meaning of college coursework

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[ kawrs -wurk , kohrs - ]

• the work required of a student in a particular course of study; classroom work .
• curricular studies or academic work .

/ ˈkɔːsˌwɜːk /

• written or oral work completed by a student within a given period, which is assessed as an integral part of an educational course

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Word history and origins.

Origin of coursework 1

Example Sentences

Derek Dodson is practicing with the Georgetown University soccer team for a rescheduled season while preparing for the resumption of senior coursework next week.

In San Diego, and throughout the state, an unconscionable number of students are failing or haven’t completed their coursework.

She took a full load of classes in the spring, summer and fall, and in November completed all the coursework for an undergraduate degree in psychology.

Pevzner, who took over the program in 2017, still heads into the field—though day to day he focuses more on developing coursework and swapping insights with similar programs around the world.

Although most schools have increased their offerings of online coursework, the number and sizes of in-person classes vary widely, as does the density of students in on-campus housing.

Digital art coursework at the Rhode Island School of Design simultaneous with an English Ph.D. at Yale?

Her pre-college education had been weak, and Leo was utterly unprepared for the academic part of the coursework.

An obsession with college preparation permeated all of our coursework.

The ad-hocs spent their time badmouthing the profs and tearing apart their coursework.

Quick Guide to College Course Types

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You’re going to have a lot of new experiences in college with different types and styles of courses. You may take a gen-ed in a large lecture hall, or find yourself doing research for a major-specific class in a lab. Here’s an overview of the different college course types and delivery styles.

Orientation Classes

An orientation course is a short educational program that formally introduces first-year college students to the school. Orientation helps new students learn about their college campus and its rules and familiarizes them with the services and resources that the school offers. Orientation classes are designed to get new students excited and prepared for the start of their academic journey. For most colleges, attending orientation is required.

First-Year Seminars

Many colleges now offer first-year seminars designed to help new students make the college transition. These courses will prepare you for future classes by providing the tools and study habits necessary for success. First-year seminars can be one-to-three credit electives, a full semester course, or part of a longer orientation program. However, these seminars differ from standard orientations, which are more about introducing the school, campus, and staff.

General Education Classes/Core Courses

As the first part of any degree, general education classes or “gen-eds” are the courses a student must take before getting into major-specific studies. General education classes are required by a college’s core curriculum and may include basic math, science, and humanities classes. For example, a student majoring in biology may still need two semesters of English courses as part of their general education. Some general education classes/core courses can be satisfied prior to first-semester enrollment if the student meets certain AP® and IB test scores.

Major-Specific Classes

Major-specific classes are the classes required by your specific field of study. Your academic adviser can help you understand which courses are necessary for your major. It's important that you meet with your adviser at least once a semester to ensure that you remain on the path to satisfying these requirements.

Elective Classes

Unlike the process for general education and major-specific classes, students usually have a degree of freedom in choosing their elective classes. Even though elective credits may be a requirement for your major, your electives don’t necessarily have to be related to your field of study. Many students use elective classes as a way to explore educational interests outside of their major, such as an engineering student taking a dance class.

Lecture-Style Classes

Many gen-eds, electives, and lower-level major courses will be lecture-style classes. These are large classes held in a lecture hall, a theater-like room that may seat hundreds of students. The professor talks for the entire class while students take notes. Lecture classes are common in first-year courses. Students in these classes may also attend a related discussion class.

College Discussion Classes

Discussion classes (sometimes called sections) are often a required part of lecture classes. Discussions usually involve smaller groups of students led by a graduate student. You’ll do additional work, talk about the lecture, and have a chance to ask questions.

Laboratory Classes

Labs are usually part of a science lecture class. Students use what they’ve learned from the lectures to complete a laboratory assignment, such as creating a computer program or doing a physics experiment.

Studio-Style College Courses

Students who take hands-on classes such as art, theater, music, design, or photography will find themselves in a class environment that corresponds to what they are studying. A drawing class, for example, may be divided into two parts: a lesson class and a drawing studio.

Independent Study

For an independent-study class, a student and a professor design a study program for the student that is separate from regular courses . Independent study often requires a research project or a research review of readings on a central theme, as well as a series of papers or one major paper.

Online College Classes

Many traditional and online colleges offer classes to enrolled students over the internet. These online classes are usually conducted via a learning management system, a software or web application that students can use to submit assignments, see their syllabi, and even communicate with teachers and other students. Some courses may combine in-person class meetings with online course elements that are more self-paced and time-flexible.

What is a core subject in college?

Core academic subjects in college are the general education/core course requirements for each major, and they must be taken before starting major-specific studies. They can include basic classes in the humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences, and they may not all be directly related to your actual major.

How long are college classes?

College courses can vary in length depending on the number of credits and how many days a week the class is held. Usually, some classes will run an hour and 15 minutes and meet twice a week. Some classes might be three hours long and meet once a week, while some may be as short as 50 minutes and meet three times a week. Lab classes and discussion classes will vary in length depending on the subject and number of credits they provide; they are usually between 2 and 4 hours long.

What are the basic classes in college called?

The basic classes in college are called general education or core course requirements.

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Definition of coursework noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, clarification on the term 'coursework'.

Hello everyone! I've come across the term 'coursework' quite often but I'm not exactly sure what it means. Could anybody please clarify its meaning and significance in the context of high school and college academics? Thanks!

Hello! I'd be happy to help clarify the term 'coursework' for you. In the context of high school and college academics, coursework refers to the assignments, projects, exams, and other academic work that students complete as part of their classes. It encompasses not just the formal in-class activities but also any homework, independent study, or group projects that you may be assigned to do outside of class time.

The significance of coursework in both high school and college lies in its role as a core component of the learning process. The assignments and projects you complete as part of your coursework help you to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and time management skills. Additionally, your performance in coursework is used by educators to evaluate your understanding of the subject matter and to assign grades.

In the college admissions context, admissions officers will often use your coursework (alongside other factors like GPA, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, etc.) to determine your academic preparedness and fit for their institution. This means that taking rigorous coursework like advanced or honors classes, and performing well in those courses, can improve your chances of being admitted to competitive colleges.

In summary, coursework refers to the various academic tasks that students complete as part of their classes in high school and college. It helps develop essential skills and plays a significant role in determining your grades and showcasing your academic abilities to college admissions officers.

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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Definition of coursework – Learner’s Dictionary

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(Definition of coursework from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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What Is a Coursework and How to Write a Paper: A Simple Guide

• Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
• Icon Page 2715 words
• Icon Clock 13 min read

Academic writing is an essential activity in higher education and comes in various forms. Basically, one of these forms is coursework writing, where instructors assess students’ level of understanding of a course during a semester. In this case, unlike other papers, coursework assignments evaluate students’ understanding of the course and not just a topic in the class. Moreover, various forms of coursework writing include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects. Hence, students need to learn what is a coursework assignment and how to write such a paper.

What Is a Coursework Paper

College and university students undertake different kinds of academic exercises, with writing projects taking a significant portion. Basically, one of these exercises is the writing of coursework, an assignment that they submit at the end of the semester. Ideally, this kind of work assesses students’ understanding of a particular field of study within a single semester. In turn, instructors rarely require students to write a coursework assignment for things they learned during the previous semester.

Definition of a Coursework

By definition, a coursework assignment is an academic project that students undertake in the course of study and which they must submit before the closure of the semester. For example, such types of papers aim to evaluate students’ level of knowledge and skills acquisition, meaning the work contributes to students’ final grades. Ideally, coursework is what students learn during a semester, and such an assignment is meant to measure how well they have understood the subject matter. Moreover, students use reliable and relevant sources to study, examine and evaluate the chosen coursework topic. Therefore, a coursework assignment is very similar to other writing assignments, such as essays, reports, thesis writing, and dissertations.

Differences With Other Papers

In the course of their classes, students write different types of papers, including essays and reports. Basically, the major difference between coursework writing and these papers is that it assesses students’ understanding of what they have discovered throughout the semester. In contrast, essays and other papers assess students’ understanding of a specific topic, concept, result, or theory. Moreover, students may need to address an issue in their coursework that they might have addressed in an essay assignment sometime during the semester. As such, a coursework assignment is broader in scope than other papers.

Expectations

Like essays and other papers, a coursework assignment varies from one area of study to another. For example, there is a coursework for the English subject and another for the sciences. Therefore, students are expected to complete their coursework assignments according to their instructor’s or department’s instructions. In most cases, this expectation includes presenting the assignment in an essay format, where they select a title of their choice. Depending on the subject, some coursework assignments expect students to collect, examine, infer, and report data when answering a specific question.

When it comes to the grading of academic assignments, instructors look at how well a student has attended to all the requirements and expectations. For instance, these requirements include writing about a choice of themes or text excerpts in a given format. In this case, students must use an approach that they believe is likely to give them a higher grade, meaning an approach that helps them to answer the question methodically, logically, and critically by using relevant information. In essence, these are three dimensions for grading a coursework assignment.

Constructing a Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write a Coursework Assignment

Like an essay, a coursework assignment takes a particular structure. Basically, students should understand the core components and make sure that they address them in their academic writing. In this case, the most significant issue for students is to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Moreover, developing a thesis statement is essential to provide high-quality essays with a guideline on focal issues. Primarily, these issues are the concepts and theories that the student has learned in a specific course during the semester.

Step 1: Preparation

Planning or preparation is the first step in writing a coursework paper. For instance, the essence of any form of academic writing is to measure a student’s level of understanding about a particular area of study. Since the coursework measures what a student has learned in a given course, it is paramount for each person to prepare well when executing the assignment. Here, learners have to choose a topic that they are comfortable with, one that they are passionate about. Additionally, they should generate ideas about their coursework by deciding what is relevant and what is not. In this case, the reasoning that guides this decision is the expectation outlined in assignment instructions. Lastly, students should understand their audience – consumers of their work or readers. Like any other assignment, the audience is course instructors. Hence, writers should ensure coursework satisfies a curiosity of readers.

Step 2: Setting Up

After preparation, students should set up the stage for coursework writing. Basically, the first preoccupation is to find sources relevant to the assignment prompt – those that are more likely to provide enough evidence and support needed claims. As students review credible sources, they should take notes to provide a strong argumentation in their coursework. Then, another activity involves deciding on the coursework outline, which should help answer the assignment prompt logically and critically. Lastly, learners should create an annotated bibliography, a summary of each source they intend to use as the basis of their arguments in the coursework.

Step 3: Writing the Coursework

After preparing and setting up the stage, students should start writing the coursework assignment. In this case, armed with notes taken during the review of reliable sources and the outline they have created, students should start with the first draft, where they develop a thesis statement. Basing all opinions and arguments on the thesis, writers should answer the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. Moreover, the thesis statement should ‘hook’ the audience and make them interested in reading the substantial part of the paper – the body. In essence, the body is where students use all the evidence they have gathered about the topic, while the thesis informs the audience of what individuals have focused on in the paper.

Step 4: Wrapping It Up

It is normal for a writer to make mistakes when writing an academic document. For example, these mistakes include inconsistent arguments, irrelevant content, punctuation errors, and countless grammatical mistakes. Therefore, after completing the draft, students should read it through, at least twice, to identify these mistakes and correct them. Basically, the processes of correction include revising and editing the paper. Regarding revisions, students should give their work to a friend or mentor to read it through. In their feedback, these individuals are likely to point out areas where authors should make corrections for the paper to be logical and interesting to read. Concerning editing the paper, students should proofread their work to ensure it is free of spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and other grammatical mishaps.

Step 5: Developing Body Paragraphs

The body paragraph of any academic text, including a coursework assignment, utilizes several features to make the paper logical. Basically, the first feature is the topic sentence that opens up each paragraph. Also, the purpose of this feature is to strengthen the central idea captured in the thesis statement. Then, the rest of the paragraph structure backs up this claim using evidence gathered from different sources. In turn, another feature is a concluding sentence, which closes each paragraph. For instance, the goal of this aspect is to connect the topic sentence with the thesis statement. Finally, another feature is transition words and phrases that help readers sense a logical flow of ideas throughout the paper. In short, writers use transitions within and between paragraphs to create a logical flow of information and ideas.

Step 6: Referencing Format and Peer Reviewing

Besides ensuring the paper is written methodically and logically, students should see that it meets the highest academic writing standards. In this regard, they should ensure it follows after a particular format – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. In most cases, the assignment prompt dictates the format that learners should use. Moreover, the referencing format informs about the structure of the paper and the format of citations. In turn, another essential activity that students should perform is to commit the paper to peer review. Here, authors give coursework papers to distinguished scholars, such as a professor or classmate, to assess the validity and quality of information used, including sources.

Step 7: Writing the Final Draft of a Coursework Paper

After subjecting the first draft to vigorous scrutiny through revisions, editions, and peer review, students should start writing the final draft of a coursework paper. Basically, this draft should be thoroughly polished, meaning it should be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes, as well as inconsistent arguments and irrelevant sentences. Moreover, it should indicate an effective use of transitions in the body paragraphs. In short, the final draft is an improved version of the first draft because writers have revised and edited it and incorporated feedback from a friend, mentor, or professor. However, they still need to read through the final draft, at least once, to ensure it is perfect before submission to the department. In turn, if students note several mistakes, it means another revision is necessary. Hence, the student’s focus should be the content, organization of ideas, style of writing, and format.

Types of Coursework

Given that coursework assignments test students’ level of understanding about a course’s content in a given semester, it means that it takes several forms. For example, these include a term paper, a Master’s thesis, a dissertation, or a report project. Ideally, the coursework is an essential requirement for a student to complete the course successfully. It also means the coursework is essential to be awarded a degree. In turn, the only difference between these types of coursework assignments is that they take a different approach to examining and analyzing course content, with each subject taking a unique approach.

Coursework Writing Techniques

The dream of every student is to pass any assessment and attain a higher grade. In a coursework assignment, students can utilize different techniques to ensure they attain higher grades after assessments. As indicated earlier about the grading of coursework, learners should use an approach that they believe answers the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. As a result, every technique they use must allow them to answer the question in a way that satisfies these three grading dimensions.

1. Compare and Contrast Technique

A compare and contrast essay technique is about analyzing two subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories by comparing them, contrasting them, or doing both. Basically, the purpose of answering a coursework assignment through this approach is that students must not state obvious things. Instead, they need to shed light on the subtle differences or unexpected similarities between subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories.

2. Cause and Effect Technique

A cause and effect essay technique allows writers to develop their paper’s body by analyzing the reasons for and the consequences of a decision, action, or event. When organizing a paragraph, students adopt a structure that allows them to arrange the causes and effects in a chronological or reverse chronological order. Alternatively, authors can present their arguments through emphasis, starting from least important to most important aspects, or vice versa.

3. Investigation Technique

An investigation technique involves undertaking an in-depth examination of a topic, idea, concept, or theory. Basically, this technique’s primary goal is to demonstrate that students have gained a thorough knowledge of the subject, which is indicated in their methodical, logical, and critical analysis and presentation of information. In this case, ensuring that research findings are interpreted and presented in an organized manner throughout the essay is critical. Ultimately, the technique enables writers to demonstrate their articulate understanding of the various viewpoints about the issue under investigation. 

How to Present Strong Arguments

For an academic paper to capture the audience’s attention and interest, students must not only develop a thesis statement but also ensure they use strong arguments to back up the central idea in the statement. Basically, the “they say, I say” technique is the simplest method to present arguments properly. In this regard, the information that the student uses in answering the coursework assignment prompt should be free of plagiarism. For instance, they need to cite sources properly. Then, another way to ensure that the writing is persuasive is to confirm that they have attained the required word count without counting footnotes, endnotes, references, and appendices. Ideally, selecting a topic that one is comfortable with and passionate about enables the writing to be high-quality in terms of argumentation. Also, students should discuss alternatives with their mentor or instructor. Finally, the thesis statement should not be complicated.

Major Mistakes in Courseworks

Students make different kinds of mistakes when writing academic texts. For example, a common mistake in coursework writing involves a scope, where students fail to focus on one area of the topic and instead try to be broad in their argumentation. In this case, the problem with this approach is that they waste space talking about irrelevant material, leaving them with little space to write about the core idea. Also, the solution to this problem is to develop a thesis statement that sets out the paper’s specific agenda. In doing so, students can realize every time they go off-topic.

Another common mistake involves colloquialism, where students use a language that is not standard for academic writing. Basically, this problem is particularly common with students who become excited about the topic and try to express their ideas creatively. Moreover, the problem is that the coursework shifts from being evidence-based to a document about the student’s opinion. In turn, the solution to this problem is to pick a topic that is exciting and critically discussed in the literature. As a result, they can identify several sources that discuss the topic to use as bases for evidence of their claims and arguments about the topic.

Sample of a General Coursework Outline

The coursework paper adopts a typical outline, as indicated below:

• Table of Contents
• Abstract or Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Body Paragraph(s)
• Reference list

Reason for Similarity of a Coursework Assignment With a Research Paper

Ideally, the outline of a coursework assignment is similar to that of a research paper. In this case, an abstract serves as a brief overview of a research paper and informs readers of the writer’s focal points. More importantly, the coursework outline has a body, where writers use different paragraphs to make an argument about the topic. Also, each of the paragraphs begins with a topic sentence and ends with a concluding sentence. Like research papers, body paragraphs of a coursework assignment serve to cement the writer’s claims and arguments, which are linked to the thesis statement.

Summing Up on What Is a Coursework Assignment and How to Write a Paper

A coursework assignment is among the writing assignments that students in colleges and universities undertake in preparation for their degree. Unlike other papers, this assignment assesses students’ understanding of what they have learned in a course in a given semester. As such, students must complete and submit it before the semester closes. Moreover, the different types of coursework include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects.

Students should master the following tips when it comes to writing a coursework assignment:

• Choose an exciting topic and stick to it. Basically, students come across tons of exciting information about their topic. However, to avoid going off-script, they should focus on their core subject and avoid the temptation of using data that may prove irrelevant.
• Use evidence (quotes and statistics) selectively. In this case, relevancy is a significant indicator of a high-grade paper. As such, where students are not going to refer to some data directly because it adds no value to their argument, they should avoid dwelling on it in their paper.
• Cite sources correctly. When citing sources, students should note the standards of the format in use – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian – as each has a unique approach.
• Revise, edit, and proofread the paper. In turn, high-quality coursework writing should be free of inconsistent arguments, irrelevant sentences, and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes.

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What Is Coursework in College

During our education, we receive lots of assignments, and coursework is one of them. The meaning of coursework is quite abstract, so it’s better to get its ducks in a row and explore the essential parts of such an assignment separately. 

What Does Coursework Mean?

In general, it’s a piece of work that students perform during a whole year to show their creative abilities and skills as specialists. Some students feel blue and think it’s a burden for them; hence, they order coursework from the appropriate services. Some people are jazzed about this work because they can broaden their knowledge in their favorite subject. 

Let’s dive into the coursework definition.

Coursework is a piece of work that you perform during the whole year. Such work is performed only in the last year of education. For example, you do your coursework in the 12th year at school. Some students prefer such type of work more than exams because their final work enables them to think about it and get deeper to the topic of it whilst exams require to think fast and in the limited number of hours. 

Where You Should Complete It 

Students face coursework not only at high school. They also have to perform it in college and at university. 

Courseworks’ Form

The nature of coursework is very different because each institution has its own rules. Most of all, graduating school, college, university, you’ll have to perform paper coursework itself that can consist of different types of paper:

• term paper; 
• couple or triple of essays;
• dissertation. 

Also, if you’re in a major that requires engaging your creativity, you'll know exactly that in the final year of your education your commitment will be to create something and say some words about it. Such creation will show that you’re ready to realize yourself as a designer, artist, sculptor, the list goes on. 

Such work shows students’ deep knowledge of a certain subject. The main purpose of coursework is to reflect what a student has taught which means that student can:

• analyze information;
• systematize it; 
• put it into practice;
• generate new ideas operating on the learned information;
• can present his or her viewpoint on a certain topic. 

Students deliver their assignments to professors. They size such work up and set a mark. Such work confirms that you’ve completed all education courses and are able to get a certificate or diploma. Accordingly, without such work, you can’t get it for your graduation. 

The nature of such work is very different because of institutions’ rules. For example, art institutions require to make something manually:

• draw a picture; 
• make a DIY thing;
• make a model of something.

But most universities or colleges require paper coursework:

• thesis writing;
• term paper;
• dissertation;
• in some cases, coursework can consist of multiple essays. 

Therefore, to know exactly what types of coursework you will have in some institution, you should read about it on the college or university website. 

Usually, students get the topic of their coursework from professors. Sometimes, they can choose by themselves what theme they want to dedicate their work to. It can be different subjects: pedagogy, sociology, psychology, science, math, literature, the list goes on. 

What Is College Coursework?

If you know the main purposes and nature of the coursework, it’s easy for you to understand what the meaning of this work is in college. The fact is you do this work without professors. When they accept it and you get a mark, you can be considered as a true young specialist.  

In major cases, what is a coursework type in a college? A term paper! It consists of four stages:

• Preparation: choosing a research paper topic and discussing it with a professor. 
• Collecting data about the topic. 
• Systematization data and writing a term paper . 
• Defense of your work. 

You should prepare a speech for the fourth stage. It’s better to train in advance how you will defend your final paper.  

What Is Graduate Coursework?

The essence of graduate coursework is the same as a college one. The key difference between them is that you do graduate coursework in university. Successful defense of it means that you’ve taught all material in university. 

Course Work or Coursework?

The right spelling is coursework. You should write this word together as homework. If Word corrects it and offers you to divide one word into two, ignore its attempts. If you want to ensure the correct spelling, your best friends will be Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries that you can find on the Internet. 

What Is the Difference Between Coursework and Assignment?

While studying, students need to do dissimilar types of work, but sometimes it’s difficult to understand their difference at first glance. For example, one of such confusing things is the difference between coursework and assignment. Our article is aimed at getting down to brass tacks. 

What Is an Assignment?

Now, knowing the coursework definition, let’s explore an assignment in the same way as we did with coursework.

An assignment is any piece of work you need to perform while you’re studying. In other words, the most suitable synonym for the assignment is homework. 

They occur during the whole educational process. Performing such a work, you confirm that you’ve learned the information on this lesson, previous lesson, or multiple ones. You get marks for your assignments, and at the end of the semester, you get the average sum of them — the final score. 

Where You Should Complete It

You should complete it at all institutions: 

• primary school;
• secondary school;
• high school;
• university. 

You perform assignments every day when you study. 

Assignments’ Form

As you’ve guessed, there are a lot of forms of assignments. The most popular form is writing papers. Here is one of them:

• book review;
• literature review;
• creative writing.

Most of all, students are taught to write different types of essays :

• argumentative;
• expository;
• descriptive. 

Such a procedure develops their critical thinking, teaches them to find information, analyze it, and bolt out extra data. 

Also, you can get project homework that you need to perform with your classmates. Such projects teach you and your buddies to work in a team, find an approach to each other, avoid misunderstandings and strident actions. 

So knowing the meanings of both coursework and assignment, you may be caught on to some of the differences between them. This table will help you to structure all learned information. 

What Is Prerequisite Coursework

As if college life wasn’t hard enough, they are adding more challenges to it. Some of you might have already seen a concept called prerequisite coursework. It can be seen in the description of a class that you want to take, or maybe your instructor warned you about having this work included in the next course. So, you may be wondering: 

• “What is prerequisite coursework?”
• “Is it just there to make our lives harder?” 
• “Does it affect my average grade?”
• “Can I do without it?”

We have prepared answers to all your questions. 

What Is an Academic Coursework Prerequisite?

An academic coursework prerequisite is a necessary step when you want to get enrolled in an advanced class. Thus, to put it in other words, it is an entrance requirement for the course you want. This step is needed to show your preparedness level for the classes you want to take. As you can see, not all courses are easy to get to. 

Overall, by taking prerequisites, you also learn more about the expectations you will face once you get into the advanced course. 

Why Is It Important?

In general, it can be as important as you want it to be. For example, if you definitely want to take the advanced course, passing a prerequisite is important. If you fail it, you will not be enrolled, and that’s the whole purpose of this assignment. However, you should be more worried about passing the course later on. Hence, many instructors want to avoid further complications by warning students about the difficulty level of their classes. Getting into a class is one thing. Being ready for what it will offer you is a whole different story. 

An entrance requirement can be a good way to enroll only students who really want to attend your lectures. After all, only students who actually want to learn what teachers have to say will burden themselves with additional assignments . 

How to Take Them?

Well, you don’t really have to choose a course with the entrance requirement. However, if you choose a class with such a requirement for enrolment, you’ll have no other choice but to follow through with it. Usually, you can contact an office or your future instructors and ask them about any pre-enrolment requirements that you should do. Also, most classes that have such a requirement will have mentioned that in a course description.

Once you are certain you want to take the advanced class, you can contact a teacher. They will send you detailed information about the entrance requirement along with the assignment you should complete. 

How Do I Pass It?

The entrance requirement is there to test your knowledge of the subject. Hence, if you have already taken similar classes in the past, you should have no issues passing the assignment. However, often, these requirements inform students that the course they are trying to take is not the beginning level. Hence, if you have not studied anything related to these classes, you probably shouldn’t take the course yet. 

What Happens if I Don’t Pass?

There are no real consequences of failing prerequisite coursework. The only outcome here is that you won’t be enrolled in the classes you wanted. At the same time, a failed coursework won’t affect your grades or anything else since it does not count as any academic progress. Hence, your perfect record will stay untouched. 

How to Start a Coursework Essay

Irrespective of how big or small your writing experience is, you should know that an introduction and conclusion are the two most prominent aspects instructors pay attention to. You should definitely keep the body passage well-organized, meaningful, and well-structured, but the intro remains more significant. 

When it comes to the coursework, it is indispensable to start with the definitions. For elder learners, it is a common assignment that is aimed at the assessment of knowledge. The professors give the task to double-check the student’s awareness of the subject specifications to determine the final grade. So, what is coursework, and why is its introduction so prominent? 

It is the fastest and the most quality way to reveal the learner’s awareness of the theme and its peculiarities. However, even if the student makes the maximum effort to keep the body part logical and concise but fails to craft a meaningful intro, the whole work may lose its academic significance. Therefore, it is critical to focus on the opening part, which will not only present the topic and formulate the central question of the project but will also inspire and motivate readers for reflection. Additionally, one should remember that an impeccable intro is halfway to the appreciated coursework.

Basic Steps to Crafting an Impressive Coursework Introduction

Once you can define coursework and mention some of its specifications, you are ready to test your skills and come up with a flawless result. Traditionally, you should not immerse yourself into the introduction writing, as you are likely to fail immediately. Instead, you should research the topic, analyze the available data sources and come up with the basic ideas you strive to develop. 

Outline your work, highlighting the critical points that require extra attention and concern. Finally, when all the steps of the preparatory stage are accomplished, you are ready to keep learning how to start the intro of a coursework essay. The first and the most significant rule you should remember is that the opening statement is the attention grabber. If you manage to intrigue and interest readers, you will surely succeed with the assignment. 

Is this the first time you are working on the coursework? The struggle is real, and the chances to craft an impeccable introduction are high. Adhere to the simple tips to relish the flawless results of your hard work:

• Emphasize the relevance of the topic. One of the main reasons why professors assign coursework is to assess the learner’s ability to detect the most important aspects in a variety of trivial ones. Thus, the very first sentence of the introductory part will matter a lot. Start with a concise but detailed explanation of the topic significance and value. Why is the theme worth investigation and research? What role can it play in the development of society, education, or technology?
• Specify the problem or the question of the research. Provide the readers with a little insight on the core issue you will discuss in the course of the study. 
• Identify your objectives. The audience should acknowledge your perspective and understand the potential route of the topic development. 
• Define the thesis statement. This is the central part of your introduction, as it tells about your expectations and possible results of the research. 
• Include the conclusion . It should be a type of transition sentence that will heat the readers’ interest and keep them excited about the other parts of the work. The form of the concluding sentence can differ, depending on the creativity and imagination of the writer. Mention an impressive fact or an idea that will maintain the high anticipation level of the audience.  

How to Start a Coursework Essay: Mistakes to Avoid

Irrespective of an unlimited number of guidelines, tips, and recommendations available online, a considerable number of learners get confused when they have to write a coursework. While some students fail to get beneficial and helpful directions on how to write a coursework introduction, they keep making the same mistakes that prevent them from desired success. 

Do you strive to advance the quality of your coursework introduction to an ultimately new level? Are you ready to make maximum effort to submit the most meaningful and relevant paper? Check out the mistakes you should avoid working on the next assignment.

Neglecting Requirements

Believe it or no, but this is the most common mistake students make. The vast majority of learners do not pay due attention to the guidelines mentioned by the instructor, so they fail to meet the fundamental rules. Consequently, the project becomes irrelevant and of poor quality. 

Having No Plan

What is the fastest and simplest way to create a quality coursework introduction? Get a plan! Specify the key elements that should mandatorily be included in the opening passage and take your time to mention them.

Lack of Information

Is it possible to come up with an impressive paper introduction if you have no idea of what it is and what should be included? Unfortunately, in the overwhelming majority of instances, such texts are not highly appreciated. 

How to List Relevant Coursework on a Resume

If you are a college student, who is desperately looking for work, you have few chances to prosper without a well-organized resume. In the overwhelming majority of instances, people who are ready to employ young and ambitious learners can tolerate the absence of working experience. However, it is impossible to deny that none of them strives to hire a worker with completely no qualifications and knowledge. 

How is it possible to prove that you are worthy of the position if you have no working experience? One of the most beneficial ways to do it is by including the relevant coursework on your resume. While it may sound like complete nonsense for some people, others will value it a lot. In fact, it is one of the simplest and the most effective ways college students can prove their skills and highlight their expertise within a particular field.

Generally, it seems to be a helpful tip, but it is indispensable to know how to add coursework to a resume and make it look relevant and meaningful. Thus, before you immerse yourself in resume creation, you need to get crucial data about its features and specifications.

What Is a Relevant Coursework? 

Although this notion is not very popular among students and employers, you will find tons of information about it as you surf the web. How can it be defined? What are the critical features that should be taken into account? 

“Relevant coursework” is the complex notion that includes the classes, courses, and other academic undertakings of the learner. At this point, it is indispensable to mention that the student should not refer the whole list of the achievements gained during the college years. Instead, it is critical to analyze the job offer and emphasize the specific knowledge and skills relevant for the particular job. 

Since it is a comparatively new undertaking, it is up to the student to decide where this information should be mentioned. Some learners comprise it in the education section, while others make it an autonomous unit. Irrespective of the form you choose, the content is what matters the most. Therefore, there is no need to rush, including every little detail of your college experience. Instead, one should approach this question with due attention and concern so that the specified data will meet the employer’s requirements and expectations. 

What is considered to be relevant coursework? It will surely depend on the position you strive to apply to, but in the vast majority of instances, the learner can include any scholarly project, academic award or achievement, volunteer experience, and similar options. Besides, the history of the internship may be of great help. An important note: the employer will not likely take into account the duration of your experience but will rather consider the intrapersonal qualities and professional skills you could potentially develop. 

How to Include Relevant Coursework in Resume: General Guidelines 

Once you like the idea, you need to consider beneficial ways how to put relevant coursework on the resume and make it look attractive and appealing. Currently, there are numerous ways to transform the idea into reality. Check out a few options and adhere to the one that seems to be the simplest and the most effective one: 

• Single-column format. This is the most controversial way to incorporate your educational experience on the resume. In fact, it coincides with other sections when the essential data is presented in the form of a list. Of course, the number of points there will depend on your experience, but it will surely make your resume look more informative and meaningful. 
• Multi-column format. It is another option that will suit mainly learners with extensive experience participating in the scholarly conference, internship, and other activities that prospective employers may appreciate. In such instances, students may categorize the data into numerous sections. 
• Detailed format. Finally, there is also an opportunity to use a detailed format to emphasize the specification of each undertaking and make it more relevant. The option is preferred by creative learners, who love to talk about things and can single out a beneficial point even in a trivial situation. 

Irrespective of how you present the information, it may help you get the job of your dream. Moreover, as specified by many learners, it is exceptionally assistive when you apply for a part-time position to combine with studying. Therefore, there is no need to undervalue the pertinence of the relevant coursework, as it can sometimes draw you closer to the job of your dream. 

Listing Relevant Coursework on Resume: Directions to Follow

No matter if you create your resume independently from scratch or use an online web-based tool, you need to proofread and edit the draft. It will help you avoid significant mistakes that can affect the quality of the resume. Additionally, it is inevitable to be attentive to details and determined to use only the facts that will emphasize your strengths necessary for the job. 

Is this the first time you will include the relevant coursework in the resume? Check out the top 8 hints on how to list relevant coursework on a resume. Then, adhere to them and relish an opportunity to stand out from the crowd of other applicants: 

• Tailor the resume specifically to the job offer. If you do so, you will enhance your chances to get the position of your dream. Focus on the skills, knowledge, and expertise that can help you fulfill your duties. Do not insert the information that will not give you extra points. 
• Position your experience according to its pertinence. Specify the relevant coursework first, mentioning it at the top of the resume. Avoid unnecessary data that will make the resume look crowded. 
• Forget about any limitations. If you have finally made up your mind to apply for a job, you should accept the challenge and do everything possible to prosper. Keep in mind that you are free to include as many details as possible. Do you have any awards or honors? Do not hesitate to talk about them. 
• Online courses qualify. In the modern world, some Internet-based seminars and classes may be more valuable than offline ones. Therefore, list all the options you have completed online, too.  
• Use keywords. This point may be confusing at first, but once you acknowledge its significance, you will start implementing it right away. Read the job description multiple times and single out the key responsibilities and requirements the applicant should meet. Then, use the same words in your resume to emphasize your ability to fulfill the necessary tasks.
• Show your excellence. At this point, you should understand that employers are looking for ambitious, hard-working, and goal-oriented workers who are ready to grow, obtain new knowledge, and master existing skills. Thus, mentioning the relevant coursework, do not forget to highlight how the certain experience helped you improve some aspect of your character or qualification. 
• Diversify courses as you progress. As a college student, you are likely to search for an entry-level part-time job to cover your basic expenses. Nonetheless, as you succeed with your studying and get to the major classes, you strive to get a more serious position. At this point, you need to reduce the list of your relevant coursework, leaving only the most reputable and high-level one. 
• Avoid errors. An impeccable resume free of typos, grammar, style, and punctuation errors is the best way to advance its prominence. Ask your friends to scan the paper really quickly before you submit it. 

When It Is Necessary to Include the Relevant Coursework on a Resume

At this point, you have got enough information to craft a flawless resume worth appreciation. Simultaneously, it is inevitable to remember that relevant coursework is an optional item that should not be included in every resume. Instead, it is an option that has been designed to help inexperienced people find a job. 

Thus, before you decide where to put relevant coursework on a resume, you need to consider whether you need to do it at all. It is essential to notice that in some instances, this option can trigger the opposite effect, eliminating the relevance of the application. Who will benefit from the item? Here are numerous categories of people who should view it as the only chance to start a career:

• students, who have just graduated;
• learners, who are searching for the part-time job.

However, the relevant coursework section is not the top choice for applicants who have been in the workplace for around a year and have already got some professional experience. Moreover, it is not essential to insert this point if described skills and knowledge are not required for the job.  

Quick Tips 

If you like an idea of listing coursework on the resume, check out a few hints that will help you succeed:

• this is not a compulsory point, so you can easily skip it;
• the description should be concise and enlightening;
• drop the option if you have at least one year of work experience.

The Bottom Line

What Is The Meaning Of Coursework?

But what is the meaning of coursework? In the academic community at large, the term “coursework” is used to refer to the work required for courses of study, which are normally taken in between semesters throughout a university’s academic year. These coursework requirements generally begin in the fall of the senior year and conclude in the spring of you r senior year. Coursework generally is grouped into units called units, and each of these units has a corresponding title. For example, your term papers will be grouped under the category of “Term Papers”.

The meaning of coursework varies among different colleges and universities. At some colleges and universities, coursework consists of in-depth research projects. Others entail extensive reviews of primary sources. Still others require courses in literary study, history, etc. Some universities have courses in the liberal arts. Others still offer courses in the sciences.

What is the meaning of coursework? It may seem to answer the question, “what is the meaning of coursework?” with an instant answer. But such an answer could make the problem worse, by confusing what courses are required in what academic degree program at a given school.

A more accurate explanation of the meaning of coursework would be this: coursework indicates the work required for success in any educational program. In other words, coursework is a measure of how well you’ve learned throughout your educational experience. If you’ve studied well, you’ll be able to do well in that educational program. And that’s what coursework reflects!

Coursework can also mean the units taken in any educational program. You see, in order to succeed, you need to learn something. Now each unit can represent a particular course. If you want to know the meaning of units, just think of all the units taken in a typical four-year college. You’ll get a pretty long list!

In a nutshell, coursework is the sum of all the units you’ve learned throughout the duration of your educational program. That’s why it’s called a “term.” Just like in sports, each game or term has its own specific term. In studying human growth hormone, for example, students learn standardized measurements and abbreviations. Each term has its own purpose, so that the term “growth” refers to the development of height, while the term “volume” refers to the production of matter.

Finally, the last term we’re going to discuss for our discussion about what is the meaning of coursework is the assignment. Any educational program includes some form of homework assignment; it’s just that these assignments are meant to help you learn. The assignment may involve developing an idea, implementing it, testing it, presenting it, etc.

A word of caution, though: Many people try to assign a meaning to the term “what is the meaning of coursework?” without necessarily understanding what it actually is. It may be easy to understand the concept of a course, but defining what a “course” is difficult to do. So don’t ask, “what is the meaning of coursework,” but rather, “how do I best use this material in my educational program?”

The term “textbook” is another frequently asked term. A book is a collection of reading material – usually texts, but sometimes scholarly articles or journals – presented in a certain ordered, or format. Textbooks are used in every educational setting, from grade schools to doctoral programs. For this reason, every college student should have at least one textbook on their shelf, though many will probably have more than one. Some will never use any other books on their shelves (they might only have a few textbooks that they rarely read); others will have several and will probably use several of them at once for studying.

Of course, the term “textbook” can also refer to any written material that a student reads; for example, a student’s personal notebook, or academic writing software. It doesn’t have to be a printed publication, though such reading materials may provide some clues about what is the meaning of coursework. For example, an essay may include definitions of various terms, for comparison between two concepts, as well as examples of using the concept. In this case, “the meaning of…” isn’t necessarily the correct answer. The writer of the essay should be asked, “What is the meaning of?”

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Example sentences college course

Definition of 'course' course.

Definition of 'college' college

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Definition of college

called also residential college

• association
• brotherhood
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Examples of college in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'college.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin collegium society, from collega colleague — more at colleague

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing college

• apply for college
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“College.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/college. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.

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How to Write a Coursework

Coursework projects do not resemble essays, research papers, or dissertations. They are the combination of all three. Students spend less time writing coursework than on making a term paper, but this type of work requires more time and efforts than an ordinary essay - it is made of several essays. Thanks to our guide, each student can discover how to write coursework. If you are running out of time or lack experience to complete the specific coursework, we recommend using our coursework writing services to hire professional academic writers.

What is Coursework and Why Does It Matter?

Coursework definition: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) coursework is a typical academic assignment, given in the course of study to evaluate the student’s knowledge, skills, and identify the final grade. Many students face this type of writing in the US colleges. One of the examples is a coursework UTD (The University of Texas at Dallas) - the requirements of this institution are strict, and many students fail to submit their papers and pass the corresponding courses.

Such type of assignment helps to have the ‘detective’ hat on: a student observes, examines, and evaluates the chosen topic using credible, up-to-date, and relevant sources. Working under controlled conditions is important. Participating in every school class will help to prepare good coursework by the end of the term. Take a look at the examples of what students of various profiles may face:

• English Composition - English coursework is an extended essay in most cases. A student has a right to pick the topic. The tutors provide their students with the list of recommended titles to choose from, sources to observe & analyze, and a format (e.g., a comparison between different relevant articles)
• Sciences - coursework for science is a complicated assignment. Such type of work appears in the form of a scientific paper to test what a writer investigates and reports independently.
• Geography - geography coursework is about collecting, reporting, and explaining information to reply to a certain geographical question or offer solutions to the problem. One idea is to explore the usage of a shopping mall or analyze the recent tornado. No matter whether you have to prepare a coursework Columbia or such paper for other educational institutions, keep in mind these differences!

Types of Coursework Explained

English Language coursework is the most common type of this assignment. At advanced GCE level, the student will be expected to write a couple of essays, totaling 3,000 words. Every assignment is 20 marks maximum.

An analytical essay : Evaluate, compare, & contrast 3 different sources of data interconnected by a common theme; written /spoken / multimedia content. Discuss different uses for targeting various audiences. Learn more on our blog.

Original essay with a supportive commentary : A student will have to come up with a single piece of media writing in the observed modes (written, spoken, or multimodal). Add a supporting piece with details about the aspects of English language. English Language & Literature coursework is a bit different. The basic requirements are the same, and the parts are:

An analytical study : Sharing an analysis of the chosen piece and its relation to the related content. It will show how well the writer understands the original piece. Tutors grade such works based on the:

• Use of the proper terminology and the coherence of the written words;
• Understanding & evaluation of the way a structure, form, and language create the written & spoken word;
• Opportunity to observe relationships between various pieces of writing.

Creative writing & commentary : Produce a creative piece that imitates the style of the assessed text. Share comments to backup your understanding. The goal is to show the knowledge, prove the competence, and use appropriate language skills in communicating with the target audience. You will also need a relevant coursework resume (review) in both cases. Keep on reading to learn how to write coursework of A level.

How to Write a Coursework: Guide for Students

Several factors may lead to the coursework being disqualified. It is a serious matter! The risk factors include:

• Plagiarism - it is the worst thing that could happen to any type of academic assignment. Lots of relevant information is available on the world wide web today, and the tutors are strict about the issue of plagiarism. Write everything in your own words! If you decide to insert the quotes from the sources, apply the suggested citation format and develop a list of references. Sign the declaration claiming it is your original project. If you're unsure about how to approach this, seeking professional help by choosing to write my coursework can be a wise decision.
• Word count - do not ignore the specific requirements concerning the length of the coursework. Specify if the footnotes, appendices, & references are included in the word count.
• Topics - go through the list of available themes. If there is an examination planned on the specific topic, try to pick another idea for the coursework.
• Tutor’s assistance - do not ignore the help of your instructor, ask them to provide guidance on what to write. Ask the questions to learn more details, but keep in mind they can go through the 1st draft once and just offer some general recommendations.

Choosing a Topic for Your Project

Dedicate enough time to this extra important question. Select the field of your interest if it is possible to relate it to the course. That is the golden rule of choosing a coursework topic - keep in mind the rest of the hints:

• Analyze the offered list of topics or develop yours
• Pick a topic from the area of your expertise related to the studied subject
• Select the topic you are interested in
• Choose the topic you’ve started to observe in the past
• Check how much relevant, up-to-date information is available on the Internet about each of the topics
• Pick what you can measure, change, & control (they call it a ‘fair test’)
• Use the ideas of previous researchers and students
• Do not choose a topic with a vast scope - you risk struggling to research it correctly

10 Good Coursework Topics

• Non-traditional Forms of Poetry with TC Tolbert
• Documentary Foundations: Usage of Oral Histories with Beth Alvarado
• Traditional Forms of Poetry
• Hermit Crabs: Type of Fiction
• Writing the Autobiographical Poem
• Creative Non-Fiction on the Examples of New Journalists
• Authors without Borders
• Writing the Sticky Stuff
• Socially Engaged Literary Arts
• Common Vocabulary

Research & Data Collection

Research is an integral part of coursework. Have you written research papers before? If yes, you will find it easier to select proper primary & secondary sources and gather the necessary information (evidence to support the main point - thesis). Depending on the required paper format, cite & reference the following sources:

• Books & e-Books

Base the project on a specific hypothesis. The research must start with minimum one hypothesis. The research stage for some topics may consist of visiting websites to collect information. Leave another time for collecting the data as it is the heart of the research. Three methods of data collection are known:

• Direct personal investigation : The one an author does individually (using literature and findings from previous studies);
• Interview/Questionnaire : The researcher should gather the data from the respondents asking questions regarding required data;
• Discussion with community leaders : Community leaders are approached to fetch information for the necessary data.

In case a student works on a scientific experiment, they should pay attention to planning the analysis with the help of rigorous scientific methods (keeping in mind the Health & Safety precautions you take). Review background information and theories. Take notes to express what you expect to occur to compare & contrast it to what happened in real life. In the write-up stage, one has to evaluate and present the findings.

Writing a Coursework Outline

The writing process follows the research. Do not start it without preparing an action plan and scheduling the work - a paper pin for English coursework is based on an extended essay . An outline will look different for the science coursework projects. The goal of creating a plan is to prevent a writer from being disorganized and waffling.

Let us explain coursework outline on the specific example - a project on the global pursuit of lower costs and the role of human rights.

Start with the brief introduction explaining why it might be a topic of interest for many people. Mention those vast corporations like Wal-Mart abuse human rights by choosing and using child labor in the factories.

Provide an overview of the problem . Define human rights and costs. Pick the definitions from the official dictionaries and cite them properly when inserting in the text. Try to explain the terms in your own words.

Develop a body of the coursework , start with the case for & against ethical business practices. Using evidence and examples, list the arguments supporting ethical business practices and another side of the coin. Include a business case for ethical practices after the opening body paragraph.

Move to discussing ethical responsibilities ; explain why business organizations should care about the ethical aspects of their activities. After three sections of the body, one can conclude the paper. It can be a good idea to share a fact or statistics stressing the importance of research problem in the essay conclusion. End up with the reference list that may look this way:

• Klein N (2000) No Logo (Flamingo, London)
• Marcousé I, Gillespie A, Martin B, Surridge M and Wall N (2003) Business Studies 2e (Hodder Arnold, Oxon)
• Royal Dutch Shell (2006) 4th Quarter Financial Report at (site example)

Additional Elements

Supporting materials and pictures are a must! The sciences & geography projects require tables, charts, graphs, and other types of images to illustrate the complicated topic. Not only should you add the pictures - it is essential to interpret and reference each of them. A separate part of the coursework where the student list and explains every visual element is Appendix , and it is an optional part. The presence of appendix increases the chances to earn an A+.

How to Write an Introduction for Coursework?

Most of the students underestimate the role of introduction & conclusion when it comes to writing an essay. An eye-catchy introduction is a key to success. The primary purposes of a coursework introduction are:

• To grab the reader’s attention
• To introduce the topic
• To explain the research importance
• To come up with a compelling thesis statement

The opening paragraph shows the depth of the writer’s acquaintance with the topic. Look at the expert tips below. They will help to learn how to write a coursework introduction to make the tutor want to read your entire paper.

What Is an Introduction?

The introduction of GCSE coursework is the opening paragraph that aims to interpret the central questions and purposes of the entire paper. It should have several elements to be effective. Those are:

• A hook sentence
• Background information
• Problem significance
• Solid thesis statement

Advice from our Experienced Writer

How to write an introduction to coursework? The quality of this part predetermines paper’s success. Look at some common mistakes writers do while working on the coursework introduction - try to prevent them!

Ignoring the prompt. Many students tend to neglect the tutor’s instructions. It is critical to read the prompt several times, highlight the main points, research question, rules, and grading rubric details.

Missing a plan. The prompt does not always say to develop a coursework outline. Without a plan for every separate section, it is impossible to write a flawless piece step-by-step. No matter whether you have to write a term paper, research paper, dissertation, or C3 coursework, get ready with the detailed plan. Once you understand how to write an introduction, it will be easier to develop the rest of the paper.

For those who need a helping hand in ensuring their work meets all the standards and deadlines, don't hesitate to buy coursework from trusted professionals.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Overview

• BSN Specialties
• Admission Requirements
• Core Concepts
• What To Expect
• Should I Get A BSN

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

Average Program Length 4 years

Average Credits Required 120

Average Annual Salary $52,080-$111,220

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, PayScale

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing , healthcare settings see a difference in nursing practice based on a nurse’s education level. Employers have a strong preference for bachelor of science in nursing (BSN)-prepared nurses, as they are linked to better patient outcomes. Hospitals seeking Magnet status also prefer to hire graduates of BSN programs.

Nurses benefit from BSN programs for the comprehensive curriculum that teaches more than clinical skills. Students learn critical thinking, decision making, leadership, evidence-based practice, and nursing informatics.

Although salaries depend on many factors, BSN-prepared nurses routinely average more per year than nurses from associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs. Additionally, a BSN prepares the nurse for graduate school and career advancement, factors that contribute to higher earning potential.

A BSN degree may soon become mandatory to practice . In December 2017, New York became the first state to mandate nurses earn a BSN within 10 years of initial licensure.

Earning a BSN increases your credibility with patients and administration. It can also open doors to greater opportunities outside of patient care, including working as an analyst, consultant, case manager, leader, or in sales.

Opportunities With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Good career mobility, path to advancement, job potential, skills learned.

Featured BSN Specialties

Beyond working in hospitals as RNs, individuals with a BSN degree find careers as geriatric nurses, OBGYN nurses, and neonatal nurses. Check out the descriptions below to learn more about these specialty occupations.

Registered Nurse

RNs lead teams of nurses to care for patients in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. They work the day or night shift to monitor and treat caseloads of patients, including infants, adults, and the elderly. In 16 states, RNs also prescribe medications. An ADN or BSN degree is required to become a registered nurse.

• Salary: $73,300
• Job Outlook: 7% growth from 2019-29

Geriatric Nurse

Geriatric nurses work in nursing care facilities and hospitals to provide medical help to seniors. These professionals have worked as RN nurses and gained clinical experience working with elderly individuals. They have a unique understanding of diseases such as osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.

• Salary: $64,870
• Job Outlook: Positive growth in coming years

OBGYN Nurse

OBGYN nurses provide medical services to women and infants. Under the direction of obstetricians and gynecologists, they deliver care in clinics, private doctor’s offices, and hospitals. They may focus on helping women in various stages of reproduction, including pregnancy, labor, or postpartum.

• Salary: $60,000

Travel Nurse

Travel nurses work on a contract basis. High demand areas such as operating rooms, intensive care units (ICU), and emergency rooms need travel nurses across the country. Their assignments last for weeks or months. International work may run as long as two years.

• Salary: $79,000

Neonatal Nurse

Neonatal nurses administer care to sick or critically ill infants in the ICU or neonatal intensive care unit. The job includes working with pediatricians and nursing staff, while also providing instructions to parents. Most hold years of experience as RNs, and neonatal nursing certificates.

• Salary: $60,797

How Much Will I Make With a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing?

$32.64 Hourly Salary

$7,123 Monthly Salary

$85,539 Annual Salary

Source: PayScale

How to Get a BSN

1. decide type of bsn program.

There are several types of BSN programs, including traditional, bridge, and online. Figure out what works best for you.

2. Find BSN Program

After deciding which factors are important to you in a school, use our degree finder to find programs that fit your criteria.

3. Apply to BSN Programs

Common application requirements include GPA, essay, references, CV or resume, volunteer experience, and prior coursework.

4. Secure funding for BSN programs

There are many ways to finance your degree, including financial aid, grants, scholarships, and loans .

5. Attend BSN classes

Complete the required courses and obtain clinical hours to get hands-on experience. Learn how to work independently with your own patients.

6. Graduate with a BSN

Congrats on earning your degree! Now you can take the NCLEX-RN and become a registered nurse (RN), or continue your education and get your MSN.

Types of Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing

Admission requirements for a bsn program.

A BSN applicant’s admission requirements depend on their status as a student. Schools set different criteria and credit requirements for freshmen, transfer students, and international students. However, most BSN degree programs maintain the following common admissions requirements for all students:

• High school or college transcripts
• SAT or ACT scores
• A CV or resume
• A GPA of at least a 2.5 or 3.0

Schools often expect applicants to have completed classes in microbiology, physiology, chemistry, and anatomy. Some institutions may give preference to candidates with volunteer service experience.

Core Concepts in a BSN Program

Bachelor’s of science in nursing programs include two phases: a didactic portion, which is taught in classrooms, and a clinical learning experience. Through lectures and reading assignments, students learn to promote safe solutions and good health, prevent and manage disease, reduce risks, and improve patient outcomes. Candidates gain foundational knowledge through core courses such as:

• Community health nursing
• Pharmacology
• Leadership and management
• Nursing informatics
• Research and statistics
• Pathophysiology

Upper division courses explore speciality areas such as gerontology, global public health, maternal-child care, and pediatrics.

Clinical & Lab Components in a BSN Program

BSN programs may require students to spend time in a hospital, clinic, or lab stimulation setting in which they work an actual shift. During clinical experiences, candidates work under licensed RN mentors as they deliver medications, assess and diagnose patients, plan interventions, and monitor outcomes. By the end of the program, students can work independently with their own patients. Clinicals offer the opportunity to:

• Shadow working RNs
• Apply classroom skills on patients
• Network with future employers
• Build confidence

What to Expect From an Online RN-to-BSN Program

Students earning their RN-to-BSN or second degree BSN have the option of attending an online program instead of traditional face-to-face classes. Online RN-to-BSN degrees let students take core classes in anatomy, pharmacology, and psychology remotely. While distance learners do not have to meet on campus for their foundational courses, they must complete clinicals or labs in their local communities. During a program’s clinical component , students work in labs or at their local hospitals, clinics, or nursing care facilities. Students are often required to find their own clinical experiences.

Nothing, aside from the format, differentiates online degrees from traditional programs. Online learners receive the same degree and education, learning from professors who work on campus. Instructors use online learning platforms to meet live with students or assign online work.

Learn more on this page about how online programs work.

Should I Get a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing?

Your personal financial situation, time constraints, and family obligations may impact your decision to pursue a 4-year degree. Take a look at the pros and cons of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing:

Advantages to a BSN

Disadvantages to a bsn, explore bsn programs.

The Best Online BSN Programs

Pursuing a BSN online provides flexibility for aspiring nurses. Explore this guide for a list of the best online BSN programs.

The Best Online ABSN Programs

ABSN programs are a great option for aspiring nurses who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field. Learn more about fast-track BSN degrees and find the top online programs.

The Best Online RN-to-BSN Programs of 2024

Are you an RN interested in completing your undergraduate nursing education? These top RN-to-BSN programs can be completed in just 12-24 months.

Four-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Programs

The traditional route to a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) spans four years and admits high school graduates. Read on for details about four-year BSN programs.

The Best Online LPN-to-BSN Programs

Are you an LPN ready to move up in your career? Explore our rankings of the best online LPN-to-BSN programs to find the best fit for your professional goals.

Whether you’re looking to get your pre-licensure degree or taking the next step in your career, the education you need could be more affordable than you think. Find the right nursing program for you.

You might be interested in

HESI vs. TEAS Exam: The Differences Explained

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10 Nursing Schools That Don’t Require TEAS or HESI Exam

For Chiefs’ RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Nursing Runs in the Family

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2.2.1: Predicting a Population Mean

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• Michelle Oja
• Taft College

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Let's get back to IQs.

IQ scores are defined to have mean 100 and standard deviation 15. How do we know that IQ scores have a true population mean of 100? Well, we know this because the people who designed the tests have administered them to very large samples, and have then “rigged” the scoring rules so that their sample has mean 100. That’s not a bad thing of course: it’s an important part of designing a psychological measurement. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this theoretical mean of 100 only attaches to the population that the test designers used to design the tests. Good test designers will actually go to some lengths to provide “test norms” that can apply to lots of different populations (for different age groups, for example).

This is very handy, but of course almost every research project of interest involves looking at a different population of people to those used in the test norms. For instance, suppose you wanted to measure the effect of low level lead poisoning on cognitive functioning in Port Pirie, a South Australian industrial town with a lead smelter. Perhaps you decide that you want to compare IQ scores among people in Port Pirie to a comparable sample in Whyalla, a South Australian industrial town with a steel refinery. Regardless of which town you’re thinking about, it doesn’t make a lot of sense simply to assume that the true population mean IQ is 100. No one has, to my knowledge, produced sensible norming data that can automatically be applied to South Australian industrial towns. We’re going to have to estimate the population parameters from a sample of data. So how do we do this?

Estimating the Population Mean

Suppose we go to Port Pirie and 100 of the locals are kind enough to sit through an IQ test. The average IQ score among these people turns out to be \(\bar{X} =98.5\). So what is the true mean IQ for the entire population of Port Pirie? Obviously, we don’t know the answer to that question. It could be 97.2, but if could also be 103.5. Our sampling isn’t exhaustive so we cannot give a definitive answer. Nevertheless if I was forced at gunpoint to give a “best guess” I’d have to say 98.5. That’s the essence of statistical estimation: giving a best guess.

In this example, estimating the unknown population parameter is straightforward. I calculate the sample mean, and I use that as my estimate of the population mean .

Estimating the Population Standard Deviation

What shall we use as our estimate in this case? Your first thought might be that we could do the same thing we did when estimating the mean, and just use the sample statistic as our estimate. That’s almost the right thing to do, but not quite.

Here’s why. Suppose I have a sample that contains a single observation. For this example, it helps to consider a sample where you have no intuitions at all about what the true population values might be, so let’s use something completely fictitious. Suppose the observation in question measures the cromulence of shoes. It turns out that my shoes have a cromulence of 20.

This is a perfectly legitimate sample, even if it does have a sample size of N=1. It has a sample mean of 20, and because every observation in this sample is equal to the sample mean (obviously!) it has a sample standard deviation of 0. As a description of the sample this seems quite right: the sample contains a single observation and therefore there is no variation observed within the sample. A sample standard deviation of s=0 is the right answer here. But as an estimate of the population standard deviation, it feels completely insane, right? Admittedly, you and I don’t know anything at all about what “cromulence” is, but we know something about data: the only reason that we don’t see any variability in the sample is that the sample is too small to display any variation! So, if you have a sample size of N=1, it feels like the right estimate of the population standard deviation is just to say “no idea at all”.

Notice that you don’t have the same intuition when it comes to the sample mean and the population mean. If forced to make a best guess about the population mean, it doesn’t feel completely insane to guess that the population mean is 20. Sure, you probably wouldn’t feel very confident in that guess, because you have only the one observation to work with, but it’s still the best guess you can make.

Let’s extend this example a little. Suppose I now make a second observation. The second set of shoes has a cromulence of 22. My data set now has N=2 observations of the cromulence of shoes. This time around, our sample is just large enough for us to be able to observe some variability: two observations is the bare minimum number needed for any variability to be observed! For our new data set, the sample mean is \(\bar{X} = 21\), and the sample standard deviation is s=1.

What intuitions do we have about the population? Again, as far as the population mean goes, the best guess we can possibly make is the sample mean: if forced to guess, we’d probably guess that the population mean cromulence is 21. What about the standard deviation? This is a little more complicated. The sample standard deviation is only based on two observations, and if you’re at all like me you probably have the intuition that, with only two observations, we haven’t given the population “enough of a chance” to reveal its true variability to us. It’s not just that we suspect that the estimate is wrong : after all, with only two observations we expect it to be wrong to some degree. The worry is that the error is systematic . Specifically , we suspect that the sample standard deviation is likely to be smaller than the population standard deviation.

This intuition feels right, but it would be nice to demonstrate this somehow. There are in fact mathematical proofs that confirm this intuition, but unless you have the right mathematical background they don’t help very much. Instead, Dr. Navarro used statistical software to simulate the results of some experiments. With that in mind, let’s return to our IQ studies. Suppose the true population mean IQ is 100 and the standard deviation is 15. Dr. Navarro can generate the the results of an experiment in which N=2 IQ scores are measured, and calculate the sample standard deviation. If she does this over and over again, and plot a histogram of these sample standard deviations, what we have is the sampling distribution of the standard deviation (plotted in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)).

Samples Underestimate the Standard Deviation

The true population standard deviation is 15 (dashed line in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)), but as you can see from the histogram, the vast majority of experiments will produce a much smaller sample standard deviation than this. On average, this experiment would produce a sample standard deviation of only 8.5, well below the true value! In other words, the sample standard deviation is a biased estimate of the population standard deviation. In sum, even though the true population standard deviation is 15, the average of the sample standard deviations is only 8.5.

Now let’s extend the simulation. Instead of restricting ourselves to the situation where we have a sample size of N=2, let’s repeat the exercise for sample sizes from 1 to 10. If we plot the average sample mean and average sample standard deviation as a function of sample size, you get the results shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\) Panel's (a) and (b). On the left hand side (panel a) is the plot of the average sample mean and on the right hand side (panel b) is the plot of the average standard deviation. The two plots are quite different. On average , the sample means turn out to be 100, regardless of sample size (panel a). However, the sample standard deviations turn out to be systematically too small (panel b), especially for small sample sizes. On average , the average sample mean is equal to the population mean. It is an unbiased estimator , which is essentially the reason why your best estimate for the population mean is the sample mean. The plot on the right is quite different: on average, the sample standard deviation s is smaller than the population standard deviation. It is a biased estimator . In other words, if we want to make a “best guess” about the value of the population standard deviation, we should make sure our guess is a little bit larger than the sample standard deviation .

How to Correctly Estimate the Population Standard Deviation from a Sample

The fix to this systematic bias turns out to be very simple. Here’s how it works. If you recall from Ch. 3 on Descriptive Statistics, the population's variance (the measure of variation before you square root into the standard deviation) is:

\[\sigma^{2}=\dfrac{\sum(X-\mu)^{2}}{N} \nonumber \]

As it turns out, we only need to make a tiny tweak to transform this into an unbiased estimator. All we have to do is divide by N−1 rather than by N. If we do that, we obtain the following formula:

\[s=\dfrac{\sum(X-\overline {X})^{2}}{N-1} \nonumber \]

This is an unbiased estimator of the population variance. A similar story applies for the standard deviation. If we divide by N−1 rather than N, our estimate of the population standard deviation becomes:

\[s=\sqrt{\dfrac{\sum(X-\overline {X})^{2}}{N-1}} \nonumber \]

One final point: in practice, a lot of people tend to refer to this estimated standard deviation of the population (i.e., the formula where we divide by \(N−1\)) as the sample standard deviation. Technically, this is incorrect: the sample standard deviation should be equal to s (i.e., the formula where we divide by N). These aren’t the same thing, either conceptually or numerically. One is a property of the sample, the other is an estimated characteristic of the population. However, in almost every real life application, what we actually care about is the estimate of the population parameter, and so people always report the standard deviation of the sample as the one with N-1 in the denominator. This is the right number to report, of course, it’s that people tend to get a little bit imprecise about terminology when they write it up, because “sample standard deviation” is shorter than “estimated population standard deviation”. It’s no big deal, and in practice I do the same thing everyone else does. Nevertheless, I think it’s important to keep the two concepts separate: it’s never a good idea to confuse “known properties of your sample” with “guesses about the population from which it came”.

Now that that is over, let's move into why we care about estimated the population's mean and standard deviation!

Contributors and Attributions

• Danielle Navarro ( University of New South Wales )

Dr. MO ( Taft College )

No diploma: Colleges withhold degrees from students after pro-Palestinian protests

CHICAGO – Graduation is an important moment for many Americans. More than just pomp and circumstance, the ceremonies mark when students are handed the most coveted testimonial in academic life: A diploma.

But for some college students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, campus activism has cost them their degrees – at least for a while.

“Four years and just a criminal record, nothing else,” said Youssef Hasweh, one of four students at the University of Chicago who have had their degrees withheld pending an investigation into a protest encampment. “A decade of (high school and college) work down the toilet because I decided to express my free speech.”

Students being denied conferment – some of whom have faced arrests, expulsions, suspensions and other disciplinary action – say they're in limbo and are being made into examples. As they await appeals processes and the results of university investigations, they're preparing for an uncertain future. In the worst-case scenario, they'll be saddled with debt and will have no degree to show for it.

But while the stakes are high, they told USA TODAY that none of them regret their part in campus protests over Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

"I have these punishments and have to work through this stress, but it's incomparable to the plight of Palestinians," said Devron Burks, a Vanderbilt student who was arrested and expelled following the occupation of a campus building. "I don't regret it, and I don't think I ever will."

'We’ll be degreeless and jobless'

Hasweh, who has been active in pro-Palestinian protests since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, received an email about a week before graduation that his degree would not be conferred.

"I recently received multiple complaints regarding the quad encampment that report issues related to disruptive conduct. In investigating the matter, you have been identified as an individual that may have been involved," Jeremy W. Inabinet, an associate dean of students, wrote Hasweh in a May 24 email. "Given the fact that you will be involved in the Disciplinary System for Disruptive Conduct and in consultation with the Faculty Chair, your degree will not be conferred until the resolution of this matter occurs."

Hasweh was allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies on Saturday but received only "an empty diploma case," he said.

Hasweh is a political science student who has family in the West Bank. He suspects the university singled him and three of his classmates because they were among a group arrested on trespassing charges for participating in a pro-Palestinian sit-in in the fall. The arrest led to an eight-month school investigation that ended with warnings for the students. Hasweh fears they won’t be let off the hook again.

“Everything is on the table again, and we’re gambling with expulsion,” he said. “We’ll be degreeless and jobless and put in this impossible situation.”

While the university did not answer specific questions about the arrests, it said in statement on disciplinary proceedings that “degrees can be conferred expeditiously, depending upon the resolution.”

Vanderbilt student loses job offer after diploma withheld

Burks, the expelled Vanderbilt student, is preparing for a frightening scenario: No degree and a lot of student debt.

The 21-year-old, along with about two dozen other students, occupied an administration building for more than 10 hours before campus police broke up the demonstration. Most of them were placed on interim suspension, while Burks and two others were arrested on an assault charge and later expelled. In a statement , the university said the three students pushed a community service officer and a staff member as they forced their way into the building – a claim Burks denies.

Burks, who uses they/them pronouns, spent hours in a holding cell before being released. Barred from campus, Burks was evicted from their apartment and for the last several weeks has slept in Airbnbs and on friend’s couches.

Instead of being applauded on stage at a 30,000-seat soccer stadium, Burks celebrated graduation a few days early at a backyard in Nashville. In front of a few dozen students, faculty members and local activists, Burks received a mock diploma and a superlative: “Most likely to go on a date after this.”

Now at home in Georgia, Burks is looking for work while in the midst of an arduous appeal process to obtain their degree. The psychology student already has had one job offer rescinded.

“This has been the most stressful time,” Burks said. "Without my degree conferral, I can't move on with my life."

Harvard will not confer degree until at least 2026, student says

Harvard University barred several students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests from graduating, according to a statement from student organizers.

Syd Sanders, a senior who may not receive his degree until May 2026, told USA TODAY he was "shocked" by the university's decision, and added he and his fellow students were being punished to deter others from protesting.

"It's insane," Sanders, 22, said. "This was really sneaky of the school, and I think it reveals where they stand on free speech."

Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesperson for Harvard, said in an email that the university does not "comment on specific student disciplinary matters."

Sanders said his family was upset at the school and disappointed they couldn't see Sanders walk on commencement day. Back in Belfast, Maine, where he became one of the nation’s first openly transgender high school valedictorians, Sanders is looking for work as a labor organizer.

“I'm going to move on with my life," he said. "I'm filing my appeal so I'm going to try to get my diploma, I guess. But right now I really just am excited to be away from that place."

Degrees of two Princeton students in jeopardy

At Princeton University, the degrees of two seniors have been thrown into uncertainty pending the results of an investigation into a protest that broke out at an annual event for alums.

During President Christopher Eisgruber’s address on May 25, protesters stood up, raised up their red-painted hands and shouted pro-Palestinian chants, videos show. After a few minutes, the demonstrators walked out and continued to protest outside.

Khari Franklin, one of the two seniors who's not received his degree, was inside the auditorium but did not participate in the demonstration, he told The Daily Princetonian . He said he decided to leave to avoid any possible discipline since he was among a group of students arrested in late April when police broke up a sit-in. Franklin and the other students received summonses for trespassing and were temporarily barred from campus.

“It is standard University practice that when seniors are involved in alleged disciplinary violations soon before Commencement, their degrees are held pending the conclusion of a disciplinary investigation," said a statement by Jennifer Morrill, a Princeton University spokesperson.

"The University continues to enforce viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner rules during end-of-year events. A wide range of protest activity is permitted, including walking out of an event. Significantly disrupting University operations and events is not permitted.”

On Monday, Franklin received an email telling him that while he could attend the commencement, he would not be given a diploma until the investigation is concluded.

“It's very surreal. Because on one hand, I have not quite processed that the university would have gone this far, and been this drastic ... without any indication or warning or reasonable expectation that a rule had been broken,” he told the student newspaper. “But at the same time, I also am not surprised.”

Disciplinary actions linger into summer break

At several schools, the threat of suspensions and other disciplinary action looms over dozens of students.

Columbia University administrators gave more than 30 students interim suspensions that could become permanent, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student organizations. Barnard College students protesting at Columbia also were suspended, the group said.

Neither Barnard nor Columbia, which has been at the epicenter of college protests for months, replied to requests for comment.

In Florida, administrators at New College, a progressive public liberal arts school that state Republicans have been reshaping into a conservative institution, said students who interrupted the May 17 commencement with “boos” and chants of “free Palestine” could have their degrees withheld and face suspension .

"We support and protect the right of free speech while resolutely insisting upon civil discourse,” a statement from the school said. “Disruptive activities by a few individuals at a ceremonial event attended by hundreds is not representative of either of these principles.”

'I'd do it a thousand times over'

Hasweh, the University of Chicago student, had fantasized about attending the prestigious college for years before he was accepted. Now the graduation weekend he had long anticipated will be imbued with frustration, not only for him but for his family, too.

“How can a mother not be enraged that a school meant to take care of her child was the one that brutalized him,” Hasweh said.

Still, Hasweh’s resolve is intact.

“Even if I don't get my degree, I'd do it a thousand times over,” he said.

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