April 18, 2021

Why You Can't Cite Wikipedia

April 18, 2021/ Katie Dwyer

You need information. You find the information on Wikipedia. You do it when you are curious about some small idea in the middle of the night, when you are trying to win an argument, etc. It’s the first stop for all answers to things we don’t know.

But you really can’t cite Wikipedia.

At least, if you have an assignment that requires four authoritative sources, Wikipedia isn’t one of them. You are a college student. Here’s why… and the final reason I give is the same as every other teacher/professor: “because I said so.”

March 16, 2015

Making the Most of Your Thesis: From Classroom to the 'Real World' (Guest Post)

March 16, 2015/ Katie Dwyer

Korrin Bishop launched her post-graduate life from the network and experience gained through writing an undergraduate thesis. She shares her thesis writing advice, as well as her perspective on leveraging research into 'real world' publication and opportunities.

This is a fabulous post for all those out there who have a thesis looming on the horizon and are wondering how to make it happen an if it really matters. Here's how to do it, and why it's worth the work.

December 11, 2014

Saying "Yes"

December 11, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

If we’re lucky, all of us reach a moment when an opportunity is offered. Maybe that chance is something you planned and built toward for years—the outcome of calculation, investment, and initiative. It might also be that an astonishingly perfect opportunity arises basically out of the blue—that you are offered some position or experience that you never quite dared to dream you’d have.

When this happens, I hope you'll say 'yes.'

I did.

August 04, 2014

Study Tips: Co-Writing An Essay

August 04, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Co-writing, if done right, means that both parties play to their strengths and ultimately do less work. It's also something that is a common exercise in the non-academic "real world." Most group projects in school do not resemble a work setting in the slightest—you will rarely be called upon to join a group of four colleagues in presenting on something you know very little about. However, you will often have to turn in a final product, written or otherwise, resulting from collaboration and compromise. In fact, many jobs rely almost completely on this model.

July 15, 2014

Writing the Personal Statement

July 15, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

The personal statement can be the hardest part of an application process. Whether it’s for a job or for continuing education, the personal statement is the part of the application that allows you to share your actual personality, thoughts, and journey in a narrative way.

July 07, 2014

Thesis Writing Basics: Choosing an Undergraduate Thesis Topic

July 07, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

An undergraduate thesis is the culmination of a college experience, and if you have the opportunity (or obligation) to write one, you will probably approach it with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. It is your chance to write something that is almost entirely self-directed: it will bring together the information and skills that you have learned thus far on your academic journey and set you free to pursue a specific research topic of your choice.

June 06, 2014

Styling Your College Essay: Advice from a High School Language Arts Teacher

June 06, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

This advice for crafting a college essay comes from a high school language arts teacher, who speaks from many years of helping high school students prepare for college. As you write your college application personal essay, keep this question in mind: Are you able to get beyond voiceless reporting to an engaging description which makes use of various stylistic devices so as to persuade?

May 14, 2014

Essay Writing Basics: The Fast First Draft

May 14, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

A fast draft means you have a starting place. You get the main points down on paper. And even for longer projects, this process of writing a fast draft will help push the whole process along.

February 28, 2014

Peer Editing-- For the Editor

February 28, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Even if you’ve been asked to give corrections, remember your friend's delicate emotions. Critique in a spirit of encouragement and giving. If you’re not mindful of this, you risk the writer thinking that you’re being hypercritical instead of helpful. Be gentle, particularly with first-time editing.

February 19, 2014

Peer Editing: Guest Advice from an "Editee"

February 19, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Choose a peer editor who is intellectually invested and capable of providing useful feedback relevant to your writing topic. Find someone with knowledge and writing skills equal or superior to your own...

January 22, 2014

How high school AP classes got me a job

January 22, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

I credit my AP History and Literature classes not only with my current employment, but also with the successful completion of my undergraduate and master’s theses; several internships; my ability to multi-task while in college; my growing success in fiction writing; and the creation of this blog.

January 13, 2014

Thesis Writing: The Basics

January 13, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Each person’s thesis experience is unique, and depends on their area of focus and the style of their research. A lab-based chemistry thesis project will look vastly different than a thesis based on the translation of a body of foreign-language poetry. While the details, methodology, and timeline are unique to the individual, however, there are some broad steps that have to happen in the process, and that’s what I outline here.

December 09, 2013

Essay writing tips: the five-paragraph essay

December 09, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

The five-paragraph essay is the foundational structure for all academic writing in the US tradition. I learned this structure in high school, but didn’t appreciate it until well into college, when I was using the same approach to tackle 20+ page essays. It’s simple, effective, and makes the point you’re trying to convey.

November 22, 2013

Writing things down

November 22, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

You will want to remember your college years. Good, bad, complicated, inspiring, whatever. You will someday want to remember who you were hanging out with sophomore year and how it happened that the whole gang ended up at a hot springs in the middle of the night that one time. The good and the bad, both.

November 18, 2013

Study strategies: the Study Buddy

November 18, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

Working with a study buddy revolutionized my ability to get things done in college. There’s an element of collaboration which is helpful, and also the social pressure to actually get work done, since your friend is there and also working away. When working with a friend I am more inspired and more creative, less grumpy or put-upon, and more willing to just put my head down and work away, since I know a break was coming.