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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS
TIPS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFERS

School of Humanities
University of California, Irvine

1. Transferring from a community college to UCI is an important step in your education.  Being prepared for university level work can be a challenge for transfers, especially when it comes to writing.  How do you know what UCI faculty expect in upper-division courses, and how can you write a good paper? 

   TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS

   • Read your course syllabi the first day of class
   • Ask for clarification on assignments, if needed
   • Visit your professors/TA’s during office hours
   • Get to know the UCI Librarian in your major discipline
   • Get started on writing assignments sooner rather than later
   • Draft and revise

   ON-LINE RESOURCES FOR IMPROVING YOUR WRITING SKILLS

   http://www.writing.uci.edu/ldws.html -- UCI Campus Writing Coordinator
   Provides resources for students including writing guides and many useful links.

   http://www.lib.uci.edu/index.html  -- UCI Libraries
   Knowing how to effectively use the UCI Libraries will add to your success as a researcher and writer.  The Librarians are excellent resources and are more than willing to help you.

   http://tutorial.lib.uci.edu/index.html -- UCI Libraries Tutorials

   Tutorials educate library users on: selecting a topic for research; creating a quality search strategy; finding different types of information; evaluating sources of information and search results; where to go and who to talk to for additional assistance with research.

   http://www.larc.uci.edu/wrtasst.html -- Learning and Academic Resource Center
   In coordination with campus writing programs and faculty, LARC offers two kinds of assistance: individual conferences and course-specific workshops.

   http://eee.uci.edu/programs/esl/symbols.html  -- correction symbols

   http://e3.uci.edu/programs/esl/uciedits.html -- test your grammar knowledge

   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ -- The OWL at Purdue offers free writing and research help, and MLA and APA style guides.

   http://www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/appx/appx.2.htm -- Academic Honesty
   Be sure you understand how to avoid intellectual theft.