Unfortunately, as an aspiring engineer, my experience with writing extended pieces that are not prefaced with a hypothesis and detailed experimental protocol is limited, to say the least; therefore, I’d like to begin this commentary with a preemptive apology. Formalities aside, for my essay, I decided to pick a topic straight from the front-page of the news for a purely selfish reason: I wanted to learn more about why America, and much of the world, has found itself in a deep recession. After a bit of research and background reading, I settled on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as the centerpieces of my paper.
As for the writing process itself, suffice it to say that it’s usually a labored process for any engineer, student or professional, and this time proved no different. I started with what’s comfortable for me: I made an outline of the essay using the “House” model popular among elementary schools around the country. In short, the foundation is the thesis, the pillars represent the argument, and the roof symbolizes the conclusions drawn. Needless to say, conceptualizing these sections of the essay was every bit as helpful as the drawing and coloring of the house itself (I still take great pride in coloring inside the lines).
After getting the skeleton of the essay down, I read through the paper several times, making additions and changes in an iterative manner. I do find it extremely helpful to have absolutely everybody else read through what I’ve written because I’m never able to pick out every mistake or awkward phrasing, so peer-review sessions were a huge bonus. However, it wouldn’t be fair to conclude this commentary without mentioning that this seemingly smooth process occurred over an entire semester and was packed with crucial ingredients, such as frustration, fleeting relief, and procrastination. Regardless, taking just two writing courses at BU helped me refine my writing process, and I hope this recount of my personal experience is helpful, cogent, and coherent enough to justify its length to you, the (hopefully) kind and (without a doubt) good-looking reader.
ANEESH ACHARYA is a proud member of the Class of 2010 at BU’s College of Engineering. He was born in Manchester, UK, but lives in central New Jersey. He’s spending his summer before senior year working at an internship at Mayo Clinic Arizona, but he can’t wait to get back to Boston for his last year! This essay was written for Deborah Breen’s WR150: Economic Themes in U.S. History.