Greetings!
Essay writing can seem a bit overwhelming for those who don't have a lot of practice, but here are some tips that will help:
1. Making an outline of the major ideas you want to cover will help you stay organized and not leave out anything important. An outline for your own use really doesn't need to be much more than a list of points put in a logical order.
2. Your essay should begin with a topic sentence that lets the reader know what the paper will be about. A basic form is to first give the topic -- "Writing college essays . . ." followed by the point of the essay -- ". . . is easy once you master the basics."
3. Next comes the body of your essay, which will be several paragraphs, depending on the required length of your paper. Start with a sentence that gives one of the main points from your outline: "Making an outline can be helpful." The remaining sentences in that paragraph (usually there should be at least three sentences in each paragraph) support the first sentence: "An outline contains the major ideas you want to cover in your essay." Add a few more points to expand and add detail.
4. Finally, the conclusion sums up the points made in your essay, without restating them in exactly the same way (which would be repetitive and boring). The last sentence should have a feeling of finality: "Learning a few basic guidelines can take the mystery out of writing a good college essay. By using an outline, crafting a good topic sentence, structuring paragraphs in an orderly fashion and wrapping up with a strong conclusion, students can greatly improve their writing. The end result is an essay that really makes the grade."
5. Other points to keep in mind while you're writing: Unless your professor tells you otherwise, always use formal English, without slang. Contractions are fine in informal writing like this, but not in a formal essay (use "do not" instead of "don't"); don't refer to yourself unless the assignment is supposed to include your personal experiences or reflections; include some action verbs and colorful metaphors where appropriate, but don't try to make your writing exciting just by adding exclamation points.
Be sure to check out the other useful information on our site, especially "
Tips to Writing Successful College Essays and Term Papers" which can be found under Free Essays and Articles.
Please let me know if I can be of further help!
Sarah, EssayForum.com