How to write an academic essay
Plan. An effective and detailed plan is the foundation of any good essay. In fact, you should spend much, much more time planning an essay than writing it, so you’re left with a skeleton of your essay with all the key points and details. The writing process is about adding the substance to that skeleton with style, professionalism, and flourish. As planning is such a huge part of the writing process, it warrants its own guide, which I have written .
The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.
Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.
The Beginners Guide to Writing an Essay
3. Read the prompt and then dump every single idea that pops into your head immediately into a blank document. It is okay if it feels like a silly notion or something that holds little substance. Write it down still! Write down what words pop into your head, what a concept means to you, and what characters, ideas, thoughts, notions—anything that might be relevant—which you associate with the idea. Think about the topic from different perspectives. What would the question mean to you if you were five, fifty, if you lived in Victorian England, if you were a physicist, a chemist, a professional engineer—whatever feels pertinent to the subject matter. Be creative and hold nothing back. Don’t worry about being “right” or having good evidence for your musings at this stage.
Create a time schedule. Writing an essay is a mentally and creatively exhaustive process, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to write the full thing whilst maintaining the quality you’re capable of. You should aim to write about 1000 words a day, and certainly no more than 1,500, unless you’re on a time crunch. With a good plan in place this should only take 3-4 hours per day. After you’ve done your 1000 words of the day, just relax and leave the essay alone until tomorrow. Writing effectively can only be done by conserving creative energy. You should also leave a day or two to proofread and edit after the essay is written.
5. In another document, start writing out different variations of potential points that feel strong. Notice little threads of common themes that could be fleshed out to become a thesis statement. Draft a thesis that connects the strongest potential points. It does not need to be elegant by any means, but it will build a foundation for a stronger thesis when you’re writing.
2. Read the guidelines and the rubric very carefully. I like to try to find every instance in my notes, on OnQ, and in the syllabus where my professor spoke about the essay assignment. I also consolidate all the guidelines into my document into a checklist. It’s like I am Easter egg hunting for ways to understand how to do well on something!
How to Write an Essay: 4 Minute Step-by-step Guide
Do you want to develop your essay-writing skills? Pay attention to the same things your teacher will evaluate. The grades you get on your essays are important, but you can never improve your writing if they are the only things you consider. Focus on improving the overall structure of your essays—the thesis development, form, style, conventions, and support. Learning to master these five elements will cause your scores to soar!
Guide to Essay Writing: 5 Steps to Write an Outstanding Essay
Write the body. The body of the essay is everything in between your introduction and conclusion. Depending on the length of the piece, you should have 1, 2, 3, or more separate points that all help argue the value and legitimacy of your thesis statement (i.e. your overall argument) in different ways. Even at University level, the old PEA (Point-Evidence-Analysis) structure works wonders, and you can use it for each of your individual points. Point: One or two sentences describing the point you wish to make in this part of the essay. Evidence: A few sentences detailing the evidence for this point (this could be sources, anecdotes, novels, etc.). Analysis: This is the crux of the essay. Analyze how this evidence you have outlined demonstrates the point you said earlier. Be creative and assertive in your points – no “it could be said” or “it may be understood as” – be confident in your critical analysis skills. For many professors, analysis is the most important part of an essay, so put lots of time into getting your point across accessibly, succinctly, and creatively.
How can I learn to write good essays quickly
Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as early as the summer before your senior year when homework and extracurricular activities take up less time.
12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay
7. Omit anything in your arguments and the supporting points, including citations, that feel flimsy or useless. You want to make sure the structure of your essay is sturdy and well-supported, which will make the actual process of writing your first draft a lot easier. It’s tough to say goodbye to great ideas or novel insights, but if they don’t belong in the paper, they belong on the cutting room floor!