skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As climate change conference opens, one CA city takes action; More hostages released as Israel-Hamas truce deadline approaches; WV could lose hundreds of millions in Medicaid funding.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An expulsion vote looms for Rep. George Santos, the Ohio Supreme Court dismisses lawsuits against district maps and the Supreme Court hears a case which could cut the power of federal agencies.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress has iced the Farm Bill, but farmer advocates argue some portions are urgent, the Hoosier State is reaping big rewards from wind and solar, and opponents react to a road through Alaska's Brooks Range, long a dream destination for hunters and anglers.

Free Essay Workshops Aim to Support Students on Path to Higher Ed

play audio
Play

Friday, February 10, 2023   

The college admissions process can be both expensive and stressful for students, but a free program at New College of Florida aims to demystify the writing process for those personal essays with hands-on workshops.

Among the many hurdles in the transition from high school to college is mastering the essay portion of the college application.

Jennifer Wells, director of New College's writing program, has been helping struggling students with their essays for 15-20 years, and has now established a free workshop at New College of Florida. She said students typically freeze up when it is time to switch from the standard third-person in academic writing to writing about themselves.

"But even something like that, I think students have sometimes internalized these rules that they hear in high school about academic writing," Wells noted. "And then need permission, in a sense, to set those rules aside and use 'I,' and write about themselves."

Wells gives them permission through her workshop, which teaches students how to write for different genres. It is funded by a grant which helps the college boost its efforts to engage with transfer and first-generation college students. Wells argued other colleges and school districts should consider doing the same, in light of a growing for-profit essay-writing industry.

The program covers topics including generating ideas, writing reflectively and approaching rewrites. Wells added it targets first-generation students who do not often have a relative or mentor to help distinguish writing styles.

"I do point out that with any writing situation, you want to ask yourself, 'Well, who is reading this? Who is my audience, what are they expecting? And are there samples of this genre that I should look at?' And so, we do that in the workshops," Wells outlined.

Since its launch, the program has grown to offer support to faculty and staff at New College, in addition to working with high school students to transfer their reading and writing knowledge into their first year of collegiate writing and beyond.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The Economic Policy Institute found the number of child labor law violations increased from 1,012 in 2015 to 3,876 in 2022. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bill in Congress with a Connecticut House sponsor aims to reduce child labor in the United States. Called the "Children Harmed in Life-Threatening …


Social Issues

play sound

As the opioid crisis continues, more New Hampshire grandparents are seeking financial help to raise their grandchildren. Already struggling with the …

Social Issues

play sound

As of Jan. 1, insulin will become a lot more affordable for many Nebraskans, and those who have come to rely on telehealth visits are more likely to …


Extremes of hot and cold weather have taken their toll on a concrete barrier along Binghamton's Riverwalk. Concrete crumbles between the stones of the wall in upstate New York. (Chet Wiker/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Some state and local lawmakers are on a long list calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to require big oil companies to help offset the costs of …

Environment

play sound

Utilities and government agencies in the U.S. are carrying out plans to transition to cleaner electricity sources. To avoid being left behind…

More than 45,000 Washingtonians are diagnosed with diabetes each year, according to estimates. (Chinnapong/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

November has been Diabetes Awareness Month - but heading into the holidays, people who are diabetic know they can't lose their focus on keeping it in …

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups are celebrating a long-fought battle to protect the dwindling population of wolverine in the Northwest and northern Rockies…

Environment

play sound

As world leaders gather in Dubai for the international conference on climate change, the City of Long Beach is acting on multiple fronts to help the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021