Some Good Advice for New Students
Richard Mitchell
NO MATTER what they told you in the guidance office, the ability to write clear English is the most valuable
skill you can take to a job interview. It is an uncommon skill, and commercial enterprise needs it badly and
rewards it well.
Few can ever learn to write well -- indeed, in the next few months you'll learn how unusual it is for even deans
and vice-presidents to write correctly. Should you be one of the few who can learn to write, you should protect
yourself at the University of Alberta by following most of the rules below. They won't teach you how to write, but they will make
it harder for us to pretend that it's not for us to do.
- Be sure that every course you take requires
written assignments and that grades will penalize bad writing.
- Reject the idea that there are courses in which writing
is not appropriate. A course which does not require the
sustained mental discipline of expository prose is not
what you need in college. You can get that in the evenings at
the YWCA.
- Try to find out what, if anything, your instructor
has written since leaving graduate school. (The librarians in the
research section will be delighted to help,
but it might not be a good idea to give your right name.) If you find
something, read it carefully and make a judgment.
If you find nothing, just make the judgment. What more do you
need?
- Be wary of any instructor who can
use Powerpoint
without swearing.
- Stay away from courses which require oral reports,
gimmicks designed to serve the instructor's convenience
by eating up class time and sending him home with an
empty briefcase and lots of free time to watch re-runs of
Seinfeld.
- Take your GRAMMARIAN to class and set it
ostentatiously on top of your desk.
- Don't let your classes interfere with
your education. Read books. Write.
If you'd rather be poked in the eye with
a sharp stick than do any of these things, don't be discouraged. You may
easily find a splendid career in education.
The Richard Mitchell homepage