If you have never written a college essay before, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little nervous the first time. Where do you even start? You could be 18, you could be 80: it makes no difference. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) for the first time in this manner can be rather daunting. But fear not, because help is at hand.
This guide will give you some practical tips for putting together your first college essay or paper. Here’s all you need to know:
First steps
Do you understand what you need to do? If not – and we mean understanding 100% – then seek clarity from the professor or tutor who has set your task. Ask as many questions as possible, and seek out examples too. You are well within your rights to do this as a student, and it actually shows a large degree of diligence and conscientiousness to do this. Any tutor would be impressed.
Seek inspiration
Research is key to any good piece of work, and this is equally true of your first college paper. Unearth as many sources as possible and collate the information you gather neatly, with an idea in mind regarding how you would like to present the findings of this research. In doing this, make sure you:
· Follow the essay guidelines as closely as possible, seeking clarity from tutors where needed.
· Ask to see or get access to previous essays submitted to get a good idea of what a good essay entails (by no means should this be used for plagiarism purposes, but instead to study the way in which the essay is presented, and to understand what a good quality piece of work looks like – this is the first time you are doing it, after all).
· Follow tried-and-tested formulas. You do not need to reinvent the wheel in terms of presentation, which brings us neatly to…
Use a great template
Formatting your essay can often be the toughest task – even harder than the content itself! What should your essay even look like?
The first piece of advice is to check carefully with the professor who has set the task because there are usually guidelines to go along with any assignment that has been given to you. What is the structure? How many words does the essay need to be? These are usually made clear.
Usually, not always. And once you have been given guidance on these particular issues, it may still not help.
Never fear, for why not use an AI-powered writing tool that can provide a first-class essay template to fit your needs? An AI-powered writing tool such as that offered by Linguix.
Always start with a draft
When Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, he didn’t just get out of his paintbrushes and start painting. First, he made a draft of what he wanted to depict, and so with any essay you write, make sure you put together a draft first before you work on the end product. You may end up with half a dozen drafts, each time ironing out weaknesses and adding relevant points that weren’t included before.
Perfect the structure
Nearly all essays will be based upon a tried-and-tested formula, as a well-constructed template will prove. Of course, there are different types of essays and essay structures. That said, a basic formula can be defined as follows:
1) An introduction, featuring an enticing hook +
2) A brief summary of your intentions and presentation of the essay +
3) Your thesis statement (the main argument that you will seek to prove, or disprove) +
4) The body of the essay (tackling the previous point) +
5) A summary of your argument +
6) A hard-hitting conclusion =
A well-structured essay
Here is a simple example of how this works in reality.
| Intro. & hook | Most of us have tried at some stage to learn a language. But have the majority of us been trying to learn a language in the wrong way all along? |
| Intentions | This essay will explore the traditional ways of learning languages, contrasting these with new research suggesting that X is, in fact, the best way to become fluent in a new language |
| Thesis Statement | The traditional methods of teaching languages are in fact redundant. X provides a means of learning a new language that better suits the majority of students’ learning styles. |
| Body | X is… The first advantage it offers is… An example of this is… The second advantage that is offered is… An example of this is… Research suggests that…(detail research findings to qualify these points)However…(offer a concession) |
| Summary | In summary, X offers a more effective means of learning a new language due to the fact that… |
| Conclusion | Traditional methods of learning languages may still have their time and place, but the advantages of X, as well as the research available, reveal that this new method will… |
Once again, it is important to reiterate that there are different styles of essays, but that’s exactly where a template as provided by the likes of Linguix can make a big difference. The template library on Linguix offers all manner of options that fit differing needs.
And when you’re done, don’t forget to proofread!
