How To Write a Great Essay? A Comprehensive Guide for College Students
In college, you’ll have to write different types of essays, some of them will be easy, some – won’t. But before you choose to delegate this part to a college essay writing service , try to do it yourself with these simple steps. They can be applied when writing any essay type, and even if you don’t have a way with words, this guide will help you produce a decent output.
For starters:
Think Through the Topic
In essay writing, a good understanding of the issue is half of success. But however unreasonable it is, students often rush to start writing before they actually know what they should write about. And this, my friend, may negate all the further work you do.
Therefore, start your essay by figuring out all the ins and outs of the topic. If it has been defined by your professor, ask him to clarify all the details, and find out what you’re expected to say.
If there’s an individual choice, make sure you pick the issue you are genuinely interested in and understand fully and well. Writing about something you have no interest in is quite the challenge!
Brainstorm for the Ideas
Once you get it right, it’s time to find out what ideas you want to develop. Brainstorming is a common technique that will help you gather all your thoughts together and pick the most appropriate statements.
Take a pen and a paper – or your tablet/laptop – and start writing every idea that comesto your mind. Make sure you note everything – it’s not the time to censure yet. As soon as you’re done, you can filter your ideas and select the most appropriate ones for your essay.
Do Some Digging
As you know, evidence makes a good essay. So you want to make sure that you have enough of it, and that it’s relevant.
Depending on the essay type, the evidence you need may differ. An argumentative essay for one requires facts and figures so extensive research is a must for this type. However, if you’re to write a narrative essay, it’s time to retrospect a bit. Recall all the details that may explain why this event matters and will help you deliver the message.
Map Up a Plan
As soon as you have the necessary information, make sure you make up a detailed plan. While beginner writers sometimes try to skip this part to get down to the business sooner, they often waste a lot more time in the process unable to order ideas in their head.
This said never underestimate the power of planning. At this step, it’s crucial to outline the structure of the essay, arrange your thoughts, and decide upon the voice. Once you have a detailed and structured plan before you, writing will be a lot easier.
Write a Catchy Introduction Paragraph
An introduction is the face of your essay. It tells the reader what they should expect from your written piece, gives the idea about your point of view, and most importantly, urges them to continue reading.
But to reach these goals, you need to make your introduction paragraph clear, concise, and catchy enough to make the audience wonder what’s going to happen further. Commonly, 3 sentences are enough to meet these criteria, so use the space wisely.
Build Up the Body Part
The body is the part to unfold your ideas and provide evidence. Its main feature is a clear structure. An average essay body would have three paragraphs, where each develops a new argument. However, the number of paragraphs will largely depend on the essay size requirements (https://writing.ucdavis.edu/about/university-writing-requirements-college)set by your professor. The longer the essay is, the more arguments you will need to provide – and the more paragraphs you will include in the body.
Here, it’s important to ensure that your essay doesn’t turn into a boring list of facts and figures. To avoid that, include transition sentences and introductory phrases. This way, you’ll naturally connect the paragraphs with each other to reach the smooth flow of the narration.
Wrap Up With a Powerful Conclusion
The conclusion is the final part of your essay where you have to summarize everything said along the way. The main rule here is no new information. Don’t introduce any new facts or ideas, nor contradict yourself, doubt your point of view, or undermine your credibility.
Rather, remind the audience about your position, the arguments provided, and the evidence given. Explain what message you were trying to deliver and how they can respond to it. Is there any opinion they should adopt? Any actions they should take? Or perhaps, you want them to change something in their lives? Be confident and avoid ambiguity.
Revision
Once the essay is finished, don’t rush to submit it – even if you’re happy with the result. Careful revision is highly important, as your grade will depend on how “clean” your written piece is.
Read and check your work a few more times and correct mistakes and typos along the way.
Also, verify the structure and correct all the discrepancies in facts and logic if any. You don’t want to sound like you don’t know much about the issue.
Finally, double-check the wording. Perhaps, you come up with stronger words and phrases that would deliver the message more accurately. And when you’ve brushed up the essay, get down to the final step.
Ask a Friend for Feedback
Although optional, asking for feedback is a great idea. As this is how you can find out if your message reached the reader. Rehearse it with a friend or your family member and consider all the remarks they might have. Ask them to read the essay with a fresh eye; perhaps, they’ll notice a mistake you’ve missed. And once you get five stars here, it’s time to go grab your excellent grade.