Taking the Cramps out of College Work

A guest post by Christopher Lynch

Christopher Lynch is a composer of children’s and adult poetry as well as the editor of several books. Christopher graduated from New Jersey City University with a BA in English Literature.

Today’s college environment can be very stressful. Tuition and fees are on the rise, professors are ever more demanding, and the slow, repetitive cycle of getting anything done can be very agitating. However, there is a solution to at least lighten the burden.

In today’s education system, many professors (especially liberal arts professors) use tests and evaluations in the alternative written format; meaning an essay or creative writing form. While this might sound like a drag, you can use it to your advantage.

For example, if you have a philosophy professor who wants a written assessment about a current event (let’s say, U.S. foreign policy) using a postmodernist view, you can negotiate a way to customize this to fit your comfort zone. You could ask the professor (in person) what parts of U.S. foreign policy he would like discussed. If his initial list does not fit your criteria, you could try and ask if your paper approaches the assignment from a different vector or perspective. If this does not succeed, there are other ways of making academics easier.

You can also try researching or creating a paper using medium you prefer (as long as it fits school standards), such as websites, television/radio broadcasts, or find information using good old fashioned books. Some professors still accept handwritten papers if you prefer such a format.

If you are a very social person, try discussing your paper’s focus with someone else, talking either from that perspective, asking for comments and/or criticism about it, or try role playing an argument about the paper (ex. how to negotiate with China over human rights.)

These methods of making writing fun can be applied for any subject in academia to improve both the completeness and content within a project. It’s a flexible and often pleasurable way to get a good grade.