Many students find it challenging to write their essays because of the mental stress and uncertainty they feel. They judge themselves harshly and suffer from impostor syndrome. They also fail to have a proper plan in place. Here are some tips for college students to write excellent essays:
Determining a Topic is the First and Most Important Step
You will want to take your time and brainstorm some ideas. You will need to have at least 3 to 4 ideas. Ideally, it is best to choose topics that you resonate with or enjoy discussing with other people. The topic you decide on will largely determine the quality of your essay. You will need to have a strong and well-informed opinion about the topic that you are writing on.
Chalk Out an Outline
Having an outline is the next important step. It will help you see the potential and visualize the final result of the essay. It will also help you be off to a quick start. You don’t want to be a perfectionist at this stage. Instead, it is best to let the words flow freely.
Editing Comes at a Later Stage
Many students are too hard on themselves in the initial stages of the writing process. It is vital for a student to learn how to shut off their inner critic in these stages. The focus should merely be on getting words out on the paper without worrying about the grammatical structure of the sentences, the word count, or overall essay structure.
Editing must always come in the final stages. This is when you get the opportunity to be a critic of your own work and polish it. Many experts recommend writing the introduction paragraph at the very end stage. You can read the essay out loud to see if it sounds right to your ears as well.
Avoid Quoting Too Many Works
You may become excited at the number of works you stumble upon that support your arguments or line of reasoning, and you may become tempted to quote plenty of them. Keep in mind that the people who will be reading your essay may be put off by this, as they will typically expect your personal words and analysis on the essay topic.
Conclude Gracefully
Your conclusion must be a proper summarization of your entire essay. You can also place a strong emphasis on certain ideas in the essay that you feel need to be paid more attention to. You can include a ‘call-to-action’ message in your conclusion paragraph as well.
Use a Plagiarism Checker
It is best to use a plagiarism checker in order to be on the safer side. You may have subconsciously borrowed certain things from articles that you may have read in the past. By ensuring that the plagiarism score is low, you can give your essay a fair chance to be read and considered seriously.