For students entering university, university-level writing can be unfamiliar, confusing, and overwhelming. Luckily, Dr. Joel Heng Hartse, a lecturer in SFU’s Faculty of Education, has come out with a fantastic resource. This short book is called TL;DR: A Very Brief Guide to Reading and Writing in University↗ (the acronym stands for too long; didn’t read). This short survival guide to university reading and writing is intended for students who are entering university. The aim of the book is to make tackling long papers and other university tasks less stressful for new students. Dr. Hartse is aware that university students are unlikely to read a long, detailed textbook about writing and reading, so he has created a guide that is short enough that students will actually read it. Hence, the title, TL;DR. The book was published in August of 2023 by UBC Press. Some of the topics discussed in the book include how new university students should approach their first essay, whether professors really expect students to do all the readings, and what APA style is.
For Dr. Hartse, writing is driven by the human capacity to think, reason, and make meaning. The idea for his book came out of the sudden shift to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hartse was teaching a first-year writing course at SFU and found that students faced some common challenges. So, he decided to share his no-nonsense, frank, friendly approach to undergraduate studies. The book includes short, simple chapters to help with things like identifying the audience for your paper, creating an outline, grammar and sentence structure, quoting sources, and writing a strong conclusion. His aim is to demystify university writing for students and help students with what he sees as important for succeeding in the early stages of undergraduate programs.
When asked about how new students should get started when faced with an essay assignment, Dr. Hartse recommends carefully reading the syllabus and scheduling a one-on-one meeting with your professor or teaching assistant to get a better idea of the expectations and requirements of the assignment. He also recommends looking for examples of successful writing in your discipline and reading a variety of types of texts to gain a better understanding of how they approach the subject.
When it comes to efficiently reading longer texts, Dr. Hartse recommends active reading: break down the readings into more manageable pieces and annotate as you read. Write down the main ideas or takeaways from each paragraph in just a few words to help you consolidate what you are learning. This will also help prepare you to summarize and respond to the texts without relying too much on the writer’s original language.
Check out his book for more great tips and guidance on university reading and writing. Dr. Hartse’s book is available at bookstores across Canada, and as a free open-access download from the UBC Press On Campus series. You can also visit www.joelhenghartse.com↗ to learn more about Dr. Hartse and his book.
