Recent content by Boll

I don't usually post in forums, but I'm graduating in three weeks, and I've been feeling weirdly nostalgic about the whole journey. Last night, I found an old folder on my laptop labeled 'desperate times.' Inside were three essays from three different years—each one representing a moment when I...

I'm a naturally casual person and writer. I use contractions, I write like I talk, and in high school that was fine. Then I got to college and my first few papers came back with C's and comments like 'too conversational.' I had to figure out how to adjust my tone for academic writing fast. The...

I used to think essays were about proving you knew things. I'd start with statements: 'This paper will examine...' 'The purpose of this essay is...' Boring but safe. Then a professor challenged us to start every essay with a genuine question—something we actually wondered about, not just a...