Essay writing is a critical skill for every middle school, high school, and college student. However, the approach to writing and its evaluation differ among school teachers and college professors. You will undoubtedly feel this as a freshman.
Nevertheless, you have a perfect opportunity to prepare yourself for college academic writing and make the transition smoother. With the help of , you can both get professional help and learn to write killing essays by yourself.
Here is a quick guide on what you should do.
Define the Type of Essay You Need to Write
There are lots of different types of essays you can be tasked with. It is critically important to understand exactly what you need to prepare. The approach will differ based on the goal of every writing assignment.
The most popular types of essays are the following:
- Narrative essay;
- Persuasive essay;
- Expository essay;
- Descriptive essay;
- Argumentative essay;
- Admission essay.
Each of them has its own logic and structure. Do not ignore the basic instructions for your writing assignment. Otherwise, you risk getting a lower grade even for the most grammatically impeccable essay.
Brainstorm Over the Topic
Whether you get to choose the topic for your essay or not, you need to . This will help you see clearly what you want to write about. Take notes of every association you have concerning the topic. Make sure you see how you can develop your argument into something solid and fact-checked.
This step is critical to making an engaging essay. No one wants to read vague and meaningless sentences. Instead, the more sense and evidence you put in your essay, the better the grade will be.
Conduct Your Research
Even if it feels like you are good at knowing what to write about, do bother to look up something more. At times, great ideas and interesting facts are just around the corner. Why not get to know them and take advantage of those in your writing?
The research will also help you list a few trusted sources to serve as a solid reference base for you. Academic writing does not exist without cross-referencing to the world’s best journal articles and books. Whatever your topic is, you’ll most likely need to regard certain academic papers to sound more confident.
Create an Outline
You may not be asked to submit an outline, but you should definitely treat it as a required part of your assignment. It helps you stay consistent in your work. Just drop a few lines helping you to see how you transition from one idea to another. List a few sentences showing how you intend to start your introduction and end your essay in a conclusion.
A thousand new ideas will hit upon you while writing. The outline will help you stay within a certain framework. You can adjust it but do so consciously and with a reason.
Write Your Essay
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When writing your essay, take your time. Do not hurry up too much because if you write just to match a word count, you will not come up with a whole, cohesive and clear essay.
Thus, make sure you have enough time for preparing as many pages as you need to write. Also, collect all your credible sources to have them at hand. Remember that writing is a creative process. Enjoy it, pick up the right words, and reach perfection.
Your text should send a powerful message to your readers. Make sure your text flows smoothly by using transition words. Logically connect different ideas and evaluate them critically. You do not need it to be just a collection of sounds.
Work on Your Thesis Statement
Everybody involved in academic writing knows how important a thesis statement is. This one sentence grabs the attention of a reader and tells what exactly a particular essay is about. Thus, writing it in a correct and catchy way is essential.
For this, turn to brainstorm. You should see clearly what it is that you want to prove or describe in your essay. If you can’t see it now, leave it until your essay is finalized. Sometimes, a good thesis statement is far easier to write when you see the whole text.
Check Your Grammar and Spelling
When you are done with writing, do not forget to use a grammar checker to correct your mistakes. No worries, mistakes are human. It is okay to make them, but it is also okay to edit.
Luckily, there are so many free grammar and spelling checkers now. Most of them are not only about technical errors but also about stylistic ones. You can get a valuable suggestion on how you can improve your text from an algorithm that recognizes the slightest mistake. You can literally test every your text several times to minimize the chance of making a mistake.
Use Plagiarism Checker
Never skip this step. Plagiarism is your worst enemy. It can literally unravel all your efforts in writing. This is the first thing your teacher does before even getting to read your work. It should also be the first thing you do once you’ve finished writing.
The Internet is full of . You can use those available for free or pay some money for a check.
The Last Tip: Proofread Your Text
Grammar and plagiarism checkers are not enough to make your essay submission-ready. You should proofread the text to see whether you’ve managed to keep your voice. Occasionally, you may wish to make some changes to wording and style. It is all good if you are sure it will make your essay better.
You can give your essay to your family member or a friend. A second opinion is actually even better. You’ll get a chance to see if another person reads your essay the same way you intend it to sound. If so, you are all good. If not, you have time to make some edits.
Writing is an art, and you can learn how to master this skill. Some are born gifted; others need to develop it. Yet, there is nothing that prevents you from writing great essays even as a freshman.