Good writing is clear writing. To be clear, you need to know the purpose of the writing assignment.

Like audience, purpose in a university setting is problematic.  For most of us, we write in order to get good grades.

While that is a sort of purpose, it is not a purpose that will help us write clearly and communicate effectively.

Here are some purposes that will help us write clearly:

to inform

to show understanding

to persuade

to show results

to entertain

to analyze

Instructors will communicate the purpose of the writing assignment explicitedly, implicitedly, or not at all. Regardless, it is up to you to write with a purpose fully in mind. 

Some writing has more than one purpose; decide the main purpose, and then all other purposes should serve that purpose.

Know your purpose and write with purpose.

Good writing is clear writing. To be clear, you need to know your audience: who is this piece of writing for?

The wrong answer is the instructor.  Although instructors may grade the writing, they are in fact not your real audience. If you think the professor is your audience, you may become unclear by using “big” words to impress them. Big words are not for impression but communication.

You may also feel that you need to impress them with your ideas—ideas you don’t have, which you may be then tempted to borrow” from other places. 

Who is your audience? I believe it is most helpful to think of your audience as your classmates: those who have heard the same lectures, read the same textbooks, and are of similar intellectual level. Write for them. Use words, ideas, structure, and development that will appeal to them.

Know your audience and write for them.     

Creating a schedule that works is key to a successful term. If you feel stuck with a bad schedule:

·       Speak with a faculty student advisor… always a good idea.

·       Take what you need to take; shuffle any electives.

·       Don’t take more than 2 courses with labs per term; a lab is essentially another course.

·       Reduce your course load. Really! Particularly if you are just starting university, you need time to adapt.

·       If there’s a class you’re dreading, think about whether this is the best time to take it.

 Ask yourself, “Am I excited about the term?” If not what can you do to make it  so.