Typical example of college writing I see

[madamesilverspurs]

41. After a 30-year break I went back to school in '93.

One of my work-study jobs was in the office of one of the professors, where I helped with research and pre-reading some of the tests and essays. I was astounded at the number of students with, shall we say, minimal grammar, spelling and writing skills. One memorable essay required that I read it out loud in order to make any sense of it; it was rife with homophones (war/wore, our/are) and pretty much devoid of punctuation. The interview with the student revealed that she really did have a grasp of the subject, and it fell to me to explain that students are required to pass a written essay exam in order to graduate. The prof and I convinced her to take the free course that was designed to help students like her overcome the failures of a system that passed students out of high school without such basic skills. She worked hard, sometimes dropping into the office to show us her improving work, and she sent us a beautifully written thank-you note just before she graduated on schedule. She was a shining moment in that experience, a welcome contrast to the couple of athletes who accused us of ruining their careers because we wouldn't fake their academic records.


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