How to Write an Excellent Essay in College

Updated on April 7, 2022
Person Sitting in Front of the Laptop Computer

Introduction

For most college students, writing an essay is a strenuous endeavor to undertake. Essays in college are a chance for students to showcase their critical thinking and academic success in each of their classes. Whether it is for a class, contest, or to apply for a scholarship, it is overwhelming. Most of them have no idea where to start when it comes to how to write a college essay, making the entire process dreadful. While the assignment follows a long process to complete, students can follow these steps so they can manage to write an excellent essay. 

Get organized

The first step in composing a college essay or research paper finding out what you need to do. Depending on the college you are attending, you will find that they have outlined their writing requirements on the school’s App. So, get access to such an app or the school’s website and find out the type of essays you need to write. Such information is vital in this process as it will help you plan how you will tackle each piece. Also, it reduces your workload as you get to figure out whether you can use the prompt for one essay on another. The best research paper you can order from the best custom essay writing service.

Read carefully and understand your essay prompt

The second step and perhaps the most important one is understanding the instructions for your essay. The easiest way to understand the prompt is by breaking it down into two, according to Unigo. The first part is discerning what the prompt is asking straight. In this part, you need to read the instructions and identify the topic of your essay and how long it should be. In the second part, you try to figure out what the guidelines are asking you indirectly. For example, what the essay needs you to do, such as analyze, explain, or compare and contrast. Once you answer these questions, you can begin your essay. 

Compile your sources and evidence

Assorted Books on Shelf

To write the best college essay, you need to support your facts with evidence, and what better way of doing so than collecting sources with information relevant to your writing. Visit the library and go through books and look through the internet for official websites and articles. Make use of different types of sources. One is primary sources such as a poem you are writing about or the piece you are analyzing. Two are secondary sources that include books, peer-reviewed journals, and scholarly articles. Your school library and academic databases should be the ideal place to carry out this step so, utilize them. You can also get help at Custom Essay Meister.

Brainstorm and identify a topic

The next step is brainstorming topic ideas for your essay. It will be one of the most strenuous of all in this process. You have to come up with many ideas and narrow them down to one. With the help of ReumeThatWorks, you can approach this process in various ways. First, know that what matters when it comes to a topic is what you feel about it. As, if you love it, you produce an exciting and well-researched paper. Second, do not write the first idea that pops into your head as they are not always the best. So, note them down and narrow them to one that relates to your instructions.

Come up with a clear thesis statement

After selecting your topic and assembling your research materials, it is time to come up with a thesis statement. It is a sentence that outlines the central idea of your writing, according to Fast web. You will include this statement at the end of your introductory paragraph, and it needs to have two parts. The first part identifies your topic, while the second outlines the aim of the essay. A sample college paper thesis includes, “The advancement of technology has had negative impacts on the socialization of teenagers.” 

Create an outline

Just as an architect needs a blueprint of the structure they are building, you also need a plan of how to tackle your essay. An outline acts as a map for your essay, guiding you on how to say what you have developed in your topic. An excellent article should have a beginning, middle, and end. Therefore, your essay should have an introduction, the body of the paper, and a closing paragraph. The introduction should introduce your topic and outline the thesis statement. The body should comprise of three sections containing points in support of the thesis and examples. The conclusion should sum up the discussion.

Write a draft

Once you are sure of how your essay should look like thanks to the outline, begin writing the essay. Tell your story from the introduction and follow it up with an exploration of your main argument. Have a narrow focus on your topic and present specific ideas and examples. Another point to note when determining how to write a personal essay is being you. College admission officers read a lot of college applications essay; therefore, they can tell when you are making things up. So, provide your accurate account of the facts. 

Proofread

Once you complete your first draft, this is the point where you make it perfect through proofreading. Begin by going through it and assess the overall structure. Ensure that you have used the correct format and that your main point appears first on the discussion. Next, read through your work and see whether it flows in a smooth manner. Check for grammar, punctuation, or spelling mistakes, and make the necessary corrections. Also, make sure the overall word count meets the specification of the essay. You can utilize computer applications such as Grammarly and Hemmingway, among others, which will make proofing easier. However, they should not be all you rely on as your eyes can do a better job of reviewing it.

Revisit and finalize your draft.

As described by experts at Edujungles professional writing service where they can write my essay for me, proofreading your work one time does not mean that you have exhausted all the corrections. So, take some time away from your essay for like hours or the whole day. Revisit your work the following day, go through it once again, and identify any errors that need correcting. If you need further help, ask your friend to read your work and make the necessary changes. Once you do all the corrections, it is time to finalize your work. Include your name, the subject, and the professor’s name. Once you have done this, send it in. 

Conclusion

Writing essays in college can be challenging for students, despite their learning level. You need excellent writing skills and a commitment to succeed in such an assignment. While even reading college essay examples may seem hopeless to you, do not give up. These writing steps will make the process easier, and in no time, you will be on top of the essay writing game.

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