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Welcome week is over and it’s time to get down to business.
Perhaps you spent the first week of college getting accustomed to your new home and making new life-long friends. Maybe you even convinced yourself that you would be a “good” and “responsible” student this year and take a stab at some classwork. But even if you did nothing but get acquainted with the campus, no one would blame you for being unproductive during syllabus week.
College, however, comes in waves. As soon as the first week winds down, an influx of tests and group projects come crashing through the door. In college, not only will you have to take midterms and finals, you will also have to write multiple essays. Brace yourself, though, college essays aren’t quite like high school essays; your teacher doesn’t return them to you to fix minor mistakes before the final grade.
So to make sure you’re prepared to nail that first college essay, ENTITY has a few tips to help you write the best essay possible.
The first thing to do before you start brainstorming is to study your syllabus. Write down the date your essay is due. In college, you won’t see the same professor every day and sometimes classes get cancelled. It’s pretty easy to lose track of the day; when you’re trying to juggle a full-time education, a part-time job, a healthy social life and a full night’s sleep, you can end up forgetting due dates.
With such full weeks, your syllabus is your friend and lifesaver. As the University of Illinois says, the syllabus “sets forth what is expected to happen during the semester and delineates the responsibilities of the students and of the instructor.” If you have any questions, professors typically tell you to consult the syllabus first.
There you will find valuable information, especially the due dates for every assignment throughout the semester. Make sure you don’t lose it! And if you want to be an even better student, start scheduling time to write the essay now!
Although this seems like a “no brainer,” you’ll be surprised at how many students spend all night crafting an essay that doesn’t even answer the question asked.
A good way to make sure you answer the prompt is by reading it a few days before you write your essay. Then you should divide the prompt into phrases and look at each aspect. What is being asked of you? What side do you want to argue?
Oxford Dictionaries also suggests focusing on the meanings of each word being asked. “For instance, a standard essay question might include words like analyze, contrast and illustrate.” The website continues, “Spelling out the meaning of these words may help in properly exploring the essay question.” For example, breaking down an issue into is main points is not the same as “analyzing” something. When an prompt clearly says “analyze,” you don’t want to spend hours summarizing. This could only lead to a bad grade.
If you need more help understanding specific words like “contrast,” “define,” “explore” or “outline,” visit the Oxford Dictionaries’ article on “How To Understand the Essay Question.”
It’s beyond easy to lose focus of your topic. To avoid going on a tangent, grab a post-it note, write the topic or question you are answering and stick it to the top of your paper or laptop. This will serve as a constant reminder to answer the prompt in each and every paragraph.
Another good way to stay on track is to use the basic five-paragraph essay format: introductory paragraph, three-paragraph body and a concluding paragraph. In your introduction, you should have a clear thesis statement. Double and triple check that your essay has clearly supported your thesis. Everything in the body of your essay should be relevant to that thesis statement. If not, you are most likely steering off topic.
Always remember that your professors and teaching assistants won’t waste their time with an essay that isn’t organized. So make sure you answer the question right away and that your paper is going in one direction. Each point you make should further your argument, not distract the reader.
Research. Research. Research. Every paper will require some form of research. Depending on the topic, you may have to go online or to the library to get information. Other essays, however, only require you to do the readings assigned in class. But regardless of the research needed, you still need to do the work.
EasyBib says that taking notes is “a key part of the research process because it helps you learn and allows you to see your information in a useful visual way.” Before you take notes, you should skim your source before reading it in detail. EasyBib says skimming will help you grasp the general ideas. To save you time, only write down things that you may use in your paper; don’t write down things you already know or would never include in the paper. This will help with organization and efficiency.
And as you are taking notes, be sure to jot down which sources you are planning to use. You need to cite your sources in order to give credit where credit is due. Use Purdue Owl to make sure you are properly citing your work.
The consequences of plagiarism can result in failing the assignment, failing the class or getting expelled from school, depending on your school’s guidelines. Although it can sometimes be tempting to copy someone else’s work – resist the temptation. It could cost you your academic career.
As Pennsylvania State University explains, plagiarism hurts you and the community. “You deny yourself the opportunity to learn and practice skills that may be needed in your future careers,” says Penn State. “You also deny yourself the opportunity to receive honest feedback on how to improve your skills and performance.”
Overall, plagiarism is disrespectful to your peers and to the original author. So before you turn in your paper, run it through a plagiarism checker. Grammarly Now or Small SEO Tools can help you double check for accidental plagiarism.
Don’t sweat! Once you’ve got these basics covered, you’re good to go. Follow these few steps and you’ll be ahead of your freshman class in no time.
