While essay writing classes may seem like an easy way to boost your writing skills and fulfill general education requirements, most students would be better served focusing their time and money elsewhere in college. There are several key reasons why taking an essay writing class is not necessarily the best use of limited college resources.
To begin, essay writing is a skill that can be developed through regular practice in core classes across all majors and minors. Nearly every college course, from history to biology, requires students to write essays analyzing concepts, making arguments, or evaluating evidence. Requiring a separate essay writing course assumes students have not yet developed basic writing abilities, when in reality most students entering university have already taken several years of English classes in high school focused entirely on writing. Rather than taking an introductory writing class, students are better served practicing their writing through assignments in their major area of study.
Additionally, essay writing classes tend to be quite broad and not provide depth of learning compared to subject-specific courses. These writing courses aim to teach general writing strategies that can apply to any topic rather than focusing writing within a concentrated field of knowledge. Strong academic writing relies not just on formulaic skills but on a deep understanding of the subject matter being discussed. Students are more likely to meaningfully improve their analytical and argumentative abilities by writing extensive papers in their major, tying their growing expertise in a topic directly to their writing development.
Perhaps most importantly, essay writing classes use up credit hours that could instead be applied to higher-level courses within a student’s major or minor fields of study. With 120 credits typically needed to graduate, every non-major class takes away from hours that could fulfill core requirements or electives in the student’s chosen area of academic and career focus. Particularly for those in STEM majors with extensive curricula, wasting even a three-credit writing requirement on a generic writing course severely limits higher-level course availability and delays time to graduation. Having students fulfill the written communication portion of general education requirements through upper-level papers in their majors allows them to gain writing experience directly related to their career path.
Instead of enrolling in an essay writing class, students would do better to ask professors in their introductory courses for feedback on papers and seek individual tutoring help from the campus writing center as needed. Writing centers employ tutors specially trained to analyze writing strengths and weaknesses on both a macro level of structure and argument and on a micro level of grammar, style, and flow. Unlike a full class, tutoring sessions can be tailored to the specific essay assignment and writing challenges of each student. Particularly for non-native English speakers or those struggling with certain stylistic conventions, the writing center provides useful targeted assistance without using up precious credits.
Finally, taking an essay writing course can negatively impact students’ grade point averages, which are crucial for scholarship and admission eligibility, as well as post-graduate education and employment opportunities. Many students find themselves unprepared for the analytical reading and writing skills expected even in lower-level composition courses. Introduction to writing classes tend to have more comparative rigor than survey courses and carry the risk of a lower grade, outweighing any marginal writing improvement gained. Struggling in a general education class also creates unnecessary stress and poses a risk to an otherwise strong GPA. Students are much less likely to face a grade risk by focusing their efforts on assignments within forgiving major requirements tailored to their strengths.
While essay writing ability is important for academic and career success, a dedicated composition course does not maximize students’ limited time and institutional resources in college. Students develop generic and subject-specific writing skills most effectively through regular practice and feedback received in core requirements for their chosen majors and minors. Taking essay writing classes wastes credits that could fulfill higher-level learning, delays time to degree completion, and risks lower grades without substantially advancing writing competence beyond individual tutoring support. With higher education increasingly costly and competitive, students need to make the most of each credit hour by focusing on their true academic passions and career preparation.