College is different than high school in a lot of ways. The biggest difference I've seen, as a current college sophomore, is how college assigns "homework" and "tests." In high school, it seemed that I completed a ton of pointless worksheets and projects. But in college, I've found that most of my assignments are centered around writing papers/an essay.
Writing papers isn't just something used for homework, though. I've had classes that replace midterms or final exams with writing a paper. There are tons of different types of papers: response papers, reflection papers, research papers....the list goes on.
There are tons of different types of papers: response papers, reflection papers, research papers....the list goes on. This blog post is meant to help you succeed in your college classes by sharing my top tips for writing a paper.
Preparing to Write
- If at all possible, do not start writing your essay the night before it's due. Your writing should be a process, and adding extra stress (like an approaching deadline) won't help you.
- Turn off all distractions when first approaching your essay. This means your phone + Netflix!
- Seek out a writing center or writing lab on your campus. Many colleges provide this service to students without them even knowing about it!
- Always make sure you completely understand the instructions/prompt. If you are unclear about anything, ask your professor/instructor in person or shoot them an email. Better safe than sorry!
- Keep a copy of the prompt or essay instructions close by you at all times when writing your paper.
- Refer back to the prompt when coming up with ideas for your paper, and ask yourself, "Is this information valuable and necessary to add?"
- Outline your essay before you start writing it with bullet points. What must you include in your essay to cover the entire prompt?
Writing the First Draft
- Make your introduction straight to the point. Adding unnecessary "fluff" (in most instances) distracts the reader from the purpose of the piece.
- Your thesis statement should come in the first paragraph of the essay, and be as distinctive as possible. This signals to the reader what your main point, or argument, is.
- Follow a consistent citation method if writing a research paper. Ask your professor if they prefer you to use a certain style.
- Never copy a quote from an outside source without a citation! This puts you at risk of plagiarism and looks very unprofessional.
- If you are going to be citing several sources, bookmark the website page so that you can easily find it when it comes time to write a bibliography. This will save time so you don't have to search the Internet for your source all over again.
- Develop your body paragraphs so that they constantly point back to your thesis and support your argument.
- Conclude your essay by quickly reviewing what you aimed to accomplish in your essay by referring back to your thesis (introductory paragraph.)
Editing Your Work
- Have someone outside of your class/course read your essay. See if the topic makes sense to them after reading your essay. What can you further explain or define?
- Read your essay aloud to yourself. Hearing the words you wrote will help you catch any grammatical errors or sentences that don't make sense.
- Attend your professor's office hours and ask them to do a read-over of your work so far. This is sometimes not permitted (if it's an exam or final), but a lot of the time, they will give you valuable advice. They are the ones that will be grading it, after all!
- Vary your sentence structure.
- Check and make sure that you are not switching in-between tenses in your writing. This can be confusing and cloud the essay.
- Use Grammarly when editing your essay. This free application installs in your computer's toolbar and will underline any mistakes, confused words, grammatical errors, etc. It's truly a lifesaver!
- Use Easybib.com to quickly and correctly cite your sources. Export your citations and make sure they are listed in your bibliography in alphabetical order!
Finalizing + Submitting Your Essay
- Add a cover page to your essay if necessary. (Ask your professor their preference.)
- Double-check that you have added page numbers.
- Add an original title to your essay. (Again, ask professor first.)
- Submit your essay on time to avoid point deductions.
After all of that, give yourself a pat on the back! Writing a college essay is not easy, but it gets easier and more rhythmic with practice and diligence.
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