OMG Academic English is Essential!
The day that it is allowed to compose a formal paper, letter, note, etc. with the use of SMS language such as LOL, OMG, or WTF, will mark a sad day in our society. As someone who has never used SMS language in any form, I cringe seeing it in text messages and on social media sites, and would be appalled to see it in anything other than that. It is for this reason that it is important that we study academic English.
It is important for us to learn academic English so that we know how to conduct ourselves in a professional setting. There is a right way and a wrong way in which you are expected to present yourself in a professional setting, and the usage of proper academic English is the best way to establish this precedent. We are all attending an institution of higher learning for the purpose of getting a job. Can you imagine LOL’ing or OMG’ing your way through your resume or interview even? It would be insulting to the company that is looking to hire you, and even more insulting to yourself. If you are taking yourself seriously as a student, which it is presumed we all are considering we are furthering our education, you should not want to stoop to such a low level of communicating, but rather show off your knowledge that you are acquiring. Having a background in finance, I have spent whole classes solely on the idea of how to formally communicate in a professional setting, and how to send a formal e-mail, and the idea of using SMS language was laughed upon by the professionals who lectured us.
The question I would like to pose is when do you get too old to use this SMS form of language. While I certainly would not categorize myself as old being 25, but I would certainly have to re-examine my level as I would that of my peers if I were to be using this childish form of communication.
