Aiming this at
@Scepticalscribe , but others can chime in, too:
I hope I'm prepared for the reading and writing demands that college will bring. I think I am, but then again I'm not too sure. I've written plenty of papers in high school, but I'd be willing to bet all of them were pretty general, so not going into specifics about the subject, and not really analyzing the work or subject in question. There are two exceptions I can think of off the top of my head: a paper I wrote in 10th grade about North Korea, and a paper I wrote in 11th grade about the Pinochet dictatorship, both were roughly 10 pages and went into some detail, but in the context of literature... um... all I've written at this point are short 5-paragraph analytical essays. I guess the other longer papers I've wrote have been more reflection pieces. For one class last year, I had to write quite a lengthy reflection of the semester's work and challenges—which was a lot of fun to write. This year (because I'm taking the second level of the course), the instructor allowed students to produce something other than writing for the final—I chose to submit a musical composition. Anyway, that's about it.
So in an English class, for example, I wonder what the requirements will be for analytical writing. I guess it all depends on the class. I find it a bit frustrating that, although my English teacher is very good and I've loved every single work we've read, she has not had us write a single essay for the class. I personally don't think that's appropriate, especially for seniors about to go into college. The only other option would've been to take the Advanced English Seminar course, but that seemed far too demanding... Also, in the Social Issues class I'm taking, we've written one paper (even then it wasn't super long); everything else has been short analytical essays, or, for the most part, presentations. Although that has been by far my favorite class this year, because of how engaging it is—it is impossible to fall asleep in there, because you're always talking. That's what I love about it.
So all in all, reading closely really isn't something I know how to do very well, because I just haven't done it enough. I'm sure with practice though, I'll get better at it. And also because of this, I'm worried that in such a class, I might not understand or "get" historical references that other students do, because I just haven't had enough experience doing this kind of thing. Is there a good method to understanding/"getting" subtle historical references in literature? Is it even possible to write an essay effectively without full knowledge of the work, including the historical part? At what point is it worth researching the historical context behind the work in question?
Also, from a history point of view, what's the best way to reduce the amount of regurgitation in a paper? Because I also find myself stating mostly unnecessary background information for about the first page of any history paper, and then I can never figure out how to transition smoothly to the actual bulk of the paper. But I think that'll come as I write more.
I know I'm asking about two completely different things, but they're both equally important I think.
