Read Between the Lines

I remember as a child my mother telling me I should be a journalist. Of course, being the rebellious child I was, there was no way I was going to listen to her. However, it was always in the back of my mind that I should do something with my writing skills. I believe we all have our natural talents and though writing has always come easy to me, there are some aspects of it, especially in collegiate writing, that are difficult for me.

During my undergrad studies, I dropped three classes and received F’s and had to retake the classes because when it came to writing the paper, I got scared. I did not think I could do it. I did not know what APA was and I had such a mental block that I just gave up instead of facing it. Consequently, I was placed on academic probation because those three failing classes landed me a GPA of 1.6. I was now at a fork in the road and had to make a decision: either learn this or quit school. Since quitting was not an option, I mean, how could I possibly give up now? I was not going to allow myself to fail. I finally faced my demons and started Googling APA Style. I wrote my first paper successfully. I am not going to lie to you, however. It was time consuming and challenging. But, by using the online resources, I pulled it off and received an A on my paper. Since I now had some positive reinforcement and a little boost of self esteem, I managed to pull through the remainder of my undergrad program and graduated with a 3.49 GPA. I think I almost had a nervous breakdown writing my Senior Thesis and was so grateful when it was all over. I received A’s on all my papers throughout my undergrad and continue to do so now that I am working towards my Masters in Science and Education- Adult Education/Human Services.

Even when writing comes easy, one can still face challenges when writing research papers, however it does not have to be such a painful process. As part of an assignment in Adult Learning for my MSE degree, I decided to dedicate myself to writing this blog to assist those who struggle just as I did when writing papers for school. I hope you will find the information I have posted useful. I have included a reference and resource section; these are tools you will find invaluable to you in your writing and all right at your fingertips.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey !