Students should emphasize improving their writing skills

Having trouble writing term papers lately? It's time to step up; employers are noticing that the writing skills of college grads aren't up to par.

Poor writing skills even after college can be attributed to many things. We are constantly using "text slang" in emails and text messages – the shortening of phrases, the disregard for grammatical rules, and the misspelling of words can carry over into academic or professional writing. Also, colleges don't seem to be focusing on the importance of the written word very much anymore – many colleges will require SAT Reading and Math scores in the application process, but do not consider the Writing scores.

According to collegeboard.com, Seton Hall, thankfully, still requires applicants to submit the results of their ACTs or SAT Reasoning Test – both with the writing section scores required.

It is strange to me that any place of higher learning would not put emphasis on writing. Communication skills are very important to any job. A new survey by Grad-Ireland is one of many that have published recent findings: employers are not happy with college graduates' lack of writing skills.

We attend college to challenge ourselves. But it seems that many colleges don't expect much of students' writing, and so students don't expect much from themselves.

I write with the idea that my writing can always be better. As I am challenged by my professors and classes, so too do I challenge myself when it comes to writing for those classes. The result is not perfect, but it leaves me confident that I have done the best I could.

So here is some advice to anyone up to the challenge of becoming a better writer: instead of spending an hour on Facebook, read a new book, a newspaper or magazine article – these are written by people who write for a living. Pick up and peruse Chavez, SHU's literary magazine when it is released this semester. Take your written work to the Writing Center in room 206 in the Arts and Science building – representatives there will critique your written work for free. Practice writing more often – I have found that even just keeping a journal of daily activities can help with writing skills. And of course, have others proofread any written work you want submitted for a grade. Keeping up with these simple suggestions can be the difference between a writing a poor paper and one you can be proud of.

Erin Bell is a junior Journalism major from Burlington, N.J. She can be reached at erin.bell@student.shu.edu