Expectations for College Writing

Making your expectations for your college education match up with what your instructors expect of you will be one of your most significant challenges in college. Your college instructors, as well as your future colleagues and supervisors, will expect you to demonstrate your ability to think critically, to consider ethical issues, to find as well as solve problems, to do effective research, to work productively with people of widely different backgrounds, and to present the knowledge you construct in a variety of ways and in a variety of genres and media. Your success will depend on communicating clearly and on making appropriate choices for the context.

Chapter contents:

Quick Help: Common features of U.S. academic texts

Moving between social and academic writing

Preparing to meet expectations for U.S. academic writing

Positioning yourself as an academic writer

Listening and reading actively for class

Using media effectively