Tips to Help with Procrastination

I know that my blog is supposed to be focused on anything and everything writing related but how are you supposed to sit down and do a homework assignment if you have other things that you want to do?  As a college student, I understand procrastination and have found myself putting off the occasional homework assignment in order to do something not related to academics but if you are a person who is always setting aside homework assignments and are constantly turning assignments in late because you "ran out of time" then you should pay attention to these tips.

Before going out and climbing a tree, check to see how much homework you have.

(Photo/MorgueFile)

1. Try to plan your homework assignments around your free time.

• Take a look at your schedules for class, work, sports and other activities. This may be a little difficult since some schedules change but at least come up with a general list of the times that you will be busy with things related to school and getting paid. Next, figure out your free time based your schedules. You may find, like many college students, that you need to drop a few activities which may upset you but you are at college first and foremost for your education. 
• Lets say that you do not have to get up for class until 11am but you have class and work until 3pm and your sports practice is from 6-8pm. 
• There are three possible chunks of time that you could do homework
• Before 11am
• Between 3pm and 6pm
• After 8pm
• Take those times to get assignments done because those are the only times durning the day that you will be able to get them done. Take advantage of your schedules and do some planning.

2. Plan your homework around your friends.

• If you would like to maintain an active social life, there will have to be some give and take. You cannot expect to pass college by putting off all of your homework to make time for your friends but nobody expects you to sit in your room all say being anti-social either. Be willing to compromise and make deals with yourself. 
• Using the schedule I worked out above, there may be some free time available if you plan it out. Let's say that your friends want to go bowling and you have a 5 page paper due the next day. Make a deal with yourself by allowing yourself the morning and afternoon free time to work on the paper. If you get the paper finished, go out with your friends to celebrate but if it is not complete, your friends will have to wait. This will give you incentive to get the paper done but will also give you plenty of time to work on it so that you are not writing it all in an hour. 
• Tell yourself that you will write one page and then watch your favorite Television show or that you will find three academic sources and then go outside for an hour.
• It may also help to deem a specific night during the week "hang out with friends night" beginning at a specific time. Doing so will make it so that your friends are not pressuring you to put down your assignments but you also have something to look forward to and a reason to get all of your homework done.

3. Start on assignments early

• If you know that you are going to be having a busy week, use some of the weekend to begin the assignments that are coming up. This does not mean that you have to complete them all in the course of two days but if you begin a few then you will be making your work load lighter. The sooner you complete the assignments the more free time you will have later in the week to hang out with your friends. You also will not have to worry about due dates and turning assignments in late because they will already be done, relieving your stress level. 

These pointers have gotten me through some tough situations because procrastination can be the downfall of a college student. It is really hard for students in any grade level to catch up on assignments and once you fall behind you will continue to turn in late work because you will be too busy concentrating on getting the late work in that you will not pay attention to the other work in class. Procrastination leads to a never ending cycle of late and missing assignments and I have seen many college students who struggle to get themselves back on track, but it is possible. 

Hopefully these tips help out with those of you who are struggling to stay on top of school work. I promise there is a way to maintain a social life and get all of your homework assignments turned in on time but it may take some experimenting with your schedule. Best of luck!

Not Enough Evidence? Where to go to Find Academic Sources

Stop searching through pages of non-academic articles that will only waste your time.

(Photo/MorgueFile)

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do when beginning a paper is to find the academic sources that support the claims that you are trying to make. While Google.com is a good place to begin gathering your thoughts and ideas, many of the websites that you will come across are not academic and should not be cited in an academic essay- so why chance it?

I use Google.com to give me ideas on what to put in the search bar of an academic database. These databases include:

• Google Scholar
• There is a drop-down menu on the top of the Google homepage that will let you select Google Scholar which gets rid of the junk articles and finds you the academic texts that you are looking for.
• Free
• College/University Databases
• If you are attending a college or university, your campus more likely offers you a set of free databases that you can use to find information.
• If you are in high school or younger, your school may not have the advanced databases that are found on college campuses but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't use them. Go into the library of your local college and ask if it would be possible to gain access to the databases or if they will sign you in for a certain amount of time.
• Free or Some Cost
• EBSCO Host: Academic Search Complete
• Academic Search Complete is a great program that allows for students to search in dozens of disciplines to find the best articles for their papers.
• Free trial offer
• Academic Commons: Columbia University
• Columbia University allows free access for public use of their database and it is also multidisciplinary.

Try using these databases to start off- you should be able to find ample information to support whatever claims that you are writing about. Good luck!

How to Write an Expository Essay

Many of the students that I tutor come into the office with a prompt asking them to write an expository essay and the first question they ask is "what does expository mean?" When someone is told to write an argumentative or critique essay, he/she normally understands what is being asked of them but the word expository is one that many are not familiar with.

Expository means to explain.

(Photo/Jordan Heiliger)

Instead of using your opinion like you would in a critique essay, in an expository essay you want to use facts to explain what ever you are discussing in your paper.

The easy thing about an expository essay is the fact that it is formatted just like any other essay that you will write; introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Example Prompt

*Write an expository essay in which you discuss ideology in a Disney film. 

Start by figuring out a definition of ideology (in your own words) and deciding which Disney film you would like to talk about.

• Even if you are dealing with a different prompt, you are likely to want to begin in a similar way. It is important to define words and terminology that would not be considered "common knowledge" to your audience. It is really important to make sure that you have all of this figured out before you start writing your essay in order to ensure that you have the information that you need to write a solid paper.

Next, construct a thesis statement that does not take a stance or is based on opinion but instead focuses on the facts.

Example: The article "____" written by ____ focuses on the ideologies of gender roles in the Disney movie ______.

• Know what you want to talk about so that you can be specific in your thesis statement.

Now, construct your body paragraphs based on the information that you have gathered and nothing else. Feel free to compare and contrast, define, and give examples to get your point across but try not to use your opinion.

Good luck!

The Secret to Taking Great Notes

Are you one of those people who feel as though you do not need to take notes because you remember everything that you read? Do you feel as though taking notes takes up way too much time and you hardly have the time to read the assigned material? I have been in both of those mindsets because I used to HATE taking notes. After being in college for a few years, however, I have learned that taking notes is probably the greatest way to make sure that you remember things from class. So, lets get started!

Taking notes is a good idea because:

• Notes make a text more understandable
• If you can summarize the text into notes that are understandable to you then it shows that you are comprehending the text.
• Notes remind you of the main concepts of the material
• By writing down the main idea of the text that you are reading, you are ensuring that you will not forget what was discussed. This will ultimately make it easier for you to write a paper or do an assignment because, instead of re-reading the text to find the main points, you will have only a few pages of notes to look through.
• Notes help you keep all of the concepts organized 
• By writing out all of the concepts on a separate sheet of paper, you will be able to organize them in a way that makes sense to you and for the assignment that you may be trying to complete. This will make it so that you do not have to take extra time to dig through the text that you are using.
• Imagine the amount of time you will be saving if you have multiple sources to go through in order to write an essay. If you go through each source and take notes then you won't have to read them over again if you don't remember which source had which information. 

My Secrets to taking good notes:

• Find a style that works for you
• Some people like to abbreviate all of their words in order to make the process go faster, but I prefer to write my words out.
• Every time you come across something of importance, take the time to write it down.
• Write down things that you don't understand if you do not have time to look them up right away. This will ensure that you remember to look it up or ask about it later.
• Draw pictures!
• I have found that when I draw pictures next to concepts (concept maps or little doodles) I am more likely to remember them.
• Try to connect the facts together with arrows
• This can help with organizing the ideas in your mind so that it will make more sense. It will also give you a head start if you are writing an essay.

Some notes that I have taken in my Introduction to Langauge course.

(Photo/Jordan Heiliger)

Hopefully these tips will help you out, I know they have worked for the students that I tutor! Keep in mind that you might find note taking tedious at times if you are not used to it but in the long run, you will thank yourself with the amount of time you save. 

5 Tips for Making an Argumentative Essay Worth Reading

It's one thing to sit and argue with a friend on specific topics but it's another to put those ideas and points of view into academic language in a way that gets a reader to see your side without making them upset. When you are talking to somebody in person, it is easier to explain yourself because you have facial expressions and body language to help in portraying the importance or seriousness your standpoint. Writing, on the other hand, takes more effort in the sense that you have to pick the exact words that you want in order to make sure that the audience is not taking on a different meaning, because that could ruin your argument.... but we'll get to that.

Do not be afraid to use books to support your claims.

(Photo/MorgueFile)

Lets talk about some basic things to keep in mind while writing your argumentative essay!

1. Pick a topic of interest: The biggest problem that I see when a student comes in to ask about this type of assignment is when they cannot seem to come up with anything to say on a topic. IF IT DOES NOT INTEREST YOU- DO NOT CHOOSE IT. The worst thing that a student can do is pick something to argue about that he/she does not agree with or is not passionate about. The more passionate you are about a subject, the easier it will be to write about it.
If you are assigned a topic to write about and it is not appealing to you, I would advise you to argue the side that you have more information on. This idea may go against how you really feel about the subject but in the long run it will be easier to write about. Make a list of the pros and cons of the debate and use that to make your decision.

2. Research the topic: Make sure that you are looking up information about the debate topic. It is important to look up BOTH SIDES of the argument in order to ensure that you are not making ignorant or untrue statements that will take away from your argument.

3. Address both sides: One of the hardest concepts for students to wrap their minds around is that idea that it is okay to address both sides of the argument in their paper. Please do! It is a good thing!
      A. Begin the paper by introducing your topic, staying as neutral as possible
      B. Your thesis statement will be about your stance on the subject
      C. Support the thesis with the evidence that you gathered through your research
      D. Conceit to the other point- basically state that the other side has some good points too but your side is still better for all of the reasons that you listed. This is a CRUCIAL part of an argument essay because it shows the audience that you considered both sides but you still feel strongly about the stance that you took. This will strengthen any argument that you make.
      E. Conclude your essay by summarizing why your stance is the right stance.

4. Stay away from emotional language: You want the audience to take your stance but it is important to remain profession and only use facts to support your claims.

5. Cite your sources: You should be doing this for every paper that you write but it is important to make sure that you are citing the evidence that you find that backs up your point so that the audience can look it up if they want to see it for themselves.

I  hope these tips are helpful for those struggling with the argumentative essay... It's a tough one but if you keep these ideas in mind and are passionate about what you are discussing then you shouldn't have a problem!

Audience Awareness: Podcast

(Photo/Jordan Heiliger)

The Art of Grabbing the Reader's Attention

What would you rather read?

Art is something that has no true definition because everybody looks at it in a different way. In the article....

OR

Imagine yourself walking down the street in your hometown. Do you see any art? How do you know that what you are seeing can be considered art? The majority of society has differing opinions of what art is, which makes it hard to find the true meaning. The fact of the matter is, there is no true definition of art because art can be so many things. In the article....

                                                          (Photo: Morguefile, Edited: Me)

Many people would agree that the second option is more enjoyable to read because it sparks interest in the audience. Writing an introduction is an art of sorts because it takes some time to develop a sentence or two that will hook the reader and cause them to WANT to keep reading. How many times have you been asked to read an article or novel for a class and have been completely bored by the third sentence? Nobody likes to read boring papers so lets make sure that you are not producing any.

Tips:

• The Imagine Introduction
• This is my favorite way to start an essay because it seems to work every time. Take a close look at the way I wrote the second option. Take your prompt and think of all of the possible stances that you could take on the subject. 
• The definition of art: There is one solid definition or there are millions of different definitions.
• Next address the topic in a general way- try to avoid starting off with your stance on the subject because that may stop some people from reading immediately. 
• For the art topic, I thought about all of the places that you can see art and the idea that what I may think is art may not be art to another person.
• Now, tell your audience to imagine doing something related to your topic. Do not be afraid to nudge the reader in the right direction by asking questions about what they might see or feel about the topic.
• I had a student come in with an article about stars and inspiration who was having a hard time coming up with an introduction. We worked one out that sounds something like:
• "Imagine looking up at a night sky full of stars. What are you thinking as you look up at them? Are they inspiring you to do something like write or paint? Do you see your loved ones up in the sky? In the article -----, the author discusses how the stars have influenced many people, including Native Americans, poets, and scientists."
• Give your reader options. The student got all of those ideas about seeing loved ones and being inspired to write from the article. Feel free to take what you have learned from your source and use it to your advantage.
• Once you have your imagine statement and questions, you can go into your thesis statement or explain a little about the text that you are discussing in your essay. Go with whatever option flows the best with your paper. You may have to experiment with what sounds the best but eventually these introductions will become so easy that you will be able to rephrase them and create your own style.
• Other forms of introductions include
• Questions- You can question your audience without using the imagine statement at the beginning. The process would be much like the last few steps of the imagine introduction. Do not be afraid to give your reader options because it does not matter if he/she agrees with you, it matters that they are interested enough to read your points.
• Quotes- Using a quote is a great option especially if it is taken out of the text that you are reading. Make sure that you cite the source accurately!
• NOTE: You should never begin a sentence with a quote
• "Art means different things to different people."
• Instead start by stating where the quote is coming from
• According to ---, "art means different things to different people."
• In the article the author states, "-----"

Good luck and keep writing!