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Writing a college essay can be difficult. Follow these tips to get the job done well and receive a good grade!
Determine an essay topic. Often the college essay assignment gives you a topic to write on. If you are given more freedom on the assignment, your first step is to choose a topic. Select something that you are interested in or passionate about. Then narrow down the topic of choice to make writing easier. One way to do this is by asking yourself what you have always wondered about the topic. For example, if you have a general topic on Sea Turtles, narrow down to Sea Turtles- Nearly Extinct.
Decide what type of essay you will be writing. Often the direction of your essay is included in the assignment along with the topic. Essay types include analysis, persuasion, comparing and contrasting, and expository.
- To analyze a topic in an essay you distinguish individual elements of a literary work and discuss them at length. Individual elements that can be discussed are: the point of view, setting, characters, plot, imagery, symbolism, motifs and themes. In an analysis essay show how these individual elements contribute to an overall theme.
- A persuasion essay attempts to convince the reader of a certain perspective or point of view. The essay should state your position, defend and explain it, acknowledge other points of view and then counter those opposing points of view with a comeback of why your position is right. Persuasive essays use logic, emotion and moral reasoning to convince.
- Compare and contrast essays show the similarities and differences of two or more things, such as pieces of literature, authors or events.
- Expository essays explain something in greater detail to the reader.
Prewriting
Have a brainstorming session to plan out your essay. Determine what the main point of your essay will be, or your thesis statement and the main points that prove your thesis statement. College quotes and form examples and proof to prove your main points.
Writing
Start by writing an introduction to your essay. The beginning should grab the attention of your reader. The general direction of an introduction should move from general to specific. At the end of the introduction state the main idea of your paper and your point of view. End the introduction with the thesis statement.
The body of the essay should develop the main points that support your thesis. You should have at least 3 main points in an essay. Make sure there is only one main idea per paragraph. Within the paragraphs provide examples to support your main ideas. Make sure to cite sources if you use quotes in your essay.
The conclusion of your essay should restate the main idea of your paper, and reiterate the point you are trying to make. You should never introduce new information in a conclusion. A conclusion should move from specific to general and leave your readers with something to think about.
Revise and Edit
Take a break after you write the essay. Come back to it later and to edit and revise. It helps to print the essay out and go through it with a pen and mark mistakes. Rethink your ideas and refine your arguments if you find your essay lacks clarity. Ask someone else to read your essay before you submit or publish it, often a second pair of eyes can help pick up small errors that you may have missed.
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