18.2: College Expectations for Reading and Writing

Because you are more formally joining “the conversation,” you need to understand that reading and writing expectations for students change when they enter college, getting more rigorous and requiring students to know what to do on their own much of the time. As you are probably already aware, as you mature, your motivation to learn comes much less from outside yourself (through parents, teachers, or coaches) and much more to inside yourself. Meeting college expectations depends on this inner motivation. Consider the information in the following chart which compares high school expectations for reading and writing and college expectations for them. Think about how you will meet them as a college student.

High School Reading/Writing Expectations	College Reading/Writing Expectations
Reading assignments may be somewhat long, but teachers help students through them with study guides, lectures, and group activities.	Reading assignments are longer and more challenging to read and comprehend.  While some professors may provide little support other than lectures, many professors at Butler are able and willing to offer more. The expectations of performance in the classroom are more demanding, including accurate comprehension, satisfactory recall, and critical thinking.
Students are less likely to be held accountable for coming to class with a basic understanding of the texts or prepared to critically think and discuss texts.	Students are expected to offer and engage in academic discourse. They are expected to “join the conversation” with their own insights and observations.
Students' grades are likely determined by many “smaller” assignments and a few “big” assignments, so their actual performance is cushioned by many assignments.	Grades are typically based on a few major exams or papers which students prepare for mostly on their own.
Teachers typically help students plan and organize their time to complete assignments.	Students are expected to manage their own time to accomplish tasks on time and take the initiative to make appointments with professors and campus tutors for help. Butler offers free tutoring to all students.
Throughout all four years of high school, students mostly write personal and informative essays or creative writing (e.g. poetry) and just a little research writing.	Most writing in college is expository (informative) and argumentative (based on informed opinion) and usually includes evidence from credible sources that students read independently. Students also will be asked to write in ways that are expected in a particular professional field.

 

Exercise 18.2: Quickwrite and Discuss

Think for a moment about your previous writing experiences both inside and outside the classroom. What kind of writing were you asked to do? What was expected of you? Discuss what expectations and pre-conceived notions you have about reading and writing in college. You might think about length of assignments, how to research, or quality of work. Finally, discuss what it means to you to join the “the conversation.”