When I was in campus, our Communications Skills lecturer always told
us that our essays portrayed the essence of our personality. It was the paper
that spoke to the world in words, about what went on in our heads. It was the
place where imagination met with reality to come up with a story that people
could relate to. She used to tell us that we should mind our words and how we
outlined them, as people could judge our character based on them. One of the
main points that she emphasized most is that we should avoid topics with
negative outcomes. She explained to us that having an edge in essay writing was
important, but we shouldn't discriminate against various issues. This included
religion, race, politics and others. She made it clear that having an edge was
important, but not at the expense of other people’s feelings. “Do unto others,
as you want done to yourself.” She used to quote.
She put it in clear and plain words that colleges as well as
organizations could not stand students who were rude, and intolerable towards
other students and lecturers. Another vital matter that she passed across to us
was that we should find ways to turn negative situations in our life into
positive ones. She made it clear that most people had gone through personal
traumas in their own lives. She encouraged us that even though some of us had
gone through family issues, betrayal in friendships, and others we should try
to find a way to turn things in a positive way. I felt at ease because of the realistic
way that she encouraged us to write our essay. She always emphasized that we
shouldn’t write information that was too little, and also that we should avoid
being rude and condescending.
