal. However, without the "I" writers come across sounding distant, aloof, and shirking responsibility (Contrast "A mistake was made" with "I made a mistake"!). Certainly, some writing situations will call for you to avoid the "I"; for instance, a good deal of science-based writing primarily focused on reporting research results generally avoids using "I." That's a convention to that specific genre (and it's a convention some of the best writers often violate) and has more to do with emphasizing the results of an experiment, not the fact of who found them. So for most writing tasks, just say "I."

MYTH #2

I don't know enough big words. Vocabulary is extremely overrated. Many writers have communicated profound and complex ideas with the simplest language (e.g., "I think; therefore, I am."). Too often students get very chummy with the thesaurus, spending far too much time looking for that "sophisticated" word that will make them sound intelligent, that will show that they belong to this club called college. Forget about it. The vocabulary you currently possess will be more than enough for the writing you'll need to do. Sure, there are specialized terms you'll need to use in certain situations, and you'll need to be an expert reader of those situations, anticipating your reader's needs. But on the whole your goal in any writing task should be clarity of thought, not an SAT vocabulary exercise for your reader.

MYTH #3

College teachers only want 5-paragraph essays. Perhaps you spent countless hours in high school mastering the 5-paragraph theme, you know, introduction that ends in a thesis statement, three major areas of support, a paragraph that expands on each supporting area, and a conclusion that essentially repeats the introduction. There is nothing inherently wrong with this structure, but what's most important is that as a writer you need to show flexibility. What you say will determine how you say it. If you try and plug every topic into a 5-paragraph essay, you will often not do justice to those topics. Instead, you'll be starting with the "how" rather than the "what." As a result, your essays will be underdeveloped if not deadly dull. So use the 5-paragraph structure only if your topic seems to call for it.

MYTH #4

The most important part of a research paper is correct citation format. Let's talk MLA, APA, AMA, Turabian, Chicago Style, footnotes, works cited, reference list, in-text citations, and, for good measure, CBE. So many formats and so little time. But what these abbreviations and terms reveal is how different academic disciplines treat the knowledge in their fields. One way to think of this concept is to imagine a conversation. You'll make reference to previous conversations, call upon knowledge shared by the participants, make new points that advances the conversation. Each academic discipline has different ways of handling the mechanics of citation because each treats knowledge a little bit differently and each has a long history. Just think of how different your reading experience is if you have to read footnotes at the bottom of the page versus endnotes at the end of the article; which format is placing more emphasis on the content of those notes? So the various styles aren't meant to be confusing; instead, they represent the customs of academic disciplines, and you, initially as visitor to those strange lands, and, ultimately, as citizen, are expected to conform to those customs. It's the polite thing to do.

MYTH #5

Good writers are born, not made. This myth is a variation of the nature/nurture debate. "Some were born to write, others were born to do anything but write." Hogwash! Writing is a learned craft. You get better at it by writing, rewriting, and writing some more (and always seeking feedback). It's frustrating in that way-your ultimate goal is always slightly out of reach. But it is also incredibly rewarding to see improvement, to reach that reader, to make connections. The rewriting part is most important here. Instead, of spilling out those perfect first drafts, strong writers know that they will need to revise again and again. We write in order to figure out what it is we want to say. One draft is often not enough to come to that understanding. Instead, you will need to redraft, re-see, revise. The clarity you had been hoping for might not appear until you get to the end of the first draft. But now you have a starting point for your second draft.

MYTH #6

Writing is a solitary act. This myth has a long history, but essentially comes from the study of "great" writers and from powerful cultural attitudes that reward independence and mistrust collaboration. However, while we often write physically alone, we are actually surrounded by others. Conversations, readings, observations-entire social worlds-exist in our heads. Writing is ultimately a social act; we write to be understood by others, to communicate, to persuade, to express, to find meaning. Writing in college and in the workplace is also often done collaboratively. In the earliest stages of your writing, talking your ideas out with another can be a powerful way of getting started. And re-writing or revising often must be done with the help of others in order for you to get a "fresh" perspective and an idea of the power of your words.

The Myth Stops Here

I hope my myth debunking will help as you write. For additional help, come down to the MCPHS Writing Center in WB09, the White Building Basement (call 732-2091 for our hours or to make an appointment). Our Writing Consultants will guide you past these myths and help you to succeed.