Towards the end of the summer, I had a revelation. After casually receiving a picture of my girlfriend’s AP government notes, something caught my eye. Her handwriting was impeccable. I had not seen any writing so uniform prior; it was as if the page was a printed Google Doc formatted with a casual typeface.
While the writing isn’t typewriter-like, each character has a consistent height, and follows each sentence’s baseline perfectly, making it inviting and legible. This is what I aspired to achieve for around four days in September, as I became slightly embarrassed about my handwriting.
My theory was that if I could change my handwriting, perhaps my organizational skills would improve. However, after attempting to improve the neatness of my writing by taking my time, trying to stick to margins, and focusing on the uniform structure of each connecting letter, I realized that the methods significantly slowed me down. How could people consistently write like this for twenty to thirty minutes taking notes in class? It seems impractical! This led me to ask myself, is the neatness of handwriting really important?
Objectively, neater writing would make sense. A more legible penmanship would allow your writing to be easily viewed without having to process each word analytically, taking less time. However, I believe that worrying about handwriting isn’t necessary. After my attempt to improve my writing style, I had indeed gotten better at sticking to margins and spacing my letters and words, but struggled to write consistently uniform letters and words. Furthermore, even after the minor improvements I had made, I realized that my organizational skills had not relied on handwriting alone, but the clearer writing did allow me to read slightly quicker and more efficiently.
Although there were some small benefits to improving my physical writing techniques, I found that trying to drastically change my writing performance inhibited other aspects of the process which made it feel special. When I write, I occasionally find enjoyment in quickly writing sentences, fluidly connecting each letter on a harsh rightward slant. Other times, I may write vertically and slowly to keep track of numbers when doing physics or math. In any case, I have found that, for me, it doesn’t matter how neat you are, so long as you can read your own writing.
I decided to ask a classmate of mine some questions regarding the topic of writing style and organizational skills to possibly expand my argument to other individuals.
First, I requested a sample of their handwriting.
At first glance, the success of reading this work of art would seem comparable to deciphering Russian cursive without suffering from a mild aneurysm. Surprisingly, this sentiment was shared by its author—current junior Graeme Wolter.
Graeme’s writing style greatly contrasts the neater example shown above, so I inquired about how he felt about his penmanship.
Me: “Do you feel that your handwriting neatness correlates with how organized you are?”
Graeme: “I would say somewhat, I think that some aspects of life I like much more organized, and then some aspects where I really could care less.”
Me: “Do you feel your handwriting affects your academic performance?”
Graeme: “Not at all, I don’t think I’ve ever had an instance where my handwriting has affected my grade on an assignment, sometimes teachers comment on it, but I just make a bit more of an effort in that class.”
Me: “Do you care about how neat your handwriting is?”
Graeme: “No, I broke my hand when I was 7, and since then I kinda just have had really bad handwriting, but I never have issues with reading my own handwriting, and I don’t see a point in taking time to better my handwriting.”
Graeme’s perspective provides valuable insight into the relationship between handwriting, organizational skills, and academic performance. Despite external comments from others, he confidently asserts that he can read it without difficulty. Building upon his confidence, Graeme claims that his writing does not have a noticeable impact on his organizational skills, which proves that his style has not presented any problems for him.
This testimony builds upon my own opinion to validate the claim that one’s handwriting neatness does determine or correlate with one’s organizational skills. Specifically of importance is the fact that Graeme states his handwriting does not dictate his ability to perform in a class. If anything, comments on his writing elicit a positive mindset, as he takes the opportunity to focus on the class and improve. In regards to improving his handwriting, Graeme exclaims that he is content with his style, and does not see a need in changing anything. Graeme’s example establishes the idea that handwriting is a personal tool, configured to suit the individual despite external comments or perceptions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, writing styles convey emotion, and people should not feel compelled to change the way they write just because it seems disorganized. Unless a large body of literature states otherwise, it seems that one’s handwriting does not necessarily impact their ability to succeed academically or organize themselves effectively. If one’s style is legible to them, so long as they are the sole viewer nothing needs to change!
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