UPDATED May 26, 2021

Writing is an essential part of college, but it’s also essential for most professions, your personal life, and your community participation. You may not realize just how much writing you do—an email to your boss or employees, a note to your child’s teacher, your resume and cover letter, a survey about improvements to your city or neighborhood, or a text asking your partner to do something for you. We are all writers and communicators!

Reasons to Improve Your Writing

1. Writing has become the #1 way we communicate with others.

We do more writing as a society than ever before. It has now become the primary way we gather information and interact and connect with others. Improving your written communications allows you to confidently communicate with everyone. Writing is often the first impression that others have of us.

Writing is often the first impression that others have of us.

2. People judge you based on your writing.

Our writing is often the first impression that others have of us. People often read our writing before ever meeting us face to face. Errors or disorganized or incomplete thoughts in our writing lead others to make assumptions about our intelligence and our character.

3. You’re more likely to get what you want with clear and direct writing.

Writing is a form of communication. We often communicate in order to request something of someone. If the one reading your request cannot fully understand or locate what you need from them, you are not likely to get your request fulfilled.

4. Writing is an essential job skill.

Even if you don’t do a lot of writing on the job (which is rare), you still communicate in other ways. Improving your writing helps you to become a better communicator overall and it also improves your reading, which is another essential job skill. And your ability to write a well-crafted application, resume, and cover letter is the first step to getting a job.

5. Writing expresses your thinking skills.

Disorganized writing could indicate that your thinking is disorganized. If your writing is not fully developed, it could indicate that you have not fully developed your thoughts. Improving your writing skills will improve the way you think about your topic and help you explain or discuss it with others.

How to Get Writing Support to Help you Improve

1. Look at writing samples and writing guides.

Did you know there are different writing expectations depending on the type of writing you are doing, the audience, and the purpose? Use the UAGC Writing Center’s Types of Writing guide to see samples and understand the expectations of different types of writing you may need to do. Some examples of different types of writing include:

2. Use a proofreading tool.

Errors can creep into the writing of even the most experienced writers. And as we mentioned before, these errors can get in the way of what you are trying to communicate and could cause your reader to make some undesirable assumptions about you. Use Grammarly to help you catch any minor grammatical, punctuation, and style errors you might have missed.

As a UAGC student, you have access to a free premium Grammarly account. And access to this account will continue even after you’ve graduated!

Keep Writing

The reasons you have for improving your writing skills affect all areas of your life—academic, professional, civic, and personal. So use the supports provided here to help you to continue to grow as a great communicator!

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