Steps For Writing Effective College Essays

The essay is an elegant and useful form of writing, and chances are, you will write more essays in college than during any other phase of your life. But knowing how to write good college essays is a skill that will benefit you for the rest of your life, because it is a great way to train your brain to think logically and to learn to write clearly.

Writing college essays does not have to be intimidating or frustrating if you learn some basic steps and follow them. Like most skills, practice will greatly improve your ability. Start learning as a freshman, and by your upper-class years, you will be ready for any essay topic your professor throws your way.

The first step in writing an essay is having a topic. Whether it is chosen by you or given to you, start by writing a concise, but informative title. You may change the title later, but for now it will give you something on which to focus. When you have a title, begin researching, using all sources you are allowed. Take notes either on cards, or in electronic form. If you use Google Docs, the ENG4U Research Notes Template (found by searching Templates in Google Docs) is a good organizing tool.

Next, analyze your notes and jot down major points or arguments that stand out. Organize your notes or note cards by topic, and then organize the topics in the order in which you want to cover them in your essay. Because this is to be your own work, the next step is to brainstorm. Ask and answer questions on the topic. Draw brainstorming diagrams, make an outline, or simply meditate on your topic until you come up with three to five points you want to cover in your essay.

Before you begin writing, pick what you consider your overarching thesis and write it out in a simple, clear statement, such as, “William Morris’ wallpaper designs were most heavily influenced by medieval embroidery techniques and patterns occurring in nature.” While you may modify this later, you should stick to the basic idea in your thesis statement.

Create an outline of your essay before starting to pour out your thoughts. It should have an introduction, a conclusion, and a series of points you want to make in between. The outline will keep you on track and make sure you neither add unnecessary points nor forget important ones. Your outline can be as formal or informal as you desire. The important thing is that you can understand it.

Starting with your introduction, write a paragraph for every point in your outline. Strive for each paragraph to be 100 to 200 words long. Your introduction should start with a general statement on your topic and logically flow until the last sentence of the introduction, which should be a version of the thesis statement you crafted above.

Each paragraph should be contained and concise. Don’t change topics mid-paragraph. And when you reach your conclusion, start by recapping your thesis statement, and then work to a concluding sentence that is broader, and similar to the opening sentence of your introductory paragraph.

Let your essay “age” overnight if possible before editing. You will catch more spelling and grammatical mistakes that way. Reading it aloud and having a friend read it will help you catch errors and find awkward sentences to rework. Give your essay a final edit and polish before turning it in.