When it comes to writing essays, college students have no choice but to deliver their best work. Academic tasks come in different types with diverse writing and formatting requirements. The common thing is that all these tasks account for a considerable portion of the student’s grade. So, if you have been assigned an essay assignment and are unsure how to proceed, don’t panic. Here are sure ways to create an essay that will impress your college professor.
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Read and Understand the Requirement
This is the most basic guideline you can get on how to begin your college-level writing. Each task you are assigned for college will come with strict requirements outlining what is to be achieved. The prompt will also contain information on deadlines, formatting, word count, and citations. The instructions outline what your professor wants, meaning you cannot get a good grade until you have internalized it.
So, before writing your essay, spend some time interrogating the instructions. Ask yourself what the project wants you to do. If needed, break down lengthy and complex instructions into more manageable parts. If you need further clarification, don’t hesitate to reach out to your professor. If you need assistance, engage a professional essay writing service.
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Create an Interesting Topic
One of the most important things in academic essay writing is topic selection. Often professors allow students room to pick creative topics on which to base their essays. But, of course, your choice will be governed by strict guidelines outlined in the assignment prompt. So choose your topic wisely, remembering that your selection will determine the depth and extent of your analysis.
For the best topic, base your choice on a clear understanding of the prompt and the project instructions. Also, use a topic that you find interesting since you will spend considerable time working on the task. Also, make sure your selection is narrow enough to be completed within the scope of the project. Finally, you may need to do some preliminary research before settling on a topic. This will allow you to consider options and review the availability of evidence and examples to support your claims.
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Create a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is a couple of sentences at the end of the introduction that summarizes your main points and prepares readers for the discussion to follow. Understand that the thesis will look different based on the type and nature of your paper. That said, every thesis should clearly state the main idea presented in the text. Every aspect of your essay should then relate to the thesis.
A great thesis statement should be concise, presenting your view in as few words as possible. It should also be contentious, meaning that it shouldn’t be something everyone already agrees with. Instead, create a thesis that offers room for discussion by making a claim that needs further analysis, examples, and evidence. Most importantly, your thesis should be coherent and easily comprehensible.
At this stage of your writing, you should create a working thesis. This is a tentative thesis that can be improved as you encounter more evidence through research. The more you interact with your topic and find more information, the better your thesis statement will get. But, for now, the working thesis should be formulated to guide your research and direct your writing.
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Brainstorm and Outline
Outlining is the next critical phase in getting to write a great essay. This is the process of generating and writing down points that will form the main parts of your essay. An outline saves you time and makes the writing process relatively more effective. In addition, it ensures that you stay within the scope of the assignment and do not stray. To create an outline, start with a short brainstorming session. It means thinking about the topic and writing down whatever comes to mind. You can then refine your ideas further through preliminary research in readiness for the writing process.
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Research and Write Your Paper
Once you have an outline to guide you, go about the process of collecting data for your essay and organizing your evidence. You can consult multiple sources, only using relevant, credible, and authoritative evidence. Make sure to record bibliographic information to help with your citations.
When writing your academic essay, understand that the first draft will need to be revised multiple times before it is ready for submission. It means that once you have presented your ideas, you will need to edit and proofread your writing for typos, content, and grammar mistakes. Make sure to open your writing with an interesting introduction and end with a comprehensive conclusion. If needed, ask someone to help review your writing before you send it to your professor.