Many of my classes are humanities-based, and most of the time, the way we’re assessed by the end of the semester is through research papers. At WashU, we get introduced to research-style writing during our first year, through our required College Writing course. Students get to choose from a range of themes when they’re selecting their class – I chose Power and Commodity Culture. This course had a significant impact on my writing skills. I came from a writing background that emphasized structure over organic expression. Hence, my professor gave us a lot of freedom when it came to our approach to writing, but I didn’t know what to do with it. The course became stressful for me, given that I wanted to excel in it, but I was being challenged by my professor’s expectations – something that I did not experience in my literature courses in high school.
Since that class, I feel like my academic writing skills have grown a lot. As you further progress into higher-level courses, you find yourself more engaged with the material – so don’t fret if your intro-level courses don’t meet up to your expectations. I have done many projects throughout my classes, on topics that I would’ve never found myself researching on. I have gotten so immersed, that I am considering further pursuing academia!