Solution

Because of how our educational system is structured, there is no “real” solution in regards to how to make the transition from high school writing to college writing. High schools have been teaching the five-paragraph format since the beginning of time and that really isn’t going to change because it actually works really well as a stepping stone into more advanced writing skills. The five-paragraph format that is taught is very simplistic and is meant for conveying a general overview of the topic within a simple, easy to understand framework whereas the point of college writing is to inform your peers of your own scholarly discoveries. Everyone is capable of “good” writing when given the chance to write about whatever you want however you want it. It’s only when rules and guidelines are set that people seem to “do school” to please the professor to get that grade you so desperately need. That’s not to say that we should view structured academic writing with negativity; in the real world it’s very important to be able to properly convey your meaning and intentions because it could be the difference between securing that business deal or potentially saving lives by knowing how to say something in a research paper. Some individuals just have an easier time learning how to make the transitions; others don’t quite care so much and get along just fine with doing school. This “problem”, if you will, is akin to the common cold; while there is no real cure for it, there are many remedies and tricks to make the process a whole heck easier.

- Brainstorm.
- Do research.
- Avoid repetition.
- Seek help from instructors and peers.
- Cite your sources.
- Always remember who the audience is.
- Don’t be surprised if you end up writing multiple drafts.
- Proofread.

The bottom line is there is no single solution in making the transition flow smoothly. Even the best high writers will find their writing lacking when it gets critiqued from a professor who has probably spend hundreds if not thousands of hours reading over student papers. If anything the rare paper that does stand out will most likely be unconventional and written with a genuine sense of conveying a message rather than doing school. College writing is a whole different game altogether. A good comparison would be high school athletes playing on the college level; it becomes a whole new playing field with different details and minutiae. With practice it does get easier with time but the truth is a lot of people just never get used to it.