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How to Write an Essay for College and University Effectively. The Advanced Guide to Improve your Essay Writing

Tags: essay write

Learn how to Write the perfect Essay with proven practical tips and techniques that will boost your results

 

University students can often find themselves at a loss when attempting to write the perfect academic essay. Not only has the universally accepted ‘ABC’ mark scheme vanished, only to been replaced with apparently random 70s, 60s and 40s, but the essays themselves demand far more from students than ever before.

If you’re a student who’s received a bad mark, you might be saying:

“I wrote good essays before, but am I not getting a first now?”

While you might initially put this struggle down to a new selection of classes, different environment or a deadly hangover. It could also be because you haven’t learnt all the techniques that’ll ensure you write an effective essay for university.

Fortunately we’ve compiled the best researched and comprehensive guide to how to write an essay. The actionable and proven tips will help you improve not only your essay writing, but also your concentration and your productivity.

 

Interrogate The Question

Okay, you’ve been set the essay question and you’re asking:

So now what?

Interrogate the question like a cop

Well holding your head in your hands and praying for an asteroid, isn’t going to help (or if it does it’ll wait until just after the deadline just to spite you).

So instead take the essay head on and look at exactly what you’re being asked. If you do a science or mathematics degree this is often fairly straightforward, but with all disciplines (especially the more creative) it’s important to challenge the essay questions with some of your own.

So ask:

  • Where/what is the argument or conversation?
  • What is expected of me in my answer?
  • What do I need to know?

 

Though these may initially seem like quite vague questions, university essays are rarely straightforward. This quick technique will help give you a strong foundation to work with, helping you to build your plan.

Here are 25 of the most extreme Uni questions, if you need practice with essay writing why not take a challenge and apply yourself to one of them.

 

Plan

Planning is essential  as it helps frame your argument, giving you a basic structure with clear goals. Try these proven techniques:

  • Mind-mapping is a great tool which can be used early in the planning stage to generate ideas. It is a good way to introduce new topics and ideas and a useful reference tool to go back to as you continue to write.
  • Using bullet points can help to break your essay down into its simplest form, giving a chronological list of topics to cover and ordered ideas. By bullet pointing each section, with indents, you can come up with a very strong outline. Filling in the sections later will feel like less work.
  • A bibliography/references are a collection of texts you use to write an essay. By coming up with this list before you start the essay you can educate yourself around a subject before condensing these ideas down. This will give yourself a clear idea of what you’re going to write and what information you’ll need to look out for. This technique is good to use at the start as it means you won’t have to cut and rewrite passages as you go.

 

Introduction and Conclusion

To start and end an essay without getting stressed is a skill worthy of praise alone, so congratulations if you’ve made it this far.

First answer the question: Do I know my ending argument and can I summarise my essay?

  1. If yes then you can start with your introduction, which should in some way begin a dialogue with the question or thesis (focussing on context or a first impression of what you’re being asked). You can also introduce your topic by presenting the challenges the question has posed.

 

Following this step, you can  write the conclusion which does much the same thing but additionally summarises key elements from your essay (this is easy if you have a detailed plan).

 

  1. If you can’t answer the question it probably means you don’t really know what you’re writing, so either go back to your plan and texts and figure out a structure, or skip the intro and start writing.

 

If you’re following this method, then leave the introduction till last and condense your conclusion after its finished. Ensure all the paragraphs link to your endpoint with a cohesive structure, which you can then set out in the introduction, which you’ll write last.

It helps to understand how you write best. Some essay writers need to think through in detail and plan before they can write. Others prefer to plan a little and write in a free flowing way and edit later. This can help to get over writer’s block.

 

Go for a walk

Thinking through your arguments for your essay is essential in order to get the top grades. Once you’ve finished your reading, it can be beneficial to get out from behind the desk and go for a walk.

Walking has been shown in robust research studies to aid thinking and concentration. On your walk you might view your argument from a different perspective or challenge some of the concepts in a more analytical way. At the very least, walking before writing your essay will boost oxygen to your brain, which will increase your thinking skills, concentration and focus.

And if you get stuck half way through your essay, again head outside to clear your mind. Nine times out of 10 you’ll have the solution to your problem by the time you get back to your desk.
Top tip:

  • Avoid the phrases ‘In conclusion’ or ‘In this essay’ as they’re overused and more can be said by getting straight to the point, so work on a bold first sentence that immediately sets up your argument. If you have to say it then at least use a synonym.

 

Divide the Length

Studies have increasingly shown that taking regular study breaks help to maximise productivity. Here’s an effective way to ensure you actually earn those breaks and get enough work done in between to stay positive:

A  simple trick to making your essay more manageable is to divide the length  into small sections, which you can then write in one go. You can then take a short break at the end of each section.

At university level the body of the essay will usually contain at least 2 to 3 main sections.

Note the points you want to make in each section with subheadings and keep dividing until you have a far less intimidating block of text.

 

To sum up so far:

  1. Work out how many pages you’re essay will be.
  2. Set aside 10-20% for your intro and conclusion (mark these pages).
  3. Add your three main topic headings at quarter intervals in the document (these will be changed to topic sentences as you write).
  4. Now add your subheadings, the points within each section.
  5. Your essay will be far less scary now and already looks started.

Formatting

One of the most common and infuriating mistakes students make when submitting their first essay at university is not formatting their work properly.

It sounds boring and to be honest it is, but it’s vitally important that you understand that universities work in line with modern academic practice, which includes a very specific page layout. Much like how a newspaper journalist is forced to conform to writing in 12pt, Times New Roman, when they have a guilty pleasure for COMIC SANS, you also have to obey a set of guidelines to ensure you receive a great mark.

Every university course or discipline should have a style guide on their website page, so be sure to look out for them. Here’s Oxford University’s quick reference guide. Generally they cover (to name but a few points):

  • How to write dates and times
  • Font Sizing
  • Capitalizations
  • Footnotes
  • Abbreviations
  • Margin Widths

 

I have chosen to dedicate the entirety of the following section to the most hated part of formatting…

 

Citations

A citation is a reference to someone else’s work, substantiating a statement. Here’s an example:

If I said: ‘In the last ten years over a billion Tamagotchis have been murdered’ or ‘Winston Churchill said he loved fighting on the beach’, I’d be expected to give supporting evidence…for obvious reasons.

A citation includes the person/author, a date and a publication and can either be written into the text (in brackets) or added as a small footnote. It’s important to use plenty throughout your work to prove that everything you write is accurate and shows you are aware of the research which surround your topic.

Just to make this more complicated there are several different styles of citation which your college or university may adopt. It’s best, thought, to find out from your lecturer/professor which they prefer. In my experience most people don’t mind as long as your references are consistent and accurate.

To make your life a bit easier, here is a citation generator which will help you get started.

 

Read the marks scheme

At school, reading the answers would’ve been considered cheating and sadly at university there’s no such easy way to make sure you’ve got everything right. Tutors are equally upset as they can’t simply add ticks and crosses and instead have to award marks in line with a set of general guidelines.

Fortunately most universities will put these guidelines on their website. And because they’re general parameters for the marker, rather than strict right or wrong responses, they can be learnt and followed for all your future essays.

Every subject should have a slightly different version so be sure to find the right one for your course. Don’t be afraid to talk through the guide with your tutor to get the best result.

 

Procrastination

An estimated 70-90% of students are victims of procrastination. Whether through binge watching Netflix, eating handfuls of Frosties or sleeping to avoid work, it’s something we all have to contend with.

The sooner you can figure out how to make yourself sit and write the better for your workload. Here are some techniques to help:

  • Remove online distraction distractions by downloading a website block for studying. A website blocker can prevent you accessing social media and distracting websites for a short period of time while you write your essay.
  • Change environment – By putting yourself in a public place or surrounding yourself by other working students (the library) you will feel more compelled to work and more self conscious about procrastinating.
  • Sit up – An increasing number of people work from their beds, but this can result in accidental naps and incredible back ache. By sitting at a desk or table in an upright position you will help increase your productivity and remove temptations.

 

Resources

While buried under piles of books, blankets and red bull cans you may forget to look in even the most obvious places for essay help. Here are some key resources which will help you write a great essay:

 

  • Library Resources – Obviously there are plenty of books in the library but universities also hold large stores of published papers, newspaper articles and letters, some of which may come in very handy, especially when writing a more creative essay. The librarians are a resource in themselves having spoken to students on just about every topic so don’t be afraid to ask for advice. They’re all overqualified.
  • Jstor/online library – Jstor is a collection of published academic essays which can be viewed and read, with most universities having access to the database. It’s a great way of finding other writers who’ve written on your topic – you can always read their bibliographies and discover new books to add to your reading list.
  • Google Scholar – A brilliant resource found online is Google Scholar, which is a large store of published works which can either be viewed or downloaded. While they don’t always give you totally free access to the text, you can search for a key phrase you want to quote and if it exists it’ll be sure to pop up, making referencing incredibly easy.
  • Academic advisor – Your tutor is a valuable person to know, not just because they’ll be marking your work but also because they’re an expert of the field. Book meetings, arrange talks and listen to everything they have to say. Note: It’s often unwise to disagree with their advice.
  • Society Forums – University societies nowadays all come with their own Facebook pages. Use them wisely and ask for help if you need it. A society is full of students just like you with all kinds of experience – just be sure to be nice and moderate your comments.

 

Peer-review

Once your first draft is done you may be tempted to hit that submit button straight away. If you’ve left it too late you might just have to, but if there’s still time then there’s nothing better than to exchange work with a friend and get them to proof read it.

While they might only provide general feedback, hearing someone else’s thoughts and viewing their work will give you a fresh perspective – especially if you’re both writing the same essay.

Additionally, people notice different things. So after you’ve emerged from your student cocoon, square-eyed and unwashed, it’s possible you might need to get away from the essay for a bit, gaining a new perspective and maybe taking a shower.

 

Positivity

It’s not always easy to have a can-do attitude. If you’re currently studying, part of a generation with the highest levels of students seeking counselling, a can-do attitude is probably not what comes to mind when you first start essay writing.

Yet there are some effective ways to improve your happiness levels and thereby improve your productivity and motivation levels

  • Diet – Our diet is often referred to as MoodFood and the student diet is well known for lacking vital nutrients so try to balance this out. Make sure that if you aren’t eating enough healthy produce you’re supplementing this with a multivitamin or even eating something green once in awhile.
  • Sleep Schedule – Sleep has a big impact on our overall mood and ability to concentrate and focus. Sleep is essential if you want to do well in your studies. If you want to guarantee getting enough sleep, even when your stressed, then read this essential guide to beating insomnia.
  • Exercise – Taking regular exercise will improve mood and help you to enjoy your work. Start running, fast walking or take up a group sport or even learn to dance, the benefits of exercise are truly amazing.
  • Social Life – Strong relationships have been shown to improve a person’s mental well-being and though they’re not always easily cultivated, it’s worth trying to get some good friends. Your social life can help improve your general mood.

 

Additionally, it’s important to keep track of your mental health and get help if you need it, so be sure to look out for yourself and get in touch with a doctor if you need support. Universities, while they may contribute to stress levels and financial troubles, they do offer a good support network with brilliant services such as Nightline and in-house advice centres, so just remember you’re never alone.

 

In Conclusion (just joking!)

These tips and techniques will have given you the necessary tools to help you to write your best essay. Remember to give yourself time to prepare and research well and you’ll be unstoppable.

 

 

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This post first appeared on Website Blocker Productivity Software | Stop Procr, please read the originial post: here

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