School can be hard and classes can get you all stressed out. There are a lot of reasons to feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Staying on top of your work can be extremely challenging, as it takes time, patience, and commitment. Besides the homework and daily assignments, there are all the term papers and academic essay tasks that you need to complete – and honestly, who has time for those too?
Even though the answer to the latter question might be “not me,” there is no way you can avoid these tasks. Refusing to do them will drop your grade drastically, as most professors require their students to develop excellent writing skills by the end of the course. So, I know writing essays can be a pain in the bum, but it could also be fun if you enjoy the “writing journey.” Here are some tips on how to write better essays!
Organize it Beforehand by Making an Outline
It is always a good idea to organize your paper beforehand. Laying out your main ideas can help with the content. An outline is a perfect way to keep your paper structured and well-defined. Here are some mini-tips:
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Write the summary of your introduction paragraph – what do you want your audience to know? What is that you want to demonstrate in your paper?
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Choose your thesis wisely. The thesis is the most important element in your essay. Without the right thesis, you don’t have the right arguments, and thus, the right content to prove your points.
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Pick your arguments – based on the afferent thesis, make sure you pick the right arguments. Have at least 4. A good essay has at least 3, so keep one argument as your back-up.
- Write a brief conclusion of your essay.
OK, now that you have an idea of what your essay is going to look like, let’s go on to the next steps.
Understand the Topic
As dumb as this might sound, a lot of students do not understand what they are writing about. They rush into making good arguments and “proving their points,” when in fact they have no idea what their points really are. Make sure you fully understand your topic. If you think you didn’t get it, don’t be ashamed to ask your professor about it. Shoot them a short e-mail! That’s all you need to do.
P.S. – writing an e-mail to your professor to ask for essay writing tips can be an extraordinary way to stand out in the classroom. It proves that you care about your assignment and that you are on top of your work.
Research
Part three is researching your topic well enough to have strong arguments. In the outline part, we talked about having structure – well, sorry to disappoint you, but that is not enough. It is essential indeed, but without a good content, a good structure does not matter.
Make sure you use professional websites and study cases for your research. Googling your topic and picking the results that fit your interests is not going to work in college. You must cite everything! Also, don’t plagiarize. Professors are smart enough to notice that. Or if you do, do it the right way.
Use the Right Words
Academic papers require academic vocabulary. You cannot write a paper like you are writing a Facebook post. Your ideas must flow graciously, and your content must look proficient. Do not use words that you don’t know! Use eloquent language, but don’t overdo it. Writing essays can be challenging anyways, you don’t have to add something even more challenging to it.
Write the Draft
OK, you’ve finished your outline, your vocabulary looks good, and you did your research. It’s time to write your first draft! Follow the outline that you’ve made and add content to it. You already know what you want to write about, now just fill in the gaps. The research should go in the blanks, and the developed arguments should make your essay stand out.
Keep it Objective
Even if you are just beginning to understand how to write better, you should still not use subjective perspectives within your paper. It shows a big lack of professionalism. Academic writing is strict and to the point. You have a well-defined thesis, very good arguments, and a goal you want to achieve (which is usually convincing the audience that you are right). Even if you might add a personal note to the essay, there is no need to intervene with very subjective claims.
Final Steps
You are almost done. Review your draft, proofread it, and give it out to your friends or family to read it. Take their feedback into consideration, write a second draft if needed, or stick to the final version. Review it again and submit it. You’re all set!
Conclusion
Learning how to write a good essay is not complicated, once you get the hang of the process. There are some easy steps you need to follow and you are good to go. Have fun with your essays! Until next time!
