Why Are College Graduates Such Bad Writers Nowadays
22 January, 2018
A few students realize or even comprehend the essence of writing. To the majority, writing is but a requirement to help one pass their exams. While evaluating essays and other written assignments, students seem to believe that teachers should only focus on the content and the intended meaning instead of examining and assessing sentence construction and other ‘insignificant’ aspects of writing such as punctuation and subject-verb agreement. There have been numerous complaints from accomplished academicians and employers who share the notion that finding good writers is currently difficult. Students have adopted the misguided idea that writing is a non-issue when it comes to one’s resume. However, currently, writing and communication skills are among the most important elements employers assess. Managers want or are looking for competent writers who can deliver good reports, analyze data and present a comprehensive report, think creatively, and conduct presentations while using comprehensive PowerPoint slides. Writing has become integral to business and students do not seem to know or even appreciate its essence.
Currently, it is indeed possible to meet a graduate and one from the so-called good schools who does not know how to write well. Somehow students are convinced of the insignificance of writing and therefore, do not take the time to practice or even take their written assignments and essays seriously. The implication here is not that all college students should develop to become book writers or newspaper editors or even bloggers but that they should understand the significance of writing. Drafting clear prose is not always listed as one of the main job requirements. However, it is indeed essential, and students need to be sensitized to the weight of this issue.
Main Reasons Behind
There are various reasons which can help explain why students are bad writers nowadays and they include the following:
- Use of custom writing companies. Currently, there are hundreds if not thousands of custom essay writing companies which claim to offer impeccable services to students. These companies often entice students with certain alluring and attention-grabbing keywords, for example, do my essay, write my essay, etc. Most of these companies often promise to deliver high-quality essays to students. While some do deliver great essays, others do not. However, the main point here is that they help to steal the writing experience from students. Currently, thousands of students frequent these companies seeking for essay writing services but unknowingly to them, they are throwing away an opportunity to grow and develop as writers.
- Incompetence or lack of experience. A significant number of students are believed to join colleges without the basics of sentence of construction which forms the foundation of writing. At the college level, a majority of teachers believe that students are well equipped to handle the high-level of writing required there. However, the evidence seems to suggest otherwise. The truth is, students are not experienced enough and no little of grammar to even want to learn or develop as writers. The sad bit is, the majority do not take their time to improve and therefore, their low-level of writing continues past college life.
- Poor writing structures in colleges. As already stated, professors and lecturers at the college level believe students are already equipped with the essentials of writing. Therefore, no one bothers to institute any structures to help students grow and develop as writers. With no one paying attention to the significance of writing, students’ skills continue to deteriorate.
- Lack of writing standards in schools. When it reaches a point where lecturers and professors are forced to focus on the intended or communicated meaning instead of also looking at the way students construct their sentences, one can only blame this on the lack of writing standards in schools. Colleges need to have writing standards and students need to abide by these standards or else risk failing. It should never be only about the content or the meaning a lecturer derives from a student’s essay but also how the meaning has been communicated.
- Lack of comprehension and appreciation of the writing process. Another issue that plagues students and that affects their writing is the fact that they do not know or seem to understand the writing process. To the majority, writing an essay or any written assignment should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, what many fail to understand and appreciate is the fact that writing is a process and one which has steps. Each step has its importance and contributes to the output. The writing process includes steps like prewriting, writing, revision, editing, and publishing or submission for students. One needs to know these steps and their significance to one’s writing.
- Lack of a reading habit. Reading expands one’s knowledge of the world and also gifts one a better worldview. It also helps to grow one’s vocabulary and also indirectly teaches one how to construct sentences as well as where to use punctuation marks, etc. Reading is indeed essential to anyone who aspires or claims to be a writer. However, students have not yet comprehended the importance of reading and hence their poor writing skills. Cultivating a healthy reading habit is key to improving and growing as a writer.
Wrap-up
In a nutshell, college students do need help. While many might neglect or even ignore the issues communicated above, they cannot change the fact that their writing skills are wanting. Colleges do need to change their tactics if they are to be considered blameless in this discussion. Does it make sense to force lecturers to derive meaning from a poorly written article while neglecting the many grammatical errors?
|
