Common types of writing in college?

Not to sound super anxious but... it's essay season and it got me thinking: What types of writing can we anticipate most in college? Are we talking research papers, narrative essays, or?

The types of writing you'll encounter in college really depend on your major and the types of courses you choose to take. However, there are a few standard types of college-level writing that many students across different fields can expect to encounter:

1. Argumentative/Analytical essays: In these essays, you choose a topic, make an argument about it, and use evidence and reasoning to back up your points. Often used in humanities and social sciences courses, and can range in length from a few pages to long research papers.

2. Research papers: This type of writing involves a deep dive into a chosen topic, using primary and secondary sources to explore it. It not only tests your knowledge about the topic but also your skills of sourcing, synthesis, and presentation of arguments.

3. Lab reports: If you're going to be studying sciences, you can expect to write a lot of lab reports. These typically include an introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion section where you discuss the experiment conducted, its results, and what those results mean through your interpretation.

4. Literature Reviews: These are commonly assigned in the humanities and social sciences, where you critically analyze and synthesize the existing research on a particular topic.

5. Reflective essays: Reflective pieces ask you to examine your own experiences, thoughts, and responses to a particular situation or course material.

6. Case Studies: These are often used in business, psychology, and social sciences. They involve an in-depth study of a particular case or example over a period of time.

7. Group Projects: While it's not a 'type' of writing per se, it's very common in college. You and your group may have to create a report, a presentation, a website, or another product that involves writing.

Remember that nearly all types of college writing require citation and use of credible resources. College writing often focuses on developing clear, thorough, and well-supported arguments, so expect to be doing a lot of critical thinking no matter what form your writing assignments take.