essay on importance of practice

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

The Importance Of Practice – And Our Reluctance To Do It

As leaders, we’re accustomed to being good at what we do. Learning something new is hard, especially at the beginning when we’re likely to struggle and make mistakes.  The reality is, the only way to learn something new is to practice. In his book,  Outliers , Malcolm Gladwell suggests that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become  expert  at something. Perhaps more of a realist, Josh Kaufman, author of  The Personal MBA , writes that to go from “knowing nothing to being pretty good” actually takes about 20 hours of practice – that’s 45 minutes every day for a month. So whether you aspire to “pretty good” or “expert,” practice is essential. Yet practicing can be difficult and painful when we’re used to having a high degree of competence.

Perhaps this is why most leaders are resistant to the idea of practice – often, the more senior the leader, the more reluctant they are to practice something new.  Many leaders believe that intellectual  understanding  is enough, that all they need to do is read about something or discuss it in order to be able to do it well. But we know that skill development is vital.

Swimming is my favorite analogy. Two of my teenage children are competitive swimmers, which means I have been volunteering at swim meets for over a decade. My volunteer job is to monitor races and ensure that swimmers follow legal stroke technique. I have received hours and hours of training – lecture, video, discussion, observation –  on what constitutes proper, legal technique. I can tell you exactly what the butterfly should look like: the kick and the pull, and how the arms have to be synchronous, and how the touch and turn need to work.  I  know  all about how to  swim  butterfly.  But I can’t swim the butterfly at all. Not even 25 yards. That’s the difference between intellectual understanding and the skill development.

As leaders, we generally have the intellectual capacity to quickly grasp concepts and ideas, which can lead us to mistakenly believe we also know how to execute on them right away. The reality is that we don’t – not until we practice, get feedback, refine our approach, and practice again – for somewhere between 20 and 10,000 hours. This is hard to do. Learning something new means being clumsy at it initially, making mistakes, course-correcting, and trying again. It’s uncomfortable. And even when we know the skill is valuable, it often makes our work more difficult at first, causing many leaders to stop trying new things and revert to old habits.

Knowing the importance of practice, how do we build it into our training experiences? And how do we hold ourselves and others accountable for the hard work of practice?

• Acknowledge the Challenge Be honest about the difficulty of learning something new, especially when you’re in a leadership role. Expect mistakes. Celebrate effort and risk-taking rather than expertise and skill level. Create a culture where leaders are rewarded for trying new things and building new skills, even when their early attempts are less-than-perfect.
• Limit the Scope Training often includes information on many different behaviors, approaches, skills, and techniques.  It isn’t possible to practice and master all of them at one time. Encourage leaders to choose one or two things that have a high potential for enhancing their work, and focus their practice on just those things – at least to start.
• Commit Time Commit time every week – ideally every day – for practice. Block time on the calendar.  Minimize distractions, and work on skill development as seriously as you would on any other project. You might even create a project plan with deadlines and deliverables.
• Leverage Tools and Materials in the Program Most training programs include opportunities for practice – action learning projects, individual action planning guides, cases, role plays, etc. Use them as much as you can – individually or in study groups or with partners. These can be extremely helpful for practice, even outside of the program.
• Create Practice Partnerships Work with colleagues to hold each other accountable for practice. Practice partnerships are also a great way to get feedback on your development.
• Consider Coaching Sometimes leaders need more support than can be offered by practice partners. In these cases, a coach can be extremely useful. Coaching may be available through HR or L&D, or you may decide to invest in coaching on your own. A good coach will help you create a plan, offer feedback, and help you stay accountable to your own goals.

Making a commitment to practice is essential to maximize the impact of training. After all, practice is the only way to become proficient in a new skill or behavior. As leaders, we need to embrace the discomfort of being beginners in order to continue to grow and improve.

What new skill should you be practicing?

Jennifer Long is senior manager, programs, at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at  [email protected] .

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Practice Makes Perfect Essay

Need to prepare a practice makes perfect essay, paragraph, or speech? Writing such a text might be challenging, whether it is a 3-words piece or a longer story. Below, you’ll find everything you might need to get inspired.

Introduction

• Stories & Examples

Practice is one of the keys to success. Why am I saying this? Practice, talent and being lucky are equally important. They are interconnected in that one cannot exist without the other. No matter how lucky one is, if no practice is done one is bound to fail. We do practice daily on how to live through our experiences which has a possibility of increasing our harvests. No matter how talented one is, one is likely to forget the basic thing if no practice is done.

Why Does Practice Make a Man Perfect?

Ones’ progress will mostly depend on the frequency engaged in, and the type of outcome needed for improvement which mostly gauges one’s determination. The much practice required depends upon the nature of the activity, and upon the individual due to difference in peoples’ nature and desire to learn and achieve more.

Practice is an important tool to being successful and it helps one’s goal come true. I hoped I could pass the practical test of manicure license. Manicure test had two parts, the practical and the written one, so I had to practice more than 10 times a day.

Practice Makes Perfect: Stories & Examples

Practice influences us all the time.

The newborn baby has to practice in order to walk and speak because no baby is born with the capability of either talking or walking. The baby learns from human beings around them. The baby starts learning step by step. Parents always hold the baby’s hands as they help the baby make small steps.

A baby does have to practice daily until he or she knows how to walk, the baby do fall always however, parents believe that continued practice can help it achieve its goal of walking hence day by day the baby can walk. Parents always worry about its physical problem like falling down and weak legs before it knows how to walk. Finally, they do feel happy and successful after the baby knows how to walk.

Practice makes us to be successful. If you don’t practice, you will fail. It did happen to my friend Yuri. We took the same manicure class at Rosemead Beauty School to get the manicure license at the end of the summer. However, before we got the license we had to complete 400 hours, and then apply for the state board test.

We had to stay for the whole day at the beauty school; morning reading classes, afternoon practical. We practiced manicure in case we had customers in the afternoon but if we didn’t, we would practice on our parents or on our self. Yuri is a Japanese girl, and she is good at nail art design. She passed all the written quizzes; she even took the higher version quiz than us. While we were practicing manicure with the customers, she always did the nail art design.

She loved to make the designs on the nail tip. She had done so many designs although she never practiced the practical test of state board requirement like: tip, tip overlays, wraps, acrylic nail. She was unwilling to practice with customers even though the teacher always called her to practice. She thought it was not hard for her to pass the practical exam. She never came back for practical after she was done with the 400 hours attendance forgetting that one always performs at the level you practice, she was ever at home.

Finally, as we never thought of it, she did pass the written part, but didn’t pass the practical part. My teacher told me that she never practiced that’s why she didn’t pass. She didn’t practice enough before she took the state board test. Yuri was so sad, she regretted, and blamed herself for not practicing. Right now she has to wait for the practical exam again.

And she has to pay the application fee again for the next practical exam. But the saddest thing is that she even doesn’t know when the next practical exam is. She has to wait for unknown period of time. Without the manicure license she can’t do anything like having customer, if she does, she will be jailed. She even can’t find a job. She has learned that practice is very important for success. Right now she practices daily until the schedule come out.

After Yuri’s case, I learned that practice is very important to pass the practical exam. So I have practiced harder than before. I practice more than 10 times daily for my November 15, 2010 state board test. I usually try the acrylic nail first which I am not good at. It’s hard to work on the acrylic nail.

The acrylic nail entails initially placing the nail receptacle on the nail position, second is the combination (of the polymer and the monomer) by use of a brush, then putting the drip at the (nail) line and in the midpoint of the (natural) nail. The bead is then flattened through continuous pressing.

To uniformly distribute the product’s level remains the most challenging thing in this field. After finishing, I always file the nail to shape the free edge and sidewalls to smoothen the surface. It usually takes 30 minutes for me to finish one finger. The state board test only allows 15minute doing the acrylic nail. I will fail the practical exam if I use this speed. I don’t want to fail like Yuri, so I do practice often, right now I only use 10 minutes to finish one finger. I do believe that if I practice more I will pass the practical exam of the state board test.

I don’t want to untimely wait for the retest, and repay the application fee once more. I want to do this as soon as I can so that I can get my manicure license, and look for a job which is am interested to have. I don’t want to work at the restaurant again. With the license I can have my own customer and earn my money from giving the manicure services.

In conclusion, I am not good at working on the acrylic nail, ever warps, and tip and to sum it up am not an expert in manicure. However, I do believe if I practiced more, I can be a genius of the manicure services.

I also believe that to pass my practical exams and obtain a manicure license, I need to practice more because practice makes perfect and this is the only way to make me successful and make my manicure dream come true. I therefore encourage each and everyone who wants to be perfect in each and everything they desire to achieve must often practice.

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The importance of practice, some reasons as to why practicing is so important..

Everyone has to do it in some way or another. We all have to do something multiple times and repeat the same or different actions over and over in order to achieve the goal that we have set for ourselves. This is practice, and though it may be tiring and annoying sometimes, we can all agree that it has helped us in the long run. Whether it be a piece of music, a speech, a dance routine, or anything in between, they all require us to commit and routinely do the action.

So, why is the concept of practice so important? Well, the reason is pretty obvious. It helps you improve. If you routinely practice something, the likelihood of you doing better on something is higher. One example we all know is studying. We have all been there, doing an all nighter, trying to get ready for the exam or test we have the next day. And usually, we see an increase in a higher grade than if we were to not study. Same goes for speeches, which is something I do regularly. With speeches, the concept of practice is critical, whether it is in front of a mirror or in front of some friends or family. Practicing that speech a multitude of times before your actual presentation allows for you to get comfortable with the idea of public speaking while also helping you know the order and information of your speech that you will be giving. In my experience, I've had times where I did not practice a speech as much as I could and suffered the consequences.

Running along with the idea of improving, practice also helps promote self-confidence in oneself. Being able to effectually play the song that you have been practicing for weeks or pulling off the move you have been trying to do in the sport you play is always a good feeling. To be able to see the result of your hard work and determination is something that everyone looks forward to. And with this, if one sees that practice has made a greater impact on the activity they have been doing, then it will likely become a thing. Now, I'm not saying that practice will always show positive results. Sometimes the nerves get the best of us, even me, and that can hinder the performance that we know that we can pull off.

However, that does not mean that we should let that restrict and block us from the goal that we have set our minds to. Because that nervousness that we all feel can be reduced, not necessarily eradicated, to a level that is manageable. Practice is something that cannot be avoided, but is something that can help us in our day to day lives as we all strive to achieve the goals that we have set ourselves to.

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25 beatles lyrics: your go-to guide for every situation, the best lines from the fab four.

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The End- Abbey Road, 1969

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Dear Prudence- The White Album, 1968

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

Because- Abbey Road, 1969

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

All You Need Is Love, 1967

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

We Can Work It Out- Rubber Soul, 1965

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come Together- Abbey Road, 1969

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

I Wanna Hold Your Hand- Meet The Beatles!, 1964

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-1967

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Strawberry Fields Forever- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Rain- Paperback Writer "B" side, 1966

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

Here Comes The Sun- Abbey Road, 1969

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

Saw Her Standing There- Please Please Me, 1963

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

Michelle- Rubber Soul, 1965

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

Revolution- The Beatles, 1968

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Eleanor Rigby- Revolver, 1966

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

With A Little Help From My Friends- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Hey Jude, 1968

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

Yesterday- Help!, 1965

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

Let It Be- Let It Be, 1970

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all i got to give if you say you'll love me too. i may not have a lot to give but what i got i'll give to you. i don't care too much for money. money can't buy me love.

Can't Buy Me Love- A Hard Day's Night, 1964

All you need is love, love is all you need

All You Need Is Love- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird- The White Album, 1968

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

In My Life- Rubber Soul, 1965

While these are my 25 favorites, there are quite literally 1000s that could have been included. The Beatles' body of work is massive and there is something for everyone. If you have been living under a rock and haven't discovered the Fab Four, you have to get musically educated. Stream them on Spotify, find them on iTunes or even buy a CD or record (Yes, those still exist!). I would suggest starting with 1, which is a collection of most of their #1 songs, or the 1968 White Album. Give them chance and you'll never look back.

14 Invisible Activities: Unleash Your Inner Ghost!

Obviously the best superpower..

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

1. "Haunt" your friends.

Follow them into their house and cause a ruckus.

2. Sneak into movie theaters.

Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health , says science

Considering that the monthly cost of subscribing to a media-streaming service like Netflix is oft...

Free movies...what else to I have to say?

3. Sneak into the pantry and grab a snack without judgment.

Late night snacks all you want? Duh.

4. Reenact "Hollow Man" and play Kevin Bacon.

America's favorite son? And feel what it's like to be in a MTV Movie Award nominated film? Sign me up.

5. Wear a mask and pretend to be a floating head.

Just another way to spook your friends in case you wanted to.

6. Hold objects so they'll "float."

"Oh no! A floating jar of peanut butter."

7. Win every game of hide-and-seek.

Just stand out in the open and you'll win.

8. Eat some food as people will watch it disappear.

Even everyday activities can be funny.

9. Go around pantsing your friends.

Even pranks can be done; not everything can be good.

10. Not have perfect attendance.

You'll say here, but they won't see you...

11. Avoid anyone you don't want to see.

Whether it's an ex or someone you hate, just use your invisibility to slip out of the situation.

12. Avoid responsibilities.

Chores? Invisible. People asking about social life? Invisible. Family being rude? Boom, invisible.

13. Be an expert on ding-dong-ditch.

Never get caught and have the adrenaline rush? I'm down.

14. Brag about being invisible.

Be the envy of the town.

But don't, I repeat, don't go in a locker room. Don't be a pervert with your power. No one likes a Peeping Tom.

Good luck, folks.

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned..

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

1. The importance of traditions.

Sometimes traditions seem like a silly thing, but the fact of it is that it's part of who you are. You grew up this way and, more than likely, so did your parents. It is something that is part of your family history and that is more important than anything.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

No matter how many times they get on your nerves or make you mad, they are the ones who will always be there and you should never take that for granted.

3. How to give back.

When tragedy strikes in a small town, everyone feels obligated to help out because, whether directly or indirectly, it affects you too. It is easy in a bigger city to be able to disconnect from certain problems. But in a small town those problems affect everyone.

4. What the word "community" really means.

Along the same lines as #3, everyone is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand when you need one in a small town and to me that is the true meaning of community. It's working together to build a better atmosphere, being there to raise each other up, build each other up, and pick each other up when someone is in need. A small town community is full of endless support whether it be after a tragedy or at a hometown sports game. Everyone shows up to show their support.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

People say this to others all the time, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a small town. It is true that life is about the journey, but when you're from a small town, you know it's about the journey because the journey probably takes longer than you spend at the destination. Everything is so far away that it is totally normal to spend a couple hours in the car on your way to some form of entertainment. And most of the time, you're gonna have as many, if not more, memories and laughs on the journey than at the destination.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

Word travels fast in a small town, so don't think you're gonna get away with anything. In fact, your parents probably know what you did before you even have a chance to get home and tell them. And forget about being scared of what your teacher, principle, or other authority figure is going to do, you're more afraid of what your parents are gonna do when you get home.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

Everyone deserves a chance. Most people don't have ill-intentions and you can't live your life guarding against every one else just because a few people in your life have betrayed your trust.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

While small towns are not always extremely diverse, they do contain people with a lot of different stories, struggle, and backgrounds. In a small town, it is pretty hard to exclude anyone because of who they are or what they come from because there aren't many people to choose from. A small town teaches you that just because someone isn't the same as you, doesn't mean you can't be great friends.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

In a small town, you learn that it's okay to be who you are and do your own thing. You learn that confidence isn't how beautiful you are or how much money you have, it's who you are on the inside.

10. How to work for what I want.

Nothing comes easy in life. They always say "gardens don't grow overnight" and if you're from a small town you know this both figuratively and literally. You certainly know gardens don't grow overnight because you've worked in a garden or two. But you also know that to get to the place you want to be in life it takes work and effort. It doesn't just happen because you want it to.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

If you're from a small town, you know that you will probably only meet a handful of people in your life who ACTUALLY know where your town is. And forget about the people who accidentally enter into your town because of google maps. You've gotten really good at giving them directions right back to the interstate.

12. How to be humble .

My small town has definitely taught me how to be humble. It isn't always about you, and anyone who grows up in a small town knows that. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and since there's so few of us, we're probably best friends with everyone so we are as excited when they get their moment of fame as we are when we get ours.

13. To be well-rounded.

Going to a small town high school definitely made me well-rounded. There isn't enough kids in the school to fill up all the clubs and sports teams individually so be ready to be a part of them all.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

In a small town, good luck holding a grudge. In a bigger city you can just avoid a person you don't like or who you've had problems with. But not in a small town. You better resolve the issue fast because you're bound to see them at least 5 times a week.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

One of my favorite things about growing up in a rural area was being able to go outside and go exploring and not have to worry about being in danger. There is nothing more exciting then finding a new place somewhere in town or in the woods and just spending time there enjoying the natural beauty around you.

16. To be prepared for anything.

You never know what may happen. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself because you never know if you will be able to get ahold of someone else to come fix it. Mechanics might be too busy , or more than likely you won't even have enough cell service to call one.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

It's okay to ask for help. One thing I realized when I moved away from my town for college, was how much my town has taught me that I could ask for help is I needed it. I got into a couple situations outside of my town where I couldn't find anyone to help me and found myself thinking, if I was in my town there would be tons of people ready to help me. And even though I couldn't find anyone to help, you better believe I wasn't afraid to ask.

18. How to be creative.

When you're at least an hour away from normal forms of entertainment such as movie theaters and malls, you learn to get real creative in entertaining yourself. Whether it be a night looking at the stars in the bed of a pickup truck or having a movie marathon in a blanket fort at home, you know how to make your own good time.

19. To brush off gossip.

It's all about knowing the person you are and not letting others influence your opinion of yourself. In small towns, there is plenty of gossip. But as long as you know who you really are, it will always blow over.

Grateful Beyond Words: A Letter to My Inspiration

I have never been so thankful to know you..

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

You have taught me that you don't always have to strong. You are allowed to break down as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. When life had you at your worst moments, you allowed your friends to be there for you and to help you. You let them in and they helped pick you up. Even in your darkest hour you showed so much strength. I know that you don't believe in yourself as much as you should but you are unbelievably strong and capable of anything you set your mind to.

Your passion to make a difference in the world is unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into your endeavors and surpass any personal goal you could have set. Watching you do what you love and watching you make a difference in the lives of others is an incredible experience. The way your face lights up when you finally realize what you have accomplished is breathtaking and I hope that one day I can have just as much passion you have.

SEE MORE: A Letter To My Best Friend On Her Birthday

The love you have for your family is outstanding. Watching you interact with loved ones just makes me smile . You are so comfortable and you are yourself. I see the way you smile when you are around family and I wish I could see you smile like this everyday. You love with all your heart and this quality is something I wished I possessed.

You inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. I feel that more people should strive to have the strength and passion that you exemplify in everyday life.You may be stubborn at points but when you really need help you let others in, which shows strength in itself. I have never been more proud to know someone and to call someone my role model. You have taught me so many things and I want to thank you. Thank you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person.

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life..

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Don't freak out

This is a rule you should continue to follow no matter what you do in life, but is especially helpful in this situation.

Email the professor

Around this time, professors are getting flooded with requests from students wanting to get into full classes. This doesn't mean you shouldn't burden them with your email; it means they are expecting interested students to email them. Send a short, concise message telling them that you are interested in the class and ask if there would be any chance for you to get in.

Attend the first class

Often, the advice professors will give you when they reply to your email is to attend the first class. The first class isn't the most important class in terms of what will be taught. However, attending the first class means you are serious about taking the course and aren't going to give up on it.

Keep attending class

Every student is in the same position as you are. They registered for more classes than they want to take and are "shopping." For the first couple of weeks, you can drop or add classes as you please, which means that classes that were once full will have spaces. If you keep attending class and keep up with assignments, odds are that you will have priority. Professors give preference to people who need the class for a major and then from higher to lower class year (senior to freshman).

Have a backup plan

For two weeks, or until I find out whether I get into my waitlisted class, I will be attending more than the usual number of classes. This is so that if I don't get into my waitlisted class, I won't have a credit shortage and I won't have to fall back in my backup class. Chances are that enough people will drop the class, especially if it is very difficult like computer science, and you will have a chance. In popular classes like art and psychology, odds are you probably won't get in, so prepare for that.

Remember that everything works out at the end

Life is full of surprises. So what if you didn't get into the class you wanted? Your life obviously has something else in store for you. It's your job to make sure you make the best out of what you have.

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Prolific Living

The Importance of Practice: Use it or Lose it

December 22, 2010 by Farnoosh Brock

“A genius! For 37 years I’ve practiced fourteen hours a day, and now they call me a genius!” —Pablo Sarasate (Spanish violinist)

Give Practice some Glory

Practice deserves a lot more glory around here, frankly. It is far too often the unpopular accompaniment to success and stardom. It is the unworthy servant next to Gods of fame and fortune. Practice hardly makes cocktail conversation, much less a serious topic of every day discussion and attention.

Today, I am going to put practice up on a pedestal, shower it with glory and worship it all over again. Today, I am choosing to remember the importance of practice and the essence of true growth and improvement.

Practice can be the one gap you have to close between yourself and your goals (Choose to close it). It can be the one impediment that can hold you back and leave you wondering why others are so much better at that something for which you pine (Don’t allow it) . It can make the difference between good and great , mediocre and magnificent (Go for the latter). It can define your skills by different scales altogether (Up the ante) It can be your breakaway strategy and your true path to your very own authentic success or the lack thereof (Seriously, practice is that good and almighty.)

Practice is the brutally honest friend, dropping rude awakening on your path on an idle Tuesday. Unsolicited, unwanted, unasked for but nonetheless, it shows up, telling you quite frankly why you are not good enough at something just yet. A (big!) part of you wants to kick him out of your life and the other part — the smart part — knows the layers of truth hidden in the message.

The Difference between Hard Work and Practice

All practice takes hard work but not all-hard work is practice .

Hard work is the sweat and tears you put toward a single task, be it a challenging, intellectually stimulating, complex task or a boring, dull and repetitive task.

Hard work is going through college, medical school, or a certification program.

Hard work is also shoveling snow, cleaning your boat, washing your dog, and chasing after your kids. Hard work is exertion of the body and the mind regardless of the task.

When hard work trains and refines your body or your mind to perform a single task beautifully, effortlessly, strongly and gracefully, then it is called a practice.

This can be the practice of your abilities and skills at something that greatly interests you, be it your writing , your dance, your art, your cooking, your communication skills, your yoga, your running, your photography, your meditation , your fill-in-these-blanks passion .

Hard work can be wasteful and show no results beyond the immediate. I bet you can think of examples and spare me the trouble to reflect on the wasted hours of my life at menial, ridiculous tasks and jobs. (Please nod yes and let us move on.)

Practice, on the other hand, never goes unnoticed for long. When you practice consistently at something, it shows — whether you like it or not. Lo and behold, the fruits of all practice resurface and subtle that they may be, they gently nudge you forward on your particular path.

Practice is the beginning of beautiful miracles waiting to unfold . For me. For you. For anyone – and I mean anyone – willing to put in the practice to build a skill and develop a talent.

What Happens When You Practice?

When you practice, you use your skills and you build on them. You start to break boundaries , the ones you swore you’d “never be able to do” ; you push past your old edge and start playing around new ones. Simply put, you get better with practice. Oh and you look like a genius on the side. (See my favorite quote at the opening).

Practice is intoxicating, brilliantly simple and simply brilliant and truly the best antidote for a dip in motivation . It empowers and enables. It reminds you that building a skill is difficult but not impossible. Practice makes things possible. Practice opens doors but only — and not a minute sooner than — when you are ready for it.

Consistent and regular practice has more of an exponential than a linear effect. If you practice your dance weekly, you advance very slowly over time but if you practice it daily, the jump is not linear. It is exponential — in other words, it’s a big jump, a huge jump, the kind of jump that makes the difference between good and great, mediocre and magnificent.

And practice rewards handsomely in all instances. It does not care about the state of economy, your business or even your relationships. When you practice something — anything — you improve, you grow, you advance, you gain a skill and heaps of confidence to boot.

On the scale of good to great, I have stumbled on these moments of progress in my yoga journey  — things I thought I’d never be able to do are now part of my regular practice. What beautiful proof to believe that practice pays in abundance.

What Happens When You Don’t Practice?

When you don’t practice, you lose your skills , not all at once — now that would be obvious enough to terrify you back into practice — but instead, one subtle muscle and brain memory at a time. At first, it is frustrating but hardly bad enough to sound a loud alarm. Then you notice that what seemed so effortless at the height of your practice now takes so much more time and energy.

You slip here and there. You lose your refinement and agility . You notice that the skills you once held at the palm of your hands are now slipping through your fingers and you wake up to reality. You have slowly lost your sharp skills for that which you swore you loved more than anything else.

Without practice and use, you lose what you built. The less you practice, the faster it fades and it is a terrible thing to witness so stop the insanity early on !

Beware of the impending effect on your beloved skills. I have noticed this bitter effect many times. When we lived in Turkey , I had mastered Turkish like a native. I would ace geography and history in 8th grade, gossip with the best of them in school, and once successfully translated a car-buying negotiation between my dad and the dealer from Farsi to Turkish. Today I remember a few words and harbor some regret in losing my skill for not using it.

Fall in Love with Your Practice

Practice is tangible. Motivation and inspiration are sometimes fleeting but practice, you can hold on to it. You can count on it. You can schedule it. You can plan it. You can commit to it. You can return to it anytime so long as you believe in its power and its rewards.

So whatever your goals, your desirable skills, your artistic aspirations and dreams of creativity, build a consistent, unshakable practice around it. Stay the course, detach from the end-goal and delve into the world and wonder of your practice.

Fall in love with the slow, the steady, and after a while, the significant progress which awaits you . Fall in love with your practice and compromise it for nothing in exchange on your path to greatness.

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• The Importance of Practice

Assessments are often described as falling into two categories: formative and summative . Formative assessments are usually informal, ungraded, or low-stakes assignments used to check students’ understanding of course concepts. They are most often used to “form” the instructor’s instructional plan (i.e., whether it’s time to move on to new concepts or spend a little more time on something). They also give students important information about their progress and about areas in which they may be struggling. Summative assessments, on the other hand, test the sum of a student’s knowledge. These are evaluative, and they are higher-stakes, in that they typically constitute a significant portion of a student’s grade.

More Reps for Better Learning

In Psychology 350, Research Methods & Data Analysis, Professor Cal Garbin makes extensive use of large question banks to provide opportunities for his students to do enough "reps," or practice, that they develop the skills and knowledge needed to approach course assessments with confidence. Garbin’s approach combines many assignment exercises with strategic proctored testing. Read more...

Although there is nothing wrong with relying on summative assessments – almost all courses use them – what is more problematic is the under-use of formative assessments. Formative assessments are, to a great degree, practice. They allow students to attempt a task (like writing a rough draft of an essay or completing quiz questions that resemble what they will later find on an exam) without suffering too great a setback if the attempt does not go as well as it should. In many courses, however, few if any formative assessments are built into the assessment structure. This is not to say that students could not practice their skills in these courses. However, if they do this practice entirely on their own – relying on their motivations, resources, and timelines, and without any feedback from the instructor – then it is not nearly the quality of practice they would enjoy if it were built into the course as formative assessments. Students would then have critical guidance from the instructor, making them much more likely to remain on track and practice in ways that truly move them toward mastery.

In almost any other context, such as athletic competition, we would quickly recognize the absurdity of expecting someone to excel at a task without practice. If the Nebraska volleyball team were to end all of their formal practice sessions, and if the players were told to practice on their own time and then meet up only for matches, then we can be confident that their exemplary performance record would quickly crumble. Yet this is essentially what happens in a course that contains only summative assessments (official matches) and no formative assessments (practice sessions). As you figure out how to complete assessments in your online course, remember the importance of practice, and build in formative assessments wherever you can. Common options include quizzing in Canvas, multiple drafts of papers or projects submitted over time in preparation for final submission, reflection assignments, polling during a lecture, and blind discussion responses. Use the Classroom Assessment Explorer to find formative assessments you can use to investigate different kinds of learning.

Related Links

• How to Create More Items More Quickly in Canvas (PDF)
• Grading and Feedback

CTT Guide to Classroom Assessment

• Assessment Begins with Learning Goals
• Identifying, prioritizing, and aligning learning goals to assessments with the iTGI
• More reps for better learning
• Using formative assessments to improve critical thinking & writing skills
• Classroom Assessment Explorer
• Hands-On Learning and Assessment
• Make Assessments Authentic
• Proctoring and Academic Integrity
• UNL Classroom Assessment Examples
• Additional Classroom Assessment Resources

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 177 college essay examples for 11 schools + expert analysis.

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

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Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

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Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay

Practice makes a man perfect is a proverb that refers to the importance of practice in the human life as it makes a man perfect.

Long and Short Essay on Practice makes a Man Perfect in English

Practice makes a man perfect essay 1 (100 words).

Practicing anything on regular basis indicates one’s intellectual and aesthetic abilities. Practice makes a man perfect as it brings perfection which leads a man towards achieving excellence is a particular subject or field. Action performed with proper planning and regular practice leads a person towards perfect performance. Practice brings quality in any action as well as it prepares a person for all other qualities. Practice helps us in avoiding errors and completes the task with perfection. Practice is very crucial thing we must develop it in our life. It is best if we develop it from the childhood with the support of our parents and teachers.

Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay 2 (150 words)

Practice makes a man perfect is a proverb which tells us the importance of continuous practice in any subject to learn anything. There is no alternate to the hard work and success; we must have to practice in the particular field on regular basis in which we want to succeed. No one has any short-cut way to get mastery in any field like trade, art, sport, academic area, etc. Only continuous practice can make us able to get success through the perfection in any field of activity. Knowledge is a big thing but alone it cannot take us to our goal, we have to convert our knowledge into action which needs a regular practice.

Practice is the only thing we can acquire mastery in any field because it brings perfection into the action. Just take the example of subjects like physics and mathematics which are based on practice as we forget all the rules without practice. We need continuous practice if we want to bring perfection in learning anything like music, singing, dancing, English speaking, sports, computer, painting, etc.

Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay 3 (200 words)

The meaning of proverb ‘Practice makes a man Perfect’ is, to succeed in life in any particular field or subject, one need to practice regularly with full commitment and planned strategies. Getting success is not an easy phenomenon; it needs knowledge, skill and most importantly the regular practice. If you desire to be a world-class famous musician, you need to buy an instrument, arrange a good teacher, learn and practice on it daily for required hours. There is no power which can make you Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar over night merely through the inborn skill or complete knowledge about cricket. You cannot reach to the target without committed practice. You have to go to the cricket field every day for hours to practice cricket under the guidance of a good and highly skilled coach.

You need to take care of the very little mistakes to bring perfection in the same work you are doing as well as obey your guide with respect. If we see the list of successful people, we see that there is regular practice and involvement with full commitment in their work. Students, who achieve good marks or rank in board examinations, have studied throughout the year with planned time table and open eyes. They have revised and re-revised their syllabus and made themselves perfect in all the subjects. There is no alternate to the regular practice which can make one perfect. Without practice you can give only average performance but not perfect performance in any work.

Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay 4 (250 words)

Practice makes a man perfect is a proverb which indicates that practice brings perfection in any work we are doing whether sports or academics. Regular practice leads us towards success by correcting all the mistakes and errors. Each and every target, whether it is sports or education, needs different way of training in order to build strength as well as remove errors to get perfection. A decision maker, who wanted success to be achieved, must practice according to the planning for the required hours daily. He/she must believe in hard practice regularly with determination to get improvement to reach to the goal. Dedication towards work with regular practice put us into the achievement of goal.

In order to lead a team needs more and more tough practice which gives experience to handle and lead the team. Being a team leader, one need to know well about the subject, read, write or play, skill to try new ideas to bring innovation and know well about all the team member to use their knowledge and skill for team. And most importantly, in order to do all such things, team leader needs to practice harder daily for hours, and then he/she can be a good and successful team leader. This proverb fits in many ways in our daily life activities. Sometimes, bad situations teach many people to work harder for achieving things however; some people become target based by birth because of their parents. People, who want good career in future, push themselves towards practice of all necessary things. Some people get failed to practice because of the lack of determination.

Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay 5 (300 words)

Practice makes a man perfect is a famous proverb which teaches us about the importance of regular practice in our life to get success. Practice with the use of intellectual and aesthetic powers leads a person towards perfection by correcting all the possible errors. Practice brings completeness and excellence to the performance. Practice done with a proper planning promotes a person for perfect performance. It is very necessary to practice in the right direction under the guidance of good guide or trainer to reach to the goal. Practice means repeating an activity in the right direction which sharpens the talents.

Each activity (such as good habit, cleanliness, punctuality, discipline, etiquettes, reading, writing, speaking, cooking, dancing, music, singing, driving, etc) needs practice in order to bring quality and perfection. Practice needs a person to have hard work, patience, faith, strong will power, tolerance, positive thinking, self confidence, determination and dedication. Practice prepares a person having quality for all other qualities. A person should not stop practicing until he/she achieves the perfection.

Practice is the best way to achieve perfection as a person practices more, he/she becomes more errorless and confident. Through practice we do not repeat the same error that is done previously and learn new things. One can develop the habit of practice at any age however; it is best to develop right from the childhood like practicing other activities such as walking, talking, writing, reading, eating, playing, cooking, etc. A school going kid first practice writing letters, then the words, sentences and finally the paragraphs and big articles; which lead him towards perfection whether in writing, reading or speaking. In this way, a kid gets developed into a talented and skilled adolescence a day through regular practice.

Practice makes a Man Perfect Essay 6 (400 words)

If we pay some attention in our daily routine activities, we found many example of practice makes a man perfect. Nature itself is perfection in its various forms. Man including other living beings has to strive hard in order to attain livelihood. Man has to practice regularly in order to learn anything perfectly. Man himself has to set goals and then practice accordingly to be successful in life. In order to practice regularly, one needs to have lots of patience, dedication and will power. Practice can change man’s quality into better qualities. In order to practice certain activities, man has to concentrate his mind, soul and body at one place uniformly to achieve certain requirement more smoothly and satisfactorily.

Without firm determination, no one can successfully involve in the regular practice. Hopeless people can never do practice as they easily lose their patience before getting the proper result. In order to continue the practice, one needs to have hope, patience, faith, and confidence with positive thinking. If we put our sight at the history, we see that there was Eklavya who was denied by the Droncharya to teach the art of archery however; his resolute determination helped him and he learned the art of archery very well after years of practice in front of his master’s idol.

Practice is like an exercise and mantra for us which brings our physical and mental entities at one path of required frequency and leads us towards perfection, slowly but surely. Practicing continuously with faith creates a cohesive force which connects the physical and mental entities together to work at required frequency. Anyone can achieve his/her goal slowly but definitely if he/she go with the planned practice. Ambitious people do hard practices to see their ambitions fulfilled but never suppose to defeat. Practice is the best tool which we can use to sharpen our abilities and capabilities beyond our capacities in the pursuit of goal. Practice is the best friend which leads us towards success and make the knowledge remain with us.

It helps people to awaken their lethargic potential by inducing confidence level. It calms our mind and gives happiness as practicing anything is like a meditation. We can achieve anything and reach to the unreachable heights in our life through practice. It prepares us to go in right direction and sharpen our abilities to face challenges and win. Practice is the continuous activity which enhances the will power and encourages us to run to the goal with strong perfection.

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The Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Educational Program on Undergraduate Nursing Students’ EBP Knowledge and Skills: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial

Daniela cardoso.

1 Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, Portugal Centre for Evidence-Based Practice: A Joanna Briggs Institute Centre of Excellence, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal; tp.cfnese@osodracf (A.F.C.); tp.cfnese@oiregor (R.R.); moc.liamg@7ramed (M.A.R.); tp.cfnese@olotsopa (J.A.)

2 FMUC—Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-370 Coimbra, Portugal

Filipa Couto

3 Alfena Hospital—Trofa Health Group, Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal; moc.liamg@otuoccdapilif

Ana Filipa Cardoso

Elzbieta bobrowicz-campos.

4 Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal; [email protected] (E.B.-C.); tp.cfnese@stnasasiul (L.S.); tp.cfnese@ohnituocv (V.C.); tp.cfnese@otnipaleinad (D.P.)

Luísa Santos

Rogério rodrigues, verónica coutinho, daniela pinto, mary-anne ramis.

5 Mater Health, Evidence in Practice Unit & Queensland Centre for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery: A Joanna Briggs Institute Centre of Excellence, 4101 Brisbane, Australia; [email protected]

Manuel Alves Rodrigues

João apóstolo, associated data.

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available because this issue was not considered within the informed consent signed by the participants of the study.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) prevents unsafe/inefficient practices and improves healthcare quality, but its implementation is challenging due to research and practice gaps. A focused educational program can assist future nurses to minimize these gaps. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an EBP educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills. A cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken. Six optional courses in the Bachelor of Nursing final year were randomly assigned to the experimental (EBP educational program) or control group. Nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills were measured at baseline and post-intervention. A qualitative analysis of 18 students’ final written work was also performed. Results show a statistically significant interaction between the intervention and time on EBP knowledge and skills ( p = 0.002). From pre- to post-intervention, students’ knowledge and skills on EBP improved in both groups (intervention group: p < 0.001; control group: p < 0.001). At the post-intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in EBP knowledge and skills between intervention and control groups ( p = 0.011). Students in the intervention group presented monographs with clearer review questions, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and methodology compared to students in the control group. The EBP educational program showed a potential to promote the EBP knowledge and skills of future nurses.

1. Introduction

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is defined as “clinical decision-making that considers the best available evidence; the context in which the care is delivered; client preference; and the professional judgment of the health professional” [ 1 ] (p. 2). EBP implementation is recommended in clinical settings [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] as it has been attributed to promoting high-value health care, improving the patient experience and health outcomes, as well as reducing health care costs [ 6 ]. Nevertheless, EBP is not the standard of care globally [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], and some studies acknowledge education as an approach to promote EBP adoption, implementation, and sustainment [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].

It has been recommended that educational curricula for health students should be based on the five steps of EBP in order to support developing knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes toward EBP [ 16 ]. These steps are: translation of uncertainty into an answerable question; search for and retrieval of evidence; critical appraisal of evidence for validity and clinical importance; application of appraised evidence to practice; and evaluation of performance [ 16 ].

To respond to this recommendation, undergraduate nursing curricula should include courses, teaching strategies, and training that focus on the development of research and EBP skills for nurses to be able to incorporate valid and relevant research findings in practice. Nevertheless, teaching research and EBP to undergraduate nursing students is a challenging task. Some studies report that undergraduate students have negative attitudes/beliefs toward research and EBP, especially toward the statistical components of the research courses and the complex terminology used. Additionally, students may not understand the importance of the link between research and clinical practice [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In fact, a lack of EBP and research knowledge is commonly reported by nurses and nursing students as a barrier to EBP. It is imperative to provide the future nurses with research and EBP skills in order to overcome the barriers to EBP use in clinical settings.

At an international level, several studies have been performed with undergraduate nursing students to assess the effectiveness of EBP interventions on multiple outcomes, such as EBP knowledge and skills [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The Classification Rubric for EBP Assessment Tools in Education (CREATE) [ 24 ] suggests EBP knowledge should be assessed cognitively using paper and pencil tests, as EBP knowledge is defined as “learners’ retention of facts and concepts about EBP” [ 24 ] (p. 5). Additionally, the CREATE framework suggests EBP skills should be assessed using performance tests, as skills are defined as “the application of knowledge” [ 24 ] (p. 5). Despite these recommendations, few studies have assessed EBP knowledge and skills using both cognitive and performance instruments.

Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an EBP educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills using a specific cognitive and performance instrument. The intervention used in this study was recently developed [ 25 ], and this is the first study designed to assess its effectiveness in undergraduate EBP.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. design.

A cluster randomized controlled trial with two-armed parallel group design was undertaken (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT03411668","term_id":"NCT03411668"}} NCT03411668 ).

2.2. Sample Size Calculation

The sample size was calculated using the software G*Power 3.1.9.2. (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Dusseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany) Recognizing that there were no studies performed a priori using a cognitive and performance instrument to assess the effectiveness of an EBP educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills, we used an effect size of 0.25, which is a small effect size as proposed by Cohen [ 26 ]. A power analysis based on a type I error of 0.05; power of 0.80; effect size f = 0.25; and ANOVA repeated measures between factors determined a sample size of 98 as total.

Taking into account that our study used clusters (optional courses) and that each one had an average of 25 students, we needed at least four clusters to cover the total sample size of 98. However, to cover potential losses to follow-up, we included a total of six optional courses.

2.3. Participants’ Recruitment and Randomization

We recruited participants from one Portuguese nursing school in 2018. From the 12 optional clinical nursing courses (such as Community Nursing Intervention in Vulnerable Groups; Ageing; Health and Citizenship; The Child with Special Needs: Diagnoses and Interventions in Pediatric Nursing; Liaison Psychiatry Nursing; Nursing in the Emergency Room; etc.) in the 8th semester of the nursing program (last year before graduation), students from three clinical nursing courses were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EBP educational program) and students from another three clinical nursing courses were randomly assigned to the control group (no intervention— education as usual ) before the baseline assessment. An independent researcher performed this assignment using a random number generator from the random.org website [ 27 ]. This assignment was performed based on a list of the 12 optional courses provided through the nursing school’s website.

2.4. Intervention Condition

The participants in the intervention group received education as usual plus the EBP educational program, which was developed by Cardoso, Rodrigues, and Apóstolo [ 25 ]. This intervention included EBP contents regarding models of thinking about EBP, systematic reviews types, review question development, searching for studies, study selection process, data extraction, and data synthesis.

This program was implemented in 6 sessions over 17 weeks:

• Sessions 1–3—total of 12 h (4 h per session) during the first 7 weeks using expository methods with practice tasks to groups of 20–30 students.
• Sessions 4–6—total of 6 h (2 h per session) during the last 10 weeks using active methods through mentoring to groups of 2–3 students.

Due to the nature of the intervention, it was not possible to blind participants regarding treatment assignment nor was it feasible to blind the individuals delivering treatment.

2.5. Control Condition

The participants in the control group received only education as usual; i.e., students allocated to this control condition received the standard educational contents (theoretical, theoretical–practical, practical) delivered by the nursing educators of the selected nursing school.

2.6. Assessment

All participants were assessed before (week 0) and after the intervention (week 18) using a self-report instrument. EBP knowledge and skills were assessed by the Adapted Fresno Test for undergraduate nursing students [ 28 ]. This instrument was adapted from the Fresno Test, which was originally developed in 2003 to measure knowledge and skills on EBP in family practice residents [ 29 ]. The Adapted Fresno Test for undergraduate nursing students has seven short answer questions and two fill-in-the-blank questions [ 28 ]. At the beginning of the instrument, two scenarios, which suggest clinical uncertainty, are presented. These two scenarios are used to guide the answers to questions 1 to 4: (1) write a clinical question; (2) identify and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of information sources as well as the advantages and disadvantages of information sources; (3) identify the type of study most suitable for answering the question of one of the clinical scenarios and justify the choice; and (4) describe a possible search strategy in Medline for one of the clinical scenarios, explaining the rationale. The next three short answer questions require that the students identify topics for determining the relevance and validity of a research study and address the magnitude and value of research findings. The last two questions are fill-in-the-blank questions. The answers are scored using a modified standardized grading system [ 28 ], which was adapted from the original [ 29 ]. The instrument has a total minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 101. The inter-rater correlation for the total score of the Adapted Fresno Test was 0.826 [ 28 ]. The rater that graded the answers to the Adapted Fresno Test was blinded to treatment assignment.

Despite the fact that in the study proposal we did not consider any kind of qualitative analysis in order to assess EBP knowledge and skills in a more practical context, we decided during the development of the study to perform a qualitative analysis of monographs at the posttest. The monographs were developed by small groups of nursing students and were the final written work submitted by the students for their bachelor’s degree course. In this work, the students were asked to define a review question regarding the context of clinical practice where they were performing their clinical training. Students then proceeded to answer the review question through a systematic process of searching and selecting relevant studies and extracting and synthesizing the data. From the 58 submitted monographs (30 from the control group and 28 from the intervention group), 18 were randomized for evaluation (nine from the control group and nine from the intervention group) by an independent researcher using the random.org website [ 27 ] based on a list provided by the research team. Three independent experts (one psychologist with a doctoral qualification and two qualified nurses, one with a master’s degree) performed a qualitative analysis of the selected monographs. All experts had experience with the EBP approach and were blinded to treatment assignment. The experts independently used an evaluation form to guide the qualitative analysis of each monograph. This form presented 11 guiding criteria regarding review questions, inclusion/exclusion criteria, methodology (namely search strategy, study selection process, data extraction, and data synthesis), results presentation, and congruency between the review questions and the answers to them that were provided in the conclusion section. Thereafter, the experts met to discuss any discrepancies in their qualitative analysis until consensus was reached.

2.7. Statistical Analyses

The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; version 24.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Differences in sociodemographic characteristics of study participants and outcome data at baseline were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared test for nominal data and independent the t -test for continuous data.

Taking into account the central limit theorem and that ANOVA tests are robust to violation of assumptions [ 30 ], we decided to perform two-way mixed ANOVA to compare the outcome between and within groups. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze how many participants had improved their EBP knowledge and skills item-by-item, how many remained the same, and how many had decreased performance within each group. Statistical significance was determined by p -values less than 0.05.

To minimize the noncompliance impact, an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was used to analyze participants in the groups that they were initially randomized to [ 31 ] by using the last observation carried forward imputation method.

2.8. Ethics

This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (Reference: CE-037/2017). The institution where the study was carried out provided written approval. All participants gave informed consent, and the data were managed in a confidential way.

Twelve potential clusters (optional courses in the 8th semester of the nursing program) were identified as eligible for this study. Of these, three were randomized for the intervention group and three for the control group. During the intervention, eight participants (two in the intervention group and six in the control group) were lost to follow-up because they did not fill-in the instrument in the post-intervention. Figure 1 shows the flow of participants through each stage of the trial.

Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) diagram showing the flow of participants through each stage of the trial. ITT: intention-to-treat.

3.1. Demographic Characteristics

As Table 1 displays, 148 undergraduate nursing students with an average age of 21.95 years (SD = 2.25; range: 21–41) participated in the study. A large majority of the sample were female ( n = 118, 79.7%), had a 12th grade educational level ( n = 144, 97.3%), and had participated in some form of EBP training ( n = 121, 81.8%).

Socio-demographic characterization of the sample—ITT analysis.

* Defined as any kind and duration of evidence-based practice (EBP) training, such as EBP contents in a course, a workshop, a seminar.

At baseline, the experimental and control groups were comparable regarding sex, age, education, EBP training, and performance on the Adapted Fresno Test ( Table 1 and Table 3). The baseline data were similar with dropouts excluded; therefore, only ITT analysis results are presented.

3.2. EBP Knowledge and Skills

3.2.1. adapted fresno test.

The two-way mixed ANOVA showed a statistically significant interaction between the intervention and time on EBP knowledge and skills, F (1, 146) = 9.550, p = 0.002, partial η 2 = 0.061 ( Table 2 ). Excluding the dropouts, the two-way mixed ANOVA analysis was similar. Thus, only the ITT analysis results are presented.

Main effects of time and group and interaction effects on EBP knowledge and skills—ITT analysis.

To determine the difference between groups at baseline and post-intervention, two separate between-subjects ANOVAs (i.e., two separate one-way ANOVAs) were performed. At the pre-intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in EBP knowledge and skills between groups: F (1,146) = 0.221, p = 0.639, partial η 2 = 0.002. At the post-intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in EBP knowledge and skills between groups: F (1,146) = 6.720, p = 0.011, partial η 2 = 0.044 ( Table 3 ).

Repeated measures ANOVA and between-subjects ANOVA—ITT analysis.

To determine the differences within groups from the baseline to post-intervention, two separate within-subjects ANOVAs (repeated measures ANOVAs) were performed. There was a statistically significant effect of time on EBP knowledge and skills for the intervention group: F (1,73) = 53.028, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.421 and for the control group: F (1,73) = 13.832, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.159 ( Table 3 ).

The results of repeated measures ANOVA and between-subjects ANOVA analysis are similar if we exclude the dropouts; therefore, only ITT analysis results are presented.

The results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for each item of the Adapted Fresno Test are presented in Table 4 . The results of this analysis revealed that students in both the intervention and control groups significantly improved their knowledge and skills in writing a focused clinical question (Item 1) (intervention group: Z = −4.572, p < 0.000; control group: Z = −2.338, p = 0.019), in building a search strategy (item 3) (intervention group: Z = −4.740, p < 0.000; control group: Z = −4.757, p < 0.000), in identifying and justifying the study design most suitable for answering the question of one of the clinical scenarios (item 4) (intervention group: Z = −4.508, p < 0.000; control group: Z = −3.738, p < 0.000), and in describing the characteristics of a study to determine its relevance (item 5) (intervention group: Z = −2.699, p = 0.007; control group: Z = −1.980, p = 0.048).

Within groups comparison with Wilcoxon signed-rank test for each item of the Adapted Fresno Test—ITT analysis.

The students in the control group significantly improved their knowledge and skills in describing the characteristics of a study to determine its validity (item 6) ( Z = −2.714, p = 0.007). The students in the intervention group significantly improved their knowledge and skills in describing the characteristics of a study to determine its magnitude and significance (item 7) ( Z = −2.543, p = 0.011). No other significant differences were detected.

The results of the within groups comparison with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test are similar if we exclude the dropouts; therefore, only ITT analysis results are presented.

3.2.2. Qualitative Analysis of Monographs

Based on the experts’ consensus report of each monograph, the analysis of the intervention group monographs showed that the students’ groups clearly defined their review questions and inclusion/exclusion criteria. These groups of students effectively searched for studies using appropriate databases, keywords, Boolean operators, and truncation. Additionally, we found thorough descriptions from students concerning the selection process, data extraction, and data synthesis. However, only three students’ groups provided a good description of the review findings with an appropriate data synthesis as well as a clear answer to the review question in the conclusion section of their monographs. It is noted that the criteria for the results and conclusion sections were more difficult to successfully achieve, even in the intervention group.

The monographs of the control groups showed weaknesses throughout. From the nine monographs of the control group, only two presented the review question in a way that was clearly defined. In all of the monographs, the inclusion/exclusion criteria were either not very informative, unclear, or did not match with the defined review questions. Additionally, the search strategies were not clear and demonstrated limited understanding, such as lack of use of appropriate synonyms, absent truncations, and no definition of the search field for each word or expression to be searched. None of the monographs from the control group reported information about the methods used to study the selection process, to extract data, or to synthesize data. In the conclusion section, students from the control group also demonstrated difficulties in synthesizing the data and limitations by providing a clear answer to the review question.

4. Discussion

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an EBP educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills. Even though both groups improved after the intervention in EBP knowledge and skills, the study results showed that the improvement was greater in the intervention group. This result was reinforced by the results of the qualitative analysis of monographs.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to use a cognitive and performance assessment instrument (Adapted Fresno Test) with undergraduate nursing students, as suggested by CREATE [ 24 ]. Additionally, it is the first study conducted using the EBP education program [ 25 ]. Therefore, comparison of our findings with similar studies in terms of the type of assessment instrument and intervention is limited.

However, comparing our study with other previous research using other types of instruments and interventions demonstrates similar results [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. In a quasi-experimental study [ 20 ], it was found that an EBP educational teaching strategy showed positive results in improving EBP knowledge in undergraduate nursing students. A study showed that undergraduate nursing students who received an EBP-focused interactive teaching intervention improved their EBP knowledge [ 21 ]. Another study indicated that a 15-week educational intervention in undergraduate nursing students (second- and third-year) significantly improved their EBP knowledge and skills [ 22 ]. In addition, a study by Zhang, Zeng, Chen, and Li revealed a significant improvement in undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge after participating in a two-phase intervention: a self-directed learning process and a workshop for critical appraisal of literature [ 23 ].

Despite the effectiveness of the program in improving EBP knowledge and skills, the students included in the present study had low levels of EBP knowledge and skills as assessed by the Adapted Fresno Test at the pretest and posttest. These low levels of EBP knowledge and skills, especially at the pretest, might have influenced our study results. As a matter of fact, the Adapted Fresno Test is a demanding test since it requires that students retrieve and apply knowledge while doing a task associated with EBP based on scenarios involving clinical uncertainty. Consequently, this kind of test is very useful to truly assess EBP knowledge retention and abilities in clinical scenarios that do not allow guessing the answers. Notwithstanding, due to these characteristics, the Adapted Fresno Test may possibly be less sensitive when small changes occur or when students have low levels of EBP knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, even using instruments with Likert scales, other studies also showed that students have low levels of EBP knowledge and skills [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].

The low levels of EBP knowledge and skills of the undergraduate nursing students may be a reflection of a persistent, traditional education with regard to research. By this we mean that the focus of training remains on primary research—preparing students to be “research generators” instead of preparing them to be “evidence users” [ 32 ]. Furthermore, the designed and tested intervention used in this study was limited in time (only 17 weeks), was provided by only two instructors, and was delivered to fourth-year undergraduate nursing students, which are limitations for curriculum-wide integration of EBP.

Indeed, a curriculum that promotes EBP should facilitate students’ acquisition of EBP knowledge and skills over time and with levels of increasing complexity through their participation in EBP courses and during their clinical practice experiences [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. As Moch, Cronje, and Branson suggest, “It is only in such practical settings that students can experience the challenges intrinsic to applying scientific evidence to the care of real patients. In these clinical settings, students can experience both the frustrations and the triumphs inevitable to integrating scientific knowledge into patient care.” [ 35 ] (p. 11). Therefore, in future studies, other broad approaches for curriculum-wide integration of EBP as well as its long-term effects should be evaluated.

Previously in the Discussion, we highlighted the limitations of the proposed intervention in terms of time constraints (only 17 weeks), instructors’ constraints (only two instructors provided the intervention), and participants’ constraints (fourth-year undergraduate nursing students). In addition, the study was also restricted to one Portuguese nursing school, which can limit the generalization of the results. However, our study tried to address some of the fragilities identified in other studies [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ] on the effectiveness of EBP educational interventions by including a control group and by measuring EBP knowledge and skills with an objective measure and not a self-reported measure.

Bearing this in mind, future studies in multiple sites should assess the long-term effects of the EBP educational intervention and the impact on EBP knowledge and skills of potential variations in contents and teaching methods. In addition, studies using more broad interventions for curriculum-wide integration of EBP should also be performed.

5. Conclusions

Our findings show that the EBP educational program was effective in improving the EBP knowledge and skills of undergraduate nursing students. Therefore, the use of an EBP approach as a complement to the research education of undergraduate nursing students should be promoted by nursing schools and educators. This will help to prepare the future nurses with the EBP knowledge and skills that are essential to overcome the barriers to EBP use in clinical settings, and consequently, to contribute to better health outcomes.

Acknowledgments

This paper contributed toward the D.C. PhD in Health Sciences—Nursing. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), hosted by the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC) and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Moreover, the authors gratefully thank Catarina Oliveira for all the support as a Ph.D. supervisor and Isabel Fernandes, Maria da Nazaré Cerejo, and Irma Brito for help and facilitation of data collection.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, D.C., M.A.R., and J.A.; methodology, D.C., M.A.R., and J.A.; validation, D.C., M.A.R., and J.A.; formal analysis, D.C., F.C., and A.F.C.; investigation, D.C., F.C., A.F.C., E.B.-C., L.S., R.R., V.C., D.P., M.-A.R., M.A.R., and J.A.; resources, D.C., M.A.R., and J.A.; data curation, D.C., F.C., and A.F.C.; writing—original draft preparation, D.C.; writing—review and editing, F.C., A.F.C., E.B.-C., L.S., R.R., V.C., D.P., M.-A.R., M.A.R., and J.A.; supervision, M.A.R. and J.A.; project administration, D.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This work was funded by National Funds through the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of the project Ref. UIDP/00742/2020.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by Ethical Committee of Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (protocol code: CE-037/2017 and date of approval: 22 May 2017).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Evidence-informed practice: simplifying and applying the concept for nursing students and academics

Elizabeth Adjoa Kumah

Nurse Researcher, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Chester

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Robert McSherry

Professor of Nursing and Practice Development, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Chester

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Josette Bettany-Saltikov

Senior Lecturer, School of Health and Social Care, Teesside University, Middlesbrough

Paul van Schaik

Professor of Research, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough

Background:

Nurses' ability to apply evidence effectively in practice is a critical factor in delivering high-quality patient care. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is recognised as the gold standard for the delivery of safe and effective person-centred care. However, decades following its inception, nurses continue to encounter difficulties in implementing EBP and, although models for its implementation offer stepwise approaches, factors, such as the context of care and its mechanistic nature, act as barriers to effective and consistent implementation. It is, therefore, imperative to find a solution to the way evidence is applied in practice. Evidence-informed practice (EIP) has been mooted as an alternative to EBP, prompting debate as to which approach better enables the transfer of evidence into practice. Although there are several EBP models and educational interventions, research on the concept of EIP is limited. This article seeks to clarify the concept of EIP and provide an integrated systems-based model of EIP for the application of evidence in clinical nursing practice, by presenting the systems and processes of the EIP model. Two scenarios are used to demonstrate the factors and elements of the EIP model and define how it facilitates the application of evidence to practice. The EIP model provides a framework to deliver clinically effective care, and the ability to justify the processes used and the service provided by referring to reliable evidence.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) was first mentioned in the literature by Muir-Gray, who defined EBP as ‘an approach to decision-making in which the clinician uses the best available evidence in consultation with the patient to decide upon the option which suits the patient best’ (1997:97). Since this initial definition was set out in 1997, EBP has gained prominence as the gold standard for the delivery of safe and effective health care.

There are several models for implementing EBP. Examples include:

• Rosswurm and Larrabee's (1999) model
• The Iowa model ( Titler et al, 2001 )
• Collaborative research utilisation model ( Dufault, 2004 ); DiCenso et al's (2005) model
• Greenhalgh et al's (2005) model
• Johns Hopkins Nursing model ( Newhouse et al, 2005 )
• Melnyk et al's (2010) model.

Although a comprehensive review of these models is beyond the scope of this article, a brief assessment reveals some commonalities among them. These include a) asking or selecting a practice question, b) searching for the best evidence, c) critically appraising and applying the evidence, d) evaluating the outcome(s) of patient care delivery, and e) disseminating the outcome(s).

Regardless of the benefits of EBP, and the existence of multiple EBP models intended to facilitate the application of evidence into practice, health professionals, including nurses, continue to struggle to implement it effectively ( Ubbink et al, 2013 ). Critics of EBP have questioned its validity ( Rubin, 2007 ; Nevo and Slonim-Nevo, 2011 ); the best practice and setting to support its use ( Nutley et al, 2009 ); its failure to address the complexity of health and health care, as well as the patient's context ( Muir-Gray, 1997 ; Reed et al, 2019 ), and its mechanistic approach ( Epstein, 2009 ; Jerkert, 2015 ). Some of these criticisms are outlined below.

For example, previous studies have reported the barriers health professionals face to successfully implement EBP. Ubbink et al (2013) conducted a systematic review to determine nurses' and doctors' views on knowledge, attitudes, skills, barriers, and behaviour required to implement EBP. The review included 31 studies from 17 countries: eight from North America and 11 from Europe. The results revealed that organisational and individual barriers prevent uptake of EBP among nurses and doctors. These barriers included the lack of material and human resources, and lack of support from managers and leaders; individual barriers included knowledge deficit regarding EBP, time and workload ( Ubbink et al, 2013 ). Researchers such as Hitch and Nicola-Richmond (2017) and Warren et al (2016) found similar barriers to implementing EBP reported by health professionals.

Effective and consistent implementation of EBP in healthcare settings depends on complex interdependent factors, such as the characteristics of an organisation (eg the internal and external healthcare environment, and organisational structures and values); the EBP intervention (eg reduction of hospital-acquired infections); and the attitudes of the individual practitioner towards EBP ( Titler and Everett, 2001 ; Cullen and Adams, 2012 ). Yet, existing approaches of EBP have been ineffective in facilitating its implementation ( Greenhalgh et al, 2014 ).

Consequently, authors such as Cullen and Adams (2012) and Greenhalgh et al (2014) have called for a resurgence of the concept, especially concerning the components of EBP associated with involving patients in decision-making, and with expert judgement and experience. Greenhalgh et al (2014:3) consider it is time to return to implementing ‘real EBP’, where person-centred care is the priority, and health professionals and their patients ‘are free to make appropriate care decisions that may not match what best evidence seems to suggest’. Nonetheless, researchers including McSherry et al (2002) , Epstein (2009) and Nevo and Slonim-Nevo (2011) have proposed an alternative, holistic approach to the application of evidence into practice, termed evidence-informed practice (EIP).

Journey towards evidence-informed practice

The problems with the uptake and effective implementation of EBP led to the emergence of the EIP concept. This concept is based on the premise that healthcare practice should, as a matter of principle, be informed by, rather than based on, evidence ( Nevo and Slonim-Nevo, 2011 ). This implies that other forms of evidence (for example, patient experiences, the nurse's expertise and experiences), not just the ‘research evidence’, should be considered in applying evidence in practice.

McSherry et al (2002) defined EIP as the assimilation of professional judgment and research evidence regarding the efficiency of interventions. This definition was further elaborated as an approach to patient care where:

‘Practitioners are encouraged to be knowledgeable about findings coming from all types of studies and to use them in an integrative manner, taking into consideration clinical experience and judgment, clients' preferences and values, and context of the interventions.’

Nevo and Slonim-Nevo (2011:18)

It has been over two decades since EIP emerged in the literature, however, primary research on the concept has been limited. Hence, although the term EIP has gained momentum in recent times, the methods needed to implement it effectively are not widely known ( McSherry, 2007 ; Woodbury and Kuhnke, 2014 ). While some proponents of EIP (eg Epstein 2011 ; Webber and Carr 2015 ) have identified significant differences between EBP and EIP, most researchers (eg Ciliska, 2012 ; Shlonsky and Mildon, 2014 ) have used the terms interchangeably.

Ciliska (2012) , for instance, developed an evidence-informed decision making (EIDM) module, but referred to the steps of EBP (ie Ask, Acquire, Appraise, Integrate, Adapt, Apply, Analyse) as the processes to be followed in implementing EIDM. Ciliska (2012) explained that the term EIDM was adopted to signify that other types of evidence are useful in clinical decision-making and to attempt to get beyond the criticisms of EBP. This notwithstanding, the author maintained the existing process for implementing EBP. Similarly, Shlonsky and Mildon (2014) used the terms EBP and EIP interchangeably, as they consistently referred to an EBP approach as EIP. Examples include referring to the steps of EBP as ‘the steps of EIP’ ( Shlonsky and Mildon, 2014:3 ) and referring to Haynes et al's (2002) expanded EBP model as a ‘revised EIP model’ ( Shlonsky and Mildon, 2014:2 ).

Another term that is often used interchangeably with EIP is ‘knowledge translation’. This term has been explored extensively. For example, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) has adopted knowledge translation to signify the use of high-quality research evidence to make informed decisions ( Straus et al, 2009 ). The CIHR ( Graham et al, 2006 ) developed a ‘knowledge to action’ model intended to integrate the creation and application of knowledge. The model acknowledges the non-linear process of applying evidence in practice, where each stage is influenced by the next, as well as the preceding, stage. In a typical clinical setting, the actual process of applying evidence in practice is not linear, as acknowledged by the proponents of EBP, but cyclical and interdependent. Ciliska (2012) linked Graham et al's (2006) model to the components of evidence-informed decision-making. According to Ciliska (2012:7) , the knowledge-to-action model ‘fits with the steps of evidence-informed decision-making’. However, like EBP, the term ‘knowledge translation’, differs significantly from the EIP concept because it focuses on the ‘research evidence’ in decision-making.

The apparent confusion surrounding EIP is due to inadequate information about its components and the methods involved in implementing the concept. To foster a culture of EIP among health professionals, they must first be made aware of the actual components of the concept and the strategies involved in its successful implementation. The following section uses case scenarios to provide a description of the factors and elements of the EIP model and defines how it facilitates the application of evidence into clinical nursing practice.

Systems thinking

The clinical setting within which nurses work is a complex system made up of several interdependent and inter-related parts. Problems with healthcare delivery and management must therefore be perceived as a consequence of the exchanges between elements of the systems, instead of an outcome or the malfunctioning of a particular element. This, McSherry and Warr (2010) , have referred to as ‘systems thinking’.

Effective implementation of EIP demands an understanding of the various parts of the system that come together to aid the application of evidence in practice.

The evidence-informed practice model

The original model.

The earliest version of the evidence-informed practice model is depicted in Figure 1 . This was developed specifically for nurses and was originally named ‘the evidence-informed nursing model’. The model presented in Figure 1 was developed through PhD research conducted by Robert McSherry (2007) , with the aim to explore, through a mixed-methods study design, why the use of research as evidence in support of clinical nursing practice remains problematic. Study participants were registered nurses practising in a hospital trust located in north-east England.

The results of McSherry's (2007) study showed that, to effectively apply evidence in clinical nursing practice, nurses needed to be informed of, and be able to interact with, several key elements. The evidence-informed nursing model was developed as an alternative framework for facilitating the application of evidence in clinical nursing practice and was grounded in the principles and practices of systems thinking. This is because, primarily, the model provided an integrated process to applying evidence into practice, consisting of:

• A clearly defined input; to encourage nurses to use evidence in practice
• Throughput; facilitation of the processes associated with the elements
• Output; improved standards of professional practice

The revised model

The evidence-informed nursing model has been adapted to the evidence-informed practice model. The new model ( Figure 2 ) is adapted in several ways. First, it has been modified to be all-inclusive, so it could be applied to any health profession. Second, the model has been simplified to show the interconnectedness of the various factors and elements that enable a professional to use evidence in support of their clinical decision-making. Third, the model demonstrates the ongoing complexity that health professionals find themselves working in, in the quest to apply evidence to clinical practice. Last, the EIP model incorporates the principles and components of EBP, which is particularly evident in the EIP cycle (the throughput phase of the model).

The factors and elements of the EIP model ( Figure 2 ) are explored in more detail below with reference to two scenarios, which are used to apply the EIP model to clinical nursing practice within both a scientific and the wider context within which nursing care takes place.

The first factor of the EIP model is ‘Factor 1. Drivers for evidence-informed practice’ ( Figure 2 ). In order for nurses to enhance patient care and experiences, along with improving their knowledge and skills of the patient's condition and associated signs and symptoms, they need to be aware of what EIP is, what it involves, and the principles required to make it happen. Applying the scenarios, it is essential that the nurse understands and can identify the key elements that drive successful implementation of the EIP concept. This is referred to as the drivers for EIP, which are illustrated in Figure 3 and discussed below.

Drivers for EIP

Staff selection.

Recruiting, interviewing and redeploying existing staff or hiring new staff are part of the staff selection process ( Dill and Shera, 2012 ). The importance of this driver is to identify personnel who qualify to implement the EIP programme or model. Additionally, it aims at selecting individuals within the organisation (for example coaches, supervisors, and trainers), who will ensure that the required organisational changes to support nurses in the effective implementation of EIP are done.

In-service training or pre-service

Training on EIP programmes involves activities that are related to offering instruction, providing specialist information or skills development in a structured manner to nurses and other key healthcare staff involved in the EIP programme. Nurses, as well as other members of staff, must learn when, how, where, and with whom to use new approaches and skills in applying evidence to practice ( Metz et al, 2007 ).

Coaching, supervision and mentoring

The coaching and mentoring approach enables new skills to be introduced to nurses on the ward with the support of a coach. The duty of a coach is to offer expert information and support, together with encouragement, opportunities and advice to practise and apply skills that are specific to the EIP programme. Effective implementation of human service interventions (such as EIP) requires changes in behaviour at administrative, supervisory and practitioner levels ( Dill and Shera, 2012 ). Coaching and mentoring are the main ways to bring about a change in behaviour for staff who have been successfully involved in the beginning stage of the implementation process and throughout the life of the EIP programme.

Systems-level partnership

This refers to the improvement of partnerships with the broader and immediate systems to ensure access to required funds, and institutional and human resources necessary to support nurses' work. The immediate systems-level partnership refers to working with individuals or organisations that directly influence healthcare delivery (for example, nurses and doctors).

Partnerships within the broader system, on the other hand, refer to policymakers, funders or other organisations that may support the EIP programme, but are not directly involved in delivering health care. A variety of activities may be conducted as part of the development of systems-level partnerships to aid the implementation of EIP. These may include fundraising activities to support the implementation of EIP programmes, as well as the use of external coaches and consultants to assist with mentoring, technical assistance and training on an ongoing basis.

Internal management support

This involves activities that are associated with establishing processes and structures within an EIP programme to enhance effective implementation of the programme. This is necessary in order to inform healthcare decision-making as well as keep staff organised and focussed on desired care outcomes ( Fixsen et al, 2005 ). Instances of internal management support include the formation of institutional structures and processes, the allocation of resources to support selection of suitable staff, and administrative support for efficient training.

Staff performance and programme evaluation

This involves evaluation of staff performance and the overall EIP programme to determine whether the objectives of the programme have been achieved. To do this effectively, it is important to evaluate the outcomes of the above-defined drivers, in particular, staff selection, in-service training, as well as coaching and mentoring. This will offer managers and stakeholders insight about the effectiveness of staff selection, training, and mentoring in facilitating the application of evidence into clinical practice ( Dill and Shera, 2012 ).

Elements of the EIP model

The first element of the EIP model is professional accountability, depicted as an ‘input’ in Figure 2 . This is an essential part of a nurse's roles and responsibilities and is reaffirmed in the nursing Code ( Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2018 ) of professional practice, the contract of employment and job description. In both case scenarios involving Mitchell and Yvonne ( Box 1 ), professional accountability is evident on several fronts: the nurse must establish a caring, compassionate and therapeutic relationship with the patients by involving and engaging them in shared decision-making regarding all aspects of their care, treatments, and interventions; the nurse is accountable and answerable to the patient and his or her professional colleagues throughout the patient's journey.

Box 1.Patient scenariosScenario 1Yvonne, aged 31, is admitted to the emergency medical unit following a visit to her GP for a non-healing wound to her right big toe. The GP also reported that Yvonne has had a recurring sore throat, extreme tiredness and a low white blood cell count.The GP requested an urgent investigation of these symptoms. Yvonne was placed in a side room for precaution.Scenario 2Mitchell, aged 58, arrives in the emergency department complaining of severe chest pain. He is diaphoretic (sweating excessively) and says his pain is radiating down his left arm and up into his jaw, and he adds that he feels nauseated. A few minutes after admission, he suffers a cardiac arrest.He is resuscitated and transferred to the intensive care unit. He is intubated, is placed on a ventilator and has a central line catheter in place.

Throughput: the evidence-informed practice cycle

The EIP cycle (located in the ‘throughput’ of Figure 2 ) involves the processes or methods through which nurses apply evidence in support of their decision-making in clinical nursing practice. This often occurs in a clinical nursing environment that is complex, constantly changing, and involves numerous members of the multidisciplinary team, patients and their family. Effective communication (verbal and written) is essential for ensuring that the various elements are interchanging, interconnecting and communicating between, and with, each other. For example, the case of Yvonne in scenario 1 ( Box 1 ) can be used as an example to underline the importance of good communication. It is important to explain to the patient and her family the reason for nursing her in a side room rather than the main ward. In this situation, avoiding and preventing cross-infection is essential to safeguard Yvonne from harm.

To ensure the EIP cycle proceeds effectively requires that the nurse (the health professional) acts as the conduit for the interplay between the different elements of the model (ie Element 2: informed decision-making; Element 3: research awareness; Element 4: application of knowledge; and Element 5: evaluation). These elements will be further explored.

Element 2. Informed decision-making

This involves two-way communication between the nurse and the patient(s), and is critical in ensuring there is a robust relationship (honesty, openness, transparency) founded on the principles of person-centred care ( McSherry and Warr, 2010 ). It reaffirms the ethical principle of a patient's right to make an informed decision about what is suitable for them, and takes into account their beliefs, values, priorities and personal circumstances. In case scenario 2, applying the EIP model, the critical care nurse will be expected to involve Mitchell's (the patient's) relatives, medical staff and other members of the healthcare team in making decisions about, for example, ventilator management and care of the central line catheter. However, decision-making in an intensive care unit can be complex, and some of the decisions may involve the nurse only. Similarly, applying the EIP model in case scenario 1, the nurse will be expected to communicate with the patient (Yvonne), carers and colleagues about the importance of hand hygiene, wound care and the importance of using precautions to avoid hospital-acquired infections when caring for the patient.

In both case scenarios, the nurse must endeavour to involve the patient/family members in the process of decision-making by providing them with timely, appropriate and relevant information needed to make often complex and life-changing decisions.

Element 3. Research awareness

This element refers to motivating practitioners to acquire skills and knowledge, as well as to conceptualise what research and evidence involves and the significance they have in improving standards of healthcare practice ( McSherry et al, 2006 ). Research awareness is reliant on the nurse's attitudes towards research, the acquisition of knowledge and confidence about the value of research to practice, and on having supportive managers and colleagues.

This element of the EIP cycle, contained within the model, incorporates three of the steps (Research awareness) of EBP: ask a clinical question, search the literature for research evidence to answer the question, and critically appraise the evidence obtained). Although the nurse is not required to be a researcher to implement the EIP model effectively, they must be knowledgeable about relevant databases and search engines (such as Medline and Google), as well as critical appraisal tools, in order to be able to include high-quality research evidence when making patient care decisions.

However, the EIP model acknowledges the fact that research evidence may not always be readily available, and nurses may not have the necessary hardware and software in the care environment to enable them to search for research evidence. Hence, recommendations by Greenhalgh et al (2014) led to inclusion, within the EIP model, of nurses as critical thinkers and doers which, therefore, allows them to make appropriate care decisions based on patient preferences and actions, the clinical state, clinical setting and circumstances, and advocates that nurses apply their own knowledge, expertise and clinical experiences in clinical decision-making, which may not necessarily match what the research evidence seems to suggest.

With reference to scenario 2 (and similarly for scenario 1), to adhere to the EIP model the nurse would take the following steps:

• Update his/her knowledge about Mitchell's clinical presentation
• Search Medline for research evidence on ‘chest pain’, and ‘cardiac arrest’ and its associated symptoms. Based on the number of articles obtained, the nurse reads the titles and abstracts, and then, the full text of selected articles to exclude irrelevant articles. The remaining articles are then critically appraised to include the best research evidence in patient care decisions.

In situations where the above steps are not possible, the model advocates that the nurse endeavours to make the best care decisions possible based on patient preferences, clinical state, context and circumstances, and the nurse's own expertise and experience, as well as the experience of the patient and family members where possible.

Element 4. Application of knowledge

This is a complex element that requires the gathering and assimilation of various sources of information, evidence, quality and standards, and policy and guidance, to support the nurse's decision-making in clinical practice. In relation to both scenarios, the nurse would need to:

• Apply knowledge acquired from the patients (Mitchell and Yvonne), along with information from their relatives
• Apply evidence from reviewing the findings from research
• Take into account information gleaned from engaging with the multidisciplinary team
• Ensure they follow recommended local and national guidance and policy on the management of each patient's condition.

It is imperative that the nurse is experienced, knowledgeable, and competent in order to make the most appropriate care decisions together with the patient, the family and the wider multidisciplinary team. To do this effectively, the nurse requires certain personal attributes, it is also important for the organisation within which the nurse works to have specific institutional characteristics. Institutional features include culture, education and training, and workload/skill mix, whereas personal characteristics include improved confidence, attitude, understanding and behaviour towards the application of evidence into practice.

Element 5. Evaluation

This element of the EIP cycle within the model measures the effects of decision-making and actions of the nurse on care outcomes and in creating an optimal care environment. In both scenarios, the nurse would need to periodically evaluate specific processes and outcomes of care. For example, with regards to scenario 2, this would include:

• Monitoring how Mitchell is performing on the ventilator
• Taking the necessary infection prevention precautions to avoid the development of infections related to the insertion of a central line and transmission of hospital-acquired infection
• Monitoring improvement in Mitchell's general wellbeing.

Depending on the outcome of the evaluation, Mitchell's care plan would be either revised or continued.

Element 6. Conditions affecting research utilisation

Research utilisation involves critically appraising research findings, disseminating, and using the knowledge obtained from research to cause changes in an existing healthcare practice ( Titler et al, 1994 ). The conditions that affect research utilisation are grouped into five domains ( Wang et al, 2013 ):

• The process involved in utilising research findings
• Accessibility to research
• The quality of research
• The knowledge and attitudes of the nurse (health professional) regarding the use of research findings
• The organisation within which the findings of research are to be implemented.

In the two scenarios ( Box 1 ), the nurse needs to be aware of the potential barriers to research utilisation and identify ways to overcome these in order to effectively apply evidence to healthcare practice. In addition, the clinical environment within which nurses work must provide sufficient support in order to enhance the effective and consistent application of evidence to practice. Nurses must be supported to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to practise safely (ie competently and confidently). In addition, the resources necessary to obtain research evidence, such as IT (computers and internet), must be readily available in the clinical setting for easy access to information.

Factor 2 (Output). Critical thinker and doer, the professional nurse

To ensure that nurses inform their decisions with the best available evidence, it is imperative that they have a sound understanding and knowledge of what constitutes the EIP model ( Figure 2 ). Successfully engaging with the various factors and elements of this model will lead to the desired outcome—that of a professional who is a critical thinker and doer, a professional nurse who, as argued by Brechin (2000:44) , is ‘knowledgeable and skilled, yet welcomes alternative ideas and belief systems, appreciating and respecting alternative views’. In this context, it is about creating a caring and compassionate environment in which excellence in nursing practice occurs. This can only be exemplified by ensuring that decisions and actions are based on the best available evidence.

The benefits of the EIP model for the nurse, patient and family are that it simplifies a highly complex series of systems and processes pertaining to how evidence is used to support decisions made in clinical practice. The EIP model simply illustrates the why, the how and the sequencing of getting evidence into clinical practice. It also complements the evidence-based movement by offering a holistic systems-based approach to facilitating the application of evidence into clinical practice.

EIP is a holistic integrated approach to applying evidence into practice, which incorporates the steps of EBP within its system and processes. In other words, EBP is a subset of the EIP model, made explicit within the EIP cycle. Thus, EIP is neither an alternative to, nor a replacement for, EBP. The EIP model provides a framework for nurses (indeed all health practitioners) to deliver clinically effective care and enable them to justify the processes used and the service provided by referring to reliable evidence. Using two scenarios, this article demonstrated how the EIP model can be applied to clinical nursing practice. Future initiatives should focus on developing EIP educational interventions and determining the effects of such interventions on healthcare students' knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the application of evidence to practice.

• Two main concepts have been associated with the application of evidence into practice: evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence-informed practice (EIP)
• The main feature that distinguishes EIP from EBP is the processes used in implementing the concepts
• EIP provides the mechanisms or processes to follow in implementing EBP
• EIP is not a substitute or replacement for EBP. EIP is an integrated approach to applying evidence to practice, which incorporates the steps of EBP in its processes

CPD reflective questions

• Make a list of the challenges you encounter in implementing EBP
• Use the same list and indicate how these challenges prevent you from using evidence to support your nursing clinical decisions and actions in practice
• How does viewing health and healthcare delivery as a complex system impact on your patient care?
• Make a list of the drivers that are encouraging you to support your clinical nursing decisions and actions with evidence
• Using your own experience to date and the information presented in the text, make a list of why and how you think evidence-informed practice forms part of your professional accountability and professional registration

Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Childhood Obesity — Importance Of Good Health

Importance of Good Health

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

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Essay on Importance of Sports for Students and Children

500+ words essay on importance of sports.

First of all, Sport refers to an activity involving physical activity and skill . Here, two or more parties compete against each other. Sports are an integral part of human life and there is great importance of sports in all spheres of life. Furthermore, Sports help build the character and personality of a person. It certainly is an excellent tool to keep the body physically fit. Most noteworthy, the benefits of Sports are so many that books can be written.  Sports have a massive positive effect on both the mind and body.

Physical Benefits of Sports

First of all, Sports strengthen the heart. Regular Sports certainly make the heart stronger. Hence, Sport is an excellent preventive measure against heart diseases . This certainly increases the life expectancy of individuals. Furthermore, a healthy heart means a healthy blood pressure.

Sports involve physical activity of the body. Due to this physical activity, blood vessels remain clean. Sports reduces the amount of cholesterol and fats in the body. This happens because of the increase of flexibility of the wall of the blood vessels. The flexibility increases due to physical exertion, which is the result of Sports.

Furthermore, the sugar level in blood also gets lower thanks to Sports. The sugar certainly does not accumulate in the blood due to physical activity.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

A person experiences a good quality of breathing because of Sports. Sports strengthen the lungs of the body. Sports certainly escalate the lung capacity and efficiency of the body. Hence, more oxygen enters the blood which is extremely beneficial. Furthermore, there are fewer chances of developing lung diseases due to Sports.

Appropriate body weight is easy to maintain because of sports. A Sports playing person probably does not suffer from obesity or underweight problems. Sports certainly help the body remain fit and slim.

Furthermore, Sports also improves the quality of bones. A person who plays sports will have strong bones even in old age. Several scientific research reports that Sports prevent many diseases. For example, many researchers conclude that Sports prevent the development of cancer.

Other Benefits of Sports

Sport is certainly an excellent tool to build self-confidence . Playing Sports increases confidence to talk properly. A sport certainly improves the skills of communicating with others. Furthermore, the person experiences confidence in sitting, standing, and walking properly. Hence, Sports enriches the social life of an individual.

Sports bring discipline in life. It certainly teaches the values of dedication and patience. Sports also teach people how to handle failure. Furthermore, the importance of following a time schedule is also present in Sports.

Above all, Sports improves the thinking ability of individuals. Sports certainly sharpen the mind. Children who play Sports probably perform better at exams than those who don’t.

Finally, Sports reduces the stress of mind . A Sports playing person would certainly experience less depression. Sports ensure the peace of mind of those playing it. Most noteworthy, Sports brings happiness and joy in the life of individuals.

A sport is an aspect of human life that is of paramount importance. It certainly increases the quality of human life. Sports must be made mandatory in schools. This is because it is as important as education. Everyone must perform at least one Sport activity on a regular basis.

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Indian Navy Agniveer MR Sample Paper 2024, Download PDF

Indian navy agniveer mr sample paper 2024: download the navy agniveer mr sample question papers pdf for the written exam. the candidates must solve the sample paper to understand the pattern and the difficulty level of the exam..

Navy Agniveer MR Sample Paper 2024: The Indian Navy has released the Agniveer MR (Matric Recruits) sample question paper for the written exam for the Agniveer 02/2024 batch on the official website. Interested candidates must check the latest sample paper to prepare an exam-oriented strategy and proceed accordingly.

Also Check,

Navy Agniveer MR Syllabus 2024

Navy Agniveer SSR Syllabus 2024

Indian Navy Agniveer Salary 2024

Indian Navy Agniveer SSR Sample Paper 2024

With this, they should also check the Agniveer exam pattern to get an idea of the question structure, marking scheme, and other requirements. This will help candidates cover all the aspects of the syllabus and boost their qualifying chances in the exam.

Indian Navy Agniveer MR Sample Paper 2024 PDF Download

How to download indian navy agniveer mr sample paper pdf.

• Step 1: Visit the official website- joinindiannavy.gov.in
• Step 2: Select the ‘Careers’ option and click on Agniveer MR.
• Step 3: Scroll down to the ‘Sample Papers’ and click on it
• Step 4: Download the sample question paper PDF.

Indian Navy Agniveer MR Exam Pattern 

Importance of solving navy agniveer mr sample question paper pdf..

• It provides valuable insight into the exam pattern, question types, and difficulty level of the exam.
• Solving sample papers helps the candidates familiarize themselves with the exam format.
• It helps the candidates to identify their strengths and weaknesses in various topics.
• It aids in refining study plans and focusing on areas that need improvement. 
• Practising sample paper simulates the candidates with the exam environment, making them more comfortable on the actual test day.

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