Preparing for Academic Success at the Graduate Level

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Characteristics of Graduate Writing Writing at a graduate level is a major part of a student’s coursework when entering into a Master’s program. Throughout a person’s college career, they have written many papers in their undergraduate studies, but writing papers at a graduate level differs from previous styles of writing. There are very distinct characteristics in graduate writing. If the basic outline and rules are followed correctly, the paper will come together in a clear and precise manner; grabbing the audience’s attention, and making the point of the paper undeniable to the reader, while using facts and references to
When a paper is properly organized, it will flow from section to section making the transitions easy to follow. The whole paper should be connected as a whole and any details, examples, or specifics will logically develop the main idea of the paper. A graduate level writer will also possess the ability to interpret material. This entails the ability in deciphering between an analysis and a synthesis, and then chooses one or the other. The synthesis is a combination of an idea that leads to a theory and an analysis is the separation and breakdown of these elements.
Writing Strengths and Weaknesses When writing a paper, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. My personal strengths that I feel I possess are editing, free-writing, and organization. My grammar skills are not weak, but there is room for improvement. One of my biggest weaknesses in writing graduate papers is APA formatting. Although I have not had any issues with plagiarism, I have trouble with properly citing source specifics from books to articles, to web pages, and magazines. All of my strengths and weakness can be worked on and improved because while I feel I possess the ability to write naturally, writing within guidelines is something that is learned.
Managing Time, Stress, and Finding Balance The process of learning in order to improve can be a stressful time. Life’s general responsibilities