Steps to Write an Ideal College Essay

Huynh NguyenOctober 20, 2022

Studying in college can be demanding, especially when you’re dealing with high-level classes and professors who expect a lot from you. Luckily, there are plenty of steps you can take to help you write an ideal essay for class that will impress your professor and earn you the best grade possible! This article will tell you everything from what to include in your introduction to how to make sure your conclusion stands out, so you can write an excellent paper even if English isn’t your first language.

Step 1: Understand the question

The first thing you should do when writing a college essay is understand the question. This will help guide your answer and let you know what it is that they are looking for. For example, if they are asking about your favourite memory in high school then a lot of your essay should be about that one event. When understanding the question, make sure you read the prompt carefully and don’t just skim over it.

Step 2: Get started on time

One of the most common mistakes that students make when it comes to essay writing is starting too late. Starting on time will allow you to avoid this mistake and get ahead in your work. Give yourself plenty of time to think about what you want to say, but start on time so that you can maintain a balance between working on the essay and doing other schoolwork. If you have some difficulty with the assignment, try brainstorming or even asking for help from friends or professors.

Step 3: Make a draft

Once you have an outline, create a draft of your essay by first writing the introduction. The introduction should summarise the entire essay and grab the reader’s attention. It should also be personal, rather than just listing facts. Tell a story if it applies or use quotes or statistics to illustrate your point. Finally, remember to include the thesis statement in this paragraph as well as supporting paragraphs for each point that follows it.

Step 4: Self-edit your paper

Once you’ve written your paper, it’s important to go through and self-edit before you submit. Self-editing means reviewing your paper for any errors or confusing parts that can be fixed with a few tweaks. The process of self-editing will help you feel confident about submitting your paper, because you’ll know that it is the best work that you can produce. This step in academic writing requires you to proofread your paper after editing. It might seem like this should have been done first, but it’s better to make sure that your changes don’t create more problems than they solve.

Step 5: Ask for help

If you’re struggling with the essay, ask an essay writing service, a teacher or mentor for help. They’ll be able to give you feedback on your topic, point out any major flaws in your argument, and help you brainstorm strategies for improving your writing. They might also have access to examples of past essays that they can show you. Make sure they are someone who will support your success, not tear down what you’ve already done.

Step 6: Revise, rewrite and edit

This step is the most crucial and you should spend most of your time on it. The point of editing is not only to fix mistakes but also make your paper as concise, clear, and readable as possible. Read your essay out loud (or have someone read it out loud) so that you can catch any words that sound unnatural. If you are struggling with grammar or word usage, use a grammar checking tool such as Grammarly.