The Technically Perfect
"C" Paper
As college professors, my colleagues and I have all encountered the technically perfect "C" paper. This paper is flawlessly structured and has absolutely no grammar errors. Unfortunately, this paper is so shallow and superficial it does not communicate anything that is worthwhile.
Students who turn in these types of papers are often surprised &mdash and more than a little upset &mdash because they were used to writing "A" papers in high school. The problem is not so much that the standards are higher in college than in their high school. Instead, in college we expect different types of papers from our students; including a wider variety of quality research.
I recommend the following essay to help students better understand the differences between high school and college writing.
Williams,Joseph M. and Lawrence McEnerney. "Writing in College." University of Chicago Writing Program. n.d. University of Chicago.
