Switching from high school writing to college writing can sometimes be challenging. Students may find themselves struggling at college and often think it is their high school teacher’s fault or that their college teachers ask too much.

Yet, often both situations are not accurate. High school education is more focused on summarizing the material rather than analyzing it. Another thing is that high school students are not prepared for a major shift in standards - college writing has a different writing format and structure.  

To meet your college professors’ expectations, you need to learn new rules - different from what you’ve been taught in high school. If you continue to use the old rules, you miss out on the chance to develop more advanced arguments and a better style.  

Keep reading to found out how the well-oiled routine changes in your first year in college. 

Emphasis on the Thesis  

High school teachers often require students to pick a general topic for their essay assignment rather than focus on a thesis statement. The topic is too broad with very few arguments presented. In college, many professors emphasize the importance of a thesis. Every student in the early days learns that a thesis is an argument based on research and evidence knows what a thesis is and all its important elements i.e. everything that is relevant to the main claim. So, a college statement revolves around a specific argument followed by a piece of evidence. For this reason, students are looking for the best essay writing service reviews at PapersBattle. Here you can find several platforms that offer writing services that can help your college education. 

Research

In high school, essays and research papers may be based on information from sources such as Yahoo or Google. But college professors require argument and evidence-based essays. Papers need to be specific, and opinionated. Of course, Google can be an amazing research tool, but you can’t rely just on that source in college. You need to find more reliable sources, materials, and books or professional websites, and peer-reviewed journals. And what can be a better source if not the library?

Analysis

Most often high school teachers do not require extensive research, analysis, or new ideas. On the other hand, college writing classes are more in-depth. In the early days, students may find themselves struggling to analyze or break down the important elements. Moreover, the big difference lies between what and why. High school students switch from ‘what happened’ to ‘why it happened’. So, in college you will be asked to elaborate in further detail and look at the deeper significance of the topic. As mentioned above, essay writing service such as Edubirdie or StudyMoose can help you get inspired, just check their writing service reviews.

Formal Style

Most high school teachers expect their students to follow only certain requirements in terms of citation and formatting. They are often only asked to cite direct quotations or facts by putting the name of the author or book. However, college professors are more strict at this point - they expect a flawlessly written essay in a certain formal style. Sources must be fully cited according to that specific style guide (e.g. APA, MLA).

Format and Structure

High school writing is often characterized by a five-paragraph essay and other short forms. But college breaks out the limits of that structure and explores different strategies. College assignments also follow a specific format - most of them are typed and double spaced, with standard margins. Moreover, they need to be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, without a cover page or plastic binders.  

Final Words

The transition from high school to college can be challenging, especially when it comes to writing. The kind of writing you have done in high school may not correspond to college writing. You may be struggling with different approaches such as style, research, format, and structure.  

Some college teachers will provide an in-depth explanation of what needs to be accomplished, whereas others will give some brief details. So, when entering college, make sure to adapt very quickly to the unfamiliar rules. Also, you may check a writing service review first to find out the top essay writing companies.

And most importantly, do not depress yourself - it is not because of your talent, but rather the new, more complex requirements for writing an essay.