HDFS interview

I interviewed Dr. G of the HDFS department, even though I am a student in English and French. I have taken a class from Dr.G and have been on staff with her in a residence hall for two years now, so I knew I could get honest answers and get some insight from a teacher who has taught both upper and lower division courses - including a WIC course.

Dr. G unhesitantingly agreed that writing is an essential element in personal success because writing abilities (or inabilities) correlate to speaking abilities. She noted that you can not communicate your purpose if you can't express yourself. The importance extends beyond clarity and accuracy - being able to speak and write reflects a commitment to professionalism.

The most desirable style of writing for Dr. G is writing that is "succinct, influential, clear, accurate, and concise." These qualities are expected in some courses - but in survey and intro courses, Dr. G is impressed simply by complete sentences and "proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation." Detracting from proper writing, however, is writing that is directionless or poorly organized. She described this type of writing as "stream of consciousness" as opposed to writing with an outline or obvious organization pattern.

Somewhat related to writing for academics, Dr. G is bothered by e-mails from students that are so casual that they contain no punctuation, organization, or coherency. E-mails that say "u" instead of "you" or "i" instead of "I" are almost dismissable because of their complete disregard for even trying to communicate clearly and respectfully to a professor.